#everyone here seems to have their mains and affiliates and seem to easily make friends

[alwayslcyal]

.

[happypot0001]

Hello everyone!!

So Art Fight has now ended...huh?? Gosh...I've only been posting stuff BECAUSE of Art Fight!! I'm really grateful I was able to find it. I wish that I could do more to support the team that's helping bring together thousands of artists but I can't really so i'm just going to talk about it reeeeallly quick!

To start off...I really wanted to make this post in order to thank the people who took the time and went through the trouble to draw my character!! I would like to thank these three people: @just-a-carrot 🥕, @sailingseals ⛵, and @boxxie-does-art 📦!!! All such amazing people that I find very admirable and take inspiration from almost everything they create!! 🥕 is the creator of a WONDERFUL game called "Our Wonderland"! Not only did they write and code the game...they also drew all the artwork for the game as well!!! And the game was PHENOMENAL!! You probably found this blog only because of the OW stuff...but I still like talking about it anyways!!!

The game includes such interesting and "real" characters that almost everyone could be able to relate to! The game has this special skill to make people so attached to these characters so that when they reach their demise...the players deep connection that resonated with them would quickly shatter. I'll try not to include spoilers in here in case anyone else feels that they want to try out the game as well!!!! (If you haven't played, then I highly recommend it!!!) Not to mention the community!! The people all affiliated with OW are sooooo accepting, never have I once heard a TRULY terrible thing come out of their mouths! I'm glad there's not a HUGE range of people here...it makes it much more easier to connect with other people who enjoy the game much like myself!! That's something that I truly don't regret from OW, all of the people it introduced me to!! Now...speaking of that...allow me to move to the next person...⛵!!!!!

Ohhh wooowww....⛵!!!! Gosh I really love the stuff they do!! They have such funny and creative ideas in their head and it’s very inspiring...especially because they seem close to my age!!! Their artstyle is very cute and pretty, I LOVE looking at anything they create! They don’t use anything fancy but they still have the ability to produce something FLAWLESS in literal minutes!! They’re also just very kind people, we’ve been talking with each other on discord and that’s where I can see how their humor expands to just simply talking with their friends! Whenever I’m around them I feel so open and can so easily talk to them about how I feel! I could never talk to them the ways that I have with my IRL friends! I’m so glad to have someone like that by my side! It’s been amazing having their company! Especially because we also make stories together as well! Oh we’ve made a good few stories together as friends and it’s been an awesome experience! Seeing a master creator with their mind at work! They come up with FANTASTIC ideas that make me sick…in a good way!! Ever since we’ve been friends…I’ve gotten to know a LOT MORE about their stories along with their characters! And HOW THEY HAVE CAPTIVATED ME AND STOLE MY HEART!!! I’m so serious when I say they’re the only things I want to draw now!!! ⛵️ has 5 main characters split into three separate stories…and EACH ONE OF THEM IS SOO CREATIVE AND UNIQUE!!!!! I don’t want to leak any spoilers about their stories, especially because I’m gonna guess they’re planning on posting anyways! IF THEY DO THEN BE PREPARED FOR GREATNESS HAHAH!! At this point it may sound like I’m a person who’s simply just easy to please but REALLY!! I ADORE THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR CHARACTERS SOOO MUCH! ⛵️ is so inspiring and the fact that I can call such an inspiring person that I look up to a companion of mine?? IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY!! I APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE CONVERSATION WE HAVE AND I HOPE THEIR ARE MORE AWAITING IN THE FUTURE!!!! I WISH TO LEARN AND BE AS TALENTED AS YOU ARE SOMEDAY!!!! I CAN ONLY WISH!!!!! YOURE SO AMAZING I LOVE EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! SO SO SO GLAD WE’RE FRIENDS!!!!! Hehehe WOOOOOO now I MUST move on to the next person…📦!!!!

📦!!!! Another friend that I find so inspiring!!! Ooohhh the way the color is one thing that I LOVE about their style!!! I like that they know what colors mix with others to properly get what color they desire…that’s a very important trait in an artist!!!! It’s so unique and it’s something that could never be possible for me in a LIFETIME! Just their style itself!!!! It’s pleasing to the eye but it’s also something that I can find from a mile away!!!! It’s very unique and not very easy to copy!! Also, the amount of effort and determination they put into everything is very inspiring!! Recently, 📦 had asked 🥕 if I was okay for them to make a mod using their characters. They mentioned in that ask that they were working with two friends to make the mod…THATS ME AND ⛵️!!!!! WE’RE THE TWO FRIENDS!!!! (they said “amazing friends” in their ask thank you so much 📦!!!! 🥹🥹) Haha but it was 📦 themselves who proposed the idea!!! At first it would seem like a simple thought, one that would be too complicated to actually produce…but with 📦 presenting ideas to us and really getting us hyped up for the project…it can really make a person compelled to work harder!!!! Also they’re making a whole WEBTOON as well???? That’s a lot of effort and dedication for a person to have!!!! It’s nice seeing a person willing to work hard on these projects!!!! It really gets me to take the project seriously and do more work than I would’ve done if I hadn’t seen the effort that my friends want to put into this project!!!! It’s also just very easy to talk to them as well!!!! The both of my friends! I can say what I’m thinking and they’ll respond with only kindness!!! They will find a way to help me and make me feel better than I had before!!!! I’m so happy that I’m not ridiculed and afraid to share my thoughts to someone!!! It’s so refreshing, so freeing to have someone like that there for you!!! The both of them provide that comfort for me, so I thank that so much for that!!! OH!!! Also!!!! From what I hear…they use their phone to draw???? With everything they create, that is just amazing!!! That is the work of someone with a TALENT!!!! If anyone follows 📦, they had recently posted an animation about them and a tiny Genzou…THAT WAS WITH THE USE OF A PHONE!!!! 📱 THIS THING!!!! A PHONE!!!! Hehe, I may be over-exaggerating it but I just personally think that’s a feat to be known!!!! Anyone can make wonderful art no matter what you have!!!! You just have to have skill really!!!! But that’s what I’m saying haha!!! 📦 you have a talent which I’m sure you’re already aware of but let me mention it once again!!!! IM SO GLAD TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU AND ⛵️!!! YOU GUYS ARE SOME OF THE NICEST PEOPLE I’VE MET AND I HOPE I CAN LEARN FROM THE BOTH OF YOU AND LEARN TO BE JUST AS TALENTED!!!! I HOPE FOR OUR FRIENDSHIP TO GROW FOR A LONG TIME!!!!!

Alright…this was a rollercoaster of emotions. If it looks like I wrote more for one person than the other…I apologize!!!! Especially for 📦 and ⛵️!!! I appreciate the both of you equally and I’m glad to have met you guys! Everything I’ve said so far about you is nothing less than the truth!! And to 🥕, if they are somehow seeing this, then I simply have to thank you for the amazing game that you have created!!! I will admire you for a very long time!!! You and your game help me in seeing from a whole new perspective!!! Thank you very much!!! Can never say it enough!! I hope that one day I can be as great as the three of you guys!!! Thank you guys for attacking me on Art Fight once again!! And thank you to Art Fight for giving me a chance to send art to these wonderful people!!! Gosh Art Fight was a blast while it lasted!!! I’m excited for next year…hopefully by then I’ll have more characters for people to draw!!! Also hope that I will have improved drawing myself!!! There was some more stuff I wanted to do in Art Fight but I don’t regret anything I DID do!!! I’m very happy with deciding on joining Art Fight!!! I have one more Art Fight attack for ⛵️ that I haven’t posted yet but I’ll be doing that later!!! Until next time!!!

Lots of love to 🥕, ⛵️, 📦, and anyone else who may be reading!! 💕💕💕

[iamverysmall-andihavenomoney]

Hi I just found your account and I enjoy your writing a lot the flow of it is refreshing that’s besides the point though 😤✋I was wondering if you would write a street racing AU where Kenma and Kouroo are interested in someone from a rival group

Street Racer Rivalries

Haikyū!! Masterlist

Pairings: Street Racer! Mechanic! Kozume Kenma x Mechanic! Street Racer! Gender Neutral! Reader, Street Racer! Kuroo Tetsurō x Street Racer! Mechanic! Gender Neutral! Reader

Warnings: Street Racing AUs, Saffron shows off their lack of car knowledge, illegal street racing, rivalries, strong language, talk of racing injuries.

A/N: Hi there! Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it! ☺️ But umm -- yes? I live for this idea (i might even make a series out of it, if anyone wants 🤷) but thank you for the request!

Kenma Kozume

He really doesn't like racing, let's be honest.

If he could, Kenma would stay in his shop all day long.

Hell, it's not like he needs the money.

He's such a well-known mechanic in the underground racing scene, he easily makes all of the money he could ever need.

His only real competition is Akaashi Keiji and someone named L/N Y/N?

Akaashi he could deal with, as Fukurōdani's group was rather well acquainted with Nekoma, hell, the held practice races all of the time.

But whoever this other up-and-coming mechanic was, was seriously pissing him off.

It wasn't that they were stealing all of his customers, he still had a lot of business.

It was that they just had to be with Karasuno.

The one group Kuroo was obsessed with besting - in everything.

Plus, who could have such a reputation for someone who'd only just joined the scene?

They, along with Karasuno's newest racers had put the group on a fast-track to the top.

They hadn't surpassed Karasuno.

Yet.

He wasn't sure why hearing your name pissed him off as much as it did.

But here he was, ranting to Kuroo as he worked on one of the group's main racing vehicles.

"Why won't Shōyō tell me anything about them either? They're so secretive about this new mechanic - all of them. Are they waiting for a fucking debut, here?"

"It took years for Nekoma to get the reputation it has, same for everyone else. Why does someone with no prior affiliation with any group, so easily surpass so many people?"

Then Kuroo worsens it by teasing Kenma.

"Are you sure this isn't just because Hinata is keeping a secret from you, for once?"

Now, it's a month later - the first big race in a while.

Lately, the cops had been far too aware of where the groups would be for anyone's comfort, so they collectively decided to lay low for a while.

And he's finally getting to see Karasuno in a big race.

He wasn't sure of everyone's official racers - but you usually weren't, until they lined themselves up.

Kenma wasn't particularly invested in the race, more here to finally see if you were all everyone talked you up to be.

"Are you really trying to 'wow' them in a tank top and coveralls?" Bokuto turns his nose up as he looks over Kenma's choice in clothing.

A black tank covered Kenma's chest, while his navy coveralls covered him from the waist-down, sleeves knotted together, around his waist to hold them up. His hands and arms are still stained dark from his work this morning and he's not quite sure on the status of his face, with the lack of looking in a mirror today. With a shrug, Kenma brings another chip to his mouth.

After a moment of silence, a scoff leaves his lips, "I'm not trying to 'wow' anyone. I'm scoping out the new competition, at most."

"I thought you said, just yesterday, they weren't worth your time?" Kuroo smirks at his smaller friend. Despite Kenma acting so peeved with your presence, he knew that it was all a front. He knew his best friend better than anyone end he could tell that his interest in you was just being covered up by feigned annoyance.

Kenma rolls his eyes, "I mean, you aren't either, but here we are."

Akaashi lets a breath escape him, before glancing over as he sees a flash of several headlights, looking over at the orange and black themed cars rolling in. "Looks like you have your chance to... Scope out your competition. Won't be long until Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa start arriving, as well."

Bokuto claps a large hand on Kenma's tattooed shoulder, making the faux-blonde cringe at the contact. "Go on, Ken! We'll catch up with you, soon!"

Kenma doesn't hesitate to step away from the other three, taking easy strides on his way over to where the vehicles were now parked, scattered around one another. The first to take notice of him, Shōyō, lights up, straightening from his position, previously leaning against the hood of his car. Though, seeing that he wasn't moving to greet Kenma, they cat-eyed male look at who he was talking to.

Finally laying eyes on the person he'd found himself 'hating' for the past few nights, any insults he had for you left him. Seeing you reclined against the hood of one of Karasuno's best cars, looking like you'd just come from the shop, much like him.

When your eyes found his, he notices that whatever you had been saying slowly faded out while you focused on him. And oversized orange and black jacket adorned your figure, keeping you away from the crisp breeze. He wondered if it was yours by the way or enveloped you, though on the arm, your last name shown clear, orange lettering bold against the black.

You slide from the good of the vehicle, your jacket falling from your body so you can tuck it in through the open window of what he guessed to be your car. You were dressed in nearly the same thing as him, black coveralls tied up around your waist and a large black shirt that seemed too big for you, as well, tucked into it. Not hesitating to step forward, Hinata finds himself falling back, wanting to bare witness from afar.

The smug grin tugging at the edges of your lips makes Kenma narrow his eyes further, "This is the great Kozume Kenma? Wow, no one really did you any justice, now did they?"

Of course you would be the smug type. Though, he supposed you had every right to be. You were an impressive individual. "And you're L/N Y/N... For someone who wanted to be so mysterious, you sure weren't hiding."

"I can't take credit for that idea. It was all Suga. Said we needed an ace up our sleeve." Shrugging nonchalantly, you flash Kenma a lazy grin. Mainly because it was oh-so obvious it was getting under his skin. "Though I have heard someone has been a bit obsessed with me, recently."

Kenma finally lets out something near a laugh, "You would be so lucky. Are you racing tonight?"

Hearing the rumble of other engines, the both of you realize that it wouldn't be long before you would both have to walk away to be with your separate groups. "Wouldn't you like to know," Kenma turns his head back towards you, raising an eyebrow. "I guess you'll just have to keep an eye out for me, won't you, Kozume?"

You take an easy step back, before turning to walk away, "I look forward to racing you, one day, Kozume."

"Likewise..." Kenma finds himself staring at you as you walk away from him, impressed by how bold you are, despite himself. Belying his previous 'hate' towards you, a slight smile pulls at the corners of his lips.

Much as Kenma found himself excited whenever he raced or encountered Shōyō, even his three friends could tell that he was intrigued, from their distance.

Kuroo Tetsurō

He, unlike Kenma, loves the thrill of racing.

Even if he doesn't do it as often now, he still manages to love when he does race.

Now, Nekoma doesn't have much real competition.

They've been among the top racing groups for year now and not even up-and-comers like Karasuno were going to change that.

Despite Kuroo's reassurance in the stability of his position as best racer and 'leader' of Nekoma's group, there were certain other groups that managed to get under his skin.

Groups like Daishō Suguru's group, Nohebi.

The group who'd been giving him more trouble than anyone else, since they'd gotten started.

He hated Daishō.

He hated Nohebi.

Nohebi played dirty and had injured multiple of his racers.

Most recently injured had been Yaku.

He wasn't sure who had been driving, but he remembered the person who had stepped up to reprimand the driver for the blatant foul play.

Acting like you were going to veer into another car and doing it were two different things.

He wasn't sure if it was because you were the one who had to fix your own vehicle or because you were worried about the opposing driver.

But he was intrigued.

Especially when you slapped Daishō for trying to "calm you down" by grabbing your wrist.

You had such an attitude and were so independent.

You caught his attention awfully quick.

After that, he kept an eye out for you.

He was whipped from day one.

Now normally, it takes forever for him to develop feelings for someone, but you were such a strong individual, he was whipped.

Though what sealed the deal for him was when you would tease him back and flirt with him.

At first he thought it was just because you wanted to piss off Daishō, but when he noticed that you seemed to enjoy it just as much as he did, he really was whipped.

You spotted him before he spotted you. As per usual when it came to you. You were good and sneaking up on him. It should have been more concerning to him than it was when a hand came to cover his eyes, your voice crooning in his ear playfully, "Guess who."

He knew you, quite easily, by your voice. You'd become well acquainted with sneaking up on him.

After all, it had been what? Two years since this mutual bantering and rivalry had started. By this point, both of your respective groups were getting a little tired of constantly having to be a witness to all of the flirting that was done.

"L/N, I think I'd recognize the strong smell of motor oil anywhere." Kuroo turns around to face you, hands tucked in the pockets of the red and black jacket he wore. The same one that matched the jackets of the rest of his group.

"Well, unlike someone, I've been working pretty hard, y'know?" Your own hands drift to your pockets, "Not all of us have minions doing all of our work, for us."

One of Kuroo's eyebrows shoot up, "Oh? Last I heard was that someone in particular had a whole shop of people working for them."

A light laugh escapes you, the air fogging up a bit in front of your face as your warm breath met the crisp air surrounding you both. "Yeah? Who told you that? The same asshole that's trying to drag other unfortunate souls into working with him?"

Heaving out a deep, faux sigh, Kuroo tilts his head. "The position with me is still open." His cooing voice almost makes you forget how he'd opted to phrase it. Almost.

"As much as I hate the snaky bastard, the money is too good to pass up." You lean yourself back, making contact with the hood of Kuroo's car. His favorite and ace vehicle, in fact.

"You know I could easily pay you twice what he does," he leans in and places a hand on either side of the hood, next to you. "So what's it going to take to convince you I'm a better choice than him?"

You cross your arms, a smug look crossing your face. "Why do I think this has less and less to do with your need for a mechanic?.. I think you might be a little obsessed with me, there, Kuroo."

A smirk matching your own crosses his lips. "Maybe I am, L/N. What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, there are a few things-" You find yourself cut off as you note Daishō's shouts from across the way. A sigh escapes you and you bring a hand to Kuroo's chest, pushing a finger into his shoulder and making him lean back. "Looks like I've got to go. Until next time, Kuroo."

"Keep my offer in mind," The tall man lets out a sigh as he watches you walk away from him. He glances over his shoulder as he feels a hand there, seeing his faux-blonde friend. "They'll be working for me one day. Just you wait."

Bokuto lets out a hearty laugh, causing people to look in the direction of the two tall men. "You've been saying that for how long, now?"

A scoff comes from behind them, causing them to turn around, "About two years, now. He's a little desperate, don't you think?"

Kuroo rolls his eyes at his friends' teasing, head turning in your direction just in time to catch you quickly farting your own gaze away.

You'd be a lot more to him than just another person in his racing group, one day.

General Taglist:

@thathoneybee3 @bratkugo

[tiffyfoundsomething]

Alright! This is more in line with my usual reviews.

I’m working on a big batch of MLP including a good number of ponies to be deflocked, and like everyone else, I always need more monies. So here’s my deflocking kit, with some affiliate links. You can just as easily go to Walmart and Dollar Tree to get this stuff.

To get a pony from flocked to deflocked, it takes some hot water and elbow grease.

I use a Farberware electric kettle to quickly heat up some water.

https://amzn.to/3bUrm5O

That kettle is fine for cleaning water, but despite the main container being glass the water does end up smelling and tasting like plastic. No good for making tea or anything like that.

That doesn’t get the glue off, though, just most of the fuzz. Heat makes the glue let go of the flocking, and having it be wet helps keep it from going just everywhere.

I like to use a basic sieve and some paper towels to filter my deflocking water so it doesn’t all end up in the drains or in the ocean. It goes in the trash, instead.

Kind of gross.

To get the glue off, I use my bestest best friend L.A.’s Totally Awesome concentrate at full concentration/undiluted.

https://amzn.to/2OkjsKA

It’s like $13/gal on Amazon, and $4/gal if you go to Dollar Tree and buy 4 1-quart bottles.

I have tried skipping the hot water and rubbing part and going straight to T.A., but the flocking protects the glue from the cleanser, so you do still have to do the hot water part first.

Deflocking is not a fast process.

I put a little bit of T.A. in the bottom of a container and let the parts soak a while. The containers I use aren’t special. This one’s an empty Oxy Clean tub, and I also use the ones that lunch meat comes in.

The thing I like about L.A.’s Totally Awesome is that it will remove lots of annoying glues like MLP flocking glue and Mattel’s nasty head glue (like in some Monster High and Barbie dolls) but NOT remove the factory paint the way acetone will. I’ve watched a bunch of deflocking tutorial videos and it seems like everyone else uses acetone for unpainted areas and paint thinner for painted areas.

Skip all that and get some Totally Awesome. T.A. is also kind of stinky, but not harmfully fumey so you can use it indoors unlike the paint thinner I keep seeing being recommended.

T.A. is effective at dissolving the glue without damaging the paint, BUT getting the glue off still takes a good bit of elbow grease.

I scrub with a stiff, nylon fingernail brush, a hard toothbrush (bought at Dollar Tree, I think, might have been Walmart), and this little serrated sculpting tool that I don’t remember where I got it. I don’t want to post a link to another plastic sculpting tool set that might have a less suitable scraper that ends up damaging someone’s pony. This one has gentle, rounded teeth that aren’t sharp and is pliable enough that I can’t push hard enough to scratch the vinyl.

Sometimes I do have to go back with a cotton swab and some acetone to get particularly stubborn spots.

Important note:

Wear gloves. This stuff isn’t going to burn you if you touch it for a moment and then rinse it off, but deflocking takes time and you will get a chemical burn if it’s on you for a long time.

Mine are like these:

https://amzn.to/3kDBmEo

Get textured, reusable kitchen gloves. Sometimes the best tool for getting off the glue is rubbing with your thumb (same goes for the flocking in the hot water and scrub part), and textured gloves work a little better than smooth ones.

You can see I cuff my gloves. That keeps cleanser or dirty dish water or whatever from running up your arms if you raise your hands a bit.

Another important note:

While T.A. won’t hurt the factory paint USUALLY, it does dry out the hair. I don’t worry about that because every doll or pony I work on gets conditioner treatment regardless.

But, yeah! That’s my basic deflocking kit. I like that it’s only one chemical and that L.A’s Totally Awesome not only is safe for factory paint, but has other uses within my doll repairing hobby.

