#i would draw them normally but since this au is uhhhh

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

ooo fantasy au Poppy oooo there's so much empty space on this, it's killing me

rambles:

why is there lace? why does she have a neck corset? because she's Gorgeous and I'm the Artist Here. i will always inflict my personal tastes on everyone I draw. pretty bird <3

it's really difficult to put clothes on a bird... stream helped out a bunch with the colors & the leg gear! I imagine that the leather is durable, which is probably the only thing that gets her to traverse less Forgiving terrain. Thornbushes and itchy tallgrass can't hurt her! she's got "boots"! How Does She Secure Them, i hear no one ask. that's what neighbors are for, isn't it? and a skilled beak once she gets the swing of it.

her shawl remains largely the same due to my lack of imagination! i put a lil feather clasp instead of the shawl being tied together to give it a more fantasy-oriented look. i think i succeeded? i like to think so! i imagine that the clasp gives Poppy some stress, though. It's sharp! Ish. it's sharp by her standards!

Poppy's enchanted glasses allow her to "see" injuries and illness, both caused by magical & normal means. this is very helpful in her role as healer, but also extremely stressful - just because she can see issues doesn't mean she automatically knows what they are! to her, a papercut may be misinterpreted by the beginnings of a fatal infection! i like to think that she got tired of needing to hold the glasses in place over her beak and asked if there was a charm to keep them steady. and they confidently had their resident wizard spell them on - oops! the spell was a little too strong! they're now magically superglued on! yeah, those are never coming off.

she also has a magic bag that i imagine was a gift from her family when she left the nest! she'd never directly use it herself - what if she falls in? what if something nasty managed to crawl inside? - but the Neighborhood uses it as collective storage. it can hold a lot! supplies, books, tents, gold, even Julie when she's determined enough!

[revlischarm]

Guys help my brain has decided to suck and I’ve been over analyzing my designs for Morro and I lowkey hate them

Uhhhh art rant under the cut because I don’t really have anyone else to talk to about this so I guess I’m just speaking into the void and asking it for advice and no, I’m not doing this because I want notes or attention or whatever I’m genuinely agonizing over these designs.

The bandages feel almost out of place? Maybe they’re too bright? I like the rope in Morro’s first design, it feels like a good nod to his canon outfit, but the color I picked for the pants has been nagging me, as has the shoes. Where would Morro even get those ninja shoes. He’s barefoot in the show and I can’t imagine they’re easy to come by normally. Maybe boots? Those are easier to obtain and would fit Morro’s style—though I’m not sure how practical they are for everyday wear. Too clunky? I’m not sure.

The scar I feel should be brighter or more noticeable? It’s hard to make out with the colors and style of LMK—maybe darker instead?? Or fucking green? Like Cole’s scar from the Rift?????

I could replace the bandages with gloves maybe or just make them less…well less lines. Wider strips, too.

Uhhhh as for the Season 3 outfit I. Hate the scarf. And when I say hate I mean it’s so fucking hard for me to draw it every single time and I’m not sure how well it actually goes with the outfit?? I know in the show the color choices and outfits and everything have these subtle meanings and such to them but I wasn’t really sure how to incorporate that with Morro so I just went brrrrrr pretty colors. The combination of red and teal is one of my favorite pairings. You have no idea how much I lamented over trying to give Morro some red eyeliner too before giving up because it was too hard to add in style-wise.

The shoes I like, the choice of sandals feels like a good one because they were doing a lot of desert stuff for a while and idk it gives him more of a summery vibe. Overall I like the pants and shoes. It’s. It’s definitely just the scarf I’m taking issue with I realize, but I have no idea what else I could add to his shoulders. I want him to have something that flows maybe? Idk I just wanted to cover his neck I guess or give him some extra thing for the outfit. Plus he sorta matches Macaque a little bit. And the color was to pair with the red on the pants, since it felt out of place just having that one splash of red.

Idk like I said I just feel unsure about the whole design and if I’m going to be drawing more edits and art for the au I want to have a design I’m actually happy with please help

[technicianuprisingau]

Drawing the Rest of the Copy Ability Stars, Round 1!

I wasted a lot on this... so let's get this show on the road!

Yes, there are oh-so-many abilities that are canon in Technician Uprising, but HAL doesn't bother making ability stars for them. And so, as an AU owner... I have a full reign to design all of them! I am going to comment on each of them as well! Click down below to learn more about the process of making each star and what I think about the ability overall.

From top left to bottom right:

Balloon - The first one I draw overall (and the first ability fully illustrated, though I wanted to design Light fully first). This ability really just appeared in Canvas Curse, which is canon to TU, and due to a totally not secret plan of mines, I had to turn this into a full-fledged ability. Honestly. It just existed for Canvas Curse, so I hope the revamp moveset will give it a bit more versatility outside just "haha easier to control ball go brr".

Light - The MOST underused and underrated ability, FIGHT ME. God I love the concept of Light being used as a power but MAN. BIGGEST OOF FOR THIS ABILITY. Literally exists as early as in Adventure and was left for the slumps, never to be adapted. Watch as I make this a permanent use ability. I had to check the illustration of this ability in Adventure to get the icon.

Metal - Once again taken here due to a due to a totally not secret plan of mines. Honestly this is just Stone but Stone Change is always on. But I'll figure out what to do with it. And no, we're not using the scroll's additional ability, that's just Ball (which is also here in this round). I really just ctrl+c ctrl+p the icon from Squeak Squad directly.

Missile - Oh I would make this a Technician Mode... IF JET DOESN'T HAVE F^CKING MISSILE SALVO, making this ability UTTERLY OBSOLETE. Thanks HAL, but okay. Honestly it's pretty... eh. Maybe I haven't seen it too much in action. Also redrawing the Missile was. Hm. Okay I guess. I struggled setting up stroke thickness and setting since I'm limited to two colors and I don't want it to look weird, but the flame exhaust effect on the back is nice.

Bubble - I would make this a Technician Mode but at the same time I'm not so sure, it's already perfect enough to, you know, not change much... while the point of the modes is to EXACTLY twist the abilities' skills in a sense (at least for Technician. Idk. Most of Robobot Armor's ones are just normal attacks with bigger damage™ and that's it). Thank you Squeak Squad icons for saving me once again. Btw, Animal aside, this is my favorite ability in Squeak Squad. Though I'd change it to just trapping opponents in bubbles in my AU perhaps. Idk, turning them immediately to ability stars sounded... OP?

Ghost - Hahahaha spooky. I would also make this a Technician Mode... except I have an OC with Technician + Ghost with a rather complicated backstory, so, uh, no. I tried drawing a ghost, ends up just being frustrated because the proportions aren't right, but hey I did it!

Freeze - I cheated from Air Ride. Anyways, I guess I remember a Kirby gijinka artist (KirbyTardos, if I recall that username) who noted this might be more focused on defense, which I'll happily steal. Sir if you see this, I hope you're doing well, I should really check your comic series. Anyways... this one was supposedly fused with Ice nowadays, but whatever, it can co-exist I suppose. Trying to make it fancy but ends up giving up and settled for this.

Paint - Uhhhh... Isn't this just Artist? Nope! Decided that Artist and Paint are for two different specialties just like Ice and Freeze, in this case Artist is for precision while Paint is for R A N G E. I think their style should be differentiate too, with Artist you have the user having much cleaner, detailed art that needs thinking into it, while Paint is just. Graffiti. Go crazy. Go insane. Spread 387493743 splashes of paint to the wall of your neighbours!! I tried to recreate the icon in Super Star Ultra, but then I realized it looked wrong every single time and after more tweaking I just leave it like this. Could've done it better. Maybe I will revisit it someday.

Animal - Another one I could've done better I guess. Stealing again from Squeak Squad's icons! Tried adding a claw mark. Didn't work. F^ck. But oh well! ANYWAYS I LOVE THIS ABILITY HOW DID HAL DIDN'T ADD THIS TO FORGOTTEN LAND??? NOOOOO!!

Magic - Insert that one song from Milgram here. I love Deco*27. Anyways. Went simple with this one. Three cards and a magic hat that I stole from Squeak Squad. I also stole the colors of the illustration as we already have abilities with black and white ability stars and I doubt I can change em much to make it distinct. Yeah, yet once again taken here due to a due to a totally not secret plan of mines.

Ball - Ballin huh? You guessed it, it is, yet again, once again taken here due to a due to a totally not secret plan of mines. I don't think this one has to change a lot, it's just so goofy. I like its vibes, but I bet it will be a pain in the ass to use properly in-game somehow. Shoutout for Nightmare in Dreamland's little ability illustration for this. Also it's hard to design the ball icon itself so I went with a beach ball.

Laser - I kinda want this to be a Technician Mode, so we'll see this one with great interest! I wanted other colors but the illustration artworks only gave me colors that already exist or too close to other ability star's colors... then I realize that not all copy abilities have to share their outfit colors with the ability star, because Wing existed - it doesn't have blue but the star's blue-ish anyways! So I decided to go for pink, the color of the laser beam that was shot in the illustration!

Iron - Yes this is canon. Yes I will have to revamp this to avoid this being just Stone 2.0 but with deflect system, and in fact, I have made a full moveset from this long time ago! It's now a construct creating ability, creating simple things such as pillars and stuff. Still retains the "deflection with staff" technique and the one that reminds you of Stone Change... but I made the latter time-restricted rather than "as long as you hold it you're invisible" spiel. Anyways. The ability hat, as well as some iron blocks to hammer it to the point that HEY THIS ABILITY'S ENTIRE THING IS IRONS and not just "snek????"

Top - Went with green because that color is rare for copy ability stars, THANK GOD. It's also one that I purposely made canon because it's funny! Also young me already made a full-fledged moveset for this, thank f^ck. Tried to make it look like the top is tipping and gliding. And still spinning. Kinda looks smooth me thinks.

Baton - Oh god the ability's design itself is kinda mid imo but I'LL REDESIGN THAT JUST YOU SEE. Anyways. This is another one in the "so underused it hurts" category. For some reason the ability is one-use in the anime!!! Wow!! F^ck it!! Young me made a full-fledged moveset so WE'LL GO BY THAT THANKS. I went with pink... again... Or red... uh... I guess it's just pale dark pink, I used color picker on the staff don't ask. Tried to bring more of a Suplex vibe with a puffball holding the staff as if spinning it. S p e e n. I like the concept of the ability though, Motion Manipulation baby!

We might have more abilities on the go, but we'll see. I might move on to redrawing all Technician Modes after this. I'll also update the spreadsheet eventually with all these damn stars WAHOO.

Please enjoy ^^

P.S. if anyone wants to use these for their TU OCs, hmu and I'll give you separate version of the ability star you want!!

[leox-un]

your pirate au set off firecrackers in my brain i SWEAR. made me come up with a whole intricate plotline for how you said ww would be cast into the ocean and vash can only save him in siren form. as well as the aftermath of that hfjkdghf it's not even my au but it's just THAT GOOD.

do you have any more thoughts on it?? backstory? overarching plot with knives? anything?

im so starved on this concept and your brain is so huge

AWAWA TY SMILE,,, im rlly happy ppl like this au hfjsgnf; there is some. Vague overarching plot with knives, lemme put it into words best i can since im. Not A Writer lol

so essentially knives in this au is rlly similar to how he usually is, kill all humans such and such; his big plan though is to drown the world by slowly raising the tides with. Idk Siren Powers (trimax spoilers in a sec) probably similar to how he fuses with the plants in the manga but like. not actually fusing if that makes sense

and ofc the reason hes stinky poop is because of all the humans trying to hunt sirens to extinction; vash and him washed up onto a small island village, where rem found them and took them in without people knowing they were sirens

since theyre kind of an anomaly (normally sirens are pretty animal-like, and cant change their body to look like a human) rem was able to let them interact with the village a bit; vash and knives both had their own experiences with the villagers, leading to the starts of their opposite ideologies n such, and things were fine for a while until a group of pirates came to the island and destroyed everything; rem's sacrifice in this au is her distracting some of the pirates to let vash and knives be able to get away from the island safely

oh god i just realized this is getting p long uhhhh long story short they end up separating because vash wants to go back to living with people and knives is like "fuck them", at some point they meet back up again and thats when vash's arm gets yoinked by knives even though he insists its the humans' fault, and yeah Stuff Happens

i dont remember if i posted him before but i have a vague drawing of how knives looks in this au but its kinda eh so youre just gonna need to take this for now before i redraw him

[playawner]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you! Get to know your mutuals and followers :)

AAAAAAAAAA actually replying to this because I barely get any asks so like YEAH!

Warning some of them may be very long because I enjoy them to a normal amount (tm)

Rhythm games in general. I LOVE THEM!!!!! I've been playing them since idk, maybe 2019 or something? And they're very fun. Though, if you do count gd as a rhythm game, then it would mean I've been playing rhythm games since 2014! Woah! That's very cool,,, ngl,,, my favorite rhythm game is Pump It Up, I remember playing it once in a Chuck E Cheese's from here and I replayed it again this summer. Is so fun!!!! (Thank god the latam Chuck E Cheese's isn't as chaotic as the American one. Because wtf is going on with the later?)

I also just love werewolf/shapeshifter in general related fiction. Special interest of mine, I can ramble and yap for hours about them and the epoch where people believed in them because GOD. The horrors,,,

I love 2010s cartoons or just anything to do with the early 2010s/late 2000s!!!! I yearn for one day learn how to animate/draw like it. Stuff like those ms paint animations, the warrior cats fanart, mlp bases,,, is all so fun. Now that I talked about them! Here's a few playlists of whatever this is called (HUGE flash warning for some of them. They have no tws/cws on it <:[ ): [2000s and 2010s animation memes] [A spotify playlist full of most of these music too!]

I like silly talking animals. Providing another point for stuff like mlp, warriors, wof, etc. IDK if that counts as furry content, but I think is neat.

