#his coat is from p4s!!!! i did it!!!!!!

[dovalore]

simple diagram of my wol and his carbuncle

also some updated info on him since a lot has changed since the last time i talked about his lore

he's at least half viera and has like, 8 other siblings who are also at least half viera

the scar going across the bridge of his nose was from a wound he sustained during That One Fight in stormblood

not pictured are his little fangs he likes to bite specific people with

dovae's tail is so long and fluffy he curls it into a swirl behind him when he's not active. it uncurls when he's in battle or otherwise particularly active

he's incredibly meticulous when it comes to his physical appearance, he prides himself on being well-groomed. especially his tail, he enchanted a brush specifically to help him keep it free of matting

brick is still brick, absolutely nothing has changed about him except his power level, which has only increased

[tastesousweet]

⭒ the girl with the tattoo (xi) - pt 1 pt 2 p3 p4 p5 p6 p7 p8 p9 p10

matt sturniolo x fem!oc / reader

summary : a birthday, a bracelet, and brash decisions

warnings : angst(ish), fluffy, mentions of alcohol and weed, sort of proofread

mickey speaks : if you need a refresher on this series here's a little recap here; otherwise i hope you all enjoyyyyy!!!!

THIS IS PART ELEVEN, U SHOULD KNOW TO READ THE OTHERS FIRST BY NOW...

your rekindling with matt has become far from friendly very quickly.

after your fruitful trip to santa monica you were quickly back to regularly texting (and eventually touching) each other.

it's hard to forget the sight of matt, hair tussled after removing his hood and eyes distracted by your appeal as he breathlessly asked you to kiss him only a few weeks ago in the dark movie theater.

your eyes widened as you turned to face him and smirk through your mouthful of popcorn slowly, "what?" you whispered.

"want you to kiss me. please." his body language was so obviously frustrated by the distance that damn arm rest had put between you two. and frustrated by his crave for your taste ever since the pier.

your tongue began to poke into the back of your mouth to fight a kernel out of your hard molars, "matt- there's like people everywhere..." you'd lift yourself forward to glance around at the many heads facing the screen in front of you.

matt reached for your hand, bringing you back to him, "hey," he pressed a kiss to your knuckles, "they won't mind... s'not like i'm gonna start moanin' and shit."

your smile grew and before you sunk any deeper into the seat you were reaching to meet his lips for a swift chaste kiss. just as you pulled away matt was quick to take hold of your neck and whisper "the fuck was that? give me a proper kiss, c'mon sunny" against your pursed lips.

and you did; you kissed him hard because you too had been holding back a yearn for this ever since the pier. you kissed him to tell him everything he'd been making you feel. with these flirty ass friendship dates he'd been taking you on- only he'd still be quick to defend them as nothing serious or more than friends.

but how could he when he's the one interrupting your friendship time for a kiss with chemistry that could never be twisted into some platonic bullshit?

it seems you're a full, hot air balloon and he's just far too scared of the heights you'll take him. unsure of giving up his own control for the rewarding views you'd share with him.

your heads bobbed as your faces moved as one. your eyes remained pinched shut when he finally backed away and wiped the corner of your full lips softly. "mmm, thanks," he'd breathe and peek his tongue out over his lips.

"thanks," you'd mock and giggle as you push his face away from you, taking a sip of your cherry red slushy to coat his addictive taste with a sugary sweetness on your tongue.

since that moment shared in the dark, there were plenty of secret kisses and heated fuckings whenever you'd both get the time alone. there was no trivial conversation to establish what exactly you both would be reengaging as; no points made about exclusivity, no confession of adoration, no signs of steadiness.

but you think matt makes up for this with the way he's been treating you. his shell gone a little soft and his demeanor all the more trusting.

you both avoid the erin thing. except for when you innocently sneak her name into your conversations just to see how his face may change or his lips may twitch, hiding a small smirk- but your intentions are never questioned by matt. and you can't tell if that's his way of communicating that erin is no longer on his radar or him allowing you settle in your ignorance. both options would drive you crazy if you're honest.

it took some self reflecting and ranting voice memos recorded alone in your car for you to forgive erin- you knew she did nothing truly unforgivable to you, but her comment calling you a bitch was the perfect catalyst for your resentment.

you wanted to use something as petty as that to cut her off- knowing you and matt were on speaking terms again and if you'd gotten with him officially, in some convoluted and fucked up way, you would escape any violation of a girl-code principle.

except you both are too good of friends to fall out due to something so silly (and you were completely delusional to think you could handle the thought of someone being mad at you that intensely). erin had texted you almost a week after the exchange, claiming to have missed you and wanting to meet for lunch.

luckily she didn't bring matt up, you'd probably spill your water all over your shirt and blow your cover completely. instead you both apologized and held a long conversation of catch up, interrupted by bites of tacos and scoops of salsa.

౨ৎ

you should have known andrea was dead serious when she’d told you that she’d make you a frozen strawberry margarita (her at-home specialty) as soon as the clock struck twelve on your birthday.

you both had a ball, drinking two margaritas in the span of an hour and dancing together in the kitchen while “in da club” by 50 cent plays repeatedly.

and you’d never have expected to be interrupted with a text from matt that you read while slurping the last of your drink:

MATT - 1:37 AM

Hey come downstairs rq I’m at ur place

Y/N - 1:37 AM

mmkay…….

“drea ill be right back… left something in my car,” your voice is distracted and your eyes are still on your phone as you drift towards your front door and slide into the closest pair of sandals lying by.

“okay? do you want me to come too?! it’s dark out.” she furrows her eyebrows and speaks through chews of strawberry.

MATT - 1:38 AM

So many dots ……. lol

MATT - 1:38 AM

Can you come here quicker 😘

a smile grows when the texts form on your screen, “um no i’ll be fine, it’ll be quick.” you open the door without further conversation, rushing down the first few flights of stairs before walking slowly down the final flight to catch your breath (not wanting matt to think you were in too much of a rush to see him).

your eyes find his figure quickly with the soft warm street lighting hitting him as he perches against the wall of your complex. when he sees you his face exposes a toothy grin as he tucks his phone away.

the closer you get the more giddy you feel. “hi matt,” you greet reaching up to wrap your arms around his neck, connecting your bodies in a gentle hug. matt’s arms hold your waist and he breathes in your hair’s smell of sweet vanilla.

“mmm, hi sunny,” he pulls away first to cradle your face in his left palm, kissing your cheek then your lips. you move a hand to hold his wrist, smiling into the kiss and allowing matt to have a proper taste of the sugary margarita you were just sipping on.

you both pull away when the kiss gets too intense, matt breathes heavily as you wipe your mouth and smile up at him. “why’re you here?”

“well it’s your birthday… wanted to stop by and say hi and shit,” he licks over his teeth before returning a smile to you, he still keeps a hand on your waist running his fingers over your skin.

and his response makes your head spin. because, yes, of course matthew would think something like driving all the way to your house in the middle of the night just to “say hi” on your birthday is casual and would not fuck with a girl’s head. only he could so confidently trick himself (and you) into thinking like that.

he shrugs, looking at your mouth as he moves his thumb over your bottom lip for a second, “and i was already out, you know, your place was on my way home anyway.” there’s the cover up you were searching for. something, anything that he can pull out of his ass to remind you this is nothing romantic in the slightest.

you nod slightly as you adjust the small chain around his neck, his eyes still on you, “what were you possibly out doing this late?” you glance your eyes up to him then back to the necklace, “fucking around with whatever girl put you on to that little kissy-face emoji?”

matt laughs at your accusation, “damn, i’m a slut for using emojis now?!”

“you were a slut before the emojis,” you joke, “matt you’ve never used an emoji when texting me ever and it’s hard to believe you did that without some girl telling you it’s cute.”

matt reaches up to squish your cheeks together and gain your eye contact again, “hey you fuckin’ sunbum, you told me to start using emojis more. remember that? ‘cause they make everything funnier’” he uses air quotes when saying your words back to you.

he laughs when he sees the realization dawn on you, you push his hands away from your face. “okay, yeah that was me… and i stand by that!” you push him away to avoid laughing with him, “well, i guess i'll go back in my house now.” you dramatically sigh and back away.

“oh so you want me to give you your gift tomorrow?”

“gift? oh matt how you spoil me,” you gawk, adding a posh accent along the way.

“mhm, c’mere it’s in my car,” he begins to walk away and you follow. you lean against the car as he opens his door and looks for the present.

eventually matt’s head peeks out, “might be better if you just come in here too.”

“is your gift sex? we both know that’s all that would come from me getting in that car matt…”

matt's eyes get wide at your suggestion and he chuckles a bit as he shuts the door. he then moves to enclose you against his car and kiss you, giving you an out of breath confession throughout: “i like when you’re” kiss, “tipsy and just say” kiss, “like, the most direct shit.” kiss.

“i like it when you come to my house in the middle of the night just to kiss me.”

“mm yeah, i like it when we’re alone and you start talkin’ to me about the most random shit just because,” matt feels so comfortable with you at times like this. when it feels like you two are in your own bubble that cannot be popped.

“i bet you do,” you smile, enjoying his ability to make you giddy. “did you get your hair cut?” you draw your hands through his hair softly.

matt scrunched his face the slightest bit, “like, the tiniest trim. that’s crazy you noticed though.”

“it looks nice.”

“thank you.”

“can i have my gift now?”

matt’s immediately scrambling to grab the gift from his pocket. he presents it to you, placing the small box in your hand.

“oh god, what the fuck did you get me?” you pull the top off and see a bracelet lying on top of a layer of black foam.

“it’s an italian charm bracelet,” he watches you glance and feel over the silver bracelet, “fuckin’ sick, huh?”

“thank you,” you turn it over and your stomach falls sick at the sight of a frank ocean lyric engraved into the metal: i been thinking bout you.

matt continues to talk as you process, “yeah, and we can try to find more charms for some of the empty slots.”

you nod and ask him to put it on you. once it clasps he looks to you, “do you like it?”

“yeah, of course i do. thank you so much matt,” you try not to get emotional about it, instead distracting the both of you with a kiss that lasts for far too long matt pulls back with your hands still holding his face not too far from your own. “hi," you prompt him to say something rather than just look into your eyes.

he smiles, "hi. i gotta get home soon. it’s past my bed time and you know i live with two patrol dogs- probably barking in my phone right now.”

you laugh softly, “yeah, i know. i need to go to sleep too, andrea’s probably sending out missing persons reports. but i'll see you at my dinner tomorrow night, right?”

“yes ma’am.”

“perfect,” you hug him once more before you both unravel from each other. you watch as he gets into his car and when you walk away he starts signaling you to come back by flashing his bright headlights then waving you over.

he rolls his window down and you lean against it, “forgot to say ‘goodnight’ to the pretty birthday girl,” he whispers to you making you roll your eyes with a laugh.

“goodnight matt,” you reciprocate, trying not to turn into mush with how his eyes are admiring your entire face so unapologetically.

“and one more kiss for the road?”

you agree with a nod and allow him to peck you one last time, "m'kay bye matt, be good!"

౨ৎ

you shut your front door slowly and turn around to see andrea giggling, sipping another margarita as she plays with your car keys.

“you made another marg without me?” you call out.

“i had all the time in the world up here might as well,” she continues to sip and spin your keys.

“mmm, yeah ‘m sorry i took so long,” you begin to look through your fridge for any snacks when it clicks for you.

“that’s okay,” she picks up her straw and sucks some of her drink from the bottom of the straw, “i’m sure it was hard to find what ever you left without your keys.”

your change in demenor gives away everything.

“so were you just never gonna tell me you’re with matt?”

you turn around and she stops spinning the keys around her finger abruptly. “drea…”

she laughs, “no, no it’s fine. i mean, i definitely thought we told each other everything but- how long have you two been together?”

you move closer to her spot on the couch, “we’re not together.”

her eyes about fall out of her skull, “what the fuck do you mean you’re not together?! that makes it worse! if what i saw said anything it was you two are the most together ‘not together’ people i’ve ever met.”

“what all did you see?” you throw your head into a pillow on the couch.

“well when i realized you left your keys i went downstairs to bring you them but then i’m down there and immediately see you two kissing and holding onto each other like he’d just been at war for years-”

you visibly cringe and andrea shakes her head, “no i think it’s cute. i was just shocked, thinking i was imagining shit. i had to just turn around and come back up here. i hope you’re proud you know it’s hard for me to hold my tongue, i was ready to fucking scream.”

you hold the pillow your face was resting on, “i’m so proud of you.”

“… so i need some context please.” she offers you a sip of her drink.

you take a large sip from the straw before responding, "we just y'know... fuck around. he's very sure that there's nothing serious between us so. yeah."

"i'm sorry what? he told you that? and you, the most lovable bitch i know, are okay with that shit?!"

you reach for her drink and sip some more as she speaks and nodding your head along, "yes, unfortunately. but i'm, like, fine. i know i can't change him and if i can only have him like this then i'll take what i can get." andrea looks a little lost and baffled by your words. as if you'd just spoke an entirely different language.

"dre i know i sound desperate and stupid as fuck but i think that's exactly what i am at this point..."

she silently moves closer to you, wrapping her arms around you for a tight hug, "y/n you're so smart, just blinded right now by an idiot man of a crush. i can't believe you hid all of this- you haven't even spoke kindly about this man since like april. rem and i thought his mega ego turned you off his ass."

you giggle through another sip and begin to shake your head slowly, "nope... his evilness reeled me in and got me bad."

andrea laughs, "clearly you horny bitch! wow, you've held out on me so much- i need to know details."

you nod and begin to pull yourslef from the couch, heading over to the kitchen, "i'm gonna need us to start blending more drinks to get through all this shit."

౨ৎ

"hey, yeah, we're here with the party?" matt inquires to the host, lifting the small giftbag as if he needed to provide proof.

"great, they should be right down the hall and out in the patio section."

"thanks," matt dryly replies, walking towards chris and tugging his shoulder. "'s this way."

chris follows matt with a nod and his hands shoved into the pockets of his jean shorts. his face brightens immediately when approaching the full table, "hey guys what's up?!" as everyone welcomes them to he stops by andrea's seat, wrapping an arm around her lovingly and asking her how she's been. he seals their interaction with a forehead kiss before moving on to the chair next to her and greeting you with a 'happy birthday' and soft shoulder squeeze.

"what took you guys so long?" remi asks.

"i would give details but already we had a whole debacle during the car ride and matt's still a little sensitive about it," chris snickers while he takes a seat next to matt, giving him a lighthearted clap on the back.

matt begins to sarcastically laugh to himself, "alright chill out bud."

"hey, it's probably best if you both just shut the fuck up and eat some of this pasta i got. here." nick suggests, moving his plate of scraps between them.

౨ৎ

your dinner was as perfect as it could be.

you enjoyed your food quite a bit and having your friends all together is always something you cherish. you were happy to have gotten to speak with everyone in attendance even if your gaze continued to make its way back to matt, who was usually looking at you as well.

after experiencing the full restaurant staff's loud birthday chant (which only you, andrea, and remi seemed to enjoy and sing along with), you all made your way back to your shared apartment to eventually end the night.

the apartment is loud. music screaming out of speakers and voices speaking over each other. and amongst all of the ruckus andrea sends you on a mission to gather guests orders (she's taken it upon herself to play bartender for the night).

"nickk," you string out the syllables in his name as you practically lie on top of him when squeezing yourself onto his beanbag.

"y/nn" he returns the tone of voice.

"what do you wanna drink?" you click your purple glitter pen with enthusiasm and flip onto a random page in an abandoned notebook you'd just found in your closet.

"hhmmm," he rubs over his chin and pinches his eyes, "let me get your specialty- as long as its sweet. you know i hate hate hate that bitter shit!"

"yes diva, i will get you something so sweet and soooo special, don't you even worry." you write down 'nicky - sweet special'

you approach everyone, making your list of drinks along the way, before eventually nearing matt. he's slouched on the couch, phone in hand while taking long drags from asha's pen.

you place each of your hands on his knees and lean close to ask him what he'd like to drink. he smiles at first and drops his phone on his stomach as he sits up to be at level with you. "i want whatever you've had tonight. how the fuck are you tipsy already?"

you laugh, "it's my birthday, i ask the questions."

"okay but pregaming dinner is crazy," his face crinkles a bit as he laughs.

you roll your lips into your mouth realizing just how close you are to his face and feeling the smallest inkling to crawl onto matt's lap and kiss him right here.

he feels it too. especially with you leaning over him and your tits threatening to spill out of that tight dress. he just lets out a breath and reaches for your notebook and pen next to him, writing his order down for you.

just as he goes to speak again there's a knock against your door.

"y/n can you get that! i hope it's not one of our neighbors..." andrea exclaims while turning down the music.

matt's shocked by how quickly your warm hands leave his legs and you're off to answer the front door. you peer through the peep-hole and laugh, "oh my god, it's lucas!" you unlock and open the door.

"happy fucking birthday!" he pulls you in for a side hug and squeezes the fullest part of your hip as you smile against his chest that smells faintly of weed and warm amber. "what's up girl, how was dinner?" he feathers a small kiss to the top of your head and grins as you begin to overly explain every part of your birthday.

matt thinks lucas showing up to your after party is weird and bizarre as fuck. he never realized you were close with him, because when and why do you have time to talk to some pothead goof like him? and why's he holding onto you so much? and why are you so fucking happy about it?

matt bites at his bottom lip harshly, as he stares. he can only let this go on for so long before he's making his way across the room to redirect you. he and lucas make eye contact first, lucas quips his head, "heyy matt!"

"hey, man." man shortly replies with a fake smile, then looks to you, "you gonna get those drinks for your guests?" he raises the notebook.

your eyes widen, "oh shit- i totally forgot." you pull yourself from lucas to grab the notebook, thanking matt before suggesting lucas follow you so that he can get a drink and put the bottle of tequila he brought in the freezer.

matt internally twitches his eyes, but externally tightens his lips and walks away from the abandoned spot.

౨ৎ

with everyone two shots and two drinks drunker, the karaoke machine is put to use; you and andrea are now sexy dancing in the living room as asha sings a rendition "london bridge" by fergie.

nick of course sings adlibs and absolutely hollers whenever one of you drop yourselves low enough. its a miracle you haven't received a noise complaint yet.

as for matt, he's decided to play into erin's interest due to his lack of entertainment from you. he's looking deeply in her eyes, playing with her fingers, glancing down at her lips. you see it all; only you're the type to bitterly down a shot while watching from afar or whisper a sly comment into andrea's ear in the middle of dancing (to which andrea motions her finger into her mouth as if to gag at matt's actions).

you've yet to confront him, instead letting him waste his time with her.

౨ৎ

two hours after everyone agreed to go to bed, you're woken up by a few taps on your shoulder and whispers of your name.

"please- 'm tired..." you whine into your pillow.

you feel a kiss to your shoulder that draws you to at least peek your eye open. and of course matt is there- shaggy hair and shirt left somewhere in your living room.

the soft glow of your yellowed night light hits him enough for you to recognize every part of him, "matt." is all you huff before turning over.

"yeah? hey, can i be in here with you? for a sec" his voice stays at a whisper as he softly begins to move you over, "come on sunny, why y'bein' stubborn?"

you sigh and lift your head up, keeping your eyes shut as you allow your words to come out louder than you mean, "why were you flirtin' with her?!"

"shhhh! you're loud as fuck. stop it." matt's made his way under your comforter and his audacity is pissing your drunk brain off.

you pettily kick at his side and push his chest until he lifts himself up, "ow! what the fuck y/n?"

"matt why are you in here? go to sleep."

"you want me to go?"

"yeah, if you want to be holding up on erin you can go lay with her on that couch, right?"

"that's not what happened but whatever." matt shakes his head slowly and wipes a hand over his face.

"no. it's not 'whatever' matt! you were selfish. it's my fucking birthday i expected at least a little more respect from you- but clearly i'm nothing but a bird bitch to you or something."

"you know that's not how i think of you."

"do i?"

he sits closer to you, "no matter what i'm your friend at the end of the day."

if only he knew that's exactly what you'd hate to hear from him right now, "okay."

"okay."

you hold your head for a few moments before lying down and tugging the comforter over your body once more, "i don't feel like talking about this shit right now, matt. can you just come here and kiss me please?"

he nods silently, moving as close as possible so you both can kiss each other to sleep.

lil insta blurb for this chapter! (you dont need to see this for plot info)

taglist -★

@deadxrx @breeloveschris @saintsturn @honestlybab @starrysturniolo @st7rnioioss @cupidsword @nickmillersn1gf @sturnioloa @tcvazq @novasturniolo03 @sturnsintrouble @sturnrc @wovenribbons @watercolorskyy @imsosillygoofylol @sturnrc @wh0resstuff @peachmels @udonknowmeh12 @solaceinwritings @h3arts4harry @imaslutforwhitemen @lovingregulusblack @sturnsintrouble @rxeae

[ellecdc]

The Drink Snob

mafia!Remus Lupin x fem!reader | 3200 words

p1 // p2 // p3 // p4

CW: mentions of spiked drink (no one drinks it), reference to past spiked drinks, complaining about misogyny, bad reputation of American tourists in the UK (I'm sorry!)

The short of it was: it had been a long day.

