#meanwhile i can do 4 years of healing work and only learn to not date full on abusers.

[mejomonster]

Then of course. There's the very real possibility I'll do 300 workbook pages of self help to the best of my ability. And still be unable to find mutual love. And still feel like I'm too dumb to figure out something so easy that I know very messy people who did not do some or all of this kinda work and found love just fine.

[unpredictable-probabilities]

Azul Ashengrotto of Royal Sword Academy || Chapter 4: What Lurks Beneath a Smile

Summary

Azul visits NRC and meets some of the people close to Jamil, who are understandably curious whether they’re dating or not.

In the middle of their hangout, Jamil learns of Azul’s burdens as an RSA student, as Rielle’s friend, and the dire danger that comes with them.

Word Count: 18, 487

A few days later, Jamil is making a meal for himself in the school kitchen. Normally he’d be doing it at Scarabia, but some of the freshmen are currently using the kitchen there. He doesn’t mind, it’ll be good if more of his residents develop an interest in cooking; he’d have more help in preparing their meals.

Ruggie was already there when Jamil arrived, and they've been chatting for a while like they usually do whenever they run into each other here.

But Ruggie doesn't have his usual energy tonight, and it’s obvious that he doesn’t wanna return to Savanaclaw even though it’s getting late already.

Jamil has a pretty good idea why, but he’s not sure what to say, or if he should even say anything. Maybe Ruggie would prefer not to talk about it at all, especially since Jamil wasn’t even there when it happened. All his knowledge of it came from stories he heard floating around.

"You can go ahead, Jamil," Ruggie says when he sees that Jamil has finished cooking. "You can eat over there at the table, I'll clean up here."

"You sure?" Jamil asks, glancing down at the bandages on Ruggie's arm.

Jamil had an injury too, a few weeks back. Cut his own hand while cooking on a night just like this, only for him to find out that it had been Ruggie's Signature Spell to disable him before their interdorm Spelldrive tournament.

But even then, he healed up. In contrast, Ruggie's injury, whatever it was, continued to persist well past all other scrapes and bruises he got during the day of the tournament proper.

"Yeah, man," Ruggie says. "I got this. You can start eatin'. I'll join you in a bit."

Ruggie speaks with his usual light tone, but Jamil can see that he can't use his injured arm as well as the other one, and his eyes are a little glazed and distracted.

Jamil sighs. "As if I'd be comfortable eating while someone else is still doing the work. If you don't want me to sit and watch you, you might as well let me help. You can pay me back by giving me a portion of your food…" He squints at the ingredients. "What're you trying to make here?"

"A'right, fine," Ruggie says. "And I'm just making potato and leek soup." He glances at Jamil's dish. "What did you make?"

"Found some black sea bass from the freezer unit and cooked it with some radishes," he shrugs like it was no big deal. "Decided to try something new while the freshmen are busying themselves with Scarabia's kitchen. Meanwhile, how're the other Savanaclaws gonna survive without your cooking? Leaving your lil' cubs out to starve for the night?" he then teases.

"Jack volunteered," Ruggie says. "He said he'll ask the others to help, too. He and Yuu insisted that I take a break. That lil' Ramshackle runt can be persuasive, y'know? Hand me that spatula," he points to the utensils hanging on hooks.

Jamil did just that, also bringing in any other utensils he knows Ruggie would need for the soup.

As he does so, he hums. "Never thought I'd see the day when Ruggie of all people decides to take a break. Even when we were freshmen, you were already hopping on whatever gig or scheme you could lay your hands on for money's sake."

That was, until Leona came along and he and Ruggie promptly began a give-and-take dynamic. But he feels that it would be inappropriate to bring him up, if the recent rumors of what happened before the tournament were true.

"How have you been coping so far? As someone who had a whole year to adjust, it takes a while to get used to."

"It's been okay," Ruggie shrugs. "Even with my work at Savanaclaw, I still got time to get extra gigs here and there. Sweepin' the stables, weeding the gardens, stuff like that. Oh, by the way, I was looking for you the other day to ask about a recipe, but your Vice Prefect said you'd gone out to buy an outfit for the Autumn Dance. You were out for like the whole day, didja have trouble finding an affordable suit? I can hook you up to some of the clothing stores I know."

"... No need," Jamil coolly replies. "I already got what I was looking for and I doubt I'd need to buy a new set of clothes anytime soon. If I ever do, though, I'll let you know." Though he knows that such advice often comes with a price when it's from Ruggie. "So? What's the recipe you needed help with?"

"Do ya know how to make vegetable dishes tasty?" Ruggie asks. "We have a greenhouse and some gardens here so it's much cheaper to mix vegetables and meat in dishes, but the cubs at Savanaclaw are extremely picky and we always have leftovers that go bad if I try."

Ruggie puts his soup in a bowl and grabs a spoon. "C'mon," he jerks his head towards the table and walks over to it.

As they make their way over to the table, with the ghost chefs tilting their heads at them in greeting as they pass by, Jamil starts informing Ruggie about taking out the bitter taste in vegetables (that's most likely why many of the meat-loving Savanaclaws are averse to them) using the right seasoning, like salt or oil and avoiding cooking methods like boiling when he could roast or stir-fry them instead.

"And you can try mixing them with meat in a way where it's impossible for the others to completely take them out," Jamil cunningly smiles. "Like meatballs, omelettes, pies, cookies… The possibilities are endless. Plus, I'm sure once they've figured out the hidden veggies, they wouldn't complain on account of how tasty you'd make them."

Ruggie snickers. "I knew I could rely on ya. If you need anythin' just let me know!"

Jamil's phone on the table lights up from a text.

Ruggie's gaze falls on the name on the screen and he raises his eyebrow.

"Piano Man?" Ruggie says, downing a spoonful of soup. "Why's a piano guy texting you at this hour?"

Jamil gives Ruggie a small look of warning as he takes his phone. "Good news: I thought of how you're gonna pay me back for my advice. Forget you ever saw that."

Ruggie narrows his eyes in suspicion, then he snickers. "A'right, you can keep your mystery piano man a secret."

Jamil leans back in his seat and reads Azul's message.

Jamil's eyes widen a little in surprise, then they soften.

And with that, he turns his phone off and goes back to his meal, knowing that more time spent texting meant more time getting stared at by Ruggie.

"Anyway," he clears his throat. "What are your plans for the upcoming dance? Would attending it be considered part of your break, too?"

Ruggie stares at his reaction suspiciously for a few seconds, but luckily he lets it go.

"There's free food, Jamil, of course I'm going to the dance! I ain't got beef with RSA, anyway, like you and the others. Bet they got all types'a fancy food, and I don't have to prepare any of it!" Ruggie snickers. "I'm a lil' surprised you're attending, though. Never figured you for one who's into those fancy events."

"Fair enough," Jamil shrugs. "I don't have much beef with RSA either, save for that quiz bee, but that's water under the bridge. I figured it'd be a waste to skip out on a celebration when I intend to live my days here to the fullest however possible. Besides, I'm used to those parties so I'm not averse to them. It'd be interesting to see what an RSA party is like and how it compares to ours. I heard even Idia Shroud might be coming. If you're going to be surprised about anybody, be surprised about him."

"Whoa, Idia Shroud?" Ruggie's eyes widen. "Now that's a rare sight to see. I've been here two years and I think I've only seen him like three times. And hey, look at you bein' mature about that quiz bee! I still hear some guys being salty about it, grumblin' about how that Azul Whatshisface stole victory from us. As if they did any work," Ruggie scoffs.

"I know," Jamil smirks in amusement. "I pity them for not having better things to do with their time… What would you have done, if you had lost like I did?"

"Woulda eaten like two dozen donuts to make myself feel better," Ruggie says immediately. "What did you do? I was gonna ask you to hang out after the confetti but ya disappeared. Ya didn't sneak off and kill Azul, didja?" he snickers.

"Hm-hm, who knows?" was all Jamil replies with, slyly taking another bite from his meal. "Also, I wouldn't exactly call you mature, either, considering how you… yanno… " he gestures to his hand, where a faint scar can be seen. "... The lengths you were willing to go to keep me off the field 'cause you perceived me as a threat."

Ruggie's smirk melts off his face, and he looks down at his bowl that was almost empty.

"Yeah… Sorry about that…" he mutters. Then he looks up at Jamil again with a humorous smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I was a real asshole, wasn't I? Not gonna happen again."

He takes his bowl in both hands and downs the remaining soup in one gulp.

"I'm gonna clean up," Ruggie stands up and claps Jamil on the shoulder, then makes his way to the sink.

Jamil watches Ruggie rise and walk to the sink, quiet. He knew he had to get to the conversation somehow.

"... Will you be heading back to your dorm after this? Or do you have other places to sleep in for the night?"

Ruggie starts washing the dishes and takes his time answering.

"I dunno yet," he mumbles as the faucet runs. "I'll decide later."

Jamil finishes his food and moves to the sink.

If he and Ruggie are similar in nature, then Jamil knows Ruggie is going to hate this... but maybe not as much as he would believe.

Color him blasphemous but from recent experiences, talking things out haven't been as bad as he thought.

He settles on the space next to the hyena, voice quiet and sincere. "What happened? Back before the tournament began."

Ruggie purses his lips and doesn't look at him.

"What do you already know?" he asks quietly.

"Other than the fact that all the 'accidents' leading up to it had been a dorm-wide scheme, none," Jamil replies. "I've been hearing rumors but I don't like paying them much heed."

He glances at Ruggie and his arm. "... I can try to guess, though."

Ruggie casts a sideways glance at him, quietly waiting for him to continue.

"Out of all the rumors, one stayed too consistent to simply be baseless speculation." Jamil quietly explains. "Leona, he... The delinquent drove himself into an Overblot."

He gestures to Ruggie's injury. "I'm guessing he did something to you in the heat of the moment, something even harsher than a normal spell or attack, otherwise you'd have healed already."

Ruggie's lower lip trembles, but he bites down on it and nods.

"His…" his voice breaks and he clears his throat. "His Signature Spell. He can turn anything to sand. And when he was… Overblotting… the bastard started monologuing about how he didn't need me and shit, and, well… at some point he kinda tried to kill me," Ruggie lifts his injured arm. "So…"

Jamil winces. "Seriously? Bastard... as if he doesn't know who's been making his life easy around here..."

He looks closely at the bandages and frowns at a realization. Ruggie has never let injuries get the best of him before.

"Something tells me that the injury doesn't hurt you as much as what Leona said." He muses. "You wouldn't have avoided talking about him since then if it hadn't. After all, the other Savanaclaws were there when he Overblotted, but they're being as chummy with him as ever after it's all said and done."

Ruggie finishes washing the dishes and dries his hands on a towel. He leans against the sink and crosses his arms.

"I stayed until after I was sure he's recovered enough," Ruggie says quietly. "But after that… Well, an errand boy's always busy doing work around the campus. And Leona had never been good at starting conversations even when people aren't avoiding him…" Ruggie laughs bitterly. "So we're here. Well, I'm here. I don't care where he is…"

"And you don't have to. If he doesn't wanna talk, then he can have it his way." Jamil huffed. "... If you need a place to stay, we've got spare rooms in Scarabia. I know you don't want to seem like you're running away, but sometimes that distance is needed. You can take it from me."

Ruggie nods. "Thanks, Jamil. I… I think I wanna talk, though…" his voice fades so quietly that Jamil had to strain to hear it. Ruggie chuckles mirthlessly again. "Stupid, right? Guy almost disintegrates my arm and I still care so much about him…"

He takes a shaky breath, and continues speaking in a whisper. "He was in so much pain, Jamil… I don't ever wanna see him like that again. But I don't… I don't know how…" his voice breaks and he shuts his eyes tight.

Jamil's face becomes indecipherable as his brows furrow, then slowly and almost hesitantly, his arm reaches out to give Ruggie a side-hug, glancing around to make sure no one else is snooping in on them before looking back at the hyena.

"It's... good that you wanna talk to him after everything, but if he's not ready then it's not up to you to do everything for him. Give him time, and while you do that, go do some stuff for your sake. Sevens know you deserve it… Honestly, I didn't realize you guys had gotten so close. I was there when you first met him and man, you both looked like you were about to tear each other's throats out. I still remember how you freaked out when he first summoned you to his room."

In an attempt to lighten the mood, he makes an effort to mimic Ruggie's voice. "'He's gonna kill me, I just know it, Jamil. When I disappear from class the next day, you have to come looking for my corpse, okay!?'"

A small laugh bursts out of Ruggie, and he sniffles, opening his eyes again. "I can't believe you remember that." He sighs. "It feels like a lifetime ago."

Ruggie stays quiet for a few moments, then playfully elbows Jamil. "And I didn't realize that you were so down for dramatic talks. When did that happen?"

"I could ask the same about you," Jamil shoots back at him. "I was half-expecting you to put up a fight before admitting anything close to what you told me... Guess I found that those talks hadn't been so bad once the icky part of being all vulnerable is said and done."

Ruggie shrugs. "I guess I'd been wanting to talk about it to someone. And you're the one who asked so I figured it'll be your fault if I ever said anything you didn't wanna hear. Besides, if you blab about this to anyone, I can always get you back by telling everyone about your secret piano man text pal."

Jamil narrows his eyes at him. "Be careful. Spreading his presence might bring his wrath down upon you, not mine." He says this without malice, then chuckles as he shakes his head. "Your secret's safe with me. What're you feeling now?"

Ruggie sniffles and rubs his eyes, grinning. "I feel like I can sleep peacefully in Savanaclaw tonight. Thanks, Jamil, really. Enjoy the half day tomorrow."

Ruggie claps him on the back and starts to walk away.

"No prob, Rug. Enjoy the half day tomorrow yourself," Jamil smiles at him, then moves to finish his dishes by the sink.

The miracle of a talk is astounding, frankly.

Jamil adjusts his backpack on his shoulders as he enters the Scarabia lounge. Classes had finished and he's on his way to his room, then a voice he never expected to hear in this place calls his name.

"Jamil!"

He turns around in time to get tackled by a lanky young girl.

Najma lets him go from the embrace and smiles cheekily at him. "Betcha didn't see that coming, huh?"

Jamil blinks wildly down at her before his jaw drops.

"N-Najma!? What the— What are you DOING here!?"

He puts his hands on her cheeks and inspects her from head to toe, wondering if it's a trick or a trap.

"Hey!" Najma playfully swats his hands away. "Our school has a field trip here today, one of the most prestigious colleges, y'know? I didn't tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise. So, surprise!"

Najma grins up at him.

"A fieldtrip?" Jamil asks, finding it almost hard to believe but there was no other explanation for why she could be here out of nowhere. "Then… what are you doing here away from your schoolmates?!"

"Relax!" Najma chides. "I asked our teacher for permission to swing by here! She knows you're my brother so she allowed me. I gotta get back to them now, though. But later we'll be given free reign as long as we won't be wandering alone! Catch you then?"

"I... suppose, though if you're expecting a tour guide around the school, you'll have to ask someone else. I'm heading out later to the town at the base of the mountain."

"Oh, why? Whatcha doing?"

"I'm gonna be meeting up with someone there." Jamil replies vaguely, already dreading having his little sister pry more information out of him.

Najma narrows her eyes at him and slowly nods. "Okay, okay, if you say so…"

Then she gives him a quick hug again. "See you later!" And she runs off.

Jamil, still awkward around physical affection (despite all his years growing up with Kalim), stood stiff as Najma hugged him.

He watches her leave, then checks his watch before texting Azul.

His phone lights up about a minute later as he's making his way to his room.

Nearing the cafeteria, he notices that the students suddenly hush around him.

He looks around curiously and sees that Azul is walking towards the entrance. He's wearing a light blue long-sleeved button up shirt and black slacks, but it seems like the students still recognize him even without his uniform.

People stare and conversations stop as he goes past. Azul doesn't seem to mind, though. He just keeps walking like he normally does, like he doesn't even notice the other students.

"Hey asshole!"

A sandwich flies through the air and hits Azul square in the chest, splattering meat and tomato sauce all over his white uniform.

He stops walking.

"You got the nerve to show your face here after what ya did?" The thrower steps up to Azul, and Jamil notices the Scarabia band around his arm.

He walks closer and recognizes it as his fellow Second Year, Orfeo, the one who's just barely passing his classes.

The other students seem to take a step back, but the crowd is beginning to thicken.

"I have the Headmage's permission for my visit," Azul says calmly with a polite smile.

Orfeo scoffs. "I don't give a damn if you got the Great Seven's permission. Ya don't belong here. The exit is that way," he points to the direction of the school gate.

"I'm afraid that I have some more business here," Azul says, unfazed. "You'll have to tolerate my presence for a little while longer."

Orfeo takes out his Magic Pen and points it threateningly at Azul's face. "Get out."

Faster than Jamil can react, Azul grabs Orfeo's wrist and twists his arm behind his back.

"I will," Azul continues in his calm tone, standing behind Orfeo. "Just give me a few minutes, my friend."

"Ohhhh…!" say a few of the students, some wincing at the smooth takedown while others watch in amazement.

Jamil sighs, walking forward and proceeding to separate the both of them.

He sharply turns to the fellow Scarabia before him. "What the hell do you think you're doing? RSA or not, assaulting a visitor that the Headmage himself acknowledged is grounds for suspension. What if the younger students from the Scalding Sands saw this behavior while they're in the middle of their tour?" He crosses his arms, stern. "Apologize."

His resident looks baffled at his remarks.

"B-But Prefect, this is the guy that stole your win, right? Why are you taking his side?"

"Because I'm not a petulant child who throws a tantrum over what's already happened," he replies, then remembers that he sorta did have a tantrum. But it at least didn't last very long. "Azul here is an honored guest by the Headmage, me, and Jade Leech. If you have a bone to pick with him, then you have a bone to pick with the three of us. Now, are you gonna run along or am I gonna have to report this to Crowley?"

Orfeo stammers for a bit, looking at him and Azul in turn, then runs away.

Jamil loses the scowl and turns to Azul, noticing the stain on his clothes. He clicks his tongue. "How unfortunate... What a waste of perfectly good food."

Azul raises his eyebrows. "Well, I'm glad you know your priorities."

He looks down at his shirt and a frown creases his forehead.

"I didn't bring a change of clothes," he mutters.

Jamil feigns surprise at seeing Azul. "Oh, it's you."

Then he playfully smiles. "Didn't seem like you needed anyone worrying about you. You looked like you could've gotten it all handled but... Couldn't let you get the entire spotlight now."

He takes out his pen and magics most of the mess away, leaving only a faint red stain.

"Here, so you don't have to run around looking like you just recovered from being shot in the chest." He muttered, taking off his grey blazer and passing it over to him.

Since he still had his hoodie on, he was well-dressed enough even without the extra layer so he didn't mind.

Azul looks surprised, but he takes the blazer and wears it, covering up the stain.

"Thank you," he gives Jamil a small smile, and looks around at the crowd of students still staring at them. More than a handful of them are wide-eyed at Jamil's gesture.

Azul hides it well but Jamil could see in the tension in his shoulders that he's uncomfortable with the attention.

Jamil's pretty tense with it as well, but he knows that no one would interfere with them at this point.

"Let's head somewhere else then, yes?" He tries to look relaxed as he puts his hands in his pockets. "Come on, let's get outta here."

Jamil leads Azul to the corridors outside, then his phone rings in his pocket.

He stops walking, giving Azul a signal to pause for a bit, then takes his phone to see who was contacting him.

Ruggie's name is flashing on the screen.

Jamil raises an eyebrow at this. He looks at Azul.

"Hold on, I have to take this."

He politely walks a few steps forward to answer the call and puts the phone to his ear. "Ruggie?"

"Hey," Ruggie's voice says. "I found your sister."

"Hey, Jamil~!" Najma's voice says from a bit further away.

"Apparently it's their free time now from the tour, and she stopped by the kitchens looking for you. Viper junior here says she wants to help me cook. Wanna hang with us?"

Jamil pauses, contemplating before he looks up at Azul. "A friend of mine's asking if I wanna go cook something with them in the school kitchens. We'll have to go back to the cafeteria to get there, though. Do you have anywhere else you need or wish to go first?"

Azul shakes his head. "No, I'm free for the rest of the day. And cooking with your friends does sound lovely. Is it alright if I help as well?" he smiles.

Jamil's glad Azul doesn't seem so miffed about the cafeteria incident anymore.

"Sure. Come on, then," And he begins to make his way back to the crowded dining area. "Do you cook often?"

“Not as often as I’d like,” Azul says. “If I had the time, I’d open some sort of cafe. But as things stand now, I’m always too busy for such things.”

They pass by the cafeteria again, and Jamil isn’t surprised that the students’ eyes are following them.

What does surprise him is the change in energy. The looks thrown in Azul’s way are less wary and suspicious and more like… fascinated? Some of the students actually smile to their friends when they catch sight of Azul, while others are whispering excitedly among themselves.

Jamil glances around the room, slightly unsettled by the attention. Whether it was positive or negative, he decides any attention still makes him uneasy, so he hurries along to the kitchen doors. As soon as they're inside, he lets out an exhale.

"Well..!" He mutters. "That was unexpected..."

"Indeed," Azul glances back with furrowed eyebrows in the direction they came from. "What was that about? Were they actually smiling?"

"That's what it looked like. But what they were smiling about, I'm not sure…“ He squints at Azul. "They seemed to be looking at you, though. Did you do something in the short time you were there somehow?"

"No," Azul looks even more confused. "After my meeting with Jade, I headed straight for the cafeteria. I never even spoke to anyone else. Perhaps it was you they were smiling at?"

"Eugh, I hope not," Jamil shudders at the thought. “This kind attention from his schoolmates could never lead to anything good. "Whatever. They're not bothering us anymore so that's all that matters in the end, I guess. Anyway..." He glances around the kitchen for any sign of Ruggie and Najma. "... This is the first I've heard of you wanting to own a café."

Azul shrugs. “It’s not like I’m actively working towards it. So there isn’t much to talk about.” He gives his usual polite smile, but Jamil detects the resignation in his tone.

Jamil spots them by one of the stoves. Ruggie seems to be cooking while Najma is sitting on the counter and chatting with him.

He falls quiet. As long as Najma and Ruggie haven't noticed them yet…

His voice dropping low into a quiet mutter, he asks Azul, "Why not? It's what you want to do, right?"

“It’s not that simple, I’m afraid,” Azul says, still maintaining the smile. “And why are we being quiet?” He asks and looks around, matching Jamil’s change in volume.

"But why can't it be that simple?" Jamil asks, bothered by this side of Azul.

"Oh! There he is!" Najma greets, noticing them and holding up her hand to wave. Then she pauses. "Huh? Hey, who's that?"

Ruggie looks over to them at Najma's question, and his eyes widen.

"No way," he turns off the stove and walks towards them, then points to Azul. "You're that RSA dude, right? Azul… Something?"

Azul smiles and holds up a hand to Ruggie. "Azul Ashengrotto. Pleased to meet you."

Ruggie looks surprised for a second before shaking Azul's hand. "Uh, yeah. Ruggie Bucchi."

"RSA?" Najma hops off the counter and walks over to them as well, eyeing Azul. Then she turns to Jamil. "Is that your blazer he's wearing?" 

"Someone threw food at him and tomato sauce tends to leave a stain, so…" Jamil answers, crossing his arms. "What have you two been getting up to? And Najma, since when did you know Ruggie of all people?"

“I was looking for you in the kitchen,” Najma replies. “But I found him instead. So I asked him if he knew you, and then he called you and here we are!”

“Wait wait,” Ruggie looks confused. “Since when do you two hang out?”

"Since Floyd forcibly roped me along into a merman reunion," Jamil smoothly replies. "He came here to meet up with Jade over something and now he's free and wanted to cook along. This is the least I could do to make up for one of my members chucking food at him. Any problem with that?"

“Chill out!” Ruggie says, holding his hands up. “I was just asking, dang.”

“Ooh, you’re a merman?” Najma says in fascination. “I’ve never met a merman before! Najma Viper, Mr. Azul, sir!” she sticks out her hand. “That grump over there is my brother,” she nods her head towards Jamil.

Azul chuckles and shakes Najma's hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Najma."

"Okay, now that introductions are done, let's go do what we came here to do." Ruggie waves them over to the stove and he continues to stir-fry vegetables.

“What your resident did was out of your control, you know,” Azul tells Jamil pointedly as they walk to join Ruggie. "There is nothing to make up for.”

“Yeah,” Najma looks at Jamil suspiciously. “Who knew you had such a kind soul, brother?”

Jamil seems to cringe at the word. "I wasn't being so kind as much as I was being responsible. I think anyone would do the same in my shoes."

Ruggie shrugs and does a seesaw motion with his hand. "I dunno about that, but sure."

"Speaking of responsible..." Jamil turns to fuss over his sister. "You're lucky it was Ruggie of all people you talked to. What have I told you about approaching random strangers, Najma? If anything bad were to happen to you…"

“It’s fine, Jamil,” Najma punches him playfully on the arm. “I saw Ruggie’s uniform so I knew he was a student and maybe he knew you. Besides, you taught me well on how to defend myself! You don’t need to worry so much.”

“Yeah, man,” Ruggie agrees. “If you’re the one who taught her to fight, then if anyone here chucks food at her, they’ll be no match.” He glances at Azul. "It's a good thing you got time to hang with us, Azul. You're not busy over there at RSA?"