I like uhhhh idk more but honestly? Who am I kidding? I love making AUs and story creations of them. Is fun too. Taking stuff from canon and altering in a way of your liking, I for some reason find it easier to do it than making original content somehow... I BETTER fix that on god-

[thunderheadfred]

🤚The Second Worst (Pt. 1/?)🤚

Part 2 of my Shigaraki Thesis Headcanons. HC's // The Second Worst: 1 - 2

The half-mad ghost of Shimura Tenko is in love with you, and your life is about to become a tragic wreck. -- AKA here's when I gave up on bullet points and went off the fuckin rails

I'm self-conscious about writing so much, so uhhhh, please be kind, hahaaa. This is rather long and involved. Are these still even HCs or just a self-indulgent AU outline? There are some mysteries we may never solve.

This is on AO3 now, if you prefer reading there. Anyway. Minors do not interact.

- - - - -

You met Tenko before the League existed.

Believe it or not, there are a million ways it might have happened, but in the end: you were both bargain-binning in Akihabara.

You reached for a copy of a collectible bullet-hell cute-'em-up (near-mint! CIB!!!) and accidentally bonked hands with a complete stranger. He flinched about five million feet away from you. Ouch. You're just a nobody, quirkless and average, but you didn't think you were THAT repulsive.

(You're not. Hell, even if you were, this guy couldn't care less. He barely registers that you have a face.)

(Shigaraki is accustomed to getting in and out of this shop in seconds. He always comes in before anyone else and goes straight home. -- Is that really home? Is 'home' a real place? -- ANYWAY he's already pirated this shit, god, why does he even care? He doesn't need to be here. Father doesn't like it. Is that why he's here? Just to do something Father doesn't like? That's pathetic.)

He's had at least ten complete internal arguments with himself before he so much as looks at you.

You know in the tenth of a second he actually meets your eyes... this fucker is going to fight you to the death over this game.

- - - The death match ends in a draw. He was not expecting you to know the first fucking thing about this game. Nobody knows about it, even in Japan. Who the fuck do you even think you are? Oh, no, he's still taking it. But... maybe he can show you how to play it it. He'll give you a little taste, just to make you jealous. He's got his hoodie pulled down like he's going to commit an act of terrorism. What little you can see of his face looks twitchy and messed up. If you have any survival instincts at all, they're kicking in right about now. But... why not. You're not going anywhere with this dude unsupervised, so you suggest a crowded web cafe down the street. The cafe has the necessary console... but the retro gaming booth is laughably small. The TV is about four inches across and you end up having to practically sit in his lap. You were sure this guy was a nasty fucking creep, but he's................ only mostly terrible. Way too angry, for sure. Has no idea how to have a normal, friendly conversation. Inadvertently insults you every other sentence and seems to have a deep-seated persecution complex.

You'd prefer to be mad about the awful company, but... he's obviously deprived of human contact. When it's established that you two share a lot of media fixations, he calms down and starts treating you a little more like a human being. Or at least like a fellow elite.

Wherever he came from, he doesn't seem to want to go back. He keeps pushing you to play one more level, pretending he wants to beat your score. You feel kinda bad for him. You get the distinct feeling that his life is a disaster. He looks like he's never had a full night of sleep in his life. He trips your trigger hairs in that 'is he gonna follow me home?' kind of way, but... up close, he's a lot more depressing than scary. At the very least, you want to buy him a stupidly cute dessert. Just... as thanks. For letting you try out the game and stuff. It's not a big deal, so just pick a flavor, okay? The world isn't actually that awful, y'know.

It's not even that impressive... Definitely not a great cafe. But he takes practically a full hour to eat a single slice of strawberry cake.

When the hoodie comes down. He's all shriveled and dried out, like someone left him him in the desert to die. He chews on his peeling bottom lip and nervously scratches his neck. He doesn't thank you for the cake. Which is fine. It's not a big deal. Actually, you wish he would eat faster; you feel weirdly responsible for him now.

Under all that mess he's... gorgeous? His hair is stunning: a bright, gleaming silver that catches the light. His bone structure is flawless. If it weren't for all the scars and the misanthropic slouch, he'd look like a fairy fucking prince.

You were not prepared for that. In another life he could have been a model, the type of guy who would never even look at you. But something bad happened to him. Something... very bad. Do you even want to know? You have no idea how to ask. Has anyone ever been nice to him? It doesn't seem like it. Should YOU be nice to him? You sort of want to try. - - - This becomes a regular thing. This weird little secret. You should probably tell someone when you see him, just in case you don't come back one day, but you say nothing; how the hell would you explain why you want to see him so bad? You don't know his full name. Maybe he's on a watch list. When he gives you a long string of random numbers so you can schedule meet-ups (is THAT his e-mail, really?) he tells you to just... call him Tenko. Or whatever. It doesn't matter. (He sneaks out when Father is deep in his plots. As long as he comes home on time, it doesn't really matter where he goes, right?) He brings a different game every time. He has an insane collection. Where does he get the money for all this? You know he doesn't work. God, is it drugs? It's probably drugs. Wherever these hidden gems came from, he proudly shows them off to you, like he's never had an audience before. It's sort of cringe-inducing, the way he one-ups and rubs every little victory in your face, desperate for attention.

But at the same time, you are becoming too... something...to mind. Do you... like him? He's not funny, but he thinks you are. His mouth is huge when he laughs. He seems to hate everyone but you, and you've had to earn the distinction of being merely tolerable. Still, he gets really excited about random shit like the garage kit black market and haunted dolls and the price of weed on the dark web.

And... strawberry cake. The realization hits you both at the same time when the waitress brings one piece with two forks. God, what the fuck, are you... are you dating? Quick, think. You look forward to seeing him, and don't even mind sitting close to him anymore. Sometimes you push your leg up against him just to see if he'll still flinch away... and he doesn't.

You jealously notice the way he touches everything but you: with delicate precision, one finger at a time. His large, elegant hands always have a pinky up like he's aspiring for a fiefdom, and you wonder what his skin feels like. You go home and dwell on the way he plucks flowering weeds out of the pavement in front of the cafe. The way he stands rooted to the spot as you leave, just... looking at nothing, unsmiling.

You watch his lips too much, and not just because you want to buy him chapstick. You catch him gaping at you all the time. You thought he was just creepy like that, but maybe... Yeah. I guess you are dating him. Shit. - - - Okay, so, yeah. Bringing him back to your place was definitely a bad idea. You know you shouldn't trust him, even if he is... apparently... your boyfriend? Sort of? You still don't have his phone number. So. Um. What now? You order overpriced pizza and queue up a campy horror movie. What the fuck are you even doing. You don't really think he's going to murder you anymore, but... still. Is the suburban massacre scene gonna give him ideas? Turns out, no. He doesn't like gore, even when the blood is neon pink. He gets upset. Like, really upset. Shaky and green, like he might puke on you. He can't stop scratching that scaly spot on his neck.

Tenko, are you crying? Fucking hell, did you just trigger him? Of course he has a traumatic past, it's carved all over his face. You're so fucking stupid. You don't know how to make it right. You want to hug him, kiss him... anything. But he's never really touched you, and you're too afraid to push now. It ruins the whole night. He leaves without explaining anything. Doesn't even say goodbye. He just. Leaves. Maybe you'll never see him again. Maybe that's for the best. Your chest hurts. - - - He shows up at your door a few weeks later. You haven't heard from him since that disastrous movie night. You had pretty much accepted that you'd broken up with a boyfriend you never actually had. But no. Apparently not.

This time, he’s brought his own entertainment. He's holding a boxed set of some show you're not familiar with. You're distracted by these weird little half-gloves he's wearing, like a cyberpunk hacker. That's a new look, and even if it's a bit edgelord adjacent, he makes it look cool. You tell him as much. It's the first time you've let on how attractive you find him. He's wearing a tight black shirt with a deep, deep V-neck. That's distracting too.

He clears his slender throat and doesn't look at you.

You try to apologize for before, but he's acting like it never happened. What are you even talking about? Have you seen this OVA or not? Get out of the way and let him in already. You've watched three episodes now, but you still have no idea what this stupid anime is about. You can't pay attention to a single frame. All you can think about is how his arm has crept up behind your shoulders. A few inches more and he'll be holding you. Does he... want to hold you? You lean toward him so slowly your spine creaks. One molecule at a time. After a thousand years, your head slides nervously under his chin. His arm comes down, locking you in, fingers clutching your sleeve in a death grip. Even that snobby little pinky. His head tucks down into you hair. A sharp collarbone bites into your cheek. His heartbeat is hard, fast, and irregular. There's not a scrap of fat on him, and as you wrap your arm around his stomach, you think you see a twitch in his pants. Is that just you being desperate? Or... hopeful? This is really happening. --- Soon, you learn that Tenko is a clumsy kisser. It doesn't matter; the fact that he's kissing you at all is good enough for now. His lips are dry, but not half as dry as you expected. There's a slick of menthol helping things along; he's been using something medicated on his lips. Plus, his mouth tastes like he drank a gallon of mouthwash.

All this thrills you more than a little, because it means he came here wanting to impress you. Wanting you. Full stop. Underneath that minty sting is a strange, worrisome aftertaste, like something rotten. Your brain fires off an alarm. Stop kissing him. Right now. This thing will make you sick. But his hands nervously slide over your body... and you decide not to worry about it. Instead, you kiss him deeper. He makes a sweet, startled little noise. Your brain is a fucking liar. It occurs to you he's probably never done this before.

When you lace your fingers in his and try to pull one of his gloves off, he rips his hand away.

Don't. That’s the only explanation he gives.

No need to ask if it's a quirk thing or a trauma thing. Judging by how jittery he gets, it's probably both. You remember the way his hands almost float over objects without ever holding them. Maybe his touch is dangerous. Maybe that's why his face looks like that.

Maybe you should learn more about him before things go way too far...

No. It can't be that bad. Now that he's in your arms, everything frightening about him evaporates. He's vulnerable. He's alone. He's shaking a little. Has anyone else ever seen this side of him? You want to keep him all to yourself, just like this.

So what if he has to touch you with gloves on? You've heard of worse quirk-related inconveniences.

It's okay, Tenko. Do you want to keep going?

You put his hands back on you and wait for him to kiss you again. It doesn't take long.

---

You open his pants. He's long and thin, calloused even here. Every part of him feels untouched, unloved. You hold him tight and squeeze.

It doesn't seem to occur to him to please you in return. He looks afraid. Confused. You're sure you scared him earlier with the glove thing. Is this too much? No. He gasps and leans into you. The tiniest, broken please.

He cums in your hand right away, face buried in your shoulder, his eyes wet and hidden.

I have to go, he says. Over and over and over.

It's okay, Tenko.

You know he doesn't want to.

- - - - - (oops I wrote more)

[solarwindsempire]

(CW: Analogince (Roman x Logan x Virgil), caps lock for a while)

*The ship CW is primarily there for fictives who may stumble across this post and be uncomfortable with ship talk of their source

About to go on a full TANGENT, do I have a name? NOPE. Do I know that I would fuCKING DIE FOR ANALOGINCE? YEPP

SO LIKE WHO ELSE HAS RANDOM FANFIC IDEAS? CUZ WE DO 24/7 AND SO HELP ME SOMEONE GIVE US MOTIVATION TO WRITE IT

SOSO UUHHH, TITLED ANALOGOUS BECAUSE ANALOGOUS COLORS, RED, PURPLE, AND BLUE ARE ANALOGOUS (SHHH I KNOW IT'S TECHNICALLY "RED-PURPLE" AND "BLUE-PURPLE" BUT THROW ME A BONE)

I'M A SUCKERRRR FOR SOULMATE AUS RIGHT? RIGHT? THEY MAY BE "CRINGEY" OR WHATEVER BUT SCREW OFF THIS IS MY (SHARED) BRAIN I CAN DO WHAT I WANT

SOSOSOSO COLOR THEMED SOULMATE AU AHHH THE BRAIN IS LIKE DYING WHILE I'M TRYING TO TYPE THE IDEA. SO SO SO THE TYPE OF SOULMATE AU WHERE YOUR SOULMATE'S PAIN SHOWS UP ON YOU IN COLORS

THIS APPLIES TO PHYSICAL PAIN AND EMOTIONAL PAIN. EMOTIONAL PAIN IS REPRESENTED IN SILHOUETTES OF FLOWERS. PHYSICAL PAIN SHOWS UP IN BLOTCHES IF IT ISN'T VISIBLE ON THE OTHER PERSON, IF IT IS VISIBLE IT SHOWS UP HOW IT WOULD ON THEM BUT AS A SOLID COLOR. SIZES DEPEND ON HOW MUCH THE THING HURT

SO ONTO THE ACTUAL IDEA:

(uhhHH CW for brief mentions of a bad home life, bruises/scratches, and bullying (all separate things), affectionate(?) use of the term klutz, slight mention of toxic masculinity lol, mentions of repression)

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

Roman always had an affinity for the arts, it didn't matter which ones you were talking about. He spent his formative years working on all of them, he auditioned for every play he could practically since he could walk, he spent his free time either replicating the cartoon's he'd watch or escaping his home-life by staying late with the music teacher. He was always called talented, he took it to heart.

Most people thought he had just one soulmate, after all, he didn't get many blue marks. As a kid he marveled at how blue (that's what he resolved to call them, as he didn't get a name) nearly never got hurt! He worried for purple, who seemed to always be giving him flowers or purple bruises. But the colors always faded, that was good, right?

He and his brother decided to nickname their soulmates. Blue was, well they just stuck to Blue, but purple- purple got various silly names. "Lavender Klutz" being the least creative of them.

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

Logan had trouble hiding the fact he had two. Red presented a new scratch or bruise every day, and Violet.... well, Logan's other soulmate was quite the klutz, both emotionally and physically.