The long of it though, by God, was that you really, really needed a drink.

You got to your favourite pub which was only a brisk 7-minute walk from the university; a tiny, hole-in-the-wall Irish pub which probably had several thousand identical pubs lined across the UK but that didn’t matter, dammit, because this one was special – this one was yours. You chuckled at the irony that you had moved half-way across the world to England only to sit yourself in an Irish chain pub that you’d likely be able to find back home a mere 6000 kilometers away.

You relished the feel of the warm air hitting your rosy cheeks after marching your ass down to the pub in the biting wind in naught but a long coat and a scarf. The warm air stung but in all the best ways as you shucked off your outer-layers and plopped down on a stool by the bar, unawares of anyone else within your vicinity other than the bartender promised to serve you your drinks.

“Alright there, Lass? What can I get for ye?” The fellow asked and you could have kissed him right then and there.

“Can I have a negroni and your tallest pint please.” You asked, hoping the desperation in your voice wasn’t noticeable – the fact that the bartender didn’t comment on the odd combination of drinks let you know that is was noticeable. No matter – you were desperate, what did you care?

Turns out you should have cared more.

“I’m sorry but I must tell you, that is an awful combination of drinks.” A lilting voice came from your left side. You groaned audibly and held your hands up to your temples like blinders to avoid even looking at the voice who dared to speak to you after such a day.

“S’pose its good nobody asked you then.” You muttered darkly. You didn’t make a habit of speaking to people this way often – people already spent enough of your time in the UK mistaking you for an American on account of your accent anyway, you needn’t add fuel to the fire by adding to an already bad reputation.

“Please tell me that you’re ordering for a friend. You’ve surely just ordered for someone who’s meeting you here?”

You knew better – you really did. You don’t let strange men in bars know that you’re alone; make them believe someone could show up to save you at any minute. But dammit, you’ve been fending off jackasses all day – what’s one more?

“Apparently, I live to disappoint men, sir, so no – both drinks are for me. Is that quite alright with you? I didn’t realize I had to pass this decision by the board.” You spat, finally turning your what you were sure was a burning gaze to this mystery guy on a stool to your left.

You hesitated in your ire for a moment: the man was quite a bit larger than you had pictured in your mind – not large in a particularly broad way but the man seemed to be excruciatingly tall; he sat basically spilling off his stool, while still managing to look elegant in doing so. He was dressed sharply but not in a way that made him stand out – respectable but forgettable, he blended into this bar well. Or he would if he hadn’t been so fucking handsome.

He had warm, honey-coloured curls that seemed to artfully fall in front of his face, and eyes to match. You’d never seen amber coloured eyes before, but you couldn’t seem to pull your gaze away from them. You did – by god you did – because the rest of the man was too enticing not too. He had a chunk missing out of his left eyebrow which was arched mischievously at what you assumed was your attitude with him, and his crooked smirk matched. He had a few scars littering his face – most were small, but there was one large one that crossed the bridge of his nose, and another nick on the right of his upper lip that may have continued onto his lower, but you didn’t want to get caught staring at his mouth. And of course, of-fucking-course he’d have a dimple. Why wouldn’t he? Could this day get any worse.

“What was the thought process, then?” He asked, his smirk growing deeper.

“What?” You guffawed. He couldn’t seriously be doing this; people didn’t do this, right?

He gestured between the two drinks sat in front of you with his own – a rum and coke if you guessed correctly. “Why those drinks, specifically? They don’t exactly pair well together.”  

You stared dumbly at this hot, audacious man. You hoped he’d decide you weren't worth the breath and move along. He only stared back at you.

“There wasn’t any.”

“Hm?” He queried.

“There wasn’t any. Thought process, I mean.” You muttered, taking a sip of the negroni. “I like both drinks – usually separately, but I’ve been dreaming about getting my ass down here since practically 9:30 this morning and I couldn’t choose which I wanted first and I knew that I planned on getting at least a little bit tipsy in order to pretend I didn’t have a completely mind-fucking day so I thought ‘fuck it, I’ll order both’ and I thought since it was no one’s business but my own what I put into my body that I could get away with it but clearly, I was wrong.” You felt winded after your mini rant as you looked back at the man. He seemed genuinely entertained at your story, though his eyes grew a bit softer.

“Thinking of drinking at 9:30 am, hm?” He pondered out loud. “You know, that’s usually the sign of a problem; one might call it alcoholism.”

You barked a laugh. “Yeah, you call it alcoholism, I call it Gilderoy Lockhart.”

“Ah, so boy-problems then, is it?” He asked in a laugh.

You shot him a warning look. “It is not like that.”

“I didn’t mean to offend.” He offered with his hands in the air in mock surrender. “Tell me what it’s like then.”

You sighed dramatically. “It’s really not that big of a deal, I’m just mad about stuff at school.”

“Ah, you’re a student, then?”

“PhD candidate, but technically, yes.” You offered, downing the rest of the negroni.

“Very neat. What’s your focus?” He asked again as you began sipping on your pint, trying not to grimace at the change in drink. You're sure you failed.

“Music.”

“Hm, I didn’t know one could get a PhD in music.” He queried.

“Music theory, but yeah.” You offered, moving your drink back and forth between your hands.

“And that brought you here? To England? Why not stay in Canada – if that’s where you’re from, pardon my assumption.” He quickly apologized.

You smirked at his correct assumption – thankful that you didn’t come off ‘too American’ today.

“She goes wherever the wind takes her.”

Your statement was met with silence, so you turned to see the man had frozen in his movements and stared at you incredulously.

“Are-are you quoting Disney movies to me?”

“So, you did get the reference.”

“I did, I just fail to see how Pocahontas relates to a PhD program in England on music theory.” He mutters, looking up at you from the rim of his drink.

“I finished my Masters, then the wind changed.” You offered with a shrug, “It brought me here.”

He seemed to study you for a few moments before coming to the conclusion that you weren't going to elaborate further. “And what does this Gabriel fellow have to do with the winds of musical theory?”

You snorted indelicately. “Nothing. He just, I don’t know, it sounds stupid now that I try to say it out loud.”

“None of that, now.” The man said gently with the same smirk on his face, “a smart girl like you doesn’t strike me as the type to overreact to male foolishness.”

He seemed honestly interested in your answer, at least, the most interested anyone has ever seemed in your ramblings about your toe headed fellow PhD’er. You tried facetime’ing your friends from home about him many-a-times before, and they listen but they don't get it. And your schedules don’t align and with the time-difference one of you is always either just waking up or going to bed. But this random, handsome guy in your bar making fun of your drinks has done nothing but listen so far and you really wanted to get it off your chest.

So, you did.

You told him how your morning started terribly as you ripped a hole in your stockings and only noticed once you got to campus and you usually don’t dress this formally to campus, but you were guest lecturing for Minerva and you know professors didn’t technically have a dress code, but she always looked well put together so, dammit, so were you. You explained that your mother always was the superstitious type and had you carry an emergency pair on you at all times, so you were thankfully able to change, but only after you spilled coffee on your blazer and had to shrug that off for the day and the lecture halls are ridiculously cold always; you know these stone buildings were built before electricity but surely with the great minds this school has churned out, they could find a way to keep the warm air in and cold drafts out?

And if all that hadn’t been bad enough, the other PhD candidate working under McGonagall is this absolute bell-end that you're almost positive has plagiarized half of his written work because everything he spews is absolute nonsense. He’s rude, and condescending, and spoke over you throughout all of your lectures to wax poetic about different Opera’s he’s performed in across the world - that you swear to God you will fact-check one of these days - that had absolutely nothing to do with the course content. And then, and then, he had the audacity to suggest you were only here because the school was required to accept a minimum number of foreign students and since you were, quote, just a woman, you also checked off their minority requirements too.

“People don’t get accepted here because of their nationality or their gender or their status as a minority. They’re supposed to get here because they’re good.” You muttered, finishing your pint you hadn’t realized you had guzzled during your rant

“And how’d Gavin get in, then?” He asked. You choked on the last of your beer.

“Fucked if I know.” You sighed.

A few more pints were placed in front of you as you continued to rant about the ins and outs of being a scholar in the world of music [for Christ’s sake, what was I thinking? I’ll never work a day in my life.] The man interrupting only to say that switching back to liquor would be a choice you would regret in the morning, and who were you to argue?

And he listened. He scoffed at some parts when you quoted Gilderoy suggesting something ridiculously altruistic that he’d done for the less fortunate while being nothing but condescending, he sprinkled in a few you’re kidding me’s, and even asked you to repeat something he couldn’t fathom the first time.

“See? I knew it. A smart girl like you wouldn’t overreact like that. Sounds like you’re perfectly justified in your ire.” He said.

You hummed as you finished your last pint. You felt thoroughly warm and heavy which was your intention of coming to the pub in the first place. You looked over to notice that the man – whose name you still hadn’t got – was still holding the same drink he had when you first arrived.

“Who are you here waiting for, then?” You asked him.

He looked confused for a moment. “How do you know I wasn’t just in desperate need of a drink myself?”

You nodded toward his still half-full cup in his hand. “Because you really haven’t been drinking.”

He narrowed his eyes and smirked at you. “Observant, aren’t you? Clever girl.” You rolled your eyes at the compliment.

“I was supposed to meet a business associate, actually.” He offered as he looked behind you towards the bar door. You turned to take in the rest of the bar yourself; it didn’t seem like the sort of place one would meet a business associate. The bar was dimly lit and somewhat claustrophobic; it didn’t offer a lot of privacy to talk business. You liked it because it was small - you’d be able to see everyone who was currently in the building with one sweep of your gaze save those who may be in the washrooms, and you could see out onto the street from your seat at the bar.

“I think it might be safe to say they stood you up.” You offered with a smirk as you turned to look back at him, only to find him already looking at you.

“I think you might be right.” He offered, looking you up and down.

You couldn’t help but admit he was quite attractive – and not just in his honey-blond curls and mischievous smirk and long limbs way, but he seemed clever, smart, and clearly he was a good listener. You sort of hoped he’d offer you his name, maybe even his number. You wouldn’t mind waiting around for a business associate of his with him again sometime.

You had no such luck.

He began to stand with an expression that bordered regret crossing his face.

“It appears I must be off.” He offered with a sad smirk as he placed some bills down on the table. You weren't quite familiar with the bills in the UK yet, but it seemed like an awful lot of money for the one drink he had at the bar that was still unfinished. You took notice of said drink as you came to this conclusion and got a weird feeling in your gut as he took the drink by the rim and brought it to his lips.

“Wait!” You said as you grabbed his arm. He tensed immediately and you pulled your hand away as if it burned. “I’m sorry. Just, is that the same drink you had when I first arrived?”

He looked from the drink back to me with furrowed brows. “Yes, why?”

You pointed to the drink he still held in his hand. “It’s old.”

He smirked. “Are you a drink snob, miss orders-two-incompatable-drinks-together-and-drinks-them-at-the-same-time?” You rolled your eyes and snatched the drink out of his hand as he brought it to his lips once again, which earned you an indignant ‘oi!’

“No, you berk, what I mean is, this drink is old. It’s warm to the touch, the ice has all melted and it should be as flat as a board but it’s bubbling, like, a lot.” You said as you held it in front of his eyes. He watched you for a few moments before you continued.

“It looks like someone put something in it.”

His gaze shot back to his drink where, sure enough, his should-be-flat diet coke was fizzing wildly as it began to turn a slightly murky shade.

You watched as he gently plucked the drink from your hand and casually put it back down on the bar and shrugged on his jacket.

“It appears you’re right.” He said in monotone. “Looks like we both ought to take our leave, hm?”

You nodded and followed suit; replacing your jacket and scarf you had ripped off unceremoniously as you had entered and headed for the door. The alcohol made you wobble for but a moment, but you were quickly righted by a gentle hand pressed to your lower back. Mortified, you put your best foot forward and marched out the door, hoping your embarrassment wasn't to evident in your cheeks.

You had to admit, you were beginning to panic. Why were you trusting this man? You had spent the last – you checked your watch – nearly two hours talking to this man whose name you still don’t know completely unaware of what was happening around you, and it turned out that there was someone here drugging drinks.

What if it’s him? An unhelpful part of your brain supplied. Why would he spike his own drink and then almost drink it? You argued back.

“You should be more careful.” You offered in what you had hoped to be a playful manner, but it came out strained. “Do you know of any reason why someone may want to spike your drink?”

He seemed to consider your question as you both walked somewhat briskly down the busy street to the subway station.

“No reason that would be suitable to share in the presence of a lady, I’m afraid.” He offered with a wink, leaning down slightly with his hands in his pocket. This answer didn’t make you feel any better.

“Any particular reason why you’re familiar with the signs of a spiked drink?” He offered back.

“I have a feeling most girls would be able to answer that.”

“Hm, perhaps. But I do not believe all would be as quick to catch it as you were.”

You didn’t answer him; you decided you had shared more than enough with this stranger tonight, and you were officially feeling all sorts of uncomfortable with the situation. You were mostly uncomfortable with how not uncomfortable you felt. It felt easy, walking with this stranger, as if you’ve been walking down dreary streets of London together for ages and this was just another Tuesday.

He stopped suddenly and flagged a taxi. You scowled at how quickly a cab stopped for him and his long as arms.

“Here, it’s too muggy for such a lady to brave the underground.” He offered as he opened the door. You began to protest, you had a tube pass through school for a reason, but his hand was on your lower back again as he gently led you into the car and closed the door before sticking his head in the window of the front passenger seat and tossing a handful of bills at the driver.

“Anywhere she wants to go.” He said, stepping back to the middle of the sidewalk and waving you off.

Between the alcohol, your nerves and being disarmed by the attractiveness of this man, you simply spouted the address of your flat to the driver and turned your face forward. The whole evening seemed otherworldly – like you were missing a big chunk of information of what happened tonight, even though you could account for every minute of it.

Your suspicions would have been proven correct if you had turned around to see your mystery man again, who was now accompanied by two other similarly dressed men - one with an unruly mop of brown curls and a shorter man with long black hair tied back haphazardly - who began chasing a fourth man in earnest down the street in the opposite direction.

Continue to part two here.

[nightfalltales]

let me make you feel better

parings: p4 jotaro kujo x fm reader

cw: SMUT - size kink + foreplay + fingering + penetration + literally just bathtub sex; dom!jotaro + sub!fm reader; explicit; au where everyone survives aka: eyes of heaven

word count: 2.1k+

summary: after a difficult day at work, you arrived home eager to see your loving family. fortunately, it appears that your husband is home while your daughter is out. how will he take care of you?

author’s note: damn i’ve been gone for a long time and will prob be gone again but oh well, wrote y’all a dilf jotaro smut bc we love dilfs and milfs ;)

smut below (18+) !! MINORS DON’T INTERACT !!

oh boy, you had a rough day of work. your co-worker accidentally spilled their drink on your paperwork, the project from the speedwagon foundation postponed today even when you’re prepared to get that over with, you name it. you drove back home with a headache, you couldn’t deal with this shit right now.

all you wanted to do was to rest after a long day, nothing more. of course, your husband and your daughter are welcome to rest alongside with you-- they are what you need to relax. you were content to just be with them and enjoy their company since they both put a smile on your face.

you park on the driveway, make your way to the door into the home that you, your husband, and your daughter shared, unlock and then shut the door to your living room while exhaling heavily from exhaustion. the first thing you see when you enter the house is your 6’5” husband approaching you with a serious expression on his face, indicating he know you’ve had a bad day and didn’t want to talk about it.

your husband immediately embraces you, giving you little time to greet him. you become calmed by his warmth, and you give it to him in return by encircling him in your arms.

“sorry i came home late..” you sighed.

“mm, no need to apologize.” jotaro replied as he rubbed your back.

he releases his grip on you, helps you remove your coat, and set down your bag. “would you like to join me for dinner?”

“you.. waited for me?”

he nods. crap. you were concerned that he become impatient because you felt like you made him wait so long for you. 

“i’m so sorry, dear. i believe i called you earlier that you could have dinner with jolyne and i’ll come home later to eat the leftovers.” you groan a little in irritation as you scratch your head.

jotaro held your hand and replied, "you did," as if to reassure you not to panic. "but i'm not going to let you eat the leftovers alone. i'm eating with you.”

wow. he actually did waited for you. for that long. 

it’s always the small details that jotaro left for you that makes you fall for him more and more. he’s a private, quiet man that everyone knows. they are unaware that he would express his affection for you whenever you both were alone. whether it would be cuddling you, kissing you, hugging you— you name it. he is your husband after all and since you’re his wife, he feels at ease around you.

you grin as you nod your head. "okay, then let's have dinner together."

he leads you into the kitchen, where dinner was already served. as you observed how organized the dinner table was, you grinned. despite the fact that jotaro was a capable cook, the meal he prepared smelled amazing.

suddenly, you realize there wasn’t enough food for your daughter to eat. “wait, jolyne doesn’t have enough food to eat with us.”

“jolyne already ate.” jotaro said as he grabs more utensils out of the drawer.

“wait really? where is she then?”

“she’s at kakyoin’s house for a sleepover. it’s just the two of us in this house.”

you sighed with relief. thank goodness you remember jolyne and kakyoin got along really well once you introduce her to him and he didn’t hide his smile. they would always enjoy playing games together at his house, even though kakyoin would occasionally win and tease jolyne about it. she would stick her tongue at him and demand for another game so she could win. that thought made you chuckle.

“come on and eat. what’re you standing there for?” jotaro grinned as he heard your chuckle.

you quickly return to reality. “oh right.”

you joined your husband in eating the dinner that he had prepared. you could tell he worked hard to make the dinner delectable since the food was delicious. you wonder how jolyne’s face lit up once she had her first bite of the dinner your husband made. she would most likely exclaim, “daddy, this is really good! mommy would enjoy this!”

though the atmosphere was silent, having your husband there to eat dinner with you was sufficient. the silence didn’t bother you at all. as long as you’re with him, that’s all you cared about.

once you two were finished, you were about to pick your dishes to put them in the sink when jotaro intervenes.

“let me clean the dishes.” jotaro offered as he took your dishes to the sink. oh great. you felt bad for him even more. after he has prepared dinner, you shouldn't let him clean the dishes.

“oh no no jotaro, let me-” he turned his head to look at you with a stern expression, you immediately stopped talking. you reluctantly gathered the remaining dishes for your husband to wash.

as he pumps the soap onto the cleaning sponge, he sighs. “didn’t want to make you wash. you had a rough day and you need rest.”

deep down on what he said, he’s right. he wants you to get some rest so that you can feel better along with him. he knows you well ever since when you first met him.

after washing the dishes, he comes over to you and tugs at your work clothes. “take these off and run a bath.”

“oh yeah.” you cast a downward glance over your work clothes. “i should go take a bath then.”

“i’ll join you.”

“eh? you haven’t took a bath yet?”

“no i haven’t. i want to join you.”

“isn’t that enough trouble for you..?”

you immediately regretted asking that question when a frown formed at his face.

"i waited all evening for you, y/n. i want to be with you, and being with you means taking a bath with you.”

you nodded hesitantly in agreement, mainly because of his demanding demeanor. but then again, perhaps the key to a good rest is a bath with your husband.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

as you enter the bathtub, jotaro assists you and allows your head to rest on his chest. you feel calmed by the warmth of the water and the presence of your husband sitting behind you.

“thank you, dear.” you muttered as you nuzzled his chest. “for making me feel better.”

he mumbled a “hm” as if to say, “you’re welcome”, and then leaned in to kiss you on your forehead.

you smiled as you felt his lips touch your forehead. you turned around to offer him a forehead kiss of your own.

but in this moment, jotaro wanted more. he intended to make you feel better. he didn’t want you to stress over a bad day at work. he wanted to make you think of him and him alone to put you at ease. the sight of you was enough to increase his desire for you.

“dear, you oka-” before you could finish, he leaned down to kiss you on your lips. you squeak in his lips as he grasp your hips to pull him closer to you. god you were adorable, transforming into putty in his arms so effortlessly that he could hold you close.

his tongue entered yours as he kissed you firmly. you felt him tightening his grip on your hips, giving you the impression that he was in control of you.

he releases his hold on you and gives you a lustful gaze. his eyes wanted you to know that he wanted more. more of you.

“jotaro..” you whimper as his mouth drifts along your jaw, leaving open-mouthed kisses and bites until he reaches your earlobe, which he tenderly grabs between his teeth and pulls slightly. the sensitive sensation on your body reached to you. he smirked as he felt you trembling in his arms.

“can i continue?” he asked as he rubbed your back. the need inside of you makes it impossible for you to speak; all you can do is nod. you needed this, you needed him.

he growled and bit your earlobe once again and you jumped at that sensation, letting out a squeak.

“i need to hear you say it.” his scorching breath hitting your sensitive ears. he’s directly speaking against your ear, it’s not fair.

“y-yes..” you push the word out of your mouth, it’s silent and breathless.

“let me make you feel better.” he then kissed your cheek before setting his fingers in place to enter you.

you are seated on his lap with your legs extended to his liking on each side of his. he continues to peck on your earlobes as one of his arms encircle you and hold you to him.

he finds this view breathtaking since he gets to watch your chest move as you trembly breathe in and out. he gets to feel the pressure of your face against his neck and hear the sound of your moans when he touches you.

your eyes widen as he slips one of his fingers into you, and you moaned in response. he pulls you to his face by grabbing onto your chin— he wants to see you.

