#dunno where this thought came from. but i think it'd be nice

[divinamour]

There’s a reality where Angela has a group of friends that know what she is, and what she’s on Earth to do, and they all exist in the same group chat of hers. But it’s just a normal group chat? Angela will send pictures of the form she’s wearing that day to gauge interest and if it looks good. They’ll plan trips to resorts together funded by the credit cards & banking details of people they’ve scammed. share memes that make fun of superheroes because they can.

Just a... low stakes AU where the Marvel/DC Formula of ‘Every six months we need to have a SECRET CRISIS’ isn’t happening. Real Slice of Life energy.

[icycoldninja]

Hello! I have an idea for a (fluff / angsty?) request with Vergil - might be a little long sorry abt that

Basically after dmc5 he returns from hell with Dante and he has some loose ends to tie, one of them being mending his relationship with his s/o (aka neros mother). I was thinking maybe she worked for Dante as a devil hunter and V gives subtle hints of his true self but she didn't catch on until the big reveal. I dunno if that'll be good enough so feel feel free to add on whatever!

Thanks for reading all this if you do and have a nice day :)

Nah, nah, it's fine. Have a MOTIVATED day yourself!

Lots of catching up to do (Vergil x Fem!Reader angst/fluff)

You knew something was odd about this "V" fellow the moment he set foot through Devil May Cry's door. You'd been visiting your employer and friend Dante at the time, and happened to be present when the mysterious man showed up, cane and book in hand. You recognized that book; it was an old copy of William Blake's poetry that Vergil used to tote around, occasionally reading excerpts from it during his downtime.

Ah, Vergil. It'd been a while since you heard that name, or even seen the man, for that matter. The last time you had an interaction with him was years ago on a moonlit eve as you said goodbye to him for what you thought was the last time, right before he departed in his quest for power, and just a month before you discovered you were pregnant with your son Nero.

You were lost in thought for a while, barely even noticing the fact that V was staring you straight in the eyes, a smug smirk on his face, as if he knew something you didn't. You wanted to question him, but knew it'd be better to keep your mouth shut. You, Dante, and the rest of Devil May Cry's staff had a mission to complete.

Imagine your surprise when V insisted on you accompanying him and Nero into the Qliphoth, only giving you a vague, meaningless reason you didn't care to remember. It seemed he just wanted you nearby, even though your skills would be better put to use on the front lines, with Dante, Trish, and Lady.

After the first assault failed and mostly everyone crawled back home, defeated, you found yourself being followed by a tall, skinny, emo-looking man whose name was one letter long. Why he was still following you around despite the separation of the devil hunting team made no sense, but since he was somewhat friendly and didn't seem to have ill intentions, you let him stick around.

Some time passed while you tended to your son, whose arm had been ripped off not too long ago, and over time, you two had to charge back into the fray to save the city from more demon attacks. V disappeared for a while, but you didn't mind, since your focus was on helping and protecting your son. Nero always came first in your mind, because he was the only piece of Vergil you had left.

V eventually returned, in terrible condition, bringing with him Dante, who had been found half buried and covered in blood in a hole near his shambling house. Though none of you but V knew it, the moment all four of you stood together was one of the rare moments when the whole Sparda family was all in one place.

Then V scampered off, trying to find Urizen before the others did, and while an inner instant compelled you to follow him, you decided to go with your son, because again, Nero always came first. You ended up running into V once again, except now he had all the structural integrity of a soggy marshmallow, and needed to be carried between the two of you to his final destination, where Dante was duking it out with Urizen.

After the beast had fallen, V broke free of yours and Nero's hold and scrambled on top of it, which was when he jammed his cane right through its chest and exploded, bringing forth an individual you never thought you'd see again: The father of your son and the love of your life, Vergil.

The hope and joy you felt as you watched him materialize was nothing short of incredible; now you saw why V was the way he was, why it was so soothing to be around him, and why he chose to stay with you. V was Vergil. In a way, he'd been with you all along.

You thought that this would be the end of everything, that now, after so many years, you all could go home and be a happy family. You couldn't have been more wrong, for not one minute after finally returning, Vergil went off to the top of the Qliphoth to fight with Dante, Nero following after them, with you being the last to catch up. You arrived just in time to watch them dive off the demonic tree into the underworld, and felt all the happiness drain out of you in an instant.

There he goes, again, this time taking Dante with him. Oh well, you decided. You'll have to devote all your attention to your darling son, who surely needs more comfort than he's letting on.

Several months passed with you and Nero dedicating all your attention to exterminating demons that lingered in the land, feeling sad over the departure of the Sparda twins, but unlike most, you two vented your stress and worry out on demons, by killing them. You two were doing somewhat fine; Nero was still struggling to cope with the fact that Vergil was his father and you never told him, and you were still heartbroken. Then, out of absolutely nowhere, Vergil knocked on the front door right as you were getting ready for bed.

"Vergil?" You gasped as you opened the door.

"Yes," Vergil replied, expression as grim and stoic as ever. "I...I'm home, Y/N."

"You came back from Hell...but how? And where's Dante?" You asked, not entirely sure if this was reality or you were dreaming again.

"He is at his shop," Vergi, replied, sternly. "Do not concern yourself with him. Where is our son?"

"He's upstairs, why?" You said slowly, wondering if he had ill intentions at heart.

"We have a lot of catching up to do," Vergil answered, a warm smile flitting across his face for just a second. "All three of us."

"That we do," You agreed, chuckling as you took the half devil by the arm and dragged him into your house. "Nero! Come down and meet your dad!"

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias x Reader - The Birthday Gift

This fic was requested by one of my lovely wattpad readers for her birthday on July 14th. Happy birthday to her!!🥳

Enjoy!

How sad it was having to work on your birthday. Luckily your boyfriend, Ruben, came to pick you up once your shift ended.

"So what do you want to do?" He asked. You had already celbreated a little bit before you left for work this morning. Ruben made you breakfast in bed this and let you open his present, a charm braclet with a golden key as it's first charm.

"Well they made me this at worked." You showed him the bag of pastries you got from your colleagues. They made a wide selection of pastries for you to enjoy on your birthday. "Maybe we could find a nice place to enjoy them, just the two of us?"

"Sure. I know a place we can go."

You weren't too keen on parties where you were supposed to be the center of attention. Ruben was the same. He enjoyed peace and quiet and you two often spend your days together snuggled up on the couch, watching a marathon of movies. It wasn't much, but it was how you liked it. Just you and Ruben, in your own little bubble.

"What's this place?"

He had driven a bit outside of the city, to a little town with a big lake in the middle of it.

"I come here sometimes to relax." He said, parking the car on a hill that overlooked the small houses and the lake that sparkled in the sun.

"Hmm. A bit random don't you think?" You brought out the bag of pastries and picked the one you wanted to eat first. Ruben was a bit more hesitant, perhaps not wanting to make such a mess in his car.

"You don't like it?"

"The view?"

"No, the town." He said, with a strange look on his face.

"I dunno? What so special about it?"

To you it looked like a typical english town with houses covered in red tile rooftops, a town center, a local school and plenty of green agriculture surrounding the area.

"I thought it'd be a great place to live someday."

"You want to live here?" You chuckled.

"Yeah, what's so funny about that?" He sounded a bit offended by your reaction.

"Nothing baby, but you of all people rather live here than in Manchester or Portugal of all places?"

"Yes. It's a great place for us to live. It's close to Manchester and..."

"Us?" You stopped him there, unsure if you heard him right.

Ruben looked to bite his tongue.

"You said us, right? Or was I mistaken?"

He turned to you with a serious expression on his face.

"Ruben, what's the matter?"

His eyes searched your face, perhaps unsure if he should tell you or not.

"Ruben please, you're kind of freaking me out." You chuckled.

"Promise not to do that."

"Do what?" You had to tilt your head as his eyes had diverged from yours. "Ruben please tell me what's going on?" You had never seen him like this, so anxious and easily agitated.

"What I'm about to show you..." He said. "Just promise me that you won't freak out."

"I won't. I promise."

He sighed and turned the keys to start the car. You were off for a silent drive through the little town, not stopping until you arrived at a small community of houses.

"We have to walk from here." He said, silencing the engine, unbuckling his belt. You did the same and followed him.

He held your hand leading you through the lovely neighborhood with a beautiful set up of houses. However there was this particular house that still looked like it was under construction. To your surprise Ruben stopped just in front of that one, searching his pocket for a key which he handed to you.

"Happy Birthday." He said, but not with as much energy as this morning.

"You bought me a house?"

"Yes. I bought you a house." He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Ruben, but why?" You turned to look at him, unsure of what to say. You had so not expected this.

"I dunno." He shrugged. "Because I love you."

You leap forwards, hugging him. "I love you too, but I could never afford to buy you a house. It's too much Ruben." Tears had begun to flow, but mostly because anyone surprising you with such a gift would make you emotional.

"Do you want to take a look inside?" Ruben looked down on you, smiling.

You perked up to kiss his lips. "Yes, let's go inside."

It was a castle compared to any place you've lived in before. There was a giant porch with an equally giant backyard. Ruben even showed you a blueprint of the plans to build a pool out there.

"Ruben, this house is too big for just the two of us." This is what he had meant by "us." The house would be a home for the two of you to share.

"I know." He said. "But by the time the house is done maybe it won't be just the two of us anymore?"

You froze, a ray of butterflies entering your stomach. "You mean...?"

Ruben shrugged. You two stood in the middle of what would be the living room and it was almost impossible not to imagine little feet running across the wooden floors, making a mess of things as children often did.

"You want to have children with me?" You failed to hold in another flood of tears. Ruben closed the distance between you, grabbing your hand and kneeling down before you. "It would be your choice of course. Just like it is my choice to ask you to marry me."

"Ruben."

You watched him pull out the little black jewelry box out of his back pocket. He pulled the diamond ring out of the box, ready to dress it on your finger, but first he needed to hear the words that would allow him to do so.

You nodded your head and weeped. "Yes Ruben. Of course I will marry you!"

He put the ring on your finger, rose to his feet and picked you up, twirling you around in his arms. Your eyes were filled with tears and it felt like you could go on crying forever. He set your feet back down to look at you. "I love you." He said, in the same way he always did, but this time it was like he spoke directly to your heart, your heart that belonged to him now.

"I love you too." You cried. "...and this gift, the best birthday gift I could have ever received."

[cherry-dr0p]

I WISH TO RAMBLE!! IM NOT GONNA INCLUDE IMAGES BECAUSE I DONT WANNA BUT HERE WE GO

HUGE TWF4 SPOILERS

I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY!!!

Im not gonna lie, the start kinda had me like "This is what I waited ages for?" But then when the animatronic testing came around, thats when my interest truly started to pick up.

First of all, WHY WOULD YOU TGINK THAT FACIAL RECOGNITION FOR ANIMATRONICS IS A GOOD IDEA??? GENUINELY DID NO ONE HAVE THE COMMON SEMSE TO GO "HM, THIS MAY END NOT GOOD". Like I kind of understand the appeal for it because they may want the kids to feel,, more connected to the animatronics?? I dunno. But like?? I can understand for that time period the desire to have the animatronics interact with the audience (Not saying its a good idea but at least I can understand with this one why they may think it is in my head), but cmon..

Then from what I remember, the sprites came. And Good god did they creep me out slightly when I first saw them, especially Edd and Molly. I dunno, there was something extra creepy in my eyes seeing kids' faces messed up like that. Crazy. I also screamed when I finally saw "Bon" because Ive been keeping up with the Twitter TWF community somewhat, which means I already technically knew about "Bon". It was pretty cool to have him finally introduced in the actual story himself. Also Charles and Susan talking about Felix's addiction and if they should tell Rosemary and Jack(?) is crazy.

Aaaahhh but then the scene with Jack came around. Was rooting for him ngl. I honestly thought he died at the well scene but I dont see any correlation to that quite yet,, mayhaps. Felix almost jumping did make me feel a tiny bit bad for him bit like,, still. Fuck you Felix. I still hate him and 100% think hes getting what hes deserving. He feels guilty? Good. He should.

I cant remember if the Susan scene comes after this or not but I erm uh,,, That was VERY well done!! It gave me chills how you could still hear her breathe. Genuinely. The blood as well and Rocket closing their eyes?? Crazy. The jittery animation drove me insane, it was such an amazing detail that made things far more uncomfortable.

I cant remember where abouts the other Felix scene came but,, HE DOESNT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH ROCKET. I DUNNO,, DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN TAKE IT WITH YOU?? PUT IT IN YOUR HOME OR RESTAURANT?? WHY DID YOU THINK THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA. I SWEAR, MY GUY HAS NEGATIVE BRAINCELLS... But I also think we all know why he's so attached,, him getting haunted by the kids is wild.

The last scene very much makes me think "Bon" is Jack. I unno, very much could be wrong but just the way he talks and is dressed makes me think he is. The fact that he knows so well of what hes talking about and the voice,, maybe the general face shape too. Me thinks its either Brian(Ive saw that theory floating around) or Jack, but Im more leaning towards Jack. It also freaked me out slightly the way Susan came on all deformed too, that was freaky. The voices of all the characters in this new afterlife were very VERY cool too. And the whole mask being given and "Bon" talking about making her "beautiful" too? That was cool. The scene with Edd and Molly debating whether to save Susan too filled my heart with a weird sort of awe. They have a great relationship as siblings together imo, I do very much love their dynamic.

It'd be cool to see the other two episodes for the finale which I think are coming out very soon!! Which is very exciting!! I 100% reccomend TWF4, it's phenomenal and the wait was 200% worth it in my eyes. You can definitely see the developers heart and soul being put into this project, which is very nice to see. In my eyes, you dont see it often. I dunno if I missed out a scene or two from my rant but overall? I adored watching this (Ive already told some of my friends to watch it >:3).

Rant over anyways, buh bye for now :3

[writingrenna]

Grusha x GN!Reader

"There for the Fall (Pt. 2)"

Continuity: Part 2 of this story, sequel to "Descent to Reality"

--v-Vv-

"Grusha I swear to you, I saw one! It was over there!"

He looked to where you pointed. You swore up and down you saw an orange Combee in a flower patch, but it was no longer there.

"WHAT-?"

You frantically look around. Yet again, Grusha is out in public with you as you freak out over something. This time, you're in Mesagoza, since it's now close to exam season. You decided it'd be bad to continue your treasure hunt right now, but you missed seeing him in person. He eventually caved and came over to visit.

Well, "caved" is how he'd describe it, but he missed you, too.

"I believe you. You have an eye for weird things."

"Hey!"

You glare at him. He deadpans back before changing the subject.

"So, Tulip's gym is next, right? Think you're ready?"

You nod aggressively.

"Oh yeah, yep! Very ready, but..."

You look towards Falinks with sadness in your eyes.

"...this will be another matchup where these guys can't be used much. Last time, they could only use one move against Ryme's team, and this time, they'll be super weak against Tulip's."

