#it comes across to me as un-self aware with to be fair if anyone has an excuse for that it’s Kent

[daydreamerdrew]

back-up story to The Flash (1959) #306, as republished in Immortal Doctor Fate (1985) #2

[coinofstone]

4x03 The Wicked Day

We're only three minutes into this episode and Arthur's giving Merlin a universally recognized chin-tip of recognition while he is willingly being tied to an upright spinning wooden board, with his arms secured above his head and his legs slightly spread. Yea, there's absolutely no reason for that to make anyone think of Arthur being fastened to a St Andrew's cross, none at all.

Also what is with this show having other ppl shove food in Arthur's mouth

All the knights are clapping and laughing but Percival's looking at the spinning wooden rig like he's having some Thoughts™️

Merlin escorting a drunk Arthur back to his room, where Arthur proceeds to begin undressing himself, is a scene played for comedy - 'haha Arthur's drunk and walking around with his pants down' - but literally all I see is domesticity.

I love drunk!Arthur but I also like Uther with the long hair.

I really like the fight scene with Uther and the baddie, not just bcuz Tony looks good - but because it is giving Uther a bit more agency back. They've never been clear on what his deal is. Gaius has a line in the first episode that makes it sound like depression. Arthur has a line that makes it sound like Alzheimers. Uther's on-screen behavior could go either way, or could be a little of both. I don't really think it's supposed to be definitive. The swordfight, I think, is entirely keeping with both theories. He was asleep when Arthur entered the room, he would've been exhausted after the exertion of attending a feast with such lively entertainment (considering he spends his days staring out a window, that's a big effort for him). The fighting would've woken him up, and even if he were experiencing sundowning, his sword skills would've been ingrained in him since youth, muscle memory like. And there's always the whole, 'super parent' thing, the surge of adrenaline from seeing your kid in danger leading to extraordinary feats. Regardless, it's an improvement over the despondency in the last few episodes where his character was mostly reduced to scenery.

I love Merlin but he's a fucking idiot.

Fair warning, this is probably going to be an unpopular opinion. Merlin is being a self serving manipulative little shit by encouraging Arthur to use magic to heal Uther, presenting himself as a sorcerer to do so, and then claiming his 'price' for healing Uther is, essentially, freedom and equality for all magic users. First of all, as a FRIEND, Merlin should be aware of Arthur's state of mind. Arthur's lived his entire life wondering about his mother who died giving birth to him. Merlin knows how big of a thing it is for him, if it weren't he wouldn't have nearly killed Uther in S2 when he discovered her life was the price for his. NOW, he's just watched his father get stabbed in the heart while saving Arthur's life, on his birthday.

I don't care how much you dislike Arthur, you cannot deny the trauma here. There's no way Arthur doesn't live with a degree of melancholy surrounding his birthday, knowing that it's also the anniversary of his mother's death; and you can't tell me that hasn't been amplified exponentially since he learned the truth from Morgause and confronted his father. Whether he believed Merlin's last minute save that Morgause had been lying and that she conjured an illusion to fool Arthur, is immaterial. You can't un-ring a bell. In his heart he'll always question, he'll always carry the weight of knowing that there's a chance his own life came at the cost of his mother's. And there is no way this doesn't come bubbling up at his birthday every year. They even attempted to show him being 'grumpy' at the start of the episode, Merlin is enthralled by the entertainment that's shown up for his celebration, Arthur would really rather not deal with it. It's not because he's not easily entertained, it's because his birthday isn't something he particularly feels like celebrating. Add to that, now, in the evening after his birthday feast, he's incapacitated by a sedative in his drink and he gets attacked by an assassin. His father saves his life and gets stabbed in the process, a mortal wound. Arthur shouldn't have even been in Uther's chambers! If he hadn't been, Uther wouldn't have been near the fight - he wasn't the target, Arthur was. This is a huge trauma for Arthur, his father paying the price for Arthur's life with his own on the anniversary of his mother unwittingly doing the same thing! Major, massive trauma! Psychological disaster! Merlin, as Arthur's friend, should know that.

I'm not saying Merlin was wrong to go all dragoon again - wanting to conceal his identity so he doesn't reveal his magic is understandable. Merlin's willingness to use magic to save Uther is also ... expected, if not entirely understandable. He's saved Uther many times, this time is only special in Uther wasn't attacked by magic and Arthur asked him directly for assistance with getting someone to use magic to help him. That's a big first.

My problem is with Merlin trying to demand a price from Arthur at all. Even as dragoon. Obviously, I want equality for magical ppl in Camelot. Obviously, I understand Merlin wanting the same. But it does not make sense for Merlin to look at his friend, who is in pain, who is desperate, who is acting unlike himself, and say 'this is exactly the right time to make him promise me to end the war on magic.' He could've said, 'I will do this, but remember this when you are king. Remember when you saw magic used for good.' and that would've been fine. But the fact that he extracted a price from Arthur, in exchange for helping Uther, the fact that he made it a transactional agreement: that's Merlin taking advantage of Arthur in his weakest moment, full stop. And that's entirely out of character for Merlin. It very much comes across as like, 'I've got him right where I want him' which is THE most antithetical thing POSSIBLE to Merlin & Arthur's relationship.

And yes, for all my ranting I do understand that this was part of a plot point to pit Arthur further against magic, to cement his belief in his father's hardline stance against it, to prevent the show from having to prematurely address the issue because Merlin no longer has a reason to hide. It was intended to keep the conflict going, so that they could continue the series with that narrative, and I understand that. Buuuut the same exact end could've been achieved without Merlin eliciting a promise from Arthur when he's clearly under duress.

And speaking of things that don't make sense, why would Gaius hide the enchanted necklace he found on Uther from Arthur? Surely he would want Arthur to know that his attempt had been deliberately thwarted?

Commentary by Alice and Colin

Bit confused by Alice's comments about Uther. She says she didn't think it was a mental illness, but more like he's 'worn out'. She also says Tony had nailed it and that they'd both had experience dealing with older relatives. I don't really understand what she's trying to say at all. Anyway, she wanted him to have an excellent sword fight scene and I think she's succeeded in that.

It's Colin's first time seeing the episode cut so they aren't doing a whole lot of talking unlike 4x01 where Alice and Katie just talked throughout the entire thing.

Alice says there's a drinking game on the internet - drink every time someone gets blasted back by magic. Colin legit said

The end bit where Arthur and Merlin are talking in Arthur's chambers, Colin says it's like what Merlin thought might've been his best chance has become his worst nightmare.

Alice is so proud of the shot of Arthur coming out of the room where Uther's body is laid out with the rising sun in the background streaming through the window, giving him Apollo vibes.

That final moment of Arthur being crowned king. Colin was clearly genuinely impressed with it and told Alice so, she said she was really very lucky to be given that scene to do.

[deathfrisbeeinthetardis]

Bliss 7 and 12 please ;-;

Thank you anon, I absolutely adored writing this prompt, but being me I ended up with more angst than I planned to write for such a sweet prompt, but the ending is soft I swear. I hope you like it

Prompt Bliss 7. “Look at you… Goodness, you’re so cute.”

Ryan doesn’t know what they are even doing at this point.  

This is the tenth time this month that he had lingered at the office after work, throwing himself into doing and redoing his editing as people trickled out and the buzz faded away. His neck is straining and his eyes ache, but he catches himself before he rubs them, not wanting to jostle the contacts. The office is not the pinnacle of comfort and luxury, but he would give up his bed and all his jerseys if it meant he could be spared from his mind.  

There is no use thinking about it really, what’s done is done, but he can’t help his reluctance. It’s just an apartment, his rationality says. But why does every empty space hurt to look at, his heart whispers.

There are so many of them now. 

So he had hung back, and Shane had stayed with him, the two of them editing their various projects side by side, a giant bucket of Chicago Popcorn™ Shane’s parents had sent between them.

The problem, as it usually was, is that Shane’s company and some good old fashioned sleep deprivation don’t mix well, and productivity took the fallout, their work ethic gradually sliding off the table until they’re positively undoing efforts that they’ve already put out. 

Yes, maybe Ryan had something to do with Shane’s elbow and back crashing onto his laptop keyboard and deleting nearly two hours of editing, but it’s Shane’s fault he doesn’t save the videos every two minutes like Ryan does, non-compulsively of course. 

So their nights aren’t the most productive, but it’s off-hours so no one can really tell them off. The office is empty, unflipped light switches plunging patches of desks into shadow between the bright spots in mesmerizing patterns. The warehouse desk layout leaves much space for the mind to fill, but Ryan’s worked here for so long that he knows every twist and turn. He’d bet good money that he’d win in a ghost race through this organized mess. 

Ryan’s pretty sure the only person doing actual work tonight has chosen to evacuate from their desk to one of the corners farthest away from the pair of them. He feels a little bad to bother him with the un-moderated volume of their conversations and the not-so-infrequent giggling fits, but right now he’s too relaxed and happy to care. It’s the only time he gets to feel like this anyway. 

The Unsolved title card flashes, pulling his attention back to the screen, a white bar inching through the multicolored blocks of carefully compiled video and audio files at the bottom of the monitor. Ryan’s quite proud of this one, the crew were able to get some stellar shots on-location and there was probably one of the clearest spirit box replies they’ve gotten, no matter how hard the other man tries to discount it. 

“Aww you cut that part out again?’ Shane pouts beside him, headphones perched precariously on his big head.

"You can’t just go and tell ghosts they’re gonna be on Youtube every time.” Ryan swivels his chair to face Shane, a lofty air in his voice as he does his best to look down his nose at the other man, even going so far as pumping his seat up a few inches. Shane’s lip trembles like he’s holding back a laugh. It’s an argument they’ve had before, and Ryan knows how it’s going to go almost down to the line, but it’s always fun, so he plays the game. 

“And why not?" 

"They’re not from this time, they don’t even know what electricity is!”

“So you are admitting the spirit box is wack.” Shane rubs his hands together evilly, smiling so wide he could have been in that truth or dare movie, no special effects needed. “Oh, this is very good.”

“I did not say that,” Ryan protests, nudging Shane’s leg with a foot and feeling intensely satisfied when the boot leaves a dirt mark on the other man’s dark jeans. Jeez, they are literal children sometimes, but Ryan never has this much fun. 

“It’s just, they’re ghosts, and they’re making the effort to reach out to talk to these two idiots, cut them some slack.”

“You’re the only idiot here. I, Shane Madej, am a man of science.” Shane doesn’t even have to level up his seat and he’s still taller than Ryan. It is so, so not fair. 

“This is science!”

“Uh-huh,” Shane says, deadpan. There is movement just out of Ryan’s periphery, and he cranes his head to see the guy leave, wincing internally. He should probably apologize for being loud, but that can totally wait a day. Maybe two.   

“There has been plenty of evidence on ghosts and you know it.”

“From what I’ve seen? You really want to go into that?” There’s a challenge in Shane’s posture, and Ryan feels a rush in his chest that overruns the empty ache there, sees the trap but he jumps anyway.

“Hell yeah I do, we’ve caught some pretty good stuff along the way, Waverly, ‘brown and white’?  The freaking Sallie House?" 