"Not today, no," Azul replies. "We have no classes today since most of us are attending to the Autumn Dance preparations, including the professors. And I've finished my committee duties and piano rehearsals this morning, fortunately.”

Ruggie’s ears perk up and he turns to face Azul. “You play the piano?”

Azul nods. “I was assigned to play a few songs at the dance; the rehearsals are part of my routine.”

“Huh!” Ruggie says exaggeratedly. “Interesting. And uh, has Jamil heard you play?”

“Once, the other day,” Azul smiles at the memory. “He caught me playing a simple song at the department store piano.”

“Huh,” Ruggie says again, subtly smirking at Jamil. No doubt remembering what Jamil said about going out to buy an outfit for the dance. “Cool, cool, good to know.”

Jamil rolls his eyes, aware of where Ruggie had been going with his line of questioning.

"What're you cooking now?" He eyes the vegetables, pretending he hadn't heard all that. "Are these for those cubs of yours?"

"Cubs?" Najma repeats, confused.

“I cook for the residents of my dorm, Savanaclaw,” Ruggie explains. “This dish ain’t for them, though.” he looks at Jamil. “I’m trying out some recipes following your advice the other night, mixing vegetables into meat. Right now I’m making tacos, just a small batch to see if I get the taste right. There’s enough for four people, though, so y’all can have some, too.”

Ruggie mixes in some cooked ground beef with the vegetables and turns to Azul. “You’re helping, right? Line up those taco shells on the tray over there.”

“Oh, of course,” Azul rolls up his sleeves and walks over to the sink a little farther from them to wash his hands.

Najma walks next to Jamil and whispers. “He’s pretty cute. What’s your deal with him?”

Jamil raises an eyebrow at Najma's before quietly gazing at Azul, whispering his own reply. "He's a friend. Why? Also if you're gonna lurk here, you should help out, too."

“I am helping!” Najma whispers. “I was the one who told Ruggie what spices to add in the ground beef. But more importantly, is Azul the friend you said you were meeting in town today?”

"... Well, I thought we'd be going to the town after his errand here but it seems like he's fine with seeing more of this place," Jamil explains. "What of it?"

“He’s wearing your blazer,” Najma says pointedly, as if it should be obvious what she’s talking about. “In all our lives, I have never seen you lend anyone any of your clothes. Ever. And he’s from RSA? As in the rival of your school? You always avoid any source of potential intrigue, and now here you are being besties with an RSA guy. Also you’ve been awfully defensive ever since Ruggie called you out for hanging out with him.”

"Yeah, well…" Jamil started, fumbling over his thoughts to think of something to say and coming up with none. "So?"

A smile appears on Najma's face, and her eyes are practically glowing. "So, he's not just a friend to you, is he? That is so cool!" she excitedly whispers, eyeing Azul who is now currently talking with Ruggie while he arranges the taco shells on a tray lined with wax paper.

"If you want, I can try to find out if he likes you back," Najma adds, leaning towards Jamil conspiratorially.

"What?!" Jamil quietly hisses, feeling warmth rush into his face. "No, you will not! Get back h—"

But Najma has already begun slinking to Azul's other side, pretending to be interested in his work.

“Do you like cooking, Mr. Azul?” Najma asks, standing next to him.

“I do,” Azul smiles. “I grew up watching my mother cook, and I’ve developed a fondness for it.”

“I grew up cooking with my brother! I enjoy it, too!” Najma smiles back. “The dance that you’re preparing for, will you be helping with the catering?”

“I’m part of the committee that decides on the menu, yes, but I won’t be helping with the actual cooking,” Azul says.

“What kinda food would be there?” Ruggie asks with interest. “Is it gonna be a buffet? I gotta prepare my plan of attack.”

“NRC’s invited! That’s great!” Najma says excitedly.

“Indeed,” Azul smiles. “And yes, it will be a buffet. Drinks and desserts included.”

“Aw heck yeah!” Ruggie says and pops a piece of beef into his mouth. “Oh this is almost done. We’ll have tacos in a minute, kids!”

“Looks like Mr. Ruggie’s pretty hyped about the dance. Maybe you should ask him to be your date,” she says jokingly to Azul, watching carefully for his reaction.

Azul chuckles. “Ah, well, your brother has already asked me that. I’m going to the dance with him.”

Najma gasps softly and her eyes widen.

Ruggie dissolves into a coughing fit, almost choking on the food that he had tasted again. He thumps his chest with his fist a few times.

“WHAT!?” He whips around to stare incredulously at Jamil.

Jamil has his hoodie up, finding the kitchen window extremely interesting to watch right now.

"Jamil?" Azul sounds concerned. "Are you all right? I'm sorry, I... I thought it was alright to mention..." his voice fades out uncertainly.

"It's fine," Jamil says, his small voice trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Wow, that windowsill is really clean. Whoever dusted that deserves a reward.

The pan sizzles.

"Oh crap," Ruggie says and turns off the stove. "A'right that's enough about Jamil's love life. Now I need y'all to see if this is good enough for vegetable-hating beastmen."

He quickly finishes preparing the tacos and carries the tray to one of the tables.

"Come along, kids."

Najma tugs Jamil by his shirt and they all follow Ruggie.

Jamil ends up sitting next to Najma and across from Azul. Ruggie is sitting next to Azul and across from Najma.

He hears the crunch of taco shells and looks up to see Ruggie and Najma eating already. He sneaks a glance at Azul.

The merman is doing his best to maintain a posture worthy of an RSA student, but his eyes are cast down on his taco that remains uneaten, his fingers tapping restlessly on the shell.

Jamil, still feeling mighty embarrassed, knew that people were eventually going to find out, anyway.

He was able to break the news to Rielle and Floyd, but that was because they phrased it as a platonic date.

Meanwhile, Najma and Ruggie are both operating under the assumption that he asked Azul out in a romantic way, which isn't the case.

And yet he didn't say so and explain himself. He probably should.

But a part of him doesn't want to because he knew it'd be fruitless to convince Najma and he'd just waste his energy.

... Is that really the reason, though?

After what his little sister said, his brain begins to review the moments and signs around him. Taking a step back and viewing it from an outsider's perspective, he has to admit that he can see where she's coming from.

But does he really like Azul that way?

…

He sighs, then takes off his hood and takes a bite of the taco, chewing slowly to properly taste the flavors.

"Oh I love it," Najma says, halfway through her food. "You have nothing to worry about your cubs now."

She turns to Azul. "What do you think, Mr. Azul?"

"Hm?" Azul looks distractedly at Najma. "Oh." He takes a bite of the taco and chews it carefully.

"You've done a good job incorporating the vegetables in," he says to Ruggie. "The texture and taste complement each other, and the cilantro makes it taste more refreshing and less greasy. Though if I may, if your goal is to persuade your dorm mates to eat anything, then presentation is a significant factor. You can plate this taco with some dipping sauce at the side, perhaps even fruit slices if they aren’t opposed to that. If the dish is visually appealing, it would immediately be appetizing at first look."

Ruggie nods. "Yeah, that makes sense. They teach fine dining classes at RSA or something?"

"They do," Azul replies. "Though I learned most of my food knowledge from my mother. She owns a restaurant and pays extra attention to food presentation."

"Ooh! Can we go there?" Najma asks excitedly.

"Ah, it's underwater, so you will need to take potions beforehand to be able to breathe and survive the pressure," Azul explains. "If you're ever willing to go through that trouble, I'm sure my mother would be happy to welcome you."

"Sounds like a good summer plan," Ruggie snickers.

Najma turns to Jamil and pokes his shoulder. "Hey. Can you speak now? You're okay, right?"

"Mm-hm," Jamil hums, though he finished his taco first before saying anything further. "Tasty as always, Ruggie. I'm not sure if the visuals are too necessary, considering who you're feeding it to. Make it too fancy and your members might find it a bit alienating… and then there are those who won't care either way. They're already familiar with how your food tastes, so it's not like they need visual bait to lure them in."

"Psh, you're just saying that 'cause your meals are always brown and boring," Najma huffs, turning to Ruggie as Jamil opens his mouth in offense. "Don't listen to him. Making food look as good as they taste will get you far, I just know it!"

"Then I declare this a success!" Ruggie says, doing a voice that reminded Jamil of Riddle. "Thanks, guys. Even though it's really just Azul who helped with the actual cooking. You got a good one there, Jamil. Don't let him go."

Najma nods vigorously, chewing on her food.

Azul clears his throat. "I think Jamil is becoming quite uncomfortable with the jokes for now. Perhaps we can pick another topic to discuss, such as Ruggie's exceptional talent in the kitchen. If you have any dish you would like to have at the buffet, let me know and I'll tell the rest of the committee. I'm confident we can trust your judgment."

"I'll hold you to that," Ruggie points at him.

"Does it make you uncomfortable, though, Mr. Azul?" Najma says, undeterred. "When we talk about you and Jamil being each other's date for the Autumn Dance?"

Azul looks caught off-guard by the question. He blinks, then opens his mouth to speak—

"Oh my word!" a familiar voice cuts him off, and Jamil looks up to see Crowley approaching their table. "If it isn't RSA's very own Azul Ashengrotto!"

Azul stands up and graciously holds out a hand, his standard polite smile on his face. "Sir Dire Crowley."

Crowley shakes his hand enthusiastically. "Oh how honored I am to be in the presence of a future member of the Coral Sea's royal court!"

Jamil notices that Azul tenses up at that.

"Huh?" Ruggie says. "Azul?"

"Why, yes!" Crowley turns Azul and holds him by the shoulders as if Crowley's presenting him to them. "You're looking at Prince Rielle Triton's royal advisor!"

Crowley lowers his voice to a conspiratorial mumble. "Because it's too early to say whether you'll be his king, hm?" he chuckles merrily, not waiting for Azul to respond. "But no matter! Whether you'll be king of the oceans or a trusted right-hand man, the important thing is you'll have a seat at the royal court! Isn't that right?" he grins expectantly under his mask.

"Yes, sir," Azul nods with a smile. But Jamil has seen his real smile plenty enough times to notice that this one is strained. His eyes are guarded, his jaw too tense.

Azul's posture is perfect, his back straight and his hands behind him. Jamil could just see from this angle that Azul is gripping his left wrist with his right hand, digging his fingernails in as he smiles in supposed agreement with Crowley.

The royal advisor? Future king?

Jamil recalls the brief conversation he had with Azul about his cafe and how hasty he was to drop it.

All of a sudden, pieces started to click together as he stares at the merman in surprise.

"Royal court?" Najma asks, innocently unaware of the hidden layer of tension. "There's a royal family in the bottom of the ocean?"

"Najma, we've been taught this," Jamil mumbles.

"We have..? Oh, right. I remember now. The Tritons! WAIT! You're associated with royalty, Mister Azul!?"

Ruggie lowly whistles. "Dang, welcome to the club."

Azul nods, his polite smile unwavering. "Yes, Prince Rielle is a childhood friend of mine."

"How wonderful, isn't it?" Crowley says. "Well, I shall leave you all to your meals now. Until next time, Mr. Ashengrotto!" he claps Azul on the back and walks away, his cape fluttering behind him.

"Can you point me to the nearest vending machine?" Azul says to no one in particular, looking around. "The taco was quite flavorful, and I should like a drink to wash it down," he gestures to his plate, and Jamil notices the blood on the tips of his fingernails.

Before Jamil could say anything, Ruggie casually gestures over to the hallway outside. "Oh, take a right as soon as you exit and then as long as you keep on walking, you'll eventually find it in a corner leading to the courtyard."

"Thank you," Azul says. "Oh, do any of you want anything from there? My treat, since you were gracious enough to feed me tacos."

"Ooh, I'd like some milk tea, please!" Najma happily chimed in.

Ruggie wrinkles his nose and waves a languid hand in the air. "Any drink's fine, s'long as I don't have to pay for it."

Jamil did not know what to say as he's still trying to figure out a strategy, so he just shakes his head. "M'good..."

Azul nods. "All right, I shall be right back." he turns and leaves the cafeteria.

"Why did you say 'welcome to the club' earlier to Azul?" Najma asks Ruggie. "Are you associated with royalty?"

Ruggie begins rambling about Leona, and Jamil notices that Ruggie doesn't seem to mind talking about him anymore, but he's too lost in his own thoughts to pay much attention.

At some point, Jamil realizes that their chatter has stopped, and he glances up to see them staring at him.

"Well?" Najma asks, lacing her hands under her chin.

"Well what?"

"Are you gonna go and chase after him?"

Jamil squints at her in suspicion. "And why would I do that?"

"Hello? He's set for marriage with a sea prince when YOU have been harboring feelings for him! Are you just gonna let him run away!? Go!"

Jamil scoffs, willing to spite his sister by staying rooted in his seat when he suddenly notices Ruggie's expression.

"You should talk to him," Ruggie gestures with a jerk of his head, looking serious as he taps his nose. "My nose never lies and I smelled metal on his hands when he left. You know something we don't, so go. I think he needs it."

Jamil stares at the hyena before making a nod and standing up to head over to Azul.

"Huh? Wait, what's going on?" Najma asks after she watches her brother leave the room entirely.

"Drama talk, lil' Viper, the hallmark of a true romance," Ruggie grins, slipping back to his easygoing nature.

"Drama talk? My brother!?" Najma remarks, incredulous, before standing up from her seat. "Have you met him, Mister Ruggie!?"

The hyena shrugs. "I know, I know, but take it from me, Jamil ain't that bad at it."

Najma slowly sits back down, looking genuinely doubtful. "Okay... But if they take too long, we're gonna go look for them, alright?"

Jamil goes to the direction of the vending machine that Ruggie mentioned, hoping that Azul really did go there.

He sees him in front of it, hands in his pockets and staring at the machine with an expression too serious for someone who just wants to wash down a taco.

Jamil silently comes up to him, not bothering to hide his presence.

Azul doesn't notice. He's still staring at the glass of the vending machine but not making any movements to purchase anything.

Jamil takes a deep breath.

Then softly, he announces himself. "Hey, you."

Azul gets startled and looks at him. He blinks, and in an instant his posture is proper. That strained smile is plastered on his face again.

"Jamil. Have you changed your mind about the drink? Which one do you want?" Azul looks at the array of options.

"What do I want?"

Jamil leans against the vending machine, hands in his hoodie's pockets as he gives Azul a concerned look.

"I want to hear how you're doing. I can see when you're faking it, you know."

Azul looks conflicted for a moment, then he purses his lips and averts his eyes.

"I'm…" he sighs. "How are you so sure? This is only the fourth time we've even seen each other."

"I know what it's like to put on airs for other people," Jamil replies, then continues more quietly, "Besides, I've gotten to see for myself what a real smile looks like on your face. So…"

Azul meets his gaze, and for a moment there's a glimpse of that real smile.

"There it is," Jamil points out, feeling himself grin, too.

A small laugh bubbles out of Azul, and his shoulders relax. "I think… I just want some time to be… not what everyone expects me to be."

"Then let's do just that," Jamil says encouragingly. "If there's anything NRC's done for me, it's given me the space I needed to do what I wanted to do, so tell me, Azul... What do you desire the most at this very moment?"

Azul furrows his eyebrows in thought, chewing his bottom lip. "I'm not sure, exactly… That sounds bad, doesn't it?" he chuckles softly. "Um… Perhaps I should decide on which drink I want first. And I don't want to keep Ruggie and Najma waiting for theirs."

Jamil shrugs, content to have hopefully at least nudged him in the right direction.

He patiently waits next to the merman as he deals with the machine.

Azul straightens up with four drinks in his arms and hands one to Jamil.

He looks down at the bottle and sees that it's blond roast coffee.

"I remember that it's what you had at the cat café," Azul says. "I thought you might still like it."

"Indeed. My tastes haven't changed since then," Jamil quips. "Thanks. What did you get? Same drink as what you got in the café, too?"

Azul shakes his head. "No, just sparkling water. I don't wanna get something with a lot of calories. Shall we get back to the others?"

Jamil nods. "Let's."

But as soon as they round the corner, they run into Najma and Ruggie, who are trying to look as casual as possible.

"Oh, heeeeeeey, you two!" Najma greets. "We were… uh… just on our way to check up on you! You were taking a while!"

"Ah, my apologies for taking too long," Azul says, handing milk tea to Najma and fruit juice to Ruggie. "Shall we get back inside?"

Jamil squints at the both of them as they receive their drinks, then he relaxes, deciding to let it go for now.

"Actually, why don't we walk around?" he asks Azul and Najma. "Ruggie and I can show you a lot of NRC's facilities that no mere tour guide can provide. What do you two think?"

"That sounds lovely," Azul smiles.

"Oh sure," Najma turns to Ruggie. "He won't be a tour guide for me but when it's for Azul…" she shakes her head and gives Ruggie a look that says, "Can you believe this guy?"

"Ah, young love," Ruggie teases.

Jamil rolls his eyes, ignoring them to walk on ahead.

He leads them out of the main campus building, and as they walk along the steep steps to the lower cliff area, he turns to Azul. "Ah. By the way, what did you and Jade talk about?"

Azul adjusts his glasses. "Jade informed me that he remains the sole member of the Mountain Lovers Club, and he wants to promote it so that more of your schoolmates would be encouraged to join.

I suggested that he put up some sort of shop in Octavinelle, since it would be easier to manage if it's just in his dorm. He mentioned his fondness for mushrooms, and that he could pick them and other various plants when he goes hiking for his club activities. So I proposed that it might be good to cook those mushroom dishes for his dorm mates, perhaps even sell them eventually, and to other students as well if he has the time and manpower for it.

He seemed to like the idea so far, and he said he'd be interested to pursue it and ask for further consultation down the road. I asked him why he didn't just collaborate with his Prefect, especially if it would give funds to their dorm as well. Jade said that his Prefect is too… carefree for his liking."

"... Huh. Interesting," Jamil mutters. This is the first he's ever heard of Jade's own hobbies. It says a lot that he's willing to consult Azul about it of all people. "Guess he went to you for help then because of your business acumen."

Plus there was cooking once more. Azul really likes the idea of setting up a catering business, even if he seems to deny himself of that.

"Do you guys have any Masterchef programs back in RSA?" Jamil asks.

They've gone past the staircase and are now making their way to the windmills and hilly fields to the west of campus.

"We do," Azul replies. "I joined last year because the theme was baking, and it was something that I didn't have much experience with. It required significantly more precision compared to cooking, and it was quite the fun challenge to tackle. How about you? Have you joined any similar programs here?"

Jamil nods, before gesturing to Ruggie as well. "Both of us, though we joined on different themes. I was doing Seafood and Ruggie dealt with Eggs."

"The best part about those programs is the leftovers people make and leave behind," the hyena grins.

"Most of our ingredients are either locally cultivated," Jamil nods to the windmills and the chicken coop nearby. "Or bought from Mr. S's shop."

"Have you been inside Sam's joint, lil' Viper?" Ruggie asks, noticing how she's looking around the area. "Where did yer teacher even tour you around?"

"We went to Mr. S's, yeah," Najma nods. "And before that, our teacher showed us the different areas where club activities happen. We caught the Equestrian Club in their practice, it was so cool! I wanted to see the Board Game Club, too, but they weren't in their classroom earlier."

"Oh hey, I think they might be there now," Ruggie checks his phone for the time. "I was hanging out with Ortho earlier and he said that he had to get back to Idia because Board Game Club activities would be starting. Whaddaya say, fellow tour guide?" he turns to Jamil. "Should we take lil' Viper out to see the Board Game Club?"

Jamil shrugs. "Fine by me. It's Idia who I worry about. Dunno if his heart can take new strangers."

He leads them over straight to the club room, clearly unbothered by the prospect.

When they arrive, the club members are separated into small groups, playing different board games on tables placed around the classroom.

"Greetings!" Ortho zooms in front of them, hovering and waving his hand as a greeting. "I see we have new visitors!"

"Hey, Ortho," Ruggie gives him a high five. "This is Najma, Jamil's lil' sis. And this is Azul, Jamil's… I dunno."

"I have met Azul Ashengrotto, yes!" Ortho nods enthusiastically. "Hello again!"

"Hello again, Ortho Shroud," Azul smiles.

"Oh neat, you know each other," Ruggie says.

"Whoa, are you a robot?" Najma asks in fascination, looking at Ortho up and down.

"You may call me that, yes," Ortho says. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Najma Viper! Is there any board game you'd like to see?"

"Hmm, do you have mancala here?" Najma looks around.

"Searching the web for information about 'mancala'," Ortho stays still while a series of beeps could be heard somewhere from him. "Information acquired! We don't have that exact game, but we have materials we can use as a passable substitution. Shall we proceed?"

"Heck yeah!" Najma runs off with Ortho to one of the vacant tables.

Idia appears, looking down at his tablet. "Hey Ortho, have you seen the—"

He looks up and sees the three of them. "Eep!" he jumps back, putting up his tablet to hide his face. "It's Mr. Jamil and his handsome love interest from the rival school," he mutters. "Why am I in this scene?" He peeks above his tablet to look at Ruggie. "Why did you bring them here?" he says in distress.

"Showing Jamil's handsome love interest around," Ruggie replies. "Careful, Idia. I might think you're the one crushing on our guest here."

Idia shudders. "N-Not a chance. Sparkly guys and gloomy shut-ins like me don't mix. A-Anyway, now that you've seen the club for yourselves, you can go now, right?"

He looks around, spots Ortho and Najma playing, and groans. "You gotta be kidding me. You're staying, and who's THAT?!"

"My sister," Jamil replies. "Her school is conducting a fieldtrip here today."

Idia shrinks into a crouch so that he won't be seen. "A-Ah… I should've figured. You guys got similar-looking f-faces."

"No, we don't," Jamil frowns, confused. "Anyway, looks like we're gonna be here for a while. Hope you don't mind."

"And what if I do?" Idia stammers.

"We'll stay here longer," Ruggie snickers. "Might as well find ourselves something entertaining to do while we're here."

"Is that The Game of Life?" Azul says with interest, pointing to the open board game at a vacant table.

"Y-Yeah," Idia says. "Do you play that?" he asks in a small voice.

"I used to, but it's been a long time." Azul approaches the table. "May I?"

"Huh? Uh, s-sure," Idia says.

Azul picks up the dice and throws them on the board with a flick of his wrist. Each die lands with the six side facing up.

Azul's face brightens as he chuckles. "Still got it."

"Whoa!" Idia hurries towards Azul, forgetting his shyness for a second. "How'd you do that? That's gotta be luck, right?"

Azul just smiles and picks up the dice again. He throws them, and the sides with the six dots are facing up once more.

"NO WAY!" Idia picks up the dice and inspects them. "Did you rig these? What spell is that?"

Azul chuckles and shakes his head. "I used to play this, and there was a time when I practiced how to throw the dice so that they would land with my desired numbers facing up. It took a long time and a lot of math and wrist cramps, but I eventually figured it out," he says proudly.

Idia's jaw drops as he stares at Azul. "That's like, mega-obsessive geek behavior. You played this game a lot?"

Azul nods. "Indeed. Do you like this game as well? Perhaps we can play some time," he smiles at Idia.

Idia falls quiet, and his face goes red and he scurries away, hiding behind Ruggie with his tablet covering the lower half of his face.

"Th-th-there're other games here," he gestures to the other tables. "If you wanna check out any more," his voice fades out and he shrinks behind Ruggie's shoulder.

"Who do you play these dice games with?" Jamil asks Azul, quirking up an eyebrow. "They must feel like quite the unfortunate sap facing against you."

"Rielle," Azul says. "We discovered this game in our freshman year, and I didn't like that I had so little control over the outcome of the dice. He said that it really is up to chance, and I took that as a challenge," he said smugly.

"Like RSA Rielle?" Idia says in surprise, appearing behind Ruggie. "You just casually play board games with the mega-protagonist crown prince?"

"Not anymore," Azul shrugs. "A mega-protagonist crown prince does get busy with princely duties, and I haven't had much free time as well."

"Then consider this a good opportunity to let loose before it's back to busywork," says Ruggie. "Knowing that the chance and dice games can be rigged crosses them outta the list, what sort of board games do you like to play?"

"Hmm," Azul hums thoughtfully. "I like Clue. And Monopoly. Though both games take a long time to play. How about you two?" he looks at Ruggie and Jamil.

"Eh," Ruggie shrugs. "Board games don't really fill my pocket with pay so I don't really dabble on 'em. I heard some really old ones can fetch ya a pretty penny, though!" His eyes begin to roam the club's belongings with greedy interest.

"Ahem," Jamil gives the hyena a pointed look before glancing back at Azul. "Playing either sounds fine with me. Just so you know, I'm not gonna lose so easily."

A smile pulls at the corner of Azul's lips. "Good, it wouldn't be fun otherwise."

"Ugh," Ruggie makes a disgusted sound. "You two don't mind if I don't join you, right? I don't need to be around all this unresolved sexual tension," he gestures with his hands as if indicating something in the air.

"What are you gonna do, then?" Jamil asks. "Those games work better with more people."

Ruggie shrugs. "I dunno. I'll roam around and see if any game interests me."

He walks away and begins looking at the different games that the club members are playing.

"I've never played mancala before," Azul offers. "From what Najma and Ortho are doing, it looks like it only needs two people. Would you mind teaching me?"