He really does feel kind of bad for you, seeing as though they were certainly your best friends and greatest assets on your team. He closes his eyes and faces down, hands in the pockets of his lighter jacket.

"Ah, well that's too bad."

You smirk.

"Yeah, but don't worry. We'll get good, then we'll march right up that mountain and kick your butt. Right, Drum-Fum!?"

Falinks all hop into formation, letting out a battle cry.

He... found this cute, smiling at you and your little second-through-seventh in commands. Sure, it's nice seeing how in-sync you are with your formation Pokémon, but this realization was kind of different.

He was actually starting to get used to the idea of finding you cute.

"Okay, but remember, I'll be ready for you."

You smile, making a cutesy pose with your hands clasped together.

"Awww, preparing just for me??"

His smile abruptly falls, shaking his head.

"No, just in general."

You notice this, but you don't comment on it.

"I can't wait to get to you! I'll get my last gym badge, challenge La Primera, become the latest champion..."

Your eyes sparkled as you danced around him at the thought. He couldn't help but stare, even if he felt like you were a bit too much of a dreamer. You then stop.

"Oh! And, uh, I'll be sure to use my status for good."

He raises an eyebrow.

"That's a relief."

You glare back at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He tilts his head, hands coming up defensively and eyes closing.

"What I mean is you're the least sane person in Paldea. I'm glad you're not getting stronger for nefarious purposes."

You gawk at him, reeling back in shock (even though it really doesn't shock you in the slightest that he'd say that).

"How COULD you!?"

He just scoffs, refraining from rolling his eyes.

"Well? What can I say? You're kinda crazy."

You get in his face, although you quickly loose the plot.

"I dunno, not... that?"

He's leaning back, staring into your eyes, fighting off the urge to-

"You know what? You're right. Where are my manners?"

He walks a few steps ahead of you before stopping, turning back towards you and bowing.

"Will you PLEASE forgive me, my liege?"

He offers a hand as he peeks up at you, who's trying to suppress a laugh.

"Look who's acting weird in public now!"

And you're right. But you'd never learn why.

"Yeah, and? I'm hanging out with the most insane person in Paldea. It was bound to happen."

And with that, your eyes lit up, widening with realization. He's... unsure of what this means.

"Oh, but- but you still hang out with me, no?"

Eyebrows furrowed, he replies.

"Yeah? I guess so."

You point at him.

"You don't care that I'm weird, do you?"

He doesn't get a chance to respond. You smile at him, doing a weird little dance.

"Youuuuu like meeeeeee! Admit it!"

He looks down to the ground. Damn it.

"Well, your presence isn't as obnoxious as I thought it'd be."

"That's..."

You stare blankly at him for a moment before your entire countenance lights up.

"...so nice of you to say! By your standards, at least. Bet that hurt to admit, huh, 'Grump-a'?"

He groans. It really wasn't hard to get you to like him. In fact, he did absolutely nothing at all, but he still ended up roped up in your... he'd say friend group, but he hasn't heard of any other friends of yours yet. Point is, you just sorta claimed him in an instant despite his initial lack of interest, but then again, he went with it, so...

He looks around. Many people were sneaking glances at him, whispering about the gym leader visiting Mesagoza. Some had even turned toward you, pointing in awe, probably speculating about your relationship together.

He pointedly ignored them, being very used to it all, and decided to simply enjoy the day. He was here for you, a thought he was... slowly growing fond of. Maybe it wouldn't be bad to voice his feelings sometimes, without caveats.

--v-Vv-

"So! How's life been treatin' ya, baby?"

La Primera had invited every public figure in the league to a nice restaurant. She framed it as "team building", but everyone seemed to be gathered in their own little groups. Not that he minded or even cared past thinking 'ironic'. He just sat at the restaurant's bar with Ryme and Larry.

"It's... been." He simply answered.

She doesn't seem satisfied with this response, but she knows he has trouble speaking. He just needs more specific questions.

"Anythin' new or interesting go down?"

At this question, even Larry momentarily glances over at the two of them. Grusha huffs.

"Well, I've learned about almost every formation a Falinks employs and why they do them..." He said, taking a sip from his drink. He's not much of a drinker, but he will sip on something during a social event or meal like brunch from time to time. He was actually on his second (and final) drink of the night, nursing it at a leisurely pace.

"Ah, I wonder, where'd ya get that information from?" She asks, smirking.

"Haha, very funny. You know where."

He refused to look at her. She simply glances at Larry, who looks back at her. He speaks up this time.

"Grusha, it's fine to admit y-"

"No, whatever you're about to say, NO."

Grusha turns, staring him down. Larry's expression doesn't change, but Ryme sneers at him, speaking up again.

"Grusha, it's really alright. You don't have to be so defensive, we're all adults here."

He groans, hand shooting up to sooth his temple.

"First of all, Poppy's sitting nearby with Rika, and you know how she gets with this stuff. Second of all, there's nothing there, so stop overthinking it."

This only implicates him more.

"What did I say?"

He... doesn't remember the exact wording, but he knows she was implying some deeper feelings. Or, maybe it was Larry. Yeah, definitely him.

"I don't know, why do you wanna know so bad?"

"Know what?"

He responds in a mocking tone, "My 'fee-fees'."

She barks out a laugh, turning away from him. Even Larry lets out a snort before covering his face and glancing away.

She calms down, turning back to him.

"Come on, Grusha. I know you can say at least ONE good thing about them. Tell me how you really feel."

He stares out in front of himself for a second before sighing.

"Well, they are great at battling..."

She nods, expecting this answer. He talks about how obsessed you are with your Falinks all the time. Besides, you were able to beat her recently. What she doesn't expect, however, is what he says next.

"And I guess it's cool that they're so passionate about life. And- it's been kind of exciting, waiting for them to come and challenge my gym."

They both stare at him, never getting this much out of him before when it comes to the topic of you. They stay silent, not wanting to throw him off.

"And like, I dunno, it isn't the worst thing having them in my life. Maybe it'd be cool if they stuck around." He shook his head. "But, they're still insane, so..."

Ryme nods. She's heard of your escapades before. He once came to a meeting frustrated at the fact that you tried to climb a windmill to get something a Bombirdier stole from you the day before. He was absolutely steaming the entire time, barely paying attention, which isn't like him. Why he cared so much was a mystery to everyone but herself and Larry. He was happier being around you than he was letting on, and would be devastated if something happened to you.

Larry himself could read in between the lines, too. He knew he secretly appreciated you, even if he couldn't say it. That little extra line about you being insane (while probably true to some extent) was thrown in so he wouldn't seem too 'mushy'. Besides, he's never invested in someone for so long, at least someone not specifically linked to his everyday life in some way if he didn't like them.

Larry glanced at Ryme, who glanced at him. They interpreted what he said in two slightly different ways, but both of them were right. And Grusha knew they'd understand what he was actually saying. He hated this fact, but he felt vulnerable and slightly intoxicated. He knew he could trust these two to keep quiet. Ryme, because she valued the fact that he always felt safe confiding with her, and Larry, because he's no gossip in general. Maybe this would be a good time to practice that voicing his feelings thing?

"It's weird, having someone want to be in your life so bad even when you're being so moody and jaded. I guess I don't hate it as much as I used to."

He then turns to them, a serious look on his face.

"If you say anything, you're dead."

They nod. The threat wasn't needed for them to agree, but he needed to preserve some sense of control over his emotions.

--v-Vv-

"Soooo, yeah! That's basically how it happened."

His eyes were glued to the ground, confusion evident on his face.

"So, lemme get this straight. Your Falinks... caught itself for you? On purpose, no less?"

Your eyes light up, petting each one.

"Yup! We've been inseparable ever since. Might go back and visit the area, actually."

You were all sitting on a picnic blanket somewhere along Socarrat Trail. Your Falinks were all sitting in a circle, halfway asleep, and Cetoddle was sliding down the hill you were on, trilling and running back up to do it all over again.

"Huh, that's... honestly not the weirdest thing I've heard from you."

You abruptly turn towards him, catching him off guard.

"Heyy! I'll have you know they did it because they saw something in me."

That seemed to be true, to be totally fair. Your parents had rented a Grafaiai to help you catch your first Pokémon, only to fail miserably and run out of time. You, in your infinite wisdom, ran out into the forest on your own to try and "brute force" a catch.

He can only imagine how miserably you failed at it.

You were left devastated, ready to give up entirely on your dreams of catching your own partner. It was then that a Falinks walked up to you, pressed its head against the Pokéball you were about to pick up and throw out in frustration, and caught itself.

Grusha can only wonder why they chose to go with you. He can see it was a great decision in retrospect, but at the time? You were running around, wildly throwing Pokéballs left and right, probably losing it as time went on. Why would they (or at least the brass) see that and be moved into joining you?

He feels like he's going to be pondering this for quite a while.

You abruptly stand up, which woke Falinks up, shouting "Ooh, OH! Check this out!"

You sprint behind a hill, Falinks following (fairly) close behind you. Grusha and Cetoddle sit there, looking in your direction, only to be ever so mildly shocked to see you come back showboating and standing atop Falinks as if they were a parade float. They were marching as smoothly as they could manage to keep you from losing your footing, faces full of determination, chanting as they made their way around in a circle in front of the hill. You were able to keep your balance surprisingly well.

"Ha-HAH! SEE!? Imagine me, being carried into battle atop my loyal army!"

He COULD imagine it, which is what worried him.

"But like, not really, right?"

You stop your showboating for a moment.

"Hmm... I dunno, actually!"

He grimaced.

"...well then why would you practice something like this?"

You shrug.

"For fun?"

The two of you stare at each other, Grusha sporting a mean glare, and you constantly needing to turn your head to keep eye contact with him. It was kind of ridiculous, Cetoddle looking between the two of you, a look of confusion on her face as she chirped to herself. You finally ended the moment by clapping your hands together.

"OH! Hey- hey, Falinks! I wanna get down!"

They all stop moving before carefully kneeling, allowing you to get down. You do so, skipping over to Grusha with a smile on your face. He eyes you, not really sure what you were planning on doing. You plopped down next to him, leaning your head to the side to get a good look at him as you spoke.

"Did you know? The first modern Falinks came to be alongside an ancient civilization! Like, they would travel with them and train by watching their armies, but their battle tactics were so effective in the wild, they kept using them even when that civilization fell. It's true! They even started coming up with their own."

He stares at you, silently giving you permission to continue.

"It's been thousands of years, yet they've only gotten better at using those tactics, not dropping them. I think it's neat! Going to Galar, and Paldea, and still being able to fight the same way they did so long ago."

You gesture toward them, all posing with pride.

"Beautiful. Arceus' perfect creatures."

He snorts at that last comment, but he finds it cute how much you love Falinks. Your very best friends. They were just as proud being your Pokémon as you were having them. In fact, he wouldn't be shocked if your mild interest in history started while getting to know your new friends. It would make a lot of sense, actually.

"Huh, that's neat. Be careful about nerding out near Jacq, though. He'd totally take your interest and run a marathon with it."

You grin, suppressing a snicker before turning your entire body towards him.

"Hah! Don't worry! As long as I keep it on the topic of Falinks, we'll be good."

That... laugh... his face flushed a little, causing him to turn away.

"Yeah, probably."

'Keep it short and sweet, Gru.' Even if his affections are obvious, he can keep the extent of it under wraps.

He's staring at the ground in deep thought, eyes darting around a little. He can't deny this any longer. Even the simplest things would throw him into a frenzy. This isn't him. As much as he'd be Ok with it, then deny it, then warm up to the idea again, he was sure this time. He felt... less than convenient feelings towards you. But what does this mean for him? For you? For the future?

His thoughts are suddenly halted by the feeling of you staring at him again. The same one he got at the observatory. Slowly, cautiously, he turns to you, only to see a huge toothy smile on your face. He jumped, hiding himself again by turning his head and pulling his hair to the side over his shoulder, blocking your view of his own face.

"Wh-what's up?"

Smooth.

"Noooothiiing-"

You make a weird breathy noise as if trying not to laugh. He still refuses to look at you.

"Then why are you staring at me like that? Weirdo."

You're about to say something when you hear Falinks cry out. You both turn towards the scene, only to see them already sending a group of Murkrow running for the hills at the sight of their fainted Honchkrow leader. They look to you, eyes wide, as if asking if you're Ok. You give a little thumbs-up.

"Woah, you all really are strong..." He says out loud to himself. If they can take down powerful mons without your help, you all working together can take down tough trainers with ease. You let out a cocky little "hmph", hands on your hips in pride.

"Absolutely, you better remember this moment when I take you down."

This time, he didn't rebuke this, because you were probably right. You could take him down easily at this point.

He turns to you. The sunlight pouring through the forest leaves hit your eyes just right as you flashed a grin at him.

"Ah, I didn't mean too much with that, really! It isn't personal or anything, Iiiii just mean you're my final obstacle before the Pokémon League and I'll absolutely take you down to get there."

You grin again, this time a little more deviously, waiting for his snappy response.

But it never comes.

He's quiet, taking in every little detail he can. Natural light really does wonders...

"..."

"Gru?"

He still doesn't respond, choosing to turn away and let the moment quiet down. To let his heart quiet down. You take the hint, idly nodding and turning away to look out into the distance yourself. He takes a peek at you, too afraid to attract your attention by fully turning his head.

He's fine with this moment, as it is, even if his heart is screaming for more.

Maybe Ryme was right about that symphony thing.

--v-Vv-

"Am I normal?"

You're both standing underneath an awning. It's raining pretty heavily, the two of you obviously caught off-guard while out and about. You even sent Cetoddle and Falinks back into their Pokéballs to keep them dry.

"I mean... what is your definition of 'normal'?"

"C'mon, Gru..." You seem frustrated. "You're always brutally honest, so just tell me. Am I normal? Do I come off differently than other people? Do I... go too far with my weirdness?"

He cringes. Yes, you do stand out, he noticed you before you noticed him, after all. But he didn't see it as a negative. Not really.

"Well, yes. You're right, you would stick out in a crowd if I compared you to most other people."

"I KNEW it!" You said, furrowing your eyebrows and gritting your teeth.

He looked to you, not sure what to say.

"I- hey. Why are you asking all of a sudden?"

You shake your head, refusing to look at him.

"I dunno, I've always felt different, but I never knew why. I still don't! I don't make a good permanent friend, and nobody understands how I think... it's weird!"

You slink down against the building to sit on the ground, defeated.

"I'm weird."

Grusha takes a moment to take in what you just said. He then does the same, sitting on the ground and looking at you, hand on your shoulder.

"Ok, slow down. Did something happen to make you feel this way? Even if it's unrelated?"

You sigh.

"No... people always think I wanna be in a bad mood, but it isn't true! My brain just won't stop- doing things?? I dunno! Like, I'm fine, then I remember baggage from when I was like, 12, and it's like 'that's how it is, that's how it'll always be', I'm not normal! Why... aren't I normal...?"

He's stumped. He knows he can't help, especially since you don't even know where this is coming from, but he wants you to feel welcome with him.