"We both know the whole flashlight test is horseshit, Ryan.” Shane smirks, leaning back in his chair languidly with his hands behind his head, “As to the rest of those, the demons and ghosties gotta work harder than that, cause right now they don’t seem very interesting.”

  “How dare you! They’re more than interesting. They were all people once.”

“Let’s list what they’ve done, hmm? Jostling toothpaste, nudging bouncy balls, whispers so gentle you can’t even–”

“Nope I’m not letting you trivialize the evidence, it was fucking creepy to hear those on location.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re a wimp.”

“Fuck you.” Ryan shoots back, but there’s no real feeling behind it. He pulls a serious face to match Shane’s, squaring his shoulders and oh watch how fast he folds now. 

The other man’s joy is infectious, and soon Ryan is joining him, their laughs swallowed up by the high ceilings and far walls. Ryan’s eyes catch on the lights shining down on Shane, tracing golden lines along the edges of his lanky figure against the shadowed monotony of conference rooms. Breathless and curling into themselves, their gazes meet and linger across five feet of space.

They’re just two guys working into the small hours of the night, just another aspect of their life that their ghost hunting career has bled into, it’s all normal. 

Except it isn’t. 

Neither of them needs to be here to work, least of all Shane, and really, Ryan thinks with a twist in his chest, it has just been the two of them spending time in each other’s company. And Ryan does genuinely enjoy it. He loves the ease of their interactions, how they can hound each other mercilessly and bicker, how Shane can poke that special unhinged laugh out of him and make him forget about everything else. 

And how he, in turn, can make the big guy’s eyes all curvy and bright like no one does. 

But there’s no use thinking about things like that. 

There could be, a small voice says, a light shining weak in the churning abyss. Ryan passes a hand over his face and keeps it there, not trusting himself to not let his heart spill right out. 

“Ryan?”

He had thought he found the one with Helen, the person in the world he’d like to spend his life with, but then things had started falling apart, and she had left. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, Ryan knows, but he had gotten used to having someone to come home to, someone who knows him for who he is. 

You can have that again, the voice goes on small and determined, and Ryan wishes he could block it out. Isn’t he always good at that on their investigations? It was basically in the fucking job description. 

You just have to let yourself see.

Shane is safe, someone to trust, someone to rely on. No one else would have born with him all the times he lost his mind in those haunted places. No one else would have hummed Mama Mia to him constantly in those first days when Ryan hid the pain so well on camera, knowing the familiar tune would take the tears away, if only for a minute. Just one Shane Madej hailing from the Land of Lincoln, his co-host, his best friend, and the most important constant grounding him while the rest of his world is turned up-side-down. 

“You okay buddy?” There is a sharp tone in Shane’s voice, and Ryan belatedly realizes his eyes are wet. Shane’s face is flushed from laughing, but now he leans forward and there is suddenly so much care in the slight tension of his shoulders that Ryan wants to cry. 

He can’t risk losing this, he doesn’t know what he would do if he manages to fuck up this last good thing in his life. 

“Yeah,” He gives the other man a small smile, turning back to his screen to start up the video again, and he feels Shane relaxing back into his chair reluctantly. 

Soon he’s leaning forward again, attention rapt on every little detail Ryan had painstakingly compiled. 

“Hmm, didn’t you make a face at that point?” Shane taps a finger against his chin, eyes narrowed in concentration as Ryan reaches out to pause the replay, the lines of blue and yellow stark against the black background. 

“Oh, that? I didn’t think it would anyone would be interested to see it.” Ryan’s fingers tap at the keys for a few seconds, pulling up the clip from the front camera and overlaying it on the video. 

"I didn’t know it was gonna scare ya.” Screen-Shane says, tipping his head to the side and schooling his face into an impressive mask of innocence as he batted his eyes at screen-Ryan.

In-real-life Ryan feels warmth coil in his chest at the memory, and he smiles as he watches himself sputter for a bit, finally settling on a determined, You know what you did. He actually huffs out a laugh at his piss poor attempt to look intimidating, when the camera angle in the VO booth put Shane so much clearly taller. 

On the screen, Shane’s looking down at Ryan with a grin, though he at least has the self-awareness to look a little sheepish. Their eyes lock, and with an appropriate pause for dramatic effect, “I do.”

The clip takes another few seconds to end, their raucous laughter sound from his speakers. Then Ryan’s left with the still of both of them looking at the camera, frozen grins bright on their faces, captured in time. 

And Ryan’s caught in fucking limbo again, his free hand flexing in on empty air at the edge of his desk.  

“Good stuff huh?” Shane’s voice is quiet. 

“Yeah.” Breathe, just breathe, how is that so hard? It shouldn’t be this hard. 

“You considering switching the text out for this?” There’s a smile in Shane’s voice, and Ryan clears his throat and drags in a shuddering breath. 

“No it's—I’ll uh, I’ll put it in.” He hears Shane wheeling close on his chair, but he doesn’t turn to look, locking his eyes on the monitor and busying himself with the familiar shifts and adjustments. He just needs a bit of time to clear his head, then he’ll recover the ability to be a half-decent friend again, he’s sure of it. 

Ryan’s got his cursor hovering over the clip, leaning forward to keep an eye on the time markings when Shane loses a soft breath, his voice an awed murmur. 

“God, you’re so cute when you’re focused." 

And Ryan’s world freezes over. 

Around the edges of his vision, he sees realization, surprise, and something like fear flit across the other man’s face. But Ryan doesn’t do much, just holds as still as he can, like he can stamp down the giddy hope in his chest before it even has a chance to rise, so he can convince himself that it’s all just a freakishly detailed fever dream, because Shane can’t have just said that. 

Shane saw him as a friend, nothing more. Ryan does want that to be true, he really should. 

Breathing is becoming such a fucking bother again, he thinks absently. Maybe if he didn’t do it, life would be much easier. 

"Oh-oh god I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to spring it on you like that, what kind of shitty friend am I—just,” Shane breaks off, dragging both hands through his hair and tugging in frustration. When he finally speaks he sounds broken, voice thick as if he’s holding back tears, “I’m so sorry.”

It’s all too much, there’s a loud rushing in Ryan’s head. He bolts out of his chair, needing the freedom in space to think, to process. His chest tightens when Shane flinches at the sudden movement, eyes wide, fingers white where they’ve wrapped around the arm of his chair in a death grip.

He needs air, Ryan thinks, and his feet start carrying him away, faster and faster. But Shane follows him, and it has always been like this, he supposes. Ryan takes the lead and Shane hops on for the ride, for better or for worse, always a steady presence at his side when he needs him the most. Sometimes even when he doesn’t want to.

Shane’s steps close in and he catches at Ryan’s arm, “Ryan wait, please.”

Ryan blinks hard, but he doesn’t get to wake up this time. Shane’s fingers are burning points of pressure on his mind. 

He opens his mouth to speak but there’s a strange taste, two cool lines trace down his face and his vision is swimming, and oh wouldn’t it just be perfect if he blacked out, poor little Ryan, can’t even take a fucking joke without fainting—

“Oh god, don’t cry Ry, please, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“Was it a fucking joke.” Ryan bites out, voice barely louder than a whisper but it still comes out harsher than he means. He can’t look at Shane, so Ryan keeps his eyes down, stares at the mud on Shane’s boots from their last shoot. He needs to know. 

“No,” Hurt, that’s what it is, and there’s far too much of it in Shane’s voice for it to be right. “No it wasn’t.” Shane lets go of Ryan’s hand to curls an arm around himself, and Ryan aches for the burning contact like it’s a physical wound. 

“Oh.” It’s more a punched out puff of air than a word. Oh.

“I-” Shane swallows, eyes shifting then settling back on Ryan, “I was looking at you, and it-it slipped out, I’m sorry.”

The silence isn’t complete, of course it isn’t. The sound of traffic exists at all hours of the day here. But it still envelops Ryan, wrapping around his throat and trying to suffocate the words he’s struggling to form. 

“Don’t be."  

"What?” Shane breathes, hesitant, almost disbelieving, his eyes dart to search Ryan’s face, “you’re not saying—do you—”

“I think I can.” Ryan says, and he tastes truth on his tongue. 

Not now, not even tomorrow, but maybe next week, or the week after that.

“You do?"  

"I do.” He affirms, and Ryan’s throat closes up with something warm when a lopsided grin starts to form on Shane’s face, small and hopeful, a gentle flush creeping onto his cheeks. They’re just standing in the office looking at each other, and Shane’s hand lifts up a little as if to reach out, but he catches himself before it makes it into Ryan’s personal space. 

“You wanna head back home? I’ll pack the popcorn.” Ryan can’t really breathe, so he just nods and offers Shane a watery smile. 

Their fingers brush when Ryan hands Shane a blanket for the couch, the corners of Shane’s eyes are crinkling and Ryan is breathless. He’s been feeling like that a lot tonight, and it seems that life is determined to keep him that way with all the curveballs it’s been chucking at him. 

But this time it’s not a bad feeling. Not at all. 

He fiddles with his sleeve and watches Shane settle down, making his way around his apartment with a familiarity accumulated over years’ worth of movie nights and beers and popcorn. 

It’s still too soon, and he doesn’t think he can do anything about this whole thing he’s got himself into. But he’s got Shane with him, and for once Ryan’s not afraid he’s going to leave. 

And maybe, Ryan thinks. Maybe one day he won’t need to hide from his apartment and its empty spaces. 

[bakudekuficlibrary]

BakuDeku: No Quirks AU Part III

Click here for Part I, Part II, and Part IV!

6 Series. 72 Works.

Through Your Eyes by KingHugin ( G | 4,137 | 1/1 )

Maybe this Android thing wasn't so bad after all, and maybe his change of views had nothing to do with a certain Android who had more humanity then most humans.

A little Android one shot because i played Detroit: become human way to much.

The World Is Unkind To Those Who Love by grxundzerx ( Not Rated | 1,215+ | 2/? )

 Izuku and Katsuki live in a time where homosexuality is highly illegal. This leads to the pair hiding their love from everyone and thing, resulting in Katsuki to "hate" his lover and to be an easily angered boy, and Izuku to be a shy and an easily flustered boy. Yet behind closed doors, the tables turn, and and the couple are like completely new people.

[Homophobia]

[Series] Kasumi vs the world by kewltie ( G | 12,048+ | 2 Works | WIP )

love scenario by sundaechii ( T | 6,054 | 1/1 )

Some nights, they both speak only sparingly. They would share an earbud as they listen in to Broccoli’s Spotify playlists. In those nights, Broccoli would scribble down on his notepad and Katsuki would either scroll on his phone with his secret, private social media accounts or watch Broccoli work with his brows furrowed in concentration.

Weeks go on like this for them and every night, Katsuki tries his damn best not to fall.

In which Izuku is a street performer that Katsuki, an idol in training, is completely enamored with.

A Place by KatieKat527 ( T | 3,170+ | 2/? )

“You, Katsuki Bakugou, are dead.”

Then things got weird.

[Series] Inseparable by Eggs_in_a_cloud ( G/T | 8,208+ | 2 Works | WIP )

Falling by Dokuine ( G | 2,016 | 1/1 )

Midoriya Izuku did not have much experience or luck when it came to love, but he never expected it to literally knock him onto his rear one day. Not that he recognized it for what it was, not in that first meeting.