"Oh. Well, sure, if that's what you want," Jamil replies. "Like Ortho said, we have to find some substitutes for it first."

And so they do, cobbling up "shells" with the use of dice and bowls after getting (reluctant) permission from Idia.

From there, Jamil lays down the ground rules and the objective of the game, teaching Azul with a calm demeanor and a small demonstration.

Azul understands the game well enough, and they start playing. As he's moving the makeshift shells around the board, his sleeve hikes up a little and reveals the crescent cuts on his wrist from his fingernails. He notices it—Jamil could tell from how he paused for the briefest second and his eyes widened—and smoothly switches the pieces to his right hand and continues his turn. But that only revealed his blood-tipped fingernails, though the amount of blood was little enough that he doesn't seem to know it was there.

"Have you played this game a lot with your sister?" Azul asks casually.

Jamil goes to tear his gaze away from Azul's hand and musters an answer, voice a little tense.

"Right, um… We'd play every once in a while, but then she'd get fed up with losing all the time and find another game that I'd be unfamiliar with or come up with extra rules in the hopes of giving me a handicap."

From nearby, Najma can be heard yelling out in defeat. "I should've known better than to challenge a robot in a game of strategy!"

"Seriously, what is the appeal of this thing?" Ruggie says, sidling up to a pair of students who were engaging in a battle of chess. "I keep getting roped in to play this only to get my ass beat. Oh shit, your horse is vulnerable to that bishop over there."

"Hey! No backseating!" one of the chess players snarl.

"And it's a knight, not a horse!"

"It's a piece in the shape of a horse, what's it matter?" Ruggie scoffs.

Despite the lively atmosphere, Jamil feels tense as he plays the game with Azul at a quiet pace.

Then, as the merman's fingers cross over to Jamil's side in the middle of his turn, Jamil reaches out and gently takes Azul's hand, bringing his blood-tipped nails under close scrutiny.

His expression is contemplative, before he glances up to meet Azul's gaze and quietly asks, "How're you holding up now?"

Azul tenses up when he realizes what Jamil has been looking at on his fingernails.

He averts his eyes for a moment before meeting Jamil's again with a small smile. "Better now, thank you. I didn't realize I'd…" he nods to his fingernails. "I wasn't aware… Does everyone else know?" he asks quietly.

Jamil's thumb lightly brushes against Azul's knuckle. "Only Ruggie. Can't disguise the smell of blood against a beastman, after all… Are you worried he or I would tell anyone?"

Azul lightly shakes his head. "I’m not. It's just, apart from Rielle, no one has really seen me be… vulnerable like this. I'm not entirely sure how to act… Or how to feel."

"... What are you unsure about?" Jamil asks, trying to be careful in his questions as he lets go of Azul's hand to resume play. He looks around to make sure no one had noticed them pausing and whispering to each other.

Azul takes a breath and continues playing, speaking quietly. "If people's perception of me changed, if they think that I'm not as strong or put-together as they first thought… what then? Will their treatment of me change? And if it does, what do I do?" He sighs. "Anyway, we don't have to talk about it. I appreciate you listening.”

Jamil waits until Azul has finished his turn before starting his. "And... I'll be happy to keep listening. If everything on the other side of this island is becoming too much to bear, you can always find me here. But if you want my two cents on the matter, if people think negatively of you just because you want to be yourself, without the title of advisor or future king or RSA student…"

Jamil finishes the last move of his turn, steady and sure. "... Then those people are not worth keeping around."

Azul pauses and stares at him for a moment, then he nods and looks down at the game as he takes his turn.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Azul gets quiet for a few moments, then adds in a lighter tone, "You know, Jamil, it seems like you're always the one listening to my woes and offering to help. I'd feel more comfortable if I could do something for you in return. So if there's anything you need help with, just let me know," he meets Jamil's gaze.

Jamil tilts his head. "I think you've already been doing plenty of helping on your part. You listened to me just like this the previous times we hung out, so if anything, I'm just following your example. But hey…" He grins. "I'll keep your offer in mind. Here's an idea, if everyone keeps bothering you with expectations over there, just do what I did: go to NRC. Maybe it's not too late for a transfer."

Azul looks surprised, then he blinks at Jamil. "Hm, I'd never considered that before. Although," he smiles in amusement, "some of your schoolmates might be opposed to that idea. I'd only been here for less than a day and your spritely resident was already trying to kick me out."

"Buuuut let's not forget the way people reacted when we came back to the cafeteria," Jamil reminds him. "Whatever happened there, I have it on good assumption that they're not gonna try anything funny again for a while. Come on… You can set up your own catering lounge here and everything, give the cafeteria a run for its money."

Azul stares at Jamil, then he says playfully, "When we first came up on that stage and did the obligatory handshake at the start of the quiz, with your death grip and hardened expression, I never would have thought that you'll be persuading me to spend more time in your vicinity."

"What can I say? You're pretty good at changing minds, Ashengrotto," Jamil chuckles. "And if you can sway us stubborn fools here in NRC, maybe the same can be done for the rest of the people you surround yourself with."

Azul raises his eyebrows and lets out a laugh of disbelief. "And how ever did I change your mind? Did you like the beach cove that much?"

"It was during the cat café that I began to see you in a different light. It's true that you're more pleasant and nicer than the company I keep," Jamil gestures with his head to the situation behind Azul, where Ruggie's running from the chess players after popping a piece in his mouth out of spite, while Idia is crouching under a desk to hide and Ortho's ignoring the ruckus to play a luck-based game with Najma instead. "But I've begun to think that that may not be a bad thing."

He shoots Azul a playful narrowed glare. "Ah, but I still got a reputation to keep here, so they're free to think whatever they like about you and I hanging out together as long as you don't spill how sappy I get when talking with you."

Azul looks down and laughs, his cheeks becoming a bit pink. He clears his throat and looks at Jamil.

"And what reputation is that, Viper? Are you supposed to be an aloof and mysterious figure here?"

"Hah, pretty much. Also clever and capable and composed, but unfortunately, I feel like you've already seen past all of it," Jamil snickers, then glances down at the board, now emptied except for both far ends. "In the meantime, at least you haven't beaten me in this just yet."

"You are clever and capable and composed," Azul says, leaning back in his chair. "I don't think people would stop seeing you that way, no matter who you hang out with."

"But they also think I'm constantly ready to stab someone in the gut if they go so far as to look at me wrong, which I'm perfectly okay with, and yet…" Jamil leans back in his seat, too. "It's gonna be hard maintaining that reputation when your… energy is infectious. When you smile... really smile… how can I not smile along? Now I still haven't decided if it's a virus RSA students carry or… if it's just you bringing that out of me."

Surprise is evident in Azul's eyes, and he's blushing even brighter. He looks down and chuckles shyly. "So you… You really don't mind that people know about us… hanging out?" He looks at Jamil again, and Jamil senses in his tone that he was going to say something other than 'hanging out'.

Jamil's gaze softens. "I had to wrap my head around it for a bit when my own family member started joking around, but… No. No, I don't mind at all." 

"Sevens," Idia says in the distance, utterly baffled and muttering to himself. "They've been staring at each other several minutes after their game has already concluded… Can't be me, fr fr." 

Azul's posture relaxes and he smiles. "I'm glad you don't. Because… I've recently discovered that there is an aviary in town. And I was wondering… Perhaps you'd like to go there with me?"

Jamil blinks at him, shock blooming on his face.

"Huh? Is this… because of the bird thing I mentioned?"

"Yes," Azul smiles sheepishly. "You're not allowed to keep a pet bird here so I thought, perhaps we could go to them instead. But, it was just an idea, we don't have to, forget I said anything," he shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair.

"Hey, hey, let's do the forgetting once you've actually heard me reject you now," Jamil jokes, knowing full well he'd say the same thing in Azul's shoes. "And there's no rejections from me here. It's, well... I'm definitely looking forward to it." He smiles, both genuinely excited to see birds yet also embarrassed that Azul even bothered to remember and do something to make him happy.  "But first, what's your reason for continuing to hang out with me?"

Azul raises an eyebrow. "You don't hear me asking such questions. Even when you've been persuading me to move across the island just to be in the same school as you," he says jokingly.

"Whoa, I didn't say that just because I want to be with you. I was also suggesting it for your own personal interests," Jamil defends, only to realize a moment later that he had just admitted that he wants Azul to transfer to spend more time with him.

Jamil clears his throat. "Besides, I think I already told you that I enjoy your company, so going along with invites like these feels natural, doesn't it?"

"... It does," Azul holds his gaze. "And… I want to keep hanging out with you because…" he shrugs lightly. "You make me really happy. You say that you smile when I smile genuinely, but… you should know that just being with you is enough to make that happen. And I really like seeing your smile, too. It suits you."

…

Jamil tries to keep that steady reassured look on his face, but his darkening cheeks and his fingers itching for his hood gives much away.

"Okay, srsly, guys, no PDA allowed in the Board Game Clubroom. What are you trying to do? Rub it in our faces?" Idia groans, though he's still doing nothing to physically put an end to it. "Also can someone kick Sir Ruggie out already before he starts eating up our game pieces?"

"I'm on it, brother!" Ortho salutes, hovering up and pausing at Azul and Jamil's side. "Will you two be accompanying Mister Ruggie and Miss Najma in their departure?"

"Oh, we could, yes," Azul says. "We've completed our game, after all." He looks at Jamil. "Shall we go with them?"

Jamil nods and begins to stand. "All right, let's."

He glances out to the windows. "Are you needed back at RSA anytime soon?"

Azul shakes his head. "No. I have until 5 PM until I need to go back. How about you? Do you have any plans since today is a half day for you?"

"Nah," Jamil says. "My plans had been to meet up with you, which now evolved into me being an advanced tour guide."

As they exit the room, much to the club members' relief, he then turns to his companions and asks, "So, where do the visitors wanna go next?"

"Can we look at the horses again?" Najma asks excitedly.

"Club activities are prolly done now," Ruggie says. "But we can still go to the stables."

Najma turns to Jamil with a hopeful grin. "Do you think I can ride a horse?"

Jamil gives her a stern look but sighs. "I suppose… if the club leader is still there, then we can try to ask for permission, but no promises."

"You wanna ride horses, lil' Viper?" Ruggie asks, acting more like a friendlier big brother than Jamil does. "What about our RSA buddy over here?"

"I do have some training in horse-riding," Azul adjusts his glasses. "Though I am a tad concerned that I might not be wearing proper riding clothes."

"Don't sweat it, man," Ruggie says. "You're fine. Let's go!"

They continue to walk under the hot afternoon sun, passing by students having picnics, jogging, or making their way to club activities.

Ruggie turns to Jamil as they're nearing the field. "You gonna want a horse, Jamil?"

"I'm not really interested in riding horses," Jamil muttered. "But I can at least be on standby to babysit these two if I have to. How about you?"

"Nah, I'll just be hanging around. Oh look Riddle's here," Ruggie says when they reach the stables. "Hey, Riddle!"

Riddle turns around from brushing his horse. "Ruggie, Jamil. What brings you here?" he glances at their two friends.

"Azul Ashengrotto?" Riddle says in mild surprise, before turning to Najma. "And I'm guessing you are Jamil's relative? I must say you're quite the interesting group," he says to Jamil.

Jamil eyes Riddle, noting his calmer demeanor compared to how he normally had been until recently.

He had always wondered how that came to be. There were rumors about it, too, but... nothing concrete.

"Hello, Riddle," Jamil greeted. "My sister and Azul are here to visit and, well... I apologize for the trouble, but—"

Najma hops up the fence a little to take a closer look at the horses, starry-eyed. "Can I ride on one of these things, Mister Riddle?"

"I do have the authority to grant you permission, but…" he furrows his eyebrows in thought then looks at all of them. "Do you all want to ride a horse? Do any of you have any experience or training at all?"

"I ain't riding, don't worry," Ruggie says. "Just here to chaperone, sir."

"I've had some experience in Knight Class," Azul says.

"Night class?" Ruggie asks in confusion. "Your evening classes teach you horse-riding?"

"Not 'night' as in 'evening'," Riddle frowns in exasperation. "Royal Sword Academy has a class elective where they can train to be a knight." He turns to Jamil. "Do you and your sister have any sort of training?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to call it training, but I do have experience," Jamil replies. "I'm also here to chaperone, though. It's Najma who wants to try."

"I dunno how to ride horses just yet," the girl shakes her head. "But I can start learning! Can you teach me, Mister Riddle?"

Riddle raises an eyebrow, and there's something that almost looks like a smile on his face. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I can only teach you for no longer than 20 minutes, all right? I have other duties to attend to."

"Got it, Mister Riddle! Thank you!" Najma beams.

"And you, Azul? Would I be correct to assume you do not need any guidance?" Riddle asks him.

Azul smiles politely. "Indeed. I shall not be doing anything complex nor dangerous. I can assure you that I will keep the horse safe. And I would not want to take any time away from Najma's training."

Riddle nods. "Very well. If you do happen to need any guidance, perhaps you can ask Jamil, seeing as he has some knowledge of it as well."

Jamil notices how Riddle takes note of Azul's NRC blazer. Riddle looks at Jamil curiously, then turns to Najma.

"Miss Viper, if you'll follow me," Riddle leads her to one of the horses and explains that it's one of the calmest and most suited for beginners.

"Riddle's in a good mood today," Ruggie says. "Imma go ask him if he'll tip me if I clean up here and brush the horses," he jogs over to Riddle and Najma.

Jamil watches Ruggie trot away before glancing back at Azul.

"So… Knight classes, huh? Is that a mandatory part of the curriculum?"

"No," Azul shakes his head. "It's an elective, but I was expected to take it as one of Rielle's close friends. Those who surround him must be able to protect him and themselves to some degree."

Azul starts walking and looking at the horses. "Are you sure you won't be riding? What will you be doing in the meantime?"

"Watching you and Najma ride around. It's fine… Why? Do you want me to ride along?" Jamil asks, leaning against the fence.

"It’s up to you," Azul stops in front of a brown and white stallion. "I'm just not sure if I'm comfortable with the thought that I'm the one who asked you to hang out today and yet you'll merely be standing around and, in your own words, babysitting," Azul smiles at him. "I want you to have fun as well."

"Hmm… Would you show me some stuff you learned from Knight Class if I join in?"

Azul's looks caught off-guard. "It's not nearly as cool as you might think, I warn you. It might not be so different from what you've already learned as a retainer."

Jamil playfully sighs, glancing away. "Then it looks like I must continue to hone my retainer skills by keeping a watchful eye over you and Najma from here…"

"Oh come now, that's not what I meant," Azul says gently, stepping in front of Jamil. "I was just worried you'll get bored if I just prattle on about things you might already know."

Jamil looks at him once more. "Let me be the judge of that.” A part of him feels sure much of Azul's prattling wouldn't bore him, anyway. "Shall we get ourselves some horses, then?"

Azul smiles. "We shall."

After readying their horses, they mount them and begin at a trot across the hill.

Azul tells Jamil about the proper ways to hold the reins and about encouraging the horse to move or stop without hurting it or making it feel tense. Jamil already knows about most of it, as Azul had guessed, but it was a nice refresher, and nicer to listen to Azul explain it.

"Usually the basics end there," Azul says. "But in RSA, we must also learn to wield at least one weapon or shield while on a moving horse."

Azul lets go of the reins with one hand and raises his Magic Pen to demonstrate. "It's a little trickier to keep one's balance when holding something heavy–though we don't have anything like that right now so I'm just using my pen as a stand-in. A more advanced lesson is learning how to accurately shoot a bow and arrow from a moving horse. I never quite learned that one," Azul says in amusement.

"Interesting . . ." Jamil attempts to picture Azul wielding a weapon to battle. It's a strange image, but still rather intriguing. "Are people like Rielle also participating in this elective, too?"

Azul nods. "Our professors in that class have higher expectations from nobility, which is saying a lot considering their expectations for the rest of us already. Though I don't envy Rielle his more rigorous training, he does make for a rather formidable sparring partner. "

"It really does sound like training for knights," Jamil commented. "Have you guys ever been told what it was all for? If it were me, I'd suspect there to be something afoot."

"Rielle is a crown prince," Azul begins. "For people like him, it's to prepare him in case he would need to fight in actual battles for his kingdom. For people like me–those who are expected to always accompany nobility–it's so we would be able to defend them in case of an assassination attempt or any other attack. Then there are those who aspire to be knights in the future. If they receive good marks in that class, it would significantly help their applications after graduation."

To aspire for a job Jamil had been trying to get out of sounds absurd. If he ever finds those hopefuls, he'd tell them they could just swap positions. That way, everyone would be happy.

Now that he thinks about it, they remind him of that First Year, Sebek Zigvolt. Completely wild.

"So someone told you to take the elective because you were Rielle's friend?"

Azul averts his eyes and looks straight ahead. "More like they all assumed I would take it because I'm Rielle's closest friend. His father was looking forward to the both of us going to RSA, saying that the Knight Class there would be very useful to us. Most of our professors said the same thing in our first week at RSA."

Jamil gave him an unimpressed look. "... So you took it."

Azul smiles sadly, keeping his eyes on the horizon. "There is no need to sound so disappointed, Jamil. I know what I did." Then his smile changes into a friendlier one, and his voice sounds upbeat when he speaks. "Come on, I'll race you to the top of that hill. Hiyah!" he snaps the reins, digs his heels into the horse's sides, and it gallops away.

Jamil sighs and speeds along after him, taking in the breeze as he watches Azul ahead.

He supposes there's little he can do considering this is the life his friend chose.

But it's still frustrating watching him just accept it lying down.

He spurs his horse onward to keep a steady pace with Azul's, making sure not to lag too far behind but not close enough to make the other speed faster.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, Azul doesn't slow down. He turns his horse around and veers towards the obstacle course that the Equestrian Club uses for their activities.

His jaw is set and there's an intensity in his eyes as he glares ahead, leaning forward on his horse and speeding up.

Azul reaches the first hurdle, and the stallion clears it easily. They go through the course, Azul going for the more advanced hurdles, the horse leaping higher and farther, Azul ducking and dodging the wooden planks.

Jamil stays close by, briefly figuring that he doesn't want to risk the hurdles if he doesn't know how capable his horse is.

But then he manages to get a brief glance at Azul's expression, and wordlessly, he urges his steed to go for it. He's not going to let Azul take the win that easily.

Jamil's horse clears the hurdles, though the blinding glare of the sun proves to be a challenge at some points. Fortunately, the wind is refreshing enough that he can keep his focus.

As he catches up to Azul at the end of the course, he sees him clutching the reins so tightly that his knuckles have gone pale. His head is bowed down and his eyes are closed as he breathes heavily.

The horse is just standing now, but it keeps shifting on its hooves restlessly, as if sensing its rider's tension.

Jamil slows his horse down, eyeing both the rider and steed ahead of him to spot anything off. Are they injured?

"What's wrong?"

As he walks closer, he doesn't see any injuries on either of them, but Azul isn't responding, his forehead beaded with sweat.

Azul takes a sharp intake of breath and his eyes fly open, only for them to roll back in his head as his body slumps, and he begins to slide off the horse.

"Whoa!" Jamil hisses, dashing forth to catch him before he completely slid out. "Azul!?"

Jamil has one hand around Azul’s shoulders while he leans limply against Jamil’s chest, remaining seated on his own horse.

It's difficult having to calm both horses at once, but Jamil isn't a stranger to calming down animals.

Hooves sounded in the distance, and Jamil looks to see Riddle and Najma on horses quickly approaching them.

"What happened?" Riddle asks when they reach them, his eyes falling on Azul’s unconscious form against Jamil. "Let's set him on the ground, we can't risk him falling off and breaking his neck."

Riddle takes out his Magic Pen and gently levitates Azul and places him on the grass.

Ruggie runs up to them, holding the brush that he’s been using for the horses. "Whoa! What happened to him?"

"Is he injured?" Najma asks worriedly from her horse.

Jamil hops off his own horse and states, "Stand back" as he tries to figure out what's wrong.

Azul's pulse is racing, and his skin is feverish to the touch. At the very least, Jamil doesn't see any cuts or bruises.

Then Azul's eyes flutter open, and his face cringes as he puts a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. "What happened?" he asks, his voice hoarse.

"A heat stroke, maybe," Jamil mutters, moving to shade Azul from the sun shining overhead. Despite his worry, he maintains a calm composure. "How're you feeling? Can you sit?"

"Were you not aware you were feeling unwell before you decided to ride a horse?" Riddle asks, frowning.

Azul sits up with a grunt. "I wasn't feeling unwell at all. Though perhaps it wasn't a good idea to exert myself so much on a hot day without wearing breathable clothing. Merfolk don't exactly thrive under the sun."

He glances up in confusion. "Isn't it raining, though? I thought I heard something… dripping…" he closes his eyes and shakes his head as if to clear it, then opens his eyes again. "Never mind. I must have imagined it."

Riddle tenses up at Azul's remark.

Ruggie suddenly kneels down next to Azul. "You haven't been using your magic just now, have you? Where's your Magic Pen?" he asks, almost in a panic.

Azul furrows his eyebrows and shows his pen to Ruggie. "I haven't been using my magic. Why?"

Ruggie inspects the magestone on Azul’s pen, then sighs in relief. He falls silent, shakes his head, and stands up again beside Riddle while averting his eyes.

Riddle gives Ruggie a curious look, his frown deepening. He turns to Azul.

"We should have you checked at the infirmary. As the person who gave you permission to get a horse and use this area for riding, this is my responsibility. I shall return Najma’s horse to the stables and then we shall head out.” Riddle is looking at Azul and Jamil imperatively, letting them know that there is no room for arguments.

Azul sighs. "All right," he stands up and brushes dirt from his clothes.

The Viper siblings throw each other a look of concern before Jamil helps Najma off her horse and they both follow.

"Can we come, too? I was the one who wanted to go horse-riding, after all. If I'd known…" Najma asks, nervously fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"Oh, it's all right, Young Viper," Azul says with a kind smile, gently patting Najma on the head. "It was my decision to go horse-riding myself, and none of us could have predicted what happened."

"You may come along if you wish," Riddle says. “Just be certain not to get in the way."

Both Vipers nod and they quietly wait for Riddle and Ruggie to return the horses back to their stables before they head to the infirmary.

While they’re all waiting outside for Azul as the nurse had instructed, Riddle approaches Jamil and Najma, looking at the latter.

"Najma, Azul would need to be sufficiently hydrated. Would you go to the vending machine out in the corridor and buy him two cold bottles of water? You may get whatever food or drink you want as well," he hands Najma some thaumarks.

Najma straightens up and accepts the money, nodding with a determined look on her face. "Yes, Mr. Riddle!" She runs off.

Riddle watches her disappear around the corner before turning to Jamil.

"What exactly happened before he fainted?" Riddle asks, looking troubled.

Jamil looks down the hall where his sister had run off, then he turns to Riddle. "He got really into his horse-riding, as far as I can tell. He just looks like he overexerted himself, though it was pretty sudden.” He notices the crease between Riddle’s eyebrows, the worried look on his normally composed features. “You know something, don't you?"

Riddle purses his lips. "Were you two talking about anything in particular before he started on the obstacle course? I saw that he had done even the advanced hurdles."

Jamil wonders if it was wise to divulge to others something so personal to Azul, so he decides to be vague. "If you want details, you may have to ask him, but… We did have a conversation about his… complicated feelings over his situation as an RSA student."

The frown on Riddle's face remains. He turns to Ruggie, who is leaning against the wall a little far from them, lost in thought.

"Ruggie."

Ruggie startles at Riddle's voice, then he walks over to them. "Yeah?"

Riddle looks at Ruggie, as if taking the time to weigh his words before saying them.  "Why did you ask Azul if he had been using his magic?"

Ruggie looks down and shifts on his feet. "I dunno…" he mumbles.

"You're suspecting the same thing, aren't you?" Riddle says, impatience coloring his voice.

Ruggie winces as if Riddle had shouted at him, even though the Prefect had maintained his calm volume.

"I could be wrong," Ruggie says uneasily. "It was just the first thing that came to mind, that's all. Guess I'm still a little paranoid…" he rubs the bandages on his arm.

Riddle sighs and shakes his head. "This isn't good at all," he mutters.

"What? What're you both on about?" Jamil asks, glancing back and forth between the two before eyeing Ruggie's injured arm. "Wait… You're not saying this is related to… There's no way."

Riddle raises an eyebrow at him. "'No way'? Let me remind you that Overblots are supposed to be extremely rare, and yet we've had two already happen in this school in less than three months. You're not a fool, Jamil; you must have heard the rumors and pieced them together. This mindset of 'there's no way' is what has left us all ill-prepared in the first place."

Riddle starts to pace the floor, muttering. "The Headmage really should be doing something more about this…"

Ruggie snorts. "Crowley? Yeah, good luck relying on that guy for anything."

Jamil stares at Riddle. "Then it's true. You went through an Overblot, too… Wait, but what makes you think Azul's in danger of the same thing?" he points out. "Did you or Leona have fainting episodes, too?"

Riddle stops pacing in front of Jamil. "Indeed, it's true," he says grimly. "But I don't know Azul Ashengrotto well enough to judge if he's about to go through the same thing. I didn't have fainting spells, but nearing my Overblot, there were moments when… I felt myself slipping away. And then the dripping sound…" Riddle looks away, his face strained from the memories.