"Well, yeah, you're weird. Probably one of the weirdest people I know, but-" he looks at you to make sure you're paying attention. Your expression hasn't changed, simply staring blankly in front of you, posture slumped a little.

He continues.

"Weird isn't really a bad thing. Not on its own at least. And, I know what it's like, being stuck in your own head. I know you can't just change it. That- that's fine."

He's really bad at communicating what he wants to say, cursing at himself for not being able to just put his emotions out into the world. Words of affirmation will have to be worked on.

"You. The way you are. Don't change that, Ok? Look at me, out in the rain because you're so fun to be around, even when I question your sanity sometimes. That... you... mean a lot, to me."

He turns away. Of all the times to not be able to be brutally honest.

He hears you sigh.

"Thanks, Usha. Sorry, didn't mean to bring the mood down."

He waves one hand up a little, both to dissuade your line of thinking, and to hide the fact that this new nickname made him blush a little.

"Hey, no worries. You didn't bring anything down. Talk to me, when you want to, Ok?"

You take a moment before nodding, still not looking at him.

--v-Vv-

"...why would you keep this to yourself...?"

You turn away from him, tears threatening to spill out once again. The two of you are in Grusha's office at the Glaseado Gym. The weird way you hold your wrist is evidence of something being terribly, horribly wrong.

"I- I didn't- I didn't want to-"

"Dude." He stops you. "Whatever you're about to say? Yeah, don't even bother. Why wouldn't you let me know? Are you actually insane?"

Falinks stand by marching in place, worried out of their minds as Cetoddle watches from her favorite spot next to the window, visibly uncertain about the situation.

"I thought I was better! I thought I-"

"How about instead of assuming things are OK, you reach out to someone? To me, to the academy nurse, anybody!"

You had tried to help him with something, only to reinjure your wrist again, which had apparently gotten twisted in an incident already.

He fixes the strap of a compression brace he put on you, sighing heavily.

"Injuries like these are no joke. Don't let 'em properly heal, and even a treatable one like this can cause permanent damage."

He steps back to look at you better.

"Whatever ego you had in not telling me? Throw it out, now. I'm the wrong person to pull that with."

You're still turned away from him, but you gulp, taking a small peek before responding, voice trembling.

"It wasn't my ego, I swear..."

He looks up at you, looking you straight in the eye the best he can despite your avoidance, eyebrow raised.

"Oh really? Then what was it?"

"... I don't know..."

He groans before turning away and walking toward the door. He stops and points toward the coat rack.

"Grab your coat and come with me."

--v-Vv-

He thought things were getting better.

He told you to a further extent what he went through, how he felt unstoppable, but then he got into the accident, and now he has to live with physical and mental reminders that will never go away.

But of course, things don't really work that way. It would take more than just an impassioned speech to spark real change.

He sighs, picking the Tera Shards up off the ground. Thoughts of "what am I doing..." would frequently flash through his mind, but now that he actually had enough to change his ace's Tera Type, he felt quite sad, as if he didn't want to have so many.

He stared at the glistening crystal in his hand.

'It's only for if things get too far' he thought to himself.

'They made it to adulthood, they wouldn't put their life at risk.'

'I can call it quits on them anytime.'

He didn't notice how bad things were until recently, but surely, it wasn't really escalating, right? You weren't getting worse or anything, he just actually started to give a damn.

But then, it happened. Something he couldn't forgive.

He watched helplessly as you slid down the mountainside, disappearing from view. He ran as fast as he could, falling to his knees and shuffling the rest of the way, only to see you land and start sizing up a Snom. A SNOM. You looked so tiny from so high up. Even Falinks came out without you calling for them to make sure you were OK, their metallic noises sounding so distant.

As Cetoddle helped him up, Falinks made eye contact with him for a brief second. It was just long enough to really see the two of them, not enough to alert you to the fact that they were looking at something, or someone in particular. They then kept their eyes on you as he made his way down the path, softly warbling and keeping your attention away from the approaching young man.

The rest of the day was basically a blur. He went to bed contemplating his next course of action. He wanted the feeling in his stomach to stop.

But it didn't.

So the next day, he went to Medali, slamming the bag of Terra Shards down on the counter of the Treasure Eatery. When the sound of what he just did rang out in his ears, he suddenly felt... empty. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

The chef grew concerned at the man's demeanor. Before seeing what type the crystals had, she asked if these were for Cetoddle. He slowly shook his head, shoulders now shuddering as he hunched over slightly. He pulled out Altaria's Pokéball and slid it on the counter next to the bag.

She couldn't refuse him service even though he was a member of the league. He could technically do whatever he wanted, unregulated or not. She couldn't even confirm if it was for official gym duties or not.

But, in a bid to change his mind, she called for Larry to show up and talk to him.

"You. Are you alright?"

He walked up to the man sitting on the ground, hugging his legs to his chest underneath the counter. He was crying at this point, shivering as he slowly looked up at Larry. He didn't even need to answer.

Larry glanced at the bag, noticing some flying type Terra Shards peeking out.

'...ah...'

He kneels to his level, looking him straight in the eye.

"Tell me why you're doing this."

He took a deep breath before spilling everything, as well as describing the things that prompted him to plan this fail-safe of his. From the little things you did that would make him worry to sliding down Glaseado Mountain without a second thought. All he saw that day was your descent, and then standing down there as if everything was right in the world.

But it wasn't.

He saw you going down. That's it. He didn't see that you were alright, or that you did it in a relatively stable place where you didn't just immediately tumble down, or that you probably felt safe. All he saw, was you putting your life at risk, just to catch a Pokémon.

And he also saw all the little red flags leading up to this moment. A moment where a big risk seemed small, trivial to you.

You don't always do life-threatening or pointlessly dangerous stunts... hell, usually, it's just smaller, but still obviously wrong choices. It's the fact that it seems to be so normal to you, that you never seem to think about the possibility of things ending terribly, no matter how big or small your actions are.

"I... see." Is all Larry could say to this.

He was always a bit more than moderately invested whenever you were brought up, so for him to see you two going through something so... big, worried him. Especially since his solution involved spiting the league in a way.

"I can't encourage this behavior. I can understand it, but in the eyes of the league, this is basically spitting in the face of La Primera, as well as all of your peers."

He groans.

"I know, that's why I'm doing it."

Larry looks around before asking him a question, mind slipping out of business mode for a second.

"Couldn't you just challenge them to a normal battle? They're brash, sure, but they don't seem too unreasonable. You could make your point without La Primera seeing."

Grusha shook his head.

"No way. I gotta make a bigger statement than that. Stay in their mind, remind them that their actions have consequences every time they try and pull some pointless bull."

Larry's eyes softened.

"Well, you're an adult. I can't stop you from doing this. I'm sorry you feel this is your only course of action."

Grusha shakes his head again.

"I've been considering this for so long, so..."

He trailed off, tilting his head and staring right over Larry's shoulder. After a few moments, Larry turns to see what it is, but it's seemingly nothing. He then looks back at Grusha, who seems tired.

"I- won't say anything to La Primera. I'll pretend I don't know what you're doing. Do what's best for you, okay?"

Grusha doesn't move.

He could see why he'd choose this path, in a weird way. His warnings didn't work, you didn't seem too worried about even the immediate future. And as much as he knows Grusha, he knows for him to consider this, he'd need to be pushed pretty far.

But he also knows he's different now.

He's still the same guy he's always been. Snarky, no-nonsense, dramatic at times. But he's also seen him slowly grow to consider your needs as well as his own. How he'd hesitate ever so slightly before answering simple questions about you. He'd hide the gentlest of smiles or look away so he wouldn't see the softening of his icy-cold glare whenever someone insinuates he likes you a little more than as just 'that weirdo'. Larry even remembered first hearing about a potential new friend of his, and the mentions only grew more frequent from there. You're something special to him.

And you're worth the risk to him. He wants to make a big show of it. He wants people to see. He wants you to remember how hard he tried to stop you, to make you more aware of how reckless you are.

To remember how far he's willing to go if it means he doesn't lose you.

Larry stands up, sighing.

"You two are certainly strange." He concedes, adjusting his tie.

Grusha just snorts.

"Yeah. I guess we are. Them because they're them, and me..."

His eyelids momentarily quiver as he continues to stare out in front of him.

"...because..."

He doesn't finish his sentence, but he doesn't need to. Larry simply nods. Grusha groans, running his hand down his face.

"I hope this works."

"As do I." The businessman says.

--v-Vv-

He's sitting on a chair in Ryme's house. His Cetoddle sits on the ottoman in front of him, cooing at him as he grips the arm rests with an intensity reserved for his angriest of moments. But right now, he wasn't angry at all. He felt empty.

The memories of that battle come back to him yet again.

["Grusha... but... is this allowed? ...don't lose your job over this, it's all you have left!"]

He lets out a huff. How could you say that? How could you not see how much you mean to him? What would he do if you still charge so carelessly head-first at life even after all this? He would've lost everything if that were the case. And he didn't want that.

Looking back, he felt ridiculous. His whole job? Did you even know the half of it?

You weren't there to see his career-ending injury. You aren't around to see him agonizing over his position whenever the champion comes along to test every gym leader. You don't know how little he had to claim as his own in his personal life. He didn't have to risk it all.

But he knew himself, and he knew you somehow crept up and became more important to him than his job. He knew, that even though he didn't need to, he wanted to do this. To show you that people can value you, even if you feel like background fodder, going about your life without a single eye on you other than those of your Falinks. That he knew his options were give up on trying to help you and keeping his job, or putting it all on the line to even attempt to get you to see reason.

But, despite how unhealthy it is, he felt as though in showing you you're worth the risk, maybe you'd see yourself as more important than his job, too. That you'd realize, putting yourself at risk meant risking someone he thought the world of. He knew the pressure would come crashing down on him eventually, but he didn't care. He had a reason to put it all out there.

If he could change your mind and stop your more dangerous behavior for long enough to start getting professional help, he'd consider it a win.

Ryme finally made her way back to the living room, silently holding a drink out for him. He takes it, ignoring her worried expression. She then leaves the room again, giving him his own space. He knows what she's thinking, but she doesn't say it. He's thankful for that.

She, despite teasing him regularly, really did love the kid. She knew when to back down, and this is one of those times. Sure, she saw this as somewhat ridiculous. But he's just a dude in his twenties trying to get through life despite everything he's gone through. She has about 40 years of experience he doesn't yet. She won't fault him for that. She only wishes he knew he could come to someone instead of jumping the shark on his own.

But she knows how long he must've been wrestling with this. How many nights he went to bed questioning his insistence on staying in your life despite your poor choices. How he'd always rationalize it as the one thing, even if that one thing might get you hurt someday.

Still, she had hope for you two. You could still have a fairly healthy relationship. You weren't being malicious, you were just... well, from his descriptions and the brief encounters she's had with you, she could tell something was "off". But she knew you were a good person, that you wanted to be the person he saw you as. You just thought differently. Your idea of "low risk" was skewed. And even if you saw the risk, you wouldn't really be deterred by it.

You and your dynamic with Grusha were endlessly fascinating to her. She knows how happy you make him, deep down. She hopes it continues past all this.

--v-Vv-

So much suddenly made sense.

The two of you leave the restaurant and start walking in separate directions. He stops, however, not exactly sure what to do next. Turning around, he sees you stopped as well.

"...so."

You tense up hearing his voice, but you respond, not turning around.

"...so..."

It's insanely awkward, yes, but something needs to be said.

"I know things are weird right now, but it doesn't need to be that way. I'm here for you, you know."

You suck in a breath.

"But, what about you? I wanna be there for you, too!"

He scoffs. He knew he had people, but did you?

"Look, how about we just be there for each other? Full-stop, like friends would."

It pained him to word it that way. Both because he knows you struggle with keeping friendships, and because he still held out hope of being more one day despite everything.

"But... what do friends... do?"

He smirks briefly, letting out a small breath.

"They're there for each other, but they also hold each other accountable when they need to."

"Like what you did?" You say, delivery full of self-loathing.

He grunts.

"Well, I guess. But people usually don't do things like that. Trust me, that's as crazy as I'm going to get."

You don't respond right away, but he can tell you're not thinking anything good, what with Falinks looking up at you with faces full of some sort of rising panic. When you do, you start shaking.

"I know... you should've given up on me already."

His heart drops.

"No." He said without really thinking, his eyes glued to you.

It's only then that you finally turn towards him.

"But... everything-"

He holds a hand up.

"Again, not everything. Besides, La Primera is giving me the chance to prove myself. I don't know if she's just doing it for ethical reasons, but I'll manage. Job or not, I- feel..."

He's suddenly blinking away tears, but he managed to keep any from falling by tilting his head back. He closes his eyes and continues, one deep breath later.

"I'll be fine. Really."

You point at him incredulously.

"Will you be? If you're fired, what will you do?"

He shrugs.

"We all have to make do with what we have."

"But not because someone screwed up so bad you almost threw your whole life away!"

You're trembling. Falinks starts nudging the back of your leg, prompting you to sit down. He waits a moment before walking over, sitting down beside you.

"Hey. We're gonna be okay, you hear?"

You simply splutter a little, a sob escaping you as you hiccup. He holds onto your shoulder, rubbing it a little.

"We- are good. You're good. I don't waste my time on people I don't like if I don't have to."

You nod.

"I know, but..."

You sniffle, wiping your face. He takes a moment to think of something to say, but he really can't. So he makes an offer.

"Hey... I'm currently staying at Ryme's. Feels weird being at home right now. Wanna come over? She's got this sweet game room, we could have a session IRL for once."

A smile flashes over your face for a brief moment, but you don't look up yet, face falling as fast as it lit up.

"Would she want me in her house? Does she even want me around you?"

He nods.

"Oh yeah. It's actually kinda crazy how happy she gets when I bring you up."

You furrow your eyebrows for a second before finally holding your head up a little higher, eyes wide.

"Wait, really?"

He grins. For the first time since all this went down, he feels an uncontrollable smile form on his lips.

"Absolutely."

You consider this offer, looking down again. He waits, patient, yet anxious for some reason. You sit up, finally looking him straight in the eye. His heart skips a beat.

"Ok. Let's do this."

--v-Vv-

Here he was, silently holding your hand on the couch. It's been over a month since you hashed it out at the restaurant. Grusha still technically had his job, but La Primera never formally let him off the hook. He was eager to prove himself, but he's also accepted that maybe things won't go the way he wishes them to, as she hasn't voiced an opinion one way or the other yet. Neutrality was always the most terrifying thing coming from her.

That's what he signed up for, but it still obviously hurt. What didn't hurt, however, was being there after your first therapy session.

He had picked you up earlier, asking you how it went, only for you to awkwardly shrug. Of course, this was the "getting to know you" phase, so it'd take a while before things got super deep. He hopes you won't close yourself off to your therapist or feel pressured to continue if anything feels off.