Forget Me Not by SummerCinnamonRolls ( M | 6,930+ | 3/? )

Izuku was kidnapped at the age of fifteen. Five years pass and he is now twenty years old in a world he doesn't recognize or fit into. Enter Katsuki Bakugo. He will make sure that his childhood friend has a place to belong. He will give him a world where it is okay to say "no" again.

[Rape/Non-Con | Past Abuse | Self Harm]

All Was Golden When the Day Met the Night by oyasumi_yue ( T | 3,895+ | 1/2 )

Katsuki Bakugou loathes their Collegiate Theatre Club on a spiritual level. On the flip side, he would be very much willing to audition for the Musical character lead if it's for his best friend whom he loves so dearly.

Or: i-would-portray-that-main-character-on-your-stupid-play-just-for-you-to-notice-me

It's Dangerous To Say Something Like That To Me by karmaticinstitution ( E | 3,001 | 1/1 )

Bakugou Katsuki is not one for parties, social gatherings, events, or otherwise, but he sure can be conned into going to them and he can leave them satisfied with his decisions. Based loosely off of this post from bathtubaccidents on tumblr.

The Reviews

"Do people not talk during sex?" - My Friend, to which I say, 'Not if you're doing it right.'

"Can you stop sleeping with people and calling it 'research'?" - My Roommate, to which I say, 'no'

Love is like Heaven but it Hurts like Hell by SecretKiwi ( M | 2,065 | 1/1 )

Katsuki is trying to hit on the cute hipster boy, but Izuku is just trying not to go to the hospital again.

Making Due by Daiako (Achrya)  ( T | 6,250+ | 4/? )

If anyone asked Izuku what he thought of 'Omega Cafes', where omegas dressed up and paraded around catering to lonely alphas and betas, he would have said they were degrading and indecent and humiliating.

And who would know better than him, who secretly works at MidNight Cafe? Well, secretly until former friend Bakugou Katsuki walks in and catches him there. Now all Izuku can do is brace himself and wait to be mocked and exposed...right?

What We Learn Along The Way by Wanderer5 ( M | 29,576+ | 10/? )

Third grade teacher Izuku Midoriya has his hands full this year but the person they bring in to help is...distractingly handsome.

Cinnamon Spice by Sonday ( E | 12,873+ | 3/? )

A cozy story about a sweet coffee shop bartender and a smoldering customer. -- Ch 3

Katsuki blushed. His voice was a little rough when he spoke. “Do you like the wine?”

“I do…” Izuku murmured. “It’s sweet.”

“I like sweet things,” Katsuki confessed moving a little closer, his soft cologne luring Izuku in, those red eyes smoldering as they trailed down his body. Heat pooled in Izuku’s blood, his pulse thumping in his throat, and he was suddenly very, very aware that this game was over before it even started.

They Cry Discord And Salvation by MelodyCircus ( T | 10,968+ | 2/? )

The world below knows strife. Wrought to ruin at the hands of demons and sealed by the God who brings about punishment to their sins. They fight for their survival, employing the power of demons to destroy them. A post-apocalyptic Tokyo, of which its denizens know nothing else. The world above is like any other kingdom, a peace kept through hierarchy and disturbed by the snakes that lie in the underworld. As both worlds begin to interact against the divine that forbid it, secrets of their worlds unravel. It becomes a fight for survival, a fight for a new world, and a fight for humanity. The path son of man chooses is of his own.

A Demon-Apocalypse AU based around the Shin Megami Tensei IV & IV-Apocalypse games.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

Throttled by prettyreklessa7x ( E | 16,081+ | 6/? )

Ground Zero is the top motorcyclist in his district, claiming victory in every street race he enters with practiced ease... until a new rider rolls into town, threatening his #1 spot in their very first race together. When the finish flags drop, Katsuki Bakugou is determined to see what *nobody* almost beat him. Unfortunately, he’s faced with a pair of electrifying emeralds that have plagued his dreams for the last 11 years.

Inked Heart by Ludwhick  ( M | 14,075+ | 6/7 )

Midoriya Izuku, a college English teacher, goes out drinking with his friends one Friday. After one too many shots, they all decide to get tattoos. Izuku ends up falling inlove with a certain tattoo artist.

Together, Alone by pandorasboxofsecrets ( M | 2,246+ | 1/? )

It wasn't fair that in their new society, their new order of life, Izuku Midoriya, couldn't love who he wanted to love without fearing for his life.

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

Finally I Have You Again by onebreathyboi ( Not Rated | 4,219 | 1/1 )

Katsuki was taken away because he was dangerous. Izuku is broken by it.

OR

They meet again. Emotions ensue.

Series Part 1 of God Couldn't Keep Us Away

Service With A Smile by asmalltigercat  ( T | 8,609 | 2/2 )

Izuku liked working in an ice cream shop, but there wasn't really anything exciting about the job—until his estranged childhood friend showed up one day.

Symbiote by shingekino_neon ( E | 4,845 | 1/1 )

In which Deku arrives home not exactly himself, and Bakugou's just along for the ride.

The Pocky Game by rekamohcs ( M | 4,981 | 1/1 )

As if Izuku didn’t have enough trouble keeping his intruding feelings for his unfairly attractive best friend at bay, Ochako had to go and teach him about the Pocky Game. Now here he was, his lips wrapped around one end of a chocolate stick, while Katsuki’s wrapped around the other, faces mere inches apart.

And they were both too stubborn to back down.

Izuku had a feeling he knew where this was headed.

(He made a mental note to remember to thank Ochako later.)

If We Lie Here by NightshadeDawn ( G | 2,263 | 7/7 )

Short stories and poems for bakudeku positivity week!

The boy who smelled of Roses by EngelDreamer ( G | 1,233 | 1/1 )

La prima cosa a colpirlo non fu tanto il suo aspetto, ma l'intenso profumo di Rose che sembrava permeare ogni indumento, ogni lembo di pelle, di lui e che lo travolse come un'ondata d'aria fresca, insinuandosi nelle sue narici ed imprimendosi in ogni parte del suo corpo. La seconda furono gli enormi occhi verdi che, un po' dispiaciuti ed un po' intimoriti, si andarono a posare dentro i suoi. •Bakudekupositivityweek 2k18 ❀ Day 2 ❀ Prompt: Flowers

Series Part 2 of Bakudeku positivity week 2k18

Do You Want to Be a Hero? by SecretKiwi ( T | 1,817 | 1/1 )

Two teenage boys learn the hard way that being a hero isn't always as fun as it looks.

-

Short one-shot, No quirk Vigilante AU

Kunwari (Make-believe) by KiKingofSpades ( T | 1,719 | 1/1 )

Izuku was unexpectedly enjoying his commute to work.

Series Part 5 of Boku no Hero Academia Lyric Prompts

Icebreaker by EtherealBeing ( E | 9,916+ | 2/? )

Izuku tried his best to stay positive, and remind himself that his predicament was nothing to be ashamed of — that doctors dealt with this sort of thing all the time. Needless to say, he gave up on trying to maintain that optimism the moment his childhood friend walked in, white coat, stethoscope and all.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe this!” Katsuki managed to wheeze, in between raucous, choking bouts of laughter. “You— You got a dildo stuck up your ass?!”

Or: After several years of no contact, Izuku and Katsuki are reunited at the ER when the former gets a dildo stuck in his ass, and the latter is the doctor tasked with removing it.

Good Luck, Kacchan! by sparkyyy ( G | 1,704 | 1/1 )

Izuku accompanies Bakugou to help him move into his new college dorm. Cute shenanigans ensue.

1327 by don_donaQ ( E | 64,481 | 20/20 )

N/A

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

2305 by don_donaQ ( E | 3,276 | 1/1 )

这里是无人之境。没有人会来打扰他们。 在万里星空下，只有他们。交缠在一起。

desiderata by sora_san89 ( M | 2,655 | 1/1 )

Let them affirm their humanity, their existences, at least only for this night.

(BakuDeku Positivity Week 2018 - Day 04: rise / havoc)

Series Part 4 of BakuDeku Positivity Week 2018 ^^

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

[On Hiatus]  HypoThalamus [Hiatus and Being Rewritten] by ToxicPooPoo ( Not Rated | 41,131+ | 7/? )

Coming across old friends wouldn't cause you to discover more about the global mass murderers, an unusual dreaming ability, and the problem of seeing too much, yet Izuku Midoriya found himself in these conditions. The boy is driven by his concealed passion to rescue the innocent despite how illegal it is. With four hours of sleep every night and a hidden power that no one has acknowledged, he manages to complete vigilante duties at midnight. Izuku soon realizes that secrets aren't permanent, tragedies are the future's best friend, and that you should never ever play with fire.

I wouldn't recommend reading this story since I'm rewriting it, building on it and on more important things that I couldn't add at the moment. I feel like it's too rushed since I definitely did rush when I officially began writing. I also feel like I wasn't able to incorporate bigger meanings and ideas that would make this story better. Currently, I am motivated to make this story a lot more built on and understandable. Some parts just felt unneeded. Once I finish planning another fic, I might come back to this or I might finish the other and then come back. Thanks :)

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Major Character Death | Suicide Attempt | Panic Attacks | Dissociation | Addiction | Abuse]

[Series] Tickets Straight To Hell by  Tokiji ( E | 30,378+ | 2 Works | WIP )

It All Started With Beer & Pizza by x_tincan_x ( E | 31,406+ | 13/? )

Half an hour after Kirishima had left, there was a knock on the door. Katsuki had a beer in his hand and walked over to the door. Mumbling under his breath, “fucking shitty hair forgot his fucking keys again..” to himself.