His hobbies were books and studying, though sometimes he'd enjoy making bracelets with his friend to make them happy. He was always called mature, or "a real man", for how he regulated emotions. As if it wasn't all just repression from a young age.

He was careful, his feelings weren't hurt often because everything was numb. He didn't get hurt because, well, he needed good spatial awareness from a young age. It was rare for him to bump into things, trip, or even get targeted.

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For the longest time Virgil wrote off Blue as his own injuries, they looked similar enough to normal bruises that he could ignore them. He didn't remember when he started, he wasn't sure he wanted to either.

Red was regarded as his soulmate by his family, I believe they nicknamed "her" as Rose. Scratches, bruises, flowers, sure they were more common to show up than on other kids- but Virgil tried not to let paranoia get to him about it.

He was good at drawing, monochrome and analogous landscapes being his favorite. In a weird way, the landscapes helped him express himself. Each color had an association with an emotion in his soul, though the colors were- very arbitrary.

Brown was sadness, it was a sick and dull brown, almost grey. Happiness was also brown, but the type of brown in rich soil or chocolate chip cookies. Things like that. Though, he always liked to note how his and his soulmates (he reluctantly admitted to himself that there were two) colors could be analogous if there was just a purple in the middle. He also took to writing, fanfictions, dumb poems, he enjoyed escaping his mind, or at least dumping it on a page to be the world's problem now.

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

The three met in college, Virgil and Roman first. The two had an art class together, bonded over rival-like banter. The two held a playful rivalry with each other, actually enjoying each other's company. They never realized the whole soulmate thing because of how Virgil dressed, always nearly fully covered.

Roman met Logan while working his ass off at a grocery store. His family wouldn't (not couldn't, I should specify) pay for his schooling unless he became a lawyer or a doctor or something, so, working while doing school and theatre it was. Logan was buying some, frankly pitiful, groceries for him and his roommate. The two didn't attend the same school, but they were near enough.

The two butted heads at first, Logan being annoyed with Roman's theatrics and insistence to help when someone showed the slightest of struggle. But after a while, it grew to be endearing and Logan suggested the two hang out when they were both free. It was tough to figure out a day with Logan's schedule alone, top that with Roman's and it was near impossible. But, they settled for studying together over the weekend.

AnnnD it progresses from there ye s I have ideas for that but shhhhHH

(I gained a name a few hours after initially writing this :> -Vinyl)

[shoutaaizawas]

one month anniversary event? hUH can i join?? if it’s no hassle: could i request bakugou in hunger games au! with the prompt “Whatever you do, don’t open your eyes.”? i would love to see what you do, thank you in advance 🥺💞 i love your work, binge worthy 100%. please take care! :)

im so sorry this took FOREVER ilysm your comments give me life thank you for all your support

↳ bakugou katsuki x reader → no final goodbyes

event: au prompts summary: you and bakugou are childhood enemies. when you’re picked for the annual hunger games you’re shocked when he volunteers. word count: 6,599 tags/warnings: hunger games!au, angst, like really angsty 😳, violence, blood mention, character death a/n: uhhhh i’m sorry also there was so much i wanted to put but i had to stop myself or this would have been a whole novel alternate ending

You hated Bakugou Katsuki. You had since you were kids. You grew up in District Seven next door to the Bakugou household. Ever since you could remember you were arguing with Bakugou. Your parents would laugh and say it was normal if he got on your nerves so much maybe it was because you had a crush on him.

The thought had always disgusted you. Sure, as you both got older Bakugou certainly got quite attractive and filled out. He went from a scrawny kid to a man in what felt like overnight, it was hard not to notice his muscles.

You recalled one day you were trying to nap but the repeated sound of banging outside kept waking you. You stormed outside to yell at him but you were not expecting the sight of him shirtless and swinging an ax down onto firewood. Your throat felt like it was drying up and you turned around before he caught you.

When had he gotten attractive? It didn’t matter, he was still the same unbearable Bakugou you had known since you were born. Looks couldn't make up for that personality.

Despite your distaste for each other, Bakugou’s mother insisted he walk with you to school to watch over you. You would complain and say that it was unnecessary but your mother would scold you for being rude and tell you to just accept it.

Some days you’d walk to and from school in silence. Others you would trade insults the whole way earning looks from people you passed.

“They’re picking tributes soon.” You said. It was rare for you to start a normal conversation but the Hunger Games were fast approaching and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t scared. “We’re eighteen now, it’s our last one. It looks like we might make it out.” You said with a dry laugh.

“What are you scared or something?” He replied.

“What? No, I mean what are the chances of getting picked?” You said with a shrug. “You’re probably the one that's scared.” You bit back. So much for having a normal conversation with him.

Time flew by and it was finally the day of the Reaping.

If you thought it was silent before on your walks with Bakugou it was even worse today. Despite the fact you both pretended like you weren’t scared, you were terrified and you knew even Bakugou was nervous.

If he was chosen at least he would stand a chance. He was strong and she had seen how he fought others at school in the past. If it was between him and a trained district kid you’d bet on him every time.

You, on the other hand, you never had held a weapon in your life. You weren’t very strong and not very fast. Your chances were overall bad.

Bakugou stopped as you approached the place where you would go your separate ways.

“Our last one, after this we don’t have to worry.” You said forcing a smile.

“Whatever.” He scoffed before turning to walk to the boy's side.

“I was trying to be nice for once.” You complained. “Screw you, I hope you get picked.”

You might hate Bakugou but you didn’t mean it. In fact, the thought of him getting picked made you feel things you couldn’t explain. After this was over you’d walk home and complain about the boring life you’d have in District Seven and bask in the relief of knowing that you would be safe.

As the escort of District Seven stood on the stage you stood in the crowd tapping your foot. This would be over soon and you could go home and never worry about this again.

“Ladies first.” The woman said fluttering to the left side and drawing from the pool of names there. She opened the paper and announced the name.

Heads turned but one set of eyes burned into you more than others. You couldn’t breathe. You were suffocating, drowning, frozen to the ground. You turned to look at Bakugou from across the crowd. Staring at him, helpless with tears in your eyes. You didn’t know why he was the first person you sought out.

“Come on, dear. Don’t be shy!” The woman said waving you up to the stage.

Taking shaky steps you walked through everyone to the stairs. Standing up there was surreal. It felt like a nightmare. Your eyes stayed on Bakugou’s red ones, how odd you looked to him for comfort in the worst time of your life. You supposed this would be the last time you’d look into those familiar eyes. Why did that make you so sad?

The woman moved to the boy's side and pulled a name but you could hardly pay attention. You snapped out of your fog when you heard a familiar voice.

“I volunteer!” Your eyes snapped to the ash-blond you had known your whole life. What was he thinking?

Bakugou walked to the stage and you stared in disbelief. What was going on?

It was a blur, you were ushered into a room with your parents. They were sobbing, hugging you, holding you like it’d be the last time. Well, it would be the last time, you supposed.

You were led to a train, the inside was decorated far nicer than most things in your district. You sat there feeling numb. It was overwhelming enough being picked but you were trying to wrap your head around Bakugou. Why would he volunteer? None of you ever wanted to be picked. This wasn’t District One where people trained for it.

Bakugou entered and stared at you blankly. You don’t know what happened but something snapped in you.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” You screamed, lunging for him. The escort for your district was quick to make her way to the other side of the train car to avoid the commotion. “Why would you volunteer? Do you have some death wish!?”

You grabbed at his shirt, hitting his chest but he stood still and unmoving not saying a word.

“What about your parents? What about your future? You’re throwing it all away!! It’s bad enough I got picked I didn’t have a choice.” Tears ran down your face uncontrollably. “You had a choice! You had a choice!”

A man you hadn’t seen before pulled you off of Bakugou, leading you to one of the rooms on the train.

“Cool off here for a while.” The man with long black hair said. “It’s a lot to take in. Take your time processing it.”

With that, he closed the door. You laid on the bed, your throat raw from screaming. It didn’t take long for your tears to come. You sobbed and sobbed, curled up on the bed. Why did this happen?

By the time you woke up you hadn’t even realized that you fell asleep. You felt so exhausted. It was still hard to understand everything that had happened. How did you get picked, why could Bakugou volunteer?

You avoided him, not wanting to see him. Every time you thought about him it stirred a rage in you that you didn’t quite understand.

The man that had pulled you off of Bakugou introduced himself as Aizawa Shouta, he was a previous winner from your district. Even though he had won you could see the damage that it left on him. That scared you, even people who won looked miserable.

Aizawa explained that he was to mentor you both and help as much as he could to prepare you for the games. It still didn’t feel real as he explained it all.

Before you knew it you were in the capital, a place you never expected to see. It was big and fancy, far more developed than your district. You followed alongside Aizawa, Bakugou on his other side. You didn’t want to look at him but you still felt the urge to sneak glances at him. When you did his eyes were on you, once you realized that you would look away quickly as if you hadn't been looking in the first place.

The building you were to stay in until the games began were modern and high tech. You stayed in your room, even when you were told dinner was ready. You wanted to be alone, more than that you didn’t want to be around Bakugou.

A knock on the door caught your attention. You cautiously opened it to see Aizawa there with a plate of food. He handed you the plate and you let him in.

“Why won’t you come out for dinner?” He asked.

“I don’t want to see him.” You said, taking a bite of the food even though you didn’t have an appetite. The food was of better quality than anything your family could ever afford. Did they feel better if they spoiled the children before sending them to their deaths?

“He volunteered.” He said the way he said it implied that he knew something that you didn’t.

“Yeah, and that was stupid.” You said. “Why would he choose a death sentence.”

“Things aren’t always that simple.” He said.

You stared at him, trying to comprehend what that meant. What valid motivation could he have?

“I’ll let you get some rest but you have training tomorrow.” He said.

“Training?” You questioned.

“Yeah, you'll have time to train for the games. You should pick something to impress the judges so they’ll give you a good rating.” He said. “If you get a good rating people will support you, send you stuff to help during the game.”

“Oh.” You said. You had seen some of it on TV but you always tried to avoid watching most of it. It made you sick to see children sent off to their deaths. You had seen people you grew up with sent to the games. You supposed you’d have to do the interviews too. How were you supposed to pretend to be some charming person when you were just a lamb for the slaughter?

Days went on and you trained from morning to night, you weren’t strong but you tried to practice with some weapons. An ax felt familiar you used it to chop wood before. It felt pointless, even if you could use it well enough you knew you didn’t have it in you to kill someone. You had no chance.

You spent a lot of time studying the plants, it interested you even if it would only help you so much. There were a lot of plants that were good for healing and some were even dangerous.

Reading a book on herbology, you sat far away from the other tributes who were sparring and throwing weapons at targets. It was hard to focus knowing that you’d be their target in a few days.

“Why are you wasting your time with that?” A familiar voice said behind you.

“It’s none of your business.” You spat back at Bakugou.

“Plants aren’t going to keep you from getting a knife in your back.”

“Why are you even here? How stupid are you to volunteer?”

“I’m going to win. I win at everything I do.” He said.

You stared at him in disbelief. You knew that Bakugou strives to beat everyone in his way but he never expressed that in regards to the Hunger Games. He always acted the way you did and how most did. They were disgusting and you wanted to avoid them as much as possible.

You turned your attention away from him, you couldn’t deal with him. You didn’t have long before the games would begin. You had to focus on what you were doing for the judges, not that it mattered. You knew you couldn’t compare to the others. You didn’t have much of a chance.

For the judges you displayed your knowledge of plants, it wouldn’t get you a great score but it was better than doing nothing. They seemed barely interested so you didn’t expect much.

Sitting on the couch of the apartment you were staying at with Bakugou and Aizawa you weren’t shocked to see yourself get a four. You heard a scoff from Bakugou and you sent him a dirty look. You were shocked to see Bakugou get a twelve. You knew that he was strong and his willpower alone was enough to make him the best at everything he did but it still left you wondering just what he did to get that score.

Time passed quickly and before you knew it the interviews were up. It was the last big event before the games would begin. That made your stomach churn. It wouldn’t be long until you’d be in an arena and everyone there would want you dead. There hadn’t been a day since you arrived in the capital that you weren’t stuck in your head dreading what would come. It was almost impossible to sleep and even harder to stomach anything.

Your stylist had picked a deep forest green dress for you. It was elaborate and stunning. Staring at it on the mannequin, the dress reminded you of home. The forests that were damp and earthy that always felt right to be in. The hearth in your family’s home that kept you warm on the cold nights. The stews that your mother made that you loved so much. The rain against your window at night while you read your favorite book. The boy next door that no matter how much you fought with him there was a sense of comfort being at his side.

Everything that you would never see again. Tears streamed down your face and you pretended they weren’t there as you were helped into the dress.

Your interview was first. Your entrance was standard, the questions not very exciting. It was easy to feel that the crowd wasn’t very interested in you. How could you capture their interest? You knew you were just another face, just a background character in someone else's story.

Bakugou was after you, the noise of the host and him talking was in the background as you walked with Aizawa out of the backstage area.

“You volunteered and you from District Seven, that’s very rare. What could possibly make you do something like that.” The host questioned. You scoffed, you already knew his answer. ‘Because I’ll win.’ You could hear it perfectly in his voice.

“Because the girl I love was chosen.” He said. You must have misheard that. You turned to look at the screen and saw him sitting on the couch on stage looking far more dressed up than you had ever seen him in your life.

“The girl you love, and by that do you mean your district partner?” The host asked excitedly looking at the crowd as if they hadn’t heard.

“Yes, we grew up with each other. I lived next door to her, we spent everyday walking to and from school. No matter how much we teased each other or pretended we didn’t like each other I always cared about her. When I heard her name called I knew that I couldn’t watch her do this alone. I volunteered so I can protector her, and make sure she gets to make it home.” He said.