“jotaro! ah!” your attempts to regain your breath only made his finger move more quickly. your responses start to pull him back toward the authority and control he formerly possessed. every time he moves more quickly, the warm water from the tub splashes.

it was embarrassing for you to let him see your reactions. although you two had already engaged in sex, the notion of him witnessing your reactions makes you feel extremely ashamed.

nothing could conceal how readily his fingers pumped inside of you, no matter how slick you were or how wet you were due to the water. you were unable to contain your voice when he stuck one more finger in you.

suddenly, you immediately felt your own climax about to reach to your limit. you tighten your hold on his broad shoulders. “j-jotaro.. mph! i’m close.. i’m close!”

“then go on and cum.” once again, you felt his hot breath on your ear.

you reached your limit and screamed his name, but you could still feel his fingers inside of you, every pulse, and the tightening of your walls around him. he kisses you from the base of your neck to the delicate curve of your shoulder.

“i’m not done with you yet, y/n.” he growled and pulled his fingers from your pussy. as you bucked your hips together, the water sloshed. his dick is lined up against your hot pussy, and you gasp as you feel it. jotaro was gripping your waist firmly as you both grunted simultaneously.

you were biting your lip while holding onto his shoulders as your husband slammed into you, his huge cock ripping you wide and the head shoving your cervix with every rock. you screamed his name while keeping your eyes closed as the sensation of his cock inside of you grew stronger.

even though he was fucking you slowly, the blows were powerful, leaving you unable to remain silent. his thrusts went shallow but rapid, and you drove your nails into his back and shoulders as your slick body slid up against his, never ever pulling back before forcing his hips close with yours once more.

“fuck y/n..” he groaned.

he fucked you through your orgasm, extending it as your entire body felt hot— you were left to cling onto him. as jotaro chased his own orgasm, the water in the tub sloshed erratically and spilled in some places.

when your climax suddenly started to approach, he was groaning loudly and occasionally letting out moans.

“jotaro! i’m gonna..” you bit your lip to suppress your noises.

with a few more thrusts into you, jotaro then roughly pulled you down onto him, spilling inside of you with a rasping groan as he dumped his seed. this left you with a warm sensation in your gut as opposed to the water's somewhat cooled temperature. 

“fuck..” he groaned even more.

as soon as he let you go, you sank into him and started panting hard alongside with him as he leaned back into the tub, satisfied with one another.

“you feeling better?” he asked as he looked down at you.

“a lot better.. thank you.” you nuzzled once more on his chest.

you made an effort to get out of the bathtub but lacked the strength to stand up straight. goddamit, you were unable to walk. jotaro assisted you by carrying you bridal-style out of the bathtub followed by his chuckle. “come on, let’s get each other both cleaned up.”

you nod your head in agreement and cleaned each other up. what a great “rest” provided by your husband.

[the-fiction-witch]

We'll Find Her P4

Media - The Queens Gambit Character - Benny Watts Couple - Benny X Reader Reader - Y/n Watts Rating - Sad AF! Cute AF Word Count - 3098

I paused before the mirror, taking in the sight of my reflection. I carefully buttoned up my brand-new, crisp eggplant purple button-down shirt, running my fingers over the smooth fabric. The pants of my grey suit hung neatly, freshly ironed by my beautiful wife. I smoothed down my hair one last time, making sure every strand was in place, wanting to look my best for the day ahead.

"My, my someone's looking devilishly handsome," Y/n cooed as she gracefully emerged from the bathroom, I couldn't help but admire her exquisite outfit. She was wearing a snug, deep purple dress that accentuated her figure perfectly. Her vibrant Y/H/C hair was beautifully styled in vintage curls, framing her face like a work of art. To complete her look, she wore a pair of sophisticated grey heels that added an extra touch of elegance, along with a matching grey belt and a dainty grey headband, tying the whole ensemble together with effortless style. "You know about some cute stenographer you're hoping to see Benny?"

I smirked seeing her so stunning, "No, just wanted to look nice and presentable, what about you? Are you planning on flirting with the judge? Or are you just trying to rush things and give every man in there a heart attack?" I smirked wrapping my arms around her,

"No, I just wanted to make sure I matched up with my handsome husband,"

"I love you so much," I cooed,

"I love you too Benny," She smiled,

We shared a kiss and I cuddled up with her as we stood in the full-length mirror, "Usual I am very anti-shopping trips." I began,

"Ohh I know,"

"Yeah, yeah, I am usually very anti-five-hour shopping trips that cost us this much money..."

"But?" she smiled wickedly,

"But... I must admit. We look fucking Sexy."

"Not fair test, you're always sexy,"

"Ohh am I?" I smirked pulling her closer, "We'll you sure would know my sexy little wifey." I cooed kissing all over her neck as she applied a matching purple lipstick, "This colour does suit us,"

"It really does, I may be changing wardrobes,"

"Ohh? My god, it's only taken twenty-six years of knowing you and now you decided it's time to ditch the chess monochrome?"

"I never found a colour that suits me this well," I smirked checking myself out a lot, and Her of course. "yowl" I growled,

"Benny, did you legit just cat growl yourself?" She glared,

"...And you,"

"Come on, we need to get going." She laughed trying to leave but I stopped her, "Yes?"

"Thank you for picking the clothes out, everyone looks really nice and it really suits us all."

"I did my best," She chuckled grabbing my trench coat from the bed for me to slip on, "Very Watts,"

"Humm..." I nodded, "Purple for Violet, Grey for sterling, and black and white... for you and me," I cooed giving her a soft kiss, "I don't know what I'd do without you,"

"I don't either Benny," She cooed,

"And... extra plus, mostly purple for violet today. And no matter what stain you stop on purple it all looks black. Which will be very handy... for water... coffee... red liquids of any kind, you know whatever we encounter today,"

"Benny," She warns,

"You're rule was don't get arrested."

"And I stand by that, Don't get arrested, and if you get a punch or a kick in?"

"One for you too." I nodded,

"That's why I married you," She smiled kissing my cheek before she went to fetch Sterling,

I made my way downstairs and found Violet anxiously fixing her hair. She looked lovely in her sweet little purple dress, which had a flowing teenage style but was similar to Y/n's. I walked over to her and gently helped her place the flower headband in her hair, giving her a tender kiss on the cheek. "You look beautiful sweetheart,"

"Maybe too beau-"

"Anyone dare to tell my daughter she's too beautiful I will drop-kick his ass."

She laughed,

"You ready?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "You think they'll let me punch him after?"

"Ohh I do hope so, if not... I do have enough cash to bribe a correction officer." I joked,

"Look who's all dressed up for his big sister's revenge day," Y/n cooed as she brought Sterling in his little suit,

"Court date Mom," Violet smiled,

"same thing," I chuckled, "Look at you! So handsome, all the ladies will be swooning," I smiled cuddling Sterling,

"Everyone ready?"

"Yeah. Let's do this thing." Violet nodded setting the pace as she headed to the car,

"Loving the confidence Sweetheart." I chuckled following her,

The atmosphere in the large wood-lined courtroom was tense, with a significant number of people filling the hall, reflecting the widespread interest in the story of her disappearance. The impending media coverage was expected to be substantial, as evidenced by the presence of journalists from various outlets. Amidst this, the chess review reporter stood out, appearing somewhat out of place among the seasoned journalists. Additionally, her friends from school, local business owners, and other worried parents were also present, underscoring the community's deep concern. Overall, it was a respectable turnout, highlighting the widespread impact of the situation. We sat together as a family, Myself closest to the stand, of course, as there was no way in hell anyone was coming near my daughter without getting through to me first. Violet to my side, Y/n on the end with Sterling in his pram close to the wall, I had wanted to put Violet there but she wanted to be in the middle made her feel more confident than the corner which I understand.

Soon enough, it all began.

First was a jury filled the rows of people of all types which made me feel a little better. Then officers and legal people only one woman which I found interesting for a brief moment and as it happened she was on our side, in fact... they all seemed to be. Then the Judge in his professional clothes, we all stood as he arrived, he seemed a bitter old man who'd rather be playing dominoes as he took the chair.

And at last, in he came.

He was a tall man, not thin but not large either, with pinky pale skin, and uninteresting brown hair, blue eyes, wearing prison clothes and with two items, A bible and a cross necklace. He came to the box for him and smiled around the courtroom to all those who looked at him. We met eyes and he looked through me to see Violet, but I didn't let his gaze escape mine I made him meet my eyes again and as if we shared a thousand words in those brief seconds he looked away in defeat.

"Order, Case 17.14.05.85. Accused Jacob Abraham Whitemore. Stand accused of Kidnapping, Rape of a Minor, Abuse of a Minor, Sexual Abuse of a Minor, and least of all counterfeit Tabacco products. You stand trial before a jury of your peers and the public at large here inside Brooklynn East Court House this twentieth of May." The judge explained, "Where is your legal council, Mr Whitemore?"

"I- I have chosen to represent myself, I know no word more powerful than the lord and I know he will use me as a mouthpiece to speak the truth of this matter. They must be made to listen..."

Oh my god, I already wanna hit him over the head with a chair,

"Very well, Mr Whitemore how do you plead to the crimes of which you are accused?"

"Not guilty." He said,

Ohhh now I am gonna hit him,

Violet took my hand knowing this would be an ordeal for her so I squeezed it back hoping to comfort her.

"Very well, Miss Peters you have the floor."

"Thank you, Judge," She said getting up from her seat and pacing back and forth as she spoke, "I have no plan on proving you guilty Mr Whitemore, Rather I plan to bear your crimes to the jury and the public themselves so they may see the horror's you have committed. I believe truly in your mind you are innocent, but... we are not in your mind Mr Whitemore," She explained, "In simple facts, this man Kidnapped a fifteen-year-old girl and held her hostage while he committed horrific acts against her for two whole years of her life, only being stopped when police came to investigate his local store over reports of the selling and distribution of fake tobacco products,"

Shock went across the courtroom and I held Violet tight,

"The rest of my time I shall be letting you all see and understand the depravity of what happened in those two years," She nodded, "Any of those who wish to leave now, I would recommend it. I wish I could never know too."

"Proceed, prosecutor," The judge nodded,

"Mr Whitemore, can you tell me about your father? Mr James Whitemore?"

"My father was a priest for the Baptist church on Potter's Road," He nodded,

"I see, I see, and his father? Mr John Whitemore?"

"The same Madam,"

"And his father? Mr Elijah Whitemore"

"The same,"

"I see, and correct me if I am wrong but you are not a priest? In any capacity?"

"No, I am not, but I have followed God's word-"

"Yes or no Mr Whitemore,"

"No."

"And is that becuase you were rejected from every bible college to which you ever applied?"

"...yes,"

"Yes and why was it you were rejected so much?"

"... When I was a young schoolboy, I would take my bible to school and I would spend every free moment preaching the word of god to the heavens I was forced to educate with, by the end of my first terms. I knew the devil had them hard. So I would force them to hear the word of god."

"By breaking their legs so they couldn't run away Mr Whitemore," she glared, "And this of course when on your permanent record and yet you still proceeded to do so?"

"They must be made to listen..." I noticed that was the second time he had said that, and both times it made Violet's hand feel cold,

"This continued until beyond the education sector," She said, "No college would allow your entrance, But... I give you credit, You took initiative and began your own business." She said clicking the first slide a photo of the corner shop, "Tell me about it?"

"My small store is designed to cater to the everyday needs of the community. We stock essentials such as milk, bread, and paper products so that our customers can conveniently access these items without having to make the trip to the market." He nodded, "I love my store so much,"

I grimaced to think of the money we had spent in their over the years,

"And you ran this store for how many years?"

"Six Madam,"

"Six years, very impressive." She nodded, "What.. lead you to open such a store with no training, no family background, and only a rental lease?"

"I take all word from him,"

"Him Mr Whitemore?"

"God above." He nodded, "He sends me all, he has such plans for me, for all of us. They must be made to listen to the plans,"

There it was again,

"I see. Officer Ducan? you have been a patrol officer for six years correct?"

"Six years to the day. and it's been an honour." The officer nodded,

"Have you ever known of any issues from Mr Whitemore's store?"

"No, no reports, nothing, not even a brick through the window or a stolen candy bar,"

"Thank you, Now... Note Exhibit A on the front of the store sign reading 'One school child at a time' Would you like to tell us about that Mr Whitemore?"

"Well, it's only a small store..."

"Other stores your size don't hold this rule? Is there an issue with school children?"

"No no, of course not lambs of the lord unspoilt,"

"Then why the sign?"

"I like to serve one customer at a time it makes things simple,"

"Why the sign Mr Whitemore?"

"... I like to serve one customer at a time, so any messages the good lord has for them I can hear clearly, like now... so many in this room so much to say I don't know what's for whom."

"So you admit this sign is purposefully for isolating children?"

"...I... yes."

Gasps ran out,

"Thank you, I wish to turn your attention now back to the date in question, May 14th 1985. Do you have anything to say in your defence, Mr Whitemore?"

"They must be made to listen..."

"Noted." She nodded, "I'd like to call the victim, Miss Violet Watts to the stand please if she feels strong enough to tell her story?" She asked turning to Violet,

The room went quiet and I saw him stare at her,

I squeezed her hand as did Y/n but she got up adjusted her dress and walked with her head held high, Y/n came to her seat so we could hold hands and try not to panic.

I saw as she walked past his box he spoke a hushed not a soul heard but I saw and I read the words on his lips 'Be a good girl' I wanted to speak up but I didn't want to frighten Violet as she took her seat.

"Hello," She bravely smiled into the mic a little too low for her,

"Thank you for being here today Miss Watts, This can't be easy and even just being here is more than most would ever be able to do." She nodded, "Please State your name, honey,"

"Miss Violet Alekhine Watts," She said,

"A very lovely name," The Judge nodded, "Interesting Middle name?"

"My- My dad really likes chess."

Everyone suddenly looked at me, so I waved,

"... Apologise for the momentary derail of this but I must ask the name of the baby I am too curious,"

"Sterling Pirc Watts," Y/n smiled,

"Adorable," The Judge nodded, "Proceed,"

"Thank you, Judge, Let the records note the adorable baby."

"Noted!" The dictator Nodded,

"Now, Violet. Tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Well... My dad is US chess champion, my Mom was a reporter for chess review back when they first met. They got married, bought our little house, and had me. They're the best parents I could ask for really they are, Dad and I play chess by the fire, Mom and I bake together, she makes the best brownies, and whenever a chess tournament falls on a school holiday or weekend we all go as a family see the cities, and every day rain or shine one of them takes me and picks me up from school even though it's only a few minutes walk,"

Awww I got a little teary hearing her talk about us like that, I squeezed Y/n's hand tight as we both got a little emotional hearing her talking like that,

"Lovely, And you think even as a teenager you have a good relationship with your family?"

"I have the best relationship with them, they always tell me they love me, always look out for me, support me no matter what,"

"Supportive of what may I ask?"

"... I came out... as liking just girls when I was thirteen. I just always knew. And Mom and Dad didn't argue, didn't debate, didn't tell me I just needed to get older or that my mind would change without so much as a raised voice they accepted me, for who I am. No questions asked,"

I saw his face full of rage at her words, and things began to make more sense to me.

"Now Violet, On this faithful day May 14th 1985, How did your day go?"

"Well... I got out of bed, showered, had breakfast, and before we left I asked my dad if I could walk home on my own today, I was 15 and wanted to be a little more independent, plus I wanted to walk with friends maybe get some snacks... maybe see a cute girl," she explained "But we made a deal, he'd drive me to school as usual, but I could walk home. So long as I called from the phone box outside the school before I left and came straight home. And everything went fine normal school day. I was excited to walk home on my own for once, I made plans to walk home with some friends who live nearby, the last teacher was being a dick and held everyone back at the end of the day cause he was missing a pair of scissors, turns out they where on his desk, So I got my stuff from my locker and went outside the gates to the little phone box where I called mom, told her why I was late out but I was on my way. I met my friends and we started the walk home, We went to the little shop just on the corner, to sneakily get some snacks... even if dad told me not to,"

"Umm, and you never made it home that day did you, Violet?"

"No. I didn't."

"The store you stopped at. Was Whitemore Corner Store?"

"Yes."

"And you observed his one school child at a time sign seen in exhibit A?"

"We did, we went one at a time, I was last since I lived the closest so I was going to grab my stuff and head straight home. I went to the back got my snacks and went to the counter."

"Who was at the counter?"

"No one, I waited, I called out but nothing so I left the correct change on the counter and went to leave."

"But then what happened Violet?"

"The door was locked," She nodded, "And... I suddenly felt a hard crack on the back of my head,"

"Exhibit B, a bathroom key wooden block roughly 2 x 3, bloody. With DNA matching Miss Watts." She said showing the next side,

Ohh my god I am gonna kill him...

Y/n held my hand keeping me grounded frankly her hand and all these witnesses were all that was stopping me from climbing over and pummeling him into the ground.

"Mr Whitemore, Do you deny the school children obeyed your rules?"

"They obeyed them perfectly, and I gave each a message before they left,"

"And the message you gave Violet was a 2 X 3? Do you deny this?"

"I do not."

Gasps erupted,

"Was this a mistake? perhaps you assumed her stealing her gummy worms?"

"No. she paid. She couldn't be allowed to leave." He said,

"And why not Mr Whitemore?"

"They must be made to listen..."

"And who is they, Mr Whitemore? Miss Watts?"

"She's one of them."

"One of whom?"

"She's a Devil girl!" he yelled getting up from his chair,

Violet jumped back,

Immediately I got up ready to fight him if I needed to,

"Order! Order in the court!" The Judge Demanded, "Sit down Mr Whitemore. And You too Mr Watts."

I nodded and took my seat taking Y/n's hand tightly as he too took his seat again,

"You do not deny you hit Miss Watts over the head with a 2 x 3 and took her down to your basement on the 14th of May 1985?"

"... I do not deny this. And I would do it again." He gritted, 

[symphonic-scream]

Post

Uhm. Another P5 characters with P4 plot au. This one with Makoto-Goro siblings

I'm off my ADHD meds for a little bit so my mind is running wild again so here's another au.

The wildcard is Akira/Joker here. He's staying with Sojiro and Futaba while his family is on a world traveling cruise for a year.

Star is Morgana. He's, more like P5 Morgana. A cat.

Magician? Futaba! She's basically Inaba's only tech support, and takes a lot of crap for being so "obsessed" with something that's "ruining the youth"

Chariot Ann for this one. She plays volleyball, moved to Inaba the year before, has a girlfriend back in Tokyo. She's hoping to get to see her at tournaments.

Priestess Yusuke! His mom, Sayuri, runs the Inaba Gallery, which holds cultural art and pieces about the town's history. He has been spending more time running tours since her illness has spiked. (Transmasc Yusuke)

Emperor Ryuji! He's misunderstood. Wants to protect his Ma, but everyone just sees the violence they saw in his dad. He's also coming to terms with being bi

Lovers Haru. She's a celebrity chef, taking a year off from being a baking show host after a ton of threatening letters, and a break in while she was away from home. So she's staying with her Uncle Munehisa Iwai and cousin Kaoru, helping out at their airsoft and hunting shop

And. Fortune Makoto. But gimme a sec to explain that one

Instead of one detective Prince? This au has TWO!! The Detective Princes, the Akechi twins; Goro Akechi, the charmer, runs a sweets blog, the Hunger Arcana. And Makoto Akechi, the silent broodier twin, the lonelier brother, the Fortune Arcana

Now let's talk specifics. Makoto is AFAB, female at birth. After their parents up and left, Makoto started pretending to be Goro's brother to be "safer". Then, it felt good. But, not quite right. (Non-binary Makoto.) They haven't thought about it since they started binding and taking T, at 15. There's other issues at play

Makoto doesn't know who they are anymore. All anyone sees of them is Goro's twin, the little brother, the shadow to the much more beloved Prince. They swallow down anxiety pills each morning, trying to erase the shake they feel in front of the camera. It doesn't ease the sting of their brother's harsh words

Goro wears his outfit from canon. Makoto has a similar coat, but instead of tan it's dark blue. Black pants, black boots to his black dress shoes. No headband. Less bangs. They keep their hair shorter than Goro's. To help pretend to be his brother. It's choppy, a little wild, and when it's wet from the rain it sticks up all over. They have a custom Breton style cap (it's like a police cap), it's dark blue, black, has a bright blue fist on the part where a badge would go.

They start to split more and more as the story goes on. It really strikes when Makoto starts at Yasogami, and Goro continues on playing the adult. After Makoto is saved from the TV, they move out of their apartment, living in the spare room in the Kitagawa home

Anyways that's the outline under the cut will be extra stuff I've come up with

Makoto, post being rescued, lying out by the Samegawa riverside, late at night, hat beside them just. Watching the stars

Haru lies beside them. Doesn't say a word. But, she takes their hand

Makoto: ...do you think I'm doing any good with the group?

Haru: of course you are, why would you ask that?

Makoto: ...

Haru: oh, your fight with Ryuji.