Katsuki opened the door, he looked from the dripping wet Kirishima to the equally soaked male he had gone to pick up. When he saw the familiar tangle of green hair and freckles, he choked on his drink. “The fuck…?” he half whispered.

~~~~

Or, the one where Izuku has a past that he finds hard to talk about. Can he build himself back up with the help of his new friends, and re-kindle a relationship with his childhood friend?

[Graphic Depictions Of Violence | Past Rape/Non-Con | Panic Attacks | PTSD | Abuse] 

Chance Encounter by Eggs_in_a_cloud ( T | 6,518+ | 3/? )

The first thing Izuku thinks of when he sees Bakugou for the first time is that he is a storm. Uncontrolled and raging, strong and bold. Unapologetic and surging. Swirling all at once and creating chaos. Izuku has never been so captivated.

High school student Izuku Midoriya decides to take a shortcut on his way to school, and he meets a blond boy that changes the course of his life forever.

Painting Flowers by Arysa ( T | 49,912+ | 12/? )

Where Bakugo Katsuki works at his parents' flower shop and Midoriya Izuku is a hot regular that simply comes to sketch flowers all day long.

[Series] Angels & Demons by zuccin ( G | 6,957+ | 3 Works | WIP )

Uprising Imminent (Katsudeku) by Death_by_Crayola ( T | 3,036+ | 2/? )

The world Izuku Midoriya lives in is routine, quiet, and isolated. He lives by harsh rules, harsher punishments, and the fact that he didn't have much else to do. The path he was set on was the way it was because that was what he is supposed to do. Nothing else appeals. That is, until he sees infamous delinquent Katsuki Bakugou in person, uprooting a strange curiosity that drags him down an entirely different path.

Midoriya ends up joining the group, what he used to call a gang, and learns not only how to be an individual, but to know what it feels like to truly want more. And, the person at the head of these personal discoveries - the violent, withdrawn, and heart-stopping Katsuki.

Thrills Don't Come For Free by karmaticinstitution ( E | 6,880 | 1/1 )

Bakugou goes to a new school, makes a kickass friend, they do a lot of dumb things, including maybe falling in love.

The Reviews

"Really? You picked that song?" yes

"Did you actually fall in love?" (no comment)

"That's some funky poetic shit" -Bunsie

October 2018's Writing Prompts by LucyDarkhive ( Not Rated | 1,171 | 1/1 )

Bakugou Katsuki didn’t believe in myths. Most were lies based on what someone thought they saw anyway. He didn’t believe, so why was he witnessing one of those myths right before his eyes?

Where the Road Leads by bkdkwritingsdump ( T | 6,627 | 5/5 )

Izuku is called to chase something by the inhuman blood in veins - he needs to - he has to - and there's no stopping it. So, like any good, supportive boyfriend would, Katsuki goes along to make sure he doesn't get himself killed in the process of unraveling the secrets of his lineage. 

[Series] Toy With Me by zuccin ( E |  6,674+ | 2 Works | WIP )

Where I Belong by Nafarik ( M | 50,510 | 13/13 )

Izuku a toujours rêvé d'être danseur. Bercé par les représentations de son idole, son rêve à pourtant pris un détour. Du moins, jusqu'à ce que son ami d'enfance ne resurgisse dans sa vie et le remette sur le droit chemin, sans même en avoir conscience.

Tie Me Up! Please? by sterekhalinsk ( E | 7,526+ | 1/1 )

While browsing through wank-off material, Izuku discovers that he may or may not have a thing for bondage. Resigning to buy some rope and forever closet his new fixation, he wanders into a hardware store late at night. It's there that he encounters a very grumpy, but very attractive blond whose more than willing to test out his new kink.

(Kinktober Day 9 - Bondage)

drive-by by infernalangels ( E | 12,661+ | 4/? )

He should’ve never let Uraraka drag him here. The whole place reeked of beer and gasoline, drunken laughter breaking out from the group of boys he and his best friend approached. Izuku honestly didn’t know why he’d come. Signing, he began to follow Mina, silently praying he wouldn’t regret this.

Oh, he had no idea.

or: Katsuki Bakugou is everything Izuku Midoriya despises: a tattooed covered badass who takes no shit from anyone. He's arrogant, rude, addicting... Maybe that's why Izuku can't stay away.

[Homophobia]

A Champion's Memento by girlygrl25 ( M | 22,758+ | 6/? )

In a world where pokemon replace quirks, Izuku has grown up idolizing Fighting type Champion All Might. Despite his dreams, however, Izuku has always failed when confronted with a prospective Fighting type pokemon for himself. As the entrance exam for UA, the premier Trainer school in Kalos, approaches, he decides that maybe it’s time to try something different, with a little help from an unlikely source. Something that fits better with him than Fighting types...despite his deceptively weak appearance.

Room 1217 by ImpossibilityGirl ( T | 56,533+ | 9/? )

When Izuku found his room again, he could hear music behind the door- loud, with lots of screaming and guitars. His heart sunk a little, but he tried not to pass judgement too quickly. The guy inside was alone right now, after all. He’d probably use headphones once he met his new roommate, right? Izuku took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob, pushing it open as casually as he could to hide his nerves. He thought about the greeting he'd rehearsed in the mirror earlier today.

“Hey! I didn’t see you here earlier! It's nice to meet you, I’m--” Izuku froze in the doorway, the other man in the room mirroring him. He was holding up a sweater, clearly in the middle of putting it on a hanger when Izuku had barged in. Izuku had been preparing for a lot of possibilities behind the door, but this was not on his list.

Blond, spiky hair, and eyes like fire with a temperament to match. Katsuki Bakugou, undoubtedly.

Pocky Sticks and Sunsets by o_r_i_g_a_m_i ( T | 2,710+ | 2/? )

Izuku Midoriya is an exceptional college student at the local Culinary Arts Academy. He has a decent paying job at a candy store, but he can’t help to not help his mother with her bill issues, which lead him to where he is. Izuku is behind on bills, so he has no other choice but to post a Roommate Needed blog. Little did he know, he would soon reunite with someone he hasn’t seen since his middle school days...

(Thank you for picking this read! It’s going to be a little simple, but I’m going to keep a schedule for updating chapters. I want to say thank you to my beta for dealing with my constant mistakes ^^’ Please make sure to leave kudos and comments! I love reading them.)

入宿指南 by don_donaQ ( E | 3,001 | 1/1 )

「请多指教。」爆豪胜己说，「绿谷……学长，可以和我交往吗？」

Falling for You by xpira ( G | 1,235+ | 2/? )

"Kacchan, I love you."

"Yeah."

Brick by Brick by skellingfish ( T | 2,618+ | 2/? )

Sometime around elementary school, Kacchan had put up a wall between himself and Izuku. Now they're living together, Izuku's determined to tear down that wall, brick by brick.

WALANG POREBER MGA ULOL by sundaechii ( Not Rated | 1,203+ | 1/? )

“Punyeta, ano ba?! Bakit niyo ba ginagawan ng isyu? Di ko nga kilala yung tao eh!”

Bagong taon, bagong mga kaklase, bagong mga aralin, at... bagong crush?

The Kill by aoi_inu ( M | 1,373+ | 1/? )

What if I wanted to break? Laugh it all off in your face? What would you do? ___

Midoriya Izuku is no stranger to social alienation. Middle school was hell and he didn't expect high school to be any different.

[Underage | Implied/Referenced Suicide | Implied/Referenced Self Harm]

She's Mine by masteremeraldholder, purplecrystalgem ( T | 3,504+ | 1/4 )

Izuku takes her hand into her own warm, soft palm (Katsuki can’t bring herself to jerk her hand away this time) and says, “It’s okay… You can say it.”

So she does. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m not enough. Like I’m never goin’ to be enough. It feels like it’s all for nothin’.”

It’s quiet other than the gentle hum of the air conditioning. Soothing.

Then Deku’s shifting onto her knees, and her hands come to Katsuki’s face.

“You’ll always be enough for me,” Izuku cups her face. She’s letting Shitty-damn-Deku touch her. “You’re more than enough.”

[Or Katsuki's attacked for making it onto the varsity basketball team.]

[Transphobia | Implied/Referenced Self Harm]

You're My Tear by herosuneater ( T | 2,707+ | 1/? )

╚»★«╝ ᴘᴏᴋéᴍᴏɴ ᴀᴜ ╚»★«╝ ═══════ Being pressured to be in charge of an important job can really break someone terribly. Luckily for Izuku, he has someone he could cope with, and he has his mother who he could always depend on as well.

"Will you always be there to prevent me from doing anything stupid?"

"I've been doing that my whole life, this is no different."

Series Part 1 of BNHA AUs

Album Title in Progress by Allotrope ( E | 50,167+ | 9/20 )

"Are you trying to be funny? Because you need to work on the punchline." Katsuki scoffed in disbelief, eyes narrowing in on the grown man trying and failing to get a pen clip out his forest of curls. "You really don't think you can sing?"

"I mean, technically, sure. Anyone able to sing can sing. But am I good at it?" Deku left the pen alone so he could gesture as though he was weighing two different invisible objects. "...Yeah, I'm okay."

Now that got a chuckle out of Katsuki.

"I wouldn't call that just 'okay'." -- OR; Izuku's singing makes Katsuki realize sex is Real™ and uses those feelings to make a bomb-ass(lol get it? cuz his quirk is...) album while also helping a self-doubting Izuku realize how fire his mixtape is.

or so they say by Ciaru ( T | 2,726+ | 2/? )

Izuku is a nerd, Katsuki is hot, what else is new

(this is) home by Kasplode ( T | 2,900+ | 2/? )

often i am upset that i cannot fall in love but i guess this avoids the stress of falling out of it

-

izuku is a boy. not that anyone knows that. (not yet.)

[Transphobia | Implied/Referenced Self Harm]

Soft Wings by actualdevil ( T | 1,533 | 1/1 )

As someone already prone to accidents, it was no surprise when Deku took a bad fall during track practice. (Or, a quirkless AU where everyone has wings for no reason)

EVP Sessions by autochorystalize ( T | 9,682 | 2/2 )

Izuku had been interested in the paranormal for years now, spending many weekends exploring haunted locations and trying to document proof of spirits. Tonight was the start of his next big project: creating a documentary series about paranormal investigation. Katsuki thought Izuku was full of shit, but he always showed up anyway

another day, another misadventure by dekustyle ( T | 3,155 | 1/1 )

Katsuki’s date with Izuku is ruined when Todoroki Enji arrived at Izuku’s doorstep without prior notice. Now, Katsuki’s stuck babysitting a problematic five year old child with a weirdass hair color as his boyfriend cooks food for them…miserably.

Series Part 1 of (mis)adventures of little shouto with bakudeku

Burn the Witch by sundaechii ( T | 2,233 | 1/1 )

A week after the start of summer break, the Bakugou’s got a new neighbor.

Affection Brewing by KinkyKaitsu ( M | 1,758+ | 1/? )

Katsuki Bakugou works part-time at the local coffee house, Insomnia Café. He hates every second of it. The customers exhaust him, hours piss him off, but the money is good and after a chance encounter with a green-eyed stranger he decides going in to work might not be so bad. 

[Series] Hybrids x My Hero Academia by GreyLiliy ( M | 21,654 | 2 Works | WIP )

Vemödalen by shrill_linguini ( T | 2,382+ | 1/? )

Katsuki Bakugou found such frustration in photography, especially when photographing something amazing; as thousands of identical photos already exist- and his didn't even compare.

He had nothing to say anymore.

He thought all of the stories had been told.

All but one.

it's magic (if it's with you) by MsFluorescent ( M | 29,088+ | 9/? )

high school is... quidditch, love potions, and a little too much butterbeer.

Riley’s Ficlets: Bakugou/Midoriya by AutisticWriter ( T | 1,500+ | 3/4 )

A collection of 500 word ficlets.

Series Part 1 of Riley's Ficlet Collections Part 64 of Aspec Characters Part 43 of Neurodivergent BNHA Characters Part 249 of Autistic Headcanons Part 521 of Tumblr Prompt Fills

[Homophobia]

Our Treehouse by Flavorful_Evening ( T | 19,164+ | 3/? )

Katsuki's forced to adjust to his new life in an ordinary, small town. But he's 13, with no friends, and is a stubborn loner who spends most of his time alone in the woods.

Yeah, it's as depressing as it sounds.

But just when he thought he could get through all problems by trudging past or blatantly ignoring them, some kid with a mop of green hair forces his way into his life. So...how much worse can his life get?

Izuku Midoriya sees the lonely lifestyle of a new Junior High student and can't help but want to butt in rather than watch from the sidelines. Throw away words and inconsistency won't work with this kid, he has to be there all the way.

And it looks like Katsuki isn't going to accept it without kicking and screaming the whole way.

[Underage | Bullying]

Finding Balance in a Typhoon by ameliescoup ( Not Rated | 1,563 | 1/1 )