“Wow, what an amazing story. Doesn’t it tug on your heartstrings? We all wish you luck in the games.” The host said as Bakugou was ushered away.

Numbness was all you felt. His words rang in your head. Aizawa looked at you with a concerned expression.

How could he lie like that? Just so he would have the viewers on his side? Just so he would have more sponsors in the game feeling sympathy for his sob story.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” You started as Bakugou walked down the hall towards you. He gave you a blank stare. “I know you couldn’t care less about me but did you really have to involve me in your story to manipulate the viewers?”

Bakugou stared at you before moving past without a word. You had expected him to yell at you or argue that it only made sense to use every advantage you could get but his silence was unsettling.

It was a blur. It was the day of the games. You stood in a cold room staring at the elevator that would lift you into the arena. This was it. It probably wouldn’t be long until you were dead. Taking a deep breath you took in the clothing you were provided. The heavy coat was large and made you feel too warm in this small room. From what you could gather it was going to be cold in the arena. At least you were used to snow. The best thing you had going for you was your survival skills if you could get away from the blood bath without dying.

Aizawa was there to give you your last bits of advice. The biggest being to avoid the cornucopia, it was always guaranteed to be a blood bath where only the strongest came out on top. Aizawa advised you to take what minor supplies you could get and hide away from others until necessary.

There was a far off look in his eyes. It was easy to tell that he was trying to distance himself emotionally. No doubt it was hard to get to know two kids every year only to watch them die horrifically.

“Thank you for everything.” You said softly.

“Goodbye.” He said giving you a sad smile.

A timer had begun counting down as you entered the elevator. Pressing your eyes closed you took a deep breath. A part of you considered if going for the cornucopia would be the best way to end things quickly. You shook your head. You owed it to your family, to yourself to at least try even if it was only delaying the inevitable.

The elevator started to move and an opening appeared at the ceiling. Cold air flooded the space and you were glad you were dressed the way you were. As you entered the arena you took in your surroundings. At least two feet of snow blanketed everything in sight. Most of the space around was open but in the distance, there was a forest. Mountains and cliff sides lingered in the distance.

The cornucopia sat not far away, surrounded by different items. It was tempting but it was a setup. You glanced towards the forest, it would be the best option. The cover of the trees would help you hide away from the others.

Looking around the others surrounding you, you recognized them all. You knew which ones you should be careful of. Your eyes met Bakugou’s and your stomach dropped. Once you ran away would you ever see him again? Your last words to him hadn’t been kind. Would he win? Or would he be killed by another tribute? What would he do if it was only the both of you remaining? Would he kill you? You knew you could never hurt him.

The clock ticked and with each sound, your heart beat faster and faster.

Run. Just run. Don’t look back.

The clock hit zero and chaos broke out. You fled for the trees not sparing a look back. The snow was deep and hard to move through, thankfully you were used to the snow. You weren’t expecting to find a backpack in the snow. You grabbed it without stopping as you ran to the trees.

Once you were in the tree line you felt some relief but you knew others would have the same idea so you continued not slowing your pace. You ran and ran until you couldn’t go anymore. You spotted a tree with strong looking branches and figured it was a decent place to hide for now.

Climbing the tree you were able to get comfortable as possible so you could look through the backpack. In it were some supplies, rations, water, rope, and a few other things.

The biggest concern for survival would be cold. It was cold now and it would only get worse. Your clothing would keep you warm but it might not be enough. You waited, carefully listening to the forest and its sounds. Eventually, nightfall came and the canons went off announcing the number of deaths that had occurred for the day. Fifteen in total. More than half gone already. She wondered if they thought they could survive the cornucopia or if they had gone to it in hopes of ending things quickly. When you didn’t see Bakugou’s face among them you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

As much as you knew you needed to you couldn’t sleep. You knew the danger you were in. As the temperature dropped you wished you could make a fire but you knew it was too risky to do so.

Morning came and you wanted to hunt today, you had the rations from the backpack but you wanted to keep them as a backup if you couldn’t get food. The skill wasn’t unfamiliar, you had done it before just not with these tools. There was a hatchet in the backpack, it wasn’t normally used to hunt but you could make it work.

You had been able to kill a rabbit, making a small fire to cook it before putting it out and moving on. As night fell you made your way into another tree for the night. You accidentally fell asleep a few times throughout the night before startling awake.

Days passed and you couldn’t remember the last time you felt any warmth. Tributes died day by day, none of them were Bakugou. That was a relief and it made you nervous at the same time. You didn’t want to face him.

The landscape before you was beautiful, you had scaled one of the smaller parts of the mountain. It was risky but if you got higher up you hoped it would deter other tributes from finding you. Green pine trees covered the ground as far as you could see. It reminded you of home. You pushed that thought out of your mind before it brought you any more sorrow.

As you moved through some of the dense trees on the mountain you weren’t expecting to come upon the edge of a cliff. You stumbled, pulling back so that you wouldn’t fall but it was too late. Your gravity was off and there was no way to stop yourself now. You reached out hopelessly to catch anything to stop yourself from falling. What you weren’t expecting was for someone’s hand to grasp yours. You were pulled back to safety as you came face to face with Bakugou.

“Idiot, watch where you’re going!” He said staring at you with an angry expression.

“Bakugou?” You said in confusion, why was he here? Had he been following you. “You know it’s not a great tactic to save your enemies from dying. Kind of losing out on a free loss.”

“I don’t want to win the loser’s way.” He grunted before letting go of you, you nearly fell to the ground.

“Really, why are you here?” You questioned.

“Because it’s a good place to be, if you’re the first one in these mountains you’ll have the high ground.” He answered. “We might as well as team up since we’re both here. The others have made alliances.”

“I’m not really helpful for an alliance, you should know that.” You said, sitting down on the ground to get your breath back. Your heart was still pounding from the adrenaline.

“Better than nothing.” He said before sitting down next to you.

The silence was odd. In a way it was so similar to all the times you walked to school in silence, forgoing the usual trade of insults. But it was different all at the same time. You weren’t going about your normal day, you were in the middle of an even that would leave one if not both of you dead.

“I still don’t get why you volunteered. Even if you win it’s not worth it.”  You said to him. Even if you received money and everything else they gave was it worth the risk? Was it worth the trauma you’d be left with?

“You don’t have to understand.” He said. That left you with more questions than answers but you didn’t push further.

Taking the day you made your way into the mountains more, as night fell you stopped to make camp. You were unsure about making a fire but Bakugou didn’t seem too concerned.

“Here.” He said throwing a sleeping bag at you. You had noticed the good-sized backpack he had on when you met earlier. You wondered if he had managed to get anything from the cornucopia but you didn’t ask. Were any of the people that were killed on the first day killed by him? It was hard to imagine him taking someone's life.

“Thank you.” You said. You were thankful for the sleeping bag, it would be a lot better than the trees you had stayed in all night.

“I’ll take first watch.” He said. You wanted to argue but you were so tired from the lack of sleep that you gave in.

It was odd the sense of safety you had with Bakugou. A part of you said that he could slit your throat while you slept but you knew deep down he wouldn’t. If he was going to kill you he would be straight forward about it. You fell asleep without hesitation.

You returned to consciousness quickly, the sensation of someone’s hand pressed against your mouth. Your eyes opened up and you realized that it wasn’t Bakugou but another tribute. You tried to scream but it was muffled. Moving for your hatchet you realized that they had you fully pinned down. Tears burned in your eyes as you stared up at them.

“Get off of her!” You heard Bakugou yell. You wondered where he had been.  

“Why would I do that?” The guy said, you felt the cold steel of a blade press against your neck and you let out a whimper.

“Whatever you do, don’t open your eyes,” Bakugou said and you knew he was talking to you. Without thinking you listened.

With a yelp of pain, the guy tumbled off of you, and a weight was lifted from your chest both literally and figuratively. There was a noise of a commotion, rustling, and grunts of pain before everything went silent. A moment passed and the sound of a canon rang out in the arena.

“Just wait here, don’t look.” He said. You knew what had happened but it was hard to believe. There was more sound, footsteps, the sound of something being dragged before more footsteps. “Okay.”

Opening your eyes you could see Bakugou in the moonlight, standing over you. What stood out was the blood that covered his hands and his jacket, barely reflecting in the glow.

“T-Thank you.” You stuttered out, still scared. You knew that you would die here but coming face to face with death was worse than you imagined. “I-I” You started but tears ran down your face.

The last thing you expected was for him to kneel and take you in his arms. Your first reaction was to stiffen, was he going to kill you? When you felt him gently place you head against his chest you realized he was hugging you. As much as you wanted to push him away or argue you felt so vulnerable after what happened. You slowly wrapped your arms around him before letting loose more tears.

“You’re okay. It’s going to be okay.” He said. You had only seen this side of him once before.

When you were young you had been in the forest behind your houses, playing like you did often. It had been an accident, you weren’t looking. You jumped off a rock into a pile of leaves, playing in them. What you didn’t expect was there to be a bear trap.

The pain was so bad you had nearly blacked out. You remembered how panicked he was, rushing to your side. He disarmed the trap faster than you expected and before you knew it he was carrying you home.

The memories of it were vague from the pain and time but what stuck in your head was the soft voice he used reassuring you everything was going to be alright and the tears that welled up in his eyes.

By the time you woke up in bed bandaged up Bakugou was back to his normal self, no hint of the teary-eyed boy you had seen. A part of you always wondered if that had been your imagination trying to soothe you through the traumatic moment.

The softness Bakugou showed you know made it clear that your memory had not been incorrect. Hands gripping into his jacket he held you until your tears stopped and the sun slowly rose in the sky.

He explained that he had heard a noise and went off to look for the source and when he returned the other tribute had been on you. He didn’t apologize but you could hear the guilt in his voice. These events had just furthered your confusion about everything.

Once there was enough light you ate some rations before packing up and heading further up the mountain. Your travel was silent for the most part but every once and a while you would talk.

The number of tributes was getting lower every day. Not counting you and Bakugou there were three others left. Honestly, you hadn’t expected to make it this long. You wouldn’t have made it this long if it wasn’t for Bakugou saving you last night.

“What are you going to do if it gets down to just the two of us?” You asked, your breath appearing in the cold air.

“Why are you asking such a stupid question?” He grunted back at you.

“I think it’s a fair question.” You said. Did his avoidance of it mean that it was obvious he would kill you?

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I think the quickly approaching reality is something I should worry about.” You returned. “Unless you think I’ll die before then.”

“You might with how clumsy you are, idiot.” He said, not even sparing you a glance as his eyes scanned the snowy trail.

“Even on death’s door, you’re going to give me that attitude?” You said annoyed. “Bakugou Katsuki, you are the most insufferable person I’ve ever met.”

The sound of a canon went off stopping your conversation. Just a second later another one went off. You took a shaky breath. There was only one other tribute left.

Looking over at Bakugou you caught his gaze, you didn’t miss the nervous look in his eyes no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

“One left.” You whispered to yourself.

That night you set up a small camp in the mouth of a cave. You couldn’t bring yourself to eat anything, the nerves were too much. It was almost over, how had you made it into the top three? Would the last tribute kill you both? Or would Bakugou kill the last tribute? Then what?

It came crashing down on you even harder than it had before. Someone had to die. You and Bakugou wouldn’t make it out together, there was only ever one winner. Tears streamed down your face before you recognized them.

Bakugou Katsuki had been a constant in your life, a constant you always thought that you hated but sitting here confronting the idea of him dying tore you apart. You cared about him more than you would ever like to admit. Even if you argued more than anything else Bakugou always looked after you. If someone was mean to you at school he would scare them off, if you got hurt he would patch you up even if he did make fun of you the whole time, he was always there for you no matter what.

Why had life decided to be so unfair to you?

A day passed and you hiked further into the mountains, there had been no sign of the other tribute. That made you nervous, you knew that the game maker wanted a show and if he didn’t get one the would do what they thought would make things interesting and it wouldn’t be good for you.

Passing through a dense forest you felt on edge. You knew something bad would happen but you didn’t know what exactly it would be. You felt like something was watching like you were being hunted. Glancing at Bakugou you knew he was on edge too.

A crack of thunder rang out. You knew with how suddenly it hit it wasn’t natural. Suddenly rain poured down, with how cold it was you knew it would be bad if you got soaked.

“We need to find cover,” Bakugou said looking to you.

The two of you picked up your pace into a run, searching for anything that would work. You spotted a cave opening, it was dangerous to be in a confined space but you would only be in more danger out here. The storm hit harder and harder with every passing moment. Lightning striking nearby and thunder rumbled the ground around you.

You tripped, landing on your knees. Bakugou pulled you up by the back of your jacket and back onto your feet. This time he took your hand into yours pulling you along.

Finally, you reached the cave, the shelter from the storm providing some relief. You looked at Bakugou and without saying anything you both knew this was a trap. Opening your backpack you pulled out the flashlight that was in there. Turning it on you were able to see your surroundings better.

“Let’s go in further,” Bakugou said looking around. “Be careful, we don’t know if they’re in here or if they’ll be behind us.”

The cave wasn’t spacious but the tunnel you followed went deeper in. It was eerily silent, the only sound was from the storm outside. You don’t know how long it took but eventually, it opened up to a large cavern. There was an opening in the ceiling of the cave letting in icy cold air and the rain that poured down but overall it was enough to cover from the storm.

“It’s a dead end.” You said looking around.

“So we wait.” He said.

Bakugou paced the cavern, walking around different parts of it surveying the space.

It happens quickly, you hear a noise and suddenly Bakugou is on the ground under the last tribute. A knife is at his throat as he struggles to hold it back. Fear grips you at the sudden occurrence.

For a moment you’re frozen, your body won’t move even if your head is screaming at you to help. You finally break free and rush forward, you tackle the tribute off of Bakugou and onto the ground of the cavern.