"It was the same thing for Leona," Ruggie mumbles. "I dunno if he heard any dripping sound, but whenever he got too upset about having to defeat Malleus, it's like he turned into a different person. He's always been a pain in the ass and his snarls are practically a part of his personality, but leading up to his Overblot, sometimes it's like he lost control of himself. It wasn't loud or anything, and I don't think anyone else noticed. But he was… different." Ruggie shakes his head. "I can't explain it."

"It's the conflict," Riddle says, his voice quiet. "There were times when I could feel the darkness growing within me. I had to fight it with every ounce of my being, and as we all know, I didn't entirely succeed…" he looks down at his hand, a distant look in his eyes. He suddenly looks up at Jamil. "In the moments before he fainted, what was Azul like?"

Jamil furrows his eyebrows in thought. The sad smile, followed by the intense (frustrated?) look in Azul's eyes. "Azul's usually what you'd expect from an RSA student: pleasant, polite, competent... But for such a capable guy, he seems to carry a sense of... resignation when it comes to his future. People expect a lot out of him, most of which I suspect he doesn't wanna do at all, and he gets a bit more morose whenever he's reminded of it."

Riddle and Ruggie exchange worried glances.

"Damn," Ruggie says to no one in particular. "That sounds awfully familiar, don't it?"

"Jamil," Riddle says urgently. "Right before he fainted, did Azul seem uncharacteristically angry or frustrated? How was he in his last few seconds of consciousness?"

"It was hard to say since he was riding ahead of me, but in the few moments I did catch a glimpse of him, I suppose he did seem a little intense. I thought he was just determined to win." Jamil responds. "Then when I was heading over, he looked like he was concentrating on something, since he was tense and had his eyes closed. Then he gasped and fainted. Does that mean anything? I figured he was getting dizzy at the time."

"Tense and concentrating?" Ruggie looks at Riddle and Jamil in turn. "Like the conflict that Riddle mentioned?"

"He could just be getting dizzy," Riddle frowns, then shakes his head in defeat. "I don't know. It's extremely difficult to determine these things, given the unfortunate lack of research on the subject. It would be better if we could also speak to Leona about this, but I doubt he would be so inclined to discuss the subject."

Riddle looks at Jamil. "To be on the safe side, do what you can to see to it that Azul doesn't repress his negative feelings so much. He must be able to talk about them and accept them. Letting such feelings fester will not be good for him, regardless of an Overblot."

"Wait," Ruggie says. "Only powerful mages are in danger of Overblotting, right? Because of how much magic they can produce? Is Azul that powerful?" he asks Jamil.

Jamil frowns. Azul's smart and strong, but Jamil can't say he's seen much of his powers firsthand to conclude anything concrete.

"I think you're better off asking the Leech twins or Prince Rielle. They have known the guy much longer, and the twins told me that Azul had a magic contract business when they were younger."

The sound of footsteps approaches, and Najma appears, holding a bag of drinks.

"I used my money for the others, Mr. Riddle," she says as she hands bottled drinks to all of them and returns some change of thaumarks to Riddle. "How's Mr. Azul?"

The door to the infirmary opens. "Better now, thank you," Azul says with a small smile, closing the door behind him. "It seems like it really was just exhaustion and the heat. I hope I didn't worry you too much.”

Jamil searches Azul's face for any sort of fabrication. He doesn't seem like he's lying, though his eyes look tired.

Then Jamil glances at Riddle and Ruggie, gauging their reactions. Are they going to tell him?

"Hey, I'm glad you're okay, Azul!" Ruggie says. "Welp, hate to have to end it on this note, but I got some chores to do at Savanaclaw, so, see ya!" he waves at them and jogs away.

Riddle straightens up and smiles at Azul. "Indeed, I am glad to see that you are well. I must get back to my dorm now. It was nice to have made your acquaintance, Azul Ashengrotto. Najma has purchased drinks for you to stay hydrated," he gestures to Najma. "Until next time," he nods to Azul and turns to leave.

Azul nods and smiles back, and turns to Najma for the drink.

Riddle pulls Jamil aside. "He's your friend," he says quietly. "You decide what to tell him.” then he leaves without another word.

"Me?" Jamil mumbles in surprise. They were the ones who saw the signs to begin with. Why're they dumping the responsibility on his shoulders?

He huffs in troubled exasperation, before turning to Azul and Najma.

"... Are you sure you're feeling all right?" he asks, eyebrows furrowed.

Azul nods. "I am. I hope I didn't put too much of a damper on the hangout."

"Not at all!" Najma says reassuringly. "I need to go too, because my teacher is looking for me. One of my classmates just texted," she holds up her phone. "Are you really okay now, Mr. Azul?"

"Yes, Miss Najma. It was nice to have met you today." Azul says, smiling. "Take care in going back to your classmates."

Najma turns to Jamil. "Will you be okay?" she casts a sideways glance at Azul.

"Obviously," Jamil utters. "I'm your big brother, aren't I? I'd be setting a bad example otherwise. Now run along and don't get yourself into trouble."

"No promises," Najma grins and runs off.

"We still have some time," Azul says. "Any other places you wanna show me?" he smiles.

"I'm thinking we should inform one of your friends in RSA about what happened so that there's someone else there who can monitor you and do follow-ups, just to be safe," Jamil replies. "I'm surprised you still want to walk around after what happened."

Azul furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "It was just exhaustion, wasn't it? It was my fault for going through that obstacle course in such restricting clothing," he shakes his head. "Oh, speaking of which, perhaps you can direct me to your laundry room? I dirtied your blazer from when I was lying down on the grass.”

Jamil shakes his head. "There's no need. I can have that washed myself. More importantly, it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to stuff like this. What if it's got something to do with your transition into a human? Or maybe you've been lacking in sleep or food or water. What's wrong with having a friend or two keep an eye on you to make sure no further symptoms occur?"

Azul looks caught off-guard by Jamil’s remarks. "All right, then perhaps we can find a place to just sit, and you can tell me what exactly happened? I'm still a little confused…"

"How much can you recall?" Jamil asks as he leads Azul to a bench by the courtyard.

"I remember leading my horse to the top of the hill," Azul says as they sit down. "Then going through the obstacle course…?" he frowns, as if suddenly uncertain. Then something else mixes with the confusion in his expression. Apprehension? Fear?

"Hey," Jamil softly calls out to him through what he can only imagine is the darkness in his head. He reaches out to brush his hand against the other boy's fingers, holding onto them. "Talk to me. It's okay."

Azul turns to him, his tense posture relaxing gradually.

He shakes his head in confusion and looks down. "I remember being upset… at our conversation about the Knight Class. And then I was… angry? I only remember bits and pieces of the obstacle course, I don't even entirely recall deciding to go there…" his voice fades out into a whisper.

He falls quiet for a moment, looking more and more troubled. "I'd never felt such anger before, the selfish kind that urged me to do whatever I wanted, without thought for anyone else. Normally I would have asked Riddle for permission before using the obstacle course. I could have hurt the horse, too." He looks at Jamil. "How did I get on the ground? Did I fall off?"

"I caught you before you could," Jamil mumbles. "Riddle used magic to set you down after.”

"Oh, thank you. I should have thanked Riddle as well," Azul says, glancing at the direction of the infirmary before turning back to Jamil.

“You looked feverish, like you were having a nightmare…” Jamil continues. “Do you know what or who you were angry towards?"

"I don't remember why I was angry… What do you think is happening? Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Azul's eyes are looking at him with worry.

Jamil has the sense that Azul is used to always understanding everything, and this unknown situation is scaring him.

He really wishes that the ones who actually went through the experience were here. They would have explained it much better than he can.

"I don't know myself, but Riddle and Ruggie seem to recognize the signs. They think you're accumulating Blot at an unexpected rate. Ruggie was wondering if you've been using a lot of magic recently, while Riddle thinks it's got something to do with your psyche." The images of sad smiles and nails dug into skin appear Jamil’s mind. "Azul... you're more upset about your situation than you let on, aren't you?"

Azul looks at him in confusion. "My situation? What do you mean? And Blot accumulation? We have our Magic Pens to control such things, right? An Overblot hasn't been heard of in centuries."

Jamil lets out a humorless laugh. "You can say that to Riddle and Ruggie's faces. I wasn't around when it happened but it occurred to Riddle himself while a friend of Ruggie's Overblotted a few weeks later. You have to take it seriously. Those injuries on Ruggie's arm hadn't just come from a random accident and so far we've been lucky there's been no casualties yet. We're not gonna start now."

"WHAT!?" Azul's eyes widen in shock. "Two Overblots in the span of mere weeks? What did Sir Crowley do?"

Jamil pauses before he shrugs. "I don't know. As far as I was concerned, those incidents had only been rumors until they confirmed it to me personally because they were worried about you."

Azul just stares at him in surprise. Then he blinks a few times. "I see. So they both think I might be having symptoms of an impending Overblot?" he chews his lower lip in worry. "Can you ask Riddle Rosehearts if I can have his contact information? I'd like to speak with him further about it in the future."

"All right," Jamil takes his phone out. It's funny; he's had Riddle’s number since they became fellow Prefects, but he's never found reason to use it until now. He texts the other Prefect for permission to forward his number to Azul. Then he glances up at the merman. "So… Do you think their worries hold any sort of merit, or..?"

"I'm not sure," Azul says. "I'd never known anyone who has Overblotted before, and I haven't done any research about it. It still baffles me that your Headmage hasn't seem to have done anything."

Azul frowns and lowers his voice. "Now that I think about it, he was the one who had started the anger I'd been feeling today." He looks at Jamil then hurriedly says, "Oh, I apologize! I didn't mean to speak ill of your Headmage. It's just that… I think I had started to feel the… darkness… after all the things he said at the cafeteria."

"Feel free to speak ill of him as much as you like," Jamil responds. "It's refreshing to see someone so innocent understand how our Headmage's actually like. More importantly, that's the thing, isn't it? He may have said all that and unknowingly upset you, but the fact that it upset you to begin with means that this is going back a long way. I'm willing to bet Crowley's not the first person to tell you those things and he probably won't be the last."

Azul averts his eyes. "Yes. But at present, I don't see what I can do about it." He looks at Jamil again. "Are you sure this is how you'd like for us to spend our time together? I don't want to burden you with my worries."

"I was the one who asked, right?" Jamil says, reclining into as comfortable a position as he can get. "Sometimes you just gotta vent it out, and I'm pretty sure you dealt with my burdens the past few times we were together."

For the first time in a long while, Azul smiles. It's a small one, but it's not sad or resigned, and it actually reaches his eyes. He sighs. "I'm not even sure where to begin, it feels like everyone has had these expectations from me for as long as I can remember. And I know it's likely just as hard for Rielle, that's why I do stay by his side whenever I can. Why I take the Knight Class, why I'm not entirely opposed to being his advisor in the future. Ever since we were children, we've been each other's breathing room. We always knew that the other would accept us for who we are no matter what everyone else expects. I don't want to just leave him alone to deal with all of that." Azul looks down.

Jamil listens, quiet. ".... Does that mean Rielle knows about your frustrations regarding this situation, too? Or did you keep that one secret because you wanted to spare his feelings?"

Azul is silent for a moment. "I don't know how to tell him," he mutters. "I don't want him to blame himself, he already has a lot to deal with. It's easier for me to get out of RSA and find somewhere else to breathe like today. He doesn't have such a luxury. He's even busier these days with the dance coming up next week."

"But he's your friend, isn't he? Wouldn't he want to know if he or his situation is causing you distress, too?" Jamil points out.

Azul looks at him curiously. "Are you always this emotionally mature? Then why do you claim that your schoolmates see you as someone who would stab a person in the gut for looking at you the wrong way?" he says playfully.

"Because I would," Jamil hums nonchalantly. It's unclear whether he means it or not. "If you want, I can start doing that to the next 'Crowley' that tries to tell you who you have to be. Sorcerer knows I already hear enough of that spiel from the grown-ups back home."

Azul chuckles. "I must say, no one has ever offered to stab anyone for me. And, interestingly, it's one of the nicest things that someone has ever said to me. You really are special, Jamil Viper," he gazes right into Jamil's eyes.

Jamil seems to flinch in surprise at the compliment before awkwardly looking away. "... We're getting off-track. What will you do now that you're aware of the danger?"

Azul sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "The first thing to do would be to speak to Rielle. Any decision I make would affect him." He glances at his watch. "And I must be getting back to RSA now."

He takes off Jamil’s blazer and hands it to him, smiling. "Thank you for today, Jamil. It didn't quite go as either of us expected but… I'm glad you don't mind."

Jamil shakes his head as he takes his blazer. "It's all right, I…"

I'm just worried about you.

"... I just hope you look after yourself better, even if it means being selfish. Don't be a stranger now. You can always hit me up with a text. When you do, we can make up for it next time."

"I look forward to it." Azul stands up. "After all, I still have to get my revenge on you at mancala," he smiles playfully.

"And you have to apologize to the horse you rode for fainting on him without warning." Jamil stands up in succession. "I'll see you to the gate, at least. Come on."

When they reach the gate, Azul turns to Jamil.

"I'll be busy this week because of the Autumn Dance preparations. The next time we'll be seeing each other would most likely be at the dance itself on Saturday. But if you wanna talk, you can always send me a message."

Jamil nods. "The same offer extends to you. It was nice seeing you, Azul..." he says, but he still has a worried look in his eyes. "Take care, all right? Don't let everyone else tell you who you are."

A smile pulls at the corner of Azul's lips, and he tilts his head curiously at Jamil. "How do you feel about hugs?"

Jamil tenses up. "I'm… not really used to physical affection. That's more Najma and Kalim's thing."

Azul nods and smiles in understanding. "I'll keep that in mind. See you at the Autumn Dance, Jamil."

He turns around and walks away.

Jamil watches his slowly retreating form, knowing there's a part of him that wants to tug Azul back and embrace him.

But he hesitates.

And then the moment is gone.

"... See you at the Autumn Dance."

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who's been reading this lil' AU of ours! Feel free to let us know what you think in the comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts ^_^

<- Chapter 3

Chapter 5 ->

(Masterlist)

[folkgirlhero]

Coffee and Cigarettes

A Gerry Keay and Agnes Montague fic ft: platonic queer friendships and emotional support

Rated T (CW from mild internalized homophobia)

Read on ao3

She was already there when Gerry turned the corner, perched on a ledge that borders the rowhouse next door to their coffee shop, legs crossed at the ankles and swinging impatiently like a little kid. 

“You know, you’re pushing 60,” he called out, grinning. “Surprised you haven’t learned some patience in your old age.”

She turned her beautiful face towards him, long auburn hair shining in the sunlight, and stuck out her tongue. Gerry hoisted himself up next to her and offered her a cigarette, lighting them both.

“So your girlfriend tried to kill me on Friday,” Gerry offered. He always wants to get Agnes to ask “which one?” and she never will—one of the many games he plays that he knows he’ll never win. She just blew out a stream of smoke and waited.

Gerry sighed. “It was Jude.”

“Doesn’t seem like it quite took,” Agnes commented, looking him over. Aside from some singed hair, she’s right. 

“Hasn’t so far,” Gerry agreed. 

Agnes leaned against him, threading her arm through his and nestling her head into his shoulder. He felt her warm exhales against his neck as they sat in silence, smoking and thinking.

It’s hard not to feel protective of Agnes, for all that she’s older than his mother and basically a god. It doesn’t help that she looks like a lost teenager, in her little mod dresses and Mary Janes, as if fashion stopped moving when she stopped aging. Add to that the fact that she’ll suddenly open her mouth and say the saddest thing you’ve ever heard. Like,

“You’re the only one who I can touch like a person. Everyone else, it’s just…” She trailed off, unwilling to put words to the reverent caresses of those who love her like a god and the agony she unwillingly inflicted on anyone foolish enough to see her as mortal. And then Gertrude. The complex tangle of pain and love that make up any interaction with Gertrude. 

Gerry lifted his head from hers, untangling a strand of her flaming hair that was twisted in his eyebrow piercing, so he could look at her. She gave him her signature half-smile, a little upturn of the left side of her mouth that feels more like a tick than an expression.

“I know,” he said, trying to keep the pity that he knows he would despise, were he in her position, out of his voice. And he does know, without her having to say it. 

He leaned his head back on hers and they sat together, quiet, watching the sun dip low over the treetops and houses, glowing orange streaks painting the sky. 

***

Gerry was early this time. By a few hours. It had been an exhausting night that included a stab wound from a Slaughter avatar, 8 stitches in A&E, and a full hour of bullshit from Mary for losing the book. He had fallen into bed for a few hours of fitful sleep before his alarm went off to get him out of the house before Mary got up to continue her tirade. 

And he’d had nowhere else to go. So here he was, at their coffee shop, curled up in the sofa against the far wall, on his third cup in two hours and picking listlessly at a scone. 

Agnes practically waltzed in at 10:00 on the nose, wearing a daisy print dress and a straw hat, smelling of the sunshine that was making Gerry’s red-rimmed eyes water. She dropped her bag and plopped next to him, tipping her movie star sunglasses down her nose to look him over. 

“You look terrible,” she said brightly, slinging one arm around his shoulders and pulling him in to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Another one?” 

He nodded grimly and her other hand plucked his empty mug from the table in front of them, sweeping away to the counter and taking her warmth and sunshine with her.

Gerry pushed through the haze of misery that surrounded him like the cloud of dirt that followed Pigpen around in the Peanuts cartoons to watch Agnes flirt with the barista. She was honest to god twirling her hair as the other woman blushed over their drinks. She had been watching a lot of romantic comedies lately, he knew, and it wasn’t unusual for her to get caught up in a sort of extended daydream that she enacted with the rest of the world. 

What was unusual was for her to seem so happy doing it. 

She left the bar with a little twirl, mug in each hand, and sat down next to Gerry again. 

“D’you want to talk about it?” she asked, passing him the coffee that was sure to push him from awake to jittery.

Gerry thought about it, then said, “Nah. Tell me something nice instead.”

So she did.   

***

In October, shivering on the sidewalk café tables that were just this side of too chilly, both of them were resolutely determined to enjoy the changing leaves and the scent of burning firewood wafting through the air. Instead of going inside, they pushed their chairs together and curled up under a blanket, watching busy Londonites bustle up and down the street. 

“I don’t think I can kiss men,” Agnes said out of nowhere, sipping her coffee.

“You kiss me all the time.”

“No, properly, I mean.”

“I don’t want to kiss you “properly,” Agnes. You’re like a million years old. And it’d be weird.”

“No, I don’t mean you. I mean human men. I think I could probably kiss you, but yes, you’re right, it would be weird.”

“Leaving aside the fact that I am human men, okay, agreed, no kissing. You’re bringing it up why?”

Agnes shifted uneasily next to him and when she speaks, her voice is soft. “I didn’t want to hurt him. Jack, I mean. I didn’t really care about him, but I never wanted that. I just thought…” She hesitates.

“Thought what?” He leveled his voice to match hers, quiet and neutral. 

“Well. It’s what girls do, right? Find a nice man who looks at them like they are special, but not that special, still attainable. Go on dates with him, kiss him, wait for him to love you like you’re a person. Isn’t that right?”

Her brow was furrowed and her dark eyes were wide, looking at Gerry as if the question wasn’t rhetorical, as if he held the answers of humanity, as if he was something more than a fuck-up twenty-year-old who barely knew what it meant to be a person himself. Wasn’t like he’d had a ton of examples. 

“Some of them do,” he reminded her. This was not the first conversation they’d had where he’d tried to unpack her compulsory heteronormativity. You’d think as both a minor fear deity and a lesbian, she’d be above such things, but her bizarre life had ended up with her tying up wanting men as a part of being human. They were working on it. 

Meanwhile, Agnes had warmed to her topic. “And when I let him kiss me, I thought, this is it, this will make me a real girl. Like a sort of fairy tale. And I know it was cruel, I mean, I “know” in the way that you know that 2 and 2 is 4 or that London is the capital of England. It didn’t feel cruel, to kiss him right there in front of Jude and everyone, or to kiss him because I wanted out.”

“I think that’s the most human thing there is.” Gerry commented. “Wanting out.” 

She gave him a rare real smile, eyes warm and crinkling a bit. 

“A human desire that’s enough to make one embrace the monstrous?” She raised their entwined hands to look pointedly at his tattoos, still healing and glowing red at her touch. 

Gerry shrugged. “Whatever works.”

She nudged him with her shoulder. He nudged back.

“Okay, okay. Yes, it is. God, her face when I came home with them. You should have seen it.” He grinned at the memory, eyes gazing off into the distance, faking nostalgia for a couple weeks ago. Well, mostly faking. He had felt more powerful then than he had in ages. 

“Lesser men would have dropped dead from it,” she offers, smile in her voice. 

“Well, you know, us Keays are made of sterner stuff. As she never hesitates to remind me.”

“So did it work? Will it get you out?” Her tone was hard to place. Hopeful, but with a thread of fear. He turned to look at her.

“Nothing will get me out. I know that well enough.” He sighed. “All I can do is get a little more control, carve out something that’s just mine.”

“And the Eye lets you have that?” 

“Not exactly. There’s a line I have to walk, to keep it at bay I mean.” Gerry shrugged again. “I can’t do it forever. Dunno that I’ll live long enough for it to matter either way. But it makes a difference right now.”

Agnes made a hum of disapproval and Gerry chuckled at it.

“Not even you will live forever, you know?”

“Perish the thought,” she said, making a face. “But you deserve more than that.”

“Maybe. Maybe we both do.”

This was enough, though. A warm blanket and a hot drink on a cool night with some who loved and understood you like you wanted to be loved and understood. 

[juniaships]

Actiontoongorlz's Top 8 Canon x OC Ships 💖💖

I've been looking at OTP/Couples memes for a while and decided that it's time for me to make my own! For an extra surprise I'm not putting Ben Tennyson x Jora Holiday on this list because I focus too much on them anyways & I want my other OCs & their loves to have the spotlight for a change. The timing couldn't be more perfect as we're close to Valentine's Day!!! If you don't support canon x oc or find my ships displeasing then move along because this is a Happy Place! 😁😁 Again these are couples that I consider my personal OTPs in regards to canon x oc. That and making more content with my ships in general! Be warned the text is long and contains spoilers for certain shows and such!!

Clarify: these are my own ocs so there's not going to be anyone else's oc/canon. I might have to save that for another post in the future! 💚 But yeah these are characters that I came up with :]

Alright I'm done ranting, let's get started!

1. Sonic x Lani: I never quite gave much thought into this pair as I should so I promise to do something with them in the future! I promise! What I appreciate about SonLani is that there's little drama, like everything is super chill because both parties are chill. It's not a big deal and they don't need grand gestures to show how much they care about each other. Unlike Preboot Archie with its carts full of poorly written romance and strangely OOC moments on Sonic's end, SonLani had a lot of time to grow, while keeping his established personality in check. They actually communicate with each other, and stick by each other thick and thin. Lani loves Sonic for who he is & has no plans on changing him. Likewise Sonic has someone he can rely on when things get tough; not to mention he can really be himself around her without going all "iLl sLOw dOWn fOr U." Plus the ship name I gave them is a huge nod to the games ^_^

2. Jason x Vanessa: A recent pair due to Vanessa being a new creation but I'm honestly in love with them right now. In-universe they are regarded as the prime example of 'Opposites Attract' in Odyssey. They didn't get along very well in Jason's first couple of months in town due to his hardheaded self and her aloof demeanor. But through events such as Blackgaard and Novacom they gradually learn to trust one another. They see each other in a different light, Vanessa realising that Jason is a lot more thoughtful than he lets on, and Jason discovering her hidden fun side and kindness. Vanessa provides challenges and a sense of normalcy Jason can enjoy away from spy business. Meanwhile Jason fulfills her thirst of adventure & simultaneous desire for a peaceful life as well as spirituality. They're a equals, regarding each other as such and not to mention the BANTER! Hard to believe a former nun can keep up with a secret agent both physically and trading barbs XD. There's also the Forbidden Love factor of Vanessa being the duaghter of Regis Blackgaard, Jason defending her because he KNOWS she is nothing like her old man. Their friendship and romance overcome so many obstacles. I can honestly say that if Vanessa was canon she'd be the type of person Jason would like to be with especially over Jillian Marshall *gags*

3. Kaysha Wallace x Leo Hamato: Now here's a ship that I want to get more into 😁😁 Honestly I love the idea of this pairing: the serious leadee x bubbly spirit! Kaysha is very perky yet understands Leo's feelings on shouldering so much responsibility (she being the oldest child in her family). She's very willing to support him because she doesn't want to see him get all weary from burden. Likewise Leo can be himself around her, and teach her to be more responsible. He doesn't doubt her potential and sees her as an equal even during those periods where she was not on par with the other ninja. Kaysha shows Leo it's okay to relax and let other people help him out and not shut everyone out. When Leo expresses his ability to give her a safe life she simply laughs it off; the way she sees it him simply there in her life is enough. The most interesting facet is their dynamic varies between shows, so you'd see different scenarios and reactions as well as similarities and differences in their romance subplot.