Newly promoted research diver, Midoriya Izuku, gets the assignment that he's always wanted, a deep sea expedition to complete his research on whale sharks. Getting his dossier, and setting sail on this unknown named ship, excited for what's in store for him, he's suddenly thwarted when he realized who his captain is...his old flame, Bakugou Katsuki.

[bongwater-supreme]

So on the 10th of February 2018 I saw punchrunk’s ‘Sleep No More’ at the McKittrick hotel, NYC. And. It. Was. AMAZING!!! Genuinely the best experience I’ve ever had, I wish those 3 hours could last a lifetime.

For most of the performance I followed Quinn Dixon as the boy witch, and it was a great decision as he is possibly the most talented dancer I’ve ever seen. Although all the actors I saw were brilliant, there was something so unique about the boy witch’s choreography, the way he moved, and just this pure charisma that made it impossible for me to stop following him once I’d started. His character is also bisexual (he has sexual interactions with Male and female characters alike) which I LOVE! I totally was not expecting to see any representation in this show, especially not bisexual representation, so that element really heightened the experience for me and made me feel even more welcome.

By half way through the boy witch’s loop I’d developed a bit of a crush on him, too, which made my one-on-one even better! It was A) the most special I’ve ever felt, and B) the highlight of the evening for me. I won’t spoil it for anyone who may go and see the production, but I’ll say that the one-on-one with this character involves him treating you like a love interest; leading you around with his arm around you protectively, serenading you with a song (that I’ll put at the bottom of this post if you want to know), getting you to wipe his tears away, all in front of the other audience members. It was not until he drew me into one of the hotel lobby’s telephone booths and drew the curtain that we were alone, for him to de-mask me and whisper seductive things into my ear, before giving me a kiss and departing. All I can say is that it’s lucky I had a mask on afterwards, because I don’t think I stopped blushing for several hours 😂.

The rave scene was absolutely batshit crazy. Full-on nudity, Satan himself, loud drum and bass music, screaming and lots of fake blood. In my mind: heaven! I absolutely loved it and I’m so glad I found the exact music they used, which can also be found at the bottom of this post. Another great scene was the boy witch’s dance on the pool table, which had some of the most incredibly powerful physicality that I’ve ever seen. Tbh, any scene with any of the witches was perfect.

The sets were incredible, it was like being inside a movie. A sweet shop, a forest, a graveyard and a psychiatric ward were just some of the rooms I stumbled across. I spent a fair bit of the third loop just exploring all the rooms I hadn’t seen, but I definitely agree with those who say that you can’t experience every room in one performance alone. I guess I’ll have to go back!

Advice if you’re going to see it:

-follow one actor you find interesting for a full loop, it’ll give you much more insight into the story and it lets you experience a lot more of the show than just wandering around searching for random scenes. I highly recommend following Boy Witch for at least one of the three loops, as all of his scenes are extremely well choreographed and exciting, and the rave scene is perhaps the most insane thing I’ve ever witnessed. He can be recognised by his dark eye makeup and the sexual way he moves, as well as long dark hair when Dixon is playing the role.

-if you want a one-on-one, follow an actor you find interesting and whenever they look at you, maintain eye contact to let them know that you are actively participating. Don’t invade their personal space, this will just piss them off. Just respectfully follow them for a while and when it comes time for them to pick a person for their one-on-one, they may feel grateful for your attention enough to pick you.

-if you’re offered a one-on-one, take it, it may seem scary going off alone but once you get over the fear, it’s really amazing to know that you had an experience that a maximum of 3 people get per performance, and it’ll really change the way you view certain characters.

-it’s the same thing everyone says, but always go round alone. When you’re not with other people, you’re free to go where you want and feel un-self conscious about whatever you’re doing. Plus, if you’re trying to follow an actor who’s running between rooms a lot, another person will slow you down and you may lose them.

-if you can, watch the banquet scene all three times. I won’t say what, but there is a surprise at the end of the final banquet scene that won’t be as good if you haven’t seen the scene at least once before. Plus, it’s a great place to find new characters to follow, and a good way to gage how much time is left, as it comes at the end of each loop. It can be found in the largest room on the very bottom floor. You’ll know what I mean when you find it.

-watch the rave scene at least once. It comes towards the end of a loop in a blue-lit bar coming off an alley from the main high street. If you’re lost, try to find one of the witches and follow them to it. It will make the banquet scene make a lot more sense, too.

- don’t get too close to the actors. I know we all want to see every detail of what they’re doing, but when you’re watching a show with this much physical acting, it can actually be dangerous to both you and the actors if you get in the way. Be respectful, and be aware, you can sense when it’s safe to stand closer and when it isn’t.

If you get a chance to go see this show I really recommend it. It is 100% worth any money spent on tickets, hell, I went all the way from London to New York to see it and I still think it was worth every penny. I have made it number 1 on my bucket list to see this show at least once more before I die, that’s how good it is.

Specific songs from the show:

The rave scene music: https://youtu.be/CWtKc03qUSI

Boy witch’s song: https://youtu.be/3sWTnsemkIs

Other music played:

https://youtu.be/-mHfJwhptdI

https://youtu.be/1E5vvulNS6A

Playlist of songs from the show: https://open.spotify.com/user/izziebookworm/playlist/4De2iSP7KGZFoqE2k3QL4m?si=YHoKknmbSL25muNxL65VcA

[artificialqueens]

weak (trixie/violet/katya), ch. 2/? - kitty

AN: this chapter is from Violet’s POV! I had a bit of trouble with their narrative voice so hopefully you guys like it <3 as always questions/comments are always appreciated and thanks so much to anyone who left notes on the last chapter!!

chapter summary: There’s a part of them that’s always seeking to please Katya, and Violet hates it, loves it, doesn’t know how to deal with it except through sex and biting comments.

They watch Katya flick Trixie’s ear, and wonders if they’ve fucked too. Wonders if Katya’s as rough with Trixie, if she holds him afterwards, or whether she just leaves the hotel room with a wink.

There’s something very right about seeing Katya and Trixie together. Something that makes Violet feel hollowly alone, yet oddly warm. Violet doesn’t get the warm and fuzzies. They don’t get attached, per se. They love their friends, yeah, in a way that sometimes translates as bitchy. Okay, fair, Violet knows they’re a cunt. It’s their brand (and where’s Fame when you need her, right) and it’s true, as well. Violet’s never been the type to give out false compliments, to try and make people feel better. They’re a survivor, and sometimes that comes at the cost of other people. During drag race, Violet used to wish they were like Katya sometimes. They’ve watched their season, they know that the other girls laughed about them getting picked last and they get it, they do. Violet was a bitch. Is a bitch. But there’s something kind of quietly awful about winning a challenge, the first challenge, which is what everyone came here to do, and being picked last. And there was Katya, the whole time, universally loved for her funniness and her weirdness and her kindness and her honesty. There was Trixie, who managed to balance shade and humour in a way that Violet never could. They’d always envied Trixie, quietly, for being bitchy yet likeable. But that was quiet, the inner Violet (the Jason, really) and they’d kept silent and won challenges and played strategically and learned how to compliment and then they’d fucking won.

 And now, they’re sat on Trixie Mattel’s couch, watching Katya and Trixie bicker like an old married couple.

“I still think we should livestream us watching Contact. Can you imagine the views? The views, Trixie. I could Periscope it!”

“You are literally the only person in the entire world who still uses Periscope.”

“Fuck off whore, Courtney did one last week.”

“It’s Courtney, she can do what she wants”

Violet tunes them out. It’s an odd combination of isolating and pleasant, seeing them together, painfully close and full of love.

In truth, Violet doesn’t know why they chose to come here. In the heat of the moment, on the back of 36 hours of plane flights and who knows how long of touring, Trixie seemed a better option than Katya. They knew Trixie would roll his eyes and let him crash because Trixie was, secretly, a good person. With Katya there was always that expectation, slightly under the surface. Violet remembers the feeling of Katya’s teeth, of her hands everywhere, of her whispering into their ear. You’re being so good, aren’t you. Violet shivers involuntarily at the memory. There’s a part of them that’s always seeking to please Katya, and Violet hates it, loves it, doesn’t know how to deal with it except through sex and biting comments.

They watch Katya flick Trixie’s ear, and wonders if they’ve fucked too. Wonders if Katya’s as rough with Trixie, if she holds him afterwards, or whether she just leaves the hotel room with a wink.

“Whatcha thinkin, Vi?”

 Katya’s looming over them, wide grin on her face but a trace of something else in her eyes.

Violet grins up lazily.

“Just thinking about whether you hold Mattel after sex. He strikes me as the needy type.”

Katya look at them for a second before her eyes widen and she squawks a laugh and hits Violet with a pillow.

Trixie gives them a look from where he’s sat at the table.

“Okay, first off, we all know that I’m the hypothetical big spoon in this dynamic.”

Katya and Violet share a disbelieving look.

“Fuck both of you, get out of my house.”

“I think you’ll find this is actually a condo, Tracy”

“Katya, please take Violet. She’s like the abandoned kitten that follows you home and then destroys your curtains”

“Please, Firkus, I haven’t destroyed anything. Yet”. Violet stands up and stretches, aware of the shirt riding up their stomach, and walks back over to the bedroom. The, they turn around and wink at Trixie. “Maybe your bed, if you’re lucky.” 

Behind them, Violet hears Katya’s answering cackle and smiles. 

****

Whenever Violet and Trixie are together, there’s tension. Violet supposes they could be classed as frenemies. For three years, they’ve been biding their time, waiting for the inevitable hate fuck. Waiting to get Trixie out of their system, waiting to get rid of the uncomfortable itch that plagues them whenever they’re around him. Violet hasn’t quite figured out whether Katya eases or abates that tension. They’re out for lunch together, the three of them. Katya’s talking passionately about her new show, hands flailing everywhere while Trixie watches, butting in occasionally with a suggestion or a criticism. Violet watches Trixie watching Katya, watching the endearment in his eyes, and hates themself, slightly. They see why the two of them are fan favourites (has always known, from season 7, that they would be adored in a way Violet never could be). When they’re together it’s natural and hilarious and joyous. Violet knows they’re not funny like Trixie or Katya. Remembers seeing an interview, once, where Trixie said that Violet was actually funny, and remembers the hot squirmy pleasant feeling it had ignited. Not that Violet would ever admit to watching videos of them. Violet rarely feels alone, on tour. There were always other queens, always Pearl and Fame a text away, always the trade.

Violet didn’t quite know why they text Trixie. Usually it was after the latest boy (Alaska called them race chasers, and to be honest it was pretty accurate) has scurried off with a selfie and a story for reddit. Violet would turn on youtube and watch unhhh. It was stupid and ridiculous and funny and Violet doesn’t have much of a self preservation streak. For some reason, Trixie knowing that they watch his videos doesn’t seem awful. It’s like Violet’s silent message to Trixie that they like him, at least enough to watch his stupid show. And Violet likes to meddle. They never reply to Trixie’s responses, like to imagine him confused and hot and bothered. Especially the mirror selfies. They always want to look their best for Trixie. Violet is choosing not to analyse that any further. But sometimes, there are things that Violet sees that they know Trixie would find funny, or interesting. They send them, because it matters but it also doesn’t. Sometimes they see things for Katya, and send them to Trixie too.