Makoto: it, did he say it was a fight?

Haru: he seemed upset like it was one. What happened?

Makoto: ...he asked me out. But, I don't know, it didn't feel right. I can't tell what he thinks I am, *who* he thinks I am. But, I know it's not who I want to be

Haru: he doesn't think of you as a girl. None of us do

Makoto: but he sees me as a guy.

Haru: ...and that's not you? You're neither?

Makoto: I'm, that's an option?

Haru: oh, you isolated little baby queer

Makoto: wha

Haru taps at their bound chest a little: you like this, right? The binding?

Makoto: yeah. I always have, it's why I started the hormones. But,

Haru: are you worried they'll turn you into someone you're not?

Makoto: it's silly, cause, I like what I've gotten. But,

Haru: but it's enough?

Makoto: it's enough,

Haru: hey, did I tell you I like girls?

Makoto: no?

Haru: mm. Cause I like girls. But I also like, non-men. And some men, selectively.

Makoto: oh? So, you know about this stuff?

Haru: I do. So does Akira, and Yusuke, and even Ann. So, we could talk to Ryuji over time, get him to understand some stuff, if you were interested in trying with him. We could do so regardless

Makoto: ...he's not, my type. I, I think I also like non-men. Women too.

Haru: hm, fancy that

Haru, flirting

Makoto, densest motherfucker in Inaba

Haru: how about this? I can start using neutral terms with you, see how you feel? Maybe ask Yusuke and his Mom to do the same?

Makoto: that, sounds nice. I'm, going to talk to my doctor. Lower my, T. A little bit.

Makoto at school, quiet and pensive, in the male uniform with their cap, hands in pockets, just standing by the stairs, looking at their boots

And Haru slides over, hand to their wrist, smiling all pretty, and Makoto softly smiles back

Their whole class thinks they're dating lmao. The whole school thinks so

Ryuji: ...ah, so I wasn't his type to begin with. EFF,

Yusuke: hm? Oh, Makoto-senpai wishes to be referred to with gender-neutral terms. You weren't *their* type to begin with

Ryuji:

Ann: YOU KILLED HIM LMAOOO

Akira: rip Ryuji

A little skip. To them being in Relationship together

Makoto lying back on Haru's bed, knees off the edge, coat thrown off, black turtleneck riding up just enough to hint at abs. Haru sits on their lap, work apron tossed aside, the dark button-up having a few buttons undone at the bottom, a few at the top. She's holding one of Makoto's hands to her thigh, just under where her skirt rests, the other is on their stomach. Makoto's remaining hand is buried in bright curls, and they're panting, Haru giggling as she sprinkles kisses to their jaw

"Your, your uncle- when will he,"

"We still have a little time, don't worry. I woudlnt put you in a situation where he'd try to kill you."

Makoto's mind is spinning so fast. Only thought being "Haru". Haru is having fun turning her stiff little detective into affectionate mush

And, when her uncle does come home,

Munehisa: hey, you didnt tell me you had a boy over

Haru: uncle, this is Makoto! ***They're*** helping me study for exams!

Munehisa: ...uh, okay? Just. No funny business with my niece, okay?

Makoto: Y-YES SIR

So. Yeah

[flamerunn3r]

Sorry this is unfinished but I need to post these now just bc idfk when i'm gonna actually finish the rest realistically. Idk it will happen eventually. For now heres the great p5u ramblings post detailing my thoughts designs

This is my own personal interpretations but is also somewhat speculative in nature. I'm mostly trying to deal in already established characterizations and epilogue set ups but there might be stuff I've missed or forgotten (i also haven't played dancing yet sorry if there's something in there I hadn't accounted for). This is kind of like if I took the creative reigns on the story where I'd continue for it. Only the investigation team for now (and 2 boss characters I have an idea for) but maybe I'll do the shadow ops at some point. Only 4 characters for now but I'll reblog with additions when I finish the rest or if I edit any of these

Yu Narukami

He's currently attending school as a journalism student in the city or just starting out as one. Enthusiastic about his field but still tries to find the time to keep up with his friends and visit Inaba on his holidays. I felt journalism made alot of sense for him with the themes of persona 4. I liked the sport jacket and turtleneck but wanted soemthing different so the scarf was chosen to keep the same kind of silhouette. I made the collar on the winter coat large and I feel like Narukami's large uniform collar is a key part of his design. and I wanted to call back to that in his casual outfit. The summer outfit I mostly kept close to his summer outfit from p4. I'm kind of unsure on it though I might come back to it. I mostly wanted to keep his outfits smart and simple. For his meta verse outfit I really wanted to go all out with the bancho (kingpin) stuff and other delinquent tropes. I lengthened the uniform coat a little because I wanted it to look like a tokko-fuku. Alot of smaller detail inspiration was taken from Izanagi. The lenses in the mask are supposed to mimic glasses. I'd imagine he'd take off the mask the same way he throws off his glasses in myriad truths.

Teddie

I can't imagine him leaving Inaba and the TV world behind. Still staying in town and working largely the same job. He's got his own place now albeit small (still a step up from the closet though). At some point the IT asked Mitsuru to pull some strings so he actually has a legal personhood now. The animal hoodie is something that came to me spontaneously but I knew I needed to include it. I really that his normal outfit in 4 keeps the white and red of the bear costume in the outfit so I tried to keep the colour scheme here too. Most of his later outfits are less flashy and more casual so I tried to continue that trend. I didn't want to lose the rose from the corsage completely so I included a rose pattern in the second shirt. Alot of his outfits feature light blue so I wanted that in at least one outfit. I considered making the hoodie light blue initially. I don't think he'd have a metaverse outfit he'd just use the bear costume.

Naoto Shirogane

I'm under the assumption Naoto is still presenting masculinely to the general public as of p5 but I may be mistaken in this. If I'm wrong I'd still probably largely keep the outfits similar to this. Naoto's still working as a detective and I don't think that's ever really going to change. One thing that a hypothetical p5u would have to address is what Naoto and the shadow ops would have been doing during the events of persona 5 and I unfortunately do not have any ideas for what that would be at the moment.

I feel alot of the appeal of Naoto's design is the kind of boy detective fashion. I went at this design with the intention of kind of refining that into something a little more adult while still keeping in a similar vein. I did have to ditch the pageboy hat unfortunately as I felt it made them look too young. These outfits were kind of design as pseudo work clothes which is why I tried to make them a bit more formal then the other characters. Something I consider notable about Naoto's design but deliberately avoided here was the rolled up pant legs. It's very obvious in 4 it's done because Naoto is short but I feel like Naoto would start getting that either custom made or tailored to fit. I was initially going to forgo the blazer on the summer outfit but the design felt empty without it. Naoto having a noir detective themed metaverse outfit is an idea I'd had for years but I tried to incorporate design elements that were princely. I alot of the inspiration was from Sam Spade specifically. Deliberately made similarities to Akechi's white crow design. The band around the hat is supposed to invoke the similar one on the old page boy hat.

Yukiko Amagi

Still working at her families in but is taking online courses during the off seasons. She's mostly happy where she is but is keeping her options open. Occasionally makes visits to other ryokans out of town for ideas for her families own inn, as well as an opportunity to for her to sight see.

The headband was included in her design in p4 as a like retro design thing but I find it too important of a marker of her design to remove it. I understand the why they went with the hairstyle they did for her golden epilogue but I feel it just ends up making her look way older then she is. I thought her having her hair up would be a nice change since she does it so rarely and settled on a ponytail. Tried changing the bangs but the ones she already had just felt right. I wanted her clothes to carry this kind of air of sophistication so I tried to keep them relatively simple and sleek. She's wearing pants in the winter outfit but I chose the longer coat to keep a similar skirt silhouette. The choker was largely inspired by the scarf she has in her winter outfit. Despite being a different colour the cardigan was also chosen to tie back somewhat to the sweater she wears with her school uniform.

In some side material it's mentioned that Yukiko has an interest in western fashion and aesthetics (part of what made the castle manifest the way it did) and I wanted to lean on that in some way for her metaverse design. I ended up going with a masquerade ball theme. I tried to keep the dress to something simple and easy to move in. The gloves and boots take inspiration from her persona in terms of design and size. I wanted to incorporate elements from her work kimono as well hence the ribbon around the torso and flower patterning. Probably the most unsure of this one of the metaverse designs so far. Especially the colours (considered making the reds pinks initially). Might revisit this one.

Ok that's all I have for now I'll probably do Rise's next 👍👍👍

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 13 - My Most Precious Treasure

"FIRE!!!" the wails from the residents of the Violet Wolf dormitory resounded through the whole courtyard, as dark smoke and blazing fire was slowly but surely beginning to engulf the place.

"Everyone, seek refuge outside!" Cheslock guided the students. "Hurry!"

"Sebastian, find Derek!" Ciel ordered his demon butler as the two were hiding away and watching the chaos unfold before their very eyes. "Did he come out?" Ciel watched the tens and hundreds of students of all ages rush out in waves, but to no avail.

"Not yet." the demon informed, also surprised at the missing student.

"Room leaders, do a roll-call and report to the prefect!" they could hear the instruction from up the hill.

"Violet - Raymond is missing!" Cheslock and Violet shared a look of terror, looking at the terrifying flames before rushing inside the house.

"VIOLET! CHESLOCK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET BACK HERE - IT'S DANGEROUS!" Ciel gasped at what he heard - Why hadn't Katrina left already?

"Sebastian, go save her!" the boy ordered, only to see the three students manage to stumble out of the burning building, covered in soot and ashes. Though Ciel couldn't see well the small figures, the demon could - Katrina was struggling to breathe, coughing  desperately and stumbling on her feet.

"I can't... I can't... Breathe..." he could see her small form falling to the ground in violent fits of coughs, before blood emerged from her mouth - He wasn't sure if it was caused by the smoke inhalation and she had a respiratory problem, or it only worsened her mysterious underlying condition that made her vomit blood once getting hit during cricket. Either way, she was in a bad shape. 

"Hang in there. Come on, look at me. Easy. Try to breathe - Slow and steady." Violet cupped her face trying to even her erratic breathing while Cheslock tried to shield them away from the public eye, putting his coat over the lady. 

"You have to get better. We can't get you to do the doctors unless you want them to tell on you for being a lady." the fag reminded her, taking a ribbon out to tie away her gorgeous and long hair that was getting in the way like a crimson cascade of flames.

"I-I'm good. I'm... I'm good. Thanks, you two." once her breathing got a little better, she struggled to get up. Aided by the two, they went to a safer place, continuing to keep her away from the other students.

With Violet confirming that everyone was present and accounted for, Ciel realised that Derek Arden, nor the other transfer students, were ever inside the Purple House to begin with. What's more, he watched the other Prefects and Fags gather around Violet and Cheslock, fussing over them, and over the lady especially, and trying to make sure everything was alright.  With the way they were shushing around, the P4 were definitely hiding something important about the people of concern.

Thanks to the common effort of the four Houses working together, and Michaelis using Soma's elephant, they were able to put out the fire in record time. Though Violet desperately tried to keep them from getting inside the house, Prince Soma gave a rather impressive speech about protecting people over keeping your pride. How very interesting, Katrina thought, keeping the coat tightly around her body. She wish she could help, but she feared she would actually get dizzy and faint from the smoke and effort... So she just... Sat down on the grass and watched the flames unfolding.

She knew who did this. It was no doubt about it. No incident like this ever happened to Weston. It was the Dog's hand.

With a few days passing, Ciel realised there was no way to find anything through the students, and Sebastian mentioned Katrina's off-comment about not being able to find Derek; So the only way of solving this mystery was by meeting the principal - And the only way of doing so was by being so intriguing that the principal would choose him for the Midnight party. He did want to win the tournament, yes, though he was well aware not only was he in terrible physical condition compared to the Green and Red houses, but so were the rest of the Sapphire Owl students. No matter - He was going to use his cunning to win not only the Cricket tournament, but the principal's favour also.

And thus, June 3rd came by, and it was time for the first day of the event, which was sort of a formal ball. When she was little, her brother had her attend these balls with Edgar and the Viscount - And once Edgar was accepted into Weston, she would attend as his partner. Now, however, she was a part of the House of Weirdos, and had a lot of fun dressing up, doing her make up and taking care of all the special effects, the purple smoke and what not.

Come evening, the Large dining hall was packed to the brim with people, all of them acquaintances or relatives of the very many students attending the courses of the prestigious Weston College. "I'm sorry to disturb your talk. Everyone - I welcome you to the opening ceremony of the traditional 4th of June Cricket Tournament." began the vice-president's speech. I am glad we are able to open the tournament safely again this year. Please enjoy this night-before-feast." everyone was waiting for this event more than anything in their entire life. "Now then! Will the dormitory's presenting players come forward!!" Agares called out loudly.

The rumbling of the dining hall seemed to get people cheering excitedly, knowing very well that the Green Lion house was going to present themselves. "They never let any of the other dorms overtake them in overwhelming physical ability or team effort!" the Vice-President called out the Green House, and the disciplined players, all garbed in knight-like armor and weapons pranced forward in a military position. "TOP OF THE WORLD - GREEN LION!" all of them had hard and stern expressions on their faces; Greenhill held the flamed torch of the Lions, whilst Edward, right behind, held the flag. 

Suddenly, it started flowing around with red rose petals, and people started cheering for the most beautiful and elegant House. "They charm the visitors with their beautiful play." all of them wore regal outfits fitting for kings, expensive furs, heavy gold and royal velvets, all of them holding rose. "BRILLIANT EDEN - SCARLET FOX!" Edgar was holding the ornate three-armed chandelier, while little Harcourt was bearing the stindard. All the ladies were swooning over their grace and gallancy.

The lights turned off, frightening everyone to the core. Purple smoke filled the room like a mystical miasma, and spots of purple fire announced the appearance of the eccentric artists of the purple house. "They confuse their opponents with their unforeseeable tricky play." so tricky, in fact, that they didn't even use the door to enter the dining hall. All of them had heavy, dark make up and their nails painted dark and purple, their faces white like ghost, emulating the deathly look of a necromantic hermit. "GHOST LEGION - VIOLET WOLF!" Violet was leading, holding a wolf-skull staff holding a purple-fire lantern in its maw; Cheslock was holding the flag, and Katrina's own staff was flowing the violet miasma of death into the room, and she, with the rest of the players, with their hoods up, were cackling creepily for the added horror effect.

With the lights being lit up again, the hall was filled with the gentle hoots of the owl flying around, announcing the presence of the last House. "They aim for an opening to win with their game-making strategies." looking like the most illustrious scholars, the Sapphire Owl players stepped forward, raising their elbows up so the birds would perch up on their arms. "GOD ONLY KNOWS - SAPPHIRE OWL!" though they mostly looked the same, Bluewer was holding the beautiful lantern with the golden owl handle, with Clayton carrying the flag of their house. Unfortunately, nobody really cared for the ultimate loser team.

The four Prefect went to the goblet. "Light the flame of Saint George!" exclaimed the vice-principal.

"All of us, players-" Herman began.

"Vow to keep..." Lawrence continued.

"To the tradition of Weston College..." Edgar went on.

"And fight fair and square until the end." finished Gregory. Together, they lit up the large Goblet of Fire, beginning the competition. "With this I declare the 1889 school year's dormitory Cricket Tournament open!!"

As the Vice-Principal ended his speech, he fell down the stairs, bloodying himself. Katrina eyed him suspiciously - She always did think there was something wrong with him. She was sure Herman killed him - So how the hell was he alive? Her only suspicion was that, when Edgar went to Aleister for help, he used Agares as some kind of Bizarre Doll experiment; But if that were the case, why is he different than those undead freaks on Campania? Moreover, he has been around the College for quite a while, and she doesn't remember the Undertaker ever working on his corpse before. But if Agares was actually a Bizarre Doll... Was Derek Arden in the same state?

Everything around the Dining Hall was quite the mess, with the Wolves keeping to themselves, Bluewer being the center of attention thanks to his seven sisters, Herman telling everyone to take care and be strong, and Edgar and Aleister being as charming as ever. Prince Soma also became one of the Red House's most important and talented player, and Kat had to admit, the boy was in perfect physical shape and had his whole life to have fun and practice cricket, which was his favourite sport. It was going to be a tough game against the Scarlet Fox.

With not much to do, Katrina went over to the group and took her hood off, smiling casually with a casual peace sign. It was now clear, with Sebastian also there, that the Lady was also there on some kind of official business - Though it did take a bit of effort to stop Lizzy from squealing in glee at seeing her friend - Yet she wasn't happy with her clothes. So uncute.

Thanks to Lizzy's dad, they were told the story of the Blue Miracle, the only time in very long that the Blue House actually won the tournament - the Marquis was Diedrich's Fag at the time, in Green Lion - And Diedrich was always so angry with Vincent and his carefree nature, so much so that Phantomhive baited him into making a deal over who wins the tournament; Thus, the German gentleman became Vincent's Fag for life. Hilarious story.

"We will now decide the competition roster by drawing lots." Agares threw four cards into a hat, calling the four Dormitory Supervisors forward. Without a doubt, the matches were going to go exactly at Ciels wants, judging by that smile on the demon's face.

And that was how, Scarlet Fox and Sapphire Owl were going to fight in the first round, with Violet Wolf and Green Lion in the second. It was going to be a lot of fun, Kat thought to herself, leaning on her staff. The smoke already depleted. "Good luck, everyone. And have fun~." with one last smile, Kat threw her hood back one, playing around like an old hermit and returning to her House.

"Good luck, pretty boy." Kat sneaked a quick peck on Edgar's cheek before they went to his team. By now, even Soma new who she was - And though he often mistakes her name, they manage through somehow. Everyone got used to her being mistaken for a girl. Shocker.

"We don't need luck, Ka-- Uhm, Adrian!" Soma grinned confidently. "We've got it in the bag!"

"Glad to hear!" she gave them a thumbs up. "I still don't fully get this game - But it's fun at least."

Without hindering them any further, Kat went to her team, watching the game unfold. The coinflip decided the Red House will bat first, and the Blue house wears the vest. Each match comprises of 2 innings and 20 overs.

Scarlet Fox chose the Prince, or rather, the Elephant King as they call him, to throw the ball first; Kat couldn't help but gasp in admiration as Soma's throw was fantastically powerful and fast - What a lad! Poor Bluewer couldn't even see the ball, let alone hit it.  Soma's next ball was hit up into the air by Clayton, only to be leisurely caught by Redmond. "Nice fly~💖." two out.  The third hit also ended in a run out. It was quite tragic to watch, even for someone like Kat, who never bothered understanding the rules properly. The Blue House players were going out hella fast.

With 10 overs, the Blue house was barely able to score 21 points overall. 

Finally, it was Edgar's time to play. Kat was always mesmerised by his beauty, and how he could play a sport so well while maintaining his natural elegance; And now, with his hair neatly tied up in a high ponytail, she couldn't help but blush softly and smile at the young man with the half-unbuttoned shirt, showing his charm off. Edgar and Soma were Scarlet Fox's greatest assets. She wondered how Ciel was going to scheme a win. 

Despite the Blue House's meekly thrown ball, Edgar understood the strategy and took an unusual stance - He twirled into a Crimson Tornado technique, looking as though he's dancing and scoring a Boundary 6. Gorgeous as always.  Somewhere a little behind the stance, Kat noticed a crowd, and realising what was going on, she had to stifle a laugh; Law was there with all his pretty ladies, and entertaining his Gambling booth. Business-orientated as always. 

10 Runs, 3 Wickets. Blue still had 21 points, and Red 80. And thus, the 2-hours break commenced. As a member and player of the Purple House, she wasn't allowed to collude with the other dormitory lounge spaces, so she just lazied around, watching Violet sketch something in his sketchbook and leaning her head on his shoulder while humming absent-mindedly a tune.

The bottom half of the 2nd innings began, and Harcourt and Phantomhive were facing each other in an amical game. With Joanne being the bowler, he threw a spin-ball that surprised Ciel, unable to predict any of his throws --

Until all Scarlet Fox players, save Soma, fell to the ground, in deep agony, complaining of deep stomach pain. That evil little brat filled the meat pie with super strong laxatives. Due to Scarlet Fox's inability to continue the match, it was considered a forfeit, and the Sapphire Owl won. 

Thus, while some enjoyed the break, others went to watch the interesting match between the Wolves and the Lions. Of course, nobody expected the artsy people to defeat those powerhouses. With nothing to do for the moment, Sebastian watched the match with amusement. Katrina had her hair up in a similar style as her fiance's, and she only wore a white shirt, with two buttons undone, and her sleeves up. Clearly, she had no care in the world and was crouching about with Violet while Cheslock was doing his absolute best scoring points with his Purple Burnout powermove.

At the same time though, despite not quite knowing the rules, she wanted to play - It was a game, wasn't it? And games with no stakes were supposed to be fun. Her throws were weaker but with a spin to them, the way Chelock though her, as a fellow musician; Her bat was much better, at least; Though it couldn't quite compare to Herman's paddling, she thought she did pretty damn well for herself, scoring points for her team.

Her forte was sprinting though, and she was pride in her ability to run - Though her endurance was lacking, especially after getting injured, her short-distance sprints were still top notch, and she would slide to the ground with such grace and ease that it earned cheers from the ladies watching. It only amused the Lady, who decided to show off a little, winking at them and what not, just about what Edgar usually does.