4. Artie x Rhodanthe: Another couple I seriously need to give more attention to, they're meant to be is the foil to Shrek and Fiona in several ways. Artie and Rho may come from different social classes but they're both searching for a purpose to prove their haters wrong. Artie lacked confidence while Rho was overconfident believing she didn't need help. Together Artie learns to stand up for not only for his kingdom and loved ones hut also for himself; Rho's pride gets tempered by Artie's kindness and willingness to compromise. Another thing I like is that Artie has someone who loves him for him not because he is attractive and of royal blood. Likewise Rho has someone who respects her in spite of her social standing & shares her beliefs in making life easier for the poor & outcasts. While both lacke the physical prowess of Shrek and Fiona they rely on each other's resourcefulness and strategic thinking to get by. Unlike Shrek and Fiona they don't get married at the end of their focus movie, resolving to figure out where to take their relationship next. They still have their own life goals and don't want to rush into a relationship which sends a pretty good message. However they have their disagreements - in fact they got a huge argument that became a plot point in Shrek Forever After - but through it all they rediscover the things that made them fall in true love with each other. I'm really loving the subplot I have planned where they forget their memories and slowly fall back in love again.

5. Finn x Alma: Surprise! Yes8 I have a Cars OC (that was originally a fanon Disney Princess) who is the niece of Tow Mater in my verse and she enters a relationship with Finn McMissile. The thing I love about this pair is that it allows Alma to use her skills to flourish, treating amd healing injured spies. She's also into travel and adventure so she can pretty much keep up with Finn. Likewise Finn realizes she is more than just a pretty face or a one-off fling but someone with the passion to face challenges head on; Finn seems to love a good challenge! But overall they'd make a nice pairing, Finn showing Alma the world and Alma showing Finn some of the more simpler things in life.

6. Alexander Paine & Qiu Jin: Well well well look at what the cat dragged in? If it isn't our first villain pairing? XD Just kidding only one half is a genuine villain. What makes this couple so unique in that their storyline goes way back to before the events of the show, he being a agent and she a mechanic. They loved each other deeply, even to the point of starting a family, but forced apart due to some troubling events. When they do get back together it's not so much a bittersweet reunion as Paine became a full villain and Qiu Jin had spent years in&out mental institution before being released There's visible pain & regret, Alexander desperately wanting a semblance of what they once had. He seeks power not just for himself for to heal her. But Jin refuses to go along with his schemes wanting nothing more than to move on and see their children. Jin is a huge Mortality Pet for him, but his own selfish desires for power is a major obstacle their love can't overcome. It's the more bittersweet of my pairings but an important one nonetheless.

7. Bruce Wayne x Nicola Holden: Ok the Brooding Guy/Gentle Girl trope is a mixed bag these days but I really like this trope in regards to Brucola. Like with Artie/Rho, Bruce and Nicola come from different social classes but has that same compassion and drive to help others. Nicola is someone Bruce can trust but at the same time she lets him know there are boundaries (aka don't use my weaknesses as a contingency plan). I also feel like Bruce needs a sort of normal love interest, while he has canon normal girlfriends most of them were pretty boring. At least with Nicola she has has a life outside being a love interest her own goals and motivations. She also loves Bruce for him, not because of his money and good looks. It's a generally healthy dynamic built on honesty & empathy. Another reason why I find this pair adorable is that it actually matches with the rest of the Trinity; you know, like how Superman is with a journalist and Wondy is with a soldier/agent. Nicola & Bruce having different ways of pursuing justice while still sharing similar moral codes. It helps that Nicola is actually a hero rather than an antihero/villain/straight villain (Bruce dating a villan would only make him look like a hypocrite). Nicola sees all facets of Bruce's life and makes the choice to stay; provides some much needed light not just in his life but also the rest of the Batfam. In turn Bruce has another connection to the normal world that is willing to be in his life and see him genuinely happy. They're mature adults who ground each other and build each other up.

8. Optimus Prime x Malina Lovelace: Okay is it just me or do I think TFA Optimus Prime needs more love? What's funny is that at first Malina didn't like the thought of being outshined by newcomers in her superhero career. Spending time with Optimus makes her realize that there's more to being a superhero than fame. Optimus doesn't look down on her, and is more than willing to work with her and appreciate her work. She becomes touched by his friendliness and aceepts him and the other Bots. At the same time Malina reminds Optimus that it's okay to make mistakes and move on, and that it's okay to cut toxic people out. I even wrote a noncanon ficlet where Malina calls out Sentinel and Blackarachnia for the way they treat Optimus. OptMalina is a romance built on respect despite the obvious differences. Not to mention they have each other's back, and they learn about each other each time. And just like with KayLeo and BatRose there's different continuities which means unique versions of the Optlina pair. The Bayverse *chortle* and Prime versions are a few I'd love to explore in the future!

Miscellaneous

- Chad Charming x Soraya Nedakh: Essentially snobby rich kid who learns to be self sufficient and see past appearances through a positive influence. Soraya helps Chad to understand that being royalty isn't just pretty clothes and parties but actually using that status to help others. And Chad actually has his views challenged: Soraya doesn't back down easily.

- Jetta x Zane: The concept of JettaZane (or A Touch Of Snow/IceMagic) is that the robot teaches the human what it's like to be human. Jetta started out as an extremely cold person and a loner, but her time with Zane - the literal ninja of ice - gradually melts her heart & she becomes more caring and accepting. So the robot programmed to be human helps the human raised to be a cold machine unlearn her toxic traits and reclaim her humanity. Also Pixane is kinda boring imo, like they're only together because they're both robots. Not very compelling if you ask me.

- Brian Crown x Kelly Arbol: The wellmeaning goofball and the beatnik poet are something I rarely see much of, but that pretty much sums up their ship. Brian may be a bit self centered but he has a heart of gold and through Kelly's influence he becomes more confident in being a worthy successor to his dad. Meanwhile Brian respects Kelly in and out costume and teaches her how to have fun. Not to mention Kelly interacts with someone outside her circle, which is a welcome change from the trope of only dating someone within your circle.

- Janus Lee x Lenora Rose: Another pair from the same show as Paine and Qiu Jin, there's not much to say on them other than it's one of the most tragic couples. Lenora died a long time ago due to circumstances beyond her & Mr. Lee's control and it's her death that was the catalyst to his gradual descent into evil. As the show goes on we see glimpses of their life together and realize that Lenora is more than the Ghost, she was someone with her own dreams and motivations. She and Janus were outcasts who found companionship in each other, and were able to build a life together using their hard-earned resources to help others. Even in the last few months of her life she didn't go down without a fight, wanting her legacy to be one of love and hope. It's her memory that may be the key to redeeming Mr. Lee in the future of A.T.O.M.

- Ben Florian x Paige: Again not much else to say but they're the antithesis of Mal x Ben. One thing that bothers me about Mal & Ben is that they are supposed to be equals when it's pretty darn obvious from the scenes they were not. With PaigeBen it's clear that they ARE equals who respect each other. Ben's agency isn't reduced to just love interest, he has someone he has good communication with and wants to see him succeed. Paige has someone who shares her interests and see her more than just that One American Newbie. They LEARN to work together without love potions involved. Plus we haven't had a commoner Disney Princess in a while so Paige fills in as someone who works her way into high status then uses that status to help others with Ben at her side.

That's enough of my Canon x OC OTPs! I hope to explore them more throughout the year :) I work hard to flesh out my OCs and their romantic storylines as if they're real 💚😌

I do have KayLeo week planned for Feb 14 to Feb 21 so don't be shocked when I start posting rottmnt stuff or art of Kaysha! Anyways these are my personal ships that I enjoy despite the lack of content I made of them, so hopefully I have the creative juices flowing to make more stuff! Final note I'm working on a platonic oc x canon meme to show that love doesn't have to be romantic. A

[thepeanutbutterwizard]

Ninjago/Avatar au Pt 4

Basically just Book 1 (and I agonize over ships. Help)

(Also I finally finished watching A:TLA)

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5)

Recap time:

So, we’ve got Maya, Garm, Lloyd, Kai, and Nya flying on Ultra and trying to get to the North Pole. Morro and Wu are pursuing them, as is Clouse, (who will be taking Zhao’s place) and, y’know, the entire Fire Nation. Koko has been abroad for about three years, looking for any information on the Avatar she can. Ray went off to fight with the other men from the Southern Water Tribe.

They have a lot of similar adventures to cannon: they go to the Southern Air Temple to see if that can jog any memories from Lloyds past lives. It doesn’t work, Lloyd just gets ahold of a glider (there are a lot of shenanigans with him learning how to use that) and adopts a Flying Lemur (give Lloyd all of the pets pls) who is just as mischievous as Lloyd. They take a detour to Kyoshi Island, and get a letter that Koko had left for them, saying that she was going to look for a mysterious library (wink). They also befriend one of the prominent members of the village, Cyrus Borg, and his daughter Pixal (she’s human), the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors (I know Cyrus would make a great Mechanist, but the idea of Kyoshi Warrior Pixal was too good and I fell in love with it. Also Samuraishipping is fantastic.)

They fight pirates, there are Spirit World shenanigans (btw the last fully realized Avatar before Lloyd, and his spirit guide is a human version of Firstborn.) and there might be a Jet stand-in if I can figure out a good character for that role. There’s a running gag of people automatically assuming that Maya and Garm are married, to their combined amusement and annoyance, until one of the kids will call one of them their parent, and the other one aunt or uncle (they’re family in this au. Fight me). Eventually they just start automatically answering anything that implies they’re a couple with ‘We’re siblings’.

Wu and Morro have been chasing them the whole way. Wu has been conflicted this whole time; he just found out that his brother is actually alive, and has been hiding for years, with the Avatar no less. And now he’s having to hunt both of them down (as well as his brothers wife and kids? Maybe?) when all he wants to do is, like, talk? Have a cup of tea and catch up maybe? Meanwhile Garm is thinking that Wu is completely on their father’s side, and that he won’t show them any mercy if he catches them.

Eventually they make it to the Northern Water Tribe. The chief is the former elemental master of ice. I shall call him Ice, bc I dont think he has an actual name. He’s a waterbender. And now we finally meet Zane, the white haired (human) wonder! (Heh, you all can probably guess where I’m going with this. Pls don’t kill me.) His unnamed mother died giving birth to his younger brother, Echo, when Zane was about two, and their father died a few years after that, and they were taken in by Ice, who was a close friend of their parent.

I don’t think I’ll make Zane a bender bc of the whole ‘moon spirit saved my life as a baby’ thing, but Echo is (purely for angst reasons. You’ll see what I mean in a bit). But this is the part where we get some sweet sweet Oppositeshipping! Zane isn’t betrothed to anyone, but even though he likes Kai, he’s constantly worried about his tribes safety and worried about what will happen when the Fire Nation shows up (he’s smart enough to know that they will show up eventually) and he’s scared of letting everyone down, and there are just a lot of issues there holding him back from being in a relationship with Kai.

Now, even though everyone knows that Lloyds the Avatar, they’ve kept it secret that Kai and Garm are firebenders (and Garms whole backstory) for obvious reasons. But you guys know that date that Zuko went on in Ba Sing Se? Pretend that they have that lantern thing in the Northern Water Tribe. Kai and Zane have that cute date and Kai lights the lanterns and its adorable.

But I bet you’re wondering who takes the place of krusty old Pakku? Krux of course! Who better to be the traditionalist old jerk waterbender teacher than the traditionalist old jerk boomer? (Acronix is there too. He’s not a bender. If I could find a way to work Futureshipping into this au, I totally would. I am still trying to figure out how to organically work it in) So Lloyd, Nya, and Maya are ready to learn some traditional waterbending (bc even though Maya is a really good waterbender, she literally just made up her own style. It would be like someone trained in acrobatics and dance, turning it into a form of combat, and entering a mixed martial arts tournament. She’s always wanted to learn some traditional waterbending) but Krux does the whole ‘boys do combat, girls do healing’ speech.

None of them like it much, but they go along with it and try to pull the whole ‘I’ll just show you what he showed me!’ thing and get caught. Krux demands an apology, and Maya is trying to keep Lloyd and Nya from blowing up at Krux, and she’s also trying to keep from blowing up herself (I hc that Kai gets his temper from Maya). Krux says something about how even if he wanted to teach them, clearly Maya, and Nya especially, don’t have what it takes to be real waterbenders, and Maya fucking snaps. She goes off on Krux, says some things about how she’s spent her whole life living in fear, and how she worked her ass off to hone her bending, and then she challenges him to go outside and she’ll show him what a ‘real’ waterbender can do.

Lloyd, Kai, and Nya are all a little shocked. It’s the first time they’ve seen Maya get so mad. Garm, who has known Maya for years, had been trying to subtly tell Krux to shut up (even though Krux was really pissing him off too, but someone needed to be the adult). Since Maya isn’t about to let Krux get away without a fight, Garm is just thinking ‘hoo boy, here we go’.

Krux tries to walk away from Maya, and then promptly gets his ass handed to him on a silver platter. He begrudgingly admits that, while Maya’s bending is chaotic and wild and sloppy, it is very powerful. But just bc she was able to beat him in one fight doesn’t mean that he has to teach any of them any waterbending. Maya says ‘fine! We just thought it would be a good idea for the damn Avatar to learn traditional waterbending, but I guess I’ll just go ahead and teach him more of my ‘wild, chaotic, sloppy’ waterbending style! And, I’ll teach anyone in this tribe who wants to learn from me, no matter who they are! And besides, it’s not like you can stop me.’

And so she did! Maya spends the next little while teaching not only Lloyd and Nya everything she’s come up with, but a bunch of the young waterbenders in the tribe learn from her too, as well as some older benders. Krux is less than pleased, but he isn’t looking for Round 2, so he keeps his mouth shut. Garm has been trying to lay low through all this. As low as possible for the father of the Avatar at least.

Meanwhile, Wu and Morro have been tracking them down diligently. At least, Morro is being diligent. Wu has been a little shit and trying to slow them down on purpose, and anytime they have to fight team Avatar, he keeps trying to use that to get his brother alone and get him to talk shit out dammit brother, where have you been and who are these people do I have niblings? cause you do and he’s a good kid even though hes trying to kill you right now explain that he is really, truly glad that he’s alive and well, and that no, he doesn’t actually want to catch him.

There wasn’t any type of assassination attempt on Morros life like there was Zuko, he either faked an injury so he could go on his secret ‘capture the Avatar’ mission during the siege on the Northern Water Tribe, or he wasn’t allowed to go and snuck away (with a little help from Wu either way). He does the same thing Zuko did with the underwater tunnel, but Morro doesn’t have firebending to break the ice. He has airbending (bet no-one saw that coming). I debated with myself for a long, long time if I should make Morro an airbender (they were nomads, and bending is inherited. It’s not that hard to believe that a few airbenders survived that way. I also love the airbender Ty Lee theory)

Wu figured it out when Morro was pretty young, and did everything in his power to both teach Morro, and keep his bending a secret. This played a big part in contributing to Morro’s need to be seen as worthy and deserving.

So anyways, the siege. It’s happening. Kai is being a bit of a grumpy angst lord (bc he wants to hold hands with a pretty boy) but gets assigned by Ice to guard Zane and Echo. Lloyd enters the Spirit World, Morro fights Nya and only wins bc he pulled out his secret airbending when she had her back turned. Meanwhile, Maya and Garm are helping fight of the Fire Nation (Maya with her waterbending, Garm with hand-to-hand combat) when Garm see’s Clouse going off to kill the Moon Spirit and follows him. Wu also follows them and gives Clouse the whole ‘we need the moon too’ speech.

Garm watches from the shadows as that confrontation takes place, but jumps in to fight the Fire Nation soldiers who came with Clouse at the same time that Wu does when he kills the Moon Spirit, and not only does he all-out firebend for the first time in a while (once he and Ray became more trusted by the Southern Water Tribe the blanket ban on their firebending was lifted, but it’s kind of a bad idea to excessively play with fire in a village that’s made almost entirely of ice and snow) he reveals his identity to everyone. He’s actually a little surprised that Clouse is surprised that he’s alive. He figured that Wu would have told everyone about his death being greatly exaggurated.

Clouse books it, Lloyd fuses with the Ocean Spirit to go wreck the Fire Nation, things are a teensy bit more awkward in the spirit-cave-pond-area-place with Garm and Wu being there together, but its overall just a somber moment.

And then, Zane becomes the new Moon Spirit. But not only do we have a sad Oppositeshipping good-bye kiss, we have a sad last hug ever between Zane and Echo. I made Echo a waterbender solely so it could be a terribly sad thing where anytime Echo bends he can feel his brother with him. It’s sad. There are tears (including from myself as I type this). Kai is comforted by Garm, which is basically confirms Wu’s incorrect suspicions that Kai and Nya and Maya are Garms kids and wife, and that they’re helping the Avatar (look, this gag is just too funny to me and I will keep it going as long as I can.)

When they leave the spirit pond, Wu tries to pull Garm aside to talk to him, but Garm still has no idea if he can trust Wu, and that means that the kids are super wary of him (they know that Wu and Garm are brothers) so all that really accomplishes is getting Kai to firebend at Wu’s face (btw, Kai firebending is a big deal. When he was a fairly little kid he accidentally firebended [firebent?] and Maya got burned. For Kai, firebending is the last thing he uses, not the first) and then grabbing Garm and Nya (whos giving an inconsolable Echo a piggy-back ride as he is still sobbing) and booking it. But not before Wu was able to slip a letter into Garm’s parka.

While all this is going down, Morro and Clouse had their little scuffle, but Morro has to airbend at one point to save his own skin, and not only does Clouse see, but quite a few mid-retreat Fire Nation soldiers see as well. Then Clouse gets killed by the Ocean Spirit.

Morro and Wu steal a raft and book it, since now one of them is a traitor and the other was just outed as an airbender. Krux and a group of people, both benders and non-benders, head to the South Pole to help them out. Echo is a part of this group; it’s what he knows Zane would have wanted to do. Team Avatar head out to find Lloyd an earthbending teacher, and Garm finds the letter from Wu. He’s scared to open it, and doesn’t for a while.

And now, it’s time to introduce a new character! See, back in the Fire Nation, the Firelord had been growing displeased with his son. Despite Wu’s best efforts, dear old dad had caught on to how much Wu disliked the war, and he figured it would only be a matter of time before something tipped Wu over the edge and he turned full traitor. That would leave him as a ruler with no heirs, and that wouldn’t do. So he secretly was searching for a good candidate to take the throne, preferably an orphan, who showed proficiency in firebending and could be moulded into a cut-throat living weapon.

He found what he was looking for in a young girl named Harumi. A firebending prodigy whose parents had both died in the war. And now that the Firelord learned that, not only did his younger son turn traitor in the North Pole and run off with his airbender adopted son, but his disgraced fool of an older son is alive and actively helping the Avatar, well, it’s high time the world saw just what his hand-picked heir can do.

[iya5rt]

Kalopsia Project [Bakugo Katsuki x Reader – Tokyo Ghoul AU]

Chapter 3 – The Rookie Always Has It Tough

Chapter Summary: Now that you’ve been welcomed into Yuuei, it’s time for you to make good of your promise and begin with your new job. Though the first day’s already bringing you a new surprise or two…

Kalopsia Project Masterpost

Making coffee was an art form.

It was a long process, consisting of many steps, each varying in difficulty or skills required. Sure, you could just get some from a coffee machine beside the school, but it was only after being made aware of all the steps that got you your small cup of bitter goodness that you could truly appreciate coffee for what it was.

Sadly, it was an art form few got to experience in their lifetime. There weren’t many coffee enthusiasts out there, after all. But you see, preparing to begin work at a cafe really opened your eyes about all this.

And about one more thing.

That you really sucked at brewing coffee.

“You really can’t do the simplest of things properly, can you?” Bakugo sighed from where he was leaning on the counter beside you. He looked tired (who could blame him – he must have slept maybe 4 hours total, what with everything that had happened the previous night), as he was carefully eyeing your pitiful attempts at making coffee. Two cups were discarded to the side. Those had been the products of your first two tries, though Bakugo had given each a single sip, before declaring it a fail.

You had to give it to him – he was a lot nicer than he could have been. After all, the first one had nearly made you gag.

Having finished preparing your third cup for the day (and it was only early morning too), you also sighed and stepped back, silently praying to the heavens this one would be passable. Crossing your arms, you turned to look at Bakugo.

“Well, excuse me, Mr. I’ve-been-doing-this-for-years, but may I remind you that I’ve never had to brew coffee until today?” You pouted. Bakugo pushed himself off the counter and moved to pour the two cups of “poisonous” (as he had called it) coffee in the sink. Your heart sank at the sight of your hard work disappearing down the drain.

There go two hours of my life, I guess.

“And I’ve never had to train an ungrateful human girl, so I guess we’re even.”

“Aw, come on, Bakugo-kun, don’t be so harsh on her. She’s still a novice at this whole thing,” a cheerful voice interrupted, before you could retort anything back yourself. The two of you turned to see a girl with short brown hair and very rosy cheeks smiling back at you, as she was tying her apron behind her back. You gave a grateful sigh.

“Thank you, Uraraka. Glad someone here’s got my back.” The girl waved her hand dismissively.

“Don’t mention it. We’ve been needing the help anyway. I will admit – the circumstances are… unexpected. But you’re a nice girl, after all.”

You’d met a few more of Yuuei’s employees shortly after waking up in the morning and going through a short check-up with Midoriya. You were surprised to find that most of them were students like yourself, and, most of all, had welcomed you with open arms (or at the very least – understanding nods).

Uraraka was one of them. She was the only other girl you had met so far and worked here as a waitress. Since she was two years younger than you, she was still a high-school student and as such, was a bit more lacking when it came to free-time. Though from what Midoriya had told you, she was always working here on the weekends. You found her to be very pleasant. The easiest to get along with too. You wouldn’t have minded if it had been her showing you the ropes.

“Alright, enough wasting of perfectly good coffee beans. I hope you’re better at the table waiting thing,” Bakugo sighed again, pushing you aside to take your place in brewing coffee. His push ended up a little careless, as your shoulders rubbed.

You know – his perfectly good shoulder and your very much still injured shoulder.

You flinched a little, not quite muffling the small sound that escaped your lips. For a moment, Bakugo cocked a brow at you, but when his eyes darted to the bandages peeking beneath the t-shirt you wore, he seemed to remember.

“Uh, my bad...” he mumbled awkwardly, choosing to train his eyes somewhere on the counter instead. You giggled.

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s fine.” Bakugo didn’t seem convinced but motioned to the other side of the counter with his head anyway.

“Go to half-’n-half. He’ll put some cups on a tray and you try to carry those. See if… your shoulder’s gonna bother you...” You nodded and thanked him. Instead of leaving though, you got distracted watching the blond as he worked away. Despite the way he spoke and acted, his touch and movements as he poured the water seemed so gentle and precise. Only now did you realize how much you still had to learn. Your distraction was interrupted when he noticed your eyes were still on him and looked up from his handiwork. “What’re you waiting for? You know we’re opening soon, right?”

You jumped and furiously waved your hands.

“O-oops, my bad, haha. I’m going!”

Finally tearing your eyes away from him, you found the “half-’n-half” in question quietly washing some cups and glasses at the sink. You weren’t sure why Bakugo insisted on calling him that though. Was it his hair that was dyed half-red and half-white? Perhaps. Quite the rebellious stage he must have had, you’d give him that.

There was also this painful-looking scar on his left eye, though you doubted even Bakugo would sink this low. He didn’t seem to care much about appearances anyway.

You’d learned his name was Todoroki – he had been one of the people who’d peacefully acknowledged you with an expressionless nod. Then again, he seemed to be a little stone-faced in general, so perhaps this was to be expected. He’d made no hostile comments or given you a reason to suspect he disagreed, so you decided this was probably his way of welcoming you to Yuuei.

You wondered what had happened to him to leave him as he was (though you’d heard he went to a prestigious university despite it all), not to mention the unpleasant scar, but you decided not to question it or ask around – everybody had their circumstances, and you could only assume ghouls’ were more complicated than the rest. Hell – you were a human working in a cafe full of ghouls. And you… surprisingly didn’t see any of them complaining left and right. At least not yet.

When you approached him, Todoroki gave a silent nod, and pulled a tray up on the counter, filling cups and glasses with all sorts of different drinks.

“What do you plan to do with school now, [L/N]-kun?” a voice asked from somewhere behind you. You turned to find a boy with neatly trimmed dark hair and a pair of glasses cleaning all the tables. Even if Bakugo hadn’t made fun of the fact earlier, you would have probably still managed to deduce that he attended a private college, just by how he looked.

“Just [F/N]’s fine, Ida-kun,” you brushed off his polite tone. “Midoriya-kun said my shoulder should heal soon, so I guess I’ll just call in sick in the meanwhile. Don’t want some of the more nasty professors marking me absent for no reason...” You could almost hear Bakugo grit his teeth behind you – you shared a class with a certain very uptight teacher with him, and you knew he hated his guts.

“Won’t it be suspicious if you and the person you were out on a date with disappear all of a sudden?” Todoroki asked, making you hum in thought for a second.

“Well, you’re not wrong. I guess there will be some rumors. I’ll just have to… brush them off, I guess?” you shrugged. “I’ve always had particularly thick skin so I’ll be fine!!”

You smiled, though that smile fell a little when you remembered how last time you just ‘brushed things off’ you were almost killed on a first date. You really had to take note of that stuff more.