Again, Violet’s not analysing it.

 They tune back in to Katya asking a question.

“So you’ll come, yeah?”

“What?” Violet shakes their head and Katya rolls her eyes in a sort of fond way.

“I’m doing a show tonight. Twitter’ll have a field day if you’re both there.”

“The wife and the mistress in one place,” Trixie snorts quietly into his mug of coffee.

Violet thinks for a moment before letting a slow smirk spread across their face.

“I have a better idea”.

 **** 

Violet can hear Katya talking to the crowd, amping them up. It’s her last number and the audience is electric. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of a really good show, of the audience engaging one hundred percent in what you’re doing. Violet can feel Katya’s high and is buzzing with it. Trixie stands next to them, and Violet gives him the appraising once over. He’d taken some convincing before finally giving in, and Violet is glad. He looks…well, he looks fucking hot, in a business suit with his tie knotted loosely around his throat, top button on done. He has makeup on, enough to be stage ready and he’s sweating lightly. They make eye contact with each other and grin. Katya’s about to bring them on stage.

Katya looks hot too. Katya always looks hot in drag, it makes Violet feel weird sometimes. They remember on tour when sometimes Katya would come into their room in drag and Violet would ask her to keep her makeup and wig on while they rode her. She’s in a red corset and panties and it’s so un-Katya, so different to what she usually wears and it’s turning Violet on, frankly. Particularly as it’s their panties she’s wearing.

“Now, for this last number, I have some special guests.”

The crowd whoops, excitement and anticipation so thick that Violet swears they can feel it like a cloak.

“Don’t get too excited folks, they’re nothing special.” With that, electronic music fills the speakers and Violet steps on stage, swinging their hips to the beat of their own voice. 

I’m a good housewife, I respect and obey.

They’re in a little gingham dress and it’s fucking cute and the crowd recognises them and starts screaming and Violet is ready. They lisynch, dancing slowly and out of the corner of their eye, Trixie walks onto the stage. It’s doing things to Violet as Trixie sits down on a chair in centre stage and spreads his legs. Violet and Katya are both lipsynching and she sees Katya slowly sink into a squat, pulling faces at odds with the sheer sensuality of her pose.

Not wanting to be outdone, Violet stalks over to Trixie, placing their head on his shoulders as if she’s whispering in his ear.

It’s so nice to have a man around the house.

On the lyric, Violet puts their foot on Trixie’s knee, rolling their body. They see Katya slinking towards them.

Dinner’s ready

 Katya sinks down into a split doing her patented pussy pop. The audience is living and Violet smirks and rolls her eyes to herself. Slowly, they swing their legs over Trixie’s and clamber onto his lap. Trixie is looking at them, eyes wide and face twisted into a smirk.

 Bettie needs a spank.

 At this, Trixie grabs their legs and hauls them up in a surprising display of strength. Violet lands on their feet and moves in front of Trixie, bending over to grind their ass into his crotch. They feel, rather than see, Katya move behind Trixie. Violet has no idea what she’s doing but the crowd is so deafening that they can barely hear the music. Violet loves this. This feeling of immortality and energy coursing through them, the feeling of Trixie’s big hand on their hip, the combination of sheer elation and sexual frustration gripping them. They roll their hips again and the song is coming to an end. Breaking out of Trixie’s grip, they lift up their skirt and smack their ass, winking at the audience.

Bettie fades out and Violet turns to see Katya grinning manically and Trixie smirking, arms crossed. A shiver runs through Violet as Trixie turns the smirk toward them.

“Thank you Ms Violet Chachki and Mr Trixie Mattel!”

Katya has to shout over the roars in the small room. Violet is off stage, Trixie right behind. They make it to the dressing room and Trixie collapses on his ass on the floor.

 “Holy shit”

“Right?!” Violet can’t help it, they’re excited and buzzing and actually really fucking horny.

Violet moves to remove their wig, a black pin up style one, when Trixie stops her.

“Leave it on”

“What?”

Violet stares at him in the mirror, but can’t read his gaze. Seconds tick past slowly, and Violet feels like the room is doused in honey, slowing down everything except their heartbeat.

Trixie smiles and slowly approaches until he’s stood behind them, holding their gaze in the mirror.

‘Daddy needs a wank’, he whispers quietly.

Violet’s face cracks, and they give a shout of laughter as Trixie grins as well.

“I hate you.” They hit him and he grins, reaching across to grab a makeup wipe and Violet’s stomach rolls hotly, their face still flushed.

“Trixie, I-”

Trixie turns to them, wiping off the stage makeup. The tension in the room from moments ago is back and Violet falters, wonders if this is where they kiss Trixie, where Trixie rejects them, where they never text him again. Trixe makes an aborted movement, as if to reach for – something.

“Shit!” Katya barges in, yanking off her heels, and Trixie and Violet jump backwards. Violet feels like they’ve been caught, but doing what they’re not quite sure.

Katya glances between the two of them and Violet prays she’ll ignore it, prays she’ll say something funny and then they can all go home and Violet will sleep on Trixie’s couch and pretend none of this ever happened.

Instead, Katya walks towards them – slinks, really, if Violet’s being honest.

They stand in a triangle, Katya’s eyes flicking between them. They look ridiculous, Trixie with his makeup off in a suit and Violet dressed like a housewife, Katya oddly dominating in her lingerie. Trixie looks like he wants to say something and suddenly, acutely, Violet doesn’t think they can bear it if it’s a joke.

Slowly, Katya grins.

“Fucking finally. Let’s go.”

“Where?” Trixie’s voice sounds strained.

Katya grins even wider. 

“Home.”

[aclockworkfilmsnob]

Thoughts on The Emoji Movie (2017)

Yep. I saw it. The film being hailed as one of the worst of the year, the epitome of cinematic trash.

First, the good news. There are worse movies. Probably even worse movies that came out this year. Unfortunately that’s where any major “positives" end.

The movie starts out not so shitty in the same way Fant4stic starts out as a “this could be okay” type film. And like Fant4stic, it only goes downhill after it’s slight tease of anything promising.

You start to think, hope, beg that The Emoji Movie has a sense of self awareness when Gene, played by TJ Miller, refers to Emojis as the most important form of communication with a clearly intentional sense of sarcasm. Could this movie possibly be a self aware satire in the same way the acclaimed Lego Movie executes its comedy? I think you all know the answer to that.

Within the first 20 minutes, it becomes so transparently obvious that this can hardly qualify as a movie at all. This whole thing is a product, an advertisement for smart phone apps. I swear to God, you could take entire scenes from this movie, condense them down to 30 seconds, and pass it off as an advertisement for the prominent app in the scene and you would not know it came from what is supposed to be a full length feature film.

Every character in this film is a paper thin archetype, every single one. There is absolutely no sense of development throughout the film, not even really in a clichéd way. For the most part our main characters just stay static to bank on the exact same jokes again and again and again. They are literally on a first name basis with one another mere minutes of meeting one another as if they’ve been friends for years. They don’t even attempt to do anything that would make you latch on to the characters in a way that transcends outdated and overused hallmark morals.

So much of this plot is driven by apps that exist in the real world, they don’t even attempt to add some sort of flare or interest, at least a sense of reintroducing existing properties to build on the movie’s universe. Nope, it’s just a prerequisite of apps we already know. No need to explain what YouTube, drop box, candy crush and Facebook are, we in 2017 recognize these properties, and that’s all that matters, not how this movie will age over time. My God it’s as if you can see the damn thing date before your eyes.

Now let’s talk about the comedy. This is going to sound so strange, but the reason it doesn’t work is not because it was just unfunny to begin with, but because it wasted what little potential it had. There are ideas in the jokes that actually interested me, at least as far as mindless children’s entertainment goes. The idea of a laughing emoji being in great pain but having to keep the same face as doctors load him on to an ambulance, an eccentrically happy villain who has to be intimidating, even the glitches going on with the phone causing the owner to be embarrassed. These jokes set themselves up for what could have been mildly, ever so slightly entertaining jokes but they just don’t stick. They’re executed in such a lazy and uninspired way, where anyone with even the shortest attention span could predict the jokes a mile away. And even when you can’t, moments of unpredictability still come across as flat and just unfunny.

The best thing I can say about this movie that actually works in regards to quality is the fact that at most three jokes somehow made me chuckle un-ironically, and the animation looks like it was helmed by a team trying to put in some sort of effort every now and again. That’s it.

But you know what? I’m glad I saw this thing. This just isn’t a movie. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, a product. A shameless, corporate product that was just farted into existence to make money and advertise apps. Someone just decided to slap “movie” in the title and put it in theaters. My God what a novel concept that is. This thing always found a new way to shock me, with it’s nonsensical plot that actually contradicts itself now and again, laughably generic setup, inexplicably uninspired product placement integrated into the story, and characters that never go beyond a studio executives checklist of tropes designed to make the most money possible. It is mind boggling that this atrocity was released in movie theaters across the world, and that it’s financially successful. The theater going experience is finally irrelevant my friends. This is so much more than the final nail in the coffin, the coffin wasn’t even half built before this movie came out but now mainstream cinema is dead and buried.

Maybe that’s hyperbolic, maybe I’m over reacting, I sure as hell hope so. Yes this movie at times does things that resemble competency, but MAJOR points have to be deducted when a movie just flat out stops being a movie. I’m trying to be fair because technically yes, there are worse movies out there, so I can’t in good conscience give it my lowest rating. But I do recommend it if you know what you’re getting into, it really has to be seen to be believed. It’s not so much so bad it’s good, it’s more an unmatchable experience of physically seeing the corporate greed that drives Sony Pictures Animation. Just make sure you stick up on the alcohol beforehand, I only got tipsy before the screening but man do I wish I got shit-faced drunk.

1.5/10

[tomans-darlings-au]

Mason’s Dream

(A Blue Exorcist Writing Piece I Made A Long Time Ago That I Finally Edited.)

A/N: This is a canon thing for my Blue Exorcist OC’s but obviously not canon in the story. It has OC’s interacting with canon characters so fair warning.

Trigger Warnings: Violence, Choking, Detailed Descriptions, Blood, Self-Harm, And Abuse

The sun was setting on a warm summer evening Mason sat in a grassy field among dandelions as he watched his brother playing baseball with some neighborhood kids. Under the shade of a tree he picked flowers from the ground, his thoughts of his visit to Japan with his father freshly running through his mind, oh how he’d enjoyed it. Mason had made a friend when the first time he’d gone with his father and the two still continued to keep in contact. Lost in thought he wondered if said friend had gotten the letter he’d sent days ago he’d been practicing his kanji and hoped his friend would be impressed. As he pondered these thoughts simultaneously weaving a crown he was broken out of his daze when he noticed someone had approached him, looking up the albino boy recognized the familiar face of a different friend.

“Anubis! You scared me, you shouldn’t sneak up on someone like that.” He scolded his old friend feeling startled.

“Sorry but i’ve been dyin to see you again. You’ve been so busy all the time lately, I miss talkin to ya.”

“Quit studyin all the time and come hangout with me again. Besides your mom won't even care she’s like obsessed with your brother so it’s no loss.” The raven haired tan skinned boy insisted with his arms crossed.