It’s also a pretty decent household cleanser, though I don’t care for the scent.

[lov3nerdstuff]

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.17}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 5k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

______________________________

For a Saturday afternoon in late October, in Scotland especially, it was unreasonably sunny and therefore warmer than anyone should allow. Dreadful, really, and Robin was only glad that she had her beloved round sunglasses to keep the brightness out of her eyes at least as she followed the beaten path. Snape however wasn't as lucky, and all he could do was to scowl at both the warmth and the sunlight as he and Robin made their way towards Hogsmeade like they had decided to the day prior.

It was already quite late, almost the time where most students would be returning to the castle, but Robin had intentionally chosen to head down to the small village only now. If things went according to plan, they wouldn't have to come across any students at all, despite it being the most crowded Hogsmeade Saturday she had ever experienced. Bloody 'nice' weather… good thing they would be staying off the main street the entire time.

They had decided on what to sell the night prior, picking some of the less expensive objects and ingredients to test the waters for now. Still, once they reached the narrow alleyways and passages that were as void of people as they had been when Robin had been here for the first and only time, in her third year, she still couldn't help feeling a little nervous. She had managed to deal with the sleazy shop owner when she had been younger, and less knowledgeable… she certainly would be perfectly fine now too, right? All she had to do was to act on the now genuine boldness and knowledge she had only been able to feign the last time; if anything, it should be way easier now than it had been back then. Yes, she would definitely be fine; and she would win this bet she had going on with Snape.

"What should I demand for the few things I'm selling? Legal or not, I still gotta stay within the normal range of what this stuff is selling for. And since we said it's your choice what I'll be asking for, you better give me a number before we go in." Robin finally said, when they arrived in front of the ominous black shop. It was way less intimidating than it had been back then… or perhaps she had just grown used to thriving in the shadows.

"How about we stay somewhat realistic with this and set the price below value nonetheless. 200 galleons, perhaps?" Snape replied with a subtle not-smirk, giving Robin a look that conveyed both sincerity and amusement.

"That's BELOW value?!" Her jaw dropped, eyes wide with surprise and incredulity. "How much is this stuff worth for real then?"

"Anything between 250 and 300 galleons would be reasonable. In theory, of course."

"That's above a thousand pounds! That's ridiculous! Why would anyone pay that much for these ingredients when they could just gather them for free?"

"These objects are rare for a reason, namely that it is nigh impossible to simply gather them. Not nearly everyone is as… capable as you are, Robin. And for the few people in the field who require rare ingredients for their work in the first place, even 500 galleons would be no sum at all."

"As I said: ridiculous!" She scoffed, rolling her eyes exaggeratedly before she couldn't help smirking up at him when a new thought entered her mind. "Good thing I happened to you, or you'd still be buying your ingredients like a fool."

"I appreciate the way you say that; you really did happen to me. Like a natural disaster or the end of the world." He teased right back, putting on a neutral facade while quirking an eyebrow. "But I would have to agree. It was a very good thing indeed."

Robin's smirk turned into a genuine smile, and she took a deep breath. "So is 200 galleons the price you set?" She was absolutely ready for this now, all nervousness gone. "The bet is still on, isn't it?"

"If you are still looking forward to losing, then yes." He quipped, but even his tone let on now that he didn't much believe in his own victory in this scenario at all. It was a tease, and an encouragement for her to do her best. She definitely would do just that, if not for the ridiculous amount of money she could make then at least to humour him.

"Oh, we'll see who's losing here soon enough." Robin replied with one last smirk while dropping her sunglasses into her pockets, then she set her stony facade of perfect neutrality in place and focused on the task at hand. Bold, and stoic, and serious. Just like last time.

The bells above the door chimed when she stepped through first, letting her eyes flicker over the dusty shop that had very much stayed the same since her last visit. As had its owner, whose eyes widened noticeably as they landed on Robin first. She didn't miss the brief shadow of concern that flickered through his face upon the obvious recognition, but after two seconds of staring, he caught himself and flashed her a wolfish grin.

"Spare me the sweet-talk, I'm not here to buy from you." Robin was quick to speak first, giving him one of those piercing icy glares that could kill if they were to become any more tangible. The man's smirk dropped from his face immediately in return, and his frown deepened with every step that Robin came sauntering closer. So close, in fact, that he backed up seemingly subconsciously until his back hit the closest shelf behind him, making the jars and bottles rattle in protest. Obviously her sinister reputation had either spread even to this godforsaken place, or the impression she had left here four years ago had persisted throughout the time in between. Good.

"What can I do for you then?" He finally asked in a strained voice, while his eyes sought for a way to escape her presence. Honestly, Robin didn't know why people were this uneasy around her, considering how tiny she was in comparison to mostly everyone else, but then again, so were scorpions. Small in size, but often lethal. The thought made her smirk ever so slightly, which only served to upset the man in front of her even more. If everyone already thought she was insane, she might as well act on it. Showtime.

"The better question is what I can do for you." She started in an almost eerily sweet tone now, giving him a haunting smile. One of those that always made her shudder when Morgan sent them her way, and that had absolutely nothing happy or polite about them. "The dust on your shelves is piling up by the years, it seems, and yet here you are, still in business. Which can only mean that what you usually sell isn't put on display, is it? You certainly aren't that foolish."

"How do you-..."

"Knowing things is my trade, you see, and as you certainly have noticed, I have used my talents to become someone who indeed doesn't require affiliations, but who people wish to be affiliated with in return." She let her eyes trail over the many objects in the storage shelves for a few seconds, then they snapped back to his. Obviously she had no idea of whatever shady business this man was involved in, but the pieces of the puzzle she could see told her by far enough. So she would play on that now. "I have no use for this shop any longer. In fact, I could easily replace you in this line of business entirely. Or I could end your dealings with a single word in the right place at the right time. However, I have no intention to do either."

"Under which conditions?" He grumbled, frowning down at Robin wearily while the general tension and unease stayed present on his features nonetheless.

"None." She gave him that bone-chilling smile again. "I have no need to threaten you, there is nothing you have to give that would be of interest to me."

"What game are you playing at?" His question came out more shallowly than he probably would've liked, which only served to humour her in return.

"None you would understand." The corner of her lips quirked up into a sincere smirk for a moment, then she turned on her heels and sauntered through the shelves and displays. "Not when you are asking all the wrong questions."

The man seemed to be entirely confused now, deprived of his usual position of having the upper hand, of being the one who led the conversation and controlled the outcome of it. Indeed, he looked rather relieved to be free of Robin's piercing gaze now, but stayed standing in his spot with his back to the shelf nonetheless. She had him right where she wanted, and he obviously didn't have the slightest idea. Perfect.

"What are you here about?"

"Hmm." She hummed in feigned indifference, not even giving him a single glance now as she studied the dusty jars and bottles in distaste.

"What the bloody hell do you want?!" He asked again, not in anger as it might have sounded to anyone who didn't know better, but in unease and desperation.

"I want you to start asking the right questions! I don't have all day." She snapped back at him, approaching him in certain steps once more that had him trying to back up on instinct, only to hit the shelf again. For a moment he actually seemed to think then, which usually was a great improvement to any situation already, while Robin glared at him impatiently nonetheless. The moment he would realize that she was no threat to him was the moment she would lose, and thus she did her best to keep up the impression of danger as long as possible.

"What is it that… you can do… for me?" He finally dared asking, holding her gaze even though the twitching muscles in his face were a clear indicator of his real sentiments. Really, he needed to work on his facades.

"Finally a question worth answering." Robin sighed in feigned annoyance, then went back to the safe neutrality of talking business. "I have a few objects to sell which certainly will be of interest to you."

"What kind of objects?" His tone was weary, but there was no denying that he was interested in the offer. Wordlessly Robin placed the ingredients on the counter behind her, well out of his reach of course, but close enough to see. His eyes widened in an instant as he stared at them first, then at Robin. "Where on earth did you get those?"

She ignored his question, merely giving him an indifferent look for a second, then continued on her own terms. "You certainly know the value of what I have to offer, and be assured, so do I. But seeing as you obviously will be able to sell them for a much higher price than what I expect you to pay, please be so kind and spare us both the time and effort of trying to bargain with me."

"How much?"

"300 galleons."

"Are you bloody joking?!" He scoffed, while squirming under Robin's glare nonetheless.

"Do I seem like the type to joke?" She raised an eyebrow at him with an otherwise grave expression, and finally he just had to look away, anywhere but at her.

"Fine…" He grumbled in disdain, and when Robin graciously made way for him, he moved over to an inconspicuous trunk in the far corner. "But you'll have to take it in cash."

"Fine."

Without another word, he opened the trunk and climbed in, descending a staircase Robin could only guess was hidden inside it. A minute later he returned with a large wooden box, which he placed on the counter next to Robin's cardboard box of ingredients. While he then moved to inspect the ingredients more thoroughly, Robin for her part counted through the thirty stacks of ten golden coins each, in carefully hidden amazement. Honestly, if her facades weren't routine by now, her jaw might just have dropped from the amount of money under her very fingertips. A thousand and five hundred pounds… three hundred galleons. Bloody hell.

"These ingredients are first class… better than most I have seen." The man's scratchy voice finally drew her attention back to him. "I should be able to sell them for a high price indeed."

"Obviously." Robin replied with a sigh in feigned annoyance yet again, and when the man began sorting the few ingredients into the shelves far behind the counter, she carefully stored away the many golden coins in the depths of her backpack. Good gods, she still couldn't believe it. This was bloody insane.

"You know, it's been four years and I still have absolutely no idea who you are." He finally said as he came back, quite obviously more at ease now that the reason for her presence had been revealed. The wolfish grin returned to his lips a second later, but he did well to stay at a distance to Robin. "But I must say, you are still creeping me out more than anyone I know. There just is something about you, all that danger and all the smarts… If I wasn't so terrified of you every time you show up, I might just have to ask you out, now that you've turned into such a delicious piece of eye candy as well."

"The 'eye candy' will likely cut your tongue off if you do not keep your lewd comments to yourself." Snape's sharp voice cut in before Robin herself could reply, and the man behind the counter jumped visibly as his eyes frantically scanned the room for the words' origin. He obviously hadn't taken notice of Snape's presence before just now, but Robin couldn't really blame him. Snape was truly remarkable at staying unseen by anyone whose eye he wanted to avoid, and Robin could only hope that he would show her how he did it one day. For now, she just was more than happy when she felt his presence coming up right behind her, and she directed her attention back to the man behind the counter, who looked even more nervous now that they both stood before him.

"You should keep in mind who you are speaking to." Robin said to him in a neutral calm, seeing no reason to intimidate him any more now. "I came here to trade, not to socialize. Have a nice day."

Turning on her heels, she gave Snape a small smirk, then made for the door. The bells chimed once more as it fell shut behind both of them, and finally they were out in the street again, turning right and walking a few steps before Robin couldn't help grinning at last. It had gotten considerably darker now, the sun gone and the warmth quickly fading, but it didn't matter. This entire ordeal had been a big success, and gods, it had been way too amusing for anyone's good. They still walked on in silence for a little while, until Robin just couldn't help nudging Snape in the side ever so slightly in her giddy excitement.

"I did it." She grinned up at him, not even bothering to take the necessary step away again, which left her arm brushing against his as they walked. "Can you please tell me that this actually just happened? Because I honestly don't know if I dreamed it or not."

"Didn't we say 200 galleons?" Snape asked in return, a tease more than an actual question, as was visible in both his tone and the not-smirk. "Because I cannot remember saying that you should go for 300."

"I wasn't seriously going to sell under value. You know me, I like to push the limits."

"I know." His smirk turned into a real one, and his eyes finally met Robin's while the two of them sauntered along the alley. "That was one of the most impressive displays of power I have come to witness to this day."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up at the compliment, her heart skipping a beat, and when he just gave her a look in return, she went on with a smirk. "Well, find me someone else to snap at –someone who deserves it– and I will repeat the 'display of power', if it entertains you so."

"I certainly will, at a later point in time. For now I have lost a bet, and I would like to pay the price for this… unfortunate misjudgment of your talent for trade as soon as possible."

"I won't complain, I've been looking forward to this part of the trip all day."

"I had feared you would say that." He sighed, but the smirk stayed on his lips nonetheless, and Robin knew that he shared her sentiment after all.

"May I choose my drink?" She asked then, with mischief written all over her face as a mirror of the plan she had made this morning.

"You traded for more than I suggested; I would say you deserve the freedom of choice."

"Great. I want firewhisky."

Snape stopped in his spot in an instant and turned to look at Robin with an equally shocked and amused face that had her grinning even more. "Are you certain about that?"

"Yeah. I've always wanted to try it, but there's never been an opportunity to." She shrugged easily, her gleaming eyes fixed on his. "And seeing as I've never had any kind of alcoholic beverage before, we might as well start there."

A small snort escaped him as his lips curled up into a sincere smile. "You want to start drinking, and choose firewhisky as your first?"

"Whyever not? I do things entirely or not at all, remember?" She smiled in return. "But funny how that is what's bothering you, and not the fact that I am choosing something alcoholic in the first place."

"As if I would care… On the contrary, I appreciate it even! It opens up the possibility of us drinking something other than coffee in the evenings together, once in a while. However that is only if your first glimpse into the wide field of alcohol isn't ruined by something as crude as firewhisky."

"I am open for suggestions, should I end up not liking it, but I want to try it first nonetheless."

"Fine. Your choice." He mused, and as he turned to walk on, a hint of a smirk played on his lips once again, with just enough mischief in it to have Robin feeling excited. Whatever he was plotting in that big brain of his, she was definitely going to enjoy the outcome of it.

For a few minutes Robin followed him through the maze of alleyways, curious where he was leading her, until at last he stopped at the back of a wooden house that probably had its main entrance on one of the busier streets. With a not-smirk, he opened a small door that was so inconspicuous that Robin had missed it entirely on first glance.

"After you." He said as he held it open for her to pass through, and without a second thought Robin stepped into the complete darkness that lay behind it. She took three steps, but when she couldn't see where she was going nor knew where she was supposed to go, she waited until Snape had closed the door behind himself, which should leave him in close enough proximity. The suspicion was confirmed when she felt his arm moving around her shoulders to guide her along through whatever path they were following in this darkness, and for once she enjoyed the frantic drumming of her heart that came along with the situation. He obviously knew perfectly well where he was going, and as long as he kept his arm around her so securely, she actually saw no reason to be nervous for once. Only excited, by the touch and the darkness and the mystery. But before she had the time to really enjoy the feeling of being curled into his side, they took a turn and then stopped for a second as he opened a door.

The brightness of too many lamps and candles stung in Robin's eyes immediately, and she blinked it away while she let Snape pull her into the room ahead. It undoubtedly was some kind of bar or tavern, depending on what one wanted to call this less-than-average establishment. But there wasn't a single person she knew in this room, and she got the vague idea that that's just why he had chosen this place to come to. On the wall opposite of where they'd come in, the actual entrance door opened a moment later to welcome in a small group of customers, who drew Robin's attention to them with the irritating amount of noise they brought into the place. The remainder of the room wasn't any more spectacular than any other bar she'd seen before; booths and tables occupied by witches and wizards who obviously dreaded the minimal attention Robin was giving them already.

"Aren't we going to sit down?" She asked when Snape made no attempt to find an empty table and instead led her straight to the bar.

"No. We are only here for an experiment." He replied, and the calm and quiet tone of his voice contradicted the sinister facade that was back on his face now that they were among people again. Robin watched quietly as he ordered a single glass of firewhisky, and then pushed it towards her after the man behind the bar had set it down on the counter between them with an odd glance between the two. "Try it."

"You obviously haven't understood the concept of buying someone a drink… You are supposed to drink with me!"

"As I said, this is merely an experiment. I still intend to pay my debts to your very contentment afterwards."

"You do?" She quirked an eyebrow at him with a smirk, and any doubt was washed away by a new rush of excitement. If he wanted to make this a more complex thing than it had to be, she wouldn't complain. Especially since this 'experiment' obviously was just part one of a more elaborate plan he had come up with just now. With an almost teasing smile, she finally lifted the glass to her lips and took a large sip while keeping her eyes fixed on his, which were observing her intently in return. The very moment the amber liquid touched her tongue and ran down her throat however, it left a burning trace behind that really did the drink's name all honour, and she couldn't help coughing desperately. She still tried to breathe through the oddly pleasant pain of the intense burn, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears that were mainly a result of the coughing, and while she definitely had learned her lesson to take smaller sips in the future, she also found that she did enjoy the taste after all. When her eyes finally stopped watering and she could open them again and blink away the blur, she found that Snape was still observing her. And he was having a very hard time not to laugh. His facades had stayed in place of course, but beneath all that she saw raw and honest amusement. A frown settled on her face in return, but she also couldn't help her own amusement at his expression.

"I know you're laughing beneath all that neutrality, and it's not fair!" She whispered to him with a scratchy voice, in a scolding manner, but her smirk betrayed her efforts, which actually sufficed to finally break him enough for the corners of his lips to curl up into a smirk as well. He was fighting it, that much was visible, but Robin knew that he was losing.

"How was the first sip?" He inquired in barely contained humour now, his own tease threatening to finally make him laugh, and that precisely was what made Robin laugh indeed.

"Good, actually." She replied softly, once she had regained some control over her body. "Tastes good, I just have to work on the dosage."

"Measurements have never been your thing, have they?" He quipped, and Robin sent him a very unconvincing glare and stuck out her tongue just for good measure indeed. Then she made a point out of taking another sip, a smaller one this time, and seeing as she knew what to expect, the burning came as a welcome sensation now rather than a pain. The smooth liquid warmed her insides all the way to the pit of her stomach, leaving her with the pleasant impression that she was burning from the inside out. Glowing, lighting up the room.

Without a word of warning, he suddenly snatched the half empty glass out of her hand and downed the remaining liquid himself before setting it back down on the counter in one move.

"Hey! That was mine!" Robin protested in a laugh, but the mere fact that he didn't mind drinking from the same glass as her left her feeling short of breath, and even warmer on the inside than what could be blamed on the whisky. For a moment she felt overwhelmingly tempted to try catching a taste of it on his lips, to seek out something far more intoxicating, but she quickly forced the thought away. Definitely not a good thought to entertain in his company… especially not in a public place. Damnit. She couldn't even blame it on the alcohol, she had only had two sips just now, and that hadn't even sufficed to leave any noticeable difference with her other than the warmth in her chest and stomach.

"We wouldn't want to get you drunk in public, now, would we?" He raised an eyebrow at her with a not-smirk, and it sent another surge of electricity right from Robin's mind to her very core. Of course he was joking, nobody would be getting drunk tonight, but still… what exactly was he playing at?

The question only grew in extent and relevance when he leaned over the counter –unbothered and unhindered by the bar man– and fished for an unopened bottle of the same drink with an unsurprising elegance before dropping three galleons on the counter and motioning Robin to the door without another word. She frowned at him for a second, but then turned on her heels and made for the exit indeed. He went to place the bottle in her backpack even while she moved, closing it up again just before they stepped outside; a gesture that had become so familiar over the summer that it didn't surprise her anymore, nor require much thought or effort on either end.

"So, are you going to share your plan with me or do you want me to make wild assumptions to humour you?" She finally inquired as they walked along the by now entirely lamplit street. It really had gotten cold without the sun, and she regretted not wearing something warmer, but she also couldn't be bothered to fish a jacket out of her bag now to wear under her robes. She didn't even know for how long she would be outside after all, nor what to expect now.

"It will be dinner time shortly, we should return to the castle." He replied innocently, while pointedly ignoring everything that Robin had obviously meant to ask about. Insufferable idiot…

"And your debt?" She refused to let him off the hook quite so easily, and therefore started with the obvious. "Didn't you say you intended to pay up as soon as possible?"

"I did, and I will. But seeing as you have made a point out of the fact that 'buying you a drink' in this case means spending the evening drinking together with you, at my expense obviously, I would prefer to go about it correctly."

"Correctly as in…?"

"Entirely, or not at all." He said, giving her a teasing smirk that had her biting her bottom lip to keep from grinning like an idiot. He really was getting way too good at playing by her rules, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything other than loving it.

"Perhaps having a bite of dinner would be a good idea though… Isn't that one of those pieces of common wisdom, to have a proper meal before drinking alcohol?" She finally asked, while they made their way through the darkness back towards the castle. "Because I honestly have no intention to get drunk tonight. I have tutoring to do in the morning!"

He let out an amused huff in return, and even through the darkness Robin could see the lingering smirk. "Neither of us is foolish enough to get drunk quite so easily, you do know that. But we certainly should attend dinner indeed. For the meal, and to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to our whereabouts of the day."

"And after dinner?"

"That you will see then." He smirked again, and Robin rolled her eyes in return. Honestly, he was enjoying the secrecy way too much. But she had to admit, the suspense was beyond exciting, and it left her with a giddy feeling and a resurfacing smile she just couldn't get rid of. If he wanted to play games with her, she would play along; she knew that he would only ever play to her advantage after all. Who knew what the evening was yet to bring?

______________________________

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[akimmito]

Heroes are made by the path they choose

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Master List

Chapter 18

Marinette was waiting for the moment when the Gotham vigilantes would show up, they ended up making the decision after she and Felix had a little chat with Silent Hill, she even spoke to John to ask what he knew about the two of them (of course, they had already met Robin, but their meeting was under other circumstances). John was very clear about his opinions, so she was able to have a better point of view when deciding.