“Alright everyone,” Aizawa called upon emerging from one of the back rooms. You’d heard something about him and Midoriya talking with somebody over the phone, though you assumed you weren’t supposed to know of any further details, so you refrained from asking. “We’re opening now, so stop wasting time and being irrational. [F/N],” he looked at you. “You’re to sit back and observe for today. You should get the hang of this by tomorrow.”

You nodded and moved to sit on one of the bar stools, noting how everyone went back to business. Ida turned the sign to say ‘open’ and went to adjust the tables on the outside. Todoroki disappeared to fetch more coffee from one of the back rooms. Uraraka and Bakugo sat back and waited for the first customers to start coming in.

You noted that Midoriya was still nowhere in sight, but you assumed he was finally getting some rest, after staying up all night because of you. You’d have to thank him and apologize when he woke up. Aizawa seemingly stayed up with him as well, thought he didn’t have the luxury of resting during the day. That explained the bags under his eyes. Good thing they were serving coffee.

The cafe was soon filled with people of all kinds – from children with their parents, students with their books and laptops, even through to an elderly couple or two. Although you wondered – how many of them really were people? You’d never felt such uncertainty before.

But you smiled at the scene unfolding before your eyes.

This had been one of the warmest welcomes of your life. Despite having been at Yuuei for only a handful of hours (a majority of which you’d spend unconscious or simply asleep), you felt like this was just the place for you.

And honestly? You could not believe it.

***

Like Aizawa had promised, the following day was your first day on the field. It was Sunday morning anyway, so there weren’t many people up and about quite yet.

Of course, Aizawa had no plans of busying himself any further. Despite having presumably slept all night for once, like a normal human being, he still looked like he hadn’t gotten even a blink of rest. You were beginning to suspect he just looked like this all the time.

“I’m suddenly regretting everything,” Bakugo muttered, rubbing at his temple. You had been appointed to him. Again. It wasn’t like he even had to teach you anything. ‘Just make sure she doesn’t screw up, because then you’re both responsible,’ Aizawa had said.

Truth be told, you were a little scared of your new manager, so you had no intention of making him mad. And there was this whole thing that you felt like you had a debt to repay so you couldn’t let yourself be a burden too. But the fear was greater…

It had been about half an hour since opening, and Bakugo had instructed you to just sit back and watch everybody else for now. He had taken to pointing out which customers were human, and which were ghouls. The weirdest part? He wasn’t even looking up from whatever he was doing, be it brewing coffee, washing cups, or making sandwiches. As soon as the bell chimed to signal someone had walked in, he’d quietly tell you. You racked your brain a little, but soon remembered why this could be.

“Say, Bakugo-kun?” He hummed to acknowledge that you have been heard. “My parents had told me that some ghouls have an especially developed sense of smell, which can easily tell a human apart from a ghoul.” He tensed, though you weren’t sure why. Had you been speaking too loudly? Was he afraid someone might hear you? He shook this behavior off though, and answered.

“Yeah. That’s right. It’s not very common but there are those of us who have it.” You nodded along.

“So you knew Monoma-kun was a ghoul right away then?” Bakugo stopped suddenly, and finally looked up at you.

“Yeah. What – you’re gonna get mad I didn’t warn you? I hope you realize how stupid that would have been.”

“Oh no, no. I’m just curious is all.” You smiled, while Bakugo returned to cutting a small tomato. Soon enough, he was back to pointing out what every new customer was. You were surprised to say the least – you’d expected there to not be many clueless humans, but you noted that it was in fact the ghouls that were few and far between.

“Well, someone’s being awfully quiet.”

You jumped at the sudden call-out. When you turned to look at Bakugo, you noticed a small smirk on his lips.

“You surprised they look so similar?” he asked. You looked away, a little ashamed to admit he was right. He was a ghoul so he had probably been looked down upon time and time again by other humans. You didn’t have the heart to tell him you expected the difference between your two kinds to be greater, more easily noticed, but he’d seen through your silence regardless.

“I… I guess… Everyone here looks so… so normal,” you muttered, though you quickly caught yourself. “N-not that you aren’t normal but- but… I… Oh, forget it, I can’t make this not sound bad...” You pouted. Bakugo hummed, as he once again tore his eyes away from you.

“You act as if everyone else doesn’t make it sound worse. I can’t really relate a lot to what you’re feeling right now since I’ve always been able to tell the two apart. But if you asked anyone else here, you’d be surprised to hear your experiences are a little more universal than you think.” He suddenly stopped mid-movement and lowered his voice, eyebrows furrowing. “If you really think about it, humans and ghouls are practically indistinguishable from one another. Not until they show their true colors...”

Both of you went silent. You stared at Bakugo intently, wondering if he had even meant to tell you this in the first place. He looked troubled, as if this was something that bothered him personally. And everyone knew there weren’t many things that bothered him personally.

I guess everyone’s general mistreatment of ghouls does get to him every once in a while…

“Bakugo-kun…?” you quietly called out. This seemed to snap him out of his daze and he shook his head, returning to his duty.

“Anyway, most of the ghouls here are regulars. Though you don’t have to rack your brain to remember all of them – they come often enough, so you’ll have them memorized in no time.” The door chimed once again, and this time Bakugo looked up. “See the old lady that just walked in?” Your eyes followed a short old woman with gray hair pulled up in a tight bun. She found a small table beside the window and sat down. You turned to look at Bakugo.

“Yeah?”

“Her name’s Shuzenji Chiyo. She’s a ghoul too. And she also has a keen sense of smell. She’ll be able to tell you’re human.”

“Okay. So?”

“So!? Go take her order, dumbass.”

“Eh?”

“That’s what you’re supposed to be doing, remember?”

“I, well… yeah, that’s right! Alright then!” You stood up and took a few deep breaths. “Yeah – I’m going!” Bakugo looked at you oddly, though you didn’t notice. He must have thought you were going crazy.

You took the notepad and pen on the counter beside you and headed to the old woman’s table, Uraraka giving you a big grin and a wink, as she passed you by on the way to relay an order of her own.

“Good morning, ma’am – may I take your order?” you smiled at the woman. Your heart briefly sank when her eyes widened and she looked back to the counter. Following her line of sight, you noticed she was looking at Bakugo, who nodded back at her. The lady finally relaxed and smiled at you too.

“I’m sorry, dear – you seem to be new here and I didn’t quite recognize your face.”

“Please don’t be concerned – I haven’t gotten used to this place yet either. And I understand why you would be alarmed.” The woman looked at you for a quiet moment, probably wondering if you knew about her and the other ghouls here, though she couldn’t exactly ask you that. She must have been satisfied with your confident smile though.

“A short black coffee, please,” she ordered and took to looking out the window. You quickly noted in your notepad (not that you needed to – it was pretty simple to remember, after all) and thanked her, returning to the counter.

Upon returning however, You found that Bakugo had abandoned his duty and was instead glaring daggers at Midoriya, who had come beside him and was giving you a big thumbs-up.

“A short black coffee...” you relayed as soon as you approached the two.

“Coming right away!” Midoriya exclaimed. “Congratulations on your first client, [F/N]-san!” he said, as he turned around to prepare the order. You blushed a little.

“Th-thank you… Not that it was a difficult job, haha...”

From that point on, Bakugo would point out a friendly ghoul or clueless human for you to wait on every once in a while. You were getting the hang of things, not that there was much to get the hang of, especially with how supportive and friendly everyone was being. You noticed the occasional customers shooting you some surprised looks, likely not having expected a newcomer. Those must have been the regulars that Bakugo had mentioned.

There were a handful that looked… a little less nice. You noticed their eyes trailing you, and you didn’t like their stares one bit. They felt almost like those of a creepy stalker or a cat caller, except somehow more malicious. You didn’t need a keen sense of smell to tell they were not human, though you were grateful to Bakugo, who didn’t send you out for any orders while they were in the cafe. Or a few minutes after, for that matter.

He really seemed to care more than he let out.

Before you knew it, it was closing time for Yuuei.

Though it seemed like Aizawa had other plans for you. Yeah, sure, you could have been resting, letting your wounds heal quicker, even studying for when you would eventually have to begin attending classes once again.

Instead, you were stuck taking out the trash.

‘Don’t mind the manager – he always makes the rookie take out the trash,’ Uraraka had told you. She looked strangely relieved though. You couldn’t help but assume she had been said ‘rookie’ until you came around.

Well, I did say I would do anything to repay them… I guess I only have myself to blame…

Fortunately, it wasn’t a very difficult task. All you had to do was take out the trash bags and bring them outside through the back door, where the dumpsters were.

How convenient.

The bags smelled mostly of coffee which, considering the nature of your new workplace, was to be expected. You briefly wondered if they kept any… food (the kind that wasn’t exactly meant for humans) somewhere in the back rooms, but you decided it’d be better just to ask. Bakugo probably wouldn’t have hesitated to tell you anyway.

Throwing away the final black bag, you wiped the sweat off your forehead (those things were heavier than they looked), and turned to open the door and get away from the unpleasant smell of the dumpsters.

Unfortunately, your luck seemed to be non-existent these days.

An arm slammed against the door from behind you, preventing you from opening it. Suddenly you were very aware of the shadows looming over you.

Turning around slowly, you found two men keeping you trapped between themselves and the door. One had chin-length blond hair and big eyes that looked a little less than sane to you. The other sported long black hair and seemed drunk off his mind. This wasn’t looking good.

You wondered if anyone inside would hear you if you were to scream.

Creepy ghouls wanting to eat me, and now some drunk guys trapping me in an alley. This can’t be good. How do I keep getting myself in these situations!?

You were suddenly thankful for the self-defense skills your parents had taught you. Sure, it wasn’t much, but they made sure that if you were ever cornered by creeps like these, you’d be capable enough to escape them and run off to the nearest place with other people buzzing about.

“Hmm, who knew Yuuei had such a little gem hidden away,” the blond man grinned, leaning in closer. The other only nodded along – he seemed too out of it to even speak. You, on the other hand, inched back.  “If the taste matches the scent, you’ll be quite the exotic treat.”

Before you could remark why everything seemed to revolve around smell today, you sucked in a breath as it dawned on you.

Treat…?

No way. Not again.

A mere second later, the man’s eyes turned black and red, as his grin widened.

“Let’s test that out, shall we?”

***

[CLASSIFIED INFORMATION]

Protocol K78152112

Subject #17

Real Name: N/A

Background: Taken from a CCG-funded orphanage.

Results: Mutations; change of skin color to an unnatural and sickly hue.

Signs of success were present; subject survived for multiple days, though had to be restrained; died due to complications stemming from the increased Rc count.

(scribbled in pen) Huh, seems to work better with younger subjects…

***

Author’s Note: Bam – cliffhanger! I would like to say I’m generally not one to leave you hanging every week, but this story’s doing weird things to me, it seems like.

Thank you guys so, so much for all the support on last week’s launch of this story by the way! It makes me incredibly happy to know you’re all enjoying it and I’m so excited to continue with it too! Here’s a quick recap of some easter eggs from this chapter – the old woman Bakugo sent Reader-chan to was actually Recovery Girl (I just used her real name instead); the two guys that have her trapped in that alleyway are actually two of Overhaul’s men – Setsuno Toya and Sakaki Deidoro (though the concept of the Eight Precepts of Death/Shie Hassaikai probably doesn’t exist here)! Just a fun little nod to canon!

Anyway, I had tonnes of fun writing the peaceful bonding time with Bakugo, and I hope you enjoyed it too! Thank you so much for reading, please drop a comment to let me know what you thought, and I’ll see you again next Wednesday! Bye~

(Psst, @afuckingunicornn  @creativedogs  @chims-kookies  - thank you for the support and here is the next part!)

[arks-self-ship]

Hi!😊 I just wanted to ask about your F/O and your S/I? Just about you guys in general since I don't really know much yet 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 though I do know that you are so cute together 💜

Ah that's fair! I mostly just talk vaguely about them because I don't stick to one specific timeline and just bounce around ideas. Also thank you >////<

My basic F/O and S/I list are linked in my bio but there's not a lot about the relationship, so I'll probably link this to that soon. If you have any specifics you want to know I'm happy to answer those too! I am working on ref sheets of all my main AUs so hopefully soon there will be faces to attach with each one!

(This ended up being way longer than I thought, so I put it under a read more!)

Classic Blue

Kurt's always so helpful and sweet, helping my S/I. I tend to jump around the timeline, usually it's classic new team stuff, but sometimes it's Excalibur or when Logan ran the school. They are there to support each other. Ark is always blunt when it comes to helping him face problems he may not always know are there because that's what he needs, not dancing around the topic. Meanwhile Ark is slow to confront problems, and they can usually realize their problems and Kurt is there to be a support and help them at their own pace. I like doing the storyploints of him having to confront his foster family on a lot of nonsense from when he grew up, them helping him get used not to using his image inducer, and confronting the professor on a lot of his bullshit together. He's my default to think about and is definitely a huge comfort for me

Goldy

Goldy's important because he makes Ark actually feel important and special. He adores them so much, even at their worst. They're his source of comfort, and when they get together he is very much not in a good place but they are his rock while he works to get better. A lot of hurt/comfort with them, going both ways as theyre both healing from severe past trauma. Lots of late nights of nightmares and insomnia too. Fun secret dating stuff for a bit too. Kurt is also sort of a younger brother to Logan in this. W/eapon X hugely fucked him up, but he was only there for about a year. Main plot points I go back to are Kurt almost having the complete mental break he has in the canon ultimates comics but with Ark being there to bring him back to reality and help him (the start of their relationship too), dealing with the fact theyre kinda trapped and don't have a choice to not be X/men, and Ark preventing the ultimatum. Probably the one I focus on the most lately

Three

Three is what Goldy could have become, spending several years as part of the w/eapon X program (also being much younger when he was taken, about 13) and it broke him. It's all about the protective tough guy and soft squishy shorter one dynamic. He gets so easily lost in his paranoia and is so distanced from everyone and tends to scare people, but Ark helps ground him and connect him to those around him. Before Ark the only one he got along with was Logan, and that's because he goes with Logan to track down smaller branches program and shut them down. But now he's actually become (sort of) friends with the rest of the team! Specifically their friend group is Ark, Kurt, Piotr, Warren and Alison (Goldy has the same friend group but with rogue too) and theyre the only ones who have really gotten to know him. He has much less qualms about killing when he needs to and is very skilled at fighting with a variety of weapons. The main plot points I have are him not only slowly coming to terms with his PTSD but also Ark helping him learn to cope, Him confronting what he could have been by eventually going back to his family after years of not seeing them and realize he doesn't belong there anymore

Goldy and Three do have some overlapping plot points because they have the same roots which I'll mention here

-Being kidnapped because after a fight with his foster mom he ran off into the woods, which wasn't uncommon for him to do when upset but that's when he was taken

- Returning to his family to visit after being gone so long and trying to not only for in the place of who he once were but his family realizing something deeply changed about him. For Goldy he keeps going back to visit until it reaches a boiling point and talks very vaguely about it with his brother and his brother knows someone did something to him and his Mom overhears him on the phone with Ark after he has a panic attack from his PTSD. On the other hand Three is quick to realize how he'll never be who they think he is again, and doesn't visit often but keeps in contact.

-Though whatever methods he ends up meeting his dad A/zazel, who in this universe (cause I say so) isn't locked away in another reality and wanting to conquer this one. Instead he lives way way out in the countryside, having retired from his life of crime (how he met M/ystique, Kurt's mom) and settled down with a wife. He had 4 kids, A boy named Arthur who's 13, a girl named Jezabell (16), and the twins (9). Kurt ends up finding a lot of comfort in the family he never knew he had, and A/zazel never knew about Kurt and just considered M/ystique the one who got away. Three is a lot more cautious about this than Goldy is, but ends up having deep conversations with his dad that are very vaguely about what happened to him that Goldy wouldn't have.

Nighty

Nighty has had the same story since I first started self shipping, although details have changed over time. It's all about young dumb love, being deeply in love with your best friend and just the feeling of driving down the road to get out of the house with the windows down and blasting music and singing together. A lot of it is just fun dumb stuff, lots of shenanigans as their relationship is very casual. The most angsty it gets is Kurt very slowly comes to terms with the fact he's gay (also Nighty is the only version who's specifically gay, other AUs he's Bi). Big plot points I go back to are Kurt first realizing he's gay and going to Kitty cause the only other queer one on the team (that he knows of) is Ark and he likes him!!! He can't ask him about it!, Kurt and Ark just chilling together and they look over at him and smile and Kurt's heart is just so filled with love he kisses them which cause it catches them so off guard that they freeze and Kurt panics and teleports way (they talk about it later and kiss again), getting used to going to the local college and dealing with being in a new setting, Toad finding out theyre dating by catching them kissing and Ark threatening him if he tells anyone (he doesn't, he's also gay), Rogue finding out cause she borrows Kurt's powers and asking who all knows and Kurt says "Well Kitty, and Toad by accident, and I think Jean and the professor know, and maybe Logan? But he's hard to read so I'm not sure". Just a lot of fun secret dating shenanigans cause Kurt isn't ready to come out yet

To be honest those are the biggest ones to know? Big blue, Red and Band are so loose there's not really anything to talk about?

Big blue it's all about the big protective magical monster boyfriend, Red it's about the hurt comfort but darker this time (and usually has a different S/I than Ark) and with Band it's all about the band aesthetic and helping him heal

[kurogabae]

TSUBASA: TRAINWRECK CHRONICLES

And Why Bee Train Are Officially Being Labeled, By Me, As The Boomers Of Animation

PART 1 – PART 2 – PART 3 -- Part 4

[Slim Shady’s “Guess Who’s Back” plays in the distance, muffled but threatening]

Look, I know I usually have something to say at the start of these, but honestly? Let’s just go because we’re starting knee-deep in some bullshit. 

Tsarastora (yes... fucking AGAIN):

Well, it didn’t take long for us to return to the land of the walking Not Dead Anymore. Rumor has it that Bee Train was ordered to retcon the S1 finale immediately because who do you think you are to break one of CLAMP’s cardinal rules like that?!? But I’ve never seen any proof of exactly what went down about this plot. But I’m forced to believe Ohkawa materialized behind the director one day and threatened to eat his spine or some shit. 

Anyway. We’re here. Again. And for some reason this is where they decide to have Sakura give Yuuko her White Day gift? Instead of in Piffle? Where she made it? With Tomoyo?

Stop stealing my moments Bee Train. It’s like you’re the crew who edited CCS for America back in the day and tried to market it towards boys so you pushed Syaoran as the main character and tried to remove all romance. Let Sakura have friends! Let her interact with people and have a story! LET HER BE BI!!!

So Yuuko has a dress and Fai makes a joke about being in heaven because the place is so pretty and Kurogane says not to, quote, “say such unlucky things” and it’s moments like this that make you wonder if they Knew and just didn’t care about Fai’s past or if they really were just as in the dark as the rest of us. I flip flop a lot between the two. 

Either way, now the dads are talking about the kids and how brave Syaoran is (why the bullshit in Piffle prompted this I do not know but whatever I guess?) and basically just about how badly they want them to succeed but without just saying it. Meanwhile Sakura is telling Syaoran about her latest memory and I could not for the life of me tell you which one it was and I refuse to go check. The important thing here is that the lazy animation trick that has given Mokona the power of flight is back and she’s hovering around the gang now. Not sitting on shoulders or anything. Just... flying around like she’s Kero. This is fine. I guess.

And then, after what has to be like a solid half hour of just dicking around Mokona Very Suddenly senses a feather. Why so suddenly? Because they wanted to get everything else out of the way first and it was convenient. No other reason. The feather isn’t moving. Neither are they really. She just decides to turn her sensors on now? IDK. Maybe she needs a tune up.

They find the feather not far away just casually sitting inside a rock and everyone but Kurogane is like “Yay! Easy find! Go us!” because apparently no one can learn anything in this anime about what those fucking feathers do. Spoilers: it’s not a rock, it’s a dragon.

[Kurogane voice]: kin

The dragon fucks off and here we come to a Thing. Now, Kurogane is ready to slaughter this thing and wear its bones basically. He is Ready to Fight in a real way. I found that odd and really didn’t care for it. In Hanshin he seems in awe of Celes when it appears to him and even though it’s mostly fanon that Kurogane respects and likes dragons that makes sense. His family’s guardian was a dragon, his sword was modeled after a dragon. His whole motif is dragons! Why is he so ready to kill this one? Does it not count if it’s not a Nihon dragon? Does only Ginryuu get respect? It just feels bad???

But none of that matters because guess what! Dragon shaped as it might be, the thing is a demon? At least, that’s what they’re calling it. Sometimes. Fai says demon, Syaoran says dragon. They don’t.... agree on the term? Shut up. It’s a dragon.

So they soon realize that they are back in Should Be Very Dead-ville and oh no everyone is going to die again unless we get this OTHER feather because if one feather can buy us a month of living surely one more will fix our deaths forever right? ....right? (On a side note; Fai makes a comment about how weird it is that two feathers fell in the same world while he’s from Celes and knows damn well he found two and is unaware of a third!!!) 

Either way the family is gonna help because, you know. Feather. If memory serves, the dragon is hiding in a lake, so what does Kurogane (who is now in charge because of course) have them do? They set the lake on fucking fire. And it delights him. It do not, however, delight the dragon, who, understandably, goes apeshit. Luckily, no one dies and they just hack off the horn that the feather was stuck in. And then they... take it to God again because wow they really do think this will work. Sakura, honey, I know how sweet you are but it only got them one month last time. What good will this do?

The answer is no good!

God basically tells them it’s tough tits, the month long visitation was all they could manage and no matter how many super powered magic bird parts they bring the dead are dead and that’s that. Which sucks for those villagers but haha, bummer for FAi to have to hear. Again. After watching Sakura wish someone to life with a mere piece of her soul. Again. Wonder how that felt. (Short post about Kurogane and Fai’s possible feelings here.)

So to end the episode, Sakura gets her feather back and then the family leaves town but sticks around on the outskirts to watch everyone fucking die again like some sick ass fuckers!!!

I’m not even going to talk about the stupid memory she gets with papa!Clow and learning about how death is a Thing via her dead pet bunny. It happens. It’s inorganic. I hate it. Shut up Clow.

The episode is over and I’ll leave you with this to heal your souls.

I am a simple woman.

Portoria:

WE’RE ON A BOAT MOTHA FUCKER!

If you’re too young to recognize that joke, click the link for... an experience. Wear headphones. Everyone else, please join me in this not-a-Wind-Waker-AU. 

We’re gonna skip all of my bad sailor jokes and focus for a minute on Kurogane’s Sinbad cosplay here because yes good hello I am easily distracted. 

Anyway, the captain is this world’s version of Koryo’s shitty Ryanban and Kurogane and Fai have a moment to wax philosophical about whether or not souls are inherently good or evil, which is fine and I would hardly mention if, while they were doing this, the “camera” wasn’t stood still on an image of Syaoran and Sakura just... smiling at each other while the dads spoke. Like the kids aren’t even doing anything, they’re just smiling. It’s weird. It’s also almost like accidental foreshadowing because HAHA THOSE ARE CLONES! But I’m not gonna go into it for the sake of this joke.

On the ship everyone has to work, Kurogane is terrorizing his new shipmates into compliance under his leadership, Fai and Sakura are cooking fish, and Syaoran is in the engine room with a child version of Fujitaka AKA his father. Understandably, Syaoran is Feeling Emotions, not that the animation is any indicator of this. He also calls a ten year old daddy so things are going great. 

Now yes, Syaoran must miss his father terribly, not only has he been dead for who knows how long exactly (anywhere upwards of 5 years possibly) but Syaoran is far from home without any pictures or familiarity to remind him of Fujitaka, and now he’s got some savant elementary schooler who is an AU version of his dad basically sharing his deepest hopes and dreams.  It’s a weird episode. Oh, and there is no feather, but Mokona is sweet as can be and stays so Syaoran can get to know this version of Fujitaka. Which honestly seems more like a punishment than anything to me, but hey. 

Also, there’s a sea monster. And a haunted island. And something that sounds suspiciously like Piedmon from Digimon. 

Syaoran and Fujitaka get stranded on the island after getting yeeted overboard and the captain telling the rest of the family that his ancestors forbid people from going to the island is enough to stop a rescue mission? Like. Kurogane AND Sakura are sitting there, letting nothing happen. This is fine. Everything is fine. 

And it kinda is because the island if filled with old shit and Syaoran is geeking out like a kid surrounded by his special interest would be expected to. 

In the end, the creepy laughter was wind, the island isn’t haunted, the family tries to row out to save Syaoran and a sea monster is on screen for all of 30 seconds. This episode was boring. Dull. It wasn’t even particularly angsty because Bee Train has no concept of emotional DEPTH!! Their expressions and emotions are as flat as Fai’s ass and as dry as Clow’s deserts. This could have been a very moving and fascinating filler episode, but Bee Train remains in capable of doing ANYTHING AT ALL EVER! I’m bored. This is boring.

At least Sakura looked cute in her little sailor outfit. 

The next episode is “A Date With a Wizard” and that shitshow is getting its own post. Peace. 

PART 1 – PART 2 – PART 3 -- Part 4

[space--cadet-glow]

Translation: GRAND FINALE: German manga of “The Minish Cap”, Part 7: “Vaati’s Great Training”

And with this chapter, I have both the entire German game and the entire German manga translated. At what point did I cross the “insanity” threshold? Ah well.