Yet what was supposed to be a fun and dandy game almost sent her into the grave, for she ended up being a ball catcher when Herman was the batter. Him, a step in the back, and she, a step in the front. With the impossible strength of his, he did a spin, hit, and in its, wake, when Kat tried to shield herself from the imminent impact, she ended up getting hit in the stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs. "D-Damn." Greenhill looked at the woman spitting blood on the ground, all because of his monstrous force and focus on the game. He knows Violet warned him this happened before during practice, but that was from over-exertion, not from getting blunt trauma and shock to such a sensitive area of the body.

The Violet Wolf house flocked around her as she struggled to get up on her knees and catch her breathing. "Wh-When are you going to stop being so strong, Herman." she chuckled lightly, only to cough a little more blood.

"Get on the bleachers. You're out." Violet helped drag her up, only to see that stupidly bright grin of hers. This girl was damn trouble.

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine!" she used the handkerchief in her pants pocket to wipe away the blood from her hands and chin. "Greenhill, don't worry about me, really, I'm fine!" she also turned to the worried Green Lion Prefect - She knew he would be eaten away with guilt for injuring anyone. "Let's finish this in grand style!" she winked at the Prefect, who didn't need to be told what she meant. Stupid girl doing reckless things.

"Stop sparkling, dumbass."

And true to their words, by the time the match was over, the two managed to tassle the grass under their feet so well, that the most beautiful Violet Wolf was displayed for all to see. This was the Purple House's true win.

With their game ending in 120 points for the Purple House and 213 for the Green one, it was finally time for a short break before the Grand Finale begun. This time, she joined Ciel's gang in cheering for the boy.

First, the Blue House took the Offense - And Sebastian cheered on them by conducting an orchestra. It was peculiar, yes - But Kat realised what he was doing as soon as she realised the batters had their eyes closed. They were following the beat of the music. How shrewd, Ciel truly is a force to be reckoned with when he wants to - Which only means, he truly wants that Midnight Party invitation to meet with the principal. Bad news, because at this rate, the Blue Miracle will be passed on from Father to Son.

From the Green House, only Edward picked up on the witty music trick - And he didn't want to ruin Greenhill's innocent trust in people. Instead, decided to go forward with the next throw and thwart Phantomhive's strategy. With perfect precision, Edward managed to imitate Cheslock's Purple Burnout move, earning a Bowl out. He had to work very hard to achieve everything he did - He was an ordinary person, surrounded by true geniuses, beginning with his little sister who was a Fencing genius, and continuing with the Prefects of Weston - He had enough people to look up to and learn from; It wasn't jealousy, but respect and admiration, and through hardwork and determination, Edward became the very thing that he always dreamt of being. A true genius. 

"Great job, Edward!" Katrina found herself cheering on him, earning a sheepish smile from the boy who was very proud of himself.

Another peculiar thing happened, with Sebastian running away in the middle of the match - What was her after, being in such a rush? She couldn't understand that far. Did he see something? Was it another one of Ciel's orders for a new trick? She couldn't tell.  

With 10 outs and 3 wickets, the Blue side had 60 points, and they had to change sides - All of a sudden, the Green hitters seemed to be slacking off big time - Why? How did they get weakened like that, all of a sudden? Even Edward fumbled - Were they getting strained and emotional? Following Edward's gaze, she realised why his face was beet red. Lau was casually sitting on the ground, Ran Mao on his lap, and around them, gorgeous ladies wearing the shortest Cheongsam dresses that barely reached low enough to cover their behinds - Flawless beauty, big bossoms, long legs, sultry smiles and enticing poses - Katrina was pretty sure this devilish plot was Sebastian's doing; She doubted Ciel was able to think that something like this would work on the Green Lions, but... With how sheltered their life is, it's no surprise, truly. Even she found herself heavily distracted by those beautiful ladies, she could understand those poor men. Undoubtly they were all... Heavily inexperienced.

But to think this strategy worked the best of Herman - Shocking, but also hilarious. If Undertaker were here, a volcano might have erupted from his laughter. Unfortunately, the Chinese group was kicked from the arena for wearing indecent clothes, and the score became 60-52.

With the start of the second round, Bluewer held the paddle, only to be criticised for holding it with a reverse grip. Interesting strategy, it seemed to be a defensive one, in Kat's mind. Protecting the wicket with the bat entirely, without swinging it. It was a strategy that would only work on the Green house, who threw balls at the maximum amount on power, thus, it would ricochet nicely. The sword in the stone. How witty. Clayton and the others, with the same technique, managed to score 105 points until the 10 overs, when they had to change sides. Very effective strategies, what a smart brat. 

105-52 in Blue's advantage, and there was only Green's offense left. What will happen now, she wondered. In no time, the Green House got 8 over and 6 out - There were only 2 Overs left until the end of the game, and the Lions were heavily gaining on them, upping their game until the score almost evened, with 105-92.

Kat was excited to see Ciel bowling, and with a smirk, he made a signal, and the outfield crowded around the batsman. Ciel threw a slow ball, but it surprised the hitter as it hit the ground, and then up at his face - Instinctively, he shielded himself, and the ball ricocheted down, into Clayton's hands. Unfortunately, it was considered a Dot and had to be redone. Again and again, until people started complaining that his strategy was cheating, and not fair in Cricket. Even the audience started booing, only for Herman, with his loud, booming voice, to silence everyone. 

"I won't have you lot booing during our sacred match!" his authoritarian voice made everyone shiver. "And Phantomhive, unfair? Can you all see this?" Greenhill grabbed Ciel's wrist, showing off his battered had, all bruised and injured from his excessive hard work. "This hand tells us everything - About his efforts, his commitment. Precisely throwing towards the batsman's face - Saying it is easy, but doing it is hard. He must have done some heavy training to get this far. That small boy from the physically weak Blue House would come this far - Do you understand what that means?!" Kat couldn't help but grin in joy and admiration. "The owl came to hunt the lion in earnest!" he declared, letting go of Ciel. "Is Green House so frail that we would lose over one simple trap?" no sir, his teammates shouted. "Then let's give it our all and smash them!" yes, sir! Even Kat felt motivated by his speech. "I'm glad I can see you go all out before graduating, Bluewer!" Herman smiled at his friend.

"Thank you... Me too, Greenhill." Lawrence smiled, blushing softly at the respect he was given.

With the Green paddlers thinking Ciel would use the same strategy, he surprised them with an offside low ball - Such a nasty Cliff tactic - If you defend, it'll be caught, and if you attack, it'll be bowled. Wonderful, little man. Wonderful indeed. Ciel kept them scoreless and got two out - There was only one bowl left, against Edward, who scored 6 points. Ciel managed to keep the score at 105-97, it was incredibly. "Well done, Phantomhive. Leave the rest to me." Lawrence pat Ciel on the head like he was his little brother, before rolling up his sleeves. With incredible determination and a ton of practice to back him up, Bluewer threw the ball straight up into the sky, away from anyone's sight. Ciel truly motivated him to do his best - After only tasting last place in the tournament, it was Ciel, someone younger and significantly weaker than him, who showed him that even grail bookworms can win, if they're smart enough and prepare their strategies well and in advance. Ciel's strategy, his determination, his amazing studying skills, his analysis, his tactics, his tireless energy and hard work, all by a child - Bluewer had to step up, as the Prefect of Sapphire Owl, and prove that even his House can win. Even he wants to win, after all!

Thanks to his perfect schemes and calculations, the ball he threw out of sight ended up falling perfectly down, on the wickets, shocking everyone. He was really cool, that Law! The hunter in the dark - The Sapphire Owl, Lawrence Bluewer! What a man!

But the last batter was Greenhill, and that was a huge problem. Even against Bluewer's amazing throw, he managed to score a Boundary 6, and now the score is almost even, with 105-103. This musclehead who only ever knew sports was using that paddle as if it was a sword, or a claymore, above his head - Just like how Undertaker managed to stab Sebastian that night. Herman's Sword Excalibur was undefeated. 

With one last team-encouraging, Bluewer and Greenhill both engaged in their secret techniques - Yet, once again, Herman's strength and positioning ended up injuring another player, that being, Ciel got a paddle to the head that slammed him onto the ground. While the players were running around to continue the game, Herman tried to check on Ciel - Only to see him crawling to the ball and throwing it into the wickets, making them fall. 

Blue House won by a single point. The Blue Miracle returned and everyone cheered, especially the Owls and everyone supporting them.  As Ciel was being thrown in the air by his team, Michaelis came out of nowhere, rescuing him. He did miss quite a lot of the match. The boy was in a tragic medical condition, but his butler was going to rescue him, clearly. With very, very great care... To sting. Not even in his room, was he safe from the congratulatory party - But it was fine. He was all free now, and Sebastian was getting a great lough out of it. 

The main event of the Cricket Tournament was the winner's boat parade, for the Queen to see. As nobody was actually going to pay attention to one member of the Violet Wolves missing, Kat ran back at the dormitory and changed into a pretty dress, wiping off the make up and letting her hair flow in pretty waves of fire.

As the losing teams lit up paper lanterns in Saint George's name, Kat couldn't help but smile at the magnificent display of colours, the dark night illuminated by so many pretty colours, and... Those poor Owls, falling into the water, as they couldn't keep their balance. They didn't think they could actually win, so nobody rehearsed for the parade even a single time. It was adorable. And everyone seemed to be wearing smiles on their faces. 

A single tear went down her face, looking up into the sky and seeing the gorgeous display of fireworks. She wanted to share this moment with someone dear - At this single moment, not only war Kat's heart bursting with mirth, but also... Everyone was dear to her. However, someone touched her hand, intertwining his fingers with her own. Edgar Redmond, her fiance, was smiling down at her. Bewitched by the magical moment, Kat let the moment flow as it wished, becoming malleable, prey to his own emotions. "You are gorgeous as always, honey." with a tender smile, full of love, the blond boy gently cupped her face, looking with adoration into her sparkling green eyes, just like two precious gems. "I'm always happiest when I see you smile." he said, sharing their first true kiss. "I can't wait to finally marry you."

"Yeah..." she breathed out, enchanted by his gallancy. "I am also excited to be your wife." she confessed, whispering against his lips, placing her hands over his own, and leaning in to kiss the inside of his wrist. 

Throughout the night, at the festival, everyone had fun with everyone - And Kat danced with just about everyone, including Soma and Lawrence, Herman, Ciel, Cheslok, Joanne and Clayton. She danced with Bard and Finny, even with Lizzy and Mey-Rin; With Edward also, though he was a little awkward, poor dear. At the end, she finally managed to coerce her Prefect into dancing with her, to which he reluctantly agreed. Grumpy boy. Yet not once did she have the time to dance with Sebastian - Not that she could, considering how she had so much fun with everyone around.

Thanks to a coat and being about the last to leave, Kat managed to sneak inside the Purple House without much trouble - Only to be shocked at what she saw on her bed. "They say that when a beautiful flower blooms under the moon at midnight, they'll come for you." Violet grumbled softly. "You've been chosen to attend the Midnight Party." shit.

"I suppose I have to change back." Kat sighed - Somehow, she knew there was something bad going on in the middle of this mess.

Regardless, come midnight, Katrina was dressed in her uniform, her make up done worthy of the most eccentric house, and she followed the Prefect and the Fag to the meeting room. Soon, Bluewer came over with Ciel. The two shared a look - Yes, this Midnight Party was going to be huge trouble. "Welcome, Phantomhive, to the elegant -" Edgar began the introduction.

"Traditional." Bluewer said.

"High class." Herman continued.

"Bizarre." Violet ended.

"Midnight Tea Party." was it too late to run away?

She knew very well, only a student was supposed to be chosen, yet there she was also. Ciel deserved to be here. Why did the principal choose her? Was it to expel her before she could graduate? Or did he know about the Derek situation? At the long table, Ciel on the opposite ends with the Principal, the Prefects and Katrina on one side, with the Fag on the other. The Vice-Principal was standing by the principal's side. They were supposed to raise their tea cups and toast - But Ciel stopped it all. He was dead serious and not beating around the bush anymore. There it goes.

"There's something worrying me. It's about Derek Arden and his friends." he said. "I can't toast until I've met them." one side of the table was tense, while the other was simply confused. "Mr. Principal, will you hear my story?" though rude, Ciel incurred the 15th rule, about sharing your heart with your friends, and Bluewer was rendered silent.

Derek Arden, Greenson, Hardy, Isaac, Thewlis - None returned home, he said. He said he was told to persuade them to go home, but wasn't able to meet them. They transferred to the Purple house, but during the fire, they weren't there. He was pointing out Violet's choice of words, saying everyone was safe - But Derek and the rest weren't present. Was it deliberate, or a mistake?

"Violet was concerned for my well being. He ran to rescue me from the fire and took care of me despite my bad health. It is not easy for someone to care for another who can't breathe properly and is coughing copious amounts of blood." Katrina tried to defend Gregory, who just looked down, silent and afraid. 

"I would rather say - They weren't in the Purple House at all. Five people have disappeared from a strictly supervised public school - This is obviously quite strange!" clearly, the principal-excuse can't work anymore. "There's a big chance that they've become involved in some large incident. Mr. Principal, I'd like you to call in the Yard!"

"That will not be necessary." Agares cut him off, pointing behind him. "That's because - They are right here. Look." 

As if on cue, the door opened, and Derek Arden, looking very much alive, stepped in front of them, wearing the Violet Wolf sigil and the Midnight Tea Party flower. "The tea smells really good." he spoke, making Kat raise to her feet as well - She looked in horror at the young man who was approaching her, though his eyes were empty, devoid of any emotion. And worst of all, he was stinking. It wasn't a strong odor, but for someone like Kat who was so used to the faint perfume of death, she knew. "Ciel." Kat whimpered. "He's dead." she gulped, and in an act of counter-initiative, she threw herself at the table to grab a knife just as Derek's corpse grabbed her and sunk his teeth into her shoulder. "Die already!" she slammed the knife deep into his head, throwing him off and clinging on her shoulder. "He's a freak like those corpses on Campania. Look." everything had to be revealed now, it was no turning back. She knew it was all over, so she grabbed Arden's head, showing the autopsy scar on his forehead, as Ciel called Sebastian immediately. 

"Are you okay?!" they tried to approach her, but she stopped them, keeping her hand over her bleeding shoulder.

"I'm fine. I stopped him before he could actually munch on me." she grumbled, looking at the concerned look of Sebastian. He could practically smell the guilt and bitterness radiating from her.

Ciel explained that Michaelis was actually his butler, and he got into Weston to find out what happened to Derek and the rest. He pointed his gun at the principal, who hadn't moved a single inch.

"Spit it out! What did you do to Derek?"

"I killed him." Kat rose her head, releasing her hair from the ribbon. "I killed him, when the year started."

"You killed him?" Ciel's eyebrow rose, not believing her.

"Yes. It was my fault. I instigated everyone's death, and all this mess started with me." she huffed, leaning back on the wall. "Why do you think I didn't want to tell you anything? I would have incriminated myself. I already have few months left to live - Do you think I wanted to spend all that in jail, with the Queen's hatred?" 

"It wasn't your fault." Edgar spoke stepping next to her. "Derek was my fag. I should have seen what he was doing. It was my fault for not solving the issue sooner - Just like with Cole."

"And I should have noticed that the abuse inflicted on students of my own house." Violet also came to her defense. 

"In the end, it was I who killed him - Because we wanted to protect." Herman sighed, looking down in shame. "The Saint that symbolises the school, Saint George - He defeated a dragon to protect the country."

"In other words, if you don't cut it off from the source, you won't be able to run from disaster. We obeyed those teachings." Bluewer continued his explanation.

"That's why we set out to kill Derek."

There was no other choice. The Prefects explained the whole murder plot and how Edgar, as Kat suspected, made contact with Druitt's associate. The Aurora Society. "I see, now everything falls in place." Sebastian grinned devilishly.

"You got it too, didn't you?" the woman looked at the demon, who only grinned. She sighed, taking the locket chain attacked to her belt, clenching her grip around it. "I, also wondered - Why would someone bother to claim they care so, so much for you. Offer you a chance to live, a shelter, take you under their wing, care for you, teach you their craft, become their most trusted person, offer countless opportunities of all kinds..." she stepped right next to the principal. "Only to end up betraying and abandoning them on the streets, homeless, alone, and without any money and support." she hissed angrily at him. "You really are the worst of the worst, breaking my heart like that, you know?" she slapped his stupid hat off, revealing his silver hair gracefully reflecting into the moonlight. "Adrian Crevan. My namesake. Undertaker."

"Aww, darling, and I really liked this job." the Shinigami grinned wickedly as always. "It was truly pleasant to watch your struggle from the grand tier. You've offered me the best laughs." he giggled lightly. "Hello, Earl. You're as tiny as ever, but I'm pleased to see you're doing well." he played around with the hat, gripping Kat's hand. "Did you enjoy your first experience with group life?"

"I was wondering where you disappeared to after closing up the shop. To think you started working at a school, of all places." Sebastian seemed relatively amused.

"Only temporarily though." Undertaker replied, playing idly with the girl's fingers.

"My, my, it seems our investigation got a little out of hand." the demon turned to the Prefects. "You five assassinated Lord Derek and then requested his resuscitation from the Aurora Society. What was so important to protect that you would resort to such means?" 

"I'll tell you what, butler." the Undertaker grinned, pulling Kat into his lap and grabbing her face like she was a doll. "What they treasure most, of course."

They explained how the four of them became Prefect, and how Kat came soon, trying to hard to blend in, her thirst for knowledge and ambition admirable. Redmond vouched for her, integrating her in their little group, and together, the five of them became close friends and protectors of justice, in a way. Derek, however, was a reliable young man from the Marquis line, a cheerful personality, overflowing talent in everything he was doing - And because of this dazzle, they didn't see the dark show that his light cast until it was too late. For weeks on end, Derek was doing everything, all by himself, yet no progress was made on the bullying case, and they continued to receive letters and complaints --

That is, until Edgar read the poem dedicated to the Prefects, and deciphered it through the difference in ink colour and word symbolism - And when they reached the place they were supposed to find, they saw Derek Arden and his bully friends beating up on students. Katrina was also their victim of abuse and blackmail, and based on the ravished state of her closed, they must have known her secret. 

Redmond thus understood the meaning of - Deprived by light - With all of his results being fake. He took other's talents through despicable means and used them to make himself shine, for four entire years. This corruption was so deep that the Vice-Principal was also involved. Not only was he blatantly overlooking this clear problem, but he wanted to expel Katrina.  With desperation filling him, only multiplied by Derek's comment of becoming Prefect the next year, Herman snapped and hit him over the head with his cricket bat. As long as the corruption remained in the school, the school's tradition will continue to crumble. That couldn't happen. Tradition was everything.

With Kat and Violet blocking the exits, Redmond and Bluewer holding down Agares, Herman killed them all. When it came to putting the blame on someone, they all united - They were Prefects. All four of them. They were in this together. They tried to defend Katrina, saying it wasn't her fault she was bullied like that - She had every right to defend herself and her honour, moreover, she didn't touch the murder weapon - Though even through this, she was a clear accomplice for almost a whole year. Still, she had no idea that they were going to retort to the Aurora Society.

"Our actions are inexcusable to our relatives, but there was nothing else we could do to protect our traditional order. We didn't want to stir things up and damage the school's good name. You understand, don't you, Phantomhive?" whilst the Fags were petrified at the story being told, Undertaker was doubling over with laughter. Even the demon seemed amused. 

"I was asked to investigate this incident by a certain high-ranking individual. They won't sit by and do nothing after hearing the truth of this matter - However - I'll ask them to consider the circumstances." Ciel grinned - What a liar. "Well then - That just leaves you."

"How did you evolve Derek?" Kat asked, ripping herself away from the mortician. "How did you temper with the Records this time?"

"You're wrong, dearie, but very close~!" he grinned. "What's driving them now is their yearning for a future. In their dying moments, human review their past life, and these images come and go. At the same time, they crave the future they were supposed to have - They're fragmentary, of course, but those fragments are the episodes. These are like a predictive map of the future. My self-created memories are nothing compared to these future memories - So if we stuck these to the record - Wouldn't it become complete?" Undertaker shrugged carelessly. "Well, the success rate is still pretty low. It's dependant on the quality and quantity of the episodes."

"I don't understand - Why would you do that?! What purpose does bringing back the dead serve?!" Ciel yelled at him, pointing his gun at his head.

"I just want to see what comes after the pre-determined end." the mortician explained, throwing his arms in the sky. "You've never thought about it? There might be an interesting development lurking behind the ending credits."

"That's where we differ. Exactly because Death is such a hopeless and definite End - It is beautiful." Sebastian smirked back at the Shinigami.

"THERE'S NOTHING BEAUTIFUL IN DYING!" Katrina's desperate cry rung painfully through the garden. "THE ONLY BEINGS WHO CAN AFFORD TO SAY THAT ARE YOU, IMMORTAL FREAKS, WHO ARE TIRED OF LIVING! BUT I'M NOT READY TO DIE! TO HELL WITH ALL OF YOU AND YOUR ARROGANCE!"