It’s messy, you struggle and fight but the tribute is far stronger than you and easily throws you off before regaining his balance and attacking.

Bakugou watches in horror as the tribute overtakes you. He moves forward, knife in hand this time. He blocks out the reality of what he has to do, driving the blade down into his back repeatedly. He pulls him off of you, throwing him to the side.

As the canon goes off he blocks out the fact that it’s just the two of you left. He knows what he has to do but he can’t bring himself to think about it yet. He wants to enjoy the last moments of peace.

“Katsuki.” You say but your voice is ragged. He’s taken aback at the use of his first name. “Don’t look.”

His stomach drops as he realizes the blood soaking through your coat isn’t the tribute's. He panics, dropping to his knees beside you tearing open your coat trying to find the wound.

“No, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this.” He said pressing against the wound trying to stop the bleeding.

“You’re going to win just like you wanted.” You replied.

“You idiot!” He yells. “I didn’t volunteer to win, I did it to protect you!”

He watches your face fall at the realization.

“You-”

“I couldn’t stand the thought of you going through this alone, if you died I would never forgive myself for not being there. I volunteered to make sure that you would make it out alive!”

“Why?” Your voice was breathless, eyes tearing up.

“Because I love you, idiot!” He yelled. “How stupid are you?”

“Katsuki, I-” You started, your breathes heavily as you tried to speak. “I-” You tried to speak but your eyelids fell closed, consciousness fading.

“No! I’m not gonna lose you. You can’t die, I did this to keep you safe!” He screamed. “I did this to protect you! Why did you try to help me! I was supposed to die for you!”

Tears ran down his face as he screamed out. A canon went off and it felt like he had been stabbed. He collapsed into you, sobbing into your stomach.

The games came to a close. They retrieved Bakugou but he fought tooth and nail to keep the peacekeepers away that tried to take him away from your body. The only option they were left with was to sedate him.

Once Bakugou woke up they tried to explain to him that he would have to do an interview at the capitol as well as make appearances in all of the districts. Their words fell on deaf ears as he refused to listen to anyone, trying to attack anyone who got close enough. They finally decided to send Aizawa in.

“Bakugou, you need to be reasonable.” He said. “If you don’t listen they will kill you and tell everyone that it was from your injuries in the games.”

“I have nothing to live for, the only reason I did any of this was to make sure she won and I failed and now I have to live with that.” He spits back.

“I know,” Aizawa said solemnly. “I’m sorry, I know you did everything to protect her.”

“If they want to kill me then let them.”

“Please, at least let me see if they will let you go home without any media. We can say that you got sick from something in the arena and had to be sent home.”

Bakugou didn’t reply but Aizawa took that as a yes.

Stepping into the empty house Bakugou felt numb. Aizawa had managed to get him home without any more disturbance. The capital was in an upset without the media the thrived off of after the Games. Many people were looking forward to the tearful remembrance of you. The capitol had been enthralled by the love story between you and Bakugou.

What was the point anymore? Looking out the window to the yard, it was rainy and foggy. He couldn’t bring himself to care about anything. He hadn’t even seen his parents since he got back to District Seven.

It haunted him, watching you die. Your stuttered last words cut off by your last breath. Did you love him back? It was something he would never have an answer to and he would have to live with that for the rest of his life.

alternate ending

taglist:  @sugarmaplewings-fics @lilkiwisfinest @ewwis @kandy1410 @moonlightaangel @winnies-headcannons @bakugousidehoe @paintedr0ses1 @toobsessedsstuff @spellboundxizi @ourladyofseijoh @x0doodlebug0x @katsuhoee

[s1utspeare]

Get To Know Me!

@foxofninetales tagged me in this ask game and since I LOVE HER i will now be doing it (i mean i’d do it anyway but now it will be filled with love for FOX i am not accepting CRITICISM ON THIS POINT)

Part I

name: Brigid! I’m named after the Irish goddess of like, poetry, healing, smithcraft, and protection, or the Irish saint (they’re both pretty similar it’s just whether or not you’re talking about Celtic religion or Catholicism). She’s very cool, and I think it’s a very fitting name for who I turned out to be!

pronouns: she/her

star sign: i’m an insufferable theatre kid of course I’m a Leo

height: 5'8″ babeeeyyy (172 cm). I’m not short like, at all, but all of my family members are over six foot, so I’m like. tiny in comparison. they all make fun of me all the time for it :(

time: 8:49pm! A delightful time of evening!!! 

birthday: July 31st, same day as Harry Potter lol.

nationality: american :P

fave bands/groups/solo artists: hnnnngggghhhh why would u ask me this I don’t KNOW jk i just have a lot uhhhhh all time faves would be Bastille and Mumford and Sons, but I’m SUPER into kpop right now, so my top groups are BTS, Stray Kids, and One OK Rock (who are technically jpop but I really like their stuff). I also am a Broadway BITCH (hello, theatre kid) so before this year all of my Spotify library was basically just show tunes. 

song stuck in your head: Get Away by VeriVery. I think they’re a pretty new group? idk i saw them on one of those tumblr promotional things and checked out the music video which is like??? really interesting conceptually? so I’ve just been listening to the song for a while lol. 

last movie you watched: Train to Busan! I’m gearing up to write a dmbj zombie apocalypse AU and so I was like “this is a popular zombie film! I’ll watch it for inspiration! :)” holy shit. holy shit i was so wrong. It’s one of the most viscerally affecting films I think I’ve ever seen, I was like. On the verge of an anxiety attack the entire time but in like the best possible way?? it’s a mastery of character introduction and action/horror and I cried for like the last ten minutes straight. SO affecting. I do NOT RECOMMEND IT if u are already made anxious by zombie apocalypse scenarios, blood, violence, and a Lot of Death. 

last show you binged: hmmm uh like I’m currently watching Mystic Nine but at like a normal pace, so the last show I probably binge watched was maybeeee The Uncanny Counter on Netflix? HIGHLY recommend that one, I made @cross-d-a watch it and I’m living for her liveblog reactions lmao. Idk most of my free time has been spent writing the past few months which. After months of only having the energy to watch shows is kind of really invigorating? the things u can do when u fix ur health I’ll tell you what

when you created your blog: in 2012 asldighalsdkfjladskjga i came on here to like burdge’s pjo fanart :)

the last thing you googled: "is it bad not to have an air cap on your tire” ALSDIGHALKDFJLADFJA FUCK ME (i learned that it’s not necessarily bad but it can get dirt and stuff built up in there so I went to the store after work today and replaced it)

other blogs: everything is here bc i am too lazy to create a sideblog! so sorry to everyone who does not follow me for cdrama content bc this is all I am now. 

why i chose my url: cause it’s my ao3 username and i wanted people to be able to find me more easily on tumblr! :) the long answer is because i love shakespeare and also i think that slut is a really funny word and concept for me especially because i am one of the most sexless people u will ever meet in ur life so slutspeare is like. an aggressively ace joke that only I think is funny. 

how many people are you following: 588

how many followers do you have: ah just over 200?!??!!? which is like. a lot for me. I think it was like 75 up until like last year omg 

average hours of sleep: my sleep app says I average around eight! which is very good for me! I do have to get enough sleep consistently or I will Have A Bad Time so my sleep schedule is pretty good and luckily I don’t have the Insomnia depression I have the Sleep Lots one which I am glad for bc idk what I’d do if I couldn’t Be Unconscious regularly. Die probably. 

lucky numbers: I don’t think I have lucky numbers?? my favorite number is 21 for no reason other than the vibes alone. 

instruments: i’ve played the piano for uhhhh.... eighteen years now? and I can play the ukulele and am surprisingly good with the recorder since I’ve had to play it in Multiple Theatre Performances. I was also an honor choir singer back in high school so I’ve done a lot of select ensemble stuff which was super fun! 

what i'm currently wearing: a Life Is Good long-sleeved t-shirt that says “Not All Who Wander Are Lost” that I got in a military surplus store like a million years ago and red Adidas athletic shorts that I found at the thrift store a couple weeks back

dream job: playwright! I just wanna be a playwright! playwriting is like drugs i literally go nuts for it

dream trip: I don’t know??? I don’t really like traveling tbh aslidhalkfdj umm I do want to see the grand canyon sometime before I die tho so maybe a road trip down there? I definitely like traveling solo so I’d probably just hang out with myself and drive and go to whatever places I want and see dumb tourist attractions and sing loudly in the car

fave food: CURRY i know i said eggs the last time it asked me this but I miss my local Indian restaurant I want to eat literal Platefuls of tikka masala at 12pm at the Indian buffet after my physics class again :(

top three fictional universe you'd like to live in: hmmm i don’t know, actually! probably one where I have Powers and could do Cool Hand Motions and make Lights Appear. If I were anywhere with like. An Actual World-Dooming problem tho I would not be helpful at all. I would just die. Besides, I already live in fictional universes half the time, I’m a writer! 

Part II

last song: Basquiat by Pentagon! The music video is like. Very whumpy. So if you’re into that... the song’s also a bop

last stream: i don't watch streams very often, I just watch clips from them, cause those usually just give the best parts lol 

currently reading: mmmmmbbbaaaaahhhhh literally nothing? I’m trying to get caught up on the backlog of dmbj fic I haven’t gotten around to so Binding by @vishcount is next on that list! oh I guess I’m also reading Johnny Tremain with my kids (one of them SPOILED THE END and I forgot how it ended and now I’m big sad). 

currently watching: Mystic Niiiiinnnneeeeee! love those gay history bitches. everyone in that show is so funny. I just finished the Fuba Side Plot tho and now we’re back to Politics so i’m like >:( someone give zhang baby rishan a hug (and then i write angst about him what is wrong with me)

what is antipoetry to you: antipoetry??? what the heck is antipoetry hold on... uhhhh that’s just poetry. who came up with this term. i guess like lyrical fiction would be the technical correct definition but idk I consider anything to be poetry! like that’s the whole point! poetry is poetry is poetry as long as it’s focused on intensity and emotions it’s poetry! a haiku? poetry. the random one-lined mess of words on my phone? poetry. a literal drawing of a cardinal with the word “bird” written next to it? poetry. idk I’ve been trying to teach my kids that there are no wrong ways to write creatively; if you’re expressing yourself and making emotions, then you’re writing! also like half of my work could be considered antipoetry lmao. I love emotionally supercharging the mundane.

currently craving: i have noooo ideaaaasssss i’m literally just vibing. uh. water? ok i took care of that one my water bottle was right next to me. 

AH IF YOU READ THIS MUCH THANK YOU???? i love u 

uhhhh no pressure tags for @xia-xueyi, @nope4ever, @bookjoyworm, @elletromil, and @gaiahenshin, as well as anyone else who would like to give the full-rundown on themselves! :D

[whisperoftheheart925]

Ooooh, for the character ask how about carter kane, pollux from pjo and uhhhh sam winchester? <3

Omg what great character choices!!!! 

1) Starting with Sam Winchester

Sexuality Headcanon: So obviously this man likes girls quite a lot, but I just get the vibes that he experimented with guys in college and is so chill with it he barely even thinks about it anymore, so either bi or bicurious

Gender Headcanon: I have the tendency to assume he’s cis but I could see Sam as a trans guy too

A ship I have with said character: I never moved on from shipping season 5 samifer, the whole made for each other thing, the whole two sides of the same coin, the whole I’m the only one who’ll ever truly understand you, that’s what still draws me to that ship (soulmates but make it angsty and painful)

A BROTP I have with said character: I mean would it even be supernatural if I didn’t mention his relationship with Dean? But that seems like a cop out cause they’re actual brothers so I’m gonna say Castiel or Rowena. Castiel because they’re both people who want faith in their lives, and who have a lot of respect for the people they love. And watching them overcome the initial tensions that came from Sam being the boy with the demon blood was really sweet. The sort of friendship and bond that comes from being close to the same person. Rowena because in later seasons Sam doesn’t get too much development and I think their friendship is one of the better things that happened to his character

A NOTP I have with said character: I doubt its controversial to say I don’t ship wincest? That would probably be my only true notp, but also since I wanna be spicy, I don’t really see him with Gabriel? They’re sweet in aus but I don’t see Sam going for Gabriel’s flirtations, he seems a lot more intense and serious in romances (with jess and ruby for example)

A random headcanon: This one is tricky cause I read so much fic I don’t know what’s canon and what’s headcanon anymore. I think in the age of spotify he listens to it a lot to make up for the years when Dean would only play classic rock before he softened up

General Opinion over said character: Sam is someone I have a lot of strong feelings for, he fits into that niche of characters that I both relate to in terms of struggles as well as look up to for how he deals with them. I like the struggle against darkness within him, and his worth, and whether he’s a monster or not due to what happened to him, I do feel like his character was wasted a bit towards the end of the show though

2) Pollux our favorite lil Dionysus kid 

Sexuality Headcanon: I feel like Dionysus kids are often pan and I headcanon Pollux as poly too

Gender Headcanon: Cis

A ship I have with said character: Ooooh I've never though of this let me dig up canon characters roughly his age. I can see him crushing on Michael Yew and Katie Gardner, quick witted and bossy but good people.

A BROTP I have with said character: Charles Beckendorf. I think Pollux would respect Beckendorf’s hard working attitude and kind heart, and I think Pollux would find his awkwardness around people endearing since he’s a bit awkward himself and they’d probably be those friends that can like work on their hobbies around each other.

A NOTP I have with said character: Never in a million years with Clarisse, the poor boy would get trampled on and I think she’d be mean (I’m sorry Clarisse I love you I promise)

A random headcanon: He’s awkward and shy, and a little sheltered but he’s very sweet. After his brother died he had a hard time opening up to people, and became very private, but he’s a good teacher and is very dedicated to helping his dad with the strawberry fields.