My translation key: DT: „direct translation" (translated word for word) EQ: “English equivalent” (as in, as close to an English-sounding sentence as it’s gonna get) DT/EQ: „"direct translation/English equivalent" (for when the DT is so similar to an EQ that it’s practically English already) OE: “official English (translation as given in the English version of “The Minish Cap”)“ (NOTE:) “anything I need to point out” (exactly what it says on the tin) BG: „backwards German” for the Minish language in forwards form BOE: “the forwards version of the Minish language in the OE version” BOET: “the TRANSLATION of the forwards version of the Minish language in the OE version”

My translation work under the cut.

BONUS-MANGA: „VAATIS GROßE AUSBILDUNG" BONUS-MANGA: "VAATI'S GREAT TRAINING" BONUS MANGA: "VAATI DURING TRAINING"

1. „REISE" DT/EQ: „"TRAVEL" OE: "DEPARTURE"

Erzähler: „Es war einmal ein junger Minish..." DT: „It was once a young Minish..." EQ: "There once was a young Minish..." OE: "Once upon a time..."

Erzähler: „Sein Name war Vaati, er war sehr aufrichtig." DT/EQ: „"His name was Vaati, he was very sincere." OE: "...There was a young and very serious Picori named Vaati."

Toneffekte: „SCHT SCHOCK" DT/EQ: „"SCHT SHOCK" OE: "RUSTLE CRINGE"

Erzähler: „Er war sehr ängstlich..." DT/EQ: „"He was very anxious..." OE: "He was quite timid..."

Erzähler: „...aber er hatte große Ziele." DT/EQ: „"...but he had great aims/goals." OE: "...but full of ambition."

Vaati: „Ich werde groß... ...und superberühmt! Und reich..." DT: „I become big... ...and super-famous! And rich..." EQ: "I'll become big... ...and super-famous! And rich..." OE: "One day I'm gonna be super awesome! I'm gonna be the most famous Picori ever... ...And super rich too!"

2. „DER MEISTER UND DER SCHÜLER" DT/EQ: „"THE MASTER AND THE STUDENT" OE: "MASTER AND PUPIL MEET"

Vaati: „Ich möchte wie Sie, der weltbeste Weise werden. Meister Ezelo!!" DT: „I would like how you, the world-best Sage become. Master Ezelo!!" EQ: "I would like to become the world's best Sage like you. Master Ezelo!!" OE: "I want to become a famous Sage like you, Ezlo."

Vaati: „Lassen Sie mich bitte Ihr Schüler sein!!" DT: „Let you me please your student be!!" EQ: "Please let me be your student!!" OE: "Please take me as your student!"

Toneffekte: „Klipp Klar" DT: „"Clip clear" EQ: "Clearly" OE: "VEEN VEEN" (NOTE: The only explanation I can think of for the sound-effect in the German version was that it was a way to show just how "sincere" Vaati was being. Meanwhile, for the English version, I have no clue.)

Ezelo: „Oh, ein Junge mit guter Urteilskraft." DT/EQ: „"Oh, a lad with good judgement." OE: "My! What a discerning and insightful lad!"

Ezelo: „Doch meine Ausbildung ist hart. Mal sehen, ob du sie schaffst." DT: „But my training is hard. (Softener) See, if you it manage." EQ: "But, my training is hard. Let's see if you can manage it." OE: "But training with me will be DIFFICULT. Do you think you can take it?"

Vaati: „DANKE! Ich werde alles tun!" DT: „THANKS! I will anything do!" EQ: "THANKS! I will do anything!" OE: "YES! I'll do ANYTHING!"

Vaati: „Der Alte hat doch nur einen langen Bart. Ich mach ihm einfach alles nach." DT: „The old-man has but only a long beard. I imitate him just/simply everything (x)." EQ: "The old sod only has a long beard. I'll just imitate him on everything." OE: "Nice beard, but otherwise he's just an ordinary old guy! I'll nod a lot and just mimic everything he does." (NOTE: „nachmachen". Also, I went with "old sod" because „Alte" can also mean "ancient person", and judging by how both Vaati and Ezlo are insulting eachother in their heads here, something a bit more intense than just "old man" works better.)

Vaati: „In drei Jahren hab ich ihn überholt." DT: „In three years have I him over-take." EQ: "I'll over-take him in three years." OE: "I'll learn his WHOLE shtick in three years tops!"

Vaati: „Sie strahlen vor Würde." DT: „You shine of (the) dignity." EQ: "You shine with dignity." OE: "Thank you, O wise and benevolent Master!"

Ezelo: „Der Kurze spielt nur den Guten." DT: „The short-one plays only the good-guy." EQ: "The pipsqueak's only playing the good guy." OE: "This kid sure is good at kissing up, but that's about it." (NOTE: Likewise, „Kurze" could also be "shorty". I went with "pipsqueak" simply because I personally used it in my Fanfictions.)

Ezelo: „Er sollte nie erfahren, dass ich mit Stadt-Minish ein Blind-Date mache." DT: „He should never learn, that I with City-Minish a Blind-Date doing." EQ: "He should never learn that I'm going on a Blind-Date with a City-Minish." OE: "I have to make sure he doesn't find out I'm going to all the singles' parties in town. He's sure to rat on me!"

Ezelo: „Danke. Du siehst intelligent aus, mein Junge." DT/EQ: „"Thanks. You appear intelligent (x), my lad." OE: "Your eyes show the light of wisdom!"

3. „AUSBILDUNG NR. 1" DT/EQ: „"TRAINING NO. 1" OE: "FIRST TRAINING ASSIGNMENT"

Ezelo: „Am Gebirgspass hinter dem Tyloria-Wald findest du das Heilkraut Kore-Kore. Bring es zu mir, Vaati." DT: „On (the) mountain-pass behind the Tyloria-Forest find you the healing-herb Kore-Kore. Bring it to me, Vaati." EQ: "On the mountain-pass behind Tyloria-Forest, you can find the healing-herb Kore-Kore. Bring it to me, Vaati." OE: "An herb called korekore grows on the mountain beyond the Minish Woods. Go get some, Vaati."

Vaati: „Jawohl, Meister!" DT/EQ: „"Yessir, Master!" OE: "Okay, Master!"

Erzähler: „Vaati ging mit aller Kraft. Er gab sich Mühe und ging den Pass hoch." DT: „Vaati went with all power. He gave himself effort and went the pass high." EQ: "Vaati went with all his might. He gave the effort and went up the pass." OE: "Vaati walked for days through the forest. He climbed the treacherous mountain slopes." (NOTE: „sich bemühe" again. Also, slightly idiomatic.)

Erzähler: „Doch da war das Kraut nicht zu finden." DT: „Still there was the herb not to find." EQ: "Still, the herb was not to be found." OE: "But he couldn't find any korekore."

Wald-Minish: „Kore-Kore? Das ist nur ein Gerücht... Ein Weiser müsste das doch wissen?" DT: „Kore-Kore? That is only a rumour... A Sage must that still know?" EQ: "Kore-Kore? That's only a rumour... A Sage must surely know that?" OE: "Korekore doesn't grow here. Any Sage oughta know that."

Ezelo: „Mann, bist du unreif, Vaati." DT/EQ: „"Man, are you immature, Vaati." OE: "You have learned your first lesson, Vaati." (NOTE: "Immature" in the sense of "inexperienced".)

Ezelo: „Du wirst nie ein Wieser, wenn du so naiv bist. Hö Hö Hö" DT: „You will never a Sage, if you so naïve are. Ho Ho Ho" EQ: "You'll never be a Sage if you're so naïve. Ho Ho Ho" OE: "You can't believe everything you hear. Don't be a schmuck! HO HO HO"

Vaati: „Der alte Sack!!" DT: „The old sod!!" EQ: "You old sod!!" OE: "Sadistic old goat!" (NOTE: Believe it or not, it could also mean "You old bastard!!")

4. „AUSBILDUNG NR. 2" DT/EQ: „"TRAINING NO. 2" OE: "SECOND TRAINING ASSIGNMENT"

Ezelo: „Vaati. Ich will dich nicht ärgern. Das wichtigste Element für einen Weisen ist..." DT: „Vaati. I want you not anger. The most-important element for a Sage is..." EQ: "Vaati. I don't want to anger you. The most-important element for a Sage is..." OE: "Vaati, I'm not hard on you because I enjoy it. The thing a Sage needs more than anything else..."

Ezelo: „...die Stärke des Herzens!! Verstehst du?" DT: „...the strength (of) the heart!! Understand you?" EQ: "...the strength of heart!! Do you understand?" OE: "...is a strong spirit. Do you understand?"

Vaati: „Ja, Meister!!" DT/EQ: „"Yes, Master!!" OE: "Yes, Master!"

Ezelo: „Also, deswegen... Nun, ja..." DT: „So, therefore... Well, yes..." EQ: "So, therefore... Well, yeah..." OE: "Good! Because I... ...I... Umm..."

Ezelo: „Ich hab versehentlich deinen Spielstand gelöscht... Mit geistiger Stärke wirst du es aber glatt durchspielen, oder?!" DT: „I (x) accidentally your game-score deleted... With mental strength will you it but plain/smooth play-through, or?!" EQ: "I accidentally deleted your game-score. With mental strength, you'll smoothly play it through, right?!" OE: "I accidentally erased all your saved games. Remember, life is a big adventure... Just think of this as a re-spawn point."

Vaati: „Irgendwann werde ich mich an ihm rächen...!!" DT: „Someday will I me on him revenge...!!" EQ: "Someday, I will take revenge on him...!!" OE: "Someday I'm gonna give him a hard re-boot for this!"

5. „SO EINE ÜBERRASCHUNG" DT: „SO A SURPRISE" EQ: "WHAT A SURPRISE" OE: "A SURPRISE BOX"

Erzähler: „Vaati plante inbrünstig, seinen Meister zu erschrecken." DT: „Vaati planned fervently, his Master to scare." EQ: "Vaati planned fervently to scare his Master." OE: "Vaati burned with desire to exact revenge on Master Ezlo."

Vaati: „Locken in seine Wimpern... Wasabi in seinen Tee..." DT/EQ: „"Curls in his eyelashes... Wasabi in his tea..." OE: "I'll shave his eyebrows... ...Or put mustard in his tea!"

Vaati: „Oder ich schenke ihm einen Schachtelteufel..." DT: „Or I give him a jack-in-the-box..." EQ: "Or, I'll give him a jack-in-the-box..." OE: "I know! I'll give him a box of exploding cigars!" (NOTE: Things like this are why I love Vaati. Just how on earth did he go from jack-in-the-box to stealing the Magic Hat?)

Vaati: „Ja, das ist gut!" DT/EQ: „"Yes, this is good!" OE: "Yeah! That's it!"

Toneffekte: „SCHRECK" DT/EQ: „"FRIGHT" OE: "D'OH!"

Vaati: „Meister, was...?" DT/EQ: „"Master, what...?" OE: "W-What's this, Master?"

Ezelo: „Oh, ein Geschenk für dich. Öffne die Kiste!" DT/EQ: „"Oh, a present for you. Open the box!" OE: "I got you a present. Open it."

Ezelo: „Sofort!!" DT/EQ: „"Immediately!!" OE: "Just open the thing up already!" (NOTE: To quote my old English teacher, "Immediately, if not sooner!")

Toneffekte: „Bumm Bubumm" DT/EQ: „"Bamm badamm" OE: "GULP CRINKLE CRINKLE" (NOTE: In English, the sound-effect is the crinkling of the wrapping paper, but in both German and the original Japanese, it's Vaati's heart pounding.)

Kuchen: „Merry X-Mas Mein Schüler Vaati. Klasse Leistung! Weiter so!" DT: „Merry X-Mas My student Vaati. Classy performance! Continue so!" EQ: "My X-Mas My student Vaati. Great performance! Keep it up!" OE: "Merry X-Mas My pupil Vaati I'm very proud of you for all your hard work!" (NOTE: Idiomatic.)

Vaati: „Meister..." DT/EQ: „"Master..." OE: "M-Master..."

Ezelo: „Ähm... ächem. Die Menschen feiern Weihnachten... im Winter. Ich hab das mal nachgeahmt." DT: „Um... ahem. The humans celebrate Christmas... in (the) winter. I (x) that (softener) imitated." EQ: "Um... ahem. The humans celebrate Christmas in winter. I imitated that." OE: "Cough... Cough... In the wintertime, humans celebrate something called Christmas. I sorta copied it."

Vaati: „Meister... Weihnachten ist längst vorbei. Schnüff" DT/EQ: „"Master... Christmas is long past. Sniffle" OE: "Master... SNIFF Christmas was MONTHS ago!"

Ezelo: „Ach, Ruhe! Jetzt schneid den Kuchen an!" DT/EQ: „"Oh, quiet! Now cut the cake (x)!" OE: "Vaati... ...Just shut up and cut the cake!" (NOTE: „anschneiden".)

Erzähler: „Superwarmes Herz, auch im Winter." DT/EQ: „"Super-warm heart, even in (the) winter." OE: "It was a Merry Mushroom that winter."

Erzähler: „ENDE." DT/EQ: „"END." OE: "THE END"

[broadwaycantdie]

Eid! - Newsies (Pride) Month . Day 4

( tommy boy ) + ( religion )

a/n: i am not muslim! i do not celebrate eid! however, inclusivity and diversity is very important to show throughout stories so i had @newnewsieprice help me with this story because she is muslim and does celebrate eid! she also told me that everyone celebrates differently so this is just based off her experiences and the bare minimum i know :)

warning: besides the fact that i only partially know what i’m talking about ? none

background: Tommy Boy is a Macedonian Muslim Baby Boy™. He is technically the only Muslim newsie in his chosen family. Tommy Boy’s blood family was deported and sent back to Macedonia. Since he was the only family member born in the states, he was left alone. A lot of families were separated during the ICE raids—including some of the other newsie’s—so they all work to bring everyone together in their own little family.

( all macedonian is according to google translate and the translation will be in parentheses, sorry if anything is wrong, i don’t speak macedonian! )

——————————————————————————

“Те сакам исто така, мама. Ми недостигаш. Тоа нема да биде исто без сите вас овде. Ветувам дека ќе се јавам повторно по молитвата. Eid Mubarak.”

(I love you too, mama. I miss you. It won’t be the same without you all here. I promise to call again after prayer. Eid Mubarak.)

Tommy Boy hung up the phone and gently pressed his forehead on the wall, looking down with his eyes closed. He let out a breath.

“It’s hard without them here, isn’t it?”

Tommy Boy jumped, not knowing someone else was in the room. It was very early morning, he didn’t expect anyone to be awake.

He didn’t say anything. He just turned to see who was there.

It was Elmer. He was standing in the open doorway with a sense of understanding on his face. A change of pace from his often confused expression.

Tommy Boy walked over to him, wrapping him in a hug without saying a word.

Elmer knew what it was like. His parents and older siblings were taken back to Poland over a year ago.

He sticks to the newsies because they’re all he has.

Elmer’s family obviously wasn’t the only one who got taken away but his was the first. He has had time to heal, though it still hurts.

Tommy Boy’s parents were taken just weeks ago. He needs more time to accept and learn to move forward. And no one knows that feeling better than Elmer. He went from a blood family of 11 to 1. It was hard.

Elmer knew what a sacred and joyous time this has always been to him, year after year. He use to go to his parents and come back telling stories of all the gossip and events happening back in Macedonia. Stories of his parents saying how they wish they could visit their home again; but they never imagined they would get stuck there, leaving their only son behind.

Elmer was prepared to hold Tommy Boy for as long as he needed. He knew Tommy Boy wasn’t one for showing emotions, so he needed to undertand that he could be vulnerable and that was okay.

Tommy Boy pulled away gently. Tears soaked his face and his eyes were red. He hadn’t cried like that since his parents left. He never allowed himself.

He looked at Elmer’s shirt, now housing a wet spot from his eyes.

“Sorry about that”, Tommy Boy said, lightly laughing through tears and choked breaths.

“It’s okay, T. It’ll dry”, Elmer replied, smiling.

They stood there for a bit. Elmer gently rubbed Tommy Boy’s back while he let out the last of his tears and caught his breath. He just needed to get it out.

“What are you gonna do this year?” Elmer asked softly.

“I don’t know. I’m gonna pray. Pray a lot. I might go for a walk. Be by myself for a few hours. But after that I don’t know”, Tommy Boy replied in a deep breath.

“Why don’t you go get ready. Take some time to yourself beforehand. We’ll all be here with you after, okay?”

Tommy Boy nodded his head and went off to the washroom. No one else was awake so he really got to relax and calm down before he went off to the mosque.

In that time, Elmer devised a plan. He was going to do everything he could to give Tommy Boy a good Eid. Nothing would make him feel as good as he did with his parents, but he owed it to him to try.

As soon as Tommy Boy walked out the door Elmer yelled throughout the lodging house.

“Family meeting right now! Everyone come here, please!”

At least he was polite about his early morning aggressive screaming.

Ignoring the moans and groans of sleepy teenagers, Elmer actually got everyone into the main room.

He explained his plan, what he knew of the holiday, and Tommy Boy’s schedule for the day.

“Henry, how long does it take to make an entire feast fit for a celebration?”

“Um? Like all day if I’m lucky?”

“Well we’ve got about 5 hours or so, so you might wanna start now.”

“What?! Elmer that’s impossible!”

“Nothing’s impossible if you put your heart to it...and when you have friends to help...that’s why I made a chart of everyone’s responsibilities for the day.”

More groans filled the room but Elmer ignored them.

He went down the list, giving everyone their job.

Henry, Kenny, Smalls, Crutchie, Buttons, Romeo, Sniper, Specs, Jojo, Kid Blink, and Ike would all be working on food. Like Henry said, it would take all day if he did it himself so Elmer needed as many people as possible to get it all done.

However, not everyone could be trusted cooking.

Albert, Finch, Jack, Mike, Mush, and Race were in charge of getting the house ready.

That included cleaning, setting the table, getting conversation spaces ready, helping Henry if he needed anything and every other little thing Elmer needed.

Specifically, Finch was put on lookout, making sure Tommy Boy wasn’t on his way home. And if he was, the rest of the house would be warned and a distraction would be made.

While the rest of the family worked, Tommy Boy was enjoying his time. He never was one to like a lot of energy and chaos.

While at the mosque he prayed for his family. He prayed they were safe and happy even if he couldn’t be there with him. He prayed for the other first-generations to not have to go through what he did. He prayed that Race would be smart enough to not get in big enough trouble that would get him sent back to Italy. He prayed that one day he would be reunited with his family for good. He prayed he would at least be able to afford to visit until that day came. He prayed for a lot of things. That’s all he could think to do. So he did.

After he left the mosque, he took a walk. He walked around the city watching people live their lives. People not even knowing it was a holiday. People just enjoying their time together. It was nice to see.

Back at the lodging house, they ran into a bit of a problem. No one knew how to make baklava.

“Do we really need it?” Henry asked, already in the midst of making a million other things.

“Yes! It’s a staple of literally any holiday ever!” Elmer said back.

“Well you better bring someone who knows how to make it cause it ain’t me.”

Elmer thought for a minute then picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Hello?”

“Davey! It’s Elmer, we have an emergency.”

“What kind? The kind where I have to sew someone’s arm back on or the kind where you guys are out of m&m’s?”

“The kind where we don’t know how to make baklava and we were hoping you did.”

“I don’t, but my mother does. Why?”

“We need some, like today.”

“Today?! Elmer baklava takes at least two days to make!”

“Fuck. Uh. Do you know where we can get some?”

“Well, lucky for you it’s the beginning of the month.”

“Meaning...?”

“Meaning my mom makes baklava the first weekend of every month!”

“Can you bring it? Please? Like asap!”

“Yeah, I’ll be over soon.”

Since that was taken care of, Elmer got back to getting all the last details finished.

Meanwhile, Tommy Boy decided to participate in one of his favorite parts of Eid, giving to the poor.

He knows what it’s like to not have anything, so giving back to those with even less warms his heart. He remembers being on the other end and watching some of his newsie brothers there too. It’s been tough, but giving back is his way of seeing that he made it through.

He gave what he could in any form. Buying meals, volunteering, or just giving straight up money.

After another hour or so of him being out, Tommy Boy decided it was time to head home. He promised his mother he’d call again and he didn’t want it to get too late.

Davey made it to the lodging house just minutes before Tommy Boy did, finishing the table setting.

The boys somehow got everything done in time.

The table was set with all the food they could make. Foods like Tajine, Tufahije, Bolani, Pite, Spice Cookies, and—of course—Baklava. Along with other little things like dates and tiny snacks.

Finch yelled out that Tommy Boy was walking up. They all scrambled around and stood in front of the table, hiding what was behind it.

Tommy Boy walked in the same way he always does, but this time, noticed the odd behavior of the boys.

“Hey guys?” Tommy Boy confusingly asked.

“Hey, T! How was going to the mosque?” Elmer asked, genuinely curious.

“It was good! Uh...what is everyone doing?”

“Well...this is your first Eid without your usual traditions and celebrations. So...”

The boys slowly moved away from the table, revealing the food.

“...we wanted to make a new one!”

Tommy Boy’s jaw dropped.

“You—how did you? You—you did this? All of this? F-for me?”

“Of course! T, we are family, and after seeing you this morning I couldn’t have you just being alone. I can’t change what happened, but I can do everything in my power to make what you have here, the best.”

He felt the tears fill up his eyes again but quickly wiped them away.

Tommy Boy isn’t much of a talker, but that reaction said more than words ever could.

They all sat down in their respective seats and began eating the food. They all talked and gossiped and enjoyed each other’s company.

After they ate more food than probably healthy, they moved over to the couches while Henry brought out tea and cups.

Tommy Boy used this time to leave the room and call his mother back, as he promised he would.

He waited a bit longer than he should have, so his mother didn’t pick up. However, he did leave her a message.

“Здраво, мама. Се извинувам што не се јавив порано, толку многу се случи денес. Моите пријатели го донесоа Еид и ја направија речиси иста како она што го користиме за да го направиме, иако со својот мал пресврт сепак. Тие ја направија мојата омилена храна и навистина ме натераа да се чувствувам добредојдена. Не знам што направив за да ги заслужам сите, навистина. Тоа беше целата идеја на Елмер, ми рече дека тоа е групен напор, но знам дека го планирал. Неговото семејство беше однесено пред една година, па ми помагаше. Многу ми недостасуваш. Се надевам дека си имал добар Еид. Еден ден повторно ќе го прославиме заедно. Се надевам наскоро. Океј, те сакам, мама. Кажете им на сите што ги сакам. Повикај ме кога ќе можеш. Eid Mubarak.”

(Hello, mama. I apologize for not calling earlier, so much happened today. My friends brought Eid to me and made it almost the exact same as what we use to do, with their own little twist though. They made my favorite foods and really made me feel welcome. I don’t know what I did to deserve them all, really. It was all Elmer’s idea, he told me it was a group effort, but I know he planned it. His family was taken a year ago, so he’s been helping me out. I miss you all a lot. I hope you had a good Eid. One day we’ll celebrate it together again. Hopefully soon. Okay, I love you, mama. Tell everyone I love them. Call me when you can. Eid Mubarak.)

[lazy-queen]

Andreil Ficlist

So, I’ve been away from Tumblr for a while but my love for the fandom is still strong. I’ve read some awesome fics from this pairing, and if you are looking for something too, you’re welcome to use this as guide.

Pairing: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard

Fandom: All For The Game (Nora Sakavic)

All of them are taken from AO3, and all of them are marked as completed. Enjoy!

Hold Each Other by exactly13percent (superagentwolf)

He came along and showed me how to let go. - A series of stories about Andrew and Neil, with occasional Fox Family-centric feels. Current lineup: SMUT / Neil bringing up his torture / Neil protecting the Foxes / Neil using Nathaniel for good / AU: Riko, Canon divergence / Fixing Nicky's Kiss / Post-Canon AU / 5+1 bonding / Andrew & Nathaniel / Neil & Nicky bond / Magic!AU with tattoos / Post-Canon Piercing & Aaron bonding / Neil & minor PTSD / Neil & PTSD, Andreil / SMUT / Andrew and jealousy (kinda) / Baltimore AU & Kevin, Matt bonding / Neil trauma & Andreil / normal!AU Andreil in 3 parts / Raven!Neil AU in 8 parts / Andreil tea shop!AU / Andreil flower shop!AU / Andreil no Exy&college AU / Andreil no exy & college AU again lmao - UPDATE: This has turned into a series where each fic is a different AU! 

Hic Sunt Draconis by exactly13percent (superagentwolf) 

Andrew is just trying to keep Kevin alive when an elf jumps into the fray, flashing daggers and blue eyes. He hires the Foxes to help him catch a demon from his past, but it starts to feel less like he's the client and more like he's the protection. Andrew hates how entranced he is by the scarred rogue, with magic on his skin and a tongue as silvered as the city's statues.

It's a good thing Andrew needs something to hold his interest. Neil is doing his best to meet the expectation, whether anyone asked for it or not.

It's Way Beyond Ice Cream by nekojita for Blurredminds

(part 1 of the Ice Cream AU)

Fic for the AFTG Summer Exchange - Neil's doing his best as a new freshman at PSU, helped by Renee as he navigates life as a normal 'person'. That includes classes and studying, and dealing with a certain stubborn employee at the local ice cream shop who seems to delight in messing up his order each time he goes there for some unknown reason....

