#listened to the introduction so far and it seems like it will be about the failure of queerness to mean everything

[luveline]

I absolutely adore your Spencer x Hotch!sister fics! <3 Can we possibly see the dynamics if it were switched? A Hotch x Spencer's Older Sister fic, pretty please? But no worries if not! Thank you, hope you have a good day!

Was Spencer’s sister always this shy? Hotch can’t remember (and he can’t stop himself from flirting, just a little). fem, 1.4k

“Reid?” Hotch asks. 

Spencer grins at his phone. 

“Reid.” Hotch clears his throat. “Spencer.” 

Spencer puts his phone down on the desk, but he doesn’t seem to have heard Hotch either way. When he realises Hotch is standing by his desk, he perks up. “Hotch, can I ask a favour?” 

Hotch had been about to ask Spencer a favour, but it’s fine. “Sure.” 

“Uh, my sister is supposed to meet me for lunch in half an hour, but she doesn’t really like restaurants and I’m– me. Do you think she could come to the office?” he asks. 

“Sure, Reid. That’s fine, she just needs a visitor card.” 

Hotch can’t remember the last time he saw you. Probably when Reid first started tailing Gideon a few years ago, when you’d made the trip from Vegas to Quantico to see how he was settling. It was a brief introduction, and, while you may possess a few more practical graces than your brother, you were far shyer at the time. You didn’t mind shaking Hotch’s hand, but you struggled to maintain eye contact after. 

You don’t look much like your brother for reasons he’s never cared to ask, as Hotch has never placed much value on how family comes about. He doubts Spencer does either. But you stay in Vegas with your mother, and Spencer sees you three times a year. Birthdays and Christmas. And today, apparently. 

“What’s the occasion?” Hotch asks. 

Spencer smiles again. “I think she’s gonna move here, with me.” 

“Yeah?” Hotch isn’t the prying boss, but he’s a nosy friend. “Everything okay?” 

“Things are great, I mean.” Spencer has the expression of someone deciding what they can and can’t say. Eventually his eyes clear, and Hotch feels satisfied at the realisation that trust has settled tightly between them. “When I decided my mom needed help, Y/N, she hated that, and maybe she resented me, but– I used to worry she hated me, but she doesn’t.” 

“I don’t think she could,” Hotch says easily. 

Spencer nods. Whether he agrees is up for debate, though. “If t’s finally hit her that mom’s sick forever, so she’s feeling out her options.” 

“That must be a hard thing to realise.” 

“Yeah. But things really are great, she’s here now, her stuff is coming tomorrow, and– and maybe she’ll stay for a while.” 

Hotch likes excitement on Reid (when it doesn’t impede their most important work, that is). Truthfully, there’s so much to worry about that Hotch can’t admit to worrying about Reid as much in recent years, and yet he’s relieved to hear that there will be more Reid’s in a hundred mile radius. 

“I’m glad,” Hotch says honestly. “She’s more than welcome here. If she can cope with the photographs in the conference room, the round table is all yours.” 

Hotch retreats to his office and forgets about it for a while, submerged in his own lunch and a certain seven year old’s birthday planning. Jack wants a clown, and a cake with Cars, and he really wants a bounce house. Which is great, but Jack decided he wanted the bounce house last night, and his party is at the end of the week. Hotch makes a bunch of phone calls and finally gets to take a victory lap forty five minutes later. 

He steps out of his office, enticed by the sound of laughter. Spencer laughs like he’s surprised ninety percent of the time, and yours is no different. It’s clear to the listening ear who taught Spencer how to laugh. 

“I love it, I don’t ever want to hear a bad word about it,” you say through peels of it, a breathy, smiley warmth to you as a chair creaks from within the conference room, “and I mean that. Please don’t tell me any facts.” 

“I know so many you’d like to hear!” 

“I don’t doubt it, but please, as a favour? You can tell me about everything else.” 

“Processed cheeses–”

Hotch turns the corner as you put down a sandwich. “Okay, fine. I’m done, are you happy?” you ask, your smile fading into a more polite one as you meet Hotch’s eyes. 

“I didn’t get to say anything.” 

“Some things are better left unsaid,” Hotch says. He doesn’t interrupt, only says it into the quiet, and he doesn’t bother with fanfare. It’s just to alert Spencer of his presence. “Y/N,” Hotch adds, “hello. It’s good to see you.” 

He’s alarmed by your reaction —your eyes widen in your seat, hands hidden beneath your thighs, and your lips part ever so slightly. “Agent Hotchner,” you say softly, almost weakly. 

He’s not that intimidating, is he?

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” he says. 

“You’re not interrupting, I was just telling her about the dangers of processed cheese. They’re so irregularly salty that the sodium has to be marked as a cause of heart disease on FDA approved packaging for the service industry,” Spencer says. 

“I’m sure some every now and then won’t hurt,” Hotch says, attempting to offer you a friendly smile. “Spencer tells me you’re staying here for a while, that’s great. How are you liking the weather? It must be a change from Nevada?” 

You look peculiarly hot. “It’s different,” you agree.

Voices ring from the bullpen. 

Spencer stands up. You stand with him, but Spencer says, “Sorry, is that Morgan? He said I have to go and get him when you’re here.” 

“Spencer–”

Spencer’s already leaving. “He threatened me, actually,” he’s saying, more to himself than either of you as he departs. 

You wring your hands. 

Hotch worries his brows are giving him away. You’re acting strangely, but maybe he’s too much. He is a special agent, sometimes the other parents at Jack’s school get antsy around him like they’re worried he can tell they haven’t paid their last parking fine. Maybe you’ve a secret crime you’ve committed. 

He watches you more closely, to your flustering. 

No crime, Hotch thinks, but a secret. Even from Spencer. 

“So how’s your day, Agent Hotchner?” you ask softly. 

It’s actually quite sweet, the way you say it. Your nerves are cute. 

“Busy.” The expected answer. “I’ve been trying to plan a birthday party between paperwork.” 

“For Jack?” 

He smiles with more gentleness. “Yes, for Jack.” 

“He was, um, a newborn, when we last met. Just a couple of weeks old, I think. How old is he turning now?” 

“Seven.” 

You breathe out. “Wow. Seven years.” 

Seven years, and your crush on him remains. That’s what he’d forgotten —when you visited Spencer at the time, even Gideon had mentioned your frazzled, almost dizzy disposition whenever Hotch was around. And Gideon tended to focus narrowly on work at work, so Hotch had known he wasn’t making it up. 

At the time it had been cute, but awkward too, and infeasible. He’d been dedicatedly married and in love with his Haley. And if he weren’t, your age gap might’ve been a little non-functioning, Hotch well into his thirties, and you a fresh twenty-five. 

Today you’re older, and more beautiful. Something about you has shifted, a blossoming into your features, and Hotch actually has the ability to notice it now. 

Your Spencer’s sister, he remembers suddenly. Probably not a woman he should flirt with, some subtle compliment lost on his tongue. 

“You look the same,” you say. 

He laughs. “That’s kind and untrue. I’m getting old.” 

The look you give him then is a shock and a pit, long the long forgotten twist of butterflies. “No,” you say, looking down at your hands, “I wouldn’t say that.” 

“What would you say?” he asks. 

You’re saved —poor girl, he doesn’t know what he was thinking, you can barely hold your head up— as Morgan bounds up the stairs and into the conference room. He gathers you for a hug as though he knows you better than he does, and Hotch loses sight of your face. 

Unknown to him and unseen, Morgan’s greeting is white noise. Why does he talk like that? you think to yourself desperately. He’s asking you all those questions with this weight to them, and he’s so calm! I’m going back to Vegas. 

“How long are you staying?” Morgan asks. 

You laugh weakly and accidentally catch Hotch’s eye, who smiles at you nicely. 

“Oh, I don’t know. A couple of weeks, maybe.” 

Longer, if you have reason. 

[fict1onallyobsessed]

Sevika as your work wife🤭

ohhhh yesss

With the amount of time you spend together you might as well have gotten married

Say you work for Silco too, you'd be hired as another second hand when shimmer sales were booming just to maximize profit

You and her didn't even get a proper introduction, you just...started working together

She didn't mind you, you kept to yourself and didn't need babying (unlike a certain blue-head lol) so you were mostly partnered up with her

She worked better with you than Jinx so why not?

Even at the beginning, you wouldn't speak to each other, maybe a

"Pass me the vials?"

"Here."

But for what seemed like ages, she seemed to only be interested in getting the job done

That was fine, because all you cared about was the pay check waiting for you afterwards

That was up until she started nodding at you when she passed you, so subtle that you'd miss it if you blinked

Then she started saying a quiet "hey."

During jobs you'd chit chat about the smallest of things...until that turned into deep conversations about life beyond zaun

"You regret doing this, Sevika?"

"I regret a lot of things."

She'd actually sit next to you when Silco called you into meetings to the point he'd even gone as far as call you her friend

You kept getting closer

and closer

and even closer

Granted, it took almost a year but you were happy to not have a shitty and stuck up co-worker like everyone warned you about

It got to a point where she'd let you sit in when she was doing paperwork in her office

Especially after a tough job, where going back to your apartment sounded like the loneliest hell on earth

You found out her favourite pastime at the last drop, gambling and smoking cigars and she asked if you wanted to come with one day

one day turned into two

then you went with her almost everyday

She found it odd to admit she trusted you, with your uncharacteristically calm demeanour for someone who lived in the undercity, she found herself subconsciously doing things for you when you worked.

"Where's all of barrels Silco wanted me to move?"

"Already done, sweetness."

Sevika found out about this specific drink you liked that the last drop stopped serving when you were talking to her one day in the office, her head down, focused on the paperwork.

You didn't even think she was listening

But she walked into Silco's office with a bag, walked towards where you were sitting, handed it to you silently then sat next to you as Silco started explaining the next job he had for both of you.

"What is this for-"

"Don't mention it."

Mutual trust was a massive thing in this little endeavour you guys had

There were things Sevika would tell you and vice versa, that were never to be mentioned to anyone and somehow that always stuck

She felt almost good working with you.

Someone at the last drop made a bold joke about her being your work wife, since you were always together and seemed so close yet so far at the same time

"You their work wife or something?"

She looked from above her cards onto the man, blowing out her cigar smoke out her nose and scoffing.

"Guess so."

[stellas-and-tonitruses]

⚠ SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 93 AHEAD! ⚠

now that we have finally met demetrius, it seems like a great time to dissect his first scene and proper conversation! :]

his wide, unfocused stare hides ✨unexpected complexity✨, as expected of a desmond

he's impatient (common desmond trait at this point)

he's nonchalantly exceptional, as we expected and have been repeatedly told thus far

...but most importantly, amidst a sea of accomplishments, he is burdened with a lack of people skills and visibly frustrated by it, as evidenced by his conversation with damian in this chapter.

the analysis and speculation continues under the cut!!

so, a breakdown of the main meat of his introduction

similarly to every single time there's an interaction between damian and another desmond, damian is the one who reaches out first by calling out to demetrius, who immediately asks him what he wants. damian tries to begin with small talk, congratulating him on his accomplishments of the day

demetrius is brief and to the point, but it doesn't feel to me like he is annoyed here. perhaps curious, perhaps indifferent, we don't know -- demetrius is a boy of few explanatory thoughts, after all

merely in the next page, demetrius is revealed to have a blank mind for most of this conversation.

i don't believe this is a sign that demetrius was experimented on or anything. obviously, this does not rule out that he has been experimented on, but i don't think his lack of thoughts are indicative of that, nor do i believe anya was too far away (in previous chapters, she has read the thoughts of people at greater distances than this with ease!). i think this has something to do with his upbringing, but also very importantly his state of mind at the moment

his eyes are wide open, but his stare is unfocused. i think this is an intentional choice to hammer in that he's not really here at this moment, listening to what is undoubtedly to him pointless praise. he has likely tuned all of it out completely.

(as a side note, if we wanna involve anya in this situation more, we could assume that he is intentionally cloaking his thoughts from anya or any other potential mind-readers, but while i do think donovan is very likely involved in project apple, i severely doubt the financial benefactors of project apple would spend likely a lot of money to figure out a way to shield the thoughts of a middle schooler, regardless of who his dad is, from potential telepaths. as far as we know, anya is the only one with this specific power and demetrius is unlikely to have any information that would incriminate the operation. if that was an issue, i don't see why they wouldn't spend their money to protect melinda's mind, since she likely has way more info than demetrius ever could.)

moving on from that side note though,

we do not see demetrius' face as he says this! this is important to me

we are left unaware to whether or not he is disappointed or just trying to abscond to take a nap (he really needs one)

but then, he says this:

this, to me, is a direct attempt at connecting!! he's trying to reciprocate the small talk, the praise, trying to continue the conversation. his thought, "i don't understand him," may feel contradictory but to me, it only underlines his frustration about this, because he knows what damian is going to say next:

even though it was expected, this is not what demetrius was hoping to get out of this. his downturned eyebrows give a feeling of discontent. he is not blank, he is visibly frustrated, visibly annoyed.

and we are thus made aware of a boundary demetrius and melinda both share:

never mention donovan.

for one reason or another, this is the boundary damian has overstepped with both his mother AND his brother now, without ever being informed that it IS a boundary in the first place

so demetrius, upset, turns around to leave and throws this at damian:

this is important, because damian has shared a very similar sentiment to anya before, albeit in a mournful tone.

demetrius likely feels similarly neglected by his parents, but is long past feeling sad about it. he has moved straight to anger, understandably!

but the bigger reason for his frustration, imo, relates to a problem damian once again ALSO has: people treating them as a gateway to their father and nothing more.

demetrius has more than likely also been treated like this, and probably still is unless his peers have learned not to engage because of his brief, snippy responses, so he is familiar with the feeling of being used.

...and damian unknowingly treated him the exact same way, even though he's also grown to hate it.

of course, he's 6 years old and he meant no harm by this -- he's just a lonely boy trying to be noticed by his neglectful parents, after all, what else could he possibly do?

but for demetrius, this is the end of the conversation. he is not his father's manager, he's not even that close to him, so why does his brother only ever talk to him when it relates to their father?

as he said before: he doesn't understand him, and why he keeps doing this. does he not know there is little info to be gained?

he doesn't understand their father either, with his impossibly high expectations, never pleased, never happy, never available

and lastly, as ewen and emile try to introduce themselves

demetrius has one final thought.

and he casts aside this entire conversation, leaving the scene as empty as he entered it.

of course, the chapter doesn't end here, but this is where demetrius' involvement in it does, leaving us with a newfound understanding that while to damian, demetrius represents everything he can only strive to become... to demetrius? his accomplishments ring hollow in the face of everything he wishes he could understand.

we do get an extra flashback that hearkens back to a better yesterday, but while donovan is lacking some very important details (those scars, that dead disinterest that follows his every move -- he seems mirthful somehow here), we don't know if this scene represents a time when they were closer or if it's simply evidence that as far back as everyone can remember, demetrius has been doing nothing but studying all the time

could this be evidence of something nefarious relating to project apple? eh, not particularly, not to me. the boy's just studying hard, any relation to project apple would have to be more recent in the timeline imo

TL;DR:

demetrius has been built up throughout the past 92 chapters as a figure larger-than-life, and this has been thanks to most of our knowledge of him being directly affected by damian's perception of him, as the younger brother living under his shadow

however, he has now been humanized by his flaws: a short temper and a lack of social skills that comes paired with a clear want to connect, to understand, to converse. he seems to be a very lonely kid, everyone around him either jealous, putting him on a pedestal or actively seeking to use him under the false impression that he has important connections, and although he doesn't mean to, damian has unknowingly been treating demetrius in the same way, only seeking him out when he wants to know something about donovan.

interestingly, him and melinda share the same trigger, that being donovan himself, though we do not yet know if their reason for this is also shared.

CLOSING THOUGHTSSS

it has been so exciting finally meeting this little goober-- i thought i might never see the day 😭😭😭

thank you to whoever read this far, i literally made this blog just now so! HOPE I DID WELL!

💖

[call-me-copycat]

Hey! Idk if you still write fics but if you do. Could you please write about Aizawa having a daughter who selfharms, but he didnt knew until one day he entered to her room and find her doing it?.

Its kind of an emergency so i would really apreciate if you wrote it 🩷

Hi! I'm really sorry for the slight delay, I've been bouncing between school during the day and work at night, so even though I saw your ask I couldn't physically write it due to exhaustion (⑉ ᷄ ⌳ ᷅ )ก

That being said, even though it's been a couple days I didn't want to leave you hanging! I got some rest and wrote as much as I could in one sitting!