Sighing, he decided they already accomplished enough that day. He had to do some extra paperwork for Geeta, and you just started your therapy journey. Some rest would be nice. Not wanting to let go, yet knowing you two would need food eventually, he sat up, but not before giving your hand a little rub with his thumb.

He clasped his hands together. "Ok! Nourishment. You need it, I need it, what form would you like?"

You snort, but you do respond.

"I dunno! Maybe we can see where our tastebuds lead us."

He nods, looking out to the side for a second before responding.

"Bringing your Falinks?"

You stand up, laughing a little.

"You best assume I've been replaced with a doppelgänger if I ever say no to that."

He smiles. Of course, sounds reasonable to him.

You call for your partners, who run out from another room. Cetoddle is already headed for the door. He raises an eyebrow at you.

"Ok, ya ready?"

You walk over and grab his hand to hold it again, something that catches him off-guard. His eyes widen.

"More than ever!"

He grins, eyes full of nothing but adoration towards you. Maybe everything will be... a bit more than Ok.

--v-Vv-

A/N

Ended up making the prequel where Grusha gradually comes to like you/notice how dangerous you are to yourself

I like to imagine your relationship gradually becomes one of those "basically dating but nobody put a label on it or progressed passed aggressive cuddling/sleeping in the same space" type deals, might write for it eventually. This is not that yet, you're just at the "openly best friends"/"casually being at each other's houses" phase now. Also, you're still improving in the future, so it'd be fun writing how he deals with that. It'd be pretty wholesome on both sides. The main source of angst has been addressed and is now being tended to

(Feels weird calling it angst when it's a mental health thing, but it's what it'd be called in fanfic terms)

I like to imagine the reader had an apartment in Medali before going to the dorms. Feels right. The other option I gave myself was Cascarrafa, but I made Jacq's expy come from there while putting off posting this, so I put this one in the most normal town in Paldea cause lmao

[ezrisdax-archive]

Do you have more thoughts on Star Trek: Aventine? I know your pinned post is older but I’m always so enchanted by it when I visit your blog

oh! thank you! it's still my pinned post cause I love it so much.

I do have a few more ideas, like Ezri having to visit her brothers again when something she's investigating leads back to them and I wanted to really go more into a deep dive with Trill and explore Ezri eventually getting rid of symbiosis commissions laws in some areas. I know Discovery goes into it with Adira but I want Ezri to feel something about the fact that she has to keep this secret that any Trill can be joined as shown with her. also she's vocal about that time she was a murderer, hey symbiosis commission remember when you fucked that up? And talk more about the other hosts, we know a little about some of them and a bunch more about others but my god am I curious.

I def wanted to do a thing where Harry and Ezri worked their way to Captain together on Geordi's ship and thus have this camaraderie but Ezri hadn't met Seven before she was assigned to her ship and is like 'wow you're so different than Harry's stories' 'Captain Kim has a tendency to embellish', I think Ezri would set up little things with her command crew for bonding but when it comes to her and Seven it's just complaining about having different voices in your head and coming to terms with it a) suddenly being gone for Seven and b) suddenly existing for Ezri. and when it came to Seven being there it's because the Borg had shown up in the Gamma Quadrant for unknown reasons. I don't wanna make them the big bads like in TNG and VOY but I wanted some throwbacks to them, just in here and there episodes. I think if I was gonna make a big bad it'd be that Odo's talks with the Changelings created a division down them (look I'm not immune to the Geth division from Mass Effect) and now some of them are wondering why they're still not controlling what they had.

I dunno if you ever read this comics called Divided We Fall but in it Ezri has this sudden need to find Lenara after she goes missing but then the comic just...doesn't do anything with that, like Ezri finds her but there's never a conversation we get to see and the plot moves on which is why I wanted to ignore that completely and go with an episode where Ezri runs into Lenara, I just thought Lenara now going through the pain of losing a Dax twice and knowing neither that she loved can ever come back and meanwhile here's the new one in front of her is just something so interesting.

also I wanted to have anything where Molly or Naomi was the central character have a thing where it's them writing messages to Jake/the O'Briens/Kirayoshi or Samantha/Janeway. and an episode where Naomi works with Seven and makes a joke about it being just like old times and the two of them still get together for Kadis-Kot, maybe they've somehow found a technology that lets them get a message out to Neelix or Naomi has been writing all these reports to her godfather to one day share everything with him because Naomi believes in seeing her whole family again one day. meanwhile Molly's much more used to station life/earth life and is having some trouble adapting to the ship and wondering if she's cut out for it, I wanted to give her some more depth but not go full Barclay anxiety levels. It'd also be nice to have Molly get an episode where Kirayoshi is in trouble somehow and Ezri shares her wisdom when it comes to having a sibling.

Worf absolutely shows up too and Ezri is a little too gleeful he's admitting to all the changes that needed to be done on Q'onoS. 'Jadzia would not do such a vindication celebration' 'Yes she would'.

I also had a vague idea of a flashback where Ezri meets with Deanna and Deanna is the one who inspires her to make the move to join command and then she runs into Deanna again and thanks her. I'm a sucker for mentor-to-Ezri!Deanna type deal.

[basuralindo]

YHMR Ch. 18 drop!

This one gets very mildly NSFW, so, don't read it at work I guess idk. Enjoy!

Editing done by @kamikazequail, and commentary under the cut!

As always feel free to comment, I'm constantly fiending for feedback.

-Jamil: Decides to worry less about something for once in his life. The universe: "Oh, bitch…"

- But yeahhh I imagine him as the type to get stabby when he's startled. In case that wasn't apparent yet.

-You may have wondered what the point of that whole tangent about spatial compression pockets five chapters ago was for. It was literally for this moment. I need Jamil to have a knife on him at all times, can't picture him not doing that, and I needed a way for him to not get caught with it ("But a magic school would be prepared for students to have access to things like that and would have security measures against hidden contraband items-" NRC is so fucking lax. students try to murder each other all the time. Everyone always goes 'nooo it's against the rules to use magic in a fight!' and then they do it anyway, and staff never gives a shit -and that's for the canon highschool version. Universities, by nature, give even less fucks. If there was a stabbing on campus, Crowey would only pay attention if it became a publicity issue. I think the staff would actually encourage hidden pockets if it means they gain plausible deniability for knowing what the students are up to). Aaand when I realized I was gonna be writing this scene, I needed to be able to mention the knife without having to stop and explain where it came from or why he has it. So yeah, there it is, Checkov's magic wristband of holding. He'd keep it hidden under his PE wristband

- ….Jamil finally has someone willingly following his orders. Of course that's immediately gonna go to his head

-What's that? Jamil giggling happily for the first time in his life because his crush maimed someone in his honor? Sometimes "perfect for each other" involves both parties being incredibly unwholesome.

-Aaand finally, Jamil realizes he's a monsterfucker

-Yeah btw, eels have to move their bodies side-to-side to swim, and I figure that any mermaids who swim that way would need side musculature similar to abs, which would look…. unique. I guess. So yeah the tweels would have fucked up torsos. And you need a decent understanding of anatomy to consistently win knife fights, so Jamil would definitely notice. (also the lateral line sensory organ in fish runs down the sides, so, idk. it'd be a sensitive area is what I'm saying) (yeahhh I've always been really into marine biology, and tbh I never thought this is how I'd end up applying the knowledge, but here we are.)

-Poor Ace. I actually like Ace, he's just chronically unfortunate. I dunno if it's out of character for him to be tryna help out, but I think he has a genuine nice streak.

-Aaand yeah, Floyd grew up with very different ideas surrounding leadership and respect than Jamil, and he's not particularly keen on someone he respects having to follow the orders of a guy who'd never survive in the mafia

-So, I realize that it's been confirmed in canon that the mermen need potions to transform back and forth, and I'm choosing to ignore it. Thank you for your understanding.

-The eels in the little mermaid are always tangled around each other and everything, and I think that's really cute, so the tweels are gonna be in constant contact too

[bookdragonwrites]

Now it's my turn 😊

What's a cool song you've discovered recently? I always like finding out what grabs people's attention with music!

Yay, I do so love when it's my turn! XD

As for music... I'm an absolute sucker for sentimental stuff. I'm quite happy to listen to all sorts of vibes, especially within rock (currently mostly Jrock), but in the end I always come back to fluffy softness, especially if there's natural imagery. There's just something beautiful in vulnerability, I think. I'm a creative person myself, as you know, and – to me at least – nothing takes more courage than to share something that's open and emotional, because I worry so much that it'll be cringy or just too much. I have loved Keane's Somewhere Only We Know ever since it came out nearly 20 years ago (Lily Allen's cover is also excellent), and I honestly think it's had an influence on my writing, especially when it comes to describing natural places.

To answer your actual question: Official Hige Dandism's Midori no Amayoke (緑の雨避け, 'green rain cover') is the latest one in a long and proud tradition of sappy goodness. My Japanese isn't brilliant, but as far as I can tell it's about the narrator's journey back to his childhood home, where he expects to reunite with his family, and about the warm, nostalgic feeling his memories from that place give him. The whole thing just evokes the image of a small, sleepy Japanese town at golden hour and a family standing on the train station platform, all of them a bit giddy at the thought of seeing their loved one come back from far away. In fact, it reminds me of this photo I took late last year on a long, largely rainy train journey, though I wasn't actually going home at the time:

I dunno, I just think it's lovely and warm. Maybe it's because I've made that sort of journey home a number of times, and it'd be nice if it felt so uncomplicatedly pleasant.

In any case, sorry for the novel. I got carried away. Thank you for the ask! (First one ever!)

[acearohippo]

I dunno if you've talked about this but what do you think about LiXuan being parents? Would they want kids? :3c

What do I think?? WHAT DO I THINK??? You do not know the can of worms you've just dashed onto the concrete.

Umm... Hmm... I guess there can be an mpreg warning?? *wavey hands* and, perhaps, a mild case of body dysphoria??? you'll see when you get to Tang Xuan's section.

But for now:

Li Ling ABSOLUTELY wants kids. He thought he didn't, then he was forced to volunteer at an elementary school after school program and was suddenly gripped with the intense desire to see a bunch of mini hims running around. He wants an ARMY'S WORTH of his own children.

Not babies though, man's terrified of babies. He's the type of parent that really excels at parenting once their kid enters school. Before that? Lost™, Confused™, Perpetually-in-an-Extistential-Crisis™™™. And once the kid hits the teenage years, they're practically ready and solid enough to tussle and throw hands with, so he goes from stern but nurturing and doting to "these hands rated e for everyone who don't CATCH THEY ATTITUDE". He gets along SO WELL with children, too, that while people are shocked at first on how enthusiasticly he wants to be a father, they realised rather quickly that it makes a lot of sense given how into it he gets when playing with children and how he has a permanent spot as a substitute teacher (which he did the work to get credentials for) at several local elementary schools.

As for Tang Xuan, I guess we have unlocked a Personal Backstory Headcannon. Many of you know that I have Tang Xuan's gender as intersex. What y'all don't know is I don't headcannon him as trans. It's a very long and drawn out backstory, but the gist is that Tang Xuan was raised a little boy, hit puberty, grew boobs and started getting (sporadicly) periods, which had people around him trying to "be progressive" and call him by feminine pronouns and Mei, and that caused a bit of an identity crisis. It's less that he transitioned and more that he had to really hammer it down to his folks and peers (at the time) that he wasn't a girl and the new additions didn't change his perception. And then he became an esper and that took way more precedence over trying to define who he was to others. This leaves our boy in a very strange sort of limbo. He loves his body and takes care of it. Sometimes he wears compression clothes to mask most of the curves, but that's mostly due to his active lifestyle, rather than any dysphoria or discomfort. But, growing up after reaching puberty, there were a lot of... Let's say dated remarks on his changes. Lots of "oh good, you can have babies!" And "now you'll be able to be a real woman". You know, nothing inherently wrong nor demeaning, just misplaced platitudes that didn't factor in how he might feel.

Does he want kids? Yeah, sure, it'd be nice in a decade or so. But does he want to have them? He's not sure. The idea doesn't entirely ick him, but he also doesn't feel comfortable "playing into the role" that others assigned for him. He could adopt but he knows he'd want a child or two that came from half of his genes.

All this to say, that LiXuan will be having their own kids, but not after some heavy discussion and planning. It helps that, once Tang Xuan gets pregnant, he is forced into solitude to be doted on by Li Ling and their families and closest friends. So when they do emerge in society, it causes mass confusion and the focus is more on "WHERE DID THIS BABY COME FROM???" rather than "TANG XUAN WAS PREGNANT???"

And, yes, they're both solid parents. Definitely awkward and young, making very common and- usually non life-threatening- mistakes. Yes they were those parents that shipped their toddlers off to daycare just so they can get a break from them. No shame there, they need it. Li Ling is that parent educators wish took disciplining more seriously (if no one ends up in the hospital, s'all good yeah?) and Tang Xuan is that parent educators think isn't invested enough in their kid (he's still a model, on top of being a high ranking union officer. hours are wild and free time is sporadic).

They both have to take up family counseling once their kids become teenagers because oh boy, karma is a b#tch and their kids- of course- have the worst of both of their personalities x10 due to raging teenage hormones.

But you know what? Their kids grow up well enough, knowing they are loved and will always have a safe space within their dads' arms (and extra arms) and once the hormones settle as they become adults and go through uni and enter the workforce, Li Ling and Tang Xuan are pleased to see that their kids still talk to them and seek them out for advice or randomly drop by to hang out (and steal their leftovers and tupperware). All that hard work pays off.

They, later on, decide to become foster parents so they can still impact a child's life without needing to relive the horrors of raising them from birth to graduation.