They, sadly, would be the first to be recruited knowing the entire team. Unlike other members, they were recruited by two or three incumbents of the miraculous. The Aurore case, which was recommended by Chloe, Marc and Nathaniel; Silent Hill was recruited by her, Felix, and Max; Not in Hell was brought into the organization by Marc and Nathaniel (with approval from Alix and Luka). The others were led by other circumstances, such as John (who was led by her alone), Adrien (who only retired from the team due to circumstances that were out of his control), Jean (Chloe's butler ended up involved after it was done difficult to explain strange behaviors, becoming a great ally), Kim (he was initially recruited to be part of the team, but ended up only an affiliate) and Gina (how could she not realize that her granddaughter was the one who made contact with her? Maybe he couldn't discover her as Ladybug by magic, but there was nothing of the kind involved here anymore. It was easy).

So yes, Nightwing and Robin will be their first victims. The only one who completely opposed the idea was Damian, but she couldn't get any information out of him. Until minutes before meeting them.

"My father is Batman."

Marinette stayed still in those moments, but her son kept moving forward. She saw him draw one of his swords, but she was still processing his words. However, she slides it down and makes sure she doesn't forget to talk to him later. She can't go crazy in those moments.

Damian doesn't know who possessed him to say it in those moments, his mother had been asking the night before when they were alone, but he refused to say a word. And minutes, seconds, before meeting his brothers, it was not the right time. Well, the damage is done.

"You're not welcome." He's not feeling satisfaction in threatening his brothers, not at all, it's simply to maintain an image and let them know that they will not accept his games. It's just that.

Afterward, he just kept watching, watching the interaction, focusing his attention on Nightwing, who keeps his gaze fixed on his mother. He frowns, it doesn't matter if it's inside or outside the mask, Richard Grayson keeps looking at his mother; doesn't like. But his mother wouldn't notice him, would she?

No she wouldn't. She doesn't even give him a glance, she's more focused on Robin, so no, and his mother wouldn't notice Grayson. Even so, he must mark territory, he doesn't want one of his brothers as a father, although them is better than his father. No, he cannot submit to such thoughts, the man who marries his mother must be worthy of it.

When they go through the portal, the little glamor placed on him fades and he heads to the common room, where the others must be.

Marinette watches him leave, curious about her son's visible bad mood.

"Make yourself comfortable." She smiles kindly, in stark contrast to the intimidating image she was giving earlier.

"Suzaku…" She directs her gaze towards Robin, she finds it amusing that the youngest is the one who takes the reins because the responsible adult seems too lost watching her. Oh yeah, she realized, it's not subtle at all.

"Yes?"

"You mentioned that they already knew about us, how did they find out?"

"We have a contact." She doesn't remove her smile and proceeds to settle in front of Nightwing, her place would normally be at the head of the table, but she finds the attention he's giving her endearing. Oh well, what will their expression be when they see who is under the mask? It's not that she knows who they are, but she could guess, however, she will not be wandering in those directions.

“So you have a network of contacts?” Robin seems very excited by the information and seems to want to know more, much more. His curiosity is well received, especially since there is no malice, at least she cannot perceive it. "How do you open those portals? Is it related to heroes?"

"Quiet. All those questions will be clear at the meeting… so Nightwing, you didn't say anything, did a bird tear your tongue out?" This time, her smile changes to a cheekier one. John taught her to smile like that, it's a fun flirting game they have.

"I'm giving myself time to process everything, you really caught us off guard. We wanted to talk to one or two of you, I wasn't expecting us to have a meeting scheduled. ”He smiles humorously, he doesn't lie, sure, but it's not the whole reason.

"Oh, understandable. Although I could swear that the cause of your distraction was me. "Marinette is having fun, the years when she could barely talk to someone she liked, even a little, are long gone and buried, now it's much easier.

He doesn't respond to what was said because they see the others enter, being surprised to see several of them without a mask. Tim quickly recognizes Chloe Bourgeois, how not to do it, she is a MP and they have seen her several times in the news, she has very good press on her part. They also see Felix Graham of Vanily, Dick remembers him from that red carpet that Stephanie insisted on seeing months ago, in addition to the photos that Tim showed her from the newspapers of when Gabriel Agreste was arrested. The others, they don't recognize at all, although there are a couple of faces that they are sure they should recognize.

"Nice to meet you" Luka takes the initiative to say hello, sitting next to Marinette and taking his partner by the hand to take a seat next to him, Damian immediately claims the seat on the other side of his mother, refusing to take off his mask, even though everyone has put it aside.

"The pleasure is ours." Dick is the one who responds, more alert for the presence of everyone else.

"Do you have any specific questions or do you prefer to wait for us to finish explaining?" Felix asks, settling in next to Damian, the center of the table will always be where Marinette is sitting, so he will always be close to her. The Great Guardian is the main focus in any gathering, even if others don't know her importance.

"Just one." Tim responds, driven by his curiosity because he suddenly has these people who take care of his identity coming to use magic for that purpose, showing his face to them too easily. "Why are you showing us your identities?"

"We'll get to that, Robin. We'll start by introducing ourselves. ”Marinette smiles more kindly, taking a more professional approach now that everyone is settled in and the meeting has begun. Only Max is missing, but they know that he is busier with something more important. "It's hard not to recognize myself, people pay more attention to me than I'm comfortable receiving. Everyone knows me as Marie Lenoir, but my friends know my name is Marinette. ”She takes off her mask and Dick chokes on his own breath. Tim is very surprised, but doesn't show it. "He's my son, Damian.”The boy just frowns in his direction and thinks long and hard before lowering his mask.

Dick doesn't know how to feel about the Damian thing, he's a boy, a boy who surely has a lot of training or she wouldn't let him run around, right? In addition, he carries two swords with him, these being his main weapons, from what he could see of his suit, in addition to some other tools that he surely keeps in the thick belt that looks like cloth, the boy is covered in green, black and gray tones; He has even pulled his hood down revealing his tousled dark hair, very different from when he was seen at country house.

"Felix Graham of Vanily, although if you did a little research on the situation from seven years ago, you know who I am."

"Chloe Bourgeois, impossible not to know about me. I go out unnecessarily on television..."

"And I thought you loved the attention, Chloe." Nathaniel scoffs and she in response shakes her head the other way, hitting him lightly with her hair, drawing a little laugh from Alix at their childish fights that never change. "Nathaniel Kurtzberg, I'm not well known.”He shrugs, but smiles at the two guards. "And he's Marc Anciel.”

Marc just greets them with a little shyness, althoug he keeps moving forward and has made great progress by himself, plus he got his own confidence gain in his work and that's something about it that he will always be safe, no matter how uncomfortable he's in social situations.

"Alix Kudbel." She's simple with her presentation, doesn't see the need to focus too much on assuming something they might or might not know about them.

"Kagami Tsurugi, he's my boyfriend, Luka Couffaine." Simple and clear, Kagami wants to move fast to make the rules of the game clear. Having more allies was always a plan that was discussed when the MT started, but it's still a matter that puts everyone on edge. "Ideally, you should show your identities, the information that we will share with you is not something that is said to any random stranger. Mari-hime doesn't trust just anyone and her instincts are rarely wrong, but we need a guarantee."

Can the people they choose be trusted?

------

It's a Nara: We already made contact with Nightwing and Robin

Silent Hill: Oh perfect

Kiss my ass: So everything ready for the reunion on the weekend?

It’s aNara: Yes, hopefully, they will join too

Not in Hell: It will be entertaining

Kiss my ass: Of course it will! It will be so chaotic

It’s a Nara: I hope not, we will deal with serious matters

Oscar de la Rosa: I already booked the tickets for my trip to London

Divine gift: Everything perfectly calculated, excellent, Jean

Oscar de la Rosa: We must ensure that nothing gets out of control

Silent Hill: You guys are very efficient, they remind me of Alfred

Divine gift: No one can beat Alfred

Oscar de la Rosa: But it is an honor that you mention it

It’s a Nara: Who is Alfred?

Divine gift: A butler

Oscar de la Rosa: A Butler

[tosikoarts]

SFW Alphabet | Shiraishi Yoshitake

Long live the King! You can check tosikowrites tag for more. Warning: there’s a lot under the cut.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Relationship for Shiraishi is more about friendship with intimacy than a long tradition-based order of courtship and conventions. His affection does not manifest in standard gestures like buying flowers or singing serenades, acting all gentlemanly and saving the day pompously like a romantic novel protagonist. If he ever does anything from list above, it is his daydreaming that he doesn’t try to bring to life.

One of Shiraishi’s main goal in the relationship is to keep his partner happy, and the main sign that they are happy is their shrill laughter. It doesn’t matter if they are laughing because stray toothy animal bit his head or because the joke was funny (yay!), mission accomplished and he is satisfied.  Seeing them cry is worse than being hit hundred times with a baton.

Every single soul in the one kilometer radius know whom Shiraishi loves and why he loves them and how amazing, adorable, lovely, cool they are. Sugimoto and Asirpa are making earplugs because Shiraishi can’t shut the hell up. He managed to piss off the men who kidnapped him with bragging about his loved one. Kiroranke puts maximum effort not to bury him in the nearest snowdrift. His admiration doesn’t die down through years.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

The best friend to get dumb with. Sing inappropriate songs, prank others, annoy boring elders and all this jazz. His jokes are never offensive because Shiraishi wants to have good time only but they are unpredictable and never repetitive. His instinct of self-preservation goes m.i.a. in the process so it’s literally life-saving to have a reliable person by the side.

If you need a friend to gossip with Shiraishi is you best choice. He got hot tea on everyone, I mean e v e r y o n e, from old man Hijikata to naïve Koito and he needs best friend to spill it. Damn, Shiraishi is definitely that bih with neon acrylics and golden hoops.

Probably the friend that introduce you to people and brings you into new circles. Wide range of characters, social statuses, affiliations gives a chance to meet potential partners. There is one unspoken rule though: you come here as Shiraishi’s bff, you leave this place as Shiraishi’s bff.

Speaking of which, he comes across as possessive friend. Restriction of other’s social circle and constant need in validation aren’t his behavior traits, but Shiraishi is sensitive to subtle changes in communication. Sole possibility of losing the established connection gives him extreme anxiety. To avoid it he can make concessions and sacrifice his own interests for them.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Eeh, indifferent? He doesn’t seem like a big fan of cuddling but will do it on occasions. When lights are down and they are in a private of the room, Shiraishi may spoon them to feel the comfort of another person and a little bit of safety he finds in their touch. He doesn’t have a preferred position as well: whatever his loved one wants he will do without hesitation.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

The closest home equivalent that Shiraishi knows is a dark prison cell and this is how he sees the stability in its best light. Yep, same food every day, funny inadequacies behind the adjacent wall, and a guy in not-so-sexy uniform who checks his asshole now and then. What a paradise. Seriously, he needs time to get used to concept of comfort zone. Maybe, after few years Shiraishi himself will offer to find a cozy place for both of them. Average cook. Doesn’t know how to hold a broom.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Breaking up with Shiraishi is a whole three-ring circus because he is hot and then cold, yes and then no. Get ready to prepare sad clown look for both you and him because it will be a long story: as soon as the idea settles in his head, Shiraishi will turn into giant wreck. Everybody around notices him walking in circles as well as asking Sugimoto how to properly show person that he is not interested. Of course, he ignores rational “just tell them, set a record straight”. Of course, Shiraishi plays dumb and tries to distance himself in all ways possible and impossible. The only way to end this agony is to break the relationship yourself before the mutual sympathy and respect turn into disgust and tension.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Doesn’t experience a burning passion to get married but doesn’t completely discards this possibility either. If person seems to be the only one, the meant one, Shiraishi will pop a question after 3-4 years of stable relationship. Cruel push and pull game, sudden break ups and get backs together kill his will to settle down. He may stay with them but Shiraishi will never bring up thought of marriage, wedding bells, and family.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Even the prison could not knock softness out of Shiraishi: he is utterly gentle with his partner, dreading hurting them or jeopardize their life with the hunt of tattooed skins. Choosing the right words is a little more complicated so translation of an emotional mess in his head does not always convey implied sentiment. That’s the reason why Shiraishi may be unintentionally harsh when it comes to serious conversations: he is torn between being tender and showing firm character.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Somehow, loves hugs but rarely initiate them. He is almost always cold, his skin feels cold and rough like papyrus paper, therefore, his partner frequently serves as a living heater. When they are busy with work or chores, Shiraishi catches their hand and embraces their arm, practically immobilizing it. Hints fly left and right when Shiraishi wants a hug: he really comes to the partner with puppy eyes and  index finger pointing towards one another because no, he won’t go for it himself, he want his loved one to do it.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Mentally, he already did it when they met for first time but it takes at least a month for Shiraishi to say three magic words aloud. Two would be even better. He's not serious enough to wait for the friendly phase of a romantic relationship when people have already got used to each other. The longer the relationship lasts, the more serious Shiraishi gets though. You can hear it in the changing of his voice when his playful “I love you so so much” shifts to calm and earnest confession.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Easily jealoused walking disaster that will follow his partner like a poodle if they give him a reason to doubt their faithfulness. Sometimes Shiraishi overreacts, he even thought Sugimoto was looking at his loved one somehow weirdly but quickly brushed this idea off just for it to come back to him next day. Shiraishi gets extremely needy and tries to show everybody that this is HIS person. He is NOT sharing. They love ME. He gives them extra kisses, hugs, grabs their hand and squeezes it few times, smiles at them as much as he physically can.

If his loved one is the one being overly flirtatious, Shiraishi feels awful. Wave of insecurity knocks him off the feet and he doesn’t know what to do. He is overthinker so without proper explanation Shiraishi comes up with the worst scenarios possible. In this case he distance himself until person reassures him in their relationship.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

In the beginning, Shiraishi seems the worst kisser in the world. He has little experience, almost no experience to be honest: yujo do not have time to teach clients the art of kissing. So, yeah, he is pretty average, goofy, sloppy and eager. Wants to kiss everywhere anyhow.  

After a little bit of training his kisses become more sophisticated, and Shiraishi himself doesn’t try to jump on his partner with smooches. He is still impatient when they put their hands on him and tends to get touchy even in public places. When Shiraishi gets in the mood for kissing session, he is unstoppable.

There is a sweet spot right under the earlobe kissing which send Shiraishi on the cloud nine. One kiss and he surrounds to the will of the partner. Ask whatever you want. Besides that he doesn’t care where to be kissed. Likes to give his partner gentle pecks on the nose and cheeks.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

If you remember chart going around the Tumblr with categories like “wine aunt, great at babysitting, mediocre at babysitting” Shiraishi would fall both in “God is dead, house is on fire” and “Is a baby”. Kids absolutely love him because they are on the same level *cough cough* and he is overall funny guy unlike the most adults around. Shiraishi likes active games and never sits still. For every crying child he got a candy and few tricks in his sleeve. He would love to be a father one day so he has few more minions to annoy grumpy people.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

People who sleep in together stay together. This is the rule of Yoshitake house. No matter what time his partner wakes up Shiraishi wakes up later. Nine in the morning? He is in the bed until noon. Three in the afternoon? He is still sleeping, squeezing his partner tightly in his arms. Even after waking up Shiraishi stays under the blanket. He playfully asks the loved one if they want to keep him company and cuddle too but if they are in hurry, he will lazily crawl out of bed and cook something for them.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Prefers to spend night outside gambling or drinking, skinny-dipping, lying in the grass and telling fables with varying percentage of truth. In the cold season Shiraishi still likes to go downtown but mainly to meet old friends and have dinner with them and his loved one. Rarely he chooses to stay in the comfort of home. Shiraishi teaches his partner different board games, and soon playing turns into a competition. From time to time Shiraishi loses on purpose, gifting sweet victory in shogi/igo/karuta to the most significant person in his life.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

You don’t have to ask anything unless you want to spend next hour listening to Shiraishi’s biography. He will tell you about the relationship with parents, about childhood scar on the knee, about search of Sister Miyazawa, and what a bastards his cellmates were. The list is endless, and every day Shiraishi remembers one more story he forgot to tell. There are only two things that can stop him: firm “no, not now, Shiraishi” from the partner and lack of mutual openness on their part.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

It is impossible to piss Shiraishi off. His ability to reduce everything to a joke does not help only in advanced cases where person wanted to break his neck from the beginning. Even when his patience runs out, Shiraishi cannot explode in anger, he just grimaces, stomps, and spits sarcasm. In everyday life, he avoids conflicts as much as possible and does everything to find a convenient compromise so you won’t catch him slipping. He would rather go for a walk and leave another person to cool down than get involved in heated argument.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He doesn’t remember shit if his partner doesn’t indicate that it is important information. Worth remembering. Shiraishi, please, listen. At the same time he notices slight changes in their appearance, from new haircut to ring, and keeps in mind such details like eye color, favorite clothes, maybe, particular qualities like never buttoning shirt up completely or writing notes on the wrist. Anniversaries? Baby, he doesn’t remember what day it is today. Just give up.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

The first kiss. Not only did it happen completely by accident due to a bet, but it was so awkward and unexpected that Shiraishi forgot how kissing works. Yep, he froze feeling their warm lips on his, only eyebrows slightly raised up in disbelief. After this incident, Shiraishi could not stop thinking about them. God, he is disgrace, to embarrass yourself in front of the person you like. It could not be otherwise. To remedy the situation, Shiraishi pulled himself together, remembered the cheesiest lines in the reserve, and suggested to try again because he was astonished by their daring attitude. He has no idea what happened after that but that spontaneous kiss with a touch of childishness and innocence stayed with him forever.

Oh, one more moment! Meeting them after coming back from Karafuto. Honestly, Shiraishi didn’t believe he will make it out alive. Ogata or Kiroranke could slice his throat, hide the body, and tell Asirpa he left with his tail between his legs. Therefore, it is miracle to see their adorable face again.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Let’s be real, he is the one who needs protection. He also needs some ass-whooping for getting in troubles regularly too but that is not the point. Shiraishi rarely stands up against obviously strong opponents and chooses famous Joestar backup plan – run for his life with loved one under his arm. Another option includes involvement of threatening allies, mostly Sugimoto, to save them both. Sometimes courage overwhelms him, and Shiraishi comes up with risky but bold plan how to save them without outside help but it happens much less often.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Most of the time, Shiraishi hopes that everything will be fine by itself, every event will run like clockwork without excessive effort. Dates are unpretentious: no fancy restaurants, exquisite gifts, long intricate confessions of endless love, etc. To his credit, Shiraishi takes chores more or less seriously and does his best. For the anniversaries he transforms in person you've never seen before: dressed immaculately Shiraishi holds a small bouquet of bright moss phlox and box of sweet sakuramochis, his face glows with happiness and love, however, you can sense a nervousness behind the wide smile. On days so special, he is afraid to ruin the mood with usual tomfoolery.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Canonically, Shiraishi is not the tidiest person around. For some it may be stumbling block because constant battle with desire to throw him in hot springs and scrub ingrained dirt with the hardest sponge can be too tiresome. Also Shiraishi bites his nails until they bleed as well as pulls the hangnails until his fingers start to hurt.

A sense of proportion leaves Shiraishi as soon as a bottle of sake appears on the horizon. Even though he is funny and harmless drinker, he goes overboard with alcohol to end up throwing out behind the nearest pine.

Little lies always slip through the conversation no matter what it is about. When the truth is revealed, it is too late to blame him.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Shiraishi doesn’t care about his appearance but likes to get compliments on it. He knows bunch of tricks how to remove different stains from clothes in the wild and doesn't know how to avoid them. One look is enough for Shiraishi: he could wear his old prison uniform for life time because it is strangely comfortable and universal for any event. Except the pursuit by guards, of course.

Has mixed feelings about his tattoos. Living with them is to sit on a powder keg: you never know when the new man with the gold rush will try to scalp you alive.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Gets very, very attached to the friends and loved ones so break up feels like punch in the gut. Unlike the rest, Shiraishi basically refuses to let go. He gets clingy, keeps acting like nothing happened, like they are still the best friends, just to cover up growing emptiness inside. No matter how hard he ignores it, Shiraishi can feel how part of him fades. Sometimes even abrupt refusal doesn’t work, but it’s simply his way to deal with sadness.  After few weeks, he has an insight that things will never be the same and that when it hits him. Shiraishi tries to distance himself and it takes all of his strength since by this time he becomes easily distracted, irritated, and whiny. He needs months to get over it.

If they died or were killed, Shiraishi puts effort to maintain his clown image. Only closest people can notice small detail that give away his sorrow and melancholy. Doesn't attempt to get revenge. The time to recover increases to year.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Do you think Shiraishi went to jail so often because of negligence? Partially, yes. Besides the fact Shiraishi is being hopeless fool, he finds prison cell a great place to take a break from fleeting life. If you think about it time slows down behind bars. There’s no point to worry what tomorrow will bring, how to survive and make it through another scuffle, and his impressive skills guarantee him easy escape.

Shiraishi has joint hypermobility syndrome which helps him bend joints at unusual angles and even pull bones out of the fossae. Prolonged arthralgia is a side effect that Shiraishi had to deal with from the first conscious days. There are days when the pain becomes so excruciating that he just wants to lie still and stare at the sky for 24 hours.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Continuous scolding when there is a reason and when there is not. Yes, with his behavior it is difficult to resist the urge to say a couple of strong words or raise your voice, and Shiraishi is totally okay with it until rebuke becomes daily tradition.

Shiraishi's thoughts are always in motion, usually Brownian motion, his body twitches even when he tries to sit calmly in one place so stagnation in any form would be the death of him. This includes repetitive thoughts, boring behavior, and general passivity.