I really do hope this helps, feel free to message me anytime if you need to vent or such ₍ᐢ‥ᐢ₎ ♡

What I Owe To You

*I listened to this on loop while writing*

➤ Welcome - Introduction and Request Rules (Requests are open + Some info about me)

▶ Characters: Just Aizawa and Reader

▶ Genre: Comfort + Slight Angst

▶ Summary: As the ask states

▶ Word Count: 2925

▶ WARNINGS:

- Self harm

- Depressive thoughts

- Overall lots of angst

Please don't read if any of this makes you uncomfortable!

The cycle always went on.

At this point you were afraid of what was to happen next. At the same time, the thought was pushed away by the constant emptiness that filled you through. The sticky tar-like hands of this unknown void ravaged your mind, shredding it apart piece by piece.

Leaving you constantly feeling... Hollow. It was difficult to describe it as anything else.

You walked to school everyday and went to your classes. You sat next to your classmates as they animatedly discussed the usual topics of training and what to do after school.

On the weekends, you slept. Sometimes went shopping with your father. Maybe you'd get visited by your Uncle Mic, other times you'd train.

There wasn't much variety. It was suffocating. These feelings had no place to spawn from, as your life wasn't much different from everyone else's. There didn't seem to be a reason, for all you knew. But it was there, no doubt about it. It made itself known.

-

It was a usual Friday night. You had completed all your classes and had the weekend to yourself. It felt pointless, there wasn't much to do. Nor did you have the energy for anything either.

Sitting in your room, you jumped a bit at the unexpected knock on your door. You had been gazing out of your bedroom window for who knew how long, zoning out as far from your mind as you could. You vaguely remembered that a storm was to come soon.

"Dinnertime. Wash up and come to the table when you're ready."

Your father's voice never failed to comfort you, and in a way he was one of the main beacons of light in your dark and foggy world. An unchanging pillar of strength, he held on tight to your cracking mind.

Slowly, tiredly, you made your way out of your room. As you passed by Aizawa, he couldn't help but sigh in response to your barely-there smile at him. You had a habit of doing that, possibly to keep him from worrying.

Truth be told, Aizawa always worried about you. Ever since you were young, he was on guard every second, trying to keep you from falling and scraping your knees, to keeping an eye on you during training.

Though recently, he had noticed some... changes. Your eyes began to grow dull, and their usual energy faded with each passing day. The bags under them grew more prominent, and in turn your hair began to be left more of a mess. Slowly, little things were building up, and he couldn't tell why.

It worried him sick, since the only thing he had in mind for you was for you to be happy and safe. Seeing your condition worsen with each day made him nauseous, as it was the last place he wanted you to be at. He wanted to help you, the best he could.

So that's why before you even sat down to eat, he began to question you.

"Are you feeling okay, [Name?]"

Truth be told, he knew you'd say you were fine. He just needed to soothe his frantic mind.

Looking up at him, you gave him another smile. He couldn't help but grimace at how forced it looked.

"Oh, of course I'm fine." You clenched your jaw at how unenthusiastic you sounded, but it would have to do.

Aizawa only felt uneasy. Too many things added up and gave him a weird taste in his mouth to leave it at that.

"Look at me, [Name]."

The unusual tone of his voice brought you out of your foggy state of mind as you looked up at him fully. Once you met his eyes properly, Aizawa took notice of the... Saddened expression that filled yours. He knew someone was wrong, but it was being covered.

"You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?"

He needed to know if you trusted him. He needed to be the one person you trusted in life. This was all or nothing.

Your eyes went wide for a split second as your breath hitched, but you quickly shook it off. His bluntness was what caught you off guard.

"Really, it's nothing Papa." You tried smiling once more, raising a hand out a bit in an attempt to calm him. You knew it was a pitiful attempt, but you didn't have the energy to make it convincing. Alongside that, Aizawa was generally a very tough man to fool. It'd take a lot to actually pass anything through him.

Aizawa's eyes narrowed in response as he saw your reaction to his question. Your body language indicated how uncomfortable you were, and he didn't want to push you too far past your limits.

It was tough, but he decided to give it up in the end and hope you'd come to him whenever you were ready. You always shared everything with him since you were young, and he had gained a large amount of trust over you in turn.

-

Dinner was eaten in silence, and as soon as it was over you bid your father a goodnight before heading off to your room.

Aizawa stayed seated at the kitchen table as he watched you walk off, wondering what was happening to his child. He couldn't bear the thought of you struggling with something alone. He had been there your whole life to help you get through everything you passed by, so why weren't you letting him in now?

After much deliberation, he got up from his spot at the table and made his way to your room. He needed to finish this conversation, and he needed to know what was going on. His mind had been sprawled all over the place for the last few months, as he'd been observant enough to catch on to the smallest changes you went through. Seeing you go into such a decline was like a punch straight through to his heart.

His mind was in such a haze that he threw open your door without second thought, seeing as he normally takes care to knock first. The room was pitch black, but based off of the startled gasp that came from you and the clanging of metal hitting the ground, Aizawa felt his blood freeze in fear.

Quickly flipping on the light, his eyes widened at the site that laid in front of him. You didn't have any time to cover yourself, so Aizawa saw it all.

The bandages laid out.

The blades.

And most importantly, your cuts.

You felt your eyes water at the expression on your father's face, guilt and self-loathing bleeding into your mind.

Aizawa was stuck in shock for a moment. It felt as though all time was warped as he saw what was his worst nightmare laid out in front of him. He was quickly snapped back to reality at the sound of your sobs that echoed throughout the room.

He swiftly made his way towards you from across your room, and in one smooth movement he pulled you into his lap, hugging you tightly to himself.

He had known something was wrong, felt it deep in his heart, but he didn't realize how serious it truly was. His heart ached for you as his grip only grew tighter around you. Aizawa didn't want you to hide these things from him, and in a way, he felt disappointed at your lack of trust towards him. All his disappointment and anger quickly dissipated, leaving him to face his worry and guilt.

"[Name]..."

He could hear his voice tremble, but couldn't care less.

"Why? I-" He was stuck in shock. It was something he never thought he'd run into. Looking down at you, his worry for your well-being grew tenfold, but he gathered the willpower to overcome the sudden surge of emotions he was feeling.

"I want... I need you to promise me you'll never harm yourself again," He looked down at you, cradled in his arms, "I don't think I could ever bear the pain of losing you..."

He knew this was only one step of many. That it doesn't start like this. That it grows. Although he couldn't pinpoint what might've started it, he at least needed to confirm you'd be safe. He just needed this one thing to give his already worn heart a little bit of ease.

You couldn't help but recoil a bit, bringing your arms to hug your torso. As much as you wanted it to be that easy, as much as you wanted to tell your father 'okay!', you knew it wouldn't be done so fast. And in a way, that only worsened your resentment towards yourself.

"I... don't know if I can.." You avoided his gaze as you faced the ground, hating how saddened he was and much rather preferring him to be angry. It'd lessen the guilt a little bit, at least.

He needed something.

"[Name]... I can't make you promise me you'll be able to stop right away. That's foolish to believe." Heaving out a sigh, he put a hand atop your head. "But I just need you to know that I'd be devastated without you. I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, I'd never be able to live a normal life again if you were gone."

Looking up into his eyes, you saw a heaviness that swirled in them. This was coming from a man who had seen it all - numerous deaths in ways he wished he could unsee.

You hadn't realized just how much you meant to him. It never popped up in your head. The all-consuming void had blocked any sensibility or logic from getting to you, and the more you thought about it, the more you realized just how much it would affect your father. He always told you your pain was his to deal with too.

Settling your face in the crook of his neck so you wouldn't have to see the hurt in his eyes anymore, you tried your best to explain everything to him.

"It feels..." Closing your eyes, you tried imagining everything that has built up. "Like I'm running a race, yet getting nowhere. That everything I do has no effect... I'm tired."

You stayed silent as you felt your father put a hand on the back of your head. Aizawa watched as you carefully pieced your words together, and saw the true effect of everything you had been dealing with. His heart ached to relieve you of your pain, his fatherly instincts screaming at him to help save his child.

"[Name]." His grip on you tightened ever so slightly. "I want you to get this through your head, alright? You are not a failure. You're going through a lot, and it's weighing down on you. And I understand you're under a lot of pressure, but-"

Aizawa was cut off when he began to choke up, the thoughts too much for him to bear. As much as he tried to keep his composure for your sake, his walls were beginning to crack.

You heard your father pause and looked up at him, only to be brought into shock at the sight of your normally stoic father tearing up. You felt ashamed for forgetting about his pain, tearing up once more at the guilt that ravaged your mind.

He could see how surprised you were, but he couldn't help it. He always struggled to contain himself when it came to you, especially whenever you were hurt. He hated seeing you in pain.

"Do you have any idea what it would do to me if I lost you? I- ... [Name], if anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do anymore, I'd-"

He truly couldn't help it. All that Aizawa wanted was for you to be happy. Seeing you in so much agony... seeing your only escape being to harm yourself... He felt that he lost a part of himself.

You cried out loud this time, seeing your father so torn over you. It was heartbreaking, but oddly soothing at the same time. To have someone to deeply care about you that they felt intertwined with you. He cared.

You could feel his arms engulfing you, and you allowed yourself to be swallowed in his hold. It was warm and soothing... A stark contrast to the cold you constantly couldn't escape from.

As he held you, Aizawa couldn't help but be more shocked at himself than anyone. He normally was able to easily retain his composure, so as he felt tears flowing down his face he couldn't help but stiffen. Quickly getting over it, he held you close. The room gradually began to get quieter, the both of your emotions slowing down.

You couldn't help but feel... Secure. It was a stark contrast to the constant void you felt. You felt... Warm.

Yeah, warm.

It was a nice feeling.

Closing your eyes, you finally allowed your body to relax. Aizawa rubbed your back as he gently rocked back and forth.

"I just want you to breath. Don't think about anything else."

Following his word, you kept your eyes closed and settled your breathing. You quickly noticed how much easier it was to think this way. Nothing else was getting in the way, no unwanted thoughts or fears, and you felt safe. Safe and comfortable.

The world around you normally was so chaotic. It seemed everyone was in a rush, always somewhere to be. You couldn't have time to yourself either, constantly getting pushed to and fro. There never seemed to be a place to stop. Nowhere to rest. An unchanging race.

But here you were. The world has stopped, giving you a break you so badly needed. You couldn't describe it, but such a simple hug from your father seemed to dull everything that pained you.

"I understand what it's like."

Aizawa would be lying if he said he was never in your place before. Too many nights he was kept up, worrying about working on himself. Scared of the changing future. Feeling like nothing was changing for him while the world moved on. It was isolating.

Over the years, he got better. The world's rush blurred to background noise, and he learned to appreciate his own speed in life. It was his own life he was living, after all.

Looking down at you, he saw a mirror image of himself.

"Y'know, it's not fair..." You looked up at him as he brushed away a lone tear from your cheek with the pad of his thumb. "You allow me to laugh with you in your happiest moments... So why do you lock me out when you're at your lowest?"

You had never heard it phrased like that before. You did enjoy having him around whenever you had something good to share. Whenever you were proud, or amazed, or just plain happy. But you understood, he wanted to be a part of it all. Every smile... And every tear.

Your voice couldn't find you, but Aizawa didn't mind. To you, he was always a hand outstretched. A guide to help you through the fog and the dark. It made the terrifying a little less daunting.

"Please talk to me when you can. Tell me whatever you'd like, I just want to know how you're feeling."

You nodded, looking at him directly. Your heart rate had gone down significantly, and you didn't know how much time had passed. If you listened carefully, you could hear the distance rumble of an oncoming storm, thunder booming on the horizon.

There was a pregnant pause before he started once more.

"Tomorrow, we'll need to get your injuries looked over-"

Seeing a look of fear cross your expression, he was quick to calm you.

"I'll be with you. The entire time. You won't have to deal with living life alone. I understand it's frightening to look at, but let me hold some of the weight you own."

You watched as Aizawa stretched out his hand, offering it to you. Looking at it, you thought back to all the times he'd helped you in the past. Every time he's offered his hand out to you.

All the times you were too scared to cross the road when you were little. Every time you felt too suffocated by the number of people surrounding you. Or even when it was just the two of you, silently walking home together in the warm afternoon sun.

He always offered you support, for every little thing life had to throw at you. Aizawa's expression softened when you gently put your hand in his, no hesitation in your movements.

Clasping his fingers over yours, you saw how your hands intertwined. And you realized, he was always there to take some of the pain from you - acting like he was a part of you.

"You get it now, huh?" Looking up into his eyes one more time, you thought you saw a sparkle in them. "Whenever you bring pain to yourself," He squeezed your hand a little tighter, "you're hurting me right alongside with you. I need you in one piece, kid."

You breathed out, everything a little clearer now. There was so much more to do. So much to go through. It was a formidable thought.

But as you looked up into your father's eyes and as you felt his hand in yours, you realized;

You weren't alone.

You really did owe him the world.

During my lowest moments, Aizawa was always a huge character I relied on to get me through it. I will always write comfort for him to anyone who asks.

I hope you have a lovely day, and I hope things get just a little easier for you, you definitely deserve it (*´艸`)ﾌﾌﾌｯ♡

➜ Please let me know if I missed any warnings/triggers in the tags or in the opening!

[shae-pine]

I Explain the Context for the songs in The Outsiders Musical

Spoilers for the Musical under cut! I was lucky enough to see the show in person so now that the album is out I decided to provide context for the songs so people listening to the album can know where in the story each one takes place/what is happening on stage during. Also some fun tidbits sprinkled in because this show is really so amazing I can not praise it enough.

Tulsa '67:

 The self-explained exposition song. We get the intro being the first line of the book and then we get the song as out introductions to the characters. One thing that is interesting is that there's a projector screen on stage and for this song Pony sits in front of the screen and speaks to the audience while the other characters are behind the screen. Acting out little scenes to show their personality while Ponyboy narrates and at the end of the song the screen lifts up to show a clear view of the stage. It's also right before Ponyboy gets jumped.

Grease Got a Hold:

Right after Ponyboy gets jumped. Like the song says in this version of the story a greaser isn't just something you are born into it's something you "earn" by being beaten down on by the socs. It shows the differences in each character most notably Darry and Dally because Darry hates the idea of Pony being stuck as a greaser, presumably because he wants more for his little brother, while Dally sees being a Greaser as something to be proud of. Presumably the first time Ponyboy gets to grease his hair (this song was also performed on the Today show and I highly recommend looking up the performance it's so good, it should be available on the today show website along with the other songs performed that day)

Runs in the Family:

Darry gets a song! After the previous song we cut to Darry in the Curtis home reflecting on where he was going in life versus where he ended up. In the musical the fact that Darry would be a soc without the gang is played up a lot more. The emphasize Darry's friendship with Paul and their history seems to go a lot deeper than just football buddies. Paul mentions gifting Darry a madras shirt and Darry being over at his house. The rest of the gang piles in at the end of the song.

Great Expectations:

The titular 'I want' song in any musical. The night after getting jumped Ponyboy tells Soda about reading great expectations and after Soda bids him goodnight he starts singing. When he mentions Darry and Johnny the actors come on stage. And at the end of the song the chorus of overlapping voices is the whole gang on the outskirts of the stage looking down/at Pony while Ponyboy sings out to the audience. (This song was also performed on the Today show)

Friday at the Drive-In:

The Soc introduction song. I think an important thing to note is that while the greasers dancing is far more rough and tumble. Jumping around and over each other, spinning and getting out nervous energy. The socs are far more reserved in their movements. They are still dancing around with spins and flips but this scene features a lot of partner dancing that's more self contained than the greasers who jump all around the stage.

I Could Talk To You All Night:

After Johnny tells Dally off/Dally leaves. Ponyboy and Cherry go to the concessions stand together. While in line Ponyboy tells her about Johnny getting jumped to which Cherry tries to defend Bob as Ponyboy already knows it was her boyfriend who beat Johnny up. Her defending him is half hearted though when Pony insists Johnny didn't do anything, he mentions reading Great Expectations to her and she tells him how Pip gets a happy ending before they start this song. It carries the story forward up until the end of the movie/the scene where they try to walk the girls home only for Bob and the socs to stop him. Also, in the musical Cherry does not go with Bob and instead breaks up with him right then and there because she's tired of all the fighting.

Runs in the Family(Reprise):

Ponyboy and Johnny make it to the Curtis house and instead of falling asleep at the lot it's stated that Ponyboy just spent so long talking to Cherry that that was why he was late for curfew. He acts nonchalant about it and Darry bursts into the reprise. There's also a scene here where Darry goes to advance on Johnny only for Soda to step between him(I think this was meant to be a moment where Darry is just lashing out because he's under a lot of stress as a guardian and Johnny is there but it hurts my heart a little to think Johnny was scared in that moment as he backs up and ducks away before Soda steps in front of him) And after the slap Ponyboy freezes until Johnny runs over and tells him they gotta get out of there.