[fluffypotatey]

What do your squires look like?

oooooooh! gotta be honest i haven't exactly thought too hard about the little squires' features so here we go:

Lucan - man's is tall (give or take 6' 5"/ 195.5 cm), nice bronze tan, curly brown hair and brown eyes, and since he trains under Leon, the man's muscles are toned and defined

Roland - trained under Percival first before deciding to become Merlin's squire (if i didn't say this before, imma say it now); she's not that tall (maybe 5'5" or 5'3"/ 162-167cm) but she can and will take you out despite the size disadvantage (she actually like the challenge her height bring to combat); kept her hair relatively short on the beginning b/c she was trying to impersonate a boy in order to be a knight but as the years went on, her being a girl was like the citadel's worst kept secret (other than Merlin's magic of course) so she let herself grow it out; she typically has her hair up b/c it'd get in the way otherwise; hair is a curly/bushy black and on days where there's humidity, it will friz up and look more like a bird's nest; dark skin with scars from training and missions she's done and calloused hands from honing in her skills with her axe

Feirefiz - just like his knight counterpart from Arthurian legend, the man has Vitiligo; he is Percival's half brother so they share similar qualities to each other such as their height, their muscular build, their love of not wanting sleeves, and their facial reactions; man's got brown eyes that can see into your soul and despite the rigorous training Percival puts his squires through, his hands feel gentle as he holds you

Andred - either he's the son of Tristan and Isolde or just a nephew is unclear to the rest of Camelot but that's unimportant. what's important is that he will have similar feature to them. so think yellow blond hair, tall-ish (6ft/183cm), pale skin with a farmer's tan, green eyes, and even toned muscles courtesy of Elyan's training

Nathan - one of the noble born squires (and loved to mention that near the beginning of his squire days); sleek, black hair; pale skin and freckles that cover his cheeks (and sometimes his arms if the sun is out for too long); keeps his hair short because it's easier to maintain; also evenly toned thanks to Elyan's training; dunno if i want his eyes blue, gray, or brown

Dagonet - dark skin, black hair, even tone muscles; brown eyes like of the earth; prefers to wear clothes without sleeves; loves teasing his squire buddies (especially Nathan since they're rivals and all and it's fun seeing the blue blood squirm)

Bedivere aka Beddy aka Beds aka Baby - also a blue blood but he's the baby of the group so no one hounds on him like with Nathan; how he started: wide-eyed and innocent ready to face the world just like beginning adventurers who lived sheltered lives before him; how he's doing: learned what it's like to commit crimes, loves it a little too much and has seen the effects war has on people; hasn't hit his growth spurt yet so his height is similar to Roland; brown hair, pale skin (will burn) with freckles that only show up if out in the sun for some time; trains under Gwaine and is surprisingly (to others) versatile in many different types of combat skills

Bors - idk what this man looks like but think buff, big, and a softie; worships the ground lancelot walks on; lives by his training regimen

Galahad - similar build to Lancelot to the point that some believe the two to be related and Galahad being a boy scout is no help to that assumption; they aren't related in this interpretation tho so that's all you're getting; long wavy hair that goes as far as his shoulders; keeps it well groomed and shiny much to everyone's surprise (gwaine taught him)

loholt - dark hair, tan, went from lean to buff, not super tall but tall (5'8"/172cm); keeps druid customs and stuff

ok so that's what i came up with hope y'all enjoyed it! <3

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (14/05/23)

3 new manga this week wao, busy week for m+ (tho there were more I'm not reading) the one of most note is nue, the last of this WSJ serialization round and the one I was looking forward to the most, despite 2 of the other manga being by fujimaki and the shokugeki duo. sadly it didn't live up to my expectations but I talk about it more under there 👇

also I watched all anime episodes yesterday since mal was down for like 3 days thanks to a brainless hacker, I know I coulda just watched and updated it after it got fixed but I stubbornly like to do things a certain way tehe anyhoo

oh also there was a new chap of strike it rich but because of how comikey works I can't read it for free til there's a new chap in 2 week (yikes) so that's why it's not here, I'll be keeping a lookout for alternative sources for it but until then I'll just have to be behind ugh

green - new series/new to me

Anime

Megumin Ep6

honestly the last or this episode coulda been the last and the anime woulda prob been a lot better, dunno how they're gonna fill 6 more episodes but we'll see. it was cute seeing the backstory of megumin's cape, staff and eyepatch tho

Imas CG: U149 Ep6

very good episode, in every way, voices, character acting, like usual I know ofc ofc. it's funny seeing haru always comparing idol stuff to soccer to make it more relatable to herself while the producer plays along (as he should) while everyone else is flabbergasted. as soon as they were talking about outfits at the start I knew what the ep was gonna be about (and what the solution was) but it was still good. and let me tell you, it was extremely brained for them to have the new LiPPS song as the insert for the anime at the same time as the event for it came out in the game, it's free hype real estate baby.

Mashle Ep6

I was actually pretty impressive with how the fight looked (compared to the rest of the anime) and the addition of him and mash's reflection on the metal (wasn't in the manga I checked) was really cool. it gives me some hope for the future of the anime, not much but some hope.

Pokemon Horizons Ep6

good ep but it's weird as hell just seeing shiny ray in an anime episode. done with the roy introduction arc so things can start moving forward now, tho they still won't be getting to paldea next time. however they did tease that the bocchi voiced character is part of the ship, which is funny cause they always show the damn duck in her videos so it was right there all along, we're just blind fools

Jigokuraku Ep7

nice episode, next one is gonna be The Door and the start of quite a long stretch of action, tho it won't extend to the finale. considering where we are I have a pretty good idea where it'll end (setting off from the cave iykyk). I thought it was pretty funny how they straight up just delete the tensen's nipples instead of using god rays or stuff like that since it'd be too much of a bother during fights, and honestly I much prefer this to making the fights look worse. however they did use god rays to censor mei so that was good. also also when I was reading it I said this, and during the ep I looked it up and they do indeed all have the same seiyuu, one for the female form (kaida yuuko) and another for the male (suwabe junichi), so that's v fun, glad they actually went through with it

Manga

Nue's Exorcist Ch1

MAN, out of the 4 new series, even with fujimaki and the shokugeki duo, this was the series I was the most excited for but if I had to be honest it had the weakest ch1 out of all of them :( it's a real shame. the art is really good, very clean lines and very readable, everything stands out as it should and the designs are good. however, I don't think it did a good enough job at setting up it's premise as the other 3, rn it's basically just the mc going "I want to be strong enough to protect everyone" and I don't think that's enough. we'll see how it goes in the next few chaps, but if something of note doesn't happened in the next handful of chaps I could easily see it suffering the same fate as tokyo demon bride which would be sad. I'll try to keep my hope up anyway, I know I only feel like this cause I had such high expectations for it when I shouldn't but oh well

Blooming Love Ch1 - 3

didn't really have any expectations going in but it's pretty cute art club president meets a craftsman girl, who is trying to get better at art, and becomes captivated by how earnest she is about things art is very nice and clean and the characters are expressive, could be a nice little romance if it can last for some time

Kindergarten WARS Ch1 - 3

jump + title and first indie series to get picked up by m+ it's kinda like an alt universe sakamoto, the premise is "the safest kindergarten in the world" which is protected by criminals trying to earn their freedom it currently has around 30 chaps so it's gonna take a while to catch up even if they do 2 or 3 chaps a week anyway it's good, I was the most surprised by how good the action looks but even outside of that it's good. at the end of chap 2 I was like "I hope the formula isn't always like this or it'll get old fast" but chap 3 was completely different so that got rid of my worries. I can totally see why it's so popular in jp (over 1M views weekly) so looking forward to the extra chaps til we catch up in the coming months

Dandadan Ch105

you know, last chap I was bitching about this flashback arc being a bit too long but that ending was just great, really managed to stick the landing there

One Punch Man Ch182

damn ai strikes again to ruin everything smh but anyway, plot? in opm? what the hell is going on. it do be p interesting tho, wonder if there'll be "s rank" vs s rank hero fights 👀

Saihate Quarter Ch11

chap was nice, if nothing else just for the shounen references, otherwise was mostly just exposition from luci

Tokyo Underworld Ch40

honestly never knew that's how leonidas went so that's neat, decent chap overall anyway, finally learned some stuff about the twins' power and the leonidas fight finally moving along, tho there's still gonna be cao cao after this so still gonna be on this arc for a while

The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins Ch25

damn he really did wake up, kept waiting for it to be like "ahah it looked like he did but he didn't", at least with him up now shouldn't be too long for the end

Fabricant 100 Ch21

ok chap, not much to say, just the start of the final fight

Kill Blue Ch4

nice and action filled chap, with a sprinkling of overall plot too, well see what it does now that this little 2 parter is done but it's been pretty decent so far

Do Retry Ch2

really good ch2, art maintained it's quality, introduced new charas, progressed the plot, did it's job overall. we'll see how it goes in the next few chaps tho, still too early to see if it'll live the initial gauntlet or not

Witch Watch Ch108

god damnit I knew it was too good for it to happen so fast, still it's some progress so it's better than nothing I guess

Blue Box Ch100

I knew there was no way they were gonna meet so fast, especially after they mentioned the sky trip at the beggining but still had some hope argh. karen teasing ayame was good too tho lol, and those pages with taiki reminiscing about past moments with natsu were fitting for a chap100, overall really good chap

Cipher Academy Ch23

chap felt longer than it was, but it makes sense since it's nisio and has so much text. I was worried cause of cipher's continuously low placements, but it doesn't seem to be wrapping up yet so that gives me some hope. tho it could just end suddenly and that'd be wack but we'll see... good chap tho, iroha finally making up with toshusai's other goon and introducing the new conflict and "villains" for the upcoming arc. I really do hope it doesn't get canceled it'd be a shame to lose a nisio series

Spy x Family Ch80

continuation of the plot from last time, nice lil chap, despite how annoying yuri is, but the best part was there being a rare overarching plot related thing at the end, been a while since something like that

Tenmaku Cinema Ch5

nice chap, kurai is cute and next chap should be good too, seeing her really dive into her character and all that. I know I say this every chap but it do be nice to see how passionate and knowledgable tsukuda is about cinema

Mashle Ch155

good action chap with really crazy shots, reminded me of the headmaster fight from a while ago, tho I still think that one was cooler, so far, but hoping this one will surprass it since it's the finale

Undead Unluck Ch158

a fitting chapter for mother's day, not much to say but it was good

Sakamoto Days Ch118

it woulda already been a good chap with how cool this sakamoto scene was but the one with rion and uzuki at the end were good too, great chap. shouldn't be much longer til this flashback arc is over considering what happened at the end

The Elusive Samurai Ch109

really good chap, interested to see where we're going from here since the heroes will have to rebuild their forces quite a bit to go against takauji again I trust matsui tho

Akane-banashi Ch61

I haven't said this in a while but akane is still my favourite series on jump right now. the scene right before this cap gave me goosebumps and I KNEW what was coming that's how it was. goddddddd please, trust me, even if you think you wouldn't like rakugo, or that it's boring, or that it wouldn't fit a manga, just read it. it's so good man

[redemptioninterlude]

🛁 //rue

love languages meme ( accepting ) + @sunxsin // ling send 🛁 to shower or bathe with my muse

rue ALWAYS LIKED baths.

good moments, and bad ones happen in places like this for her. how it was her sacred place sometimes, the only spot in the house where she could be alone, unseen, the full weight of life able to hang from her neck, there. she'd sink beneath the warmth of the water, and feel it soaking into her skull, her bones. she CRAVED THAT feeling of being swallowed up whole, even if sometimes it also felt like the full force of her loneliness, her isolation, her failures, all of it ; balanced and weighed, finding her wanting.

she took a lot of them, when ling was gone. soaking for hours, falling asleep. sleeping just about everywhere, really. it used to be easier, when she'd go without feeding this long, she'd had her roommate help her out. but like, she'd moved out how long ago now? it'd left her wondering if it meant that it was time to go back, to admit that things had CRASHED AND BURNED. instead she stayed, instead she waited - and for that she supposes that she's rewarded, ling's heart in her hands within the safety of that bell jar, and soon housed and made a home again within his chest, ah -

he takes baths with her again now that he's BACK.

arms ring around her from behind, back pressed into his chest. there's that feeling that came, a dopey high, that she clings to in these moments. that he was so comfortable helped, the both of them sinking within that deep tub, the luxuries of his space. "yanno, i've never EVER seen a bathroom like yours until i saw this place. i kinda used to think this shit was only real in movies." her hand passed idly over his, fingers moving to lace together. squeezing. she liked that.

"but then i guess it kinda make sense. we both want to BE in them. so you're just, yanno, fast tracking the lifestyle part. i dunno why i said all that, but really the point is that you have such a nice fucking bathroom." a knee splashes to the surface from below. fingers twist, tickle, she's laughing as she shifts within the water, squirming free. "babe!" delight twists within her voice, splashing him right back. her train of thought was interrupted, having to trap and capture his hand against her own to keep him from leaving her spilling water over the edge of the tub. what a difference it was for him to be home. "see, this is why you're invites to my bath are like, limited as fuck, you menace." grinning, she's already claiming a kiss, and making sure the message is stuck with a lesson in another. "you're the worst."

[tired-reader-writer]

Since I'm really restless and nothing's really been successful at distracting me, I'm just gonna infodump my jumbled and fragmented thoughts about my various AUs in no particular order:

...quilted garments as part of the clan's ethnic dress

Isfan and Farangis falling into a friendly rivalry that continues well into their adulthood

Grandmama Eihon badass

I do not have the reason nor context for this but the scenario of Arslan dyeing his hair the same brown as his brother... He said the reason he avoided black despite it belonging to several family members (Shapur, Kazai, Kashi) was because he doesn't want to associate with “that man” (Andragoras)

Hoshiori wore soft and light colours, and simpler clothes before the fall of Uzushio, after which she wears mourning clothes (can't settle on black or white, because black wood provide a nice transition to what she'll wear and do next, while white traditionally was the mourning colour for Japan before the black-as-mourning thing came in from the west), and then when she starts taking charge and taking on a leader position and being proactive, she wears brighter, bolder, more eye-catching and “severe” colours with heavy ornamentation to draw attention to her lineage (basically royalty) and to remind Konoha of the fact that they failed her homeland Uzushio.

When she died and reincarnated in the modern world, Elise thought she was being punished for her misdeeds in her previous life. She's an orphan now, in an unknown world, and must struggle to survive. Even after she dies in the modern world and reincarnates again into her original body, the mentality stuck with her and she has a lot of baggage hanging on her.

On that note, I wonder if Elise would've sympathized with Marianne or turn away because she couldn't bear to look at her. Marianne and first-life!Elise had a lot of parallels, would she find it too hard to look at Marianne, because all she'd be seeing is a reflection of her own self, which she's disgusted by?

When the clan first moved in to live in Shapur's castle, Gieve and Isfan didn't get along. Like, at all. From Gieve's perspective Isfan and Shapur stole his little brother, and from Isfan's perspective Gieve is barging into Arslan's life without knowing anything about him— “How would you know? You weren't there.” Cue a shitton of tension.

Windchimes. I keep hearing windchimes. I just remembered that in RHoG, well the part that hadn't made it into the fic proper anyways, I associated Mardalia with windchimes like they were everywhere. I'm wondering if I could put windchimes in WoW too. Dunno what they'll do, though.

While he was working in the palace, a rumor spread that Arslan taught little birds how to sing. It started out as a joke, really, as a servant boy told that little kids (Arslan going “What are you telling the children?!” in the background), all the adults know that it's a joke but the little kids take it very seriously.

The joke rumor got to the marzbans too, and I like to imagine Daryun might tease him for it XD

I'm thinking, that as part of the coming-of-age ceremony of clan children, the ones who come of age would swear an oath before the mother tree (which they'd call the Heart Tree in the absence of the actual Moon Tree which is a whole nother worldbuilding rabbit hole), I don't have the oath planned out but it'd have to do with protecting and sheltering lost, abandoned and runaway souls who wander into the mountains, and painting the clansmen as “watchmen” or “guardians”. The final line would be smth like “And now my watch begins.” I don't know whether to put the ceremony in (EDIT: I MISTYPED, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SUMMER OR AUTUMN MY BAD)

I couldn't help but remember this moment— where Hatsuharu went, “Yeah, I wonder who?” with a deadpan face, and couldn't help but see younger Isfan as Kyo and younger Farangis as Hatsuharu 😂 (that aside though, Kazuma here be giving mad Ayunnen vibes)

During the early days, Kazai would make Gieve catch his (Kazai's) cat as part of his training. It'll teach him how to jump on rooftops, navigating narrow spaces, finding shortcuts etc, and Gieve would always turn up dirty and battered 😂 Isfan would catch sight of him like that and he'd be like “...why are you like that” and Gieve's like “training! don't you see!” and Isfan's like 0_0 because it's quite different from the training Shapur gives him, I imagine 😂 Kazai pops up, and Gieve proudly shows off the cat. “Great job!! You're getting faster! Now go wash yourself.”