General Opinion over said character: He’s such a cool character, I really love him in the original pjo series because he’s very very much a background character but he makes the world richer. I love that through him Mr D. gets to show a softer and more caring side and one that is fiercely loyal and protective, and I think that was an important part of the message of pjo, how the gods are shitty parents but most of them do care in their own way even though they never show it, and I’m glad Pollux was able to do that. I think he deserved better (aka for his twin brother not to die kay thanks) and I would have loved to see more of him in the rest of the series.

3) Finally our lovely Carter Kane

Sexuality Headcanon: Straight, demi-romantic and utterly clueless

Gender Headcanon: Cis

A ship I have with said character: Zarter! If it isn’t broke don’t fix it. This boy is head over heals for a strong confident and sassy woman who could kill him and really, who wouldn’t be? I love the thought of them bonding over their unconventional childhoods and their longing to discover things they think are “normal” but that they missed out on. I also think they would fall into the kind of relationship where they’re best friends, they have full and utter trust in each other, and they also discover how to navigate romance together

A BROTP I have with said character: Once again picking Sadie feels like a cop out. I really like his relationship with Amos too, but he’s Carter’s uncle so not sure it fits. I like to think of his relationship with Walt as being very close and like, the kind of brotherly trust that would make them close friends and have each other’s backs all the time

A NOTP I have with said character: Not sure I have one since any ship involving him makes me happy just because it has him in it and he deserves love. However I have seen a lot of fics with him and Horus, and I actually don’t think I like it all that much? Maybe cause Horus is often a bit immature with his emotions I don’t know how well their chemistry would work. This is out of character for me cause usually I really love the concept of host/supernatural entity ships, but maybe it’s also cause Carter is so young in the first book and Horus seems way too old for him? Maybe when Carter is in his 30s?

A random headcanon: I think he would come into his responsibilities very quickly. I think while he would accept Amos as being mostly in charge for a while he would try to be involved with changing how the House of Life is run as Pharaoh, because he’d see it as his responsibility and he’d do everything in his power to do it right, and prove to those that doubt him that he has what it takes.

General Opinion over said character: He’s my favorite character in the Kane Chronicles and probably in the whole Riordan verse. He means a lot to me because I also had to fly around a lot when I was a kid and I moved around a lot too, so when I read these books I could relate a lot to the idea of feeling like the airport is your home. I also grew up with a single parent of the same gender as me wishing I had known members of my very near family better than I did. Also I knew what it felt like to want to go out and play with kids my age but to not be able to because I couldn’t speak the language, and I felt really close to Carter because I see my own childhood represented in him. He’s also very rule abiding and I loved that his dad told him not to do something and he actually followed that, because same haha. I can only hope to one day become as strong and confident as him.

This took waaay longer than expected and I wrote way too much, but it was so fun, thank you @bluecookiesforrick once again for these! <3 love you!!!

[lepidopterann]

Ok our marriage is saved and also ummm I humbly request that you infodump abt them *sits patiently*

Oh Boy,

ive kinda been infodumping abt him through these bc you have so much interest in him which?? bring so much joy??? Okay so Signals whole timeline thing during mutania has kinda gone like Wakes up in weird world, fixes up a abandoned house and makes a farm, meet Plee and she moves in (within one (1) kind interaction he is ready to die for her), continues working on the farm and goes out adventuring Once with Plee (battle tower thing, idk if canon but i think its funny), they get a letter to go to a desert village and there they meet everyone else, Warkaru shows up (they are at this point kinda the antagonist), Signal get Blown Up (hence the scarring, some of which is burn scars like the stuff on his hand and right side of face and some are shrapnel scars like the neck thing and the Big One on their chest), they fucking Die and come back bleeding everywhere, Cidre and the others take him back to the Valley (which is a area Sage has set up for the waterphobes bc it has a glass roof to prevent rain from getting in), Cidre bandages em all up (they become good friends w Cidre and would die for him as well), they go home for a couple weeks/months. First minor arc ends. uhhh ill continue that later I wanna share other stuff sjgdsuifghuysd - some minor aus I have are like moth!Signal? moth signal. Hes a lot more upbeat than canon anxiety tall bitch, has antennae instead of horns, fluff neck, big ol wings and stil has normal tail, and is Very attracted to light. He carries around a lantern (and sometimes carries it on his tail bc its easier) so he doesnt get lost so easily bc signal just has a bad sense of direction in general (and this is worsened by him being attracted to All Lights, so he'll accidentally follow other lights or even the lantern on his tail suifgduigh). I love this au s o much but i dont draw it much for whatever reason. It exists solely bc Signal has some moth symbolism (one of his neos is literally moth/mothself) and also bc since Signals eyes glow bright and so do his freckles so he naturally attracts moths.

- floran!signal was also one I love (and a friend on the server Plague loved). just a whoelsome cutie who ignores all his issues, is compltely blind bc flowers and growing out of his eyes, roots for feet, and vines for a tail (and ferns on his ears). i think he and aukira (who is the son of a water dragon) were shipped together but im having a signal rn and cant remember

- modern au, he, as an adult, becomes a veterinarian or has something to do with agriculture. he goes through life and gets the therapy he needs (if canon signal remembered all that trauma, he would have never even become friends with plee or ever left his house, bc modern au has Therapy and Support). He starts out really small and scrawny and later grows to be Very Very tall when he gets into highschool. 6'7". he also becomes kinda decked?? like canon signal?? mans aint skinny and scrawny no more.

-I should talk abt the fact that Signal is literally like 3-4 feet taller than the average person and is Very Very strong and has a lot of muscle bc he has to hold up his own weight plus working on a farm consistantly, using a plow and stuff, would make you very strog. He favors using an axe bc its more familiar, since he uses it a lot on the farm. He also has a very strong but thin tail thats prrehensile. He would be Amazing for hugs, very strong and would pick you up a little or maybe would go down on one knee to get down to your level (if you are average height). Plus he'd wrap his tail around u bc he likes to keep the people he cares for close :D

- can purr and growl and stuff and his ears turn around like a cats :] (they turn towards noises, point down when upset, etc.).

- I kin him

- I've mentioned that their voiceclaim is Will Wood, but some voices I considered for them were Jack Conte and Daniel from Camp Camp. So uhh??? have fun with that info

-I mentioned earlier that he has moth symbolism, but he has other symbolisms which include : deer, centipedes, stars, and flowers/plants in general.

- He is demiromantic ace, agender, and all of his pronouns are : he/they/it/nyc/vae/bug/moth :]

uhhhh i would write more but I need to better organize my thoughts

[vincent-frankenstein]

40. “Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?” with Analogical?

this was going to be a canonverse au until i started listening to The Amazing Devil so now you’re getting some faNTASY ANALOGICAL BOOYAH

Summary: Of all the punishments the universe had sent Virgil’s way, Logan was the worst. His life hadn’t exactly been a piece of cake since he’d found the stupid magical sword that the kingdom had been searching for for decades, since he’d been thrown into an epic quest of destiny he never asked for, but all that, at least, he understood.

He didn’t understand Logan.

And then one night, he did.

Warnings: uhhhh just general fantasy stuff? a dark king, evil shit, feelings of inadequacy, but this is legit alllll fluff

Virgil really wasn't built for questing.

Look, if he had his way, he wouldn't have even been sent on the stupid quest in the first place. He didn't ask to be chosen. He didn't ask to have the fate of the world placed on his shoulders. He didn't ask to be a fucking savior.

He wasn't a hero. He wasn't a savior. He was just... Virgil. He was tired, he was sore, he was angsty and snappy and, quite frankly, not very nice. Just because he'd happened to stumble across the ancient sword that the entire kingdom had been searching for for decades didn't mean he was meant to save the stupid place! He could barely even wield the damned thing.

And he couldn't even quest in peace. No, he had to have companions — A.K.A., other human disasters who only stayed by his side because they wanted a slice of his glory.

Well, no. Patton seemed to genuinely care — but then again, he seemed to care about everyone. It was in his nature as a healer; he didn't have a hateful bone in his body. Roman was there for the glory, though, and the glory alone; Virgil knew that, if there was any way to un-weave his soul from the sword, Roman would have taken the quest for himself. And Logan...

Virgil didn't understand Logan at all.

Like, why the hell was he even there? He had no interest in glory, Virgil could tell, and he didn't seem to give a shit about any of them, either. Sure, his magic had come in handy several times, and he'd saved their lives more times than Virgil could count, but...

He didn't talk to them otherwise. He kept to himself, always reading, always thinking, always silent. Virgil didn't think he'd said a word beyond his foreign incantations since he'd first introduced himself.

Normally, Virgil wouldn't have cared. So long as the dude stayed out of his way, he could do what he wanted. But there was no staying out of each other's ways when the four of them were lumped together on a quest, relying on each other and only each other for survival. They were around each other constantly, and, well. Virgil couldn't help but wonder what the guy's deal was.

He was just... quiet. He existed with a sort of solemn grace, an ethereal energy all his own; his sparkling blue eyes seemed to hold all the secrets of the universe, and his voice, whenever he decided to grace them with it, rumbled like the deepest, darkest thunderstorms. He carried a set of books the same shade of deep blue as his robes, enchanted to float at his sides at all times, and when he read from them his eyes grew bright, radiant.

Virgil found he couldn't drive Logan from his mind. What was it about them, that kept Logan in their group? That drove him to risk his own safety to save them, again and again and again? He didn't hail from their land. He had no stock in their war, and no stock in their souls; what difference did it make to him if they failed, if they died? Why did he risk himself, time and time again?

It was infuriating, in that awful, burning way where Virgil knew his frustration wasn't even justified. Logan didn't owe him shit. Just because Virgil was the "chosen one" or some shit like that didn't mean Logan was obligated to talk to him. Hell, none of them were! The war was his to fight; his quest was his to face. None of them had to fight for him.

None of them had to die for him.

And thus was the cycle of his thoughts. Through guilt and frustration and desperation, beneath waves of ash, his brain returned time and time again to Logan. Why was he so intriguing? Why was he so ethereal?

Why did he stay?

When his thoughts became too much to bear, he polished his sword. He hated the damn thing, hated the way it glowed at his touch, deepest purple to match his eyes, but the rhythmic motion, the back-and-forth of polishing served as a decent way to get his mind to give it a rest. Roman had taught him how to, back when they'd first met, in that snappy, bossy sort of way that made Virgil feel like a little kid who'd disappointed his teacher.

He did it in lieu of sleep, sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. It was the one constant through the quest, as they trudged through forests and across mountain ranges and through villages full of lives he was meant to save. As they approached the capital — and the corrupt king waiting inside — the forests grew darker and the mountains grew taller, and the townspeople, once so full of hope, grew more haggard, and clutched at the hem of his cloak as he passed, begging, begging, begging—

He bit back a pained noise and polished harder, his threadbare rag running back-and-forth, back-and-forth along the shining obsidian of his sword. Another night of polishing in another forest full of shadows, trees looming on all sides, as though they were waiting to strike. Roman and Patton slept before him, curled together through their blankets, arms thrown haphazardly over each other as they snored.

And Logan sat at the other side of the clearing, leaned back against a tree, looking down through his half-moon spectacles at one of his many tomes. The pages turned themselves with a tiny flicker of blue, and his eyes glowed. Stars danced across his skin.

Back-and-forth. Back-and-forth. He lowered his gaze to his sword, following his hand as it slid back-and-forth, trying to get lost in the movement — but before he knew it, he was looking up again, looking at Logan.

He cleared his throat. "D'you ever sleep?" he asked, quietly enough that he half-hoped Logan hadn't even heard him. But Logan did hear him; he shifted, his book snapping shut in a cloud of dust, and suddenly his glowing eyes were locked onto Virgil's, and — holy shit, was this how it felt to die?

Logan lifted a brow, silent.

"Yeah, okay," Virgil said, silently thanking whatever faceless entity resided in the heavens above for granting him the mercy of an even, nonchalant voice. "I guess I'm a hypocrite."

Logan held his gaze for a moment longer, his eyebrow quirked, his lips pressing into a thin line. Then he returned to his book, and silence fell over the clearing again. Virgil pursed his lips, foot tapping against the ground as he polished, faster, faster.

When he lifted his head again, Logan was looking at him. His brilliant eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, searching, scanning Virgil as though he was a puzzle Logan couldn't solve. Probably wondering how he was going to manage to save the world, probably comparing him to all the other heroes they'd encountered on their quest, probably —

He dipped his head in a small nod, and then lifted his hand. Virgil blinked. "What?"

Logan waved at him again, gesturing towards himself. Hesitantly, Virgil stood, sliding his sword back into the holder at his belt. Logan didn't watch him as he approached; he turned back to his book, sliding a gloved finger along one of the scribbled lines inside, mouth moving silently as he studied whatever incantation he'd scrawled inside.

Virgil reached his side and stood, hands fluttering awkwardly by his sides. "So..."

"Look," Logan said, his voice so soft and so deep that Virgil almost thought it was a distant storm. He lifted his hands, drawing blue energy from the worn pages of his book, galaxies painted across his skin, his eyes the brightest stars of all. Energy gathered around his fingers; he lifted them to the sky, to the canopy of thick, dark leaves above them, and whispered something in a language Virgil didn't know. Then —

The magic shot from his fingertips, arching meteorites of brightest blue, and danced through the air in a dazzling twirl. They reached the canopy above and drew the leaves back, pushing through, pushing beyond — and suddenly there were more stars above than Virgil could have ever imagined, twinkling with the same ethereal grace as Logan's eyes.

"Woah," he whispered, and Logan nodded, his book dropping down into his lap. "That's... woah. How —"

"That is how the sky looks where I come from." Virgil's breath hitched in his throat, and he realized how wrong he'd been. Logan's voice wasn't a crackle of thunder; it wasn't the aftermath. It was the interlude, the between — the moment just before the thunder, when the air still felt charged with lightning's touch, life and destruction, energy. His accent twisted around his words, weaving through, light and melodious. "There is less... light, there."