Far Away From Tulsa:

After getting hit is when the two wind up at the park. Their conversation in the book about a life outside of Tulsa is now taking place after Darry has hit Ponyboy which makes his desire to find a place without worries all the more real. Johnny and Pony have this beautiful moment on stage together where they look out to the audience together and imagine a life where they can do and be whoever they want. Which makes it hurt all the more that right after they sing all their desires for a better life is when Bob and the rest of the socs show up.

Run Run Brother:

The two make it to Buck's after the stabbing of Bob where they ask for Dally. It's worth mentioning that Dally straight up mentions his willingness to die for Pony and Johnny, and that he thinks of the two of them as brothers, though I can not remember if this happens here or after 'Grease Got A Hold'. After the first bit of the song the  scene shifts from Buck's to Pony and Johnny running to the train/hiding from the workers as they make their way to Windrixville. There's also a line in the beginning when Pony says 'when I came to there was Johnny with his knife' this is important and I'll explain in 'Little Brother.' I also really like the detail of before, during 'Grease Got a Hold', 'you're a greaser now and you ain't going back' was said as a proud statement and now when the chorus sings it it sounds sad and almost like a death sentence. 

Justice for Tulsa:

We cut back to Tulsa after the boys escape. The cops line up the socs on the stage as they call for justice now that one of their own has been murdered. When Cherry speaks she is doing it at the vigil the soc's are holding for Bob before Randy approaches her. He's organizing a hunting party against the greasers. It's worth mentioning that when Cherry speaks against him Marcia tries to go to her side only for the other soc girl in the show(Bev) to hold her back. Cherry leaves alone and once she's gone Marcia pick up a flashlight, which serves as the symbol for the socs hunting down the greasers with no mercy during this scene. Where in the book Dally mentions Two-Bit getting jumped during this song we see it happen. The socs jump him and Bev holds a lit cigarette to his cheek while the guys hold him down(in the live version of this song we hear Two-Bit's scream) It's worth mentioning that Randy does not get a redemption in this version, in fact, outside of Cherry the socs are pretty much painted at the bad guys with her as the one exception. Even though we get Randy's emotions with 'this can't be real, he can't be gone' rather than feeling sadness over his friend's death for too long Randy switches to anger. Cherry's role as such has been adapted to be a mix of her and Randy from the book in terms of story beats.

Death's At My Door:

The boy's are in the church, as far as I can recall this was after they cut their hair and I believe it was meant to be implied that a day or two has passed since Bob's death. Though if this is before or after Pony read the poem I no longer remember. The two boys are relying on each other in this scene as they reflect on how nothing is gonna be the same again what with their ability to go home taken away unless they want Johnny to be thrown in jail. Something I forgot to mention before is that Pony blames himself for his parents death. In the musical he say that on Darry's birthday he was supposed to pick up a special frosting for his brother's cake from a bakery his mother liked. But because he forgot his parents had to go out of their way to go and get it and thus were hit by the train because they had to go over the tracks. He tells Cherry before 'I Could Talk To You For Hours' that if he had just remembered his parents would still be alive. Which is why in this song he claims death follows him because he believes his parent's would still be alive if he had remembered to pick up the frosting, and that Bob would still be alive if he hadn't run out of the house/if Johnny didn't need to protect him. 

Throwing in the Towel:

We cut back to Darry and Soda after the boys have been missing for a few days. Darry finally breaks down to Soda all the pressure he's under and how he feels like his brother's would be better off without him. He admits how much he thinks this is all his fault for being too hard on Pony and causing him to storm off after hitting him. During this scene while Soda and Darry are singing Ponyboy can be seen at the back on the stage watching them, and during the last chorus of the song 'this it the darkest hour of the darkest night' his voice joins his brothers. (This song was also performed on the Today Show and you should go watch it)

Soda's Letter:

Back in the church now right after Dally gets there after greeting Pony and Johnny he hands over the letter for Pony to read. Ponyboy reads it at the front of the stage while Soda's actor sing behind him/looking at him. Pretty much unchanged in terms of what Soda's letter gives to the story/when it given/read. The final "Ponyboy this house ain't a home without you" is sung by Darry who makes his way onto stage when Soda mentions him in the letter and we see him behind Ponyboy all but begging his brother to come home in this song.

Hoods Turned Heroes:

This is the fire song. We see Pony, Dally and Johnny in the church, I saw Pony light the cigarette and toss it behind him. I saw the flames go up and a terrified Ponyboy going "it's my fault" and then we cut to Two-Bit, grabbing the paper and beginning this song. We see a somewhat split stage in terms of spacing, the greasers back in Tulsa on one side, passing the newspaper between them as they read it, and we see Pony and Johnny in the middle saving the kids from the church. The scene is actually so creatively done and I adore it, outside of the fire they have two actors hold up a blanket and use shadows to show Pony and Johnny pulling kids from the fire since there are no child actors in this production. Interlaced with the puppetry of the saving kids we see Johnny and Pony sliding out from under the blanket and jump around beams that are held up by other actors while the paper is being read. All ending with Dally going in after Johnny. The scene changes to Dally holding Johnny, who's been changed into a hospital gown, and Dally gently lays him on the hospital bed when the song ends.

Hopeless War:

Before the rumble Pony does not leave the hospital. He stays there watching Johnny until Cherry comes in. She looks at Johnny, asking after his health, before turning to Pony and begging him not to fight. But if you recall earlier, as far as the musical is concerned the fire was set by Ponyboy's cigarette(sidenote: I think it'd be cool if every night they rotated who lights the cigarette and throws it and just switch Pony's line from "it's my fault" to "it's our fault" but I only saw the show once so I assume it's the same every time for who lights the fire even though it the book and movie we don't know for sure)  So Pony can't listen to Cherry, even though in this scene she's taking the place of Pony's discussion with Randy in the book about the fight not making areal difference, because he sees this as his only chance to try and do something for Johnny since he can't do much else but watch over him in the hospital.

Trouble:

We cut to directly after Pony's discussion with Cherry. The greasers have their war cry of trouble brewing as everyone prepares for the rumble. While Ponyboy gets ready Darry comes up and begs him not to fight. If you recall during "Grease Got a Hold" Darry says how Pony "better know what you're fighting for" But he still doesn't want his brother to have to fight. But by this point Pony had his reason for fighting and he's the one to rally the gang with the call of "Do it for Johnny!" right before the socs roll up. Dally does say “do it for Johnny” at the beginning of the song but it’s Ponyboy who uses it as a war cry. Dally also has a moment where he calls out Darry for being on the greasers side when he was so against being a greaser before, but Darry looks at him and says confidently "once a greaser always a greaser". Paul has a moment with Darry where he calls him out for wanting to be a soc but Darry shuts him right down and the rumble is on.

Little Brother:

Right after the rumble the entire gang heads over to see Johnny, yes, the entire gang. Not just Pony and Dally everyone gathers around him and tells him about beating the socs. They watch as Johnny tells Pony to stay gold and they all break down when he passes, Dally runs out before anyone can stop him. He makes it to the top of the stage, and he begins his song. breaking down the boards around him in a show of anger and violence while the ensemble sings below him looking up. He says tearfully "I could not save you" remember during 'Run run brother' where I said the knife would be brought up later? It's because Dally was the one to give him the switchblade. Before the socs get their number Dally comes across Johnny staying in the lot while his parents are fighting. He tells Dally how he's been uncertain since he was jumped to be out alone. So Dally reaches into his jacket, pulls out the blade, and gives it to him(that one promo pic) and Dally tells him that "if you're gonna use it, use it" and I believe he says something along the lines of "because if you do there's no going back" Dally gave Johnny that knife to try and protect him, but all it did was sign his death warrant. It protected him from Bob but not from anything else, not from the fire. And when Dally said he would die for Pony and Johnny he meant it. He sings and is joined by the cast who echo him "little brother" but he stands alone at the top of the stage. He makes his way down to the bottom portion of the stage, stepping onto the train tracks(in my mind it's the same spot where the Curtis' parents crashed) planting his feet and squaring his shoulders before the song ends, and the train comes. According to Ponyboy his body derailed the train, and Pony likes to believe that despite that, some part of Dallas Winston managed to make it's way back to New York. (Playbill released Joshua Boone singing this song and it's so heartbreaking because there is no ensemble in that version so you have to sit with the harsh melody when Dally makes his choice to face the train head on)

Stay Gold:

After Dally's death we head back to the Curtis house. We don't get a time frame but going off the book it's been a week or two since they've both died. Cherry comes by with Johnny's things from the hospital, she mentions she volunteers there now, and gives Pony Johnny's letter for him. Pony refuses to read it but after Soda has his break down about "we're all we got left" he grabs Johnny's letter and starts to read it for Pony. Getting a line or two in before Pony asks for it, starts to read it himself, and the song begins. Johnny Cade joins us back on stage as he sings to Pony his hope for the world he has to leave behind. And of course, that request to stay gold.

Finale (Tulsa '67): 

After reading Johnny's letter Ponyboy begins to write his theme. He finishes a page or two before joining his brothers at the table, he tells them what he writing about and Soda tells him to read it. Pony says it's only a few pages but Darry speaks up, "Can I read it?" he asks. And Pony hands it over, it isn't Ponyboy reading that intro again, but Darry, determined to do better by his brother and reading his work. He and Soda pass the theme to each other, taking turns reading sections aloud while Pony sings. Sings about Tulsa and the gang, of Dally who saw being a greaser as a badge of honor, of Johnny who wanted more for himself and more for Ponyboy who vows that "in his memory I'll stay gold!" The entire cast comes onto the stage as they sing, no longer to each other but to the audience, "stay gold!" It is something that has stuck with me and will stick with me to know that those final lines were no longer characters talking to each other, but talking to the audience right as the show comes to an end.

Anyways this got way longer then I thought but if you want me to ramble more about the show literally just ask I can not stop thinking about it. Might make another post about the differences between the musical and the book.

[bulliestrolls]

A Streams Psyche [FLEEK AU]

Introduction to the Fleek AU and what's to come (this was so fun to write hiii)

Honestly, Creek’s never been a huge fan of Branch.

At first, it wasn’t personal at all, or at least he didn’t mean for it to be, he just didn’t like how Branch treated his friends. He was always such a grouch and he was such a downer at every given moment, and it was such a drag to listen to over and over again. If anything, Creek was grateful that Branch typically barricaded himself from everyone else, I mean, if he wasn’t going to be positive, then what was the point of having him around? And yet that never seemed to stop Poppy, her being the future Queen of pop and also his best companion. 

Poppy always seemed adamant on having Branch join their crew and changing his ways. While he never really understood why she wanted to so badly, he couldn’t help but admire her attitude. Something about the peppiness always brought a smile to his face, and he always supported her decisions as a best friend should. Usually though, it never seemed to work in her favor. Branch always blew her off and gave a stink eye to her and everyone else, and quite frankly it got on Creek’s nerves. 

He always did his best to cheer up Poppy whenever it happened, finding it strange how upset she gets over it. Why should she even care if he doesn’t? What was the need to show emotion over someone that didn’t even matter in the long run? Regardless of his thoughts, he succeeded often in bringing back her spirits, the gang usually partying together the remainder of the night as a result. Creek always greatly enjoyed their company, and loved to share his exercises with everyone, his life seemed perfect.

That was until the bergens attack on Pop village. 

Even now, he remembered that day so vividly. Poppy had planned a gigantic celebration for the village to party over them being free from the monsters for so many years. Everyone was so excited to join in on the festivities, everyone except the one who he can’t even think about anymore without clenching his jaw. 

Branch. 

As usual, that damned troll was set on ruining the rest of their fun, claiming how they’re being far too loud and the bergens would get them. Same shit as usual, it was incredible how Creek didn’t gain a headache from the repetitiveness of it. He’s tried before to talk some sense into the troll, but Branch always shoved him away, seemingly as if he were more irate with him than anyone else, which was pretty confusing to Creek. 

Branch, of course, had ended up retreating back to his lonesome bunker, and the rest of the group set up in preparation for the lovely party. And what a party it was, it would’ve been one for the books if the attack hadn’t happened right after. Before much notice, he saw the yellow beady eyes looking down at everyone, and all he can recall is the screams of his friends and the pleas for help which were left unanswered. 

Next thing he had known, he and his buddies were stuffed into a back, shaking with fear and breathing hard, their fate unknown. He remembers not reacting as strongly as his friends had back then. Really, he remembered only thinking of how to relax everyone and for them to have an open and clear mind. How come he hadn’t really processed how awful the situation had been?

Whatever hope he had given his companions started to dwindle the more time went on, especially when everyone had been thrown into a cage, a bergen staring down at them. Even in that situation, Creek had been adamant on everyone remaining calm, and that help would be there soon. He didn’t know if he was even being honest with himself at that moment, he already knew how hopeless the situation had been. And the problem only cemented itself when he was grabbed to be eaten by the Bergens king. 

The moment was instant, he remembered his friends shouting and crying out his name and it all became muffled as the world around him darkened. Originally he had thought he had shut his eyes only to realize he was inside the king's mouth. He was terrified, for the first time in his life, and he could do nothing but accept his fate. Only.. the king’s mouth didn’t do anything. He hadn’t chewed, or swallowed, and it left Creek puzzled.

He still had time! He let out a deep inhale before using all of his core strength to push against the walls of the mouth, letting out a guttural scream until he found himself falling out of it, being met with the two bergens, and the fear kicking back into gear. What was the plan at that point? They were skyscrapers compared to him, running was out of the question. All he could do in that moment was beg for his life, pleading mercy and willing to do anything to be granted such. 

It seemed to have been a running thing through his life, the will to do anything he could in order to get what he wanted. In this case, that was making out of this alive. 

And so, he had made a deal to spare pop village and everyone in exchange to live. He truly wished it didn’t have to be that way, not when he has achieved such a strong bond with the others, but he didn’t have any other choice in the matter, so he reluctantly agreed. The next time he had seen everyone, they were all ecstatic to see that he was still alive, and he couldn’t help but smile despite the circumstances. It was short-lived however, when his eyes traveled to Branch, who seemed shocked and… annoyed that Creek was there. 

Really? Even after everything he was still acting like that? Before he had known it, Branch was exclaiming Creeks’ betrayal, his hair wrapping around Creeks neck harshly, cutting off his circulation to breathe. Relief overflooded him when Poppy had pushed Branch back and tried to talk reason into him. When everyone turned over to him however, he wasn’t quite sure of what to say. 

He… didn’t want to lie so he told them the truth of his betrayal, but it was for good reason. He hadn’t been able to get another word in before Poppy was doing the exact same assault Branch was previously. That was expected from Branch, but from HER? His heart was shattering, wondering where his Poppy had gone. She would never have acted like this towards him before, this must’ve been all his doing. He must’ve been changing her.

Why?

Why was she acting like that towards him? Surely she would’ve understood he didn’t have a choice in the matter, he would die otherwise! He insisted that the other trolls would’ve done what he had to if they were placed in his situation. When Branch had resisted her, Creek’s head felt like it was going to blow when he saw him holding onto Poppy like that. What the hell gives, exactly? It wasn’t like this until only now, and it confused the hell out of him. 

If anything, HE should’ve been the one to be angry in this situation. None of them had done anything to save him from his supposed doom, they all thought he was dead, after all. And, while he may not have enjoyed having to betray pop village, he felt a bit of sadistic glee when it involved Branch being part of the equation, especially now. After all, he made all of his friends hate him, telling them things behind his back. Things that showed Creek was the villain in the scenario, which he couldn’t help feel were ridiculous. SURELY they all would’ve done the same in this scenario, right? Right? Branch would’ve, definitely! He didn’t like ANY of them until only recently, apparently. 

The thought of it all made his head spin, he hated it. He hated him. None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for that fucker. Creek could’ve calmed his friends down about the betrayal if not for HIS outburst. He wouldn’t have already been rooted against if not for Branch, his friends would’ve believed him, surely. Maybe… maybe this all was for the best! Yeah, yeah that’s it! At least in this way, Creek could properly punish Branch for all he believed was his fault, and maybe, just maybe, he could change Branch to their side once and for all, a feat Poppy wasn’t able to achieve so he would do it for her instead. Then… everything would return to normal. 

He had hoped at least that everything would return to normal.

Creek ended up returning to Pop village and doing what had to be done, which he felt sorrow for, at least that’s what he showed. It wasn’t really known how he was feeling about it all, but he did pity them all for being so weak and powerless in the situation. 