I still have no clue how to make Jaswant meet Arslan in this AU yet

Petunia and Mei friendship 🤝

I wonder how Kubard would react upon meeting Kazai, it's bound to be glorious 😂

Chang Mei the Emperor of Xing 👑

[super-unpredictable98]

Wedding Planning (Part I) | Misfits Timeline Anomaly’ verse

An oc x oc collaboration between @seanfalco​ & @super-unpredictable98

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: Strong language, mention of daddy kink and mild sexual content

(Masterlist)

“Whatcha doin’?” Win’s Nathan asked, finding Win at the table, a bunch of magazines spread out around her and her laptop in front of her, notepad in her lap. 

“Uhm... I figured I’d get started on a list of all the stuff we should probably start thinking about.” 

“Thinking about... what?” he asked, tilting his head to look at the magazines—bridal magazines. “Oh, right. That looks like a lot of work.” 

“Yeah, and it’ll be a lot easier if we all work together,” she said pointedly.

"Hey there," Lyddie's Nathan came out of the room and immediately ran to see what the fuss was about. "Nice! Our little bride doin' bridal things." 

"Guys, you're not gonna believe what happened," Lydia walked in jumping with excitement. 

"Look, our not so little bride!" he pulled her in for a kiss. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Look how tall y'are! You're like a cute, sexy giant. C'mere, Winnie is lookin' at wedding stuff."

“Yeah, and the brides are not gunna be th’only ones doing ‘bridal things’,” Win exclaimed, fixing him with a firm look. “This isn’t gunna be one of those weddings where the brides do everything and the grooms just get t’show up. Now what were you saying, Lyds?”

"Well, I was just gonna say they're shooting a movie with Orlando Bloom down the street, but this is much more interesting," Lydia took a seat next to her. "And you better bring your asses over here to help us!" 

"Okay, what can I do?" her Nathan grabbed an apple and leaned over the counter.

“Alright alright,” Win’s Nathan agreed, plopping down next to his twin. 

“Well, we’ll need to think about who to invite, what we wanna eat, songs for the reception, where we want th’ceremony and when, and a colour scheme or theme... and that’s just the beginnin’,” Winnie sighed.

"We also need to decide what drinks we're gonna have, the cake, first dance, bridesmaids and groomsmen, outfits, pictures, honeymoon..." Lydia continued. 

"Jesus Christ, Lollipop!" her Nathan widened his eyes. 

"But I suppose we could start with a guest list, a date, and a venue."

“I don’t care when we do it, but I’ve always kinda wanted an outdoor wedding,” Win murmured. “And my guest list is easy...” she said, huffing an empty laugh.

"We decided it'd be best t'leave dad out of it," Lyddie's Nathan announced. 

"That's probably a smart idea" Lyds frowned. She really wanted to invite her family, but she had given up on the idea of telling them. "I agree with the outdoor wedding thing, are we waiting until we can go back to England?"

“It might be easier for everyone t’make it unless we wanna pay for a bunch of plane tickets,” Win’s Nathan said.

"You're right," she nodded, grabbing a pen and a napkin. "So your mum and Jeremy, Simon and Alisha, Kelly, Curtis and Nikki. Did I forget anyone?"

Win glanced at the Nathans before looking to Lyddie. “I think you should invite your parents. I mean, obviously you’ll need to tell them about everything, but we can help and so can Simon... I just figured that you actually want your family there, so they should be there."

"My mum's gonna kill me!" Lydia cried, rubbing her eyes nervously. "It's not like she can kick Si out for having powers anymore, but what if she goes public and we all get fucked?"

"Why would she want t'go public when we tell her that if she does that, you'll die?" her Nathan asked. "She's not a bad person is she?" 

"No, she's just very strict. And what about young me? What if telling her prevents her from becoming who I am today?"

“I—I dunno...” Win replied, deflating. “I don’t have all the answers, but I just thought...”

“It’ll be okay, Lyds,” Win’s Nathan exclaimed. “I mean, there’s two of me in th’same timeline and if that didn’t stop the world from turnin’, then what could be th’harm?”

"That's true, and who wouldn't wanna become a beautiful broadway bound rock star, about t'marry three very hot people?" Lyddie's Nathan added. 

"I'm sorry, Winnie, I didn't mean to snap. It's actually a really nice idea," Lyds ran her fingers through the other woman's hair. "You are so sweet, and I love you so much. I'll call Simon to talk about it later."

“I know you’re scared, but we’re all here for you,” Win murmured, taking her fiancé's hand from her hair to hold, bringing it to her lips.

 After a moment she grinned, letting go of Lydia’s hand. “Okay, so that was surprisingly easy, though I’ve made a note that we’ll have to look into outdoor venue spaces. What’s next?”

"If we're having an outdoor wedding, it better be during spring or summer," Lyddie took notes. "Do you guys have any preference for a theme or-?" 

"Let's have a superhero wedding!" her Nathan clapped as if that was the most brilliant idea. "Y'know, we're all superheroes and all?" 

"Babe, this is a wedding, not a kid's birthday party," she laughed.

“Maybe something music-themed?” Win suggested. “I’m not super picky, but I think it would be fun t’perform together at the reception.”

"Definitely," Lydia smiled. "I'll take any chance to perform with you. It would be nice to have a music theme, like little notes and guitars for decoration."

“Great, that’s settled,” Winnie exclaimed happily, leaning across the counter to steal a kiss from the other woman before settling back in her chair. “Okay, next, reception food?”

"Since it's less than 20 people including us, it would be silly to get a caterer or whatever, I can cook." 

"No, you're the bride, you're s'posed t'be spoiled and all that shit," Lyddie's Nathan protested.

“Or we could get pizza,” Win’s Nathan suggested, half-joking.

"That's what I was gonna say!" his clone slammed the counter, he was taking the whole wedding planning a little too seriously. 

"Pizza? It's not classy at all, but maybe if we serve it with champagne..." Lyds chuckled.

“Hey, we can make the rules for our wedding,” Win laughed. “If we want pizza and champagne, then who’s to say we can’t?”

"That's why I'm marrying you guys," she sighed. "We need some soda and juice as well, for the designated drivers and for young me, she's not supposed to drink for the first time until you," she pointed at the boys. "Give her booze." 

"Okay, wedding party?" Win asked, tapping the back of her pen against her lips.

"Why don't we do it in the flat? Or the rooftop? It would be less glamorous, but it would be easy..." Lyds suggested. 

"Sounds perfect," Winnie grinned. "What sort of flowers would you like, Lyddie?" she asked next.

"Bird of paradise flowers are my favorite," she wrote it down. "We could wrap the bouquets in music sheets and guitar strings."

"Sounds lovely," Win murmured, discreetly searching on her laptop what a bird of paradise flower looked like.

"What are your favorite flowers, Winnie? I never got you flowers!" Lydia gasped. "I always get you chocolates."

"I like peonies, but I dunno how well they'd go with everything else..." she admitted.

"We can get it, pink goes with the orange from my flowers and anyone who has seen Wicked knows pink goes with green," Lyddie stoked her fiancé's hair. "I think it's gonna look gorgeous." 

"The real question is how are we doin' that thing with the garter?" her Nathan asked. "Am I goin' down on both of you or...?" 

"Nathan, come on! Really?" she rolled her eyes with a laugh.

"No, no, th'man's onto somethin' here, askin' the important questions!" Win's Nathan agreed.

"There's no way you two are getting under my dress in front of my mum, dad, brother, and younger self," Lydia mocked. 

"It's tradition, Lollipop! D'you really wanna break tradition?" her Nathan cocked an eyebrow. 

"We're a quad, we're already breaking tradition... how can you think of doing that in front of your mum? What is Louise gonna say?"

“Honestly, she wouldn’t be all that surprised,” Win’s Nathan exclaimed. “Y’know I think we should take th’garters off with our teeth.” 

“I’m down,” Win simply shrugged.

"Fine!" Lyds nodded defeated. She knew she would be embarrassed, but it could be fun. "At least your dad won't be there... we'll get them when we go lingerie shopping for the honeymoon."

“Lingerie shopping, huh?” Win’s Nathan exclaimed, leaning in closer.

“Will I be able to go with you for that?” Win asked, curious.

"Of course, we're going together for this one," Lyddie winked at her. "Just the two of us." 

"That's not fair!" her Nathan pouted. 

"It's more than fair, it's a surprise for you guys."

“Yeah, and maybe you can surprise us with something,” Win said, grinning impishly, already excited. “Speaking of the Honeymoon, where do we wanna go for that?” 

"We wanted t'go somewhere warm, with beaches and all that," Lyddie's Nathan shared a look with his twin. "Like the Caribbean or Greece."

“That sounds lovely. I’ve never been anywhere, so I’m excited just to go,” Win laughed. “But somewhere warm sounds nice. I wanna go sailing.”

"Let's check prices and hotels, and then we can decide," Lydia was happy to see Winnie so excited. "We should probably schedule a cake tasting once we get back."

 "Can I do that one?" her Nathan offered. 

"We're all going, don't worry," she leaned against his chest.

“This is gunna be the best wedding ever,” Win murmured, feeling her eyes moisten as she looked at her partners. She didn’t like to think of herself as a sentimental type, but who was she kidding?

"It is, babe, cause we're marrying each other," Lyddie kissed the top of her head on the way to the bathroom. "I'm gonna take a quick shower, then we can talk first dance, bachelor and bachelorette parties..."

“Sounds good!” Win called, slouching back in her chair. “This is going surprisingly a lot easier than I anticipated,” she laughed.

"Yeah, seems like it..." Lyddie's Nathan agreed. "Havin' four people helps." 

"It sure does," Lyds murmured, glancing at Win's Nathan with a grin before walking into the bathroom.

He grinned back, watching her as she disappeared around the door. 

“What was that all about?” Win asked, noticing.

Lyddie's Nathan felt a tiny bit jealous but pushed the thought away, it was silly to be jealous of a look, Lyds loves all of them equally, he knew that much... 

"Um, yeah, what's goin' on?"

Win’s Nathan glanced over at Winnie, eyeing the bruise around her neck from the other day, which only seemed darker today.

“Ohhh, nothin’, for once I know somethin’ about Lyddie that neither of you two do,” he gloated.

"Funny, but that's impossible," his clone scoffed dismissively. "I know every little bit of her, inside and out. There's no way, man."

“Oh really? I beg t’differ,” he mused, leaning forward, a mischievous grin playing at his lips. Oh, he was enjoying this. 

Win chewed her lip, glancing at the other man. She could see the way his mouth twitch downward and she frowned. 

“Well, spit it out already,” she said.

"I bet I already know. She might not even know that I know, but I know..." Lyddie's Nathan looked at his clone defiantly, despite the shadow of insecurity in his voice. "I can get her goin' in my sleep, I know it all."

“Oh? So you know about her daddy kink, then?” Win’s Nathan asked smugly.

Lyddie's Nathan choked on his orange juice, staring in disbelief at his twin. 

"What?" he managed to say. "Nah, you're shittin' me, she would've told me..."

“Oho! I knew it! I’m finally the one in th’know for once. She said it was the one kink she managed t’hide from everyone, until she called me daddy in bed yesterday,” Win’s Nathan exclaimed.

"That is- if this is a wind up, I swear t'God..." Lyddie's Nathan felt conflicted. That was insanely hot, but at the same time, why the fuck would she hide it from him? "Lollipop! Lyds!" he called. 

"I'll be right out, sweetie," she said, unsuspecting.

“It’s not! I swear!” Win’s Nathan held his hands up. 

Winnie groaned, getting up to smack the back of his head as she passed him, heading to the kitchen.

"What's up?" Lydia opened the door with a smile. 

"D'you have a daddy kink?" her Nathan asked. He thought going straight to the point would be better, but instead of answering, she widened her eyes and shut the door again. 

"Baby!" he knocked again. "C'mon, why didn't y'tell me?"

“This is going well,” Win muttered, pouring herself a drink. “Look what you started,” she hissed at her Nathan who opened his mouth in surprise. 

“Me? I just had t’make it even. Specially when you’re walkin' around lookin’ like that! You told me y’didn’t like it rough, but then you go and let him do that kinda shit with yeh,” he threw back at her. “What am I s’posed t’think?”

She turned around to look at him. “Is that what you’re upset about?” 

“Yeah... kinda...” he admitted, reaching out to tug at the hem of her shirt.

“Oh, Nathan,” Win huffed. “Come here,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “I don’t like it rough all th’time... but he’s a little more used t’that cuz that’s how Lyddie likes it. It doesn’t make what we have any less special because we shag differently than I do with him.”

“I guess,” he relented. “I do get t’be a little rough with Lyddie. And I like it when you take charge. I like it a lot.” 

“See?” she murmured.

“I just... got a little jealous is all.” 

“It happens to th’best of us,” Win laughed, tilting her head up to kiss him. “But you should probably apologize to Lyds for outing her secret.” 

“Yeah...” Nathan groaned, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Sweetheart, open the door," Lyddie's Nathan tried to turn the doorknob, but it was locked. "Lyds!" 

"There's no Lyds, she jumped out the window! Try again in... 15 years," she shouted. 

"That's sad, we're s'posed t'get married soon. And- and I love her." 

At these words, she decided to open the door, still burning with embarrassment. He pulled her into a hug, already feeling bad for his approach. "I forgot how shit you are at keeping secrets."

"I think it's hot! You could've told me, babe!" he squeezed her. "You're not upset, are ya?" 

"No," she sighed heading to the room to get dressed. "I guess it's on me for expecting Nathan to keep his mouth shut, I know that's physically impossible. That goes for both of you." 

"Just so we're clear, does that extend to Winnie? D'you wanna call her mummy or-?" 

"No further questions," she blushed even harder. 

"Okay, okay, can y'call me...?" 

"Yes, Nathan," Lydia came out wearing one of his shirts. "Awesome!" 

"I guess so," she sat next to Win and started looking through the magazines, maybe she would find a dress she liked.

“Lyddie...?” Win’s Nathan ventured hesitantly.

"Yes?" she looked up at him, knowing what he was gonna say. She really wasn't upset. After everything that happened the last time, things turned out okay, great even, but she also wasn't thrilled about it.

“Can we talk for a sec?” he asked nervously.

"I wonder what would you possibly wanna talk about..." she took his hand and followed him.