Shiraishi is genuinely upset if his partner doesn't like children. This is an inexplicable feeling, he really hurts if they ignore little ones or, worse, openly express dislike for kids.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Prepare yourself to unexpected awakening in the middle of the night, you will have a lot of them. Shiraishi keeps running from guardians of the law even in his sleep: he kicks, turns, throws his arms out to the sides for the most part of the night. Accidental elbow blow to the nose is not uncommon either. Worst of all, he does not wake up after that!

In the morning Shiraishi likes to sneak closer to his loved one and just presses him onto them. Like, completely. He throws his leg over them, hugs them, presses his cheek to their back, and if it feels just right in winter, in summer such cuddle can be a real test.

Abrupt sleep schedule changes do not bother Shiraishi at all. His organism is so adapted to the crazy lifestyle that he stays fresh even after sleepless night, after waking up at 3 a.m. and going to bed at 3 p.m.

[littlemisskookie]

Loveless: Chapter 1

Loveless: Index Ship: Reader | OT7 Description: Spy/Men in Black!AU | You worked at an institution that dealt with aliens- aliens that were the fictional creatures we were told were from fairy tales. The job entailed love only for it, and nothing else. That’d all change when a mission goes wrong. Warnings: Future Smut, Mentioned Smut, Gore, Violence, Death, Sexual Tension, Bad Comedy Word Count: 6,348

Let's get one thing absolutely clear: aliens are real and they walk among the Earth.

They have for eons, really, swooping down on our little planet to play a visit or reside temporarily, typically hiding in plain sight or beneath humans' noses. The times they were discovered, though, alluded to a lot of ancient folklore and paranormal sightings.

Vampires? Aliens. Sensitive to sunlight and needing blood to sustain themselves, they went to Earth, a small clan that wreaked enough havoc to start a horrible movie franchise centuries later.

Ghosts were more common, mainly harmless save for the small group of "poltergeists". In reality, they were aliens from a planet that had become destroyed, resulting in their migration to your planet. Humans tended to latch the familiar onto them once they were sighted, confusing them with their own dead and such, or even creating mysteries surrounding them.

Loch Ness monster? A true monster that had been dumped from its home planet to Earth.

Demons? They originated from a fiery hellspawn of a planet, led by their leader Lucifer to your planet. Because of their horrifying appearance and deadly habits, they earned a bit of a bad rep, becoming intertwined with stories of religion. They were perhaps the most asshole of the immigrant aliens on Earth.

Fairies? One of the more diverse races, from pixies to dwarves, they had as many different races as humans did. Gnomes, banshees, leprechauns, brownies, hobgoblins, gnomes, and more. Some dwindled over time, however, due to natural selection.

There were some beasts that were raised in the wild or as pets by the aliens, from dragons, griffins, unicorns, pegasi, and more. The dragons were the hardest to tame, though, as they were the wildest by nature. That is why they are shown in both Asian and medieval European culture.

Mermaids were from the same planet as the Loch Ness monster, the great drought of 1488 BC bringing them to Earth. It was perfect, seeing as 3/4ths of it was covered in water, soon to be more with the rate of global warming.

Werewolves were one of the few that could attempt to live among humans, their appearance far closer save for the full moon. Some speculated that the reason for this was because the more human of their kind decided to mate with the dog-like beasts of their planet, and for them their genitalia was compatible.

There were far more where that came from, many continuing to flow in even now. They couldn't reside in the public with humans, however. Throughout history, there had been one thing that humans kept consistent: ignorance. If they couldn't even accept their own species for the color of their skin or their own preferences, how could one expect them to accept the foreign that lived amongst them?

And so there was one section that dealt in that aspect of Earth. A secret international organization that dealt with the affairs of humans and aliens alike, monitoring the immigration and crime and whatnot. Manage, monitor, and hide. That was the profession of the EAA- Extraterrestrial Affiliation Agency.

Where you happened to work, as it turned out.

They recruit only the most talented, lethal, and brilliant of agents to join the agency. Those who have exemplified skills that could bring them above and beyond, spies that could trick and fight anyone and anything, no matter how many arms. So prestigious, in fact, that there were never more than 26 agents at a time. From the ones filling the places managing to stay alive or those dying out quickly. They only accepted the best of the best, but sometimes even they found their betters.

They also only accepted those truly willing to commit. This meant no personal lives outside of the agency. All men were expected to get vasectomies, and women to get their tubes tied. Children were a distraction. No serious relationships inside or outside of the agency, though flings could be allowed. Should one even consider the possibility of love with someone or break the rule, they'd be invited out of the agency with their memories wiped. Relationships were a distraction. One must even fake their death to their family and friends, forbidden from having contact with them. They were a distraction. Love was a distraction.

Everyone within the agency was young. Young enough where they wouldn't be able to miss anything once they abandon their lives. Young enough to want to join a special task force that would make them feel at the top of the world, almighty and all powerful. In their physical and mental prime. No one had to worry about growing out of the job, either. That was fine, though. Another condition was to be willing to die for one's planet no matter what.

You yourself were Agent Q, your code name out of the alphabet. You specialized in the more so spy aspects of the jobs, remaining invisible and acting deceitfully in order to obtain information. Cold and cunning, you had learned long ago that the true trick to being a spy was in the acting. You had learned how to skillfully slip into any persona or personality, up to the point where you forgot which one you really had.

You had caught the eye of the agency when you were far younger, just beginning adulthood. You were a master of deceit, getting into both the FBI and CIA, at some point even forging a British identity to get into MI5.

All of it was considered training, however, when you were recruited for the EAA. Government agencies certainly had a thing for three digit acronyms. You were certainly one of the top agents, if not the top, excelling in each area applicable. Not to brag, but you had saved the world perhaps half a dozen times, whether it was Incubi who were attempting to seduce the leaders of the world to their every whim in an attempt to rule Earth or a group of yeti who were trying to escape Anartica by hijacking one of the traveling planes and causing a rampage in New Zealand. That was one of the many reasons why no one was allowed to fly over the South Pole, per international law.

You remembered your first few weeks as an agent, your mentor being none other than one Kim Namjoon, otherwise known as Agent B. At the time he was on the cusp of celebration, finally arranging a treaty between the zombies and satyrs, two species that had disgusted each other since the beginning of time. Pesky creatures.

Namjoon specialized in the more analytical parts of the job. He could see through anyone's lie with a mere glance. He easily had one of the highest IQs within the agency, which was saying a lot for an agency of your caliber. No one was by any means average in any area. Except for dick size- you knew personally. Namjoon was one who could do the math on the likelihood of immediate death within a second, and every prediction and calculation he had made turned out true. A god's death? Correct. The following plans for a pact of golems planning to invade Hong Kong? Easy. Which species humans could strike a reasonable deal with, perhaps reaping the benefits of their resources? Done. It was even said that he once outsmarted Death himself, though it was really an alien that originated the legend of the Grim Reaper.

He was a good mentor, letting you see how to settle or work around conflict without using trickery or fists. He had opened your eyes to endless possibilities of dealing with people and aliens, even tutoring you on each and every species known to man. Their tells, their weaknesses, their history. One must learn from the past in order to move on in the future. At least that's what the poster in his office claimed. Despite the fact he was barely older than you he seemed to be eons older in wisdom and smarts. You got to learn early on in the missions where you shadowed him.

Even after you excelled past the point of tutoring, you'd spend time with him, knowing each conversation would bring about new information. You still teased him on your first interaction, reflecting back on it in comparison to your well established and current friendship.

The head of the board had brought you down to the main facility, and you were too busy looking around at the creatures you had thought before to only be mythology to notice the handsome man before you.

"Agent B, this is our newest recruit, Agent Q. I expect you to train her until you feel that she is good enough to operate on her own. As a senior agent, I trust you'll train her well. She's excelled in physical combat and the arts of personas, but I'd like for you to specialize on the teachings of the different species as well as alternative routes such as negotiation tactics. Sprinkle in a bit of economy while you're at it."

Namjoon studied you for a minute. "She looks a bit soft for an agent."

You fumed inside but did your best to keep your composure. Still, you couldn't help but quip. "Would that make you hard in comparison? I'm certainly flattered, Agent B, but I would insist that you take me to dinner first."

The head of the board showed no reaction, instead turning away. "I'll leave you two to it."

You were left alone staring at your tutor, the man showing no reaction to your quip. Instead, he simply smirks, as though amused rather than offended. "Sense of humor, huh? Let's just hope that doesn't die along with everything else around here."

He begins walking, and you trail after him, right on his tail. "You're not that much older than me- how is it that you're already a senior agent?"

He laughed at that, dry rather than finding it humorous. "Agent Q, around here 30 is considered old enough to retire. Ancient, even."

"Well you know the saying," you sighed, "'I'm here for a good time, not a long time.'"

Namjoon's laugh was outright that time, genuine and boisterous, the smile reaching his eyes. He looks at you with a sincere amount of newfound fondness, patting your head jokingly, ruffling your hair in the process. "You're cute, you know that? Real cute. Smart mouth on you, too. Perhaps we need a bit of that around here."

"I told you before, Agent B, take me to dinner first before you try to get into my pants."

God, whenever you teased him about that he'd still get so flustered, leaving you with tears in your eyes and aching cheeks from smiling so much. Truth be told, you had a bit of a crush on Namjoon for the longest time. You never pursued it, however. You figured that through the training and tutoring he had seen you as nothing more than a little sister. Besides, flings were the most that were allowed, and you knew that if you were to sleep with Namjoon you'd fall. What was there not to admire? So you simply kept that bit of information to yourself, instead referring to him fondly as Agent Bitch whenever he said something to erupt butterflies in your stomach.

He wasn't the only one who had sent you in a daze, though. Perhaps it was the fact you couldn't interact with anyone outside of missions, which usually ended with them dead. Or maybe it was the fact that so many of the male agents around you happened to be extremely young and attractive, as hot as they were lethal.

Take Hoseok, for example, Agent A. (Agent Asshole when he was being a bit of a snippy prick.) He had been in the agency the longest. The way it had happened was quite amusing, too. One of the entrances to the base was disguised as an antique hat shop. A robot ran the place, an old lady by the name of Barbara.

She'd ask anyone the question who walked in, "What brings you to a tacky little hat shop like mine?"

The answers would vary, and anyone with the wrong answer would simply be treated as a regular customer, but the answer would be, "Because I like Howl's Moving Castle."

How was the EAA supposed to know that a little boy would say that?

And so a little boy, no more than ten, had gotten swept down to a base full of mythological creatures and men and women in black suits. Instead of wiping away his memories, however, the board saw an opportunity, in the young boy. He was an orphan, meaning no one would miss him. If they could train an agent from the age of ten, who knew how skilled they'd become? Perhaps he'd give way to more of his kind in the future.

And so in a sense, they adopted him into their agency, the boy donning a black suit similar to the adults around him, handling guns and speaking to species of all kinds. Years later and he was by far the most skilled agent in all of EAA, even set to inherit it in the future, acting as a future leader. This was the only life he knew. His specialization was in assassinating, desensitized to the screams and pleas of victims, alien or human, that he'd become a cold-blooded killer within a millisecond. Outside of the job, the boy was bright and bubbly, still rather childish in nature, though you suspected it was because of the childhood that was stolen from him. When you mentioned the cruelty of him being taken to a place like this at such a young age, practically groomed, he grew frustrated, angry with you and refusing to discuss the matter further. You respected his wishes, but you knew he had wondered what would've happened if he had simply said something else that day. Perhaps he'd be normal. He had every species' blood on his hands.

You remember the first time you had partnered with him. It was a straightforward kill mission. Make it clean, not sloppy. Hoseok's specialty. It had been for a political leader of the ogres, urging many to come out of hiding to live among humans, accepted or not. Whether or not his morals were correct, it wasn't something you could risk. The best way to resolve the question was to take him out, as negotiation wasn't an option. The ogre, 10 feet tall, was rather violent, killing the last two agents who had come to try to strike a deal.

You had known Hoseok for a while by now, though you had never seen him in action. You were so confused as to how this man could be a supposed killer, with the highest body count in the entire agency's history. He seemed to kind to be raised from childhood as a cold-blooded killer. He seemed to loud to be a spy, hiding in the shadows. He wasn't at all what you expected. You liked him a lot for this, truthfully, another silly crush. He was more light-hearted than the bastards that ran this place, and you couldn't wait for him to inherit the place. You couldn't imagine him being as cold as them.

That was before that day, however.

It was your first mission without Namjoon, your training just finishing. The board thought it'd be best to keep you with partners for now as you gained footing, perhaps learning more in the process. You were ecstatic that it would be Hoseok, doing a yell of glee once you were in private. You two had snuck into the bedchambers of the ogre, deep in a cave near the Pacific. You had snuck past the guards easily, quiet as you stayed in the corners, distracting them from their posts. It was easy, really. After Namjoon's lessons on each species, you had perfected each mating call to a T, so much so that you prided yourself in getting even a two-inch pixie to want to bone you. With the echoes of the cave, it was known that it'd take the ogres more than enough time to search for the mate in question.

You stood over his form, quiet, listening to his snores. You looked to Hoseok, his eyes trained on the ogre's chest rising up and down, the final breaths he'd be taking. "So should we wake him up? Give him one more chance-"

Hoseok didn't give you time to respond, pressing a specialized ray to the ogre's forehead and firing. The body lit up with electricity, bright blue as it convulsed and twitched, jerking wilding on the bed. You smelt burned and charred flesh, the ogre's body slowly darkening as Hoseok continued to fry him. Finally, it stopped, and you looked to Hoseok in horror, his eyes cold.

He simply held out his hand. "Dagger."

Ah, that's right. Ogre's still had to have at least one of their hearts cut out after being burned. With shaky hands you give him the dagger, frozen as you watch him plunge the knife into the corpse's chest without hesitation, expert cuts that let him carve the large organ out, almost as though he were scooping ice cream. The entire time he wore an indifferent expression, almost as though he were bored.

The color drained from your face. You knew everyone had this sort of side to them- cold. You should've known- even you did. You killed a few yourself, even back in the public government agencies. Then why did it shock you so much to see Hoseok's side? The same man who would do funny faces or dances in attempts to cheer you up after long drills? Who pinched your cheeks seeing the newest agent?

Hoseok held the heart for a minute, the organ still beating ever so slightly in his palm. He squeezed it as its insides gushed out, spilling onto the floor. You stepped back, letting him drain its contents, what was once someone's life.

He dropped it to the floor, grinding it with his foot as though to rub it in the dirt. "Alright, I suggest we leave now. Lord knows the ogres outside will be pissed seeing their boss dead, and sexually frustrated on top of that."

You say nothing, following him out, in the shadows. You can only stare at the back of your head, slowly processing what happened. It was only on the getaway boat that Hoseok seemed to sense something was off.

"Are you alright, Agent Q?" He seemed like himself again. Kind. Concerned. Caring. Human.

"I just... I was just surprised."

He furrowed his brows, confused. "I thought you knew that was how you kill an ogre? You've killed a few aliens with Agent B, I'd figure you'd expect stuff like that."

"I mean, I know but... I..." You bury your face in your hands. "God, it's so stupid. I feel like an idiot."

"What is it? You can tell me." He reaches forward to hold your face in his hands, but you flinch. He catches wind of it, his voice quiet. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No! I just... God this sounds so dumb. It's because it's you," you whisper, feeling guilty that you're making him feel bad. "I know your history and your reputation, but I never could quite believe it, you know? Everyone here can be cold or desensitized, even I am at times. You're so happy and loud and lively I guess I just thought you were different."

"Oh." He's quiet at that, following your words. Processing them. "I'm still the same Hoseok, you know."

"Of course I know! Nothing can change that. I guess it subverted my expectations. You did nothing wrong, Hoseok, really. It was my fault for being naive and ignorant. I should've seen it coming. It's part of the job, after all. It was a kill mission and nothing more. You were just doing your job."

He nods slowly but says nothing. This time it's your turn to hold his face, making him stare you in the eye. "Hey," you say, "it means nothing to me, ok? I'm just still getting used to this job. It's not you, I swear."

He licks his lips slowly, hands coming up to yours. You can feel the ogre's blood on his fingers, still warm. You say nothing.

"I guess I never thought about it much before. I've been doing this since I was ten. I should've been more mindful of your reaction."

"Agent A, absolutely not!" You let your thumb caress his cheek. "We'll have to do a lot more of that. Best to get used to it now, right? You're still kind and caring and sweet. You're still my friend."

For the first time, you could swear you saw an agent begin to tear up. You were sure however that it was a trick of the light.

He squeezes your hands, letting his head hang low. "I'm your friend?"

"If you want to be," you smile. "You're still the Hoseok I and everyone else adores. I wouldn't have you any other way."

He looks up at you, and you swear his eyes are shinier than usual, glassy almost. "Thank you, Agent Q."

"Please, call me Y/N. Agent Q was my mother's name," you smirk, earning a hearty laugh from him.

After that mission you had grown closer, your following missions running far more smoothly. You communicated a lot better, but you always noticed how Hoseok would look to you before killing the target, as though asking for your permission. In response you'd always place your hand on his shoulder, a weak attempt to pour your support into him.

It wasn't long after that that Namjoon got his next trainee. A young man by the name of Taehyung, easily one of the most gorgeous men you've ever seen. Apparently, he had heard about your agency and had gone out searching for it. How he wasn't caught and had his memories wiped was beyond you, but as usual, the agency found usefulness out of those who came to them. It impressed them, which was saying something.

You had hopped into Namjoon's office, giddy at the news of his newest student. Admittedly you were a bit unprofessional, barging in to get an eyeful of the boy. "I hear Agent B's got a new apprentice!" you say. The boy had been here for three days, but you were shooed away by others who insisted you'd scare him off or intimidate him. Truth be told you were sure they'd think you'd want to jump his bones the second you saw him- and you couldn't deny it. The man was the definition of beauty. The moment your eyes landed on him you were stunned, eyes wide. "Holy shit."

Namjoon sighed, running a hand down his face. He knew this was inevitable. "Hello to you, too, Agent Q. I'd like to introduce you to Agent V, our newest recruit. Agent V this is the one I most previously trained, a major pain in the agency's ass."

"Oh please, Agent Bitch, he's more than welcome to call me Y/N." You smile at Agent V, his eyes trained on you, and truth be told you enjoyed the attention from the handsome man. "What made you want to pursue a place like this? Were you a huge Star Wars fan when you were younger or something?"

Taehyung smiled weakly at that, a rectangular smile you couldn't help but melt at. "I've been dreaming about this sort of thing my entire life. I was considering joining the CIA, but I came across the extraterrestrial, and long story short it led to you."

You laughed at that. "CIA's for pussies anyway. I should know. The pay isn't that good either. I specialize in identity and personas, essentially the best actor in this entire cult they call an agency."

"Oh, I specialize in weaponry," he says, taking your outreached hand to shake it.

"Weaponry?" You quirk a brow at that, looking to Namjoon.

"He can take a rock and a stone and make it a Sonic Blaster 5000. Kid's impressive."

"I'd think so, seeing as he's here." You turn to him, winking a bit as you give his hand a firm squeeze. "I look forward to working with you, Agent V. Maybe you can make me a few other kinds of weapons."

"He's not going to make you a vibrator, Agent Q. Now will you please annoy someone else?" he huffed, shooing you out.

"It was worth asking-" You didn't get much else out as he proceeded to slam the door in your face. That was fine, though. You ended up working with Taehyung on various missions and even heard from Namjoon about the young man's crush on you. You were flattered of course but never pursued the mutual attraction in fear that he'd fall for you in turn. You never let his tiny crush on you get in the way of friendship, dubbing him with the name of Agent Vagina on a mission to Greece, where you'd interact with many of the creatures from Greek Mythology (a subject you were thankful you passed back in school).

There were others, however, who were far more open about their attraction to you.

Take Agent C(unt) for example, AKA Kim Seokjin, specializer in medicine and healing.

You had to admit he was the most beautiful man you had ever seen in your life. You checked out his ass about as many times as he checked out yours, if not more. Even if it wasn't as round as a few other agents, you couldn't help but let your eyes wander whenever he picked something up.

However, Kim Seokjin had to be the cockiest bastard you knew. (Part of the reason you nicknamed him Cunt instead of Cock was to get under his nerves. He was so proud of how much he ate pussy anyway.)

He was hot and he knew it. It was rumored that he got a siren to fall for him, though you wouldn't be surprised if he spread that rumor himself. Some did speculate however that he had some siren blood in him- that or incubus. He was also the biggest flirt you knew, sexual jokes accompanying many of his annoying puns, and you'd never let him know, but you always did your best not to crack up hysterically. He might have the worst dad jokes ever, but you liked them nevertheless.

It was at some point during a mission of kidnapping a local succubus that he wouldn't shut up about letting you borrow her. All while she was tranquilized in the back of the agency's jet, for crying out loud!

"I mean I'm not sure if you swing that way, but I'm sure you can use a good lay, Agent Q," Jin smirked, knowing exactly how to tease you.

"Dear God, Jin, fuck you!" you say, though both of you knew you weren't angry in the slightest.

"You offering? I mean I'll take her place if that's what you want." He wiggled his brows for emphasis.

"Agent Cunt, last I checked you'd fuck anything that walked on two legs."

"Last I checked you walked on two legs."

"You've got to be kidding me," you say, shaking your head in disbelief.

"Come on, Y/N, you know you're attracted to me. Just look at my face!" He takes on hand off the wheel to blow an exaggerated kiss, which you catch and crush beneath your palm.

"As if." You roll your eyes. "Get over yourself, Jin."

"Or you could get under me."

"Ew! You're shameless, aren't you?"