Some time later he finds that plans went south, and he was rolling out of the bergens kingdom with their chef, who was on fire. It was yet another moment of blink fast and you’d miss it. That was also the moment he realized that he didn’t need to betray them at all and everyone was still alive, which gave him momentary happiness, only for it to dwindle at the fact that everyone was leaving him to die. All he could do at that point was to scream along with the other bergen until the fire was put out and she was dead. Except that’s not exactly what happened. For some reason, the fire hadn’t killed her, which was a bit of a shock to him. It might’ve been due to the rough and thick skin of the bergens, but he wasn’t entirely sure. Regardless, since she was out of it from the pain, he thought he could maybe make an escape.

That was until he felt her cold and bony hand grab him, preparing to finish the job and eat him herself. God, he was just going to die no matter what he did, huh? How was any of it fair at all? 

The moment was thankfully short-lived, or at least so he thought, as he felt both of them falling down into a pit. The bergen had died almost instantaneously, sinking down into the stomach acid of the creature that had swallowed them both. He had more time to react than her about it, his small stature having him fall down at a slower pace. With quick thinking he gathered his hair strength to break out, but he still gained acid burns from being in there already. He screamt from the pain but was desperate to get out, to live.

He eventually had made it out of the monster's pit, gasping heavily as he had access to basic air once more, thanking whatever entity above him that was giving him a second chance at life. The troll had focused on tending to his wounds, letting out a hiss of agony at every touch, but it needed to be done. Once he had finally had a chance to think properly once more after his second near-death experience, it washed down on him like a dam. 

None of them cared if he died, hell, it seemed as if nobody even realized he was gone. What could he do from here? He certainly couldn’t have returned to pop village, at least not right now. If they were willing to give him up to a bergen, then they’d likely execute him on the spot for his ‘crimes’. All he could do right now was prepare for his eventual return, knowing that whenever that may have been, there was no going back to the way things used to be. His relationship with them all had been completely severed, and the way he could feel about things felt more warped than ever. 

In the months and the year it took until he returned, he practiced learning basic expressions, reacting to things suddenly and unreasonably to see their effect on others. How to truly react to things became null to him ever since that day, and it was a struggle to come across as normal afterwards. Nevertheless, he persisted, adamant on changing people's minds on him, and getting them to love him once more. 

As expected, his return was at first unwelcomed, him being met with Branch yet again, who was right at Poppy’s side. He couldn’t help but scoff mentally at the fact he was replaced with THIS troll of all things, but he kept his calm and cool stature, claiming guilt and being apologetic to everyone, even though he still didn’t really believe he did anything wrong. It was a stressful situation after all, still, he let them know he was willing to repent for everything and do whatever it takes to gain back everyone’s trust once more. Branch’s face during that moment couldn’t help but creep into Creek’s mind, remembering its vile expression clearly. 

For the most part, everything had been calm. He worked hard and dutifully, really gaining back his place back into the village. It was going according to his plan beside the.. Setbacks. For some reason, anytime he saw Branch, there was the unbridled and raw rage that built inside of him. Sure, he could just stay away from where Branch is, but it’s not that easy unfortunately. Not when he’s constantly walking behind Poppy like a mutt. That is also not to mention Branch had recently reunited with his family members, his brothers. 

Oh great, there’s more of them multiplying. They’re like amoeba. Disgusting, filthy amoeba. 

It seemed that no matter what Creek did, he was always met with Branch’s face in one way or another. Sometimes it got so bad that he lost sleep due to it. He’s also had violent spells on his lonesome just thinking about it all, punching at walls and ripping out his hair just to do something about the thing he had no control of. That was getting pretty old though, and he decided if he couldn’t get away from Branch, he should work on ways of getting rid of him. 

There was one brother that Creek didn’t seem to mind, whose name was Floyd. Floyd was the second youngest brother, according to Branch, and was also quite the apathetic being. Creek never intended getting close or even talking to him, but one thing led to another and it turned out that they could connect pretty well. Floyd would always check up on him, and even started doing yoga, which made Creek overjoyed. Nothing else was expected of their partnership, that is until he had noticed how uncomfortable it had made Branch. Not only that, but Poppy even talked to Branch about how nothing could be done because Creek wasn’t hurting anyone. The comment of her not liking him either stung, but was quickly wiped once he realized what this could mean for him. 

This was it. THIS was how he could fix his issue with Branch, it all made sense! Creek hated seeing Branch happy, and that must be where all of the rage came from! If Branch were in ruins however, then Creek could return back to normal, even feeling a bit of joy from it. His friendship with Floyd was enough to unsettle Branch, so why not take it a step further? He could start flirting with him, taking him out on dates, hell, maybe one day he could even ask for his hand in marriage. Oh, Creek bet that would kill Branch. The thoughts in his head raced with ideas for what he could plan with Floyd, and it made him positively giddy.

If only he had known what this all would’ve done to him, then maybe he would’ve rethought everything.

[persevereforahappyending]

This isn't Your Fault (Introductions)

Pairing: Tara Carpenter x Reader

Summary: “Mindy!” Tara screeched when the other girl ran off to grab the taser. When she came back, she at least looked apologetic as she handed Sam the taser. “Sam,” Tara said again.

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3.6k

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

You made your way through the streets of New York, your earbuds in as you weaved in and out of the crowds. You had just gotten off the subway and were now walking to Tara’s apartment. It had been a few weeks since the Ghostface attack and you were healed up enough to be ready to officially meet Sam and the others. You had gotten your cast off a few days ago and were now set to wear a brace for a few more weeks.

Tara had barely left your side once you got discharged from the hospital. She went home with you and practically moved in for the last few weeks. The only time she wasn’t with you was when she had class and she had actually gotten out of going to class the first week but then no one would accept her excuses anymore. You hadn’t returned to class yet, you were set to return soon though but until then your professors had been understanding and since most of your assignments were online you were still able to do them and most of your classes had a friend in them who just took notes for you and the ones that didn’t have friends, your professors were kind enough to email you the important information.

Besides going back to the hospital for a checkup on your injuries, this was the first time you had been out of your house, not that you were complaining. You were enjoying the free time, even though you still couldn’t do big movements without being in pain, and you had to sleep sitting up slightly because of your ribs.

Tara had been reluctant to leave your side again today, but it seemed she was more nervous about you coming over, so she left you in the morning to go home and make sure everything went smoothly. You weren’t sure what needed to be prepared, you were just going over for dinner and as far as you knew they were just ordering pizza. Based on hundreds of texts you had been getting though it was clear Tara was panicking over you officially meeting Sam, with some panicking over your wellbeing sprinkled in. She’d send a text assuring you Sam wouldn’t be mean and then another asking to make sure you took your pain meds.

The podcast you were listening to was just finishing up as you made it to the front of the apartment. You stared up at the tall building, you began bouncing your leg, realizing you were about to officially meet Sam. You had been comforting Tara and telling her not to be nervous and now here you were, shaky legs and sweaty hands at the idea of walking up the few steps and opening the door to officially step inside the apartment building. You gave your shoulders a good shake before quickly running up the steps and flinging the door open. You had nothing to be afraid of, you knew that Tara was going to be there and most likely holding your hand the entire time and Anika was also going to be there.

You made your way up all the stairs. You totally understood why Sam wanted an apartment on the top floor, but you were not a fan of stairs. When you finally reached the top floor, you slipped out your earbuds and put them in your pocket. You took a deep breath before raising your hand and giving the door three soft knocks. A few seconds later there was the sound of a scuffle on the other side of the door and what sounded like someone lightly running into the door.

“Behave!” Tara whisper shouted. You couldn’t help but silently chuckle. “No, Mindy!” came again. “Sit!” you continued to laugh as you pulled out your phone, shooting Tara a text saying you could hear everything. “Shit,” came a quiet whisper that told you Tara was the one standing right on the other side of the door.

The door was quickly ripped open and standing before you was Tara, smiling brightly. “Hi!” she said a little to cheerfully.

“Hey,” you said, staring at her as you tried to contain your laughter.

You stood there staring at her as she used her body to block the inside of the apartment. You raised your eyebrows, but she didn’t seem to take the hint that she needed to move for you to enter. “Yo, you gonna let her in or what?” came Chads voice.

“Shut up!” Tara snapped, turning around to glare at Chad. When she turned back to you, she quietly stepped aside, trying to hide her blush.

You quietly giggled as you stepped into the apartment. Before you could take in the entirety of the apartment and even before Tara could close the door you were hit with an abrupt force causing you to stumble back. You let out a groan of pain as you felt arms wrap around your neck.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Anika mumbled into your shoulder.

“Gentle, gentle,” you said, moving your body back slightly.

“Oh my god!” Anika cried, quickly letting go of you. “Did I hurt you? I thought you were healed. Did I hurt you? I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“I’m good,” you assured her. “It just takes a while for ribs to heal, they’re still a bit sensitive.”

“I’m so sorry! Let me make it up to you,” her eyes darted around the room as if she was looking for something to give you. “Oh! I can do our final audio project!”

“No!” you quickly shouted, holding up your hands. “Please, anything but that.” You looked at her with wide eyes. “I have a hundred in that class and would like to keep it. You can put your name on the project and present though.”

Anika’s arms fell as she began to pout. “Fine,” she crossed her arms over her chest. “I still want to make it up to you. Let me buy you a soundtrack!”

You rolled your eyes, letting you a soft sigh. “Fine, we can go to the record store tomorrow.”

“I thought we were hanging out tomorrow,” Tara pouted.

“I figured you were coming with,” you said, turning towards your girlfriend.

“Good,” she smiled and then quickly intertwined her hand with yours.

“You have a record player?” Mindy asked. She was standing across the room with her arms crossed but she seemed genuinely surprised, and her eyes were wide with curiosity.

“Yeah,” you said shyly. “You just get a better sound.”

“That’s cool,” Mindy nodded, uncrossing her arms. “Mind if I tag along?”

“Sure.”

“Yay!” Anika said, clapping her hands. “It can be like a double date!”

Chad gasped in offense, raising his arms as everyone turned to look at him. “You can come too,” Anika said.

“Yeah, be the fifth wheel,” Mindy said. “Might as well get used to it.”

Chad crossed his arms, clenching his jaw as he glared at his sister.

“Oh, Sam!” Anika said, spinning around to face the only person who had yet to speak. “Why don’t you come to? We can make it a bonding experience!”

Sam looked at Anika with a blank face. You were still waking up when Sam had been at the hospital and you had only seen her from a distance so you weren’t sure what her reaction would be, you couldn’t tell if this was her happy face, her angry face, or just her face.

“How about we see how dinner goes first,” Sam said, smiling at Anika before turning back to you and Tara with narrowed eyes.

“Sam,” Tara warned, gripping your hand just a bit tighter.

She slowly walked up to the two of you, the others subtly clearing a path. She stopped in front of you, arms crossed, and eyes narrowed. You couldn’t help but gulp, you stared straight back into Sam’s eyes. You were trying to portray strength and confidence, even though you were sure that was most definitely not what was coming across to Sam.

“Mindy,” Sam said calmly. “Hand me the taser on the counter.”

Your eyes widened but you didn’t break your stare from Sam’s, not because you were confident, no, now you were afraid to look away. You would have backed away but there wasn’t anywhere to go with Tara gripping your hand and the wall right behind you.

“Mindy!” Tara screeched when the other girl ran off to grab the taser. When she came back, she at least looked apologetic as she handed Sam the taser. “Sam,” Tara said again.

Sam played with the small taser in her hands. She held the taser in front of your face as she clicked the button, making the apartment fill with the loud crackling sound. You couldn’t help but flinch, squeezing Tara’s hand in the process.

“Here you go,” Sam said, holding out the taser to you with a soft smile.

Everyone in the apartment remained frozen. You slowly let go of Tara’s hand to grab the taser. “Thanks,” you said hesitantly as you looked down at the taser before slipping it into your pocket.

“I assume you know how to use it considering you put up a decent fight against Ghostface,” Sam explained, scratching the back of her neck. “This is just an extra form of protection. It’s also a thank you for protecting my sister.”

“My pleasure,” you said softly, your body instantly relaxing. “Thank you.”

“I’m Sam, Tara’s older sister,” Sam introduced herself, holding out her hand.

“Y/N,” you took Sam’s hand, giving it a good shake. “Tara’s secret girlfriend.” At that everyone let out the breath they had been holding in and lightly chuckled.

“Oh, I expect to hear all about that.” Sam flicked a glare towards her sister “Over pizza, come on.” She nodded and made her way back into the dining room.

As everyone turned to follow her, you let out a relieved breath before looking at Tara. Tara was still staring forward at the now empty space; you gave her hand a light squeeze. Tara looked back at you with a small smile. She returned your hand squeeze before leading you into the dining room. You saw the gang left two chairs next to each other empty for you and Tara. When the two of you took your seats, Tara scooched her chair just a bit closer so even though she couldn’t hold your hand your knees were touching.

“So, I have to ask,” Chad said after a few minutes, a mouth full of pizza. “Where did you learn to fight?”

You chuckled. “I wouldn’t call what I did fighting,” you answered, making sure to swallow your food first.

“Come on!” he threw his head back. “You were on the phone with,” he gestured towards Tara. “And you still managed to hear Ghostface and fight him off for as long as you did.”

You shrugged. “I don’t know, I watch a lot of Criminal Minds?” you played with the crust of your pizza. “And true crime. I guess I just always wonder how those people don’t see someone standing right there behind them or right outside their window and it made me more aware of my surroundings.”

Chad nodded along, taking in everything you were saying as he shoved more pizza into his mouth. “And I’ve seen Tangled,” you added. “I know exactly how good of a weapon a frying pan can be.”

“Do you play baseball?” Mindy asked.

“No,” you said, wrinkling your nose in disgust at the idea of playing sports.

“Why’d you have a bat?”

“In case someone ever broke in,” you said as if it was obvious.

Everyone continued to chat and finish off the pizza. You weren’t sure how many pieces Chad downed; you wouldn’t be surprised if he ate one pizza all by himself. You were no longer questioning why Sam bought two large pizzas, bread sticks, and cheesy bread.

You tapped your phone, looking at the time, you let out a sigh seeing how late it was. “I should head out,” you said. Tara turned to you pouting. “I’d rather not walk home alone to late.” Tara continued to pout. “Weren’t you the one complaining earlier when I said I was taking the subway even though it was daylight?” Tara grumbled something incoherent before crossing her arms.

“You can stay here,” Sam said, making everyone snap their heads in her direction.

“Really?” you asked. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t want you having to walk home alone when it’s this late.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“As long as it’s okay with your parents at least,” Sam added. “I’m surprised your mom let you leave the house alone after what happened.”

“That’s because they’re still out of town,” Tara said.

“Really?” Mindy asked. “They didn’t fly home the second they heard their daughter was attacked?” you could hear the bit of curiosity in her voice but mostly judgement.

Anika was distracted playing with her phone, not even looking up as she said, “That’s because they don’t know.” She let out a small laugh until she realized what she said. She slowly put down her phone and looked at you to see you already glaring at her. You reached over whacking her on the arm.

“They don’t know?” Tara whipped her head towards you with an accusatory glare.

You cleared your throat, opening and closing your mouth a few times as you tried to come up with an excuse. “I didn’t want her to worry,” you finally said.

“How did you keep this from your mom? Why did she think the security alarm was triggered so late?” Tara was gesturing wildly, shaking the table with each movement.

“I told her you fell out of the tree,” you said quietly, refusing to meet Tara’s gaze. “Again.”

Tara gasped. “And she believed you?” you glanced at her, seeing her hold a hand to her heart.

“I mean…” you shrugged. “Can you blame her?”

“It happened once!”

“Twice!”

“That’s not the point!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Chad said, waving his arms. “You fell out of a tree?” he asked Tara, trying to contain his laughter.

“I miss judged the distance from the branch to her window,” is all Tara said.

“And that’s how she met my mom,” you added.

Everyone broke out into a laugh after that. “Whatever,” Tara grumbled. “She loves me now.”

You shook your head laughing at her. You reached down, grabbing her hand and bringing it towards your mouth to give her fingers a quick kiss. The gesture made Tara’s cheeks turn red and though she tried to duck her head out of sight from everyone you could see the small smile on her face.

Everyone talked for a bit longer, getting to know each other a bit more. You heard stories about Tara growing up in Woodsboro and what she was like. You heard all about Chad’s football career and how he got the scholarship he did. Sam didn’t say much, she added small bits here and there when the topic had to do with Tara’s childhood but otherwise sat there silently, smiling, and laughing along with everyone else. Eventually it got late though, and the twins and Anika made their way home, denying Sam’s offer to spend the night as well.

“We’ll see you tomorrow for the record store,” Anika said, pulling you into a much more gentle hug than the one she had greeted you with.

“And we we’ll be by for breakfast before,” Chad added, looking at Sam with puppy dog eyes.

Sam rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said but nodded.