Mason gave a look unamusement at his friend’s blunt statement, it’s not like he was wrong but the older Zhu son did not like the constant reminder. Still despite his sharp tongue the boy tapped the ground beside him inviting other to sit with him and Anubis gladly complied.

“I know i’ve been gone a lot lately but papa has been teaching me about his work and I want to work like him too, after all the studying he’s finally letting me take a big trip with him. It’s was a business trip and not just visiting his co-workers but I actually get to see him work.” Mason explained to the other.

“Oh? Well that’s cool. I mean it’s normal to want to be like your parents, I just didn’t expect ya to be preparing for the future already.” Anubis mumbled a bit.

“Why not?  I mean my mother says you should have at least an idea of things you might like to pursue by high school.” Mason said nonchalantly as he finished the flower crown.

“...Guess i’m just a late bloomer. Still yer just in 6th grade it’s not that big a deal.” Anubis responded shrugging with little concern about the future.

“Yeah but the sooner the start the more time to prepare. That’s why I work so hard and now I can go on business trips with Papa I’m going to be able to work with him as equals one day.” Mason explained as his pale blue colored eye peeked out from his bangs.

Anubis smiled at his sickly yet ambitious friend, what kind of sarcastic response could he even make in against that. Instead the boy gave a simple sign of approval, Mason was delighted to have a supportive friend like Anubis even if he was kind of lazy.

“So...Can I finally ask what yer dad’s job is?” Anubis asked.

Anubis had been questioning about it since Mason first admitted to the lessons as a reason why he was gone so often now, he had been intent on keeping it a secret but Anubis was way to curious to not investigate.

“Okay okay I suppose you can know now that i’m gonna be going on official trips but don’t tell.” Mason warned him.

The small boy paused, he waited for Anubis to nod in agreement sealing their promise before he spoke once again.

“Well papa is an Exorcist he fights demons and when he took me with him I got to meet the Paladin Mr. Fujimoto.” Mason finally admitted revealing the kept secret.

Anubis froze he gave no response at first which was concerning to Mason his expression certainly changed. When he finally spoke again it was an icy tone looking away from the other, his tone was intimidatingly fear inducing.

“An exorcist huh...Must be pretty scary seeing demons…” He commented.

Mason felt the strange atmosphere growing heavy and dark it developed around them but he tried to continue. This was Anubis his friend despite the odd reaction he trusted him so he chose to ignore his own instinct.

“I-It is a little fightening but it’s not so bad. I met papa’s old friend Mr. Fujimoto-San who was training his son and talked to papa about training me. We met his son too who told me about his studying, his name is Yukio and he said his dream is to be a doctor. We were training together a little he gave me advice and taught me about the exorcist organization. To be honest I was just a nervous wreck.” Mason continued his words stuttering slightly as he attempted to ease things between him and Anubis by describing his trip as casually as possible.

“My nerves got the best of me for awhile but Yukio was very understanding. While he was showing me some of his training I was a bit of a clutz and my colored contact fell out.”

“Kyo saw my eyes and he wasn’t afraid or disgusted, he didn’t even make fun of me. He said they looked cool, i’m sure he was being polite but still.  To be honest I think I kinda like him, like like him you know...The way Papa “likes” Mama.” He confessed flustered and staring at the ground.

When Mason glanced up again to observe his friends response he saw Anubis standing, he was looming over him with a scowl on his face and an icy glare. Without a warning Anubis swiped at Mason knocking him over and leaving a gash in his face, blood dripped from Anubis’ now revealed claws.

Anubis no longer looked like the human Mason had been so familiar with, the young boy was used to the canine like teeth but now his mouth was almost un human. His whole appearance was that of a monster now piercing eyes, sharp claws, teeth that could probably rip flesh apart, and he’d even grown long ears and a tail.

“I knew you had heightened senses I mean not just anyone can gain the attention of a demon like me. Constant studying, the small of holy water, the chanting from you house I should have figured you were following in your pathetic fathers footsteps.” Anubis said in a playfully intimidating tone.

“A-Anubis you’re a demon?!” Mason was shocked still on the ground from the strike, his blood seeping from his wound.

“W-Wait please we don’t have to fight!” Mason begged his old friend who was approaching again, he rummaged through his pockets but realize he had no magic seals with him.

Before he could think of a defense the young boy felt a brutal kick to his stomach knocking the wind out of him and making him roll away. Mason coughed to struggling to regain air in his lungs even throwing up from the force.

“Man this sucks and I liked you kid… I was supposed to kill you ages ago but I wanted you as a pet instead.” Anubis said in a carefree mocking tone.

“Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs.”

The demon sighed walking towards the child again, Mason trembled with fear he attempted to crawl away barely able to move in his state. Neither of the two heard the racing footsteps lost in their battle it wasn’t until Marco shouted that they were made aware of his presence. He swung his metal bat with all his strength to try and defend his brother without even understanding the situation.

“LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!!”

However losing the element of surprise Anubis was able to catch the bat easily in the hand, even with the boys strength it was nothing more than a small bother, like a fly buzzing around.

“Oh it’s you now? Did you really think a stupid human could hurt me?”

Anubis grinned as he bent the metal bat with little effort, throwing the broken bat away the demon punched Marco making him fall to the ground. Still the stubborn twin would not  stay down for long.

“I won’t let you bully my big brother!” He hissed in defiance despite his inuries and obvious pain.

Anubis sneered at him unamused and growing aggravated with the  pest, once again Marco swung at the demon who easily dodged and backhanded the child leaving a large gash across his face as well.

Marco hissed in pain as the wound bled the blood dripping down his face but he wasn’t given much time to ponder the wound now. Anubis grabbed the boy and kneed him in the stomach making him drop to his knees clutching his stomach and falling to the ground struggling for breath. Anubis kicked him again for good measure beating him to ease some frustrations, he continued the action to keep him down laughing at his pain.

“You think you can save anyone? You humans are so pathetic! You can’t save any- AH!”

The demon was interrupted by Mason who’d jumped him from behind unexpectedly, the two struggled until Anubis slammed himself and by default Mason into the tree making the boy lose his grip and fall to the ground again. Mason huffed struggling to stand again as Anubis was regaining his own breath from the choke hold, this pause gave Mason enough time to use his blood as a seal and summon his familiar Jack to retrieve his father.

“I request the aid of the king of harvest and lord of autumn's nights!”

The young boy’s familiar appeared and it was a bittersweet feeling.

“Jack hurry get papa! Tell him we’re in trouble!” The young page ordered sending the familiar off,  a familiar which Anubis failed to catch as it fled.

Mason smirked despite the situation and spoke to his enemy.

“You may be able to beat us but you’ll never win against our father! And one day i’ll become an exorcist just like him. Me and  Kyo and we’ll protect the world from demons like you!” Mason hissed to stall.

Anubis leered at the boy with cold eye, no emotion not even anger and he walked over to the injured boy. There was nowhere Mason could run he was in too much pain to move away from the tree that was supporting him, he was struggling just to keep up. Anubis grabbed the boy by the neck and picked him up just enough off the ground to make him squirm and struggle for breath.

“You’ve got a smart mouth for someone who can’t even stand up for himself. Do you really think you’ll save this planet?” Anubis laughed.

“You’ll never be able to protect anything you can’t even protect yourself or your brother. You’re useless, a complete waste of breath.”

“I... will... protect th-them.”

Mason still struggling began to speak a sutra he was taught by Fujimoto, even with his lack of air he still managed to keep going. It didn’t last long as Anubis tightened his grip on the boy’s throat which silenced him. The canine grew a malicious grin on his face, a smile that spread menacingly on his face  he had an idea. A way to suffer even further than death.

“Let’s see how you’ll protect them, how you’ll talk so big without a voice to speak of.” He whispered specifically in his ear.

Anubis began chanting something Mason couldn’t even understand as he panicked trying to escape quickly. The human felt his body reacting as the chant continued, he felt a strange sensation as if something was being pulled out from deep inside his body and he could barely hold it back. When Anubis stopped chanting he opened his mouth and unable to hold back any longer Mason’s mouth was forced open, an almost liquid like substance flowed out of Mason and into Anubis’ mouth. Once completely drained Anubis dropped the child who fell to his knees instantaneously coughing, hacking, and even throwing up once again. He opened his mouth to ask what the creature had done to him but the words would not sound, he continued to try and speak trying to say anything, make any sound. Mason screamed in desperation but even that was silent, the boy began to sob clawing at his throat in complete a complete meltdown as he realized what had been done.

The demon just stared in satisfied amusement more than pleased with his work.

“You’ll never use this voice again.”

Anubis told him speaking in the tone of the new voice he’d stolen. Mason was horrified something inside him broke, he continued to scream endlessly, silently, in agony scratching at his neck continuously until finally collapsing on the ground a cold, broken, numb mess. He twitched a bit with tears still streaming and almost dead eyes.

“How pathetically grotesque maybe I will  just put you out of your misery.” Anubis said raising his hand. Mason’s eyes followed the hand as it swung down in one quick motion.

Suddenly Mason jolted awake, cold sweat drenched him and his bed and he was gasping for breath. Trembling and winded he felt around for his glasses putting them on and scanning the darkness around him, he was in his dorm at True Cross Academy a sigh of relief was let out. Sitting up in bed he tried his best to calm his nerves before getting out of bed completely, still trembling he walked into the quiet empty halls of the almost vacant old boys dorm. His only neighbors were the Okumura brothers, the Zhu brothers were place with them both because Mephisto knew of Mason’s “condition” and his defense because of it and because their mother refused to pay for an expensive dorm for Mason.

Mason contemplated talking to Yukio but shook the thought from his head as he turned on the faucet to wash his face, he hadn’t had that dream in so long. Well could it even be called a dream? He was recalling an actual incident with great detail and  it honestly left him frightened and even more stressed usual. A silent sigh escaped as he looked outside the window at the rising sun, Mason couldn’t even really enjoy that it was all bittersweet monochrome to him. Hearing the shuffling in the Okumura dorm he realized Yukio was probably getting up to begin the day early as usual, since he didn’t want to disturb his friend with worries returned to his room quickly. He did catch a glimpse of Yukio coming out of the room, the two barely made eye contact as Mason quickly shut the door before anything was said.

The oldest Zhu twin wanted to begin to get ready for the day instead he just sat on his bed, the sun rays just barely shining light in the room he saw his twin brother smiling in his sleep. He felt his boiling blood of resent towards him, the boy who gets everything he wanted and has no worries in the world, oh how he envied him. Feeling extra frustration Mason decided to take it out on Marco passive aggressively of course, he quietly found Mason’s cram school homework scanning it he scoffed the answers were all right but of course from the perfect fucking child. The boy stuffed it in his pocket crumbled up he’d throw it away later or burn it, with that out of the way and Marco’s bag hidden from him Mason began to prepare for the day. A yes per usual a day filled with silent torment within his own mind, he pushed his dark thoughts away as he left the room for a shower.