"C'mon, we could do it in your office! Right on your desk! Facetime the bitchy Head of Board while we're at it," he jokes.

Truth be told you would've. Jin was right to say you were attracted to him, and you couldn't picture him as a relationship type. Honestly, the only reason you hadn't jumped his bones yet was to spite him for his arrogance.

There was one coworker who you had a tryst with. An agent by the name Park Jimin, code name Agent P. The man specialized in alien communications, fluent in every language known to man and above. He was one of the sweeter guys in the business, a soft personality everywhere but in bed. You were attracted to him of course- and who could blame you? He was gorgeous. Or maybe it was because you seemed to be attracted to every man in the agency. Nevertheless, it was after a work party, a celebration after winning a battle against the band of gorgons. You had lost five agents in the process, but your agency had to look on the bright side. It could've been more. No one could truly mourn their loss, so they chose to celebrate their achievements.

After all, rule #1. No distractions.

You and Jimin had gotten drunk, and truth be told it was far better than expected. You would've figured you'd given into Jin's flirting that night, but instead found yourself bent over your desk by a completely different man. No facetiming your boss, though, unfortunately.

It did make the mission right after a bit awkward, however, but the two of you agreed that you'd stay friends and eventually the awkwardness faded. Whenever you wanted Jimin to shut up when he was on one of his rants about a coworker, you'd simply tease him about the fact he came first. Worked every time, despite the fact that he made it up to you by eating his cum out of you.

You remember the most recent argument when the two of you were arguing over who'd get to convince Lucifer himself to go to a meeting with the agency. Neither of you wanted to do it.

"You speak every language! Maybe speaking in demon will make him a bit more pliant!" Usually you yourself would be up for the challenge, but there was a reason why Lucifer was never depicted wearing clothes. It was always weird for you to look up from his flaccid red willie just swinging about.

"What about you? You specialize in identity and personas- that means you're the best liar in the entire world! You do it!" He argued back.

"No way! One, I prefer to call it acting, not lying. Secondly, man to man would be better. Maybe you can communicate by doing the helicopter."

"You're insane! I don't think the wooshing of our dicks in the air is gonna convince him to come to the base and have the director and head of board chew him out for going over the quota of stolen souls."

"It's not like I know how to speak demon talk! I tried and failed. I only speak a little bit of gnome and parseltongue- neither of which he speaks."

"Parseltongue- are you shitting me woman?!" His eyes bugged out of his head.

"Big talk for a guy who blew his load first."

"I swear to god I'll have you cum enough times where you beg me to stop next time, just to get you to shut your trap about that."

"Oooh, Agent P, are you mentioning a next time?" You wiggled your brows, teasing him as his cheeks flushed red. "I'll have to check my calendar! Will this make us official fuck buddies?"

He groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Fine, I'll do it. Jesus Christ."

"Thanks, Jiminie! Just for that, I won't call you Agent Pussy for at least a week," you say, giving him a peck on the cheek out of gratitude.

"Whatever, Agent Quip. You're lucky I like you so much."

That's true. Everyone seemed to like you in the agency- save for a certain Min Yoongi. AKA Agent D(ick). He specialized in torture- an area of the field that you weren't exactly the keenest about.

You two wouldn't have the most friendly of bantering, a bit closer to bickering. He'd get frustrated with you when the two of you were torturing a target, trying to get information out of you. You were annoyed with him because he'd nap through important meetings and never seemed to be listening to anyone. The two of you were archenemies, but admittedly you worked well together.

"Agent Q, would you please look where you're putting that?" Yoongi grumbled, swatting your hands away to take the tool. "Makes me wonder how you made it in here in the first place."

You grimaced, staring at the target. The New Jersey Devil, tied down and carved into, refusing to spit about the whereabouts of its colleagues. "You're one to talk. All you do is nap in your office and during meetings. Your entire specialty is based on sadism."

"You're lucky you're not the one on this table, Agent Q, otherwise I'd have you broken within five minutes," he grumbled back.

"Why Agent Dick, is that a proposition for kinky sex?" you guffawed.

He snorted. "Keep dreaming, baby."

"Pet names now? Such a charmer," you continued, your voice laced in sarcasm as you ran your hand down his back, mainly trying to distract yourself from the scene in front of you. "I knew that mask of annoyance was to hide your attraction to me."

He stiffened, rolling your touch off him. "Rule number one, Agent Q."

"This isn't distracting you, is it?" You toyed a bit with his tie before leaving him alone, taking the tool in hand as you decide to stop bothering him. "Alright, I can handle this bit. I just need to get used to this."

"Be my guest," he says, watching you as you finish where he left off.

It isn't long before you feel his fingers thread up your hair, slender fingers running up your scalp in a smooth massage.

"Yoongi," you breathed, your voice soft.

"What is it?" You feel his hot breath hit your ear from his position behind you. "This isn't distracting you, is it?"

You stiffen as he gets about a fistful, and you anticipate the yank, but it never comes. He lets go, laughing at your tense form, frozen and awaiting his actions. "Figured you'd like a taste of your own medicine," he chuckled.

You shoved him, rolling your eyes. "You're such a dick."

"It is your nickname for me," he smirked, letting you continue your work until the New Jersey Devil began to squeal and kick. "I think it's ready to talk. Bring in Agent P."

It had been a few years after joining the agency that you finally got your own trainee. Jeon Jungkook, Agent Z, nickname pending. His specialty was combat, and he was surprisingly more buff and thick than most of the guys around here, though they weren't anything to scoff at by any means.

He had a softer look in the face than you were expecting from an agent. For a moment you were brought back to the moment you and Namjoon had met. You got it now, especially with his doe eyes and bunny teeth. He looked too pure.

However, the skills he had shown, even beating you in combat to prove himself. In fact, he beat everyone in one on one combat, an effort to prove himself. You should've known by the busted knuckles that he was more than his eyes gave away. You had expected him to be slow, but he was quicker than you. You expected him to be less agile, but you were wrong there too.

And by God, by the end of it, you were ecstatic to work with him.

He had finished battling Seokjin, managing to keep his pretty face intact (thankfully). You had jumped into the fighting ground and flew into Jungkook's arms, who caught you easily. You smiled and squealed like the childish girl you were, pinching his cheeks. "This is my baby everyone! My trainee, mine!"

"You haven't even started training him yet, dumbass!" Yoongi called back.

"Shut up!" you replied, letting Jungkook put you down. "That was amazing kid, really! I'm so excited to tell you everything I know."

Jungkook laughed at that. "You're not at all what I expected an agent to be like."

You rolled your eyes. "I get that a lot. Where'd you learn moves like that anyway? I fought for CIA, FBI, and MI5 and I still didn't beat you!"

"Underground boxing, dad in the military who taught me a few moves, and later on I moved on to the black market. Shady business like that gives you a lot of random fights, and some fight dirty."

"Well I look forward to working with you, Agent Z!" you beamed happily.

It was a few years after that when you got the news that would change your life forever.

"Agent Q, I want you to be leading this mission. There's an unknown form of extraterrestrial beings that have landed on Earth- unlike anything we've ever seen before. I want you and seven others to go out and check on the premises and see these extraterrestrial. We don't know what they're capable of, and can't take chances. I picked the top eight agents in the business. You, Agent A, B, C, D, P, V, and Z."

You had led missions before, sure. But this was unusual. Nothing of this caliber had ever happened, and it shocked you to your very core. New lifeforms? You had only known the species that already resided on this Earth, never before anything new. Also, so many agents? At most, there were three, perhaps five if there was a need for backup. Never eight. Your agency knew to conserve numbers just in case, not wanting to lose too many.

You looked to the Head of Board. "Are you sure you want to send this many agents?"

"We need our very best, and I believe you eight can get the job done. If you can't do it, no one can. You'll be expected to depart in the morning."

"Understood."

[thebiasrekkers]

Make It Right [BTS Mafia!AU]

Plot: “It’s always darkest before the dawn…” It’s a dog-eat-dog world in Seoul, South Korea. One has to dwell in the shadows in order to reach for the light. What are you willing to sacrifice in order to feel the sunlight on your face? What will it take to drag you back into darkness? How long will the journey be to make it right?

Rating: M // NSFW

Genre: Series | Mafia!AU | Crime!AU | Angst | Romance/Fluff

Pairings: Jin x OC | Taehyung/Hoseok x OC | Yoongi/Jungkook x OC

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Heavy Language, Angst, Smut, Slow Burn

Previous Chapters: Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || Admin E’s WP || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 2,451  

Chapter 19: Mikrokosmos

"Each person has their own history. Each person has their own star."

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

A chorus of “A-men” resounded throughout the sanctuary and Jimin joined in with his fellow parishioners. His head was bowed low and he clasped his hands together in prayer, hoping that he could commend his spirit unto the Father whom he so desperately believed in. He wished to leave his burdens on the altar and rest his mind as easily as he would dare.

But even in that act, Jimin was a sinner.

Every Sunday he tried to leave his pain and worries and everything that afflicted him at the altar of the Lord – at God’s table. But he selfishly took something back with him every time. He did not fully relinquish his burdens upon God because he also knew that the Father would never put on him more than he could bear. He believed that his anxieties were seemingly petty. They were the young and foolish woes of a man who barely knew what it meant to live his life.

And yet, despite his hypocrisy, Jimin continued to return to the House of the Lord. He continued to pray diligently; not for himself, but for his brothers. For the people he cared about and for the people they, in turn, cared for. It was a never-ending cycle, a seemingly bottomless pit. Or was it more appropriate to say that the connections that people had with each other could literally number the stars?

Would it be that way for generations to come? He wished for it; for the pain and suffering to end. For a true and lasting peace to be obtained.

He truly wasn’t meant to remain in a world of darkness.

Halfway through the reverend’s sermon, the doors to the sanctuary opened. A few parishioners turned their heads and bowed politely, their smiles warm and inviting. Jimin continued to focus on his prayer, Bible turned to Romans in his lap. However, a shadow was cast over the pages and he couldn’t help but to lift his head and see who was now standing beside him.

Jimin’s mouth fell open slightly and he blinked when he realized it was Eden.

Her hair was pulled back, a low braid draping over her shoulder. She wore a dark green dress with long sleeves and the skirt just barely touched her knees. Simple, black pumps adorned her feet and she was holding a black and gold clutch in her hands. A frown touched her lips before she sat down gently beside him, reaching toward the back of the pew for a Bible.

“What book are we in?” she whispered while opening the book.

“Wha—oh, we’re in Romans. Romans, Chapter twelve.”

Nodding, she turned to the book of Romans and followed along with the reverend as he continued to preach his sermon. No other words were spoken between them and they both sat together in companionable silence. They sang together, prayed together, and even participated in Holy Communion together. It was when Jimin finished off the wine that he realized why Eden decided to show up.

It was First Sunday. No matter how busy or how upset she was with the world, Eden always made time to come to Holy Communion.

After the morning service was finished, fellow parishioners invited everyone to enjoy a meal together. Jimin often declined since he had other obligations during the day. This morning would be no different.

Both he and Eden politely bowed to the others before exiting the church.

Her heels clicked along the stone walkway leading to the steps that fanned out toward the parking lot. Jimin’s longer legs kept pace with her the entire way. However, instead of returning to her vehicle or even out onto the main street where she would have taken the bus, Eden turned and walked along the path leading toward the church’s expansive back garden. Jimin followed since she didn’t seem to protest his company.

When she reached a stone bench, Eden sat down and fished around in her clutch. Jimin couldn’t help the smirk that touched his lips as she pulled out a cigarette. Shaking his head, he sighed and took a seat next to her.

“Really?” He couldn’t help but laugh. “We just finished with service.”

Eden pointed two fingers at him, the cigarette perched between them. “Don’t start, Jimin-ah,” she said while pulling out a lighter. “The Lord will be happy that I showed up for service at all.”

He wasn’t going to argue with her on that. After everything that happened, he was almost positive that Eden wasn’t going to show up to church ever again. Jimin understood why she was upset, and he didn’t blame her for doubting him or even Jungkook. But it would have been a lie to himself if her mistrust didn’t hurt him. It did. They’d known each other for the better part of three years now. Despite being a devout Christian, the path he walked often forced him to go against the teachings of the Lord.

Jimin felt so dirty when he entered sacred ground.

Like Jungkook, Jimin did not hide his affiliation with the criminal underworld from Eden. She accepted it and didn’t even look down on him for his status. She even once told him that the fact that he went to church meant that he felt some semblance of guilt for what he was doing. He always prayed in earnest and Eden knew that he was genuinely kind and decent human being. At least that was how she saw him. At the end of the day, however, it was how he was seen in the eyes of God that mattered the most.

Being reminded of that by her lifted his spirits even just a little.

He waited until she exhaled smoke from her nostrils to speak. “Eden Noona,” Jimin prodded softly, “about Yoongi Hyung…”

“If you’re about to give me some kind of excuse for what he did, then don’t bother.” She tapped a bit of ash from the end of her cigarette. “I’m not in the mood.”

Jimin sighed. “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

She crossed one leg over the other, cradling her arm as she held her cigarette away from her face. Eden’s eyes cut sideways to look at him and he could see a mixture of anger and hurt swirling in her eyes. “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.” She took a long drag from her cigarette, flicking off an ash as smoke exhaled from between her lips. “Thus saith the Lord.”

“You can’t hold onto that forever, Noona. Him aside, it’s not good for you.”

He watched her crush out the cherry on the ground by her shoe before tossing it into a nearby waste basket. She saw her smirk, but it was a mirthless gesture. “I bet you don’t even know how long he and I were together, do you?” Eden turned to look at him. “Or how we even met?”

Jimin shook his head, his brows furrowing. “But I can listen, if you’d like.”

She scoffed, a hand reaching up to finger at her braid. “We met in the States six years ago. I guess you could say we were friends. But considering that everything I’ve known about him has been a lie, now I’m not so sure.” Sighing, she let her hand fall to her lap. “I came here a year after that. We started dating then. And we continued to date for three more years.”

Jimin’s heart thumped heavily against his chest. Five years ago?

It was an absolute madhouse in their world and yet Yoongi continued to make time for a woman he cared for? There was a part of Jimin that could hardly believe what he was hearing. The Yoongi Hyung he knew was deemed as The Lightning Claw for a reason. He was swift and deadly, striking without provocation and leaving devastation in his wake. The world they entered nearly ten years ago was at its peak of violence and chaos back then. Blood splattered across the streets and sometimes the aftermath was so terrible that not even the police would step in.

“For three years, I believed he was keeping me away from his friends and family because he didn’t want them to know he was dating some half Korean orphan girl. He would leave for days, supposedly on a business trip, and then come back like nothing happened.”

But now that he thought about it, there were days that Yoongi would just take off. He would disappear and come back a few days later. Even after he started making more international moves, he would never be gone for more than a week or so at a time. And when he came home, he would do his standard debriefing before heading out again. They all assumed he was with someone, but he never spoke up about it. Jimin even remembered Yoongi almost coming to blows with Taehyung when he wouldn’t ease off with his incessant teasing, prodding Yoongi to introduce her to them.

“I never knew where he lived but he always came to my house. We hardly went out in Gangnam and when we did, it was always late. We mostly would just take trips together out of town. It just didn’t make sense to me.”

When the fighting was especially bad, Yoongi waited until all his injuries were completely healed before disappearing again. While Jimin couldn’t imagine what persona his brother was attempting to portray, he knew that he never wanted Eden to worry over him because of how bloody and disgusting their world actually was. Wanting to push her as far away from that madness as possible certainly wasn’t unreasonable.

But he knew that Eden wouldn’t see it that way. She’d been damaged by his dishonesty which, as a result, caused her current trust issues. Now, after finding out the truth, he honestly couldn’t be upset with how standoffish she was being. Who wouldn’t be?

“All this time, I thought he was just bored or was too busy to be with me. But the truth?” Eden scoffed, then laughed. “He was ashamed.”

“Eden Noona,” offered Jimin, causing her to look away from him, “I’m sure it wasn’t like that. In fact, I know it wasn’t. We all bothered him constantly about who he was always running off to go see, but Hyung never wanted to give up any details and we respected his privacy enough not to get involved.” He lifted his hand to touch Eden’s shoulder. “You don’t understand what life was like back then. Turf wars were happening all over Seoul and we were just fighting to keep a leg up in the game. I’m sure he just didn’t want you to get mixed up in all of that or even get hurt.”

He saw her roll her eyes. “The path to hell is paved with good intentions.” She rounded on him. “That wasn’t his choice to make, Jimin-ah!” Her eyes narrowed. “Do you even realize how much danger he put me in by keeping me in the dark? What if a rival gang decided to kidnap me? What if they tried to use me to take advantage of you guys?”

Jimin averted his gaze, realizing that she wasn’t wrong either. He knew that going into a situation blindly was just as dangerous as knowingly walking into enemy territory. Had that very scenario occurred, there was a good chance that it would have ended badly. The times were not so forgiving in those days. Even Jimin transformed into a monster, seeing red and spilling blood as easily as a child spilled milk.

“I understand why you’re angry, Noona, I do,” he said, his hand sliding off her shoulder, “but there’s no way for us to determine if what he did was the best choice or the worst choice.” He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “Can’t you just forgive him this once? Not for his sake, but for yours?”

He didn’t move his eyes from hers, hoping that his sincerity would come across as best as he could. It was no secret how Jungkook felt about Eden and while he wasn’t sure if Yoongi still felt the same, he wanted there to be peace between them all. They were so close to finally walking away from the darker parts of their past. They were finally going to be able to step out into the light again; to feel the sun on their cheeks and the rain on their skin. They could stop hiding and go back to being the people they used to be before willfully walking onto the road of darkness.

“I don’t want to see this eating away at you anymore.”

Eden sighed and stood from the stone bench. Jimin immediately followed, watching her flatten out the skirts of her dress in the front. A soft breeze pushed against them, blowing his hair in different directions. A pained expression crossed her face before she took a breath and looked back at him. Her eyes seemed less angry, yet they appeared more hurt than they had been just a few minutes earlier.

“…I need time, Jimin-ah,” she finally said, causing a small ache to form in his chest. It was the softest he’d ever heard her speak in all the years he’d known her. “I just need some time to finally let it all go.”

Then she smiled at him, her hand reaching out to ruffle his hair a little bit. He gave a weak smile in response before watching her turn to head down the rest of the path and out of the garden. Jimin stood alone, waiting until he could no longer hear the clicking of her heels going down the sidewalk. When he turned his phone back on, there were a couple of missed calls, four text messages and one voicemail.

It was from Hoseok.

“Jimin-ah. I know you’re in service, so you don’t have to call me back. Come home as soon as you’ve finished. I’ll give you all the details when everyone is back.”

Sliding his phone into his pocket, he saw the small cluster of dark clouds beginning to form through the canopy of trees. A storm was coming.

“So,” Jimin said, his voice quiet, “it’s finally happening.”

[mawmdalorian]

The Knight and the Hunter: chapter 2

They had the Hallikset player serving drinks now. He’d been watching her for about an hour. She moved through the crowds like she’d been doing it her whole life. He didn’t want to be impressed, but… well, it was that kind of night. Something in the air was singing in Boba Fett’s blood, and though it was distracting, it wasn’t the kind of distracting that was going to become a problem. Few things were.

He was something like desperate to get back to Jabba’s palace and bury himself in the pleasures that could be found there, the spice and the sin and the taste of firewater pouring down the throat like sour velvet. Even Boba Fett, after all, took the occasional day, or week, off to unwind. He didn't exactly struggle to focus, but he did concede to himself and himself alone that he was getting a little jumpy.

When the hallikset player appeared again, this time close enough to touch, she came heavy with the cloying scent of fake flowers. Cheap perfume, the kind you grabbed from a market stall on your way home from a long night shift, the kind you didn’t have to throw credits at, the kind you wore to entice men who hadn’t smelled softness in a long, long while. It cut through the smell of grease and the cleaner used on star destroyers. Her skirt—knee length, tattered, having seen better days—snapped around her legs.

“Chut chut,” he said, brushing off the Huttese. It gave his voice a different timbre, sounded different when he spoke it rather than Basic and added a layer to his disguise. She paused, shifted her weight to her right foot. Bad left hip. Old injury? He'd thought it was just an affectation, but maybe it was a real limp. She looked for just a second too long right into his eyes, probably registering the scars and the chip implanted next to his right eyebrow. Fierfek, she reeked of that perfume. Up close, he could see that her dark hair and boots glittered with the mica-rich dust of the planet, and she shimmered in the bright spots of light that created places too bright and too dim in the crowded cantina.

“Hey, what can I get you?” she asked. Sweat was beading on her tanned forehead, the wispy hairs at her hairline sticking to her skin. It was getting pretty warm in the room, though from his position in the dark corners, it was perfectly cool. The hallikset player had been mobile since he’d started the hunt, but she was clearly happy to stand still for a second and enjoy the cool air.

Something was pinging in the back of Boba’s brain. Like a hook, just missing the memory over and over.

“Oto du yocola.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Jee hagwa chess.”

“We just got in some Corellian goldale?”

He nodded, and she did in return, before heading toward the bar again. She collected glasses from raucous tables, and Boba watched as someone reached out to grab a feel as she did so. He raised an eyebrow as she delicately twisted out of the way. He almost grinned.

Fett was naked without his armor, though it was right nearby--in the bag at his feet, actually. He still bristled with weaponry, from the blaster at his hip to the knife in his boot. His armor was known here, though, and this quarry had evaded hunters nearly as good as he was time and time again. He wouldn’t make the same mistakes. She was clever, and if she smelled trouble, she’d bolt like a startled eopie. He'd been trying to learn her routines but she'd been gone almost all week.