After the others left Tara led you to her room and began getting ready for bed. She was already under the covers as you slipped in right beside her. Tara took the extra pillows on her bed and helped place them so you could lay partially sitting up. Tara had an arm draped around your waist, snuggling as close to you as she could get, she was about to close her eyes when the door to her room creaked open. Tara propped herself up and you turned to see Sam standing in the doorway.

“Keep the door open,” Sam said. She narrowed her eyes, giving Tara a knowing look before walking off towards her room.

“She’s still injured Sam!” Tara said before dropping her head back down onto the mattress, grumbling about how Sam never lets her get away with anything as she snuggled back into your side.

You just smiled, shaking your head at seeing the sisters interact in person. You shifted, wiggling your body down until you were laying as much as you could without causing your ribs to much pain. The bruising was mostly gone but it still hurt to lay on your stomach or either side.

It felt like you had just closed your eyes before they snapped wide open. Your breathing heavy, you could feel your heart racing as you looked around the unfamiliar room until you felt something graze against your leg. You looked down, instantly relaxing at seeing Tara still sound asleep at your side. You closed your eyes, taking a few deep breaths, you were at Tara’s apartment, you had spent the night, you were safe.

You rubbed your eyes realizing you couldn’t just go back to sleep. You quietly slipped out of the bed, gently lifting Tara’s arm off of you. You waited a second, watching to make sure Tara didn’t wake up before tiptoeing out of her room and making your way into the family room. You glanced around at the dark apartment, catching sight of a clock, it was three in the morning. You sighed before easing yourself down on the couch.

You were sitting there quietly in the dark staring at the empty wall before you when there was a small click and a light flicked on. You flinched, nearly jumping to your feet as you turned your whole body towards the sound.

“Sorry,” Sam whispered, stepping further into the family room.

“Sorry,” you croaked out, starting to stand up. “I didn’t mean to-”

“You’re fine,” Sam said softly, raising her hand for you to sit back down. You slowly lowered yourself back down as Sam made her way over, sitting in the chair across from the couch. “Are you okay?”

You nodded. “It’s just hard to get comfortable sometimes. Though the pain is mostly gone it’s still there a bit,” you said when you had calmed down enough. “The pain meds they gave me are meant to help me sleep but they kind of do the opposite,” you chuckled but it quickly fell flat.

The two of you sat there in silence for a moment. You stared down at your feet while Sam kept her eyes on you. The only light illuminating the room was the small one Sam flicked on when she entered.

“Nightmares?” Sam asked softly.

You nodded, refusing to lift your head and look at her. “I can usually sleep through the night when Tara’s there,” you whispered. “Most of the time at least.”

“Hey,” Sam said softly, making you finally look up at her, seeing her eyes held the same softness. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You went through something terrible. We’ve all been through it. We definitely get it.” You nodded. “Have you talked to Tara about this at all?”

You shook your head. “I don’t want to burden her; she’s got enough to worry about.”

“She loves you. It wouldn’t be a burden to her.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Is it a burden to you when she talks about her problems? Or when she wakes up from a nightmare?”

“Of course not.” Sam raised her eyebrows but didn’t lose her softness. You let out a defeated sigh. “Yeah okay.”

“Talk to her,” she said before standing up. “When you’re ready to of course. You should also call your mom.”

You let out a small chuckle, rolling your eyes but nodded none the less.

“And…” she glanced around the room like she wasn’t used to this type of conversation. “I’m here to if you want to talk. If you’re comfortable of course.”

“Thank you,” you whispered. “You’re a great sister, Tara’s lucky to have you.”

Sam cleared her throat, trying to hide her blush, she was just like Tara in that way. “You should try and get some sleep, who knows where Anika will try and drag us after the record store.”

You nodded, pushing yourself back to your feet. You definitely knew how Anika got when she was out shopping and with everyone going you had no idea how long the trip to the record store would actually be. There were times you went out with Anika with the intent to go to one store and you ended up on the other side of the city hours later.

Sam flicked off the light and the two of you made your way back to bed. Sam gave you a small nod before she entered her room, gently closing the door behind her. You pushed Tara’s door open, still seeing her sound asleep. You pushed the door closed, leaving it a few inches open like Sam had requested before quietly slipping back under the covers.

You tried to be as subtle as possible to not disturb Tara. As soon as you were situated again, Tara curled into your side, wrapping her arm around your waist. You wrapped your arm around her as best as you could, pulling her closer into your side before closing your eyes and quickly drifting back off to sleep.

Taglist: @lilbitdepressed27 @fanboy7794 @noooodlessstuff @tatumrileyslover @alexkolax @canvascoloredin @xxxtwilightaxelxxx @youralphawolf72

[remember-the-fanfics]

hello could you Gen z Overlord meeting Charlie and Vaggie for the first time when they go to their territory while they were working and they were friendly and excited at the idea of Charlie's redemption, basically releasing their wings happily💕💕💕🫧

It was a busy day for (Y/n), they had only got a handful of hours of sleep after having to fight off a whole gang of idiots. The group did damage alot of property while they were here so today was all about fixing the damage and help anyone that needed help.

"Mx Overlord, um someone is looking for you." Said a newly acquainted soul, they seemed to still be waiting for (Y/n) to tear their soul apart at any given moment. The sinner would get use to (Y/n) sooner or later, so (Y/n) wasn't worried.

"Can you tell them I'm busy at the moment?" (Y/n) said holding a board up high for someone else to screw into place, using their wings to their advantage.

"I-I did! But they are very insistent on meeting with you, also one of them is the Princess of Hell." The soul explained,(Y/n) almost dropped the board they were holding, catching it quickly enough so it wouldn't fall on anyone.

"Oh! Sorry but I didn't know Hell had a monarch, just tell them I'll finish up what I'm doing and find them." Said (Y/n).

"Okay!"

-

"Maybe I should have asked what they look like..." said (Y/n) having no clue on who they were looking for, they would be flying if they did so walking was needed incase of running into whoever, luckily (Y/n) soon got stopped by a couple of people.

"Hey, I'm so sorry but do you know where we could find (Y/n)? They're the Overlord of this area." Asked the taller blonde with rosey cheeks and red eyes.

"Are you the ones who wanted to meet with me?"

"You're the Overlord of this territory?"

"Yeah, usually people would say-."

"But you're so young!"

"Like that." Said (Y/n), looking at the Princess of Hell. "But anyway, why did you come here?"

"Well, we noticed that you actually care for the sinners that you have under contract-."

"So we thought you wouldn't mind helping our project to get to sinners to Heaven!" Finished the Blonde. "But introductions first, I'm Charlie Morningstar and this is my girlfriend Vaggie." Said Charlie.

"Well you already know my name but anyways I'm (Y/n) and that's definitely an interesting project, you have." Said (Y/n), thinking about it. "Why don't we talk about at my office? That would probably be more professional, I think."

"Alright! I haven't actually got this far before, everyone usually laughs or tells me to leave." Said Charlie, happy that someone want to listen about it.

"Before we go, how old are you? You seem to young to be an Overlord." Said Vaggie, you looked to young to even be in Hell.

"Well I turned 18 alittle bit before I died so I'm always going look young... if only all those beauty companies knew that." Said (Y/n), snickering to themself at the last part, walking towards where their office/home is.

"18?" Said Charlie, shocked that you were sent to Hell at a young age then quickly turned to rage about it. "Why would Heaven do that to a kid?" (Y/n) looked back to see her anger and Vaggies effort of trying to calm her.

"Look, Charlie. I've made my peace being down here and now I'm making a difference in people's life for the good. It's fine." They told her. "And I'm not a kid, I was technically an adult when I died." They said lighting the mood.

"You're right." Said Charlie taking a deep breath. "Lead the way."

-

"Oh thank goodness, I thought when you said get a sinner in Heaven it would be more of a fight the angels situation." Said (Y/n) before their wings fluffing up in excitement. "But this is so much awesome and peaceful! Who doesn't love trying to stick it to the man in a nonviolent way?!"

"Right?!" Said Charlie. "I just want to handle the overpopulation in a not killing my people way."

"But we don't have an proof or a guest at the moment so we would understand if you said no." Said Vaggie, looking (Y/n) in their eyes, who looked way to excited with their wings.

"I love rooting for the underdogs!" said (Y/n) before calming down and thinking about it."I would need a room when I visit, I'm willing to help fix up this hotel so it would be in better condition."

"We would need you not to do any of your soul contracts at the hotel." Said Vaggie.

"Of course, it would defeat the purpose of the hotel and it would be rude for me to do." Said (Y/n). "I would need to get everything set up for me to be at the hotel often so I'll be there in a day or so."

"Is that a yes?!" Said Charlie, leaning close to (Y/n).

"It's a yes, I would love to help you with your project."

[koipaper]

taps u on shoulder anxiously … UFJEKEJE yan!claire x fem!reader (x yan!engel if polyamory is okay). please ,,,, starts shaking in my boots and collapses to the ground

YANDERE CLAIRE + ENGEL TEAM UP

Paring: Yandere! Claire + Yandere! Engel x Beloved (Yours/Your/Yourself)

Fandom: Fundamental Paper Education

Trigger warinings: Yandere Behavior, Overprotective Behavior, Manipulation, OOC(?), Sacrificing mentioned, Isolation, Mc almost dies, Lana and Abbie's deaths mentioned, Not canon way to survive the day if your getting chased by the teachers, bruises and cuts.

A/N: i'm sorry, i do not do gendered readers :(. I can however make this Gender-neutral! I'm sorry if this seems bad, I had trouble with these two. (sorry if board is wonky on pc, it won't let me fix it)

‣ Honestly, I can see this happening with both Claire and Engel. The wiki states that they're both best friends, and they seem to be pretty close. So they would work great as a team up. ‣ This is after Claire comes to the school (And fortunately, doesn't fall to the hands of both the teachers and Alice.) After you do your introduction to your classmates, Miss Circle assigns your seat next to Claire and her group. ‣ Claire is the first to greet you, introducing herself and saying that she is a new student like you! She hopes you both can get along! After her introduction, she points to Engel, who smiles and waves at you. Claire states that if you have any problems with other students such as Oliver and his crew, or maybe work, just come to him. ‣ The introduction was cut short by the sound of Miss Circle tapping her pencil like hands on the chalk board, signifying that the lessons about to start and the room needs to keep quiet.

‣ Since you were pretty new, you had no idea what the lesson was about nor how far in the unit everyone else is. But don't worry! Claire and Engel are there to help you! The day goes by quickly for your first day, and you had fun with your new friends!

‣ Before you left home, Engel and Claire offer you their numbers, which you gladly accept. And that's how you got involved with the pair!

‣ At first, everything was going good. Everyday you'd hang out with Engel and Claire, telling them stories about things that has happened to you (Some weird, some funny, and some diabolical). They soaked up every bit of it, they loved hearing you ramble about the things you patinate about! It was endearing to see you so happy about something small... ‣ But then, they started acting strange after a few months... ‣ I feel like even though they aren't completely the same, they would share similar traits of yandere behavior. ‣ Claire in my works would be a Cunning, Obsessive, Manipulative, Stubborn, and Clingy yandere, While Engel would be a Selfless, Possessive, Manipulative, Cunning, and Sacrificing yandere. ‣ Claire is a hard working student as we saw, but can sometimes lose her cool if she's pushed hard enough. For example, maybe if you became friends with another student, she tells you not to hang around them anymore because she feels slightly off about them, and you continue? She would manipulate you. You might get hurt hanging around them! Why won't you listen to her?! All she wants is for you to be safe and you're disagreeing?? ‣ Come to Engel about Claire's behavior, he will shut you down and tell you she's 100% right. You don't need your new 'friend' anyway, you got him and Claire to keep you company, don't you? Stop whining about something silly! It should be obvious why they act this way! They only want what's best for you.

‣ Claire loves your company, especially if you go on cute little rambles about things you love. Her gaze softens and goes all mushy and lovey-dovey. She's constantly around you 24/7, following like a magnet. Continue to tell her more, she wants to know everything about you. ‣ Engel is the same way as Claire, but he's a bit more closer then Claire. His tail wrapped around you when you sit down, a possessive arm around your shoulder when you walk the halls, you don't really question it that much, thinking this is just how he acts with anyone he's friends with. ‣ Speaking of Engel, it seems like he loves keeping his friends happy, shown when he takes Claire to the library. If there's a certain interest you have or a certain place you've told him about, well surprise! He brought you there! You being happy makes him happy, and he loves seeing that smile of yours. ‣ Both Claire and Engel try their best to keep your grades in check. They don't want you turning into what Lana and Abbie turned into that day. Claire especially doesn't want you to experience not one, but all three teachers anger if it ever came to that. Even if you were to say you're fine, she would just shake her head and continue with her help. ‣ Though with the amount of help Engel and Claire provided, it just wasn't enough. Unfortunately, you had gotten an F in Miss Thavel's test due to Oliver and his groups constant distractions. You were alone when she showed up in the hallway, anger clouded in her pinpricked eyes. No one was around, which means it was you and your wits to survive until 3 pm.

‣ Hiding in classrooms, hiding in lockers, throwing obstacles, you did it all. You were not going to die by all means possible, even if it meant destroying your stamina and bruising your body. ‣ The chase lasted for far too long, you're speed was slowing down due to lack of stamina, and the cuts and bruises made it harder to move. Where was everyone?! They're not gonna let you die like this are they? ‣ You collapsed, breathing heavily as Miss Thavel's smile grew wider, claws sharpening and raising to put you out of your misery. You were too tired to beg, to scream or shout, and just closed your eyes, tears falling down your cheeks. ‣ A yelp and a big loud "THUMP" was heard. Opening you're eyes, you see Engel who was holding down Miss Thavel, a determined look on his face. ‣ "Take them and run!" He yelled. That's when you felt your arm go around someone's shoulder, and helped you limp away from the scene. "Come on!" The voice was Claire's as she tried to help you move faster. ‣ Once in your hiding spot, Claire went ahead to check and your wounds. Thy weren't as severe, but they were still bad. She would try and treat them the best she could, fuming about you being alone. This is why they you should've never been alone! You were about to be killed! Imagine if they didn't find you in time?

‣ Don't worry, Engel is fine! He's just a bit scarred from his little stunt. It didn't matter though. As long as you're alive and healthy, he would do what he did all over again. Though the next day he sees you, he will take Claire's side on what she said. You shouldn't have wondered off. ‣ Yes their behavior gets worse after that day. Claire is more stubborn whenever you wanna you try to wonder off alone again, and Engel becomes more possessive with you. They are never away from you, and they never separate either. You're trapped between the pair, and there's nothing you could do about it.

‣ This is for you're own good, just let them do what they need to do to keep you away from harm. Besides... ‣ If you ever want to get out of this school alive, you would need their help to do it. Leaving them would be a deathwish.

[wishluc]

Fair Play

CW: Yandere character, jealousy, mentioned abuse of authority

PAIRING: Yandere! Neuvillette x GN! Reader

Sigh…I can’t get him out of my head

Whenever Neuvillette makes time to visit the Champion Duelists’ arena, it's only ever to see you fight.

He reasons with himself that it is only because of the fascinating way you weave your battles. He is far from the only spectator to these duels—not just anyone can earn a place among the Champions, after all—though he is the only one who remains silent when the crowd erupts in cheers and praise. He prefers to send his compliments privately, through a regrettably short conversation after the audience has cleared out. He thinks you might appreciate his thoughtfulness, because you always stand up a little straighter and smile a little wider when you see him approaching you, ever so bright despite the sweat painting your skin.

Anyone who has watched your duels would say the same, would sing the same praises that he calmly conveys to you—that your movements are graceful, your strokes swift and your stance sharp. That you are a marvel to behold. He observes how your eyes narrow as your sword slices the air, and he finds it a breathtaking sight. Your duels—your skillful attacks and quick steps are a form of art, one that you embody with every lunge, swing and pause, and one deserving of a revering audience.

—However, he does not tell you all this in detail, as Furina had advised him against it. He settles for simpler statements; “You are extremely talented. Thank you for using your abilities to uphold honour and justice,” among others, and he is rewarded with your eager gratitude, your smile and your joyous call of his name.

Regardless, he's not pleased with all the attention directed at you.

He could understand those who admired you and your abilities. It was only right that your hard work be recognised, even if the cheering crowd often took your attention away from him. But the way the Harbinger looked at you was with an unsettling kind of admiration, running too close to bloodlust and exhilaration, that made his fingers clench and his gaze harden unbeknownst to himself.

You respond with your usual grace, listening intently to his introduction (Neuvillette pretends it does mot bother him how you seem unbothered by his status as a Fatuus, and a Harbinger at that), and smiling at his compliments. He wonders if you’re pleased by his praise, if it’s his status that leaves you awestruck. The Harbingers must be good fighters, too, and Tartaglia had his fair share of scars to prove his prowess in battle.