Of course Allison and Renee will eventually explain what's going on to him (and help poor Andrew out).

Life Never Tasted So Good by nekojita

(part 2 of the Ice Cream AU)

It's time for Andrew's date with the cute freshman he's been tormenting for the past couple of weeks by messing with his ice cream order. Still not convinced that Neil really wants to go out with him (in part because of how Neil is cagey about anything to do with his past), Andrew prepares for the night out.

In other words, continuation of 'It's Way Beyond Ice Cream'.

Feels Like Wasted Youth by conniptionns, exybee

Neil’s current living situation is … complicated.

Between his roommates’ badass rager parties and his neighbors’ constant barging into his apartment, Neil’s sure he can handle anything junior year throws at him

That is, until someone leaves a passive-aggressive noise complaint on his door. Unfortunately for the second floor, Neil has skipped the passive and gone full aggressive.

Or the Neighbors AU featuring post-finals parties, ill-timed fire alarms, and helpful campus squirrels.

Forever Home by moonix for lolainslackss

Neil works at a movie theatre. Andrew is his favourite (and only) customer.

The Kids Are Alright (Now) by Marmeladeskies for BakaDoll

When they're two years old, Aaron and Andrew are adopted together- and it changes the course of their fate drastically. A story about scars, healing, dogs, and the little boy with the auburn curls who just moved in next door.

Foxglove Fridays by moonix

(Part 1 of Foxglove Court)

Every Friday, Neil comes into Andrew's shop to buy flowers.

Wishbone Wednesdays by moonix

(Part 2 of Foxglove Court)

Attraction is a slow creature for Neil. It sneaks up on him over time and winds him tighter and tighter in its coils until he’s smothered in it.

In which Andrew is a florist with magic hands, Neil is a tattoo artist with a tragic past, and everyone else is busy wooing Renee at the coffee shop.

If You Must by Tourmaline147

Neil's whole world went up in flames the minute he burned his mother's dead body. Mary prepared him for almost every possible scenario, except this one. Now he's stuck in the middle of California trying to restart his life.

Andrew's world had been dark long before Neil Josten came into town. He's been barely living the past few years but he was working on that.

Together these two strangers who only knew how to survive take on a new challenge: learning to live.

*** Featuring the other foxes, the bad guys, copious amounts of music, and, hopefully, happiness.

*** Basically a high school au with music. Enjoy.

TFC High School AU by Moonix

1.  Take Shelter by moonix

After his mother's death Neil Josten just needs to keep his head down until graduation, then he's going to leave this town and identity behind like all the others and start over somewhere new. There's a small hitch in his plans though: his deal to protect Andrew from bullies in exchange for some quiet company.

2.  Guns And Horses by moonix

A year after they run away together, Andrew and Neil finally find themselves in Columbia where they make a temporary home, get jobs, and meet Aaron.

3.  Stop The World by moonix

Neil’s mother is dead. His father is in prison. If he’s lucky, things might just be working out. Except Neil isn’t usually lucky…

4.  Up In Flames by moonix

Neil keeps his promise.

The Proposal by PalmettoFoxDen

Andrew said he was engaged to Neil to get Nicky to stop telling him he would die alone. Now, Nicky is expecting Andrew to bring Neil to Columbia to meet them all. Meanwhile, Neil just found out he's going to be deported. Even though they can't stand each other, Andrew makes Neil a deal. If Neil visits Andrew's family and convinces them that they're really engaged, Andrew will marry him and convince the investigator on Neil's case that they're in love. But if they're going to convince anyone, they'll need to learn a lot about each other. 

A Thief and a Liar by ClockworkDragon, gluupor

After two years in prison for a crime he absolutely did commit, Andrew has his next heist all planned out. All he needs is a team of thieves as talented as he is.

An Ocean’s Eleven AU where the Foxes like to steal things, Riko owns several casinos, and Andrew has a score to settle.

Shake My Tomb by exactly13percent (superagentwolf)

Nathaniel Wesninski takes his father's life and his father's title at the age of twelve. He kills a man at thirteen.

At eighteen, Kevin Day comes to him for help.

The Butcher of Baltimore is a name that used to mean something. Under Nathaniel's direction, the Wesninski Family has become an entirely different beast. They are the shadow thrown by the fire of the Moriyamas. Nathaniel isn't one to interfere with something bigger and more dangerous than him, but Kevin's position means something to him. Kevin, and the strange family he brings with him.

Maybe even Andrew, the one that challenges Nathaniel the most—and the one that Nathaniel finds himself drawn to. There's a lot at stake, though, and Nathaniel has nothing left to lose. Nothing but himself.

Pressure Points by puddlejumper99

(Part 1 of Out of the Ashes)

Neil enrolls at Columbia High School and remarkably fails at remaining invisible

False Equivalence by sunrise_and_death

Some part of her had known it would come back to Neil. He was the one who had cracked the twins the first time. Of anyone, he was the most likely to have a solution for this as well.

Although the events of the previous year resolved a lot of issues, Katelyn quickly discovers that not every problem has been addressed. As she attempts to map a future in which Aaron has both her and his family, she finds herself once again working with Neil Josten—to unexpected results.

Only You by wematch

In their second year a deal is made. Andrew wants to explore his boundaries and there’s really just one person he trusts around himself.

Set in a universe where everything is the same except that Andrew never kissed Neil on the rooftop that night. Instead, they just got closer and more comfortable around each other.

stars may collide by broship_addict, llheji

Moonlighting as Abram, member of the city's crime-fighting Foxes, Neil is doing a very bad job at staying under the radar. He's busy enough between his friends, patrol, and bickering with Andrew at work, but with the Ravens gang finally within reach and the reappearance of the Monster, he might have bitten more than he can chew.

(Or, how both Neil and Andrew accidentally fall in love with the same person twice. Lame.)

finger on the trigger/pedal to the floor by badacts, lightning_struck

Neil and Kevin, operatives for the highly secretive US body known only as ‘the Agency’, are very good at their jobs. Maybe Neil isn’t the patriot that Kevin is, but he can recognise the need for people like him, and, if nothing else, he is loyal. However, in the wake of an assassination attempt on the president foiled with the help of talented-but-civilian sniper Andrew Minyard, of the chipped shoulder and the uncanny knack for seeing right through people, Neil begins to question who it is giving him orders.

However, asking questions is a dangerous game. If Neil isn’t careful, he’ll end up dead - or worse than.

falling. by Idnis

The sun was bearing down on the park, on Andrew, on Neil Josten’s sketch, his auburn hair and blue, blue, blue eyes.

After a dozen tries, Andrew clicked through his photos. All the way to the first one. The one where Neil was staring straight at the camera.

Andrew’s breath caught.

flour petals, sugar stitches by ephemeralsky

“Thanks for coming with me,” she says, keeping her eyes trained in front of her.

“It is not like I had a choice in the matter,” Andrew says, blowing out a stream of smoke through his mouth.

Renee’s lips curl into a smile. “Maybe you’ll win our next sparring match and I’ll finally have to buy you ten cartons of Haagen-Dazs.”

“It cannot be worse than tagging along to a bridal boutique.”

“Maybe,” Renee allows, humor in her voice. “But what kind of man of honor would you be if you didn’t come with me to choose a dress?”

(or: Andrew is a baker, Renee is a bride-to-be, and Neil is a dressmaker)

Neil Josten the Sex God by manya

“Okay, look. My friends were kinda getting on my back about me being single, and I said that it was by choice and if I wanted to I could get anyone I wanted. And obviously that’s an extremely presumptuous thing to say, so they told me to prove it. So, uh, here I am. And here you are. And if you’d like to maybe help me out with this, that would be awesome.”

Andrew stares at Neil for a moment that seems to stretch on forever. “You want me to play along with you and pretend that you’re some kind of sex god?”

Crystal Clear by exactly13percent (superagentwolf)

Your crystal is your heart and soul, manifested. You must keep it safe. Neil and Andrew don't have typical crystals. For one, they aren't whole. They're little pieces, broken by years of wrong. But Kevin's magic shop brings them together, and they figure maybe broken doesn't mean destroyed.

Paint Me The Color of You by exactly13percent (superagentwolf)

Sound is supposed to be the language of love. Neil has never heard his soulmate. Never. Except he sees blue all the time, and then he meets Andrew and the entire world turns to color.

The Glass Mountain by exactly13percent (superagentwolf)

The apples from the glass mountain are all anyone cares about. Anyone but Andrew, that is. Andrew is just trying to keep Kevin alive, despite Kevin's attempts to reach those apples again. The apples, and the captive prince at the top of the mountain.

Minyards' Magical Mischief by moonix for alexjosten

“No,” Aaron said. “Andrew, no.”

They locked eyes, and for a moment it was like they were eleven again, catching sight of each other for the first time across a crowded train platform.

“I confess,” Andrew said tonelessly, “to the murder of Drake Spear.”

(Or: an Auror and a murderer walk into an ice-cream parlour.)

If I Tried by exactly13percent (superagentwolf)

Neil is getting used to high school. He ends up getting used to a group of mismatched students, and he gets a little too used to one of them in particular. Maybe enough to go to prom.

library hours by lolainslackss for exybee

Andrew always sits across from the same guy in the library. The set-up suits him: they're both night owls, they're both relatively neat, and they both like the quiet. There's absolutely no need for them to get to know each other. This delicate balance shifts, however, when the guy sprains his ankle and Andrew finds himself breaking all his own rules and driving him to the emergency room.

A wintry college AU featuring all-nighters, homemade sushi, copious amounts of coffee, and many mixed-up feelings.

winter, formal by moonix for lolainslackss

Neil tries to get away from a boring conversation and accidentally ends up asking the most popular guy in school to dance with him at the winter formal.

faking it by flybbfly

After being photographed together, Neil and Andrew decide to roll with the rumors that they're dating.

Hot Thoughts by conniptionns

99: “Calm down. I look a lot worse than I am.”

Neil is hit by a car on the way to Dunkin Donuts, but he's totally okay

The Manny by mishaschmidt

Problem #1: Neil accidentally becomes the nanny of two adorable kids.

Problem #2: Neil somehow manages to fall in love with their father.

Fuck.

The Life of a Star by gluupor

Stars did not get sick and they did not age. If Neil's smart mouth didn't get him murdered (something which had a non-zero probability of occurring, according to Andrew) then he would continue on, immortal and unchanging.

It hadn't occurred to him that the same wasn't true for Andrew.

An epilogue for my Stardust AU.

None But You by gluupor

When Neil was eighteen he met and fell for Andrew Minyard. Their relationship seemed solid and unbreakable until Neil's mother found out about it and made him end it.

Six years later Neil still has a few regrets about breaking up with Andrew but he's completely over it. Really, he is. Although he does have to admit that it was easier to be over it before Andrew walked back into his life and started dating someone else.

A modern day adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion.

Tale as Old as Time by gluupor

In order to protect Aaron, Andrew ends up cursed into the form of a beast. The curse can only be broken if someone is able to see past his fearsome exterior and fall in love with the man he is inside.

Believing this to be impossible, he isolates himself in a run-down castle knowing he will be alone forever. After all, who could possibly be desperate enough to seek shelter with a beast?

Where You Lead by gluupor

When Neil promised Kayleigh that he'd look out for Kevin if anything ever happened to her he'd never expected to be a single teenage father hiding out in a small town. Luckily the town's residents seem keen to adopt them.

A Gilmore Girls AU where Kevin's a kid, Neil's his caffeine-addict father, and Andrew's a grumpy diner owner who loves them both.

Fake It 'Til You Make It by gluupor

Neil works three low paying, dead-end jobs and makes just enough money to afford a room to sleep in and to keep himself from starving. He has no prospects, no hope, no future. That all changes when a chance encounter results in a job offer that he can't ignore.

The job? Pretending to be professional exy player Andrew Minyard's boyfriend.

Andrew Versus the Truth by gluupor

Andrew has an unexceptional life working at an IT help desk in Southern California and living with his cousin. Then he gets an unexpected message on his birthday from his estranged twin brother and very strange things start happening. His computer catches fire, two attractive guys seem interested in him, and he keeps imagining that he knows classified CIA intelligence.

These things couldn't possibly be connected... could they?

Everything is Fine! by gluupor

"Hello," Dan said. "I'm sorry to tell you that you're all dead. This is the Afterlife; your placement here is dependent on your actions during your lifetime. Now, I have some exciting news for you-"

Nathaniel snorted loudly. "You don't expect any of us to actually believe that we made it into the Good Place, do you?"

"Why not?" asked Dan.

He jerked his thumb in Andrew's direction. "Well, before you came in, Exhibit A over here had just finished telling us that he died when he crashed a car on purpose in order to kill someone. What's the cutoff for how many murders committed before someone doesn't qualify for the Good Place anymore? Is it more than zero?"

"Speak for yourselves," cut in Kevin. "I think I deserve to be in the Good Place. I have a large number of devoted fans and am very talented."

Nathaniel was quiet for a beat, before pointing at Kevin. "Exhibit B."

Don't Break the Seal by gluupor

Living with the Spears and feeling desperate and alone, Andrew meets and befriends a seal who can turn into a boy.

In later years he comes to believe that the magical boy he met was just a hallucination. It is therefore very surprising when he meets him again after hitting him in the stomach with an exy racquet in a tiny town in Nowhere, Arizona.

Better Late than Never by gluupor

Andrew should have known not to ally himself with a lying runaway, he really should have known not to trust him, and he definitely should have known not to fall for him.

It's the Thought that Counts by gluupor

Andrew and Neil's relationship has many facets that are confusing to outsiders. The strangest may be their habit of giving each other the contents of their pockets and calling it a gift.

Too Gay to Function by gluupor

After school, Neil started to make the trek back to his uncle’s house when a shiny, black beast of a car screeched to a halt in front of him. The driver’s side window rolled down. “Get in, loser,” said Andrew. “We’re going shopping.”

Fast Boys and Hot Cars by gluupor

Minyard had gotten out of his car and was stalking towards Neil like a predator - a panther, maybe, or some other big cat. “Double or nothing,” he said, sounding unaffected and bored by the proceedings despite the fact that he’d just lost a race for the first time in years.

An Overdeveloped Sense of Vengeance by gluupor

“No one could be following us yet?” Kevin asked suddenly. “No one,” Riko said impatiently. “That would be absolutely inconceivable.” There was a pause. “Out of curiosity, why are you bothering me with such a stupid question?” “Oh, no reason,” answered Kevin. “It’s just that I looked back and someone is there.”

It's a Cruel World, Mr. J by gluupor

“And you? You think I’m a monster?” asked Andrew. “Maybe,” said Neil. “But I don’t think that monsters are born. They’re made.”

A Truth Universally Acknowledged by gluupor

“Palmetto Court has been let at last!” said Mr. Hemmick in raptures. “Mrs. Wymack reports that a single man of good fortune has taken Palmetto for a twelvemonth at least! What marvellous news for my dear cousins!”

It's Called a Hustle, Sweetheart by gluupor

“We need to find out who owns this license plate, but I don't have access to the police database yet," said Kevin. "Relax," said Neil. "I know a guy at the DMV."

bloom (just for you) by godotco

For lack of any better explanation for what was happening, Neil was in uncontrollable full bloom.

- A little slice of witch au turned flower shop au

[threshasaurus-writes]

My SPN Fics by Ship (Gen Included)

I now have 85 Supernatural fics on AO3. I’m a multishipper and I thought it would be fun to see how those fics break down by ship. A few of them will repeat since they feature more than one ship, so you can scroll to the ship you’re interested in and see what’s there. 

WIP chapter fics = ✍️ Completed fics = ✅ Contains art/cover art = 🎨 Explicit = 🔥 Podfic Link Included  = 🔊 Newest fics = 🆕

Here goes the list!

Gen (No Ship)

✅🆕 The Right Thing - Dean can’t sleep after helping put down some vampires that look like children. The hunter involved in the case reminds Dean uncomfortably of himself -- and her vampire sister they just put down reminded him of Sam.

✅ The Evil Itch - Jack’s wings are itchy, and he’s worried something is terribly wrong with them.

✍️ The Biggest Heart - Through some magic mishaps, Jack is 40 feet tall, and will no longer fit inside the bunker. Sam keeps him company outside while Dean and Cas try to figure out a cure to the spell.

✅🎨 De-aged Dean 4: Duckie Dilemma - Sam coaxes Dean, who is still de-aged to four years old thanks to a witch, into taking a bath and a nap. Dean gets very attached to a cute rubber duckie in the process. 

✅ Whiskey and Wool - Dean is hurt on a Wendigo hunt, and the weather's too dangerous to drive down the mountain in. Sam patches him up and they settle in for a night in the Impala.

✅🔊 A Little More Time - Cas tells stories to Sam’s little herb garden at night, thinking the boys are asleep and won’t hear him. Podfic Version Here

✅🔊 Who’s Counting? - Sam learns that Jack can count the number of hugs he's ever had on his fingers. Podfic Version Here

✅🔊 Of Bees and Necromancy - Bees are officially extinct, and Castiel is despondent over it. Sam and Dean try a spell to bring the bees back, but instead accidentally create zom-bees. Podfic Version Here

✅ Always - Teenage Dean saves his kid brother from a monster and makes him a promise.

✅ Devil’s Advocate - Sam muses about Jess and college…and Lucifer and Hell.

✅🎨 De-aged Dean 3: Comfort Bacon - After a witch hunt gone awry, Castiel comes home with a four-year-old Dean who won’t speak. Sam and Cas do their best to reassure him everything will be okay.

✅🎨 De-aged Dean 2: Small Smiles - Castiel drives quiet four-year-old Dean home in the Impala, and tries ways to get him to smile. Sequel to my little fic Suddenly Small, where Dean gets de-aged.

✅🎨 De-aged Dean 1: Suddenly Small - In a witch hunt case-gone-awry, Dean has de-aged into a little boy who doesn’t really talk. Castiel gives him his coat as a security blanket.

✅ Last Words - It’s been weeks since Jack died, so why does he keep visiting Sam every night?

✅ Feather Pillows - After a night time case gone wrong nearly kills Sam, he and Dean and Castiel retreat to a motel to sleep through the day. Everybody's a little shaken up still, though. Sequel to Barbed Wire. 

✅ Aches - The night after returning from the past and learning that Lucifer is possessing Castiel, Dean can’t sleep. Turns out Sam can’t either. 

✅ After Heaven - Jack returns from helping Heaven make new angels with his powers, and Sam, Dean and Castiel learn that he visited his mother while he was there. 

✅ Nothing Serious - After several hunts that end in injuries, Sam realizes Dean thinks he deserves it when he gets hurt, and that it ties back to John. 

✅ Strangers - Mary's having trouble adjusting to life after death - and she's not all that died in 1983. 

✅ Barbed Wire - Sam is ensnared in a constricting, soul-shredding trap, and Dean and Cas resort to torturous measures to save him.

✅ Co-sleeping - Sam finds Jack crying in the middle of the night and is reminded that the nephilim is just a baby, no matter what age he looks.

✅🎨 The New Horizon - Sam and Dean and John go into stasis on a colony mission to Mars, but something goes horribly wrong, and that something is John. (Concept ficlet.)

✅ Magic Carpet - Baby needs a bath. Dean needs sleep. This car wash attendant needs a raise.

✅ Saving Juliet - If there was one thing Sam would never have guessed he’d be doing with his Friday night, it was playing veterinarian to Crowley's favorite Hellhound.

✅🎨 Unnecessary - Sam insists on patching up Castiel's injuries, even though they'll heal in a day or two anyway. Cas considers why.

✅ Carnival Memories - Sam and Dean drag Cas to a carnival. Cas does not see the appeal.

✅ Threads - When Sam is badly wounded during a hunt, a newly human Castiel tries to save him without healing powers.

✅ The Chills - When Dean gets whammied by "magic flu" that Cas can't cure, he's stuck on bed rest until it wears off on its own.

✅ A Favor - Something’s bothering Dean. He loves Cas — really loves him. Loves him too much to be just brothers, he thinks. There’s only one way to know for sure.

✅ Night Light - After Cas uses up the last of his grace saving Sam’s life, the brothers try to help him adjust to his now-permanent humanity. For an ex-angel, falling asleep feels a little too much like dying.

✅ Broken Wings - Sam finds a way to see angels' wings, helping them identify who is an angel on sight. He doesn't realize just how damaged Cas's wings are from Metatron's spell until he sees it for himself, though.

Destiel

✍️🎨🔥 8 Reasons - Space pilot Dean is caught trying to break Sam out of prison, and ends up tossed into a cell with a half-man, half tentacly monster alien. Now Rated Explicit; blame chapter 9. 

✅🆕 Tbbloboerne and Edibles - A suspicious package arrives on Cas's dorm room doorstep addressed to his roommate Dean. Cas thinks the contents are a death threat.

✅🔥 Can’t Wait Anymore - Dean’s leg is hurt, and newly human Cas can’t heal it, so it’s up to Sam to drive the Impala home from their latest work-related road trip (and to try not to strangle both of them for how they’re handling the situation.) Meanwhile, Dean really, really needs to pee.

✅ Never and Always - Dean looks back on how he’s treated Cas over the years, and he’s got a lot of regrets.

✅🎨🔊 Seashell Hearts - The story of a merman named Dean who got caught in a fishing net, and the human named Cas who saved him. Prepare for a cuteness-induced toothache, and enjoy the accompanying chibi artwork. Podfic Version Here

✅🔊 Back Asswards - People still mistake Sam and Dean for a couple. Dean is irked they don't assume he and Cas are a couple, because they actually are. Sam can't pass up the chance to tease his brother a little. Podfic Version Here

✅ Little - Cas tells Dean how it feels to be immortal and in love with a human. 

✅🎨 Winter Wonder Hell - When Crowley blames Team Free Will for Hell freezing over, they know they’re not going to have a silent night or any peace on earth. 

✅🔥 Something More - Cas lets Dean touch his wings, and neither of them expect the kinky response. 

✅🎨 Moon Eyes - Dean is the key to Castiel's revenge on Heaven. (Concept ficlet.)

✅🎨 Trust Exercises - Sam and Crowley have been dating, much to Dean’s dismay. When they decide to go to a couple’s retreat in the middle of the woods, Dean and Cas pose as a couple to keep an eye on them.

✅ Factory Reset - Castiel has lived with Sam and Dean for years when his hold on his vessel starts to slip. Sam can see what Dean’s love blinds him to: Heaven is overriding Cas’s programming. (Concept ficlet.)

✅ Sam Squared - When a spell goes wrong, Sam is split into two people, each with half of his soul — and half the morality that comes with it. The halves do not get along. Dean and Castiel try to reassemble Sam before the two conflicting sides of him can cause any damage.

✅ Old Habits - Cas is human, but he still wants to watch over Dean while the hunter sleeps. Unfortunately, Cas needs to sleep now, too — and he accidentally falls asleep in Dean's bed.

✅🎨 No Time At All - Sam is in a coma. An experimental drug lets him wake up for a few hours at a time, though, and be able to visit with his brother. Dean is helpless to change Sam's situation, so Sam decides to try to change Dean's.

✅ Hand in Hand - Somebody’s slapped a symbol on Crowley that keeps him out of Hell – and that is slowly killing him. Sam wants to research a way around it, but the demon seems content just to spend his last few days in the Moose’s company.

✅ Dancing Around You -  Sam teaches Castiel to dance a few weeks before Dean’s wedding, and the angel confides in him.

✅ The Words -  Dean and Castiel give in to their desires, leaving everything unsaid. The next morning, Cas wonders if they’ve ruined what they had before.

Sastiel

✅ Change in the Cushions - Sam and Cas think back on all the memories attached to the beaten up couch in their old shared apartment. The couch they’re leaving behind. It’s been with them the entire time they dated, and now everything is about to change.

✍️🎨 Heaven Help Them - Gadreel returns from the Empty just as Sam, Dean, Castiel and Jack are trying to solve Heaven’s angel shortage. If they can overcome the past, they might just be able to secure Heaven’s future. 

✅🎨 The Night Stranger - Single dad Castiel’s car breaks down during a night time drive, stranding him and his baby son Jack in the middle of a storm. Writer Sam is researching for a horror novel when a stranger in a trench coat shows up on his doorstep...

✅🔥 I Love Yous - Sam likes to encourage Cas in bed. Cas likes to call his name.

✅ Bills, Bills, Bills - Sam wants coffee. Cas wants to talk about hummingbirds. Dean wants to know what's up with all of the puns about bills.

✅ Beneath the Surface -  Cas helps warm Sam up after he falls through the ice during a winter hunt, and Sam can’t hide his longing from the angel.

✅ Heaven and Earth -  Cas likes to stargaze, so Sam gets him a telescope.

✅🎨 Silver and Cold -  When a cursed necklace turns Sam into a merman with an alluring effect on people, Dean and Cas must find a way to cure him. Dean seems immune to Sam's powers, but Cas is another story.

Mooseley

✅ Hell’s (Wedding) Bells - Co-ruling Hell is less intimidating for Sam than what he and Crowley might do on their wedding night.

✅ First Impressions - Sam and his tiny puppy encounter Crowley and his big scary dog at the dog park. First impressions can be deceiving.

✅🎨 Winter Wonder Hell - When Crowley blames Team Free Will for Hell freezing over, they know they’re not going to have a silent night or any peace on earth. 