Virgil glanced through the trees behind them, where the capital's light shone across the horizon. The Glass City was the brightest part of an already burning kingdom; its light could be seen even at the farthest borders.

He tilted his head back towards the sky, and felt his breath knocked from his body again. "It's beautiful," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Logan hummed softly. "Why are you showing me this?"

Logan didn't respond at first. He shifted to the side and patted the ground next to him, nodding at Virgil. Virgil blinked. "You — oh. Uh. Okay."

With all the grace he could muster — that is to say, none whatsoever — Virgil dropped to the ground at Logan's side, folding his hands in his lap, his foot tapping against the ground. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the sky above. He had never seen so many stars.

"I am never able to sleep without the stars," Logan said finally. His words were slow, careful; every sentence was weighed down with hesitance. He paused, his gaze caught in the stars, and his next words came with the hushed reverence of someone regaining hope they'd almost lost. "They are... home."

"I..." Virgil cleared his throat. "I didn't even know there were so many stars."

Logan blinked, his eyebrows furrowing. He shifted his gaze to Virgil, catching his eyes and holding them unabashedly, and Virgil found that, though his heart pounded, he couldn't look away. "What a tragic existence," he said, his voice ever-so-soft, and Virgil felt the genuine injustice in his voice with a pang in his heart. "Here. I will teach."

He leaned closer, shoulder pressing into Virgil's as he lifted his hand. "Aean," he said, his voice lifting and lilting along the name. Twisting a finger through the air, he wove a constellation through the sky, blue dust floating from star to star. "The god of Creation to those who first found my land."

"He looks like a snake," Virgil said, raising an eyebrow. The constellation Logan painted twisted through the sky in a series of coils and loops. Logan nodded.

"His wife, Oscia," he continued, and with a wave of his hands, the stardust shifted, revealing the vague form of a woman in armor, standing above the twisted snake. "The legends say that she stole his power of Creation from him, and used it to create humanity. Aean was full of pride. She used it to deceive him into the form of a snake."

"...Huh," Virgil said. "Pretty messed up relationship, there."

"Indeed," Logan said, with a quiet hum of agreement.

Virgil drew his knees up to his chest. "Which one's your favorite?"

Logan lifted his hand without hesitation, tracing it among the stars. Far, far above Aean and Oscia, so high that Virgil had to crane his neck to see, a winged creature came to life, outlined in blue stardust. "Logos," he said. "He is from one of the most ancient religions. He brought the first books down to humanity."

Logan's eyes glowed, though Virgil suspected it was more from wonder than magic. His heart skipped a few fluttery beats. "Nerd," he said, his mouth quirking up into a smirk. "His name sounds like yours."

Logan nodded, and — and suddenly he was smiling, beaming, a galaxy of freckles shining across his cheeks, a nebula of pride shining in his eyes, and suddenly Virgil forgot how to breathe. "It is for him that I am named," Logan said, his accent thickening in his excitement. Virgil faltered, heat building in his cheeks.

"Have I entered an alternate universe or did you really just crack a smile for me?" he said, breathless. Logan blinked, and though his smile shrank, it didn't fade entirely. His eyes still sparkled.

"Apologies," he said, glancing over at Virgil. "The stars — they get me rather... excited."

Virgil smiled, knocking his shoulder into Logan's. "Not a problem, teach," he said. "Tell me more?"

Logan smiled. "Gladly."

[valkavavaart]

hi im bored so im doing an oc thing

i decided i wannan do this w multiple soooo im going wwww ophelia, alice, and beatrice thats all bye

1. how easy is it to make them angry? do they show their anger or hide it?

ophelia - it's kinda easy to get under her skin, and she holds a grudge so if u piss her off then she won't forget it. but also she doesn't really ACT on grudges, she'll just be a little rude next time u talk to her. she doesnt really show much emotion but does kind of having a permanent :| or >:| on her face, so she'll look annoyed even if she isn't...

beatrice - generally just being rude or annoying will make her mad, but she gets over things within seconds and doesn't take people all that seriously to begin with, so it's not like pissing her off will do much. she'll be like pouty and tell u to knock it off, but she also doesnt rlly care

alice - it's difficult to make alice mad. like you have to be SO annoying or hurt him in such a drastic way for him to get pissed. usually when hes mad hes still all smiley and happy tho so he'd kinda just be >:)

2. do they believe in soulmates

ophelia - she believes in them in the sense that one person may have multiple people that can come into their lives and be considered a soulmate bc nothing is permanent and blah blah blah she doesnt rlly care tho

beatrice - she doesn't believe in soulmates but enjoys soulmate au fanfiction

alice - he definitely believes in soulmates and fate drawing people together, but is conistantly disappointed when he finds out people he like arent destined to stay with him

3. do they have any pet peeves?

ophelia - people with no concept of personal space (unless theyre like merrick or one of her close friends)

beatrice - ppl who eat w their mouth open

alice - the sound of violins

4. do they have a happy place? somewhere they go in their heads when they need to relax?

ophelia - oph just goes to the library man

beatrice - she doesnt need one bc shes always vibing

alice - when the man needs to relax hes either drunk as hell or hanging out with as many friends as he can get together, spending time alone with his thoughts is literally a nightmare for alice

5. at what stage of their life were they the happiest?

ophelia - the current stage of her life

beatrice - there hasnt been a stage where beatrice hasnt had fun :) she doesnt have anything to worry about!

alice - the current stage of his life

6. at what stage of their life were they the least happy

ophelia - the ages of 12-17

alice - any time he gets to the point in a relationship where he breaks up w someone and then he goes into "my life sucks wahhhh" mode for a few months

7. at a bar are they more likely to buy someone a drink, or have someone buy them a drink?

ophelia & beatrice - have someone else buy them a drink

alice - buy someone a drink

8. have they ever broken any bones? if yes, how?

ophelia - when her powers manifested at the age of 12, oph lost the ability to feel physical pain which lead to her straining herself more. she'd get into accidents or push herself too hard because she couldn't feel that it hurt and wold get injured through that (and she still does, but she has more knowledge of her limits now) so i guess she wouldve broken some bones through stuff thanks to that.

beatrice - never ever broken a bone!! she drinks a lot of milk to keep her bones STURDY :)

alice - has broken like his arm or fingers or just anything in that area due to a fight or something. he'll probably have broken a leg at some point too. again, probably in a fight. or maybe he fell out a tree. who knows.

9. do they have any memories/experiences they'd rather forget?

ophelia - she generally wants to brush most of her teen years away and forget things relating to her family, but also cant bring herself to hate them despite how garbage they are, so,

beatrice - there are probably a few conversations she's had with alice and percy that she's like to never remember ever again

alice - he cherishes all his memories, good or bad! he always thinks that he can learn from his mistakes and hardships! even though all he does is repeat the exact same things over and over and o

10. what is their favourite memory from their childhood?

ophelia - although her parents have always been cold to her, they used to go camping when she was about 9-10ish, and she always enjoyed spending time with her siblings around then.

beatrice - in the method she had been created she technically never was a child um. but in her early life, she enjoyed hanging out with levi! :D

alice - haha

11. do they have a "type" that they are usually attracted to?

ophelia - no

beatrice - bea will generally befriend anyone if theyre cute or theyre like her guy friends. as for a partner, she wants someone thats at LEAST a head taller than her normal form (her regular form is 5'5"), they need to be someone that likes hugs, someone who would coddle her, someone who would cosplay with/for her, someone who would buy her things..

alice - his "type" is just "someone interesting", but he thinks all people are interesting in their own right- you have to be SUUUUUUPER boring for him to not be into you in some way.

12. do they have any favourite possessions?

ophelia - ALL her alien plushies (most of which were gifts from merrick)

beatrice - everything inside her wardrobe

alice - cleaver

13. do they have any tattoos? if no, would they ever consider getting one?

ophelia - she doesn't have any, and doesn't really want one, but she's seen some real cool space ones, and--

beatrice - tattoos vanish when she changes her form unless she focuses REALLY hard on keeping it there, so she's given up on trying to get one to be permanent.

alice - he doesn't have any, but thinks that getting a sleeve would be cool. he doesn't have any idea for what he wants, though, so he hasn't bothered getting one. he also gets worried that if he gets one of his current aesthetic, he'll get bored of it and have to do something drastic to remove it.

14. do they have any piercings? if no, would they ever consider getting any?

ophelia - has her ears pierced

beatrice - doesn't want piercings, wears clip-on earrings

alice - wants a tongue piercing r belly-button piercing maybe.. and ear piercing might also be cool...

15. what is their dream house like?

ophelia - she'd like to live in a small town on the coast or something.. she doesn't really mind living in a small house since it'd just be her and merrick. but also if she had a house with an observatory, she'd love that a LOT. generally just wants somewhere nice and laid back.

beatrice - due to her void realm taking the form of whatever she wants, she has her dream home! it's literally just an apartment with a few rooms, but it has enough space for all the stuff she wants.

alice - he's in a similar position to Beatrice in that he already has his own dream place bc teehee void realm. He's a little more selfish in that he gave himself a big house with lots of space and rooms for him to fill with stuff- but also he wanted somewhere big so that all his friends could stay with him :)

16. what is something about them that people would not expect just by looking at them?

ophelia - UHHH just how lazy she is, probably.. woman barely tolerates having to jog somewhere please let her sit down

beatrice - idk probably the fact she befriends murder boys like alice

alice - all the music he listens to is like crazy frog and caramelldansen

17. how good are they at choosing gifts for others?

ophelia - she'll either just outright ask you what you want, or she'll give you money or a gift card, she doesn't like having to guess for people

beatrice - she literally picks gifts for other people based on what SHE likes.. like she'll get u something cause she tinks it's cute it doesn't matter if u've ever mentioned it before

alice - if ur his friend then he will have a list of all ur interests in the back of his brain at all times and does a pretty good job picking out gifts thanks to that

18. do they have a certain skill that they're particularly proud of?

ophelia - she's very good at researching things and digging up information that a lot of people can't find so she thinks that's kind of epic for her

beatrice - she's good at dancing, video games, and memorizing things. she will show off these skills as much as she can.

alice - umm... eyeball removal...?

19. how would a stranger they just met describe them?

ophelia - UHHHH... she's just polite to strangers so i think she'd be described as just that?? she doesnt really leave lasting impressions on people

beatrice - cute, bubbly, maybe super annoying

alice - friendly? :D

20. how would a close friend they've known for a long time describe them?

ophelia - kinda stupid but really cute

beatrice - just a lil ray of sunshine :)

alice - if you're asking like.. kai or beatrice then it's "he's cute and fun and pretty and nice to hang out with!!" but if youre asking like percy or nero then its "hes creepy and gross and im gonna beat his ass"

[cheshiresense]

so i'm curious about the hunger au. how do the other arcos decided that they like tsuna?

Uhhhh this will probably require some jumping around since I definitely haven’t thought about most of the details in this AU. Also, I feel like it’ll take a lot to actually get to the point where all the arcobaleno like Tsuna. So how about I just write a bit of POV for a few of the other arcobaleno of when they first learn about Tsuna.

Edit: Ugh, Colonello’s bit turned long, so you only get him and Viper in this one, and like three lines of Lal.

Pinglist: @yoshifics @bewarethemandragora @runeofluna @selenedreamwalker @hypnos28 @verticallychallengedintrovert @fandommaniac2401 @lovingempress @cynthia-of-the-wallflowers @shadowsofmoonracer @pairp @warriorofbooks @charlottedabookworm @lyra689​ @sheyrenawyrsabane @sora-the-empress @xadriannax @yumeniai @arrysa @lirial89-fanfiction @skysong246 @caiahat @grimreaper19 @arosethornbyanyothername @mtkiseki @kaminoko-x @nesskyru @tatarako @parklena42 @zibeth-a @aerdnanocte @timegrenades @healingmichiko @shiko-rae @soraofmelody @fandoms-make-the-world-go-round @north-peach @yannilicious @wolfsrainrules 

Viper:

Viper doesn’t leave. They should, they know they should. Reborn may have lost his mind (again), but Viper knows better than to fall for this song and dance a second time.

But logic of all things makes them hesitate. They hover there, right outside this barrier made of Sky Flames stronger than anything Viper’s ever felt. They think about Reborn, and yes, the hitman’s always been quick with his threats, but not… not like he was earlier, all desperation and urgency and stone-cold certainty.

He would’ve shot Viper dead right then and there if Viper hadn’t complied, and for Reborn of all people - who’d arguably felt Luce’s betrayal deepest - to turn on his fellow Arcobaleno, and for the Sky Arcobaleno at that, after everything they’ve suffered, it makes Viper wonder.

Reborn was always a bit of a fool about Luce, before they found out the truth. But he isn’t stupid, and the greatest hitman in the world didn’t get to be that by making the same mistake twice.

So Viper hesitates, because logic says Reborn should be on the other side of the planet right now. Logic says he would’ve warned the rest of them as soon as he found out.

Logic says that even if the new Sky Arcobaleno only learned how to feed off his elements’ Flames after he met Reborn, Viper would’ve still started feeling the violation again months ago. Everyone knows when Reborn was sent to train the last eligible Nono-approved Vongola heir.

But they didn’t. Nothing’s changed since Luce died.

And Viper needs to know why.

Just a quick look, they tell themselves as they slip through the hole they made for Reborn. Just a quick look to see what’s wrong - because clearly something has to be wrong with Iemitsu’s son, he’s not acting like the Sky Arcobaleno at all - but after that, Viper would leave, as quickly as they can book the first flight out of Japan, even if they’re overcharged.