Then, he asks you to duel him.

In itself, the request is not an unusual or unreasonable one. Duels could be requested (and at times commissioned), though Neuvillette was unsure if outlanders knew of this, or wished to try their hand at it.

But seeing that it was the harbinger—Tartaglia—who was asking, Neuvillette could not help but be suspicious of his intent. Even if it was only a fight he wished for, why did it have to be you, out of all the Champion Duellists? And why was he so...close? He had moved closer to you now, a lopsided grin on his face as he suggests taking him on as a partner sometime, assuring you that it would be fun. Neuvillette hopes you find his self assuredness just as irritating.

Instead, you humor his offer.

"A duel?" you look bemused, "And what for, Master Tartaglia? Your honor?"

Tartaglia laughs, his head thrown back, "Anything you want."

The teasing air of your words sends a chill down Neuvillete's spine. The skies darken as his heart thunders, misery gripping him painfully. He wonders if he ever sounded as natural with you. If his words had that same ease, or if he sounded as awkward as he felt around you. If you would ever think about treating him with such informality, like you would a friend.

The obvious fact that you did not acknowledge him as such only further glooms the sky and his heavy heart.

The Harbinger walks away, apparently done with accosting you, and you turn to catch sight of him in the distance. Your steps quicken and your smile widens as you approach Neuvillette, a spark in your eyes that he tells himself was missing before. You say his name in a delightful way, teeming with cheer, and he questions, not for the first time, if you could hear the awe in his when he had the chance to call your name. He wonders if you’d be upset by the possibility.

“You were wonderful, as always.” You glow at his words.

“But that person you were talking to,” He hesitates, “Was that a friend…?”

“No, just someone interested in a duel. Though he did seem a little intense.” You shake your head, “No, I suppose there are people like that, hungry for fighting. There is quite a thrill to it.”

“And will you?”

You shrug, contemplating your answer for a few more minutes.

“I don’t know. Somehow, I have a feeling that he’s going to find trouble soon.”

Neuvillette, in the back of his mind, recalls the sentence for treason, and conspiracy. He promptly shoves that thought to the corner, where tendrils of frustration and envy reach to carefully cocoon the unjust idea. He is the Chief Justice, and he has to remind himself of the fact—his feelings should not affect him.

But you are a Champion Duelist of the nation, one who upheld the justice he strived for in your actions. And you are at risk of being manipulated by this criminal. Would it not be cruel to allow you to stray any further?

“With an appetite like that, it’s likely. But I would advise against it for his sake.”

You chuckle at that, fixing your gloves, “It would be foolish of anyone to wreak havoc here and risk making an enemy of you, Monsieur Neuvillette.”

That was true—Wasn’t his duty to exact justice for your sake? And when you spoke of him with such admiration, how could he let you down?

For once, he thinks he may be able to put aside any concerns for justice. There would be no need to involve the public or consult the Oratrice. This was his personal sentencing, to satiate his own raging thoughts—judgement excecuted by his very hand.

all works © wishluc. do not copy, steal or repost my works on other platforms. (including translations)

[tiredsmashbros]

Memories : part one

2k words ; tsb fanfic

the battle was intense. that's all smg4 could think about. chest tightens while engulfed in fear as he dodges the attacks of a giant mallet aiming at him. barely escaping the impact by an inch. the mallet belonging to non other than the person who has been impacting smg4's life into a spiral of endless stress. the suspicious behavior pattern, lack of consideration of others, unrealistic cartoon language and logic, and even his mysterious background are what made smg4 legs shake. yet the fellow still showed acts of kindness, thoughtfulness, a sense of genuine... nothing made sense! what's worse, smg4 never expected anything weird coming from this guy from their first introduction, he genuinely was quite excited for a new friend who seemed so silly, and intrigued by the memes he shared. yet... here he was now. fighting what felt like for his life. he didn't know what to do but be on the defensive side as he grew tired and weak. doing his best to sustain stamina as the yellow, blue maniac wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"stop this man! this isn't like you!" smg3 shouted, in the hope of verbally knocking some sense into the propeller-wearing individual, despite already countless efforts beforehand. striking a punch on tsb's face, losing his grip on his mallet.

"you don't know him." the body of tsb responded, his voice giving an unusual echo, eyes narrowed exposing his brown iris, accompanied by an uncanny smile that spread across his face. letting out a childish chuckle, tsb pulls his head back and strikes onto smg3 with a head-butt move. receiving a pained groan in response to the quick attack. smg4 rushed over to aid smg3 from falling over, standing beside his guardian partner, yearning to protect him but fueled with caution of the maniac man in front of them.

"let's try our meme powers again!" smg4 suggested to smg3, catching his breath in between.

"that method is futile." tsb spoke, almost monotone, his head dripping from the side of his shoulder, "you are too tired. you don't have enough energy to input something effective." he added.

smg3 clicked his tongue, eyes filled with anger yet with a touch of sorrow. seeing tsb talk and act this way made smg3 feel uneasy. something felt off by the way he spoke and the usage of vocabulary. his mind clouded with memories, being reminded of the silly obnoxious man that would bounce out of nowhere, someone he'd spent having long talks of comfort, a bro to always be there to help... to now him aiming to beat him down till he couldn't stand on either foot. "he's right," smg3 softly spoke, "nothing we do will work. we can't beat him..." smg3 added in a defeated tone.

"finally that's progress into your head!" tsb exclaimed, adding in a child-like giggling, giving the two guardians chills down their spines. till suddenly a lightbulb sparked inside smg4.

"wait that's it!" smg4 said. "into your head!"

"what in the hell are you-" smg3 spoke, but he was interrupted by his hand being pulled away by his blue counterpart.

puzzled yet intrigued, tsb grins and starts the chase after the smg's. staying somewhat close behind, but far enough to make the chase more of a game instead. dragging his body unnaturally on purpose.

smg3 got a hold of his stance, running behind smg4 but flustered by the sudden hand grab turned into holding. "b-baka! w-where are we-"

"while i was locked up by tsb and by that weird pink sand time guy," smg4 interjected, "right before you guys found me i was starting my escape when i accidentally stumbled upon watching him put a weird helmet device onto tsb's head." the two running out of the dark void they were formally at, to a slim hallway of the same black stardust material on the walls, floor, and ceiling. "and that is relevant how?" smg3 queried, puzzled, taking a mental note of tsb following them behind. yet tsb wasn't close enough to listen to the smg's conversation.

"that helmet device is the key! i overheard that sand guy its used to go into memories of mortals!"

"so why did he put one on tsb? to manipulate and control him or some shit?"

"m-maybe? i don't know yet! but it's our ticket to hopefully stopping this rampage of his before that cartoon legit kills us! you're close with him, maybe you can try punching his chaotic shit out of his mind?" smg4 quizzed.

"pfftha! that i can do!" smg3 cheered, a smirk blooming across his face. becoming aware of the possibility of potentially saving his friend who may be mind-controlled, it just made sense! the tsb he knew would never act this strange or dangerous. an observation thought the purple guardian kept to himself, fully aware of what his partner may have opinionated if spoken aloud. smg3 may love his guardian partner, but he knows for a fact from the small crescent of his emo heart who tsb truly is as an individual. even if smg3 lacks personal background and proof to support his belief, he would curse smg4's name for believing it. he only hopes that one day smg4 could realize for himself, how wrong he is about the silly looney toon. only time could tell as smg4 continued to lead them to what seemed like an endless dream space. seeing the same black void tingled confusion in his mind, it felt like an illusion even seeing the same thing repeatedly. his eyes giving a sense of lost in reality.

finally, smg4 jerked into an open room of an iron door, a space surrounded by chalkboards, paper, technology equipment, and science shenanigans smg3 took note of. smg4 immediately began searching for one of the helmet devices he mentioned, successfully within seconds smg4 found it and held it high in accomplishment. it was shaped and looked like a thick, solid helmet made for riding bicycles, painted all white accompanied by a red, yellow, and blue stripe down the center of the headwear. immediately, smg4 began searching for a second one to complete the mind transaction process. just as he does, tsb creepily walks in announcing his entrance, "back by popular demand...ME!" the 'me' delivered in an almost demonic-like vocal expression.

smg3 let out a small cry in surprise, retreating to smg4's side, praying now that smg4 was right about this plan. "alright 3, you grab ahold of him as best you can in a still position so i can input this on top of his stupid head!" smg4 ordered, moving to the side cautiously eyeing tsb.

smg3 nodded, "got it." he spoke not as enthusiastic as before, as he began to mentally prepare to hold that crazy cartoon maniac down after already a long fighting session as his life seriously depended on it. he prepped his stance, knees bent down at a 90-degree angle, spreading his legs for a wider range. "come on now then, big boy! show daddy how much you love him!" smg3 shouted, fanning his hands as a motion to invite tsb to come at him.

tsb manically laughed, full sprinting and pouncing at smg3 letting out a fnaf 2 foxy jumpscare scream. immediately the two began wrestling hitting and smacking down tables and chairs that flooded the room, papers flying above as cords being detached were heard. smg3 attempts to land punches to only then be received with a bite on his arm instead. smg3 bit his lip in an attempt to hold in his screams of pain and instead used it as the perfect opportunity to flip their positions with smg3 now on top of him. pressing his arm further back into tsb's mouth to stabilize him with his head in an upward locked position, despite the bottom half of his body being twisted the other way due to his unnatural body physics. using his other hand to aggressively stabilize tsb's hands, whereas his foot locked down tsb's legs.

smg4 stood on the sidelines, patiently and anxiously waiting for smg3 to hold the cartoon still, and just as his partner did smg4 rushed in without a second thought placing the device on top of tsb's head. swiftly removing tsb's propeller hat to prevent it from getting in the way. remembering how the pink sand man did it on him by pressing a black button on the side to activate it. after it was finally set on tsb's head, smg4 took a step back watching as the man pinned on the ground attempted to remove the helmet to no avail.

"now what!?" smg3 yelled with a struggled tone, growing anxiously impatient and mentally screaming in agonizing pain, grinding his teeth hard as tsb only dug his teeth deeper into the purple guardian's arm urgently attempt for freedom.

"okay, okay, i just need you to hold your head still and i'll place the second helmet on you so you can mind travel into his crazy brains or whatever!" smg4 hurriedly said, just as panicked as his guardian partner. swiftly grabbing the second helmet he had behind him and rushing towards back to smg3.

however, tsb did not like the plan these partnered guardians were cooking up. this time, putting all his energy into brute force to twist smg3 down to the opposite side of smg4's path to prevent him from putting the helmet on.

the purple meme guardian screamed in agony as his head harshly hit the floor, his body positioned awkwardly to be kept down by tsb. smg4 jolted from the sudden change of control and stood frozen in fear. to tsb's misfortune, smg3 was still holding onto tsb's hands enough to continue to prevent him from manually removing the helmet. yet the catch was there was no safe possible way to input the helmet onto smg3's head without tsb interfering.

"smg3! i-i can't find a safe spot to put the helmet on you!" smg4 said worriedly, fearful of his plan coming to a defeat. it couldn't end like this, he needed to think of something! tsb only laughed to himself, concluding by default victorious without the consideration of smg3 coming to a concluded thought. a thought that not only would help them win on top but a thought that may finally answer his prayers for the person he cared most to finally understand.

"s-smg4," the purple counterpart started, "YOU have to put the helmet on!" this suggestion surprised both his partner and the animated cartoon. "you can't put it on me, but it's not impossible for you to put it on yourself. YOU got to go inside this dumb dr. pepper loving asshole's brains and fix him!"

"i-i can't do that!" smg4 stuttered, shaking anxiously realizing the aim smg3 was getting at.

"yes you can! you can do it for me or for hell's sake do it for tari! she needs out help! we can't waste anymore time smg4!" smg3 exclaimed impatiently.

"i don't know how-"

"NEITHER DO I!" smg3 bursted, "but you trust and believe in me enough to do it anyways from the start! i trust and believe right back at you man." smg4 stood idly shocked, and to his surprise so did tsb. catching himself staring into tsb's eyes, they were still narrowed like before but... this time he could see a white arrow-shape glimmer in them. it almost felt like he was pleading for him to do so, to put on the helmet... but why? as if lost time on a timer, tsb's eyes reeled back to maniac mode, and resumed his attempt to freed himself from smg3's bearable grasp. "DO IT NOW FOUR!" smg3 yelled as he pushed in all his remaining energy to hold tsb down.

in a hesitant instance, smg4 removed his hat and put the helmet on. "NOOO!" screamed tsb in a higher echoed pitch, an unrecognized voice that didn't belong to tsb. with one more glance at his best friend, the two meme guardians gave each other an agreeable nod as smg4 pushed the button. with one final physical motion as smg4 could hear the technology within the helmet activate, smg4 raised his arm up, and gave a thumbs up.

to be continued...

...

...

...

fri: “watchman” was an outworldly entity, one could even label a god, but they were much more than that. an entity by physical appearance built up by particles of pink fluidity sand. as if a piece had its own consciousness. watchman was a playful being, understood empathy, sympathized with others, and yearned to nurture those suffering in pain. romantical pain even. always watching love play… always… watching… tick tock. 

[thinkingotherwise]

Hi! Thank you so much for the request with windbreaker x haruka Sakura's older sister reader thing. But this will be the last request of Haruka's older sister request I promise. Can you please do this same thing for Jo Togame & Choji Tomiyama please.

Sure, no worries, ask however much you want. It's quite fun to write. Togame and Tomiyama are good choices for continuation :P I love the height difference between them

Wind Breaker characters x Haruka Sakura's older sister part 3

part 1, part 2

this time, characters written for are: Haruka Sakura, Jo Togame, Choji Tomiyama (all platonic)

- Being close once again with your brother brought some happiness in your ever so calm and kind of gloomy life. - Although your words were still sarcastic and a little sharp, they were certainly warmer when directed at Haruka. You worried that he might not like it but then you noticed how Suou talked to him and your brother still respected him which convinced you that you don't have to necessarily change the way of talking. - The sibling bond was strengthened by the sparing sessions and training you shared. It felt really good to be part of his daily life once again, to have your younger brother back in your life. - You felt like you could do anything for him, which is why you found yourself by the corner shop near a tunnel, waiting for Haruka and some new people he wanted to introduce you to.

- The rumour about Haruka having an older sister somehow ended up reaching Shishitoren territory. - And when Tomiyama heard that you were the one who taught Haruka and that you used to fight a lot, he immediately decided he wanted to meet you. - He became so excited and impatient that he declared loudly to the taller boy that he was going to meet up with Haruka and you. - Togame sighed knowingly, if he didn't join then the Shishitoren leader could bring trouble. - And so both boys found themselves on the way to Furin High School to talk with the first year. - After causing some ruckus by being on the school grounds, they finally got to Haruka and Tomiyama excitedly told him what he wanted. - Your brother disagreed at first but the shorter boy pissed him off so much with his stubborn yapping he reluctantly agreed. - He sent you a text to meet up with him because he wanted to introduce you to some people.

- That's how you found yourself waiting for them. You were taken aback that your brother had even more friends. He really didn't seem like the type but it was a positive surprise. - Low and behold when you saw them and called to your younger brother, you were greeted by a shorter boy who quickly bounced to you. - He jumped around you, in his yellow jacket, asking many, many questions about your fighting, about Haruka, about what you were doing. - "Okay, shortie, call down a little and take a step back." - You commented moving towards Haruka who grinned at the dismay painting on your face. - In the corner of your eyes you notice the taller boy in the yellow jacket grab the shorter's collar just as he was about to jump you again. - Your brother introduces the two, saying that Choji was the one who wanted to meet you. - You furrowed your brows and leaned over to your brother to ask. - "You sure the short one is actually the leader?" - After basic introductions and confirming that yes Choji is the leader of Shishitoren despite his looks and behaviour, you hoped to go back to your life. - Your plans got destroyed immediately as Choji asked you to spar because somehow he got to know you taught Haruka when you were younger, and he wanted to test himself against you. - His pestering was backed up by Togame, who asked to humor him saying he would keep an eye on the shorter boy if he went too far.

- You agreed only because it seemed easier to just have it behind yourself and move on instead of listening to the boy on and on. - They lead you to an old cinema, which you got to know was the Shishitoren gathering place. - The headquarters had an empty stage inside which was used for fighting. - You and Tomiyama did spar for almost half an hour. It was a great shock to see the short boy becoming so deadly in under a few seconds. - His strong kicks were accompanied by a big smile whenever you countered and you would lie if you said it didn't disturb you. - When you deem the fight finished because, honestly you had life, even though you weren't the most social, Shishitoren leader whined loudly but bounced on his feet asking for another spar in the future. - You sighed tired and Togame came closer to you with your brother. The taller boy clapped for you saying that you were pretty good and Haruka's style was a little similar to yours. - Your brother smirked hearing that and he was happy, deep inside knowing you were still good.