Win shared a look with Lyddie’s Nathan as the two walked out after quickly downing the drink she’d made. 

Once they were alone, Win’s Nathan cleared his throat awkwardly. “So... I uhm... look, I’m sorry. I didn’t really think that through...” he admitted, so caught up in the euphoria that he was the first to know something about Lyddie.

"I would hope so," she folded her arms. "It would be pretty shitty of you to think it through and still tell everyone my secret. I know you, I can't say I'm incredibly surprised."

He hung his head. “I just got excited. I should’ve let you tell th’others when you were ready to. I didn’t mean to betray your trust,” he sighed, chancing a glance at her to gauge her reaction. “Forgive me, Lyds?”

Lydia took a deep breath, staring at those sad emeralds of his. She knew he was being sincere, he was the last one to know about every other thing... 

"Yes, I forgive you, but," she couldn't resist winding him up just a little. "That'll be a month without shagging me, or seeing me naked, or kissing."

“WHAT?” he exclaimed. “I— You—! Noooooo! Lollipop, c’mon! I’ll get on my knees if y’want me to! You didn’t threaten that to the others me when he told Win your other secret!” 

"Aw, you're so cute! I'm just kidding, I love you too much," Lydia giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, idly playing with his hair. "Besides we both know how easy it is to break me."

At her words, Nathan heaved a giant sigh of relief. “That’s true, you’d be horny 24/7 with how hard I’d be tryin’ to tease you.” He sobered. “I love you, sweetheart.”

"Cocky bastard... I hate it when you're right," she shook her head before gently kissing his neck. "You guys can come back! It's all sorted!"

“All good?” Win asked, lifting her head from Lyddie’s Nathan’s shoulder where they’d gone to sit on the couch while they waited.

"All perfect," Lyds sat back down, pulling Win's Nathan with her so she could rest her legs on his thighs and her head on his shoulder

“Good, I’m glad,” Winnie quipped, pressing a kiss to her Nathan’s jaw and then doing the same to the other one. “We were getting worried.”

"Are there any other kinks y'wanna disclose before somethin' like this happens again?" Lyddie's Nathan asked. 

She thought about it for a few moments, silently counting them on her fingers. "No, I think that's everything that I know of."

“Maybe I have some undisclosed kinks, you never know,” Win teased. “Now do we wanna plan some more or take a break for the day?”

"Wait! Can't just throw this at us like that, Winnie!" Lyddie's Nathan freaked out. "What is it?" 

"Yeah, no kidding! I didn't think you had a lot of kinks," her Nathan exclaimed, sitting up straighter.

"Whatever is good for you, babe," Lydia ignored his desperate attempts.

"Hmm... I think I'd like to plan a little more," she answered, doing the same. She didn't really have any other major kinks, at least she didn't think so. The choking thing was new. But she liked teasing them.

"Yeah, sounds good. I know it might be a little out there, but how about we do a four-way first dance? We could think of a song that is special for all of us" Lydia was really enjoying this, the boys did deserve it.

"Wait, you're really gunna just leave us hangin' like that?" Win's Nathan exclaimed with an incredulous frown. 

"Oh, I like that idea," Winnie exclaimed over him. "What's a song we all relate to though," she mused, wracking her brain.

"Boys, you're supposed to help us!" Lyds tilted her head. "Come on, what song do you guys think would be nice? There's a song from the future called Crazy Lucky by Better Than Ezra, I think would be nice..." 

"Winnie! Tell us, please?" Lyddie's Nathan pouted. "We really wanna know, right Lollipop? Aren't you curious too?" 

"Not really, I already know," she winked at her and went back to writing down songs.

"Oh, I like that song, that's a good one," Win murmured. 

"Wait, Lyddie knows but not us?" Win's Nathan exclaimed. 

Finally, she rolled her eyes and looked up. "Boys, can we focus here? If you wanna figure out my kinks, you can do it in the bedroom, but we're kinda busy right now."

"Fine, that song is a little cheesy. Get the one from your first album about the night changin', I like that one," Lyddie's Nathan huffed. 

"Nathan Young wants to dance to a One Direction song at our wedding? Didn't have that one in my new timeline bingo card," Lydia joked.

"That one went over my head," Win laughed.

"Those kids from X Factor, in the next few years they become the new Backstreet Boys, maybe even bigger. My song, Night Changes, it's theirs," Lyddie whispered. 

"It's a cool song..." her Nathan mumbled.

"Ahhh, okay," Winnie mused. "Well, I'm sure you sing it better than they would anyway," she said with a grin.

"You're too sweet," Lydia chuckled. "We're gonna find the perfect song, that's what we're good at."

“Yeah! You two know more about music than anyone,” Win’s Nathan exclaimed.

"Thanks, babe, we'll put a pin on that. Now, you two are probably gonna make your own tuxes, Winnie can make her own dress too, I'll find somewhere to buy mine," Lydia looked over at the boys. "Did you guys plan anything for the bachelor party?"

“We wanna smoke cigars and play some poker. Y’know, classy," he replied.

"Well I sure hope there are no strippers involved..." she gave them a pointed look. "And definitely no using your powers to cheat! We won't be there to help you do basic math like I did in Vegas."

“Vegas?” Win exclaimed, worried, remembering the last time they went. Til she remembered Nathan’s lifetime ban was in their universe, not this one. “Yeah, please don’t get arrested... again. And seconded on the strippers.” 

“What? Course not, love. Wouldn’t dream of it,” her Nathan gasped.

"I'm impressed with how little faith y'have in us... we're angels!" Lyddie's Nathan frowned dramatically. "What are the ladies plannin', huh?" 

"I actually didn't think of it yet, what do you wanna do, Winnie?" Lydia asked.

“I haven’t really either,” she answered. “Maybe go out clubbing? Or a big sleepover with the girls?”

"We could do both," Lyddie grinned. "First we hit the club, then we get some food, watch some chick-flicks, I'll finger you under the blankets... you know, wholesome fun night."

“Mmm sounds perfect,” Winnie murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek. 

“Whoa whoa whoa, we’re not allowed to have strippers, but you get t’finger each other at your party? How is that fair?” Win’s Nathan gasped.

"We're engaged! It's not even remotely the same thing," Lydia laughed. "I was gonna suggest we leave you guys a little video as a pre-wedding gift, but if you'd rather watch strippers..." 

"No! I'll take the video!" her Nathan interrupted.

“I changed my mind! I want a video too please!” Win’s Nathan was quick to assure them. “All I meant was, it doesn’t seem fair that you two get some when we won’t be,” he grumbled, sullenly. 

“Oh my God, Nathan,” Win laughed. “As if you two don’t get some basically every day,” she pointed out.

"So do you! Sometimes without us!" Lyddie's Nathan furrowed his brows. 

"Poor babies," Lydia hugged Win's Nathan tightly. "Don't worry, we'll make something very special for you, I'm sure you're gonna love it."

“I mean, if you two wanna shag each other be our guest,” Winnie teased, poking Lyddie’s Nathan in the side. “I think it’s all pretty even. You’re definitely not sex starved by any means.”

"Jesus no!" he jumped, remembering the unfortunate accident from the other day. "I know I'm handsome, but I'll pass!" 

"You got a little jittery, babes, is there something you wanna tell us?" Lydia taunted. 

"NO! I'm fine!"

“Wait, did something happen?” Win asked, looking between the two men suspiciously. “I mean, you’re all for talking about other people’s secrets...”

"Of course not! That'd be so weird, how can you even think that? Right?" Lyddie's Nathan looked at his twin, terrified. 

"Sounds sketchy to me," Lyds muttered.

“It’s not sketchy. Nothin’ happened! We’re like brothers, how could yeh even imply that?” Win’s Nathan exclaimed, scandalized.

"Okay..." Lydia tried not to laugh at how bothered they got. "If you say so... I believe you." 

"Great! Can we talk about somethin' else then?" her Nathan groaned.

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Stay Peachy: Kwamibuster

Summary: With Ladybug out of commission Chat Noir is the only one who can stop Kwamibuster... If only everyone would just work with him here!

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

"Let me get this straight. Tikki's captured. Ladybug's powerless and captured, I was this close to losing you too but you won't tell me where Master Fu is? Am I missing anything?" Adrien asked Plagg.

Plagg twitched nervously. "But- but-"

"You have five seconds to give me a good alternative or we're going to see Fu," Adrien announced.

"You could distract Kwamibuster while Ladybug escapes!" Plagg tried.

Adrien crossed his arms and glared. "I said a good alternative! You getting caught isn't good for anyone!"

"Might be good for Ladybug?" Plagg shrugged his arms and gave his most convincing grin.

"Sure! I'll just hand Papillon the other kwami he needs while I have to use a banana suit to protect my identity or something!" Adrien replied sarcastically.

"You'd love that wouldn't you." Plagg knew Adrien. There was a good chance-

The sound of a door being blown off it's hinges echoed down the hallway as Kwamibuster started searching the floor they were on. "Where are you, little cat? I already have a ladybug for my insect collection. Now I just need a small mammal!"

Plagg gave his best kitty cat eyes.

Adrien didn't budge.

Plagg's arms drooped. "Okay, okay! Let's just get outa here first!"

"Knew you'd see things my way." Adrien smirked.

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

Master Fu was having a nice, calming, afternoon tea with Wayzz when there was an insistent banging at his door. Wayzz hiding at the sound.

The Guardian sighed. "Who could that be?"

The banging got louder.

"Patience! I am coming! What's the big-"

A blond headed blur shot in and slammed the door shut.

"So this is where you live. Nice place ya got here. Ladybug's in trouble and I need more Miraculous!" Adrien's words tumbling out in a rush as his heartbeat jumped up his throat. Maybe I should have used the window.

"Chat Noir!?" Fu's eyes nearly popping out of his head in surprise.

"Sorry, Master." Plagg appeared, uncharacteristically serious, ears low. "It was an emergency."

"Plagg!?" This was unprecedented! Yes, the Kwami of Destruction was the most free spirited of those in the Miracle Box. But even he knew the importance of secrecy! "What are you doing-"

"Ladybug's in trouble! I just said that!" Adrien supposed he could have worded it better... But also: Ladybug was in trouble! And he was in a hurry!

The Guardian glanced from boy to kwami. Who nodded. "Very well," Fu conceded. Going to the gramophone and entering the code. Bringing out the Miracle Box which he set in its usual place when Marinette came. "Adrien Agreste, choose an ally to help you on this mission. Remember that they mist return the Miraculous once the mission is complete."

Adrien stared as the Miracle Box opened. Kneeling down in imitation of the Guardian's pose. He hadn't known there were so many Miraculous! One of them surely had the power to help! Only...

"What is it Chat Noir?"

Adrien looked up at Master Fu's face. "I dunno what most of these do."

The Guardian sighed. "This is exactly why it should be Ladybug who chooses the temporary hero."

"Hey, it's not my fault you decided she was the only one who could know things!" So this is what being Chat Noir without the mask felt like. "I'm-" Adrien paused as a thought hit him. "Oh. Oh!"

"... Yes?" Master Fu prompted.

"I just realized how dumb it is that I'm not supposed to know the temporary heroes secret identities."

Fu blinked. "Excuse me?"

Adrien shook his head to get his thought process back on track. "Anyway!"

"Chat Noir, what did you mean by-"

"No time!" Adrien pointed at the Miraculous. "Teach!"

Grumbling something about manners Fu acquiesced.

Skipping over the ones Adrien already knew the Guardian quickly ran down the list. The Pig could show you your deepest desire? Seemed like it'd be a good distraction. The Dragon had how many abilities!? Overpowered but okay. The Mouse could make little copies of you. Heh, that sounded adorable but-

"That's it!" Adrien interrupted Fu to grab the Fox and Mouse Miraculous. Which he promptly put on.

"What are you doing!?" The Guardian exclaimed. "No holder has ever used three Miraculous before! It's too dangerous!"

"Well, I don't know who Rena Rouge is and I'm not gonna spend any more time looking!" Adrien turned to the materializing Fox and Mouse kwamis. "Sorry, we're in a bit of a hurry."

"Oh, aren't we always? Name's Trixx."

"Mullo!"

"Alright. Mullo, transforme-moi!"

Multimouse took a moment to adjust to the unfamiliar magic of his new suit.

"I really don't think this is the best course of action," Fu said, attempting to dissuade the young boy.

"Relax, Master! I'll keep him out of trouble!" Trixx announced.

Multimouse nodded as he opened a window. "Thanks. Now, c'mon Trixx, Plagg. I'll explain the plan on the way!" So saying, he launched himself skyward.

Wayzz finally emerged from his hiding place, floating towards his holder.

Fu looked at his kwami. "Oh, I hope he doesn't collapse on the way."

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

"True or false? Ladybug has disguised herself as Mr. Banana!"

Marinette was not having a good day. First, Chat Noir's kwami almost reveals her identity. Then, Tikki got captured! And now that tomcat was nowhere in sight. Marinette had barely escaped from Kwamibuster the first time and now she was cornered mere meters from the exit!

"Uh, stay peachy?!" Marinette ran for it.

But Kwamibuster leapt over her and grabbed her wrist. "You can't get away from me!"

"CHARGE!"

From the doorway came a whole swarm of kwamis! Flitting about Kwamibuster and distracting her enough for Marinette to get away.

"You can't get away from me!" Kwamibuster chased after them as they sped off. "You're no match for Kwamibuster!"

"Ladybug!"

Turning around, Marinette saw Plagg and a little guy holding onto his ears. She blinked, this was the first time she saw the Mouse Miraculous in action.

"It's me!" he declared, grinning. "Chat Noir! Or Multimouse, I guess."

"Chat Noir!?" But that meant- No, no, she could panic about that later. "Well, then you must need my Miraculous." Marinette reached for her earrings.

"Uh, no? Why would you think that?"

"Because... Nevermind. What's the plan?"

Multimouse winked. "You'll see. Make your way back to the roof!" And zipped away before Ladybug could ask more questions.

"... A Chat Noir plan. This oughta be interesting."

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

"I will capture you all!"

Kwamibuster laughed maniacally as she shot her beam at the Plagg reskins. Made by Multifox with his Mirage. And that wasn't the only part of the illusion.

"I have to say. I think Ladybug will be impressed," Plagg stated. Floating directly above the supervillain so she would need to crane her neck straight up to spot them.

"It has to work first," Multimouse replied. Still standing on top of Plagg's head. His small army made their way into position.

Now!

Multimouse's invisible doubles launched their indestructible ropes at Kwamibuster. Becoming visible as they wrapped her up like Gulliver on Lilliput.

"What!? What's going on!? Oof!" She toppled none too gently.

Wasting no time Plagg zipped down.

"No! You can't beat Kwamibuster!" She freed her blaster hand.

"Mullo, Plagg, unify!"

"Aha!" Twisting upwards she aimed the beam at Multimouse.

"Cataclysm!"