They follow the tug of Reborn’s Pacifier up to one of the bedrooms, and they enter just in time to witness Reborn all but force-feeding a piece of his Sun core to Tsunayoshi Sawada.

Viper is an assassin for the Varia, their stomach might as well be cast-iron. They still think they might just hurl.

“Get out if you can’t stomach it,” Reborn orders, because of course he saw Viper come in. He hasn’t looked away from the frail-looking husk of a boy on the bed though, and there’s something, something in the way Reborn has a hand on the boy’s pulse even as he prods the Sky into a more comfortable position that makes Viper feel like they’re intruding.

And normally, that wouldn’t bother them. But this time, they float back out of the room without a word, closing the door for good measure. When they close their eyes, they don’t even have to focus particularly hard to feel the Sun-Sky bond a mere few feet away, strong and bright and bursting with power, nothing like the brittle links of rot and decay that their bonds with Luce had been reduced to from the moment she betrayed them.

Viper takes a deep breath and - for now - pushes aside the hair-trigger instinct to flee.

They do not leave. They settle against the far wall and wait.

Colonello:

It feels like both forever and not long enough since the last time Colonello saw any of his fellow Arcobaleno. On one hand, most of the time when they gathered together in the past, it was to either visit Luce, discuss half-heartedly whether any of them had found a way to break the Curse, or check in with each other to see if they’d discovered who the new Sky Arcobaleno is. On the other, Colonello hasn’t had a decent workout in ages. Reborn’s appearance at least promises some high-level sparring.

Reborn with Viper though… That’s a new one.

He waits for them to find him, the way they usually do when they’re in Mafia Land, but hours go by, and as far as Colonello has heard from the grapevine, both Reborn and Viper remain in the civilian sector where relatives of mafiosi usually frequent. It’s where the… calmer rides are found, along with food and drink and other entertainment facilities that don’t involve an overabundance of violence.

What in the world would Reborn and Viper be doing over there?

Colonello finishes delivering his routine ass-kicking to the latest batch of  overconfident mafiosi attempting one of his obstacle courses, and then his curiosity wins out, and he tells his men that he’s going on break early.

He finds them easily enough, although he wonders briefly why his Pacifier doesn’t glow. That’s  easily forgotten when he spots them, and he can only stare for a long moment. They’re at one of those ridiculous game booths where you have to shoot balloons with one of those plastic dart gun to win prizes. The whole thing’s undoubtedly rigged, but Reborn - who’s wielding the shitty gun - is popping balloons like no tomorrow while Viper hovers menacingly nearby, staring down the poor bastard who’s manning the booth. Colonello doesn’t doubt that they’ve received a discount per round.

And… there’s a boy. Colonello can only see his back from where he’s perched in a nearby tree, but he’s thin as a rake, small and harmless, couldn’t possibly be over the age of eight. He’s standing beside Reborn, giggling at whatever disparaging remark Reborn is saying about either the gun or the game or maybe the dismal attempts to manipulate how many people would be able to win anything. The hitman pops the last balloon, tosses the gun down with a disdainful sniff, and then turns to the boy and gestures at the prizes.

The boy comes back with three stuffed animals - a chameleon that looks remarkably like Reborn’s Leon, a floppy-looking salamander, and an oversized lion. He gives the chameleon to Reborn, who rolls his eyes but takes it and somehow manages to hold it without looking like an idiot. The salamander goes to Viper, who visibly heaves a long-suffering sigh but accepts the thing all the same, making it float beside them and even seemingly come to life with a few well-placed illusions so that it hisses at anybody who wanders too close to the group. The boy hugs the lion, looking bafflingly happy about the stuffed toy. It isn’t even that well-made, in Colonello’s opinion.

What the heck is going on?

They turn as a group, drifting towards the rollercoaster ride nearby, which just so happens to be in Colonello’s direction. He gets one clear look at the boy’s face - Sawada’s kid, slated to be Vongola Decimo, that’s right, Reborn was going to train him - and then he’s practically blindsided by the innocuous-looking pacifier hanging around the kid’s neck, wrapped in a chain and not glowing but unmistakeable.

What the fuck.

He subconsciously takes a step back and then goes crashing to the ground because he forgot he was in a tree. Even more unfortunately, the noise definitely serves to draw the attention of both the other Arcobaleno and Sawada’s kid - the Sky Arcobaleno, Colonello thinks rather hysterically - and before Colonello can really think about it, he’s reaching for his rifle.

That’s all he gets to do though before a handgun has been leveled between his eyes and the chilly weight of Viper’s Flames lurk just at the edge of his senses, as much a threat as it is a warning, ready to attack.

And the boy, Sawada’s kid, the Sky Arcobaleno, hangs back behind them, peering anxiously at Colonello in a way that sets off every last one of his fight-or-flight instincts.

“What the hell, kora?!” He snaps as soon as he finds his voice. “Do you know who that is? What’s wrong with you two?!”

Colonello can’t quite make out Viper’s expression with that hood of theirs but he can practically taste their disapproval.

“I told you we should’ve gone to a different amusement park,” The illusionist says to Reborn.

Reborn doesn’t take his eyes off Colonello but he retorts without missing a beat, “You also said your chains would ensure this moron wouldn’t notice we’re here.”

“I said the chains would prevent him from tracking us with the Pacifiers,” Viper snipes back flatly. “And they did. It’s not my fault he’s actually decent at his job.”

Right. That’s enough.

Colonello bats the gun aside and flips backwards onto his feet. “Get that thing outta my face!” He snarls, keeping one eye out for Viper’s illusions. Reborn doesn’t look particularly impressed, but he also looks like he’s willing to let Colonello say his piece. “What the hell’s going on, kora? That’s the Sky Arcobaleno!”

“Shout it a little louder,” Reborn mutters irritably. “The other end of the island didn’t hear you.”

But other than that, there’s no… reaction. Reborn and Viper are hanging around the Sky like they’re perfectly aware of who he is and also perfectly content with it.

Colonello doesn’t get it. He knows he’s not as smart as Reborn or even Viper, but this should be pretty damn simple, right? It’s the Sky Arcobaleno. They can’t kill him, but they should all be doing their utmost to warn the others and then scatter, preferably before the boy figures out how to eat their Flames.

He swallows and takes another step back. He can’t- He can’t do this again. If it was just him, that would be- well, not fine, but he’d be able to tolerate it. But Lal. Lal, who looks at him sometimes like she wants to hate him but only really hates herself, who shoulders guilt like it’s her due, even though it was Colonello’s choice through and through, and he’d do it again, every time, if it means sparing her.

He doesn’t want to be fed on again, of course he doesn’t, but more than that, he doesn’t want to see Lal’s expression when it happens. He knows there’s nowhere on the planet he can go where the Sky Arcobaleno won’t be able to get at his Flames, but they’d agreed, hadn’t they? A while back, during one of their get-togethers to talk about what they’d do if they found the new Sky. And they’d agreed they would warn each other and do their utmost to stay away from the Sky Arcobaleno, in the hopes that if whoever it is never actually meets any of them, they wouldn’t be able to realize they can feed on their Flames or maybe learn how to do it to begin with.

This is very much not warning each other, let alone staying the fuck away from the Sky Arcobaleno. So Colonello doesn’t get what’s happening, because out of all of them, Reborn hated Luce most, in the end, and Viper was probably the most bitter about placing their trust in the wrong person, the one time they allowed themselves to trust. It makes no sense for these two to just be… hanging out with the Sky Arcobaleno, and at a fucking fun park of all places. Has the Sky done something to them? Luce could never force them to like her, not after she and Checkerface revealed everything, but she could order them about if she wanted to, in addition to feeding from them whenever.

(It was perhaps her one kindness to them - she ordered them back every now and then, gathered them all together once in a while for a fuller meal because distance didn’t do shit to stop her from taking their Flames but proximity did allow her to take more, faster, but she never ordered them to stay.)

Maybe this Sky Arcobaleno can though? Reborn and Viper aren’t acting any differently - aside from the whole associating with the Sky Arcobaleno - but-

“Hey, idiot,” Reborn interrupts, somehow sounding both bored and annoyed. “As amusing as it is to watch you panic, there’s nothing to panic about.”

Colonello snorts with disbelief, darting another look at the Sky Arcobaleno, who for some reason looks a little miserable now, and he’s shuffled back several steps. “You do remember the Sky Arcobaleno eats-”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Viper cuts him off this time. Their voice lacks inflection as usual, and Colonello would’ve mistaken it for disinterest or dismissal if not for the very watchful presence of their Flames. For an illusionist, Viper’s never been particularly subtle when he isn’t actively trying to be. “Tsunayoshi hasn’t touched your Flames in all these years; he isn’t about to start now.”

“He’s the Rain Arcobaleno by the way, Tsuna,” Reborn adds, glancing back at the Sky. “Even if he’s also a moron.”

Colonello bristles. That’s just bullshit. Between the three of them, he is not the one acting fucking weird.

And to his utter shock, the Sky Arcobaleno actually rolls his eyes a little and takes a step forward, only to pause when Colonello immediately tenses again. The kid’s expression falls but he only says to Reborn and Viper, “Don’t act like you two weren’t running scared too.”

Reborn scoffs, and Viper makes a moue of offense, but neither exactly protests.

“I still approached you,” Reborn points out, almost smugly of all things, like it’s something to be proud of. “I was first.”

“Yeah, but you’re a little crazy like that, Reborn,” the Sky says. Fondly, if Colonello isn’t mistaken.

“And besides, you were first only because you didn’t know what the Nono was sending you to,” Viper interjects, tone dry as the desert. “You aren’t special. Our situations were the same.”

Reborn turns glinting black eyes on Viper. “I was still first.”

Viper sneers back, cloak fluttering around them, but before they can snark something back, because apparently that’s a thing now, the kid sighs, “Oh my god, guys, stop. I like you both, and it doesn’t matter who came first. Reborn, your ego’s gonna get too big for this island.”

Reborn turns his gun on the Sky and fires, but only water of all things comes out of it, leaving the kid spluttering and laughing at the same time. But he also stops poking at Viper, who snorts softly before whipping out a handkerchief for the Sky.

Vaguely, Colonello wonders if he’s come down with something. Or maybe he’s been drugged? Is he hallucinating? Dreaming?

“Anyway, let’s just go,” The Sky suggests once he’s wiped away most of the water. He smiles, the expression warm in a way that startles Colonello. “Thanks for bringing me here. It was really fun.” And then he glances apologetically at Colonello. “We didn’t mean to intrude though. We’ll leave now.”

Reborn scoffs again even as his gun transforms back into Leon and hops back onto his fedora. “We’re hardly intruding. Last time I checked, Mafia Land didn’t belong to Colonello.” He sighs when the kid frowns at him. “But fine, it’s almost time for dinner anyway, and it’s better if we do that somewhere private.”

As if on cue, Viper whips out a phone and begins tapping away. “There’s a five-star hotel with decent prices in one of the coastal cities nearby.” Somehow, they look particularly sinister for a moment without twitching a finger. “I’m sure they’ll even be happy to give us a discount.”

The kid looks away briefly, not quite able to hide an exasperated smile. “Alright, let’s go then. Is there a beach nearby? I’ve never been to a beach before.”

Reborn looks torn between pity and contempt, and yet somehow both emotions come out soft when he directs them at the Sky. “And yet you live on an island.”

The kid pouts.

“I’ll book a room with an ocean view,” is all Viper says, but they also float over to the boy and settle down on his head while the stuffed salamander toy coils itself around his shoulders.

And just like that, they’re leaving. Neither Viper nor Reborn gives Colonello a second glance, but the Sky offers an awkward wave and an even more awkward smile, something sad in his expression before he too turns away.

They’re long gone - Colonello can’t even sense them anymore - before he manages to move. He heads back to his apartment in a daze, half-thinking he must’ve imagined the whole bizarre encounter.

He checks his Flames. Still there, unmolested since Luce died.

He’s shaky as he fumbles for his phone, and he almost hangs up as he waits for Lal to pick up.

If- If there’s nothing wrong, should he worry her about this at all?

But then the line connects, and Lal’s brisk voice answers, and it’s too late to change his mind.

“Lal,” Colonello greets, inwardly grimacing at how hoarse he sounds. He clears his throat. “I- I’ve found the Sky Arcobaleno.”

Lal goes dead silent. He can’t even hear her breathe anymore.

“He was at Mafia Land today, kora.” He continues. “But he didn’t- Lal, he didn’t even try to eat my Flames. And he wasn’t alone. Reborn and Viper were with him. And I think-” He casts his mind back, and now that he’s had the time to digest the entire unexpected confrontation, something in him is certain, “They have a bond with him, Lal. Not like with Luce. They’re his Guardians, kora. Real Guardians. I think Reborn’s bond with him is stronger, but I could sense Viper’s too. I don’t know why, I don’t know how they can stand it, but they’re his.”

In the end, after a long, strained silence that seems to stretch on forever, Lal asks only one question. “Who?”

And Colonello can’t help the bark of laughter that escapes him, because if ever there was a thing called Fate, “Tsunayoshi Sawada. The Vongola Young Lion’s kid. And their future Decimo hopeful. Not so hopeful anymore.”

Lal Mirch:

Lal hangs up. She gives herself five minutes to put her racing thoughts in order, calms herself down as much as she thinks is possible at this point in time, and then she goes hunting.

She doesn’t so much find her target as she does greet him with her Flames so thick in the air that Iemitsu half-leaps out of his desk chair where he’s been snoring away over a pile of paperwork, hand at his gun before he catches sight of her.

Lal very carefully rests her hands on his desk even as she pins him with an unblinking, uncompromising glare.

Iemitsu shrinks back, just a little. “U- Uh, Lal? Is something wrong?”

Is something wrong. Hah.

“What,” Lal hisses through gritted teeth. “The fuck have you not fucking told us about your son, Iemitsu?!”