"Are you going to tell that to this pretty little kitten, when she draws her last breath in your arms?" Undertaker grinned, satisfied with the surprised look in the demon's eyes. "You know, don't you? Did she tell you? She's going to die a most horrendous death, you see." he cackled, getting up from the chair. "I just want to give her another chance at living, you see. You can't defy the time of death written in the Book - But perhaps there is a way to give it another go."

"Accepting what's written in the Book is akin to just accepting fate can't be changed. That's boring, is it not?" the demon refuted, only to watch the mortician turn his back at them ready to leave.

Sebastian hurried to capture the Shinigami, only to be stopped by Agares - Seems Sebastian hadn't paid attention to their story. A masterpiece filled with many episodes. All the others rose up from nowhere - Derek's friends were ready to kill them. "RUN! GET OUT OF THE GARDEN, QUICK!" Agares kept messing with the demon who was carefully eying the mortician, sitting casually on the top of the back seat of the chair. As Sebastian realised he couldn't protect Ciel, he ran at him, with Katrina going after the Undertaker.

"YOU DON'T GET TO RUN AGAIN, YOU JERK! YOU'VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO! GET BACK HERE!" sprinting, Kat leapt on the table and used the very top of the seat to propel her to jump higher and hopefully catch the mortician's ankle as he sprung away - But it was for naught. She was so close, yet so far. Again. "COME BACK! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE ME LIKE THIS, ALL ALONE!"

"But you're not truly alone, are you, dearie~?" he grinned from the top of the wall. "See ya~!" he disappeared into the night.

With Sebastian killing all the monsters, Ciel was discussing ways of explaining this mess to the Queen. Clearly, saying the truth would make no sense - A corpse-reviving Shinigami? Ridiculous.  Kat's legs gave up and she crouched down, looking up at the starry skies, grinning. What an awful, awful night. Everything was ruined, just before graduation. How very awful. "Everyone's been safely evacuated!" Edward returned to the vacant garden, his sword tight in his grasp. The young man looked at the mess on the ground, and frowned, realising his own misdeeds. "Ciel... I'm scared. If this had continued, I might have become like these Prefects... The kind of person that mistakes the sin of murder for justice."

"Don't worry. As long as you're afraid of that, you're still normal." the boy turned his gaze as the woman. "Unlike us." she was all kinds of screwed up, just like him. Thus were those who dwelled in the darkness.

"Kat. Are you alright?" Edward's gentle voice, soft and unsure, was almost missed by the red head who was deeply lost in her thoughts. Were it not for him kneeling next to her, she might have missed him completely.

"I wrote the poem." she confessed for all three to hear. "I couldn't stand it anymore. I was weak." her blank expression drew an empty smile. "If I knew this would happen by reporting the corruption, I would let them beat me to death. I was weak. I should have just dropped out - Alas, I am a stubborn woman with far too many dreams for the little time I have left." he shoulders started shaking, small tears falling down as an amused rumble of chuckles erupted. "I'm the worst, aren't I?" she laughed, standing up on her feet. "Because of my selfishness, I got all four of them into this mess." just like in the boat, her grin was painfully wide, and she was tugging at her hair. "I only needed a few more weeks to graduate, to marry and get out of this mess that my parents made for me. Ahhhh, how annoying!" she turned her gaze to Ciel - She was gone. Far, far gone. "See you in hell, Ciel... If people like us afford even something like that, anyway."

With a peace sign, Katrina also exited the garden and went to the flower garden. She wanted to be all alone. To sing and dance, one last time. If the sentence is jail-time, if she gets reported, then she is going to take matters into her own hands and end it all.  It didn't matter to her that her shoulder was still bleeding and in pain - She returned to the flower garden where she first talked with Edgar, since she came here. When she found her happiness, her freedom. Here, it will also be taken back from her. With eccentric moves holding her grace, Katrina began to sing the only poem that she was ever capable of writing herself. And it sucked, of course. It wasn't tragic - It was outright depressing. 

I fall 'cause I've let go The net below has rot away So, my eyes seek reality And my fingers seek my veins

Knowing there would be no one to catch her, or scold her for anything, she cried out to the skies, as loud as her weak lungs could hold her. 

PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

"My, what a sad song you're singing there, My Lady." the demon watched the woman with the empty smile allow herself to fall down on the flower bed. "Rather fitting."

"Have you come to say goodbye, Sebastian?" she hummed, getting comfortable amongst the flowers. Should she just end it all, right here, in this pretty place? Now THAT would be fitting.

"On the contrary." he knelt by her side, offering her his hand. "I am here to take you home."

"Home?" the girl laughed in his face. "What home? I have no home, Sebastian. I'm homeless. I don't have anything. Nothing at all. Not even a single coin. I only have some clothes to sell, though I'm not sure how long I can afford food and shelter with that alone."

"That may be so, indeed." he smirked mischievously. "But the Young Master is giving you a choice." Kat rose her eyebrow at him. "You can choose to fall prey to destiny and accept your death." his eyes flashed alluringly. "Or you can get another chance."

"What do you mean? When the Queen hears I killed her cousin's son, I'm done for in absolutely every way possible. There's no second chance from that." she retorted immediately.

"Not 'When'. 'If'." despite the excruciating pain in her shoulder, Kat shot up in a sitting position.

"No way."

"The Young Master intends to tell the Queen that you contributed heavily in uncovering the mystery, and having you return to work." the shocked expression on her face was so precious. "So, what do you choose, My Lady?" It didn't take long for Kat to get over her shock and throw her arms around his neck. "I told you to stop the formalities when we're alone, didn't I?"

"I will not forget again."

As punishment for what happened, the P4 were expelled, rather than serving jail time, because for them, who valued tradition above all, it was a far worse punishment. With one last month and a half remaining of the school year, Katrina remained as the Violet House Prefect with Cheslock as her Fag, and got the opportunity to graduate - But at what cost, and under what name? Was all this mess even going to be worth, in the end? She couldn't know.

It was announced that Derek and his friends died in a boat accident and had their bodies buried in secret - The four Fags were sworn into secrecy, and had to begin their last year at Weston, as Prefects, with dread plaguing their hearts. 

In the end, Ciel did tell the Queen about the resuscitation of the dead ploy, and forged up some kind of story about Katrina's involvement into all this - Of course, they weren't lies, she did do all that, in a way - Thus, the Queen's Fox was back in business. How she would be able to perform going further, she wasn't sure. No school to go to, no Undertaker, no mortician work - It was going to be weird. 

Katrina was laying on her bed one evening, bored out of her mind, but keeping herself occupied with a medical text she found recently. There wasn't much to do, and most of Ciel's lessons were just old stories for her. Perhaps she should ask Sebastian to tutor her also, or her mind's going to fracture itself from boredom. She was wasting time for no reason.

The room was dead silent and rather eerie, were it not for the candle light by the nightstand and the light of the moon peeking through the window. It must be getting late, she thought, though there was no way she could fall asleep any time soon. Thankfully, her door opened, revealing the demon. "Done for today, huh?" she snapped the book shut and scooted over to the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to her.

"Yes. Thankfully, although I have overindulged him with sugary desserts, he was able to sleep faster than expected." the butler hummed, blowing candles off. "But the Young Master is still just a child. You do not seem to be anywhere close to attempting to sleep."

"What can I say. I have a hard time sleeping." she shrugged, placing the book on the nightstand and getting comfortable. "Well, what is it? Do you want to have a conversation? Or are you just going to stand there and stare at me through the darkness - Again."

"Forgive me for making you uncomfortable." the demon chuckled, placing the lumiere onto the table before taking off his blazer, neatly placing it on the chair. "I did have a curiosity, if you do not mind me asking." he continued, discarding his vest and gloves also, receiving a hum of approval to go on. "You mentioned wishing to marry Master Redmond. Was that true?" he approached the bed, sitting on the edge of it.

"Yes, sort of." she answered after a few seconds of pondering. "I know I do not look the type, considering my haughtiness, but... I am a woman, like many others, and I also dreamt of falling in love and marrying one day." she admitted lightly. "I don't care for children, though I know that's an unfortunate must in a noble family." she scoffed, looking out at the moon. "I don't know if it's a teaching from the family out of society's need to manipulate everyone into obeying, or it is just something that girls do since they are little... But I think you would be very amused to know that I and Lizzy, although we behave differently, are alike in many ways."

"I would have never guessed." the demon looked at her in intrigue, enticed by the way the sheer material of her white gown revealed her alluring silhouette through the silver moon. Kat smirked tenderly, turning on her side to look at him - She looked like a masterfully painted masterpiece, Sebastian thought, drinking her in. "There is a little difference between Lizzy and myself though - And that is the circumstances of us loving our fiance." she chuckled lightly.

"Lizzy and Ciel are cousins. They knew each other since they were children. They have always been close, yes - But do they love each other, in the true, romantic sense of way? I am not sure. I always suspected that they just found this situationship very convenient and turned this cousin-love into a marriage. Lizzy took it seriously thought - She's hell-bent on protecting Ciel, you saw that yourself, didn't you. But that's the thing. She doesn't have a reason why she loves him - She just does. It's pure and innocent, and very much induced." she explained, reaching out her fingers to touch his own.

"That means you have a reason for the feelings you have for Master Redmond?" she hummed in approval.

"He indulged all of my whims, ever since we were children, you see. I fell for him because he saw me for who I was, and he accepted me like this. I never felt a complexed for being better or worse than him at something. I didn't feel bad that I wasn't always wearing high heels, doing my make up or wearing overly cute clothes. He didn't scold me for being interested in science instead of coquettery. And he made me love all the arts that my parents made me despise. He showed me beauty and gentleness where there was only ugliness and hatred." she rose up slowly, holding his hand in her own, playing idly with his fingers.

"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have been able to get in the Purple House through my talent. I wouldn't have had a safe haven where I could see that painting wasn't evil, that performing music wasn't tainted and that embroidery wasn't corrupted. I ended up loving all the things that I hated, and more." she looked up at the demon, a smile so beautiful and bright, pure, and so loving, that Sebastian thought he saw a Seraph glowing not from the moon, but from her own divine aura. "He helped me love myself."

"I see. That is quite the feat. I long since suspected Master Redmond was nothing like his uncle, and that only reinforces that thought." he hummed, still pondering over this human emotion displayed so raw in front of him, yet he wasn't sure what to do with it, nor could he properly process it. "Then, I wish you a happy marriage, My Lady."

"Silly demon. Are you jealous?" the girl teased him softly. "We both know I'm not going to get my wedding after what happened." she said, kneeling behind him on the bed, whispering in his ear.

"With Edgar's expulsion, mother broke off the engagement. She most likely realised there will come no good business deal from selling me off to a disgraced son." she kissed his temple. "Oh, right, I asked you before if you were jealous, didn't I? And you replied - You said you were... Territorial - Right?"

"You have quite the golden memory, Kitten, though I cannot help but wonder at your intentions." the demon turned around, pinning her to the bed - It seems he played into her wishes, for she looked rather smug.

"My intentions, you say? You already know that, also." she replied shamelessly. "I want everything." she stated simply. "You see I only ever liked four men in this life, but only one was ever in the romantic sense." she teased, like the innocent little thing she was. "I loved Undertaker for being my mentor, my confidant. He took care of me when nobody else did." she said, intertwining her fingers with his own.

"I loved Edgar for showing me tenderness, when I only knew discipline. For showing me that I should love and cherish myself." she reached out her hand to cup his face. "I loved Lau for how carefree he was, yet even though he doesn't show it, there is a lot to learn from him, a rich culture, and a lot of fun on the way." gently caressing his cheek, she trailed up into his raven hair. "But Sebastian, you were always different. Was it because you're a demon? Or simply, who you are? I'm not sure." she said softly. "I tried, for months, to understand what I felt for you, and to this day, I don't know what it is - Yet, even in my confusion, there is one thing I am certain of."

"And what is that, My Kitten?" holding her hand over her head, the butler placed his arm under her, holding her body against his own, in the most intimate way.

"I am happy whenever I see you." 

The demon's eyes widened slightly at her comment - It was completely genuine, and so angelic, that he couldn't resist; She was simply such a beautiful specimen, so human, so true to who she was, and filled with every possible emotion existing, many that even he was unaware of. In turn, whether he knew so or not, Sebastian also had a smile most mellow and precious; A smile so ethereal that probably nobody ever witnessed such grace before. He leaned down, capturing her lips into a loving kiss, so tender and soft, yet filled with so much care and worship. Women he seduced, he only ever knew one thing, and that was bringing their high and extorting information out of them - He, himself, needn't anything else. Humans weren't all that interesting nor satisfying to toy with, for the most part - They break too easily, there's hardly anything to do with them, after all.

Yet now, he didn't think of such a thing. Somehow, though tainted, he wanted to worship and preserve the bright light of her soul, to show her the gates of heaven, only to hold her back in his arms. Every twitch of her body was a miracle, and every thrill of her voice was a blessing. That glazed expression of her, lost in pleasure in delight, was everything he needed, and nothing less. "I always thought that there were few things more precious than seeing a woman's pleasure." his sinful words as his hand gently trailed up her neck made her gasp, gripping onto him, her head leaned down from the intense pleasure reaching its peak. "Now I know." he cradled her body carefully in his own, drinking in her sweet cry as she comes undone. "Your smile of joy is my most precious treasure."

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[milflewis]

As requested, my prompt - Gewis - more teammates telepathic bond au 👀👀👀

The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known Even Slightly For Once

George knows Lewis crashed out and who exactly he specifically crashed into before he’s told over the radio.

“Red flag, George. Red flag.”

“Copy,” George gasps, his mind yawning open. Lewis’s surprise is a horrible thing; waves swallowing up the shore, breaking off rocks. Lewis is nearly always quiet and still and calm, but especially so when they’re in the car and now — now, George has to breathe past all that Lewis is.

Valtteri —

The thought is half formed and ends in horror. George doesn’t know if it’s his or Lewis’s.

“Seems to have lost control of the car,” Marcus continues. “Hit Bottas. Both are okay. Careful around the debris.”

Both are okay, George thinks, over and over and over again. For himself, because he saw it in his mirrors and Lewis’s car was in the air, and for Lewis, who can’t seem to hear anything right now.

Both are okay.

Okay.

Okay.

You’re okay.

George swallows, blinking. His throat tastes of salt and seaweed, mouth bone dry. His head is full of water. He presses his fingers into the steering wheel, feeling his gloves on his hands, and tells himself that he is not drowning.

Another turn and a straight and then Lewis goes silent again, all his water retreating back into his self-made puddle.

No, George thinks, unable to help himself. No.

By the time the race is over, three laps later and under a safety car, and George climbs out of the car, a respectable p4, Lewis’s presence is near non existent.

He has made himself so far removed from George’s mind, in a way that George wasn’t even aware that you could be in these kind of bonds, that relief cold knocks the breath out of him when he sees Lewis standing over Toto’s shoulder.

He’s frowning, more visibly annoyed than Lewis generally allows himself to be in front of cameras, and his hands are tucked up under his armpits, coat zipped up to his throat.

—

“Ah, just here for Lewis.”

George glances up from his phone, recognising the voice. His mind is clear and blank, barely a ripple.

“He’s inside,” Bono replies, slightly muffled by the closed door.

There is no movement from the room next to him for a moment before Lewis’s door opens and he can hear him say, “I went looking for you earlier. After.”

“Yes,” Valtteri says, and he sounds like he’s smiling. “They said. I was getting checked out by the medics. Guanyu worries.”

Lewis makes a noise that George thinks is supposed to be a laugh but it’s a little too wet. There’s footsteps and then Lewis’s door closes again. George leans back against the wall, eyes closing.

“All good?” Lewis’s voice does not shake and it is free from tears. George can hear a shuffle and then a soft creak and assumes Valtteri is sitting down.

His voice is louder now, closer to George’s ear, when he speaks. “All good.”

Lewis hums. “That’s good.”

You could put him in front of a camera right now, George knows. They did less than an hour ago and Lewis was perfect. Calm and composed and just a little wide eyed. Maybe a smidge too self deprecating but otherwise, the consummate professional he nearly always is.

George has been talking around the brick of fear in his mouth since the collision. It is not his own. The sea tucked away in the corner of his mind is as still as ice. George doesn’t put his feet in. It feels like there should be clouds on the horizon.

“Lewis,” Valtteri is then saying, voice gentler than George has ever heard it. “Are you going to sit down?”

George doesn’t know what went on between the two of them when Valtteri lived in George’s seat, and for the first time, George doesn’t think he wants to.

“Right,” Lewis says, distracted, and more creaking of his massage table. “Yeah.”

George can feel him inhale, and then: “I’m sorry. That one was on me.”

“I know,” Valtteri says, and there’s a rustle of fabric. “It’s almost like you’re not perfect. Shocker.”

Lewis’s laugh sounds like it is shook out of him, broken free, and that tiny corner in the back of George’s mind shudders tightly, salt coating George’s teeth, before the tension in his shoulders eases.

Oh, George thinks. Oh, you love him. This — this is how it feels like when you love.

He’s your Alex.

George doesn’t know how that translates over to Lewis but it must be okay because Lewis taps a mental knuckle against George’s mind, tiredly fond.

George only shrugs, face hot, and sends back a running stream of memories of Valtteri; grabbing Lewis’s bottle when he’d forget it after drivers briefings, blushing when Lewis laughed at whatever he said, choosing a seat with one empty next to it. He hopes it comes across clinical. Hopes the fact that Valtteri Bottas loves Lewis Hamilton and Lewis Hamilton allows this tastes neutral to Lewis, is just what it is, without any of George’s shit attached to it.

George can feel Lewis turn away, his water shivering, but there’s a smile in his voice when he asks Valtteri if he wants to sneak out the back and grab food at his hotel room.

[bluegalaxygirl]

Ruthless (Zosan X Reader) P4

Plot: Beast off the walking dead series. After the governor attacks your people you head back to help plan an attack back. Luffy's not happy with being left out so ends up following only to end up at the governors town.

Warning: Death, blood, violence, reader being unhinged, bad language.

Reader is a gunslinger of the crew and the younger sibling to Rick. This isn't accurate to the show but it does contain characters and plot lines, deaths have been added that aren't apart of the show. Zoro X Sanji X Reader, poly relationship, Established relationship, Reader is GN.

P1 - P2 - P3 - P5 - P6 - P7 - P8 - P9 - P10 - P11

With the party in full swing the straw hat crew enjoyed the music and conversation with the Woodbury people but over time more and more people stated disappearing as night darkened, Zoro grabbed Sanji and give him a nod, the two sneaking out soon followed by Usopp and Nami. Luffy was enjoying the party and keeping the people distracted along with Chopper, while Robin kept an eye on the place to make sure no one noticed some of their crews absence. The group headed out sneaking around the streets avoiding anyone who crossed their path, "Where do we even start?" Nami asks looking around not seeing anything of interest. "Andrea" Sanji whispers gaining the group's attention as he spots the blonde haired woman walking down the street with papers in her hands. Sanji called out to her in a whisper getting her attention only to be hit by Nami "Were not supposed to be seen" She whispers at him as the woman walks over giving them all a confused look, before she can say anything Zoro grabs her and pushes her up against the wall covering her mouth "Zoro don't hurt her" Sanji growls at the man only to earn a sigh "I'm not, we just need to keep quiet" he says looking at Sanji then at Andrea.

Andrea nods at him letting him know she'll be quiet, Zoro takes his hand off her mouth and lets her go but blocks her only escape route "What's going on?" she whispers a little scared at the situation she's in "We're looking for Y/N" Sanji answers her but is shocked by her reaction, she jumps a little at your name and looks at him almost worried "Their not here, they left years ago" she whispers turning to the blonde man "So you do know them... Where would they be?" Usopp smiles happy it didn't take too long. "Well they wouldn't be here, they'd be at the prison" her eyes open wide in realization "Did you ask the governor?" She panics grabbing onto the cooks shirt making him take a step back "Y-Yes why?" Sanji stutters as Zoro pulls the girl off him "Oh no, Y/N and the governor aren't on good terms, they've tired to kill each other multiple times but theirs a truce between the groups now. He hates them so much and i don't even know why but.." She starts to tear up and drops the papers to the floor, Sanji places a hand on her shoulder as Nami steps closer "But what?" The navigator asks "He-he'll kill them if he knows their here and if he does than.. then the only place they might be is the arena" Andrea looks up at the woman with small tears falling from her face "We were friends since we were kids, even though i left to be here they never thought less of me... i can take you to the arena just let me help if he does have them" A smile grows on the blonde girls face as the group nods at her.

It wasn't long until they made it to the arena, the once quiet area was now filled with cheers and laughter, a strong orange light shines through the gaps and small holes in the hand made metal wall. "I'm not aloud in but i knows a way we can sneak in" Andrea whispers taking them around the side and to an area where scrap metal has been used to cover up big holes "Pull this open" she whispers moving aside for Zoro who easily pulls it open letting the others in. The wooden stands above them are full of people cheering and yelling at something as Zoro closes the metal back to normal once in. Andrea grabs some jackets and coats that are left on the side and hands it to them making sure everyone is covered enough to fit in with the crowd before heading up with them into the stands going up to the top where they can see everything. The area is mainly concrete and dirt, the only lights are coming form big metal barrels and torches, in the middle of a large circle were three pillars, a walker chained up to each one by their necks and arms, the chains attacked to a pull system, so they could be moves back and forth. Men with guns stand guard around the place seeming ready to shoot when ordered, but they seem very relaxed at the moment. The arena attaches to a large factory like building with thick cages filled with walks all groaning and reaching their arms out to grab at anyone who comes by. The big doors to the building burst open, a man with a sack over his head is carried out kicking and screaming, the two men throw him into the circle as the governor steps out of the crowd.