When she reappeared, bearing a large tray and an instrument, she dispensed drinks, dropping them at tables. On the way, she slipped her hallikset off her shoulder and set it on stage. They must’ve been ready for her on the bandstand. A new act was setting up. She set his goldale on the table in front of him, and when she got close, something inside Fett bristled. Under the perfume, he could smell her skin, her sweat, and could feel the cool rush of air with her movements. He swallowed. This was one of the reasons he preferred to work in his armor. This was too much contact with the world, too many smells, too many sensations not filtered by his helmet, too many mysteries without a HUD to elucidate.

“There ya go,” she said.

Her tray empty, she handed it off to another server. He watched as she leapt easily onto the stage, her heavy boots practical and sturdy, and sat down on a stool. She quickly tuned her instrument, a seven-stringed hallikset that had clearly been through a war, and when the rest of the band struck up, her music disappeared.

“Quite something, isn’t she?”

Fett turned his head, looked at the man who had invited himself to sit. Some Hutt affiliate. He’d seen him in Jabba’s throne room a time or two, being entertained by Twi’lek dancers and eating rare, expensive delicacies aboard the pleasure barge. He was a snotty karking barve, and Fett made a point not to speak or be spoken to by him.

“You see now why we hired her.”

“Hmm,” Fett answered. The man had no idea who he was, he just saw that Fett couldn’t keep his eyes off the woman.

“She’s a work of art. You’ll never believe it but we found her aboard a cargo transport a few years ago. She’d been bouncing around the galaxy for years.”

“What’d you offer her that made her settle?” Fett asked, partly out of genuine curiosity and partly because if he was going to have to listen to this barve talk, he’d rather steer the conversation.

“A better job than the one she had.”

“So, she traded cargo hauler for cantina girl?”

Cargo hauler… again, that nagging feeling came back.

“Oh, this isn’t her main job. It’s what we do to keep her busy between assignments.”

“So what is it that you have her doing?”

“She’s quite adept at fetching odds and ends from old Jedi temples.”

Fett raised an eyebrow. “Really.”

What a barve. What a stupid barve. It was a wonder he hadn’t gotten the schutta killed yet, though it also explained all the competing bounties on her. One from the Empire, a pile of them from the syndicates, even Jabba had expressed interest. He hadn’t paid attention to the specifics until Jabba had offered him the job on behalf of a “friend,” or whatever it was that Jabba had that passed for a friend. No one had said anything about a Jedi. And she was serving drinks here? That had to sting.

“Is she a… one of those uh… what are they called,” he said, pausing to sip his drink. It was awful, no wonder she’d pawned it off on him. “You know, jeedai.”

“A jedi? I have no idea. She’s had some kind of training in that sorcery though. I’m sure you know as well as I that concepts like jedi and the like aren’t worth much out here. The Empire likes to think they have us all in hand, and that we just turn over our force-sensitives like ordered, pbut even the grandest of admirals bow to Hutt sovereignty. She’s as safe as safe can be in the Outer Rim.”

A moment of silence passed, Fett drank again. He wanted so desperately to stop, but he couldn’t risk the chance that being persnickety about drinks would draw attention to him, make his face too memorable. Not that it was--he was, after all, one of millions of men with the same one.

The faintest impression of the hallikset made its way through the loud cantina. He could hardly hear her over the sound of chatter, drinking, fighting, shouting, and the other players. But he stayed aware of it.

He needed to go get his armor on, but this barve was the type to get irritable if he didn’t dismiss you, and clearly he wasn’t ready.

“So, where are you coming in from, pilot?”

“I’m no pilot.”

“With those flinty eyes? No way. You’ve seen some things. What are you then?”

“Just a freight mover,” Fett insisted. “That’s all. Agricultural products from Nakadia.”

“YOU? Your boss has you wasted. Please tell me you’re at least a first mate?”

Fett wanted to roll his eyes. He sipped the saccharine drink, which left a sour taste on his tongue, and said, “No, sir. I’m just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe. I’m not looking for that kind of responsibility. Just wanting to send enough home to the wife and kids so they can have a good life.”

“Well, if you’re ever looking for anything else, anything more, you let me know. Don’t touch the hallikset player, though. She’s… spoken for.”

Fett knew by the distant eyes the barve flashed at her that the statement was not only not true, but was an outright lie. The woman had probably turned him down a hundred times before. Maybe more.

He watched her look around as she played. She had her eyebrows furrowed. She was looking for trouble. He had to get this over with quickly. They locked eyes for just a second.

The woman had dark eyes, like he did, but rather than the hard cast his had, hers were friendly. She looked nice. She looked… playful, especially when she smiled like she was just then.

Hers narrowed, but he averted his. He wasn’t sure where he’d seen them before. It didn’t matter. She’d be locked in the holding cells by the night’s end, and then she’d be on her way to the client.

The first song ended as the barve stood up, knocked on the table.

“You take care of yourself, friend. And… don’t worry about that drink.”

He walked away. Fett was smart enough to know that the knock was a signal and he should get out and get changed while the getting was good. The hallikset player was tapped on the shoulder. Everyone in here was too drunk to care if the quartet was missing their strings, and the place was busy, so she was pulled away again to wait tables. The barve walked up to her, stood a little too close, but didn’t touch her as he spoke quietly to her. She nodded, shooting a glance at Fett.

Fierfek.

He sighed. Okay. Time to go.

He picked up the holdsall as the woman walked up to him. “Hey, ready for another?” she said with a smile. It was only then that he paid any attention to her earrings. They were semi-circular and gold, with three long chains ending in points hanging from the open side.

“No. Dobra koona.”

“Oh, so soon? The boss just said you drink free tonight. Seems like he’s taken a shine to you.” She smiled, raised her eyebrows enticingly. “C’mon, man. It’s a good night for it.”

He snarled in Basic. “I said no.”

The hallikset player raised her hands. “Whoa, sorry, sir. Didn’t mean to be a bother. You have a good night.”

She walked off. She either had no idea who he was, or was good at hiding it. Then again, why would she know who he was? How would anyone?

He walked out, found a dark corner next to a stack of transport crates, he began to reassemble and put on his armor. It was going to be a long hunt, a lot of waiting. Eventually, she was going to have to come out. He set his carbine to stun, knelt into the shadows, and got comfortable.

Time passed. Slowly, patrons began to leave the cantina. The staff, too, slowly began to leave. He pulled up the information from the Slave I on his HUD. Her name was Tash Lia. She’d been pinging for a while, which is why he took the bounty, a slightly lower one than he’d normally consider.

Tash Lia. This was going to drive him crazy. He wracked his brain. Boba Fett had no debts, so he didn’t owe her money. His romantic affairs—if they could be called that—were generally brief, nameless things, with few exceptions, and he’d remember if she was an exception. He’d remember that long hair, wrapped around his hand as he—

Fierfek.

He was a professional. Professional disinterest was crucial. He’d hunted pretty women before, he’d do it again, and he needed to get himself together.

The sensor in his helmet blinked, indicating something was nearby. It wasn’t any of the patrons. Something in the shadows. Fett felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. It looked bigger than a tooka, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone.

The employee door opened, and Lia walked out. “Alright, barve,” she said aloud, a blaster in her hand. She wore a rugged brown leather jacket and had twisted her braid into a bun. “I know you’re out here!”

Alright. Fair enough.

He stepped out of the shadows, and she raised her eyebrows. “Oh. You weren’t the barve I expected.”

“I’ve gotten that before.”

She glanced around a little. “Where’s the cute guy? I thought he was the—never mind.”

“Is that why you tried to get him drunk?”

“Well, the boss really did promise him free drinks.”

Fett raised his blaster, and tried not to think about her remark about his appearance. “You going to come quietly?”

She was silent for a minute, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t communicating. Her eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes narrowed above her broad cheekbones. “I don’t think so. After all, whoever sent you has to get their money’s worth. I didn’t think I even had a bounty on me high enough for you to bother with.”

He didn’t have a response to that.

“I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold.”

She raised her own blaster, turning off the safety. “I don’t know who sent you, but I’m pretty sure they want me alive, or you would have already shot me. And I’m not going easy.”

“Alive doesn’t mean walking.”

She fired. The blaster bolt bounced off his armor, and he aimed for her leg, but it missed. That was… great. He sighed. Karking force users. Full-tilt, she went sprinting away from him, but that bad hip was going to stop her eventually. He followed.

She was clever, dipping down alleys. It was going to be easier to follow her from the air. His jet pack activated with a button, and he used the HUD in the helmet to put a trace on her that tracked her heat signature even when she dipped behind things.

Tash Lia ran into a large warehouse, probably hoping to nail him in close quarters, which was a mistake. Not many quarters where she could put up a fight he couldn’t win.

Dropping to the ground, he kept low as he scanned the room for her or her blaster. Faint traces of warmth from her footsteps glowed in the thermal imaging HUD of his helmet. He listened. She’d get nervous, staying in one spot too long. She would want to move and keep doing so, no matter how secure her location. He had a feeling she had the good sense not to engage him directly.

Footsteps pounded up a set of stairs just out of his sight. He pursued.

He charged up the stairs after her. A blow hit him, knocking him back. By the time he realized she’d thrown a box at him, he was watching her dart away. Getting righted, he stood, followed—only to find an open window. Sighing, he activated the jet pack again, easing himself to the ground outside. Fett looked around. She was close, he could tell that much.

Tookas tumbled out of an alley, and he followed.

And that was when that second blip on the radar came back, and he realized he was in deep bantha poodoo.

Lia stood in the alley, stock-still. A figure in gleaming black armor, with a rather distinctive helmet design, stood at the other end. There was a long, quiet moment. The round guard of a lightsaber hilt gleamed in double moonlight.

“Mr. Fett,” said the ghoulish figure. “Fancy running into you here.”

Tash Lia’s hand slowly crept to the small of her back.

“Third Brother,” Fett answered. Always polite. No matter how much the man made even Fett’s icy blood run a little chilled.

Third Brother was a tall, scrawny barve with a particularly mean streak. Fett had only run into him once before, but had also run into the results of his work. It had been… messy. Fett’s durasteel stomach had rolled a little.

The Inquisitor flicked the button on his saber, and the fiery blade filled the alley with light as it grew.

“Natasi Salcilia,” said the ghoulish barve, “Such poor luck you have, to be hunted by two killers tonight.”

“The bad luck is all yours, buddy,” said Lia.

He shouldn’t have been surprised to see the green blade of her saber appear, but he was, and now there were two too many lightsabers involved in this hunt for his liking.

“Inquisitor, I have already accepted a bounty on Tash Lia—,” he began, wondering how he was going to talk his way out of this one when it really wasn’t his style to talk in the first place.

“Don’t bother, Fett,” said Lia. “Vader’s attack dogs don’t care about anything but blood.”

Lia made the first move. It wasn’t the position he would have taken, but then again, he didn’t have a laser sword. She was much bolder with the saber than she was with a blaster. Then again, it was a weapon that lent itself to boldness.

The clash of sabers was loud and jarring. The bright lights filled the dark alley, and it was going to start drawing attention on the abandoned street very soon. He was meant to deliver the quarry alive. However, the client had not mentioned that there might be Inquisitors involved. Nothing about Jedi. That's what he earned, though, for not asking questions.

The two sabers touched lightly, testing. The sound was still jarring. The inquisitor pulled up the visor of his helmet. He had a fantastically ugly face “Well, well. You haven’t forgotten your training, youngling.”

“Pretty sure you’re younger than me,” she said. She had a loose, comfortable grip with her saber. Her movements were practiced, precise.

“As you like, Lady Salcilia.”

Fett had to make a decision. If they would put the sabers away, it would be easier.

The Jedi took a step back—retreat? No. He could tell she was up to something. The Inquisitor grinned like a predator. “What is this? Fear, Lady Salcilia?”

He was mocking her. Fett raised his blaster. Tash risked a glance at him. Raised her eyebrow. He swore that his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. What was she trying to tell him to—oh.

“Well, Fett, hope you’ve got the engine warmed up,” she said. “Seeing as how there’s no shot that both of us are getting out of this alive.”

The Inquisitor lunged.

Again, it was a light show, a constant hum-and-buzz routine. This time was different though. Lia’s practiced movements became brutal, serious attacks, beating the Inquisitor down. No longer on the offensive, the Inquisitor was bewildered for a second, which gave Lia the upper hand for just long enough to tire him out. Watching the whole thing was like being in a nightmare.

Fett kept his rifle trained, and when the Jedi ducked, he fired on the Inquisitor. There was a breathless second where Fett was pretty sure he was kriffed, where the Inquisitor realized what had happened. Inquisitors were pretty immune to pain. However, they weren’t immune to politics.

He looked up at Fett. “You traitor! Lord Vader will hear about this!”

Tash Lia was behind him in a second, and the beam of her saber appeared out of his chest, before tearing through his body like a hot knife through butter. Fett was pretty immune to extreme violence, but that was a little sickening. The Inquisitor turned, his own saber nearing Tash’s leg. Momentum was on his side, but Lia twisted away, only getting the edge of her skirt singed. The Inquisitor fell.

She looked up at him. Silence stretched on between them.

“We can’t leave him here,” she gasped, clearly out of breath. Fett didn't move until the Jedi flicked the switch on her saber, turning it off. She tucked it away and looked up at him. It took him a second to realize she was waiting on an answer.

“We could put him out the airlock.”

She nodded as she slipped her bag over her shoulder. “Any asteroid fields on the way to where we’re going?”

“Not going to put up a fight anymore?”

He put away his blaster and opened the pocket on his belt where he kept the binders. Lia held out her hands. “I’m not an idiot. You had multiple opportunities to shoot, so whoever hired you wants me alive. They definitely want me dead,” she said, shooting a glance at the Inquisitor. “And I need offworld, like, now, before they figure out this barve is missing. I’ll fight later.”

He picked up the gored Inquisitor and threw him over his shoulder. Lia followed him.

"So how'd you get out of the Sarlacc?"

[crowtold]

        -- HC. this is long time coming, but here’s a BIG hc post detailing deeper information about scarecrow’s group & businesses ( ie. what they do, their ranks, affiliates, business deals, y’get what i mean ) ! putting under read more ‘cause there’s gonna be a LOT to discuss here.

MAIN GROUP

offers various services for affiliated / neutral parties, all of which include;

illegal transportation between countries-- he’s willing to offer a passport, ID, money & a new life to those who can’t get it by legal means ( for obvious reasons ). though he keeps tracks of those he makes ‘ disappear ‘, it’s information that he keeps classified, out of respect for his clients.

contract killing / kidnapping / item hunting & theft / bodyguard jobs / torturing & obtaining information / etc.-- as long as he deems the job to be legit & sees the payment, he’s willing to pass on the jobs taken from affiliates over to C.O.R.P.S., where he assigns a team to a job & have them fulfil it. this service offer is pretty expensive, since the hitmen he hires are top-notch & efficient -- not to mention, the more difficult the mission, the more money he demands in return. but, given the high percentage of success, there are many satisfied clients that say it’s worth it.

neutral party between groups-- at times, he acts as a neutral party and / or witness for turf wars, when two dangerous groups butting heads and / or are forming peace-making pacts between groups, etc. his well-known apathy is largely the reason he’s entrusted this position, for he’d even sic CORPS on an affiliate & friends without a second thought should they back down on or break the deal that was made between the groups. 

money lending-- he offers the services to both, civilians in need for quick cash, or criminals who are in desperate need for money. the interest rates aren’t high in the least, part of why it makes the deal to enticing, & the debts can easily be returned ( should the other party be responsible with their spending ). in exchange, time / deadline extension ARE NOT tolerated in the least, punctuality being one of his trademarks. clients are warned ahead of time of the deadline, including a set time-- & should the debts not be repaid by then, well... there are ways to find out.

basically, rather than do crimes on his own with his group, his focus is more on helping / aiding other criminal groups do crimes with more ease, be it by lending them extra muscle, obtaining information & equipment they need, etc.

has villas in various countries that he’s constantly going back & forth from.

has made a deal with the local authorities / dirty cops, offering them information about his enemies ( & a bit of a bribe ) in exchange for them to look the other way whenever one of his men get caught. of course, that is, if said man is one he wants to keep in his group-- otherwise, they’re welcome to keep them, as he no longer has any use for them.

though he doesn’t have a moral compass, he DOESN’T touch the prostitution ( of both adults & kids ), human / animal trafficking, selling illegal drugs, gambling & money laundering side of the criminal world. it’s never clicked with him, & he doesn’t tolerate any of his men partaking in said activities behind his back either.

that said, they do take in the occasional runaway / orphan, sheltering them until they find their way home or decide to permanently stay with his group. the newer generation are their future, after all. it’d be a waste to let them rot on the sidewalk.

even though he has his own contract-kill firm, there are times where he hires independent mercenaries whenever his teams aren’t available ( such as people that’ve caught his eye, or people that’ve turned him down & preferred to stay solo ).

he used to do a lot of heists when first starting out his group, the money & reputation obtained from them being the foundation of what the group is now-- & he still holds a couple heists once in a while, whenever he finds something that catches his eye. he’s willing to have C.O.R.P.S. conduct heists at his affiliates regards, only if he deems it beneficial for himself ( aka, if he’s getting something good outta the entire thing ).

C.O.R.P.S. ( Contracted Organisation of Radical Professionals & Soldiers ) 

these are personal hitmen / mercenaries he’s hired. they work for him & him only, only taking jobs he passes along from his clients / personal jobs he wants them to take on. sure, though it makes it seem as if they’re chained down, they are paid extravagant amounts compared to solo / indie hitmen ( pay comes based on their achievements, of course ), are guaranteed a constant influx of jobs to take, & are presented with as many equipment as they desire.

C.O.R.P.S. members are personally scouted by him & colt, the two discussing whether they’re worth it or not before paying them a face - to - face visit. sometimes he asks the opinions of one of his higher ranking teams, ones who’s opinions he values in a high regard. after all, who knows more about mercenaries, than other mercenaries ?

C.O.R.P.S. is made up of different TEAMS of hitmen / mercenaries-- each team ranging from 3-4 members, with a single individual assigned as the group leader.

the rank of the team is decided by the quality of their work & the success of their missions. more efficient teams get more bonuses ( such as access to new facilities, better payment, equipment of higher quality & more ).

EVERY member has to wear a mask & don a code name. they are to remain completely anonymous to everyone apart from him & the rest of their group. for their real identity to be leaked / revealed to the world would mean immediate expulsion ( one with a heavy heart, as he does, in a way, care for them ).

agents are welcome to have a personal life, separate to their business life-- as long as their connection to C.O.R.P.S. isn’t revealed to the public and / or are going behind his back, he doesn’t mind what they do during their free time.

while he’s fine with in-quarrels & an accidental friendly fire ( after all, what’s wrong with a little competition / rivalry ? ), it is FORBIDDEN for C.O.R.P.S. members to kill each other, or anyone in the main group.

he has a secure building for C.O.R.P.S. teams to reside in-- each team gets the entire floor of a building. the higher rank the higher the floor ( & the higher the rewards / quality of their stay ). 

on the underground level of the building, there are various facilities for the agents to work with and / or sharpen their skills.

there are a couple private meeting rooms where each team can reserve for various reasons. as long as they sign in to the time tables to let everyone else know who is taking which room at each time, everyone in C.O.R.P.S. is welcome to reserve a room.

there’s an armoury, filled with equipment they can take whenever they want to practice or go out on a job. agents of every rank are welcome to take as many tools they wish to take with them. there is a room where only higher ranking agents can go in-- in it lie more rare technology & equipment, the type that are scarcer to get ahold of and are, in turn, special. the armoury is replenished every sunday at 6 a.m. on the dot.

holographic training facilities are also a thing, set up with the highest & most up to date technology scarecrow could get his hands on. in them, agents can train for various things in a complex fake setting; such as espionage training, bodyguard training, sniping practice, firing practice, close combat practice, & more !. all they have to do is set up the room to a setting, & it’ll recreated a virtual scenario that they either ‘ fail ‘ or ‘ pass ‘ based on the inputted settings. 

the vr facilities are in the lowest floor of the building, meaning only higher ranking agents are allowed in ( since, it’s pretty expensive equipment ).

normal training facilities are also a go ! there’s an entire floor designed as a personalised gym. agents can request specific machines if they’re not already there.

[sunshineblvd]

YOU AIN’T GONNA WORRY

C-ARC-4 Barangay 171

Starting up, I am Alnea Benedicto, an architecture student from University of Santo Tomas living in Bagumbong Dulo, North Caloocan. We have an activity regarding the current state of our Barangay as I got time to talk to our Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management and Council (BDRRMC) head.

Here’s a map view of our Barangay: 

On November 30, 2019, I got time to talk to Mr. Rexelle Ampig, BDRRMC head of Barangay 171 and part chief of Bagumbong Fire and Rescue. As I talk to him, it feels like he was just a friend making “kwentuhan” with me. It seems like he is very hard working to serve our barangay.

PRIORITY?

Of course, Bagumbong is the priority.

Barangay 171’s BDRRMC cannot stand without the help of these: Barangay personnel, Tanod, BFAD, PNP, Search and Rescue Department, and Reserve Army of the Philippines.

For communications: Federal and Tec Spire

There have been trimming of trees and clean up drive of the creeks around the place. Street sweepers are there to help out who cleans up near the church weekly.

Bagumbong has experienced calamities: floods and fires, but not that much compare to other places.