Adrien's power touched the tip of her barrel and the rust spread from it to her pack. Freeing Tikki as dark mist transformed Kwamibuster back into Mme. Mendeleiev.

Adrien merged himself back together as the akuma flew past him. "Uh, Ladybug!"

A red blur shot out and caught the akuma before it could get far. Ladybug releasing a white butterfly in its place.

Multimouse grinned. "Perfect timing as always, My Lady."

"I dunno about that." Ladybug looked around at the destroyed rooftop.

"You think it'll work without a Lucky Charm?" Multimouse asked, following her train of thought.

Ladybug looked at her yo-yo. "The akuma was purified so it should." Throwing it skyward with a little more strength than usual she called out the words. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The cure swept around them as Ladybug's yo-yo fell back into her hands.

"Knew you could do it," Multimouse praised. "Now, I've got some errands to run-" he tapped the two Miraculous necklaces "-so you take care of Mme. Mendeleiev."

He half turned. "Oh! And sorry about my kwami. No idea what he was doing at that primary school."

"It was a- lycée, yeah. Lycée."

"Right!" He grinned. "A lycée." Totally not a collège. Giving Ladybug a two finger salute he leapt off the tower. Mme. Mendeleiev's insistence on the validity of her scientific discovery fading behind him.

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

Adrien held out his index finger to shake the kwamis' hands. "You were both a big help! Thanks."

"You weren't so bad yourself, Chat Noir," Trixx grinned.

"Yeah!" Mullo agreed. "Usually Plagg's holders are no fun but you ran circles around that kwami snatcher!"

Adrien blushed a little at their praise. "Hope we can work together again someday." The kwamis waved as they reentered their Miraculous.

Master Fu closed the Miracle Box once Adrien placed them back inside. Returning it to its hiding place. "It is quite impressive that you withstood the power of three Miraculous long enough to accomplish your task."

"... Actually it was super easy. Barely an inconvenience."

The Guardian blinked. "What?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I don't think occasionally using two or three Miraculous at once is all that dangerous. Maybe if you wore a whole bunch of 'em. But why would you do that?"

Fu processed that for a bit.

Adrien sipped from his tea, awkwardly. "... So does this mean I finally get Guardian training?"

Master Fu nearly slipped as he sat back down. "Huh?"

"I mean, I already know where you are. And we've seen that if Ladybug is compromised it's better if I know what to do," Adrien reasoned out logically.

"I... That is... Uh..." Fu looked desperately at Plagg, who was gorging himself on cheese.

"Hey, don't look at me. Kid's got a point." Plagg swallowed another wedge of Camembert.

Fu slumped with a sigh. Clearly outmaneuvered. "Where should we start?"

"Potions!" Adrien exclaimed, eyes sparkling. This was going to be fun. He could feel it!

[ssamie]

nine. “partners in crime and suicide”

kozume kenma x fem dazai!reader

(bsd x hq)

tw: mentons of suicide & breaking into arcades

masterlist.        suicide freak!

"thank you for having us!" fukurodani exclaimed as they bowed. it was the end of their three-day practice match, and fukurodani was about to leave and were waiting for their bus. 

"hey hey hey!" bokuto called out. he waved his arms around, trying to get y/n's attention, all while akaashi quietly stood beside him. 

she chuckled and jogged over to the boy. "hey to you too, bokuto" she mused 

"y/n-chan! im gonna miss you!" bokuto said dramatically as he wrapped his beefy arms around her 

"i'll miss you too" she laughed "i'll be missing your awesome spikes, bokuto!" bokuto beamed from the praise and hugged her even tighter. "i know right! my spikes are awesome!" 

"you're too nice to him, y/n-san" akaashi commented 

"yeah, he's been thriving off your compliments for days" konoha snickered as he walked past  "he'll probably be down in the slumps once he can't hear you cheering for him anymore" 

bokuto pouted and rested his cheek on top of her head. "you're all so mean~" he whined 

"oi, oi, oi!" kuroo called out "bokubro, hands off our manager!" he glared playfully 

"no way!! join our team instead, y/n-chan!!" bokuto cried out as he squeezed her even tighter and swayed her around. "we already have two managers, bokuto-san" akaashi says as he tried to peel his huge arms off of her 

"we can have three!" bokuto countered 

"you can stick with two." kenma interjected. kenma stared him down, not talking nor blinking, silently waiting for him to let the girl go. 

"r-right!" bokuto smiled nervously. he let her go and sheepishly avoided eye contact with kenma. 

"kenma~" she cooed as she slithered her way towards him. "let's go out later" she suggested 

"where?" he asked 

"its a surprise, of course!" she exclaimed with a grin 

"you're not gonna kill me, are you?" 

"this is surprisingly nice.." kenma says as he pokes his mochi with his chopsticks 

y/n was sat across from him, a cup of tea in hand as she placed her mochi on his plate. "right? this is the usual restaurant the agency goes to" she said with a small smile 

kenma nodded and looked out the window as he chews on the sakura mochi. his cat-like eyes watched the cars and people pass by the streets. it was nearing night time, and the sky was slowly darkening, causing the street lights to turn on. 

"so, y/n.." he trailed off 

"hm?" she hummed back 

"why-" kenma stops himself, subconsciously letting out a tired sigh as he watched her pour some suspicious liquid into her drink. 

"what the hell are you doing?" kenma deadpanned as he watched her happily mix the contaminated tea. 

"shh! let me have my moment, kenma-kun!" she shushed him she giddily grasped the cup and brought it up to her lips. 

"y/n, stop that!" kenma exclaimed as he took the drink from her hands 

"what did you put in this?! it smells like death in a washing machine!" kenma gagged. he scrunched his nose up as he poured it out the window, emptying the cup before placing it back beside him, so she couldn't reach for it. 

"kenma! that was my suicide potion!" she cried out childishly 

"your suicide potion?" kenma deadpanned "that's stupid. please don't-" 

"dont worry though, i brought an extra one just in case!" she exclaimed "although it's just the chemicals so it'll probably sting my throat a bit" 

"how about you don't drink anything at all" kenma sighed. he shoved a mochi in her mouth and snatched the small bottle from her. 

"i thought we came here to have a peaceful meal, not so i could watch you die" he said "plus.. there's something i've been meaning to ask you" kenma said "but you just ruined the moment." 

"aw! are you finally agreeing to the double suicide?!" she asked with a huge grin. she took his hands in hers and intertwined their fingers together. "is that why you took the drink from me?" 

"you wanted to drink it together, didn't you?!" 

"no."

kenma shook his head and stared at their hands. more specifically, her bandages. "i wanted to know why you wore these bandages all the time.." he muttered 

he looked up to meet eyes with her. though, he soon panicked and frantically bowed his head in apology "i-i mean, if that's okay with you!" he shrieked "it's totally fine if you don't wanna tell me.." 

kenma gulped as she continued to stare at him with her (e/c) eyes and an unreadable expression. she then chuckled and pulled her hands away, stuffing them in her pockets as she leaned back on her seat 

"well, why do you think i wear them all the time?" she mused 

"um.. for injuries?" kenma replied, though he wasn't so sure of his answer 

she hummed and nodded along, not confirming nor denying it. 

"um, maybe for style?" he asked "though, you'd look perfectly fine without them" he said 

"would you like me not to wear my bandages?" she asked him 

"um well, no" kenma shrugged "i think it'd feel weird and new if i saw you without them" 

"maybe you just like bondage." she suggested with a straight face 

"i what??" kenma spluttered as a soft pink hue covered his cheeks "where did that come from?!" 

"i dunno, kenma-kun" she shrugged "maybe the reason you like seeing me in bandages so much is because-" 

"i don't wanna hear it." kenma groaned 

"also.. ʷʰᵒ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵍᵘʸ ᵗʰᵉ ᵒᵗʰᵉʳ ᵈᵃʸ?" he muttered bashfully 

she raised an eyebrow curiously as she asked him to repeat the question. 

"i asked.. who was that guy the other day?" kenma said much louder, much to his embarrassment 

"oh." she mumbled. just then, an evil grin formed on her lips as she giggled tauntingly. "oya oya~ why do you ask, kenma~" she teased as she poked on his cheeks 

"i- no reason, okay!" kenma exclaimed

he puffed out his reddened cheeks and looked down on his lap, letting his hair cover his face as he tried to ignore her teasing remarks "i just heard that he was your 'old partner' and i got curious" he said

"and how did you hear that, hm?" she smirked "were you spying on me?" 

kenma paled at the realisation of his slip up and groaned "well no- okay, kind of.." 

"we were just curious so we followed you.. but we stopped after you left the cafe" he admitted 

"hm, well his name is chuuya" she said with a fond smile "he's like a tiny chihuahua, and will probably bite you if you touch him" 

"oh.." kenma muttered "you guys seemed close..does he work for your agency too?" he asked 

she chuckled and shook her head. "no, no. quite the opposite of that, actually" 

"we're just old friends, i guess." she shrugged "we met at my old job"

"your old job?" kenma raised a brow "i kind of can't imagine you doing anything else, to be honest" 

"i mean, i wouldn't have believed you even worked as a detective if you didn't tell me yourself" he said with a soft laugh 

"well then, would you like to guess?" she asked with a smile. kenma blinked back, nodding as he pondered over his answer "well, i guess you could've been a.." he trailed off 

"um.." kenma groaned in frustration. he stared directly at her face, trying to think of a job suitable for her and her personality, though nothing came to mind. 

"dont bother burning your brain out, brat" a voice chimed in 

"yeah, y/n's old profession is still a mystery to us" another voice said 

kenma, along with y/n, looked back at the door to see kunikida and atsushi entering the cafe 

"oh! atsushi, weren't you aiming for the reward?" she chuckled "watch out, kenma might guess correctly before you!" atsushi panicked and rushed over to their side "was he close to the answer?!" atsushi shrieked 

"nope! but you can join the guessing game if you want!" she exclaimed with a cheeky grin 

"gladly!" atsushi exclaimed, pulling out a chair and setting it between them. "but just for context.." atsushi trailed off "the reward is still in tact right?" 

"yup! 700 grand for the correct answer!" she said with a laugh 

"700 grand?" kenma muttered "is the answer really that hard to guess?" 

"YES! THE ONLY PERSON WHO PROBABLY KNOWS IS RANPO-SAN AND-" atsushi cut himself off as he finally got a good look of kenma ".. youre that boy she's been obsessing about.." atsushi sweat dropped 

"y/n-san.." atsushi sent her a knowing glare, which she responds with an offended scoff 

"you hurt me, atsushi" she sighed "i asked him out, and he said yes! i didn't force him this time!" 

"what do you mean 'this time' ?" kunikida scowled "are you really pestering the poor boy?" kunikida said "sometimes it's like you're asking to be hit" 

kenma blinked as he watched them interact, slowly starting to feel awkward as the man in glasses continue to scold her while atsushi went back to guessing. 

"writer?!" atsushi guessed "nope!" 

"researcher!" ; "nooo!" 

"journalist!" ; "boo!" 

"fortune teller!" ; "wrong!~" 

"interpretor?!" ; "non, non~" 

"its all too random.." kenma commented as he, too, tried to think of the right answer 

"actor?!" atsushi shrieked "no! but.." she trailed off, placing her hands on her pink cheeks "that's flattering!" 

"y/n.." kenma muttered out. he reached over the table to tug on the sleeve of her coat. she screamed internally from his adorable act and faced him "yes?" she asked 

".. i wanna go to the arcade" kenma said with a pout 

she, quite literally, had to slap her chest repeatedly as she felt her heart beat faster. "kyANMAAA! YOU'RE SO CUTE!" she squealed "of course, we can go!" 

"well then, atsushi-kun, do you yeild?" she chuckled as she picked up the check from the table "well, i can't think of any more.." atsushi sighed defeatedly 

"then you can take our check!" she exclaimed as she sent him a cutesy smile. she shoved the bill into his hands and skipped away to the exit with kenma's hand in hers 

"wait! i don't have any money-" 

"bye-bye~" she waved as she closed the door 

"now then, let's get to that arcade" 

"y/n this is closed." kenma said with a sigh. they were currently standing infront of an arcade, obviously already closed, after walking for about half an hour 

"i know, kenma-kun! no need to state the obvious" she mused. she licked her lips as she continued fiddling with the lock, brows furrowing from concentration as she picked it open with a simple hair clip 

"so then why are we here??" kenma grumbled "we could've went to other ones that were open. and it's getting really late, you're lucky my parents aren't home for the week" he said 

"silly boy, it's not closed if the door is open, right?" she chuckled as she pointed to the arcade doors

"i wha- did you pick the lock?!" kenma whisper shouted  "this is illegal! we're literally breaking in!" he hissed out as he tried to run away 

though, she simply grasped his wrist and pulled him inside. "its fine, kenma! we'll just leave a note to the owner" she laughed carefreely "besides, it's not that big of a deal! we'll still pay for tokens!" she said with a smile 

kenma worriedly tiptoed inside, squinting his cat-like eyes as he tried to adjust to the dark. he slightly winced as bright, and colorful lights suddenly turned on. 

"oop- i found the power switch!" she announced "now then, what game should we play first.." she hummed to herself as she eyed each game

"this is it. i'm gonna die. we're gonna get arrested and i'll rot in the prison. thanks a lot." kenma chanted out. he nervously sat down on the seat infront of the screen which showed 'tekken' 

(bro i've never played that game before, and what do you call those huge metal box things with the games in arcades wtf ♀️)

 "i got tokens!" she exclaimed as she sat on the one across him.

"this is so wrong" kenma said with a shake of his head though despite that, he still reached out for the token and continued to play. 

after some time of pretty much trying out each game and tiring themselves out from the DDR machines by performing some embarrassing choreos. 

"okay, i kinda want that one" she said as she pointed to the cat plushy "why? there's one here that's so much bigger" kenma said as he pointed to the kuromi plushy which looked like it could swallow them whole 

"this cat looks like you." she defended "im gonna name him kyanma, won't that be cute?" 

"plus if we get this, we'll have enough tickets to get that game you want" 

staying true to her word, they didn't break or steal anything. so technically, they didn't commit a crime, right? well, only if you scratch out the breaking in part.. but that's okay. they had fun and that's all that matters, alright? 😃

"fine.." kenma mumbled as he plucked the plushy and the game off the shelf 

they threw the tickets on the counter, flashed the cctv cameras one last peace sign, and left. 

"i can't believe i just did that" kenma muttered out with a laugh "but it was fun. thanks for that, y/n" he smiled at her 

she blinked and stared at his side profile as they continued their walk home. "it was fun, yeah.." she chuckled 

"so.. how's it feel?" she mused "first crime in your record! do you feel like a misunderstood punk teen now?" 

"no, i feel like a criminal." 

"same thing!" she beamed with a grin 

she locked their arms together and gripped the plushy with her free hand, letting it dangle by her side as they walked "i just realized something.." she gasped 

kenma raised a brow and side eyed her "what is it?" he asked 

"we're now officially partners in crime and suicide!" 

"sure" kenma chuckled