- You were surprised that the next time you saw both Shishitoren boys was during the festival. - You tried to sneak away knowing how talkative the shorter boy was. You didn't succeed. - Noticing you Tomiyama quickly ran up to you and dragged you by the sleeve of your jacket to the booth that Togame was taking care of. - Then he started yapping and yapping and you tried to leave but he bounced around you keeping you close to the booth. - It seemed like the shorter boy couldn't leave you alone and your face twisted in irritation, much to the enjoyment of Togame. - The taller boy gave you a free drink to help with the annoyance you felt. - You thanked him and actually talked with him after sending Tomiyama to look around the festival. - Contrary to his leader, you got along with Togame and he was a great break from the too-extroverted boy. - You got a little deja vu from the two, as they somehow resembled the Bofurin leader and second in command. - Both leaders were too much for you with their too-happy and talkative personalities.

[misfitclassismyfreetherapy]

Let's all agree that THIS is a gold mine for making OCs without it being called a furry right? Also, great ass lore. I love the idea of them having sensitive hearing bcs of all the ears.

Once again, I am in awe on how divergent some characters are, I knew MeiMei seems to stand out more than others, that is so cool. Also, not Mairuma managing to compensate for lack of race representations by paralleling it? Ah, ofc they always exceed expectations. Nishi needs to stop feeding us so well, we'll get greedy (do not stop. continue)

I am once again, ASTOUNDED on how Mairuma manages to represent subservient relationship without it being icky. (MeiMei is such an icon. Independent woman, my beloved ♡)

Once again, a valid reason for the patriarchy (surprisingly. but again this is mairuma, so.) Also, it's not much of a 'discrimination' situation in my eyes, since I think most demons aren't oppose to them being independent as shown with MeiMei. I'd even go as far to say the demons would be impressed with how accepting the netherworld seems so far!

Here's where I think happened, they chose to have this role. Listen, I know they said themselves without exceptional talent, it's only natural to be codependent on stronger demons. Not the best mindset, but studies prove their not wrong either. Remember, Mephisto asked them for their cooperation, the many ears are the one who brought up that they'll be the subordinate. Keep that in mind. This relationship haven't really seem to be all that bad, the demons who work with the many ears don't seem to oppose such idea, because they're demons. If someone offered to be an assistant to help you achieve your desire, why would they say no? It's sad, my reaction was like Iruma as well, it felt kind of somber but it's still universes better than ours. How ironic that the real world's patriarchy sistem is worse than hell's.

I love Nova already. He's such a good kid, with such a stubborn (a bit cynical I'd admit) mind that I cant help but go 'okay, so, thank the fucking god this kid gets pagetime.' This correlates to stereotypes that we, in real life. Deal with as well. Also, can we talk about how in every arc, we get such gender-nuetral looking characters? I absolutely love that, honestly.

Lastly, of course Iruma would be the best boy. Holy shit, I adore how the manga constantly reminds me 'yeah, Iruma bcms more greedy, yet he's still best boy.' It's just such a great feeling. Not even a few seconds into the introduction that Nova already finds Iruma ethereal. Like- honestly.. same. I love this chapter so much. Leave it to Nishi for surpassing our expectations.

[vickiee-mcmuffin]

The wedding day

Word count: 2k

Pairing: Stephen Strange x Female Reader

Trope: Fluff

Summary: The day has arrived for you to marry the love of your life after your presence at Kamar Taj had changed him for the better.

A/N: Hi all, I'm here to maybe post some more of my favourite old fics (If you want me to). I haven't tagged anyone as I've lost my tag list. Sorry.

It was hard not to think about everything the two of you had been through on such a day. Your heart was racing in the best way possible, and your tummy was filled with an endless supply of butterflies. The buzz in the air was electric, and it just made you want to fast forward time, made you want to skip ahead so you could just stand before him already and be his. Be his wife.

But you had to wait. And that was okay, because you knew by the end of the day, you would be his wife. You would be Mrs Strange. And that would absolutely be worth the wait.

You were alone in your dressing room, far too jittery to have a conversation with anyone at that point. You had always been like that. Shy, reserved, and mostly innocent. Sometimes you considered it to be a flaw, but you grew to realise that some just found it endearing.

Stephen didn’t at first. At least he pretended like he didn’t.

You smiled at the thought of him, eyeing the twinkle in your gaze in the mirror. He was going to be all yours soon. And you were going to be all his. You truly couldn’t wait, and you wondered what he was up to, if he was just as nervous as you were.

Staring at your reflection in the mirror, you couldn’t help but reminisce. Your first kiss, your first date, your first time. There was so much to think about. One thing that really stuck out at that point was the first time he had ever laid eyes on you…

To say you were a nervous wreck was an understatement. There was so much that could go wrong, and all you wanted to do was impress and do a good job. But the look on his face was far too menacing for you to calm down.

Stephen looked at you with what you could only describe as a glare. Was he mad at you? If so, you weren’t quite sure what you had done to garner that reaction. You couldn’t deny that he was handsome. He was older, and had a sophisticated edge to him that guys your age just didn’t have.

“Are you sure you’re meant to be here?” he asked you, right in the middle of your first day of training – after a blunt, hasty introduction.

You stared at him, not saying anything at first. Was he talking to you?

“Well?” he snapped. “Are you sure you’re meant to be here?”

“Oh, um, yes,” you nodded, feeling your face grow hot. “I’m meant to be here.”

“You don’t seem like you’ll be prepared for what’s supposed to happen today.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you frowned.

“You’re all wide eyes,” he shrugged casually. “Like a deer caught in headlights. You seem scared.”

“I’m not,” you tried not to pout. You were scared, but you didn’t want him to know that. “You don’t even know me. You’re being really rude to someone you just met, you know?”

Stephen didn’t even hide his scoff. “Just stay out of my way while I’m here, okay?”

With that, he spun on his heels and walked away from you with quick, confident strides. You stood there, mouth open, trying to comprehend what had just happened. All you knew was that you were going to listen to him, because you very much intended to stay away from him.

You couldn’t help but laugh as the memory filled up your mind. Stephen had been rude. There was no denying it. But he had surprisingly warmed up to you quickly after that…

Sometimes you liked nothing more than sitting on your own – especially after training. It was a good chance to think about how it had gone: what you were happy with, what you needed to improve on.

And just as you were about to get lost in your thoughts, you heard someone clear their throat behind you. You looked over your shoulder and spotted Stephen staring down at you.

“Hi,” you said softly, your voice a little shy. You still weren’t all that used to Stephen. And his presence was especially intimidating to someone as shy and quiet as you.

“You were good today,” he said lowly.

You blushed instantly. You had known Stephen for just over a month now, and that was the first time he had ever given you a compliment.

“Really?” you asked.

“Really,” he nodded slowly. “Nice job.”

“You were really good too. You should be proud. I’ve honestly been learning a lot by just looking at you.”

Stephen stared at you for a moment. Like he wasn’t quite sure how to react to that. He mumbled something to himself – something you couldn’t hear. And with that, he walked away. It was a simple conversation. But it was enough to make you let out a happy sigh.

As you came back to reality you bit into your bottom lip. Stephen had been so cold towards you at first, but when he had softened just slightly, just for a moment, you knew there was a whole different side to him… And that was something you discovered not too long after that moment…

You were just about to head off to dinner when you saw him.

Stephen was leaning up against a wall, his eyes all dark. Until they landed on you. You could have sworn you saw a hint of light in them as he looked at you. You blushed and found the courage to give him a wave, and that was when he sent you a nod. And a smile.

A small gesture to some, but to you, it meant Stephen was changing.

It was the next morning when you saw the biggest change, though. It was once again a small gesture, but it was a gesture that made your heart flutter. You and Stephen were both headed towards the same door, and you wondered who would go first. For a second you considered slowing down and letting Stephen just go. And he did get to the door before you.

But then he waited.

Waited for you to approach him.

And then he held open the door for you, allowing you to enter first.

“After you,” he murmured, his eyes stuck on yours.

“Thank you,” you squeaked, brushing past him with a racing heart. Your skin was bright red and you prayed he couldn’t tell. “You’re so polite.”

He chuckled lowly at your compliment.

You didn’t get to see him for the rest of the day. It wasn’t until later, when you were sitting by yourself, lost in your thoughts, that you met his gaze. He sat next to you without asking, but you didn’t mind. Despite how you two first met and how he had treated you, you had still grown to like him more than you should have.

“You seem to be getting better and better every day with your training,” he told you.

“I like to think so,” you smiled at him.

He just stared at you for a while, his eyes never leaving your smile, like he saw something only he could see. Butterflies filled your tummy and you cleared your throat. The noise seemed to bring Stephen out of his daze.

“I was wondering if I could ask you something, Y/N,” he said a little seriously.

You nodded enthusiastically. “Of course!”

He smiled at you before looking down at his lap for a second. Like he was nervous. That was odd, because he almost always seemed so confident, so sure of himself.

“I was wondering… I was wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with me,” he finally said.

“Dinner?” you repeated, tilting your head at him. “Do you mean like…”

“A date? Yes… Yes, I do mean a date.”

It took you just a second to nod at him, the smile on your face quickly growing. You weren’t expecting that at all, but it was something you had fantasised about. You were over the moon that Stephen looked at you in that way.

“I’d love that. Really,” you whispered.

Stephen seemed to let out a shaky breath at that, like he was anticipating a negative response from you. “Is tonight okay? Maybe around seven.”

“Tonight is perfect.”

Coming back to reality, you thought about how sweet Stephen was when he was nervous. And he wasn’t nervous very often. But around you? Around you he changed. He could talk to anybody else and be outspoken and confident. But that encounter showed you a different side of Stephen. A softer side. One you wanted to see more of, and you had that night…

“You look beautiful,” was the first thing Stephen said to you.

You tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and blushed. “Thanks. You too.”

“Are you ready for tonight? I’ve been looking forward to it.”

“I’m ready. And I’ve been excited about it too. I’m honestly a little shocked that you asked me… I thought you didn’t like me,” you told him with a soft laugh.

“I admit I judged you the first time I saw you. I suppose I didn’t know how to react to you. But… But you’re so kind. So welcoming. So sweet. I see that all so clearly now. I’m just sad I didn’t see it sooner, because I think being around you has certainly changed me,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving yours as he spoke.

And you couldn’t help yourself when you leaned forward; giving him a soft, slow, sweet kiss. You were just aching for him, and he was right there, looking so handsome all dressed up. It was a dream come true to feel him up against you, his hands on your waist as he kissed you back.

“Don’t be sad,” you murmured against his lips. “I’m here now with you. And you’re here with me. That’s all that matters.”

You could have cried thinking about that moment. But there was no time. There was a knock on the door, and you spotted a bridesmaid waving at you. It was time to go.

You sucked in a sharp breath, nerves taking over as you made your way to the main part of the church. It was a big rush there with people chattering away, but soon, the double doors to the ceremony room opened up. Your bridesmaids moved in first, and then it was your turn.

With one last deep breath, you took your first step towards him. Stephen stood at the end of the aisle with his hands clasped together and his eyes stuck on you. Even from where you were standing you could see him let out a shaky breath. You moved slowly, the pink bouquet in your hands, not stopping until you stood before him. The second you handed your flowers to your maid of honour you felt Stephen’s hands on yours. He held them tight, his thumbs rubbing at your skin as he looked on at you with tear filled eyes. The sight of him made your own eyes water.

“I love you,” he whispered so lowly that only you could hear. “And I promise that I will love you for the rest of my life.”

Your world stopped at that moment, but in the best way possible. Everything seemed to freeze as you captured the scene before you: the smile on Stephen’s face, his kind eyes, the way his cheeks flushed that little bit of red. Your heart skipped a beat and you fought the urge to kiss him.

He had changed so much for you, and you knew it was for the better. Because he was yours and you were his, and it was the most special thing in the world to you.

“And I love you,” you said with a teary smile. Despite the large crowd, Stephen was the only one you could focus on, and he would be all you would focus on for the rest of your life.

You were more than happy with that fact.

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 21 thoughts:

Well that was sure a turn around from last arc's "I'm going to rally the students so I don't get captured."

I know my daughter has made some . . . mistakes, but I'm not a fan of her turning herself into the openly corrupted and also bad at their job parahuman cops.

(Parahuman cops as in "cops who police parahumans" not "cops who are parahumans")

Like look, I get it. A precog told her to cut ties. I can't say it's wrong to follow that advice. But she could do that in a lot of ways that don't involve the PRT.

The second not from Dinah just being "I'm sorry" is brutal.

But before she can turn herself in she has to absolutely fucking crush the PRT/Protectorate for outing her civilian identity.

I love how fucking simple taking out the entire PRT headquarters was for Skitter and her girlfriends!

Who needs anyone else? Bitch brings muscle, Tattletale brings information, Skitter brings battlefield control. Lesbian polycule power activate!

Was it an overboard response? Maybe. Was it badass how she just took out so many heroes and PRT troops with ease? Yes.

Poor Dovetail has one of the most embarrassing introductions ever. First time we see her and Skitter is wiping the floor with her and thinking about her "crummy power".

God I hate Tagg so much that he makes me miss Piggot. Like she was absolutely terrible, but he's worse! And making me miss Piggot makes me hate Tagg even more!

Kindly old cemetery groundskeeper who doesn't pay much attention to the news! Never a bad trope.

They gave Butcher 15 to Cherish???!? Like sure they give all the reasoning for it but like ... it just seems like a really high risk situation. If she ever gets out it's going to suck. A lot.

THE SCENE AT RACHEL'S PLACE OH MY GOD!

SHE IS BUILDING A COMMUNITY! I LOVE HER SO MUCH!

Rachel just over here finding everyone like her and giving them a place. Legit crying. Look at that fucking growth!

(Also shout-out to my wife for having basically done the same thing. It's how I met her. It's how I met one of my girlfriends. And so many other important people. So ya. I fucking love this.)

Also you ever like a girl so much you try to give her an entire planet? Cause Taylor sure has.

"Rachel I don't want you to be sad when I'm gone so you can basically have this whole other planet we found."

GGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

Imp let Regent take control of her . . . welp. Like, I'm not really surprised by this. And in a different situation I wouldn't even really find it that weird. I'd do it with the right person. But combination of age and the situation they are in and Regent being Regent annnnnd ya. Welp.

I did love how much of the interactions between Skitter and Regent/Imp really was just her struggling with parenting two teenage supervillains.

IT'S NOT SO EASY, IS IT CHILD?!? MAYBE YOU'LL CUT ME SOME SLACK AND LISTEN TO MY ADVICE IN THE FUTURE!

(She won't)

I fucking LOVE that she made the bible themed hero kneel. Absolutely fucking amazing.

Oh shiiit, Skitter just flat dropped that guy multiple stories. Is she going to far?

. . . wellll, these guys do literally worship the Endbringers so I guess a little aggression is ok.

Damn, Valefor sure has some fucked up powers, I wonder what they're gonna do abou-

. . .

. . .

. . . . . .

. . . wellll, these guys do literally worship the Endbringers so I guess a little aggression is ok.

. . .

Yep.

. . .

. . . I think I preferred when she just used a knife.

So anyway

Not a fan of Taylor having more alone time with Brian (not because I have any issue with the idea, but because I think she needs to be focusing on her girlfriends), but I am a fan of her using bugs to clean her dress and fix her hair afterwords while Brian just kinda sits there and has to contemplate what he has gotten himself into. Queen shit.

Flechette was SO mad that Parian wasn't "cute" anymore, I couldn't stop laughing. Sure, she said "You had to take the playfulness away? The joy?" but we all know what she meant. Of course, it's won't take very long for the new costume to get Flechette's attention. (I have to mention that this is basically exactly what I said when reading the scene, and the interlude a few chapters later just proved me right.)

Flechette is just so hopelessly gay

Miss Militia is actually getting very mild respect from me right now. Like, she's still working for the cops but she is actually agreeing to silently push against some things. Now, she says she doesn't have more power then that but she is a very well known hero and if she would publicly speak out about certain things there is a decent chance she could do more. That would of course be putting her position at risk though. Which is why she only gets very mild respect right now.

OH MY GOD I DIDN'T JUST GET TO SEE TATTLETALE'S MURDER WALL, I GOT TO SEE HER ENTIRE MURDER ROOM!

Fucking multiple bulletin boards with threads connecting them. Everything color coded. Reference numbers to files with more details. Multiple TV screens, computer with constant information dump. God. It's like a literal representation of the inside of my mind while I read Worm. SO MANY THINGS TO FIGURE OUT!

I love a lot of characters, but Tattletale always stays near the top. She gets me.