FLOODS

As the barangay gain people, a lot of subdivisions are built, but few places are easily flooded. After heavy rains, the flood easily goes down. There’s no serious problem regarding it.

FIRES

Also, Bagumbong is not prone to fires. There have been two reported fires in the area. 3 or 4 years ago in our place called “manggahan” which is a very crowded area. It was caused by a little kid who lit up a candle. An electric wire was near it then it sparked, leading to electrical fire.

The other one is beside the Flying V gas station, a commercial residential was on fire caused by a gas leak. The LPG (liquified petroleum gas) brought fire. The part of it was unplugged accidentally, making it lit up the light materials and those who are selling clothes near the rented area.

TRIVIA:

Bagumbong Fire and Rescue is a fire volunteer which means they can serve any places even outside the North Caloocan area.

Barangay 171 is UPDATED!

Social Media is the main source of information, including the radio used in the communication. Bagumbong is affiliated with the Federal and Tec spire. The two are affiliated with the National (PAGASA, MMDA, PHIVOLCS, and 911).

For example:  There’s an earthquake in Mindanao. Bagumbong already know it before it was broadcasted to news and other medium. First is PHIVOLCS. Next, FEDERAL and TEC SPIRE. Lastly, the fire chief offices will voice it out to everyone.

There are “callers” and “walk-in” reporting to the barangay. Barangay 171 has its own group chat.

Kuya Rexelle is one chat away! You can chat him if you have a concern or problem in your place.

Here is Rexelle Ampig’s facebook account:

  SAFEST places in Bagumbong:

The evacuation area is divided into four:  Evergreen, tierra nova, complex, saranay

Northcrest up to Bagumbong Dulo is not prone to earthquake because the area is flat and there are no high-rise buildings.

DANGEROUS place in Bagumbong:

There is a portion wherein there is a creek which is the last part of Bagumbong (boundary of Caloocan and Bulacan). According to kuya Rexelle, on their last trim, the tree was almost falling and its roots are almost uprooted. It is monitored because if ever there’s an earthquake that may occur, the houses near it might collapse because the place is not totally developed.

 PRACTICES: Earthquake Drill and Fire Drill

Our Barangay proudly maintains a simultaneous earthquake drill.

Through kuya Rexelle’s efforts and advices, Bagumbong high school and St. Anthony in Northville have provided the students with orange hard hat to be worn as a protection whenever there’s an earthquake. But still, the teachers and principals still don’t have hard hats.  

Problems ☹

To be honest, the barangay has NO ENOUGH MATERIALS for rescue.

Kuya Rexelle is really a savior because as a head of BDRRMC, he applied “reservice” as a remedy for the problem. The reserve army based in Bagumbong were hired and assigned as members of BDRRMC search and rescue department. He knows that they are one call away because they immediately respond if they are needed.

Rexelle Ampig said: “Kasi kung hihintayin pa natin si barangay medyo mahihirapan kasi kulang sa gamit… tulungan lang kami.”  

WATER INTERRUPTION HAS BEEN ALSO CUSTODY TO BDRRMC.

Why?

Bagumbong is always part of the water interruption. There’s no water supply starting from 7 pm to 5 am every day. The barangay 171 can get water from its neighboring city like Quezon city. Water is a need for for firetrucks, so they will not immediately supply water to other places if the barangay is currently having a shortage in water.

Our country is prone to a lot of disasters like earthquake, floods, and fires. These caused calamities. Not all places are safe enough. Like our barangay, it seems like our local government needs to provide sufficient materials for rescue. Our barangay lacks it and needs the attention the government. Schools, workplaces, and houses should be ready for the unexpected calamities.

As an architecture student, I feel so sad to see that our BDRRMC office is not in good condition. I am hoping that I can help them sooner for a better place to work. The government does not give much attention to BDRRMC. Our schools, houses, and workplaces needs to be prepared and must have gears for the unexpected disasters.

Safety is what people need. The country is dependent to these people, so I am hoping that through the advocacies and volunteers, the superheroes who save us will get what they deserve. Without them, nothing will be in remedy. We need to help them. Through communication in social media, we can give them the help that they need.

BDRRMC HAS A HUGE CONTRIBUTION IN OUR COUNTRY! Don’t belittle them. They are our savior. Please be considerate to them and volunteer if you can.

THEY NEED OUR ATTENTION. LOCAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD FUND THEM ENOUGH, SO WE WILL BE SAFE AND SOUND.

[clonedspider]

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO THIS?

TO BREATHE AND EAT AND DRINK OF THE EARTH LIKE A REAL BOY?

☾ — KAINE PARKER/SCARLET SPIDER is here! HE has found themselves wandering about new gotham attempting to find their place in this challenging world. they were once a ANTI-HERO who used to be associated with NEW WARRIORS/SPIDERFAM/SOLO.

hope they make it in this world.

the basics —

NAME: kaine parker

ALIASES: scarlet spider, houston’s spider-man, araña escarlata, 

AGE: 19

BIRTHDAY & ZODIAC: doesn’t have one & gemini

MBTI: entj

PREFERRED PRONOUNS: he & him

FACECLAIM: noah centineo

a deeper look —

FAMILY: miles warren (creator/father), peter parker (genetic template/brother), ben reilly (fellow clone/brother), may parker (aunt), spidercide (fellow clone, deceased), guardian (fellow clone, deceased), jack (fellow clone, deceased), spider-skeleton (fellow clone, deceased)

AFFILIATION: new warriors, spiderfam, solo

THREE FAVORITE THINGS: drinking cheap beer, swinging through the busy streets for several hours, sleeping in past noon

THREE HATED THINGS: his “father”, computers, being called a hero

EDUCATION: possesses memories of peter’s education

SKILLS: HAND-TO HAND COMBAT: uses an unusual type of free-style technique similar to that of spider-man, but has no qualms against fighting in a more brutal style MULTILINGUAL: can speak english, spanish, and japanese   KNOWLEDGE OF CHEMISTRY.

WEAPONS: a blade that extends out of each wrist of his suit

ABILITIES: MARK OF KAINE: has a deformity in his hands. he can leave a severe burn mark on a person by making skin-to-skin contact with them. he typically leaves this mark across a person's face, though it is presumed he can do the same to other parts of the body. non-offensive usage of this power allows Kaine to easily burn his long hair (along with his beard) to a shorter length without burning himself in the process. ORGANIC WEBBING GENERATION: the ability to produce his own silk webbing from glands within his forearms. PSYCHIC ALIGNMENT WITH SPIDERS: a method of creating a psychic alignment to become empathetic and develop a relationship with spiders and insects. essentially talking to them. IMMUNE TO SPIDER-MAN’S SPIDER-SENSE: due to their sharing the same dna, spider-man's spider-sense recognizes kaine as "self.” SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH: able to lift up to 60 tons. his strength extends into his powerful leg muscles, allowing him to leap heights and distances in excess of human capability. kaine generally has no restraints on using his super-strength against enemies with typical human durability, and as such, is capable of severely injuring enemies with normal attacks. SUPERHUMAN SPEED: capable of running and moving at speeds that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. SUPERHUMAN STAMINA: kaine's augmented musculature is much more efficient than that of a normal human being. as a result, his muscles produce lesser amounts of fatigue toxins during physical activity than do those of ordinary humans. he can exert himself physically at peak capacity for at least several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. SUPERHUMAN DURABILITY: his bodily tissues are resistant to powerful impact or blunt force trauma. he can withstand impacts, such as falling from several stories, being repeatedly struck with superhuman force or by several powerful energy blasts, that would severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no injury himself. REGENERATIVE HEALING FACTOR: his physiology was augmented with a limited healing factor. SUPERHUMAN AGILITY: kaine's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. in spite of his increased size and mass, kaine is still just as agile as spider-man. SUPERHUMAN REFLEXES: reflexes are similarly enhanced and are more efficient than those of an ordinary human by a factor of fifteen. WALL-CRAWLING: able to stick to virtually any surface and crawl across it. his mental control over this ability has been increased to such a degree, he can rip a wall down just by tugging at it hard enough with his palms.

the questionnaire —

WHAT IS SOMETHING YOUR CHARACTER LIKES ABOUT NEW GOTHAM? SOMETHING THEY DISLIKE? DO THEY MISS THE WAY THINGS WERE - OR DO THE LIKE HOW THE WORLD IS NOW? IS IT WEIRD TO THEM TO SEE MULTIPLE TYPES OF PEOPLE AND CREATURES AROUND? OR ARE THEY USED TO IT? WERE THEY ORIGINALLY FROM ONE OF THE TWO MAIN CITIES - OR SOMEWHERE ELSE?

kaine doesn’t care about seeing otht creatures around, not feeling like he has the right to make such judgments. he likes that being in new gotham is another chance to live an actual life. he had been through a lot of traumatic events, and never actually got the chance to enjoy the life he has been given. nobody expects anything from him here in this city which is perfect to blend in. he doesn’t think his life will ever be normal, always convincing himself to help out someone in need. he can just be kaine here if he wanted to. which is all the boy needs. kaine was created in a test tube somewhere in new york, but after making his escape from his creator after being rejected — the clone settled in houston, texas. he didn’t plan on staying there, but they had been so excited about having their own hero that eventually kaine stayed until the change happened. so yes, he does have a southern accent.

WHERE WAS YOUR CHARACTER WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED? ARE THEY SUSPICIOUS OF EVERYONE OR ARE THEY TRYING TO REMAIN UNDER THE RADAR? HAVE THEY REUNITED WITH THEIR FRIENDS OR ARE THEY LOST? WERE THEY AT HOME IN BED? OUT PATROLLING THE STREETS? IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR? WHAT’S HAPPENED TO THEM NOW?

kaine doesn’t trust anyone except a select few. it’s just part of his thing. his list of people he lowers his guard around is small — ben and peter being at the top of the list and any other members of the spiderfam that his brothers seem to trust. he has been rejected, and ridiculed for being made so he doesn’t know how to figure out who‘s actually being genuine with their kindness. he’ll get there, just be patient with him. kaine may be suspicious of strangers and their intentions, but he’s a good friend.

he was in bed when everything happened, passed out in his scarlet spider suit after helping out the local police on a case. he’s just kind of following around ben wherever he goes for now far as living arrangements go. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION —

ANYTHING YOU WANT US TO KNOW? ANY HEADCANONS?

origin —

kaine is a clone of peter parker.

he was miles warren’s first attempt at cloning peter. the jackal initially thought it was a success, but kaine would become deformed due to a flaw in the cloning process. the boy would continue to degenerate — he was left deformed and mentally unstable.

the jackal allows the clone to live as a test subject. he wanted to see how long kaine would survive, and to his surprise ends up exceeding his expectations.

kaine grows to experience a strong feeling of rejection similar to one that would arise between a father and son. miles warren tries to dispose of the clone by throwing him into the trash heap of his other failed experiments. kaine ends up escaping of course, which made all the other clones in the facility happy to see. the spider developed some of peter’s abilities, but also some of his own.

for a long time kaine believes that he didn’t deserve to have a life for himself. he didn’t know how to have one. he felt broken, angry, and like a monster.

kaine made a decision to settle down in mexico, but ended up living in houston, texas instead. every time he tried to leave something pulled him into staying. the civilians are who started calling him the SCARLET SPIDER. he was their first hero — much to the clone’s hatred of that word. he tries to live up to what peter has done, but it’s a work in progress.

eventually kaine came across a cure that stabilized his dna. he was no longer deformed, and looks like the perfect clone of peter. miles warren continues to see kaine as a disappointment after this, still thinking that the clone deserves to stay in the trash heap.

he has a tattoo that wraps around his entire left bicep, and he stands tall at six foot four.

equipment —

kaine’s scarlet spider costume is known as a stealth suit. it allows him to become completely invisible and capable of sound cancelling abilities. the suit is also fireproof, and can heal itself when torn. there’s also a blade that can come out of the wrists of the suit which come in handy in hand-to-hand combat. he brought his suit with him since he was wearing it at the time when brought over.

[oneandahalfwolf]

//You asked for more, here ya go!!! 5 headcanons. Both Angel AUs, Dragon AU

send me an au and i’ll give you 5+ headcanons about it [x]

bless u friend! i went very overboard but oops. anything for the word count.

ANGEL REBORN AU: ROYAL VARIANT [x];

Ben has a diamond that was in the satchel of personal effects handed over to them by the angel who informed them of their exile. It is large and perfectly polished, and was a gift from their best friend up their - Ileyra. This diamond allows them to talk to the other angel despite their exile. They wake up early every morning and find the highest point in the area, be it a tree or a rock or building, and just sit, holding the diamond in their hand and talking to their best friend. They keep it a secret. Not even Orianna knows what they actually do - just knowing they go to a high point and that the diamond is very important to them.

Certain gemstones have very interesting properties when it comes to angels. If Ben comes into contact with Quartz it will enhance their angelic powers, while touching Obsidian will corrupt and poison them. (The opposite is actually true for Ori where Obsidian enhances her demonic powers while Quartz is deadly to her.) Rose Quartz can actually help heal an angel. It isn’t an instant fix, nor does it work incredibly fast, but it still eases pain and slowly start to mend any injuries. An angel can’t die per say, but they can get hurt and need time to heal, therefore Rose Quartz is incredibly useful.

Ben has some special angelic powers in this verse. Offensively they can create a ‘holy wind’ with their wings; an extremely strong gust of air that will knock opponents back and is strong enough to even crack (and sometimes destroy) walls. When they really have to they can also unleash ‘celestial lightning’ though it is classed as a ‘nuclear option’, something to only be used when absolutely necessary - given how destructive it can be. Passive powers include more durable skin, an ability to heal any wound (even those considered fatal, severed bones, as well as torn and ripped wings), and greater agility, speed and strength. They also have a halo (that is usually hidden from the naked eye). Part of having it allows them to feel other people’s emotions when coming into skin on skin contact with them, however this can be extremely debilitating and sometimes even painful (and possibly even distressing if it triggers traumatic memories of their own life) - though it is easier with Orianna who is their charge, as well as Missy though not as much. They can also heal other people’s non-fatal wounds and/or take away their pain (a la teen wolf) by holding their hand though again it can be painful and dangerous because not only will they feel their emotions but also expend their own energy/aura to heal them. Also while Ben normally bleeds normal red human blood, if they get gravely injured or go through extended trauma they will start to bleed a golden ichor (aka angel blood) which can burn human skin. 

Ben's main weapon is a heavenly blade that is a large two-handed broadsword that they can pry apart into two dual blades. They will usually use the dual blades, since they are faster and also expend less energy, but when there is a need for some divine smiting or putting the fear of god into someone, the two will be fused back together and the blade will glow. Sometimes, if they need to or want to be showy, they will have the large sword in a scabbard on their back, between the wings, and will take it out then dramatically pull it apart, the two blades glowing for a minute before seeming to revert to a 'normal' silver. However they’ll usually just stick to the two scabbards at their hips. If someone who is not an angel accidentally touches the sword - hilt or blade - with bare hands in it’s larger form it will burn them extremely bad, so much so they will have a permanent scar or need a skin graft of some kind.

When reborn as Missy and Orianna’s children after being given a second chance, Ben and later Iley are now tieflings like their Mama. They have red skin but also speckles of white like freckles across their cheek bones and the bridge of their nose, as well as a more concentrated mottling where their wings used to be as a carry over from their angelic previous life. They have different horns, with Ben having more antelope style ones while Iley has ram’s ones.

ANGEL REBORN AU: MODERN VARIANT [x];

Instead of a diamond left to them by Iley in order to communicate with her, they have a smartphone that was given to them in a duffel bag of belongings from the angel who informed them of their exile. It seems to be affiliated with the network ‘Herald’ and has unlimited everything (texts, data and minutes), as well as not costing anything. If they can get to a high place, such as the roof of a building, they are able to phone Iley and talk to her. They can also text her but it takes a long time to get replies, though it’s still worth it as an angel can’t easily fly around in these modern times.

When Missy and Orianna convince them to come stay with them, since they clearly have nowhere to go, Ben insists on sleeping on the couch. It is extremely uncomfortable in general but especially for their wings, which they have to keep folded tight and inside the special harness the elder angel gave to them along with the bag. Eventually the girl’s convince them to take the spare room, but the angel still often sleeps (though sleep for them isn’t as often as a human if they haven’t exerted themself) or stays in the harness just to make sure the girl’s can’t accidentally walk in on them and see their wings.

Orianna and Missy do end up finding out about their wings by complete accident. The trio were caught in a sudden downpour, much like the day they met Ben, and the angel was entirely unprepared. When they returned home they went to their room to dry off and change, while Missy and Orianna did the same. The girl’s realised Ben was taking a rather long time and decided to see what was up, as well as bring them another towel and a warm drink. They walk into the room without knocking and see the wings in all their glory since the angel has them out of the harness as they attempt to dry their feathers. It's a massive shock and everyone is understandably freaked out, especially Ben. The girl’s end up taking it in stride though, and at least now they know where all those feathers came from and why things kept getting knocked over - especially when Ben was in the bathroom.

As a joke Orianna and Missy get Ben one of those paper bracelets that can’t be removed without tearing it that says ‘Fall Risk’, a homage to them being a fallen angel in a way and for saving their lives when they met. Ben is a little miffed but ends up wearing it with something akin to pride. When the angel disappears one day the girl’s realise they’ve been given a second chance by the powers that be because they find the bracelet still intact on Ben’s pillow.

Given when they died there are a lot of modern things Ben never got to experience, and (after feeling sad about their former life) the girl’s have great fun introducing the angel to these things - especially sweets and junk food.

BONUS HCS TRUE FOR BOTH ANGEL AUS;

Ben died at age 17 before becoming an angel. In the Royal AU, Ben was abandoned by Highlander family as a babe because they were too sick and weak to survive. They were taken in by another Highlander pair. During childhood they were teased and bullied because they looked like a ghost or a skeleton or a grim reaper because of their pale skin, grey eyes and thin body. There was a fire at age 11 that killed their adoptive parents, after which they ran away and were presumed dead. They were picked up by a slave convoy and auctioned off to The Queen. After many years of hell and abuse they end up dying when the carriage the party is riding in goes over the edge of a cliff, and their Mistress has to decide if she's going to rescue her favourite pet as they hang from the side over a crevice and risk her own life, or save herself and let them fall to the snow and rocks below. She of course she chooses the latter. In the Modern AU, Ben grew up in Victorian times. Again abandoned then adopted but when they run away after the fire they are picked up by some leader of a thief gang that uses small boys a lot (similar to Oliver but worse since they were beaten or whipped for not bringing enough in). Later a noblewoman (this verse/life’s Queen) who is actually in business with the gang leader comes in to peruse the stock for a new companion, and picks Ben. Then a similar life for hell before the same death. (Ileyra had a similar horrible life in both AUs, dying at 16. In the Royal one she was in an orphanage before she was given to The King and later murdered by him in a moment of passion, while in Modern she lived in France during the Second World War as an orphan and was chosen as a companion to a German General - this verse/life’s King - before again being murdered by him in the same way.)

In both AUs, after being reborn, it is revealed Ben and Iley aren’t just tiefling’s/human after they go through puberty. The two are actually nephilim, the angelic blood from before lingering even now. Both gain new wings in their late teens, though they are much smaller than when they were true angels. Also instead of being a pure blinding white, Ben’s wing’s are white with a number (many of which are hidden) tipped black, while Iley’s are white but tinged a golden brown around the edges much like the dawn light across clouds. The wings have a slight heavenly glow - Ben’s glitter like freshly fallen snow while Iley’s gleam like the morning sun. The parents are quick to tailor their children’s clothes so they can either walk around with them out easier in Royal AU or at least not have to hide them in the house for Modern AU. Plus, for Modern AU, they luckily still had Ben's old harness that they could modify for the diminished wing span. 

Later in life after being reborn, Ben ends up losing their right arm and wing in either a battle (Royal AU) or an accident (Modern AU). In both AUs their parents, and other subjects/family members, help to create prosthetics (either with magic or technology depending on the verse) since as a nephilim their wings don’t grow back (unlike when they were an angel which did happen at least in the Royal AU).

Ben always slept on their front as an angel since it meant they could spread their wings out across the bed and not have them uncomfortably folded against them in sleep (or before they stopped hiding them in the Modern AU they weren’t lying on them and crushing them as they were folded in the harness). When they were an angel Missy used to sometimes nestle in between them their wings on their back and take comfort in the soft feathers. When they were reborn they still slept on their front even before their new wings came in, and when Iley was born she used to curl up on their back - both before and after their wings came in - much like her mother used to do when they were a Guardian. Also when Ben's wings came through Missy got a shock and also became very emotional when her son hugs her from behind while she's upset and wraps their wings around her. They aren't all the way around like they used to be but they this was something they used to do for her as a Guardian and it makes her tear up.      

Ben loves to have their feathers groomed, and once they grow to trust the girl’s (especially in Modern AU) they allow them to do it if they need or want. It doesn’t matter if they’re the ones who need it or the girl’s do, it comforts and relaxes everyone involved. When they’re reborn and their wings come through Iley (both before and after her own wings come in) with often groom them, sitting behind them as they sit shirtless drawing or playing video games - often while making comments about how she used to do this when they were angels.

That isn’t the only time there are comments about their past lives. Both kids remember, at least in some way, their time as angels and will often say things that would make many others pause - such as four year old Ben proudly stating that they saved their mama’s life before, five year old Iley saying how much she missed her brother when they were down looking after Mama and Mummy, or seven year old Ben finding all their old things (and harness in Modern AU) and confidently stating when asked what they’re doing that they are ‘looking through my old clothes’. Ben also remembers having wings and in both AUs have an accident where they try to jump off a wardrobe in order to fly but instead of course falls and breaks their arm.