[melorsomething]

Crystal Clear | Chapter 3 | Cession

<- Previous Chapter | Next Chapter ->

“Miss Moonpyre, the library is closed now; I have to ask you to leave.” Mr. Argleston’s voice pierced Moira’s concentration, rousing her from her books. “I’m always thrilled to see you taking an interest in the history of our spiral, but you are aware that this is a library, correct? You are allowed to take the books with you.”

“Gotta be here somewhere,” Moira murmured, half asleep. “Gotta find it.” Reaching for a book, he suggested, “Let’s get these books checked out to you and you can continue your studies in the morning. Take care of yourself; the books aren’t going anywhere.”

Swatting his hand away, Moira snapped, “Tomorrow might be too late.”

“I’ve known you since you were young, and for as long as I can recall, you were always reluctant to read anything non-fiction... why the sudden interest?”

Peeking at the cover of one of the books, he added, “And in medical accounts and history, of all things. Generally, it is life wizards who take up medical practice.”

“I’m not a little girl any more. I have real world problems and I need real world solutions.”

Mr. Argleston sighed. “Care to share what you’re looking for? I do happen to know this library very well; perhaps I could be of help.”

Moira turned her unfocused gaze to the librarian and murmured, “Yeah, yeah you could...” Shaking herself out of her stupor, she asked, “Where would I find accounts of mana deficiency?”

“My goodness! Why would you ever want to read about such a thing?”

“Less judging, more book-finding.”

“Very well. Er, topics that serious and rare would likely be found over here, in the restricted archives.” Mr. Argleston unlocked the door and ushered Moira into the shelves stuffed with crumbling parchment. Though it all looked the same to Moira, Mr. Argleston knew exactly where to look, and in a few seconds had pulled out a thin collection of papers.“This should have most, if not all, of the accounts of mana deficiency in the past 700 years.”

Moira rushed back to her desk, papers in hand. She spread them across the table and blew the remaining dust away, squinting at the faded ink.

Only just escaped with our lives today, but I’m not so sure Heather will keep hers. I don’t know what she did, but all of the lions are gone. She screamed, and then there was a blast of fire so large and so bright that I couldn’t see the edge. When it cleared, all of the lions were on the ground, their fur crisp and burnt. Heather was too. She could barely stand, even with my help, and now, on the floor of this cave, I can see the life draining from her. I’ve never seen a spell so powerful, and I have no way of finding out from her, for she has not been roused from this state by anything. Not healing spells, not potions, not noise, not movement, not anything. I fear she does not have long. 

“What is this?” Moira demanded.

Briefly examining the page, he replied, “Ah, this would be the first recorded account of Mana Deficiency, or at least those recovered by Spiral archaeologists. As you will see, the next part of the transcription is the author’s following entry.”

The sun has not yet cleared the mountains. Our cave is dark, but I know she has gone. There is less life energy in the air. I do not think it is a sickness, for she showed no symptoms before her fire blast, and none of her symptoms have been passed on to me. From this moment forward, my expedition continues in solitude.

“So, she didn’t live. Someone must have later,” Moira muttered, brushing the first paper aside. 

“Live?” Mr. Argleston asked incredulously, “There’s no existing record of a Mana Deficiency survivor – not even a spoken legend. Mana Deficiency is fatal.”

“Just because you know where the records are doesn’t mean you know everything that’s in them,” Moira snapped, pushing another paper aside as it proved itself fruitless to her research. 

“Heather, fire: Christopher, myth; Suri, storm; Leesha, life,” he listed without hesitation. “Four accounts, four different experiences, four dead; that’s all you’ll find in those papers. Any self-respecting connoisseurs of the Spiral’s history make themselves familiar with Mana Deficiency. It is one of the most intriguing topics, for all its unsolved mystery. No one knows what gives a wizard the capability to use such a large amount of power, nor why they can only do so by using all of their mana. Many wizards have attempted to train themselves to access this other level of mana, but all have failed. It is fascinating. Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”

Moira froze. “Um, no reason. I just heard about it and didn’t believe that it was fatal. I guess I was proved wrong. Sorry for wasting your time. I’ll just put these away and go. Good night.”

“Miss Moonpyre, you said tomorrow could be too late. What did you mean?”

“Um, nothing, that’s just part of a bet. Can’t talk. Gotta go. Bye,” she said, hastily shoving books and papers onto the shelves. Snatching her bag from the chair, she rushed out the door, her head turned to hide the tears forming in her eyes.

Moira had one last idea, but even she was doubtful. Pushing wet hair from her eyes, she opened the door to Nightside. Once inside the Death Tower, she approached the desk, stepping loudly to make her presence known to the figure cloaked in black. “My name is Moira Moonpyre. I’m begging you--you have to help me. I need to stop my friend from dying.”

“Prevent death?” The figure asked, keeping their back to Moira. “Why would you approach me about this? Surely a theurgist would be better suited to your needs. Necromancers deal in the affairs of the dead.”

“Please,” Moira repeated, “the theurgists say she is as good as promised to death. They say there is nothing they can do to help her. I need to get her un-promised to death. Everyone knows you help those who are desperate. Everyone knows to go to Laura Skycoin.”

Laura turned, the hood falling back from her head and pooling at her shoulders with her bone-white hair. “Are you asking me to cheat death? No one has the ability to do that. Did you learn nothing from Malistaire’s voyage of terror?” she asked with fury in her eyes.

“But she’s my friend...” Moira protested.

“And Sylvia was Malistaire’s love. Death cedes to no one. I am sorry about your friend, but if she is too far gone, she is too far gone. There’s no changing it.”

Desperately, Moira pleaded, “No, there must be a way! She’s my friend!”

“You’ve made that quite clear.” She turned back to the wall, pulling her hood up once more. “Leave me.”

“I’ll do anything. She doesn’t deserve this.”

“Have you not heard a thing I’ve said? Death cedes to no one. I don’t perform miracles - just facsimiles of them. Sometimes there are things no amount of magic can fix.”

“But that’s just it: all she needs is a little magic. She’s out of mana - why is it so hard just to give her more?”

Laura’s head turned slightly - just enough for Moira to see a saddened profile silhouetted by candlelight. “What?”

“She’s out of mana. They’re calling it Mana Deficiency. It’s a really rare thing; I read that there were only four-”

“I know what it is.”

“Y-you do? Sorry, I just assumed-”

“You assumed wrong.”

“So you’ve researched it, too? Why were you interested? Did you maybe find some clue to a cure that I missed?” Moira asked with a hesitant chuckle. “Because they say there’s nothing, but, I mean, there must be…”

“You read the accounts.”

“Come on, though. How can that be it? How can there be nothing?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“But-”

“I wasn’t answering that question. You say you read the accounts. How closely?”

“I mean, I read the first one - er, Heather - but I didn’t get a chance to read the others in detail. Mr. Argleston told me that Heather was a pyromancer, Christopher was a conjuror, Suri was a diviner, I think, and Leesha was, uh…”

“A theurgist,” Laura supplied, turning back to face Moira. “And yours?”

“What?”

“Your friend.”

“Oh, uh, Angela is also a theurgist.”

“What did she do?”

“She… I don’t really know. She was in a tournament, all these leaves obscured our view, and then she and her opponent were unconscious in the ring. Her opponent was, uh, dead, actually.”

“She attacked?”

“I don’t - yes? I guess so.”

“Huh.”

“Why are you asking me these things? What got you so interested in Mana Deficiency?”

“If you’d read the accounts, you’d have noticed the authors’ names. Heather’s friend was named Julia, Christopher’s was Alex, Suri’s was Bradley, and Leesha’s -” she leaned back against the desk - “was Laura.”

“You mean..?”

“Yes. I know what Mana Deficiency can do. I couldn’t even watch her die; I turned my back because I just couldn’t watch that. Fair enough, I suppose, since she couldn’t watch me die, either. That’s what got her into that mess. I was hurt - like dead in less than a minute hurt - and she healed me.”

“And that took all her mana?”

“She brought me back from the brink of death and then some. Do you know how old I am, Moira?”

Moira shook her head. “I mean, you don’t seem much older than me.”

“I am over a hundred years old. I don’t look it, do I? It seems that whatever Leesha did, the healing just kept on going. It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it? A necromancer becomes the furthest from death anyone has ever been.”

“So she healed you, but there was nothing you could do for her? None of your miracles worked?”

“I wasn’t Laura Skycoin back then. Skycoin - and the ‘miracles’ you associate with that name - came later. I wanted to figure out if I could have saved her - if I could save anyone else it happened to - so I started studying. And then, quickly enough, I discovered I was going to be around for a pretty long time, and I figured branching out into easier things would be a better use of my time.”

“So you never found anything? There’s really no cure.”

Laura took a deep breath, her eyes raking over Moira. “There might be. I came up with one, but I’ve no idea if it works - no one to test it on until now.”

“Please tell me. I’ll pay anything.”

“I don’t want your money. And I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

“It’s her only chance.”

“It could kill you.”

“Angela dying would kill me. She’s my best friend. I love her.”

Laura took another deep breath, looking at the ceiling. “I have called upon spirits, sought out the great mysteries of the Spiral, and entered the realm of the dead while still coming back to speak of it. I have fielded thousands of problems and offered hundreds of solutions only I knew of. And yet in all that time, I have never had anyone come to me and beg for their own death.”

“I’m not really asking for that.”

“You’re asking for something that will most likely end with either you or your friend alive. Not both. I hate to say it, but I’m really not optimistic that it’s a cure at all. I don’t have quite that level of confidence in myself.”

“I do. And I’m willing to try it. No guilt on your part, okay? You warned me, and I did it, despite knowing the risks. If it goes wrong, it won’t be your fault.”

Laura was silent.

“Please.”

Another deep breath.

And then, “Okay.”

Moira beamed.

“Okay,” Laura repeated. “But on one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You’ll need to find someone else to do it. I’ll give you the spell, but I am not going to perform it.”

“Why?”

“Do you want the spell or not?”

“Yes, yes, sorry.”

Laura turned and plucked the quill from it’s inkpot on the desk and quickly scribbled on a scrap of paper. “Here,” she said, holding the paper out to Moira. “Have them say these words while focusing on a link between you and your friend - hold hands or something. The pronunciation shouldn’t be too hard.”

Ki cate inu tiro oi oe kiro pelu non lonuru napofnu. Jukate oe rukiro. Aitete naheinu oe nama kioua i kioua, kiro i kiro, chate ven yaiki, chate kiloe i kiloe.

“I don’t know about that pronunciation thing. What language even is this?”

“It’s the language of the old Spiral. It’s how they cast spells before realizing how powerful visualisation was. Have you really never even heard of it?”

“Not once.”

“Fair enough. No one uses it anymore - at least not anyone that communicates with the world. I’m sure Ambrose and others around his age know some, but it’s a dead language. I learned it in my studies to see if there was power hidden in the world that only words could unlock.”

“And is there?”

“Oh, certainly. Where do you think my miracles come from?”

“Of course… but, seriously, though, how do you pronounce this? Can you say it out loud without it doing… whatever it is that it does?”

“Yes. Concentration is a big part of it. But, seeing as you’re not the one to say it, perhaps I’d better just write it down.”

A moment later, she had handed Moira another slip of paper, and nodded her head at the door, where another wizard had entered. “You’d better get going, Moira,” she said. “We’ve both got things to be doing.”

Moira teleported back to the Commons, unwilling to risk the precious ink under the waterfall, and she dashed back to the sprawling campus of Spiral Doctors United - papers in hand and rekindled hope in her heart.