The sack is pulled off showing an older man with a large fresh scar on his face "I think you all know this man right?" The governor calls out as the crowd yells out insults and boos the man "Stealing and lying is punishable by death but i understand why you did it so... i'm giving you a chance at life" The governor pulls out a knife and pushes the man to the ground before cutting the ropes that bind his hands, He whispers something to the man before walking off. A leaver is pulled and the walks chairs come loose, though still attached to the chain the walker stumble closer to the man as he panics and tried to fight them off only to get grabbed and bitten, the three walkers getting on top of him and killing him. Andrea grabs hold of Zoro as he's about to jump in "don't, it's too late" she whispers a tear slipping form her face. Sanji holds Nami in his arms as she hides her face from the sight. "This is crazy we need to leave" Usopp whispers his body tense but the group shakes their heads "We need to find Y/N" Sanji whispers, he goes to ask answer a question when the governor starts walking into the now empty and cleaned up circle to talk "Now for what you've all been waiting for" he yells out as cheers roar through the arena, the doors open behind him the same two men dragging a young boy across the floor, he didn't have a sack over his head like the other one, but he did have an over sized sheriffs hat and long brown hair, he kicked and yelled at the men while his hands where tied behind his back. Andrea almost falls to her knees if it weren't for Zoro catching her "Hay what's wrong?" the swordsman asks as the girl starts to cry "Carl" she manages to get out, Sanji looks at her letting go of Nami and then back to the young boy, "Carl?" Sanji and Zoro speak at the same time before looking at each other, that was your nephews name.

Getting in was the easy part, getting out would be harder with all the people who are probably injured, Daryl, Rick and Michonne lead their groups to different parts of the town while you went with Maggie and Glen to save your people, after that you would deal with the governor, Daryl had his people on the roof tops looking down at the arena while Michonne lead a few people inside where they would stay with the crowd while Michonne snuck around to set up charges that would destroy the walker caged doors. The people that were picked for the job are good fighters but not known to the governor or his people so you hoped it would work. You wanted Rick out of the way, he's too unstable at the moment with the loss of his wife and the kidnapping of his son so you sent him to the kitchen with the group where they would take food and set up distractions for when shit hits the fan. You, Maggie and Glen head in while the others wait outside guarding the exit, you three sneak into the factory building taking out any guards you can see and releasing the prisoners, the arena show had been going on for a few minutes so you were confident they would all be distracted, and they were, you knew something would go wrong but you had a plan for everything, well almost everything. "Where's Carl?" you ask the last of your people who shrug, your heart sinks as Maggie grabs your arm "Want me to come with?" she asks worried about you.

You take your gun out of your belt and put it in your boot covering it before turning to her "No we stick to the plan, get them out of here, I'll find Carl." you nod sending the group off as you make your way around, the area was clear but there was no sign of your nephew until you heard the governor's voice "Lady's and Gentleman, may i introduce you to out main entertainment tonight" That voice makes your anger boil, walking towards the big doors you hear more and your heart drops "Young Carl here is going to set the strange for an amazing night, a fight you have all been waiting for" the crowd cheers loud as you grit your teeth, if he wants a show, then fine. You crack your neck and take a breath before pushing the heavy doors open. Your boots crunch the ground as you walk up to the circle, guns pointing at you as you walk forward "Just in time, almost perfect really" The governor claps as you stop near the edge, the walks presses against the pillars growling while Carl sits in the floor his eyes looking at you with a mixture of panic and relief. "Let the kid go, this has nothing to do with him" you comment making the mad man laugh along with some of the crowd. Some men walk up to you pointing their guns at you "I will once you've been searched" the governor smiles as you put your arms up and let them search you, they take the gun off your hip and the one out of your back pocket along with your jacket before walking away, two more guys walk over and grab Carl pulling him out of the circle.

You step foreword a little so your now in the center right where you want to be. "You've made a big mistake, i knew you'd come if i attacked the prison, i knew you'd make a plan to get your group out and i knew you'd attack the kitchen and the town hall, your predictable" he continues to laugh which makes a smile grow on your face causing him to stop and look at you. "Your the one that made a mistake, cause you've forgotten one big thing.... there's a reason why they call me Ruthless" in one quick movement, you pull the gun out of your boot and fire at him, he has just enough time to get out of the way but your first gun shot was the signal to the others. Your group in the crowd pulled out knives and stabbed the guards with guns as the people up top shot the ones near the walls. Michonne activated the bombs blowing up the cage doors letting the walks fall out and stumble to get up. "No one brakes a truce with me or attacks my family" you yell out shooting at the governor as he runs off, you managed to hit him in the shoulder, but he kept putting other in the way of your bullets. Having run out of bullets you try and reload as fast as you can but a guard run at you with a knife, you get ready to fight only for Sanji to jump in and kick the guy away sending him into one of the burning barrels knocking it over and setting the wooden stand on fire. Your eyes widen when you see him, about to speak a thud lands behind you along with a man screaming in pain.

You reload your gun and turn on the spot holding the gun out only for it to end up in the face of Zoro, who just stands there and stares at you, "Gonna shoot me baby?" he asks with a smug smile as you move your gun to the side to shoot someone running up next to you two "What are you doing here?" you ask in disbelief looking form Zoro to Sanji and then over to the walkers as they start to get and move towards you "Y/N, we need to go, everyone's out" Michonne calls out heading to the exit, Sanji kicks another guy before following you and Zoro out of a whole on the wall, after your all through a group of guys pushes a big metal sheet over the hole and hold it in place with pipes. "It won't let long but I'll give us enough time to get out of here... who the hell are they?" Michonne asks her hand gripping her sword "Zoro, Sanji - Michonne" you pant calming down from your angry out burst and introducing the three, Michonne nods at them while loosening her grip before starting to walk along with some other members "Where's the crew, where's Carl?" you ask feeling like your plan is going down the drain "Nami, Usopp and Andrea got him and are heading to the banquet where the rest of the crew are" Sanji explains following you while also keeping a look out.

You curse under your breath as you all rush into a nearby building, your glad Andrea is alive and helping but you need to focus on the situation. "Ok change of plans" you state getting everyone to look at you after one of your people passes you your guns back "Which one?" Daryl asks walking up to you with his group that just arrived "No i mean a real change of plans... Daryl take your team along with Zoro and Sanji and get to the hall, Find the crew and get out." Daryl nods as his team reloads their weapons and you check yours placing them back on your belt. "Michonne go assist Rick in the kitchen while your team sets off the distractions" She nods at you gathering her team and running off to do so. "What about you?" Zoro asks grabbing your shoulder "I'm finishing the base plan, kill the governor" you state as Daryl walks up to you eyeing the two men "What? Not alone your not" Sanji walks forward only for you to put your hand out to stop him and shrug Zoro's hand off your shoulder "I've done this before, if i bring someone with me he'll use them against me, it's better if i do this alone" you state looking at the two. "I want you all safe and i want this to be over so please, just follow Daryl" You walk off, Sanji tried to go after you but Daryl steps in the way "Hay man trust her, she's the reason why he lost an eye after all" The rugged man smiles before walking off to the door.

Sanji and Zoro reluctantly follow but stay back a bit "What do you think?" Sanji whispers looking around the street for any sigh of you or the crew "They may have taken his eye, but he cut their throat" Zoro growls a little, the thought of losing you made his heart pound and his stomach turn. "So we ditch?" Sanji asks with a small smile earning a nod from the swordsman. When the coast is clear Sanji takes Zoro's arm and pulls him into a building where they run through it and to the back heading in the direction of the town hall since that seems like the most logical place. Fire works and explosives go off on the other side of town making building catch on fire and start a panic, Sanji and Zoro mange to get to the town hall only to see it on fire, standing outside it is the governor holding your gun at you with blood coming out if his eye patch and a cut off right hand, while your on your knees on the floor smiling up at him with wet hair and for some reason laughing. Zoro grips his swords as the two run at him but their not quick enough, as you lunge at the man he fires your gun blood splattering through the air as you slam into the governor sending the two of you to the grassy floor "Y/N" Zoro and Sanji scream out.

[arcplaysgames]

The Persona 5 Post-Mortem, Part One: What I Didn't Like 8C

I have reread my entire P5 liveblog to refresh my memory of everything that happened in the game, and I've been trying to think about how I feel about P5R and, frankly, whether I like the game. Which is a very basic question, I think, but one I am deeply struggling with, so obviously it's not actually that simple, huh.

The answer I am tentatively settling on is: I think the third semester saves P5R from being an Actually Bad game.

I think that Persona 5 Vanilla is actually… a 5 out of 10 at best, and in my heart it's lower than that. But Royal does so much intense heavy lifting, it alone, separate from the rest of the game and the original campaign, is an 8 out of 10.

That is an enormous discrepancy that I've really never dealt with in a video game before. I think the last game I played that I truly disliked to my bones was Fallout 4. FO4 remains the only game I've ever played were I genuinely and truly wanted a refund of not just my money but my time, the hours I spent in that meaningless, vapid fucking world. Even FO3 gave me some joy of exploration, for fuck's sake.

P5R is not as bad as FO4, but the main campaign is to me an enormous disappointment that…. if I had not been in the throes of a depressive slump and thus needing something to hyperfocus on, I don't know if I would have finished the game. My frequent references to Yusuke saving me from turning off the game were not exaggeration in the least.

So, I think there are two major problems with this game. And I understand that when I did my post-mortem on P4G, I started with my likes and then went to dislikes, but I think for P5R it's correct to reverse that, because my negative feelings far outweigh the positive.

I guess point one is obvious: I think the cast of this game is bad.

I refuse to sugar-coat it. The cast of P5 is just bad, with a few mild exceptions. Even the characters that I like, I enjoy them comparatively to the ones I hate. And I have never hated someone in a Persona game before, not even Joker Mode Yosuke.

The entire cast of this game is much, much flatter than you would expect from a game that is trying so desperately to be stylish and loud and garish. P5R is maximalist to its fucking core. The fusions are executions, item creation is an electric chair, the menus are nightmares of high contrast and bouncing shapes, everything is LOUD LOUD LOUD 24/7 in this game to the point that I, a person I think is fairly skilled at video games and played P4G on Normal and breezed through it, had to lower the difficulty of the game to fucking have fun, because I felt so inundated with stimulus, I was struggling to play the fucking game.

That maximalist spirit just vanishes in the characters, and it's so fucking jarring. All style, no substance.

When I was trying to figure out my thoughts on the characters, the thing I kept coming back to was that P5 has too many main characters in the party. And weirdly, I think I'm right! P3 has seven party members (excluding beloved Koromaru, eight if you count Shinjiro who is in the party for a month). P4 only has seven.

Persona 5 Royal has nine, and I think part of the problem is that to fit all of these characters into the party and the story and to keep the MSQ scene moving at a decent pace, everyone suffers for it and gets flattened. Even the vibrancy of Yusuke vanishes from the game in the final third, where all his interesting tics and quirks are phased out until he's just a guy here to say his lines to move things along. Almost everyone suffers from this, where they are focal points during their introduction arc, and then they just lose all their shine as the story moves on.

This didn't happen in P3 and P4. That's not rose-tinted glasses talking; I JUST played both of those games starting in December. P3 is my true love but P4 is a tremendous example of how the characters continued to be themselves in every scene, even after their introductory chapters ended.

So the poison at the heart of P5R is that the characters are both not as three-dimensional to start with (and there are only a few I would even consider three-dimensional), and from the moment their respective Palaces end, they're on a half life.

This literally might be why I like Haru best, because she's introduced so late in the game that she didn't lose her voice yet by the endgame.

This is all of course at odds with the fact that only a few characters are really good. Futaba probably deserves the most accolades for being clear and present in every scene and always maintaining her uniqueness. Morgana as well, seeing as his arc lasts the entire game and is one of the central mysteries. And Akechi, without whom I think the entire game might have actually failed? Without the complexity and unnerving energy from Akechi, this cast could not sustain the runtime of the game.

AND ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT, it does not help that I actively disliked two of my party members. Makoto has by far the worse introduction of any character in any game I have played and the way the game just did not understand or contend with what she did, the stalking and blackmail and endangering everyone, soured her so completely for me that she never once got party time. I never used her.

But even she was a relief next to fucking Ryuji. Ryuji, the token best friend character who turned into The Teammate Everyone Hates for me. He was a mean, emotionally dense, disrespectful and dehumanizing asshole for the entire fucking game. And I am used to the Best Friend Guy who messes up and grows over the course of the game (see: Junpei and Yosuke) but with Ryuji there is no growth, there is barely acknowledgement of how cruel he is. And the fact he never actually apologized to Morgana for his bullshit in the middle of the game lost me completely on him. Ryuji made me as the player on the other side of the screen uncomfortable. That's…. wild, tbh.

So we have a cast where I can barely stand two characters, I'm ambivalent on three, one I regularly forgot she existed, and three I liked a lot.

That's a fucking mess, y'all. For a Persona game, which is a premium Hangout Game, where so much of the point is the characters? That's a huge problem.

The other games in this franchise like Shin Megami Tensei tend to have characters that are flatter and more allegorical in nature, but that's okay because the focus is on the themes and the writing of the world.

Which leads directly to the other problem with Persona 5.

The writing. On several metrics, the writing is Bad.

On the first point, the fact that this game has an 80 hour runtime if you are lucky, and that's just the vanilla MSQ. It feels like an 80 hour runtime. I felt every goddamn minute of how long this game is.

Structure is the problem here, in my opinion, and it goes hand in hand with the character issue. Just as this game has too many characters, it has too many set-pieces and arcs. To justify Makoto's presence in the game, there is a long, superfluous arc with Kaneshiro that should have just been cut entirely. Kaneshiro is about 10 hours that could just be snipped out of the game with nothing lost thematically or narratively.

And even more that P4 and DEFINITELY more than P3, the game will essentially…. repeat scenes.

As someone who did this entire liveblog with screencaps, I cannot tell you how many times I thought I missed capping a specific line or moment only to find out that it was in a nearly-identical scene a little bit earlier. Sometimes there were three different scenes that conveyed no new information, just restated what the characters knew, and that's just ridiculous. That's truly just too much.

On top of that, this game just gives the player way too much time. I didn't fill out every SLink in this game, but that's because I actively chose not to out of disinterest in a few of them. If I wanted to, I think I could have done every one without a guide. I spun my wheels for OVER TWENTY IN-GAME DAYS MULTIPLE TIMES. The pacing is a nightmare.

Another point I mentioned a lot was the technical quality of the writing.

This game is so over-produced, so maximalist, has so many small details, but the actual script as written for the game feels like it was done under crunch. Like, extreme crunch. Original FF7-style crunch.

It's hard to explain what this means, but in P4G, the script was lovingly crafted word by word and everything was incredibly naturalistic and conversational. There was never a moment when I had to refer to the log and reread anything, no point where a conversation lost me.

In P5R, this happened regularly. Awkward phrasings, responses that didn't make sense, repetitive sentence structure, and weird conversational pivots that did actually force me to go back and reread to understand what was being said.

Localizing a game of this scope and budget is a herculean task, and I know the game's English release was delayed. It just was not enough time. I would guess that this game needed at least another month or two to cook, but more than anything, the localization process should have been started a year before it was. The localization needed to be happening concurrently with the final year of development for a text this fucking dense.

It is so weird to see the extreme polish of the presentation of this game and then to just read the text aloud and go "wait, what" numerous times in a single playthrough.

(also this barely feels like its worth mentioning with the other issues but the lack of translation of the textures was unacceptably bad. I had to get a JPN-speaking friend to translate some things for me, and I really genuinely feel like missing out on some of this shit diminished the context of the game. Maruki's place is the most egregious offender but its everywhere.)

And finally, the last writing complaint is that until the Third Semester, this game has nothing to say. The Persona 5 Vanilla version of this game is……. meaningless but masquerading as thoughtful and rebellious.

Which is frankly hugely disappointing because this game does start strong with Joker and the repeated motif of imprisonment and betrayal. In just the first hour, Joker is beat up in an interrogation room, he's falsely accused of assault, his probation officer tells him he deserved it for stepping out of line, and every figure of authority from the principal to the teachers to his fellow students treat him like a murderer. It was a potent start to a game.

And in the end, Yaldaboath is just repeating the same fucking shit that Izanami did in P4G. People? More like SHEEPLE, amiright? People care more about being entertained than the TRUTH, and they want to be shadows/imprisoned.

Blah blah fucking blah. Persona needs to come up with something new to say because this was NOT it, chief, and was just disappointing given the strong start with Joker. I think this game's Big Theme can confidently be boiled down to "phones are like prisons," and its infuriating.

So much superfluous text and so little to say.

Until the Third Semester, anyway.

Next post will be about the things I liked, I promise.

[brokenhardies]

The Butterfly Effect p4 drabble? draft? w/e?

Under the cut is a small test run of TBE's 'prequel' story, written from the perspective of Fool!Naoto (he/him). Featured in this prologue are Fool!Naoto, Hierophant!Eri, Justice!Yuuta and Aeon!Yu. Word Count: 714

@latenitewaffles, @inkwell1013, @mushroomfusion245 @rollthedice-playthecards @thehedgehogat221b @sterling-writes @wonderguards @hobie-doh

Naoto Shirogane didn’t like trains that much. The long ride from Sendai down to Yasoinaba bored him immensely - the only thing he could do was scroll through his phone and listen to gossip about a local member who was having an alleged affair with a news reporter. He frowned, he wasn’t even sure where he was going, but was surprised when he’d received a text from the woman who would be taking care of him - at least, until his grandfather recovered;

Eri: Yuu-kun and I are waiting outside Yasoinaba Station

Eri: Text me when you arrive, okay?

Naoto: I’m on my way - I think it’ll take about 15 minutes

Eri: All right then! See you!

The train pulled into Yasoinaba Station, and Naoto sighed. He was here for a new beginning, that was what it was. A new beginning that had been met with awkward silence from his classmates at Sendai High - after all, he’d only just arrived there in his first year when suddenly, his grandfather’s illness got worse. At the end of March, he was taken out of Sendai and moved to a ‘family friend’ - Eri Minami, a woman who had been close to Naoto’s mother.

She’d also been forcibly moved from the city - following a divorce from her husband - alongside her son Yuuta - the Yuu-kun that she referenced in the text. So, she could relate to Naoto’s struggles moving from a big city to a small town. Naoto’s train of thought delayed somewhat as he left the train, with nothing but a small bag of luggage, with clothes and important items. He placed his hat back on, and sighed as he looked in his reflection in the windows of the train that was leaving.

It was strange, actually going to a place that recognised his gender… But it would work, after all, new beginnings and all that. He left the stairs at Yasoinaba Station, and was immediately greeted by his new legal guardian.

“Good morning, Nao-kun!”

Eri Minami was a tall, slim woman. She was probably in her mid-30s, Naoto assumed. She had wavy brown hair tied into a low bun, fair olive skin, and wore a simple, pale pink undershirt tucked into a pair of burgundy trousers, paired with a pair of magenta-coloured slippers. Over her undershirt was a matching burgundy peacock coat, stitched together with a deep purple ribbon. Naoto waved at her, picking up his luggage with a muted apology.

“How was the trip?” She asked, “It’s quite hard travelling such a long distance. I’m Eri Minami, by the way, but I think you already understand that.”

“It’s nice to meet you in person, Minami-san.”

Eri laughed. “Please, no need to be so formal! We’ll basically be family for the next year.”

Naoto noticed that standing awkwardly beside her was a brown haired boy, who appeared to be about 5 or 6 years old at most. The boy hid behind Eri’s pant leg, looking down awkwardly. Eri smiled.

“Yuuta, this is Naoto,” She greeted, “Naoto, Yuuta. You’ll basically be brothers for this year.”

“Wow, must be weird hearing that for the first time, huh?” She grinned. “Don’t worry, I got the information from your grandfather before you arrived here. It might be a struggle to get binders, but you can always ask someone to make them, I guess?”

Naoto nodded. It did seem quite difficult, but Eri seemed to be helpful. She began to walk off to her car, Yuuta in tow, and Naoto was about to follow them, noticing an individual who was walking up to the station — a tall, tan skinned young man, with a grey bowlcut, wearing a black jacket over a grey turtleneck, matching grey pants, a pair of bright yellow headphones around his neck and yellow sneakers.

As Naoto was about to leave, he heard the young man call out.

“Hey.” He said, as Naoto faced him. “Is this yours? You dropped it.”

The young man walked over with a small sheet of paper, which Naoto recognised as his handwritten version of Eri’s address. He paused, blinking.

“Thanks?” He said, as the young man nodded.

“I’ll see you around, stranger.” The young man said, walking off.