As an angel Ben often has horrific nightmares about their time alive. Both girls are concerned but do not push at first, simply providing comfort, and when they do finally ask they are immediately sympathetic to the terrible things the angel tells them happened, always ready to help them calm down if something triggers them. When reborn both Iley and Ben have nightmares and sometimes panic attacks about memories they don’t remember living but know they happened - first when they are young, between 4 - 12, and then again when their wings come through, which don’t go away but do end up lessening as their own new identities of this second chance at life become the superior focus. The parents are always quick to reassure them, though do sometimes get sad and grieve for the normal life the children could have had when they find Ben curled up around Iley in her bed telling her ‘the bad man can’t get you now’ or discover Iley hugging a crying Ben and whispering that ‘the bad lady is not coming back’.

When reborn, Ben and Iley actually have different FCs for a change (Colin O'Donoghue instead of Dylan O’Brien and Katie McGrath instead of Crystal Reed respectively). Since it’s very uncommon for the kids to have a different face, since it’s a part of fate and the string that binds them for them to have the same face. So the pair, especially when they’re older, will look strangely at their sibling and make an odd comment of some sort - such as ‘you’re hair colour is a little off’, ‘your face doesn’t look right with a beard’, ‘your freckles are in the wrong place’, ‘some scars are missing’ - since they remember what they used to look like as angels in the back of their mind. The parents will associate it with only that, though it does run a little deeper.

As an angel Ben has a large number of scars from their life but also many from their time as a guardian angel. However, some scars are a different colour. A silvery white, like polished marble, rather than a normal pink or such. These scars are specifically wounds from where they saved Ori’s life before they were exiled. Basically occasions where she should have died but Ben took the fatal wound instead.

Ben has a true angel form but they don’t take it as much (especially in the Modern AU). Here their eyes will be completely white and glow, their halo will appear above their head, gold ichor will bleed from their eyes, and they will be surrounded by a holy wind as well as sparks of celestial lightning.

DRAGON AU [x];

As a dragon Ben is obsessed with gold. Or rather anything really shiny. The first time they see Orianna hold a gleaming gold coin they will be enraptured. She ends up giving them their very own special coin just to nibble on. Eventually they will even get their own little coin purse where they can count out money. Sometimes, especially when Ori is having to hold them and calm them down or their feeling abnormally clingy/cuddly, they will nibble on some form of the tiefling’s jewellery.

Ben enjoys playing games and doing jigsaw puzzles, quiet things that don’t require more than one hand (since they only have one). Their favourite is a set of rune stones that Ori gets them. Runic is their base language and the stones are smooth so they can stim and play.

They don’t like beds or mattresses so often make nests on the floor to sleep or sit on.

The outfit they eventually get and wear the most is based on the Thirteenth Doctor, especially the coat. They spied a jacket in the window of a tailor with a hood that was the same pale blue as the wing membrane of their primary form. Their eyes light up but they don’t admit it. But Ori of course notices and buys it for them, along with the rest of their wardrobe (including spare items) as well as other things. She loves to spoil them given their terrible life, something that takes the dragon a long time to get used to and not feel guilty about.

Ben lost their arm when their Mistress wanted a fancy new staff. Whilst in their dragon shape she forced them to change from their white form to their black one. As the blackness spreads down the scales of their arm she severed the limb at their bicep, leaving a half white, half black dragon arm. She shrank it to a more human height (where she could wrap her hand around it and hold/use it easily) and fixed the length by fusing it with the bottom of her old wooden staff. FInally she placed a red crystal ball in the palm, making the dragon hand hold it, before using magic to preserve the limb so it would never rot. She thrilled at her new staff and was pleased to have punished her pet for whatever reason she had made up.

In this verse Iley exists and was in the castle with the King with Ben. Here while Ben is a dragon, she is a phoenix. She also has two forms; one classic phoenix one as well as a more human one where she still has talons as well as multicoloured feathers in places (including at the ends of her elbows, along her eyebrows, and in amongst her hair). Ben can remember her but only vaguely as the Queen tried to steal their memories of her, which might have succeeded if she had done the procedure right the first time but a mistake ended up instead leading to their escape and the spell only half working. They know someone very important is at or was at the castle, and can sometimes still hear her singing - the thing she was mainly prized for but only did truly for Ben. When the dragon is healed and doing better, they will return to the castle with Ori (because they tell her they have to do it, they have to find what’s missing, have to see the rulers perish) and find out that Iley isn’t even there anymore. She escaped the same day they did, using their destruction to flee. She hasn’t been found and is presumed dead. Ben knows better however, hoping one day to hear her singing again and that they can be reunited.

[heartsflocked]

Can you teach me how to roleplay like you do?

So, I got this ask over two weeks ago at a time when I was kind of busy and couldn’t spare a moment to answer, and I’m always very shy about answering asks late/afraid that whoever asked might not still be around, so i’m sorry it took so long and i hope you’re still around, anon! I’ve [answered an anon like this before on a previous blog] (i’m honestly!! still just as flattered when people ask me these things, i’m glad i give off the impression that i know what I’m doing) and some of that advice holds and some of it I would probably give differently? It has some useful links, though.

I don’t want to seem high and mighty like I think I’m some expert, because I really don’t!! I don’t think I know much better than anyone else and I mostly just try and follow the flow of others and follow my own instincts, but I know people being patient and trying to help me as best they could back when I started around 7 years ago is how I made it here today so I’ll try my best to help out under the cut!!

Please come off anon and message or IM me if you have a question that I didn’t cover, because I’m not all-knowing and I want to help but it might be easier to help if I know what specifically you mean by “how to RP like you do”!

Couple notes, I’ve only RPed from desktop and not from mobile, so most of my advice will be based on that, and a lot of it will be my personal preference not Solid Rules That Must Be Followed.

For starters, basic terms:

“OOC” - stands for ‘Out Of Character’; anything ooc is something the person running the blog is saying, not something said by the character.

“IC” - stands for ‘In Character’, anything tagged as IC is something said by the character. If a specific person is not referenced in the tags, a post being tagged as IC may mean it’s open to being replied to! If your url is in the tags, it means you can reply to it (either by reblogging or the reply feature).

“Indie”/”Independent” - independent roleplay blogs mean that they aren’t affiliated with anyone else and aren’t part of a closed rp group. This means that they can RP with anyone! Since they RP with anyone, they will RP with multiple versions of the same characters, but the interactions are generally treated like they take place in different universes.*

“Open”/”Open RP” - open roleplay posts are open for anyone** to reply to! If you see someone make an open roleplay and they follow you, you can reblog it with a reply!

“Starter Call” - if someone makes a starter call, it’s a post that anyone** can like, and the person who made the post will write the beginning or starter for a roleplay thread with each of the people who liked the post.

*“Mains” & “Exclusives” - if someone has mains and exclusives, that means that they have a default rp partner for certain characters. Mains are rp partners who are the most common or most referenced version of a certain canon muse and are always considered the ‘canon’ version of a character’s ‘main’ universe. Exclusives are rp partners who are the Only version of that muse someone will play with. So if I had an Exclusive Momo for my Jiro, I would only roleplay with that Momo, but if I had a Main Kaminari for my Jiro, I would still rp with other Kaminaris, just not as often as my Main.

**“Private”/”Mutuals Only” - mutuals are people who you follow that also follow you. you have to be mutually following each other to be considered mutuals! if a blog is private or mutuals only, that means they won’t write with people who they do not follow. So, even if they post an open roleplay, someone who they don’t follow is not supposed to reply, or like their starter calls.

Now, onto the actual RP itself. You probably realize this easy enough from seeing other people RP or from any experience you have with it yourself, but RP is a lot like writing a fic with another person! It’s best to stick to third person POV though a lot of people do good things with second person POV, and an important note is that the point of RP is working together! So, you want to try and give your partner something to reply to or work with in every reply you give them!

Basic example: If someone makes you a starter that’s like “What are you doing?” and you reply with “Homework, I need to focus so leave me alone.” then you aren’t giving them anything to reply to! Then their only choice is to let your character focus and end the interaction. Instead, you could reply with “Homework, can you help?” Similarly, you’re supposed to build off of each other; add something new to each reply, not get stuck in an endless loop of just reacting to what they said without giving them something to react to.And if someone asks you for a roleplay starter, make sure whatever you write for them is something that will be easy to continue for a long time! If you write a starter that’s just “Get out of my way.”, that doesn’t give them a lot to reply to, you know?

On desktop, it’s important to trim posts. That means deleting your last reply, so that the thread doesn’t take too long for other people to scroll past or scroll through. If you have the new xkit extension, then you can make the post editable there, and cut out your last reply. If not, or if you’re on mobile, you can delete all replies, and either copy and paste their last reply in or just leave it out.

You only control your character, so stick to writing your character! Don’t try to control your partner’s character; never write into your thread what the other person’s character is doing, unless it’s something THEY said they were doing already. Also, try not to force their character into something they didn’t agree with. “Character A punches Character B, knocking Character B off of their feet.” is rude to write into your reply, because it takes control away from the person who writes Character B, and doesn’t give them the option to dodge or decide how they take the punch!

Try and set up a rules page; a lot of people won’t follow if you don’t have a rules page. It’s important so you can make it clear what you are and aren’t comfortable writing, and what you are and aren’t comfortable with seeing from your partners.

If you write a canon character, you may not need an about page although it can be helpful, but if you write your own original character you definitely need to have some basics so people know what your character is like and how their character might meet them and what to expect from your character!

Using icons: People use images in their thread to show what their character is feeling! They don’t just use random images of their character, they use icons! This means that the images are supposed to always be the same shape and size. The default size is 100px by 100px, but some people go smaller or use a different shape. My icons are always 80px x 80px. I have a friend whose icons are always 66px x 66px. It’s easy to edit, trim, and resize images down with sites like online-image-editor.com, pixlr.com/editor, and photopea.com, and pixlr even has an express editor app that makes it VERY easy to edit, crop, and resize icons from mobile if you don’t RP from desktop! The key is consistency, your images don’t have to be the same size and shape as everyone else’s, but each of your own images SHOULD match each other!

If you play a canon character, don’t get shy because someone else plays that character! We call two people who play the same muse “duplicates”, and duplicates aren’t in competition! If someone RPs with one of your duplicates, that doesn’t mean they won’t be just as happy to write with you! The only exception is if they say they’re exclusives with that duplicate.

Formatting: lots of people use formatting in their posts! What constitutes formatting is small text, subscript text, superscript text, italics, bold text, and indents. Indents are just done by hitting space multiple times at the beginning of a paragraph. Small text can be done on desktop by hitting “ctrl + shift + -”, and subscript and superscript can be done by hitting “ctrl + ,” and “ctrl + .”.  You can achieve these effects on mobile if you’re willing to go to the extra effort by putting it in html tags (you can google html tags for each of those things easily!). People mess with all this stuff just to make replies look to their own personal taste.

This got really longwinded and complicated and I lost track of where I was going with it in places but I tried to cover most of the basics of things that I think about whenever I RP! I hope it wasn’t too hard to follow!

[ryuukia]

[Translation] Tsukino Empire - The Third Fleet「Seiryou」

I’m in the middle of my post-graduation exams, so I’m slow with translating. Here’s the third fleet, including both SOARA and Growth.

Special thanks to @clearui and @ryota-kunstranslations for proofreading (I can’t tsukipro to save my life so I needed additional help this time)

If this is your first time reading about Tsukino Empire, you might want to read the stage play plot (especially about the collective affinity)

Profiles under the cut, don’t repost my translations!

07. SOARA - Ohara Sora & Arihara Morihito

Ohara Sora

Cast comment

Hello! I’m Ohara Sora! SOARA's composer, guitarist, and vocalist!

Lives are fun and great, and I love them, but this is my first time in a stage play, so I’m a bit nervous (sweats). Everybody from SOARA has been set in the same fleet as me though, so I am happy to do my best with them all. I will work hard with all my heart and power. ＼＼\┗(' ω ')┛//／／

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) ※Commandant ① Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou1 and ryuu2 type) ※First rank (Main ring ①) 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

An individual with similar attribute values who picked up a ring by chance while coming back from school. Certain that the ring was The First Rank’s Seiryuu, he coincidentally shared it through collective affinity. In a sense, he has become a legendary person.

Seiryuu, known as the most friendly type between the First Rank spirit beasts, says “Although messing around with everyone was fun, it was tiresome to do the compatibility exams carefully on each of them, so I ended up searching for hosts who looked fun”. ※Among [them], the First Ranks are similar to phantoms due to being able to use the space-time gate even in ring forms and without resistance.

He’s innocent, but even so he’s quick-witted. Although in general he follows others’ suggestions exclusively rather than coming up with his own ideas, however, in critical situations, his bold ideas and tactics during confrontations are acknowledged to be superior even by the First Fleet’s Hajime.

Ryuu-san’s type is “For now, let's just go and bam~!”

T/N:  青龍 (seiryou)1 = The Blue Dragon 龍 型 (ryuu kata)2 = dragon type

Arihara Morihito

Cast comment

Hello, I am Arihara Morihito. I think this might be the first time you're meeting me but I play a lot of enjoyable songs with my unit, SOARA. The Tsukino Empire story is our first job unrelated to SOARA’s songs but…… I'm already overwhelmed by the fascinating world setting. SOARA, together with Growth, who debuted at the same time with us, will do our best!

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

One of the people who participated in the collective affinity. He’s calm, smart, and has an exceeding ability to grasp the situation, so, in short, he's the type born to be part of the military staff. As his attitude is also gentle, he’s popular.

With a father who is an instructor in the military academy and also a host, Morihito was glad to become a host too. However, he didn't expect it to be the friendliest type…...

He is the group’s peacemaker, and even though he would like a different role from how he usually is, there are times when he goes easy on the others (example: Sora & Nozomu), something which Soshi tends to make fun of.

Ryuu-san’s type is “First of all, grasp the opponent and the situation carefully. That’s the most important thing.”

08. SOARA - Kagurazaka Soshi & Munakata Ren

Kagurazaka Soshi

Cast comment

I’m Kagurazaka Soshi, who’s been randomly told that the military uniform suits me. Hello.

Today I welcome you to the Empire stage play. Putting music aside, I’ve just started to learn about acting. The five of us who don’t have real abilities nor popularity at all got to stand on such a large stage. In order not to let the chance go to waste and make everyone remember our names, we will give the best we can.

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

Albeit being the same age and being childhood friends with Sora, he's always had a calm personality to balance with Sora's recklessness. Even though he says it’s troublesome, he’s very good at taking care of others, which made him gain the trust of many mothers from the neighbourhood. He was asked many times to look after the children.

In the military academy he was on good terms with Iku and got along with Rui too.

His father is the chief engineer in the Sixth Fleet and his mother fills the lawyer position in the regional legal affairs bureau​. Soshi thought that eventually he’d become a soldier, but becoming a host was an unexpected turn of situation.

Lately, he’s been really into strolling around with Ryuu-san.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Good grief, don’t force yourself”

Munakata Ren

Cast comment

Hello, I’m SOARA’s Munakata Ren. I’ve watched stage plays with my mother who loves dramas ever since I was little, though I never thought I would stand in one myself. I am a bit nervous, but I will do my very best. I hope I can bring everyone to the Empire world…… just like how I used to experience, a long time ago.

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

His parents are biologists and researchers working for the UMA Research Bureau. He intended to take on the researcher position as well, but after being persuaded by Seiryou he became a host, too. He’s aware that his personality is unsuitable for combat, but if assistance is needed in his surroundings, in some way or another he ends up participating.

He’s calm, kind and delicate by nature. When he became a host, he slept for an entire week, and during that time it looks like he became friends with Ryuu-san. Now, even among the members, he’s one of the best when it’s about precision.

Since he is very polite, he speaks very formally to his superiors. However, because he was taken care of by Soshi a long time ago, Ren sometimes refers to him as "Sou-nii" with a very pleasant smile on his face.

Ryuu-san’s type is “I will give my utmost effort.”

09. SOARA - Nanase Nozomu

Nanase Nozomu

Cast comment

Nanase Nozomu-kun, bring it on the Empire Stage~!! With this we’re suddenly advancing in the universe on our first stage appearance! My character is basically pretty ordinary & during the comedy parts, he’s in charge of making things lively! With this spirit beast, thanks to his personality and his noisy attitude, he can make even his superiors go along with him. He'll prove that he can make everyone laugh. We might even go in the audience and interact! When that time comes, let’s laugh together!

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

He’s a bright, cheerful, and foolish. Always lively, happy and energetic!  Although he doesn’t plan on reading the mood in particular, he’s a good guy and seems to naturally get along with Ren, who is calm.

He can easily get along with almost everyone and treat them normally, even toward Hajime, Shun, Shiki, and Dai. However, it seems there are no problems from the other party since they seem to be enjoying it.

Originally from a family which had a large scale business in the republic, it looks like he managed to escape in the Empire during the republic destruction. His household is now quite the common middle class family. His parents work in the private division and his older brother (※who is not a host) works for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When the two of them are together, they are very nois-... … lively.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Let's do it let's do it let's do it let's do it”

10. Growth - Eto Koki & Yaegashi Kensuke

Eto Koki

Cast comment

Hello, I’m Growth’s Eto Koki. Welcome, to Tsukino Empire. A magnificent story will unfold in a distant side of the Universe…. A dream will spread out. The story’s genre is my personal favourite too, so I want to perform with all my might. Sometimes in stage plays, we're given adlibs that are not part of the main script. Being able to portray that as well as the scripted parts is also part of my objectives.

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) ※Commandant ② Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank (Main ring ②) 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

He’s part of a noble household, with a mother who is a member of the Supreme Council and a father who is a high official.

He can be clueless at times, but he has been taught to do anything by himself as much as possible, and in addition, he is very capable in housework. Especially in cooking, he seems to be receiving requests from people around him, even though the person himself thinks that it’s a good change of pace.

Kensuke and Ryota are his childhood friends. Belonging to the upper class, they were born and lived in the same district.

He met SOARA and the others in the military academy. With music as their common hobby, while at it, he was actually hooked by Seiryuu.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Don’t push yourself, let’s take steady yet effective steps forward”

Yaegashi Kensuke

Cast comment

Hello! I’m Yaegashi Kensuke, Ken here! In collaboration with our companions and the Gravi members, we’re going to follow this story from the same positions as everyone in the audience. The setting and world view reveal a quite heavy story, but no matter when I’ll always smile ♪ I will persevere without giving up on hope, so let's go through this together until the end!

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

Although he’s the son of a good family, he’s very friendly, cheerful, sociable and can get along with anyone. There are times when he can’t read the situation, though even then he’s fun.

His specialty lies in his instinct, so it will either lead to safety from problem or probably to danger.  Because his curiosity is strong, he comes in contact with the mysteries around the story’s heart and, without realizing, is drawn towards it.

He’s the Third Fleet’s operator. Occasionally, the sight of him handling information seems to be very manly. He doesn’t think hard & has a positive attitude, which can be someone’s hope in a way.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Let’s go smiling!”

11. Growth - Sakuraba Ryota & Fujimura Mamoru

Sakuraba Ryota

Cast comment

This stage play’s curtain finally opens. I want to thank everybody who came to the theatre. I’m Growth’s Sakuraba Ryota. I have worn military uniform costumes several times until now, but this is actually the first time that I will do that in a military stage play, I feel like I stretched my muscles more than before. I will do my very best, so please take care of me.

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

Despite his delicate appearance, he’s a cool junior with a realistic point of view whose parents are both high officials. He’s very smart, excellent in making strategies and he’s the one supporting the Third Fleet with his diplomatic skills.

Since he had not kept animals so far and also because he did not interact with the organization too much, it looks like he kept some distance between him and his spirit beast, Ryuu-san, for a while. After he recognized himself that it quite resembles him, it seems they started to get along and became good pals.

Not just that, actually Ryouta’s Ryuu-san deals with machinery, which is negotiating with outsiders through devices. Unlike Seiryuu who loves to fool around, it actually works its job properly.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Well now, shall we make some negotiations?”

Fujimura Mamoru

Cast comment

Finally! I finally got to work! … that’s not it (laughs). Who would have known that as a consequence for changing my job, I’d enter the show business world, make my debut and overall reach splendid accomplishments. I’m Growth’s Fujimura Mamoru. Besides composing and singing, this is the first time our work includes a stage play. Just about everything is new and exhausting, we’re in a pretty difficult situation, but we will give our best in practising more than …… no, twice, even three times more than the others. Enjoy yourselves by all means, okay?

Story data

Affiliation: Third Fleet (Ao) Spirit beast: Ryuu-san (Seiryou and ryuu type) ※First rank 【STR】★★★★★★★ 【VIT】★★★★★★☆ 【DEX】★★★★★★☆ 【INT】★★★★★☆☆ 【HP】★★★★★★★ 【MOFU】★★☆☆☆☆☆

A junior who came from an orphanage without any relative, and who enrolled in the Classified Intelligence Bureau, just like You. It seems like he tends to act giddy whenever he observes the higher-ups when they talk or even when he enters the research laboratory.

He joined The Third Fleet and became Seiryuu’s host after Kou picked him up when he got injured. As a result, he seems to feel in debt particularly to Kou.

He is laid back and cheerful by nature, so each member of The Third Fleet are having fun while playing around with him.

Ryuu-san’s type is “Narrow places are calming”

Tsukino Empire Plot | Six Gravity | Procellarum | SOARA | Growth | SolidS