And from the fucking joy of getting to see that setup I come crashing the fuck down.

Like, I have completely figured out at this point that Skitter is turning herself in. I know what is coming. She's had her moment with everyone else and Tattletale is the last one.

And then. Then just . .

No goodbyes.

😭😭😭😭😭

HOW DARE THIS BOOK MAKE ME FEEL MY OWN FEELINGS!! I'M TOO GAY FOR THIS!

I do find it hysterical that the PRT officers working the front lobby don't all recognize Skitter on sight. Fucking gas station employees will manage to keep track of people with pictures on the "bad check" board, you'd think the PRT could manage to have their officers keep track of the face of one of the most well know villains in the country, if not the world, who also controls their city. PRT is forever bad at their job.

That one guy did notice her eventually though, so I guess he gets to be employee of the month.

The Number Man interlude thoughts:

The inside of this mans mind is one of the sexiest things I have ever seen and the constant reminder of the horrible things he is helping Cauldron do to all their prisoners was very helpful because it was the only thing keeping me from deciding that The Number Man is a perfect soul that can do no wrong.

I have no illusions here. I am weak. This man is a monster and I should not have any trouble remembering that.

But fuck shit fuck oh god fuck I don't even need him to touch me. I just need him to TALK to me. I just need him to get high with me and let me pick apart how his mind works!

He understood numbers, and through them, he understood everything.

That line. Absolute killer. Fucking take me.

. . . anyway yes it's a very interesting interlude!

Loved seeing more of the inner workings of Cauldron

I very much want to see the final level of their basement that only the Doctor goes into because I said that I thought Cauldron had a dead (for values of dead that are non-definable) higher dimensional being in their basement back during arc 15 and now I know for sure that there is something down there. I wanna know if I was right!

Oh my god he was friends with Jack

"Friends"

Look I make everything gay ok? It's not my choice! Sure it means I get to enjoy every tiny bit of Wolfspider and Chatterbug cause I see all of it. But it also means I see the ships I don't want to think about!

I men what was I supposed to think when Jack said “We can live this. Together. Every waking second…”?

Gay

Parian interlude thoughts:

And speaking of gay!

Fucking Flechette just full blown "Fuck all of this I want you to tell me what to do for the rest of my life!"

Full U-Haul lesbian.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

This is Parian's new costume having an effect.

Just so gay. I love it.

Also Bitch just so fucking ready to break Skitter out. So fucking gay.

And the incredible loyalty, which is gonna hurt if she ends up feeling betrayed by Skitter.

Still gay though.

Tattletale, basically without powers, just completely giving Accord the "fuck off, we're in charge" was amazing. All she had to do was promise to consider his binders and he was all in. This poor man just wants somebody to read his ideas! He's like a aspiring screenwriter just begging people to read his script.

[yuurei20]

Do you have a master list of the translated novel chapters so far? Or someplace to read all of them at once? If not, thanks anyways!

Hello hello! A compilation thread of translations from the first novel can be found here! It is not a complete translation of the entire novel, just a few blurbs that I found interesting for being different from the game, if that is okay :>

I hadn't put together a compilation of second-novel translations because it is still ongoing, but I can list them now!

(Disclaimer: I am very, very much not a writer, I promise that the actual book is much more well written than this, and I encourage everyone to read the official translation when it is released! The first novel is coming in August, 2024, from Viz Media!)

Introduction "In a corner of the prestigious magic school, Night Raven College, there stands an old, unused dormitory."

Yuuya and the Rumors “'What's the matter? You look a bit down,’ says the ghost." Grim, Unhappy "’Whaddya mean? I’m a Night Raven College student. That means I can play in the tournament, right? Right!?’"

The Classroom “'There's no way that Ramshackle can compete on the same level as our dorm—that’s a crowning moment. Us, being mocked like that? We wouldn’t stand for it.’"

Bakery Day "Yuuya hands over the money he had promised to Ace and Deuce, then lines up for his usual lunch set, alone."

Ruggie in the Cafeteria (pt1) "Yuuya looks over his shoulder to the sight of a skinny boy standing behind him."

Ruggie in the Cafeteria (pt2) "Thinking about it, Yuuya realizes that he can’t recall seeing Japanese food or sweets since coming here."

Ruggie in the Cafeteria (pt3) "Each dorm at Night Raven College has its own distinguishing characteristics."

Ruggie in the Cafeteria (pt4) "‘You mean they have good teamwork?’ Yuuya recalls an earlier conversation with Ace."

The Botanical Garden Scene "Ruggie and Leona are both from Sunset Savanna, with Ruggie coming from a humble upbringing in the slums as a hyaena beastperson, who are generally regarded with contempt."

Riddle and the consequences of overblot "When Riddle enters the Mirror Chamber, the other dorm leaders cast open and obvious glances his way. It has been like this ever since that day."

Leona and the Housewarden Meeting "‘Remember. What was it like two years ago? Last year? How did it feel to be used as a stepping stone to showcase the power of Lord Malleus Draconia?"

Riddle on Leona: The Housewarden Meeting "'I don’t really mind putting him in the Hall of Fame,’ says the Ignihyde Housewarden in an unenthusiastic tone over his speaker."

Yuuya and Grim's Club "Yuuya and Grim were told by the headmage that they would both have to choose the same club."

Crowley's Request (pt1) "As Yuuya listens to the ghosts' stories from their prime, the doorbell rings."

Crowley's Request (pt2) "‘Actually,’ the headmage begins, his voice turning serious."

Crowley's Request (pt3) "‘But I really don’t think I will be much of any help.’"

Crowley's Request (pt4) "The headmage remains silent—which makes Yuuya nervous—but rather than upset, he seems to be deep in thought."

Meeting Pomefiore (pt1) "Having reached the Hall of Mirrors, Yuuya faces the mirror that, according to Deuce, will lead him to Pomefiore. It is splendid, adorned with a large peacock and framed in its feathers."

Meeting Pomefiore (pt2) "‘You came to see the student of ours who was hurt, did you not? Here he is.’ With a gesture from Rook, a second-year student steps forward."

Trey's Room (pt1) "They knock on the black door, and there is an immediate answer from within."

Trey's Room (pt2) "It seems that, in each dorm, 1st-year students are four to a room with 2nd-year students two to a room and, as a 3rd-year student, you finally get a room to yourself."

Trey's Room (pt3) "‘It looks really painful…’"

Trey's Room (pt4) "‘Things seem a little rough, but it’s good he’s okay,’ Yuuya murmurs to Ace and Deuce, but they do not reply."

Trey's Room (pt5) "‘It was because of Housewarden Rosehearts? What do you mean?’ Deuce asks."

Yuuya in Class "‘We’ve got that strategy meeting at lunch today—Yuu, Grim, you two gotta come, all right? No running off. The Housewarden isn’t mad anymore, so don’t be so freaked out.’"

The accidents befalling Spelldrive players "‘Yuu will come with me.’ ‘Eh? 'Yuu will come with me?’’ Yuuya echoes Riddle’s words back at him with a puzzled look."

Meeting Jade and Floyd (pt1) "'Jade Leech and Floyd Leech, twin second-year students. Jade is vice-housewarden of Octavinelle—he is also in my class.'"

Meeting Jade and Floyd (pt2) "‘Ah!’ A loud call echoes out over the grounds. 'Over there—isn’t that Lil' Goldfish?’"

Meeting Jade and Floyd (pt3) "‘Ah, nice to meet you. I’m…’ ‘Yuu-san, I believe. I have heard of you. It is an honor to meet the new student of the rumors.’"

Meeting Jade and Floyd (pt4) "Yuuya finally understands why Riddle looked so displeased when they first arrived."

Meeting Silver and Lilia (pt1) "Silver is often doing physical training, even on days when he has no club activities."

Meeting Silver and Lilia (pt2) "Silver accepts the towel with a casual ‘thank you,’ and wipes the sweat from his forehead. The birds chirp back, as though in response."

Meeting Silver and Lilia (pt3) "Lilia is as cheerful as he is lively. His sweeping gestures are so mismatched with his small stature that Yuuya cannot help but smile."

Riddle on Malleus "‘Someday, I'd like to ask Malleus-senpai what he thinks makes a good Housewarden.’"

Pre-Practice Match (pt1) “Perhaps it is because they are all so focused, but no one seems to have noticed them yet."

Pre-Practice Match (pt2) "The students who surround Yuuya's group are a mix of beast-people and others, each with impressive physiques and vibrant yellow shirts—the dorm color—stretched tight over their muscles."

Pre-Practice Match (pt3) "Only Ruggie makes a chuckle of sound, jogging to Leona’s side."

Pre-Practice Match (pt4) "Yuuya gives Cater a hopeful glance, but Cater’s expression is surprisingly stern."

Pre-Practice Match (pt5) "‘Shi-shi-shi!’ Ruggie laughs like air is escaping from him—a unique sound."

Spelldrive Practice Match (pt1) "Deuce is about to respond when suddenly both he and Ace are enveloped in light, their school uniforms transforming into their gym clothes."

Spelldrive Practice Match (pt2) "Colliding with another player Deuce tumbles onto the ground, but quickly regains his feet. Yuuya breathes a sigh of relief."

Spelldrive Practice Match (pt3) "'This has got to be a joke. You mocking me?’ Leona asks, lifting one hand and forming it into a fist."

Spelldrive Practice Match (pt4) "As Cater says, the unity of the Savanaclaw students—led by Leona—is overwhelming."

Spelldrive Practice Match (pt5) "Spelldrive is a timed sport, and a considerable amount of time still remains."

Leona and Jack (pt1) "It was three years ago, when Jack was still in middle school."

Leona and Jack (pt2) "‘The important thing isn’t how hard you try. It’s the result. Results are everything.’"

Leona and Jack (pt3) "Filled with frustration and sorrow, Jack clenches his hands into fists and leaves to return to the dorm, in silence."

Meeting Malleus (pt1) "‘Who's there?’ ‘Ah—' Suddenly, a voice from the darkness."

Meeting Malleus (pt2) "Yuuya quickly drops his eyes. Regardless of what those horns might be, it must be uncomfortable for one to have their physical attributes stared at in such a manner. Perhaps he has been rude."

Naming Malleus (pt1) "‘—and I guess it’s because I was so surprised, but I didn’t get any sleep at all last night.’"

Naming Malleus (pt2) "'The only reason you can say that is because you’ve never met Hornton.’"

Cafeteria Meeting "Cater is seated next to Riddle. Deuce sits beside him and asks, 'Clover-senpai isn’t with you?'"

Meeting Jamil and Kalim (pt1) "‘Why Jamil, Kalim. I did not expect to see you in the cafeteria.’"

Meeting Jamil and Kalim (pt2) "‘Information gets around quickly.’ ‘We just so happened to hear about it. May we bother you for the details?’ In response to Riddle’s inquiry, Jamil narrows his eyes."

Meeting Jamil and Kalim (pt3) "Jamil waits in silence for the conversation to pause, and then continues once more."

Riddle and Unique Magics "‘It's not something that just anyone can do. But the foundation for unique magic often lies in common, basic spells. A mage takes those spells and combines or improves upon them as needed.'"

Grim's Realization (pt1) "‘Magic that can control other people's movements? Man, if I had a unique magic as convenient as that, I'd be controlling the teachers to make every day a self-study day.’"

Grim's Realization (pt2) "‘…Cay-kun thinks Grim might be on to something here.’"

Ruggie Escape (pt1) "Though Yuuya had been hoping that their last class of the afternoon would somehow never end, today it concluded exactly on time."

Ruggie Escape (pt2) "With everyone situated Cater begins with, ‘Let’s get straight to it. Ruggie-kun, do you know anything about this?’"

Ruggie Escape (pt3) "As Riddle does not know the nature of Ruggie’s unique magic, he will need to make the first move."

Ruggie Escape (pt4) "Ace and Deuce immediately look down at their own breast pockets—their magical pens are gone."

Ruggie Escape (pt5) "They are attracting onlookers, now, who further trip up Grim and the others."

About Riddle (pt1) "‘I kinda envy you though, being able to respect your housewarden like that.’"

About Riddle (pt2) "‘Ah!’ Deuce suddenly exclaims aloud, looking to Yuuya for support."

Riddle and Jack (pt1) "‘You have deduced Ruggie Bucchi’s unique magic?’"

Riddle and Jack (pt2) "The look on Deuce’s face seems to say, 'Now you bring this up, after all of that?’"

Riddle and Jack (pt3) "‘It’s just like Yuu says. You haven’t gotten anywhere, and you’re just going to keep repeating what you've been doing like some kind of moron?’"

Riddle and Jack (pt4) "‘I will keep it brief,’ Riddle continues without the slightest shift in his expression."

Savanaclaw Dorm (pt1) "Ruggie had only intended to pass through the lounge, but he is stopped by Leona calling out to him."

Savanaclaw Dorm (pt2) "Ruggie has always suspected that the sharp contrasts between Leona’s reactions are one of the ways in which he manipulates others."

Savanaclaw Dorm (pt3) "‘Heh. Celebrating already, when you’ve barely got claws in your prey.’"

Jack and Yuuya "First-year student, Jack, has been selected to play for Savanaclaw."

Meeting Azul (pt1) “'Oh my, is that Jack Howl of Savanaclaw?’"

Meeting Azul (pt2) "‘My name is Azul Ashengrotto, and I am honored to be the housewarden of Octavinelle. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.’"

Leona Collared "Leona fights to remove the collar by force, his hair whipping about his face in his violent struggle."

Facing down an overblotting Leona, Riddle has a confession to make "Riddle confronts the glowering Leona with determination. ‘I am not mocking you. Leona-senpai. I respected you.’"

Leona and Lilia "Riddle is already looking ahead. He has his regrets and his turmoil, but he still continues on the path of becoming a good housewarden."

Leona's Unique Magic (pt1) "From somewhere comes a low voice. At first Yuuya cannot tell who it is, but looking around him he notices Ruggie, his eyes dark and shimmering."

Leona's Unique Magic (pt2) "Yuuya looks up at the sky in a daze, and then feels something tickle at his ankle. Gently moving sand is pricking at his skin."

Leona and Ruggie, to overblot (pt1) "‘Leona-san, what are you thinking!?’ Ruggie steps in front of Leona. ‘Why would you use your unique magic like this…if you keep going—‘ ‘Why?’ Leona interrupts. 'Obviously, it’s to shut you all up.’"

Leona and Ruggie, to overblot (pt2) "‘Right, Ruggie? I really can't stand people who don't listen. I thought you would've figured that out by now. You're skilled at reading people's moods and selling them flattery, after all.’"

The Transformation "‘It is you who should be silent!’ Lilia shouts."

Cater and Yuuya "'Ruggie is lying nearby. Yuuya wraps one of Ruggie’s arms around his shoulders and Grim attempts to take a share of Ruggie’s weight by grabbing onto his thin waist, but the limp body weighs them down."

Ruggie Wakes Up "Jack's agile wolf body slides across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and dirtying his fur. Leona gives him a cold, piercing glance."

The Overblot Battle "Columns of sand rise up and advance towards Ruggie and the others, engulfing everything in their path."

Leona and Falena "From the moment I was born, there’s been a boulder on top of me that’s too heavy to move."

Post-Overblot Leona (the flashback monologue) "I grew tired of thinking, so I decided to enroll at Night Raven College, though I had no interest in it. I knew I was just running away from the pain, but my heart felt lighter, nonetheless."

Jack and Leona (pt4) "‘All this messing around. We don’t have time for this!’ Released from Ruggie’s unique magic, Leona rubs against his reddened cheeks and raises his eyes."

Trusting Riddle "In the very front row, Riddle puts a hand to his mouth as he shouts, ‘What are you getting despondent over? Defeat Leona-senpai, beat the crap out of him!’ The normally refined Riddle swings his fist around."

The Exhibition Match (pt1) "The disc passes to Deuce as he races down the side of the field. Deuce is not as skilled as Ace, but he has stamina, and he is fast on his feet. He effortlessly overtakes the grouped players of Yuuya and the others, steadily advancing towards the goal."

The Exhibition Match (pt2) "With a glance for the ghosts who come for him, Leona sharply calls out, ‘Jack!’"

The Exhibition Match (pt3) "Ruggie and Jack rush to Leona, who has fallen to his knees, his hands flat on the ground."

Yuuya Knocked Out Grim is called over, the ghosts are gathered, and Yuuya huddles with Ace and Deuce to set the strategy for their next move.

Cheka (pt1) "‘Unca, I finally found you!’ Something bounces like a ball into the infirmary."

Cheka (pt2) "Cheka looks to Jack with his large, round eyes, only to turn abruptly about and go to hug Leona again."

Cheka (pt3) "'Perhaps realizing that he is being laughed at, Cheka looks around the room with a curious look."