Naoto paused. What a strange encounter. It seemed like this would be normal for Yasoinaba going forward…

[strawbrygashez]

can you tell us more about postal dude autism ...

Of course……….. I hc dude to have it for two reasons. One, I just get the vibe he’s autistic & two, I’m autistic myself :) so I hc my fave characters to have autism & whatnot 💀 BUT IF U WANT LIKE HCS INVOLVING HIM HAVING AUTISM….. I’ll share some for p1 & p2 (with bonus P3 :3)

P1-

•With P1 Dude, I see him being very sensitive to textures, clothes, and certain sounds. I also think hes very selective of what he eats.

•He has a couple special interests! Some of them being weapons, certain animals, technology, and poetry.

•He has a hard time saying what he really means out loud so writing it down really helps. Like if he was trying to confess how much someone means to him he’d just say the most ‘basic’ thing out loud maybe but if he gets around to actually writing about his s/o, it’s literally probably the most romantic, thoughtful thing you’ve ever read in ur life :,) he’s very thoughtful and articulate in his writings.

P2-

•He’s still sensitive to certain things like P1 but he has no problem eating anything 💀 he’s not exactly to P4s point of eating pizza off the ground but he’s pretty close. He at least would like SOME idea of what he’s eating or where it came from.

•What he’s pretty close to with p1 sensitivity wise, is that certain textures can be a nightmare for him. Some are enough to fr piss him off and make him mad for the next half hour. (He also really hates when people give him shit for his trench coat bc it’s his literal favorite item ever. He loves the way it feels on him even in hot ass weather. He’d rather die of heat then take it off in public lol)

•WHEN HE DOES THAT ROCKING/SLIGHT BOUNCING THING IN GAME… where he’s not talking but is just rocking back and forth… that’s him stimming. He probably doesn’t even realize he does that all the time until someone points it out.

•Since he probably goes out way more than P1 ever did, he’s had more people tell him he’s weird for the way he acts daily. Like I’m sure p1 heard it a lot when he was younger but he became a shut in once he became a adult. p2 on the other hand is always going around town & surrounded by judgmental people all day so I’m sure he’s been called a few things :( but it’s ok since Dude ‘takes care of it’ if he feels like it needs to be taken care of 💀

✨BONUS P3✨

P3 canonically has ADHD but I also think he has autism too :) his stims are more I guess ‘obvious’ than P1s & p2s bc I picture him always wanting to be active so he’s always pacing around, shaking one of his legs while waiting or just sitting in general, messing with his hands, running his hands on fabrics (his pants or the arm of a couch) while he’s sitting n just stuff like that 🕺

[narrators-journal]

Happy birthday to you

Asker: P4 protagonista x Margaret

Kinks: femdom, creampie, breeding, lingerie, stockings, body worship, and cullingus and acohol

After the events of persona 4 narukami is summoned by Margaret in the Velvet Room, confused he asks why he was summoned there since his journey was already ended.

Margaret says that IS true she believes they have some loose ends between their Bond more specifically her feelings towards him. And what better way to resolve that by indulging theirs desires to each other

I took a bit of creative liberty with the exact lead up, but I did my best to hit each of your requested kinks! I hope this is as fun to read as it was to write <3

CW: All the listed kinks above, except maybe alcohol. I could not quite write drunk Narukami to save my life.

Stumbling out of the bar, Yu Narukami gulped breaths of cool, vomit-free air. For a birthday, this night was up there with his eighth. Yet, with the burn and disgusting taste of the alcohol in his throat, he wasn't too sure if it would take the spot as his favorite.

         "I need to get water..." The silver-haired boy muttered. Taking a few more deep breaths and letting them out slowly so his stomach didn't rebel any further.

         "I have some if you'd like." A familiar female voice about purred. And when Narukami looked up he saw a glossy, polished limo idling in front of him, and a familiar golden-eyed woman leaning out of an open door with a warm smile. "All I ask in return is that you humor me."

For a moment, all Narukami could do was stare. It had been at least a year since the boy had seen Margaret. The last place he'd expected to run into her again was in a bar parking lot on his eighteenth birthday. Though, with her crush on me, maybe not. He thought, coming over to the door to lean down and look into the familiar velvet room.

           "I thought this thing was in my head." He stated. Coming over to look in at the velvet seats and shelves of expensive wines and champagnes lined up against the walls of the car.

           "It was. I got this one custom furnished to match." The woman admitted, pushing herself further down the seat and patting the open space beside her. "I thought you'd recognize me easier in a familiar setting. Now, will you please get in? If you want, I have a birthday gift for you."

That sure got the man to lift his eyebrows. Margaret went out of her way and through all this trouble to give him a birthday gift. That sure piqued his interest, so Yu went ahead and got into the limo.

Once Narukami had settled in beside the woman, the limo pulled away from the bar.  As they went, the boy shot Dojima a message to explain his disappearance. Meanwhile, Margaret poured some water into a sparkling, clear glass wine cup and offered it to him.

           "So, not to sound impatient, but what type of birthday gift does a velvet room attendant give their wild card?" He asked, looking over the fair-haired woman who no longer wore the not-quite-knee-length blue dress he had grown accustomed to seeing her in. Instead, she wore a tan trench coat that he might've seen on inspector gadget or a flasher and a coy smirk.

          "Oh we usually don't get gifts for our wild cards, we don't often make contact after their journeys finish. But, I was able to convince Igor to grant me this freedom since our bond was so...complex." Margaret hummed, making Yu snort a bit.

It was true. Of all the connections he made that tumultuous year, Margaret had been one full of hazard. Flirting, glances, and general vibes all muddied the tie, and never got clarified.

          "So, what? you want to confess your feelings to me now that I'm an adult and it's not weird?" That made her snort

         "To be fair, my feelings were never quite inappropriate." She explained, "When I met you I was still young, by attendant standards. By yours, I would have only been a year older than you. So, I hope you never thought me a creepy old woman."

Yu hummed at that, sipping his water,

             "I guess it depends on how attendants age compared to humans. I don't want to be the creepy one if you're 2-3 years old." He told her, making her eyebrows shoot up that time,

           "Oh, we are 'born' years before our wildcard comes around." She assured, "We spend time studying humans. Only when we complete our studies do we take on adult forms and get assigned our velvet rooms." At that, she got a bashful smile, looking away from Yu. "My elder sister says I took the longest time she'd seen. Even considering how velvet room time is so 'wonky' as you might say."

The boy nodded and busied himself with finishing off his cup of water. It seemed a little mean to snicker at his velvet room attendant essentially flunking a school grade.

            "What 'age' are you guys usually when you meet your wildcards?"                     "Well, Elizabeth was a little younger than hers, so we're often around our wild card's age." Narukami nodded at that, giving her a charming smile,

     ��      "So me finding you hot when we met wasn't at all creepy."

That got the woman to give him a surprised look, her golden eyes wide and her cheeks turning pink. But, after a moment she cleared her throat, schooling her face into a confident smile instead,

                  "Right. Naturally, you found me attractive. I know...that I found you appealing as well." She hummed, Yu smiling at her being so flustered yet trying so hard to maintain control. Though, the boy wasn't about to stop her. This fanned his interest in this situation.

                "Right. So, with the obvious out of the way," He hummed, tugging at the belt of her trench coat, "Does that mean you're naked under this?"

Margaret laughed a bit, her cheeks flaring a noticeable pink as the car came to a halt. The velvet room attendant loosening her coat's belt so she could push it off of her shoulders. Revealing not bare skin, but a spaghetti strap lingerie set, a Bustier style if Narukami's knowledge sufficed, in the trademark shade of rich blue she was often seen in. With delicate lace, sheer panels showing a bit of her belly, and silky panties beneath the garters that held up sheer thigh highs.

             "Do you like it? I thought that, since it was such a special occasion, I'd wear something a little flashier than the average set." Margaret hummed, running her fingers over the lace that laid over her breast to rest at the bottom of where the bustier dipped into her cleavage. A move Narukami's eyes watched before he nodded. So, she moved closer and threw her leg over his lap. Positioning herself so she was straddling the boy's lap with her arms resting on his shoulders. Once she had settled, one of her hands moved along his jaw to redirect his gaze from her ample cleavage to her face once more. "Though, if you would humor me once more, I'd like to...try something I've read a bit about. Now that we have some solitude."

Once again, the silver-haired boy nodded. Giving her a charming smile while his hands drifted to rest on her hips.

             "I am, at your command." he promised, getting a warm smile in response before the woman leaned forward and kissed him.

The kiss started slow and tender, meant to be savored. But after a bit, Margaret grew more desperate. Pressing her body to his and moaning into the boy's mouth before she broke the kiss,

             "I want you to worship me, Yu." She breathed. Shuddering under his touch when the silver-haired male ran his palms up her sides to cup her breasts.

             "Yes ma'am."

Margaret about melted at that. Letting Narukami kiss a path from her mouth and down her throat, stopping when he got to her sternum. From there, he detoured to leave butterfly kisses along the curve of her left breast. His hands smoothing back down to glide down her thighs. Her hands, meanwhile, moved to tangle in his hair. Gripping it while he laid her down on the seat.

As she had demanded, Narukami did his best to take his time and spoil her. First, he undid the bustier part of her lingerie so he could run his palms up the warm, smooth skin of her stomach back to her ample chest. Once there, he had fun massaging the supple mounds of flesh. Tweaking her nipples and lowering his head to litter her skin with more light kisses.

As he worked, Yu made sure to keep an ear out for her responses. Listening for each little gasp, mewl, and whimper the fair-haired woman gave when he slipped a nipple into his mouth to earn more heated noises. The move made her thighs wrap around his waist in an iron grip.

When he got down to her hips, he slipped his fingers under the waistband of her panties and slowly pulled them off of her. Smiling down at the flushed, crimson-painted expression of bliss she wore with her hands thrown up to lay beside her head with her wavey hair splayed out beneath her. If that wasn't a clear green light for his next phase, Narukami didn't know what would be. So, he lowered his head between her legs and ran his tongue over her glistening folds to earn a breathy gasp.

              "Yes! Yes, do that!"

Narukami was happy to oblige, lapping at her lazily. Savoring the taste with a hum. Though, her powerful thighs wrapping around his head to lock him into a chokehold, and her moans of encouragement and praise made it a little difficult to keep his focus on pressing his tongue to her clit or slipping it between the folds to dip further into the moist heat that greeted him.

              "N-Narukami!" She gasped after only a moment of his slow ministrations, "Ohhh god, I can't take it anymore. I-I need you." She moaned, her golden eyes glowing with need.

              "My, I didn't expect to make you beg." He chuckled once he'd pulled free of her thighs. Holding himself up with one arm while ensuring the velvet room assistant didn't fall off of the limo seat when she repositioned herself.

             "I'm not begging, Narukami." She said, her voice hardening as she looked down at the bulge that had grown in his pants. "I'm ordering you to fucking breed me already."

That got Narukami's eyebrows to shoot up once more.

             "Can you even ge-"

             "No questions." She barked, spreading her legs more, "Do it. Now."

Her unwavering tone left no room for arguments, so the silver-haired boy didn't even try. Obediently, he undid his pants and kicked them off. Grinning when Margaret gave an impatient hum at the sight of his erection.

             "Any preference on pace, ma'am?" He hummed while he moved back between her thighs, smiling down at her lust-drunk expression and the way her panting made her breasts bounce ever so slightly.

             "I want to be filled. Right now. I-I don't wanna wait." She insisted, hooking her ankles behind his back as if he would back out.

  Dragging the head of his cock along her soaked entrance made her whine and pull him closer. So, Narukami took the hint. Without more delay, the silver-haired wild card pushed into her, hooking his arms under her thighs so he could hold her in place. Even when her back arched.

After that, Narukami began thrusting into her.

               "Yes! Yes, good boy!"

               "Ah fuck! F-faster!"

               "Right there! Harder!"  Each of her orders, the boy filled. He sped up when she wanted him to, got rougher on command, and made sure to target the spots that made her back arch and tore lustful yowls from her throat. Though, she wasn't the only one making noises.

Each time she called him a good boy, it sent a fresh bolt of pleasure through his blood. Making the wild card give his own moans while doing his best to maintain the fast pace at which he slammed into her. That, paired with the slick warmth that hugged his member so snugly, and the feeling of her stocking under his hands pushing him closer and closer to the edge. Each plunge into her eating away at his thoughts until, finally, he had to speak.

              "M-Margaret! I'm-I'm gonna-"

              "God, yes!" She gasped, her hand shooting down to his arm, "Fuck- Be a good boy and breed me! God, please, knock me up all you want!" She begged. all commanding facades dropped.God this might bite me in the ass...

As she demanded, Narukami didn't stop. He continued to thrust into her until she gave a final desperate whine and her body clamped down around him. That did it. The extra tightness around his already throbbing cock shoved him over the edge completely. So, not a moment after Margaret came, Narukami stuttered to a halt. Shooting his load deep into the gorgeous velvet room attendant while she dug her nails into his arm.

Though, when she came down from the euphoric high that shot through them both, she let his arm go and let him pull out of her.

             "I'm...so sorry, I lost my composure at the end there..." She panted. Trying to simultaneously catch her breath and readjust her headband to push her hair back out of her face.

             "Nah, no worries." He assured, "I didn't mind, it was cute."

At that, Margaret's face turned another shade of red and she busied herself with pulling her coat back on. Also letting him put his pants back on. After they were both dressed though, the limo moved once more. The drive being a silent one.

When they were back at Dojima's home, where Narukai was staying for the night, Margaret cleared her throat and finally broke that silence though.

              "Well, um...T-thank you for humoring me. H-happy birthday." She muttered, her golden eyes not meeting his as he got out. Though, he leaned down to give her a smile,

               "Any time, Margaret. Thanks for the birthday present."

She gave a shy nod at that and Narukami closed the limo's door again. Watching the vehicle drive away before grinning to himself. He took it back. This was his favorite birthday.

[the-fiction-witch]

Hell Spawn P4

Media IRL X Apocalypse

Character Thomas Brodie Sangster (King of Evil /Devil)

Couple Thomas X Reader

Rating Sexyish

Concept Post Judgment day

He didn't return for days, and I was getting worried. Fearful of what his samples would discover. 

It was late and I had been sleeping but I woke to candlelight flickering brightness. I opened my eyes sitting up in bed seeing him there with a wide sly smile candle in hand I jumped as I saw him my fears overflowing knowing by his face he knew his answer and thus knew my fate.

He came closer leaning on the glass as he set his candle down, he chuckled before he spoke up "I know what you are" he smirked playfully his tone shifting up as he ended his words 

"Enlighten me then" 

"You're not what I thought you were," he laughed, circling my cage as he spoke his arms behind him playfully at times walking backwards or taking strange steps. "I suppose I should tell you what happened. When the riders came a battle began on earth between those who ruled above and those who ruled below. This battle had been planned for millennia on earth to be our battle field."

"What was humanity in this fight?"

"An obstacle. Those holy enough to be given sanctuary above were taken there the rest of you left to choose sides. But no matter what side you choose you'd loose. We couldn't keep humans running around During our war so both sides began using magic and chemicals to insure infertility" he explained "among humans anyway. Human on human mating would never produce a child again. Whichever side the humans choose you'd be a slave. To breed with. We're at war little bird need a lot of men good to have factories for them"

"You bastard!"

"Don't think it's just us little birds. The other side do too. I don't personally but my hellspawn do that's what the farms were taken in humans to breed with demons to form an army. Yes we had a habbit of kidnapping but we treated our breeders well. Until it came time to make sure no human survived. I killed the last personally. And then … you come along" he smirked "your not human, not completely I knew that the moment your scent reached me. You were clever coating your skin in mud and goblin blood but that would only hide you so long. The human scent on you is mixed diluted with another scent." He says "my theory at first you were one of ours. An escaped farm raised. Half human and half demon or goblin or some other hellspawn. That would make sense. And would explain why you were so hard to find. There looking for human not for their own kind most of them are too stupid to do more anyway."

"So my mother was kidnapped by the farms raped by your hellspawn and we escaped"

"That was my theory. But I was wrong little bird." He says "your not hellspawn. In Fact you are the exact opposite. I knew there was something different about you. A beauty like yourself having survived all this time, old enough to know better but young enough to not remember the world before, soul as white and sin free as a newborn. Scent of a human and… something else." He smirked leaning on the glass to stare at me "I could barely believe it when I heard the truth from the tests. Made them run it again just to be sure. My second theory was correct," he smirked "you are my rivals daughter"

"What?"

"The other half of you. Is angel. Not just any angel, king of angels." He explained

"That's… not possible"

"I didn't think so either. But believe me it's true little bird. You can imagine my joy upon finding out that I had my opponent's daughter locked up in my dungeon. And that she is ever so beautiful."

"But you said humans were infertile"

'to each other. Your mother would have easily bore angel, or demon children. So by extension rulers of each side could in theory mate with a human I could have given her a child and clearly he did."

"What are you going to do to me? Now you know what I am?"

"What do you think in going to do?"

"Kill me."

"Humm clever girl. That would be a spectacle. Make a show out of the execution of his own daughter… but I have a fad better idea." He smirked unlocking the cage climbing into my bed and locking himself in with me "you wanna know what I'm going to do to you?" He smiled wickedly

"No." I gulped 

"I'm gonna make you my queen" he smirked

"What?"

"I'm gonna make you queen of the darkness, of the world below and hopefully soon of all earth little bird" 

"Wouldn't you want a demon? Or succubus? Or some other creature of darkness. Doesn't it sort of go against your whole ideal to have a queen from the other side"

"You have a point but my ideal gas always been freedom. Freedom to do whatever you want without judgement it's the goodie side full of rules and regulations. So I have the freedom to do as I wish. And of course… corruption has always been a card we love to play. And doesn't it sound just perfect that I have the opportunity to corrupt his sweet innocent daughter. You would have been his plan for a future word within sin. I can corrupt you until your my hellish queen, wouldn't that be fun" he smirked "taking you as a trophy of this war that darkness always wins over light" 

"And if I refuse?"

"Your already marked little bird" he smirked grabbing my arm showing the harsh mark he had left on my skin last he was with me "either I kill you make a show In Front of your father about your slaughter. Or I can make you my queen spoil you beyond measure, take your pure innocence, and be allowed to revel in corrupting his daughter for all eternity." He Explained "I think you can guess which one I think will be far more fun" he smirked "so? Make your choice little bird" he smirked offering his hand 

[junesprojects]

📺 CONTRIBUTOR SPOTLIGHT 📺

Introducing Writer SpiritedAura!

Full interview below:

Q: Please tell us about yourself!

A: I'm 29 years old, Navy veteran, and in a polycule with two other people. I dabble in many fandoms. Love writing polycule relationships because I adore the dynamics of them. Want to show that they can work. Souyo and their Shadows can live rent free in my brain for the rest of my life.

Q: Who are your favorite Persona 4 characters and why?

A: My favorite characters are Yu, Yosuke and their Shadows. I just fell in love with them after playing through all the P4 games. Yu and Yosuke just stood out to me. Helps that they were both there since the very beginning of the game. By extension their Shadows gave a lot of insight to how their human counterparts portray themselves. Gives much more depth.

Q: Which Persona 4 characters do you find fun or challenging to write and why?

A: Shadow Yu and Shadow Yosuke are both fun and challenging to write. I’m going off on what I’ve seen in the anime and games to help build the personalities of the Shadows. Shadow Yosuke being a bit possessive of others but cares for those he loves. Shadow Yu being a crybaby at times but can be really sweet. Both can be devious too. On top of that they pull a lot of personality from their human counterparts. They are each other after all.

Q: What are your favorite Persona 4 ships?

A: Souyo, Shadow Souyo, and a fourway between them. I also like Kannao and Yukichie.

Q: Which Arcana do you see yourself as?

A: The Fool. A free spirit (pun intended as a play on my username). Taking risks, traveling, and sometimes being reckless. That’s me. 

Q: What's your favorite trope?

A: Friends to lovers mainly. I see a character and their best friend and I eventually ship them.

Q: Do you have a favorite Persona?

A: Izanagi and Jiraiya. Jiraiya has such a cool design with the hero and frog motifs. A well rounded Persona. Izanagi has a cool design too. Absolutely love his coat.

Q: What made you want to become an artist/writer?

A: I used to write stories when I was in middle school. Had a lot of worldbuilding for my own fantasy world. I got into fanfics while I was in the Navy. Now I write regularly as my head fills with tons of ideas all at once. Writing is a great way to exercise my brain. Plus I get to make content to share with others.

Q: How did you get into the Persona series?

A: I was walking around the Navy Exchange and went to the gaming section. I had a PS Vita and I sought a new game to play since I just returned from deployment and needed some kind of entertainment for my downtime. I saw the Persona 4 Dancing All Night game on the shelf. I play rhythm games all the time so I bought it, not knowing what I was getting myself into. I fell in love with the story mode and the music thanks to P4DAN. The characters really stood out to me.

Later on I watched the anime after realizing that there was so much more to Persona than I thought.

Q: What would you like to accomplish with your contribution to AOA zine?

A: I want to proudly show what I have created. Share my passion for my favorite characters. It is also fun to work alongside so many talented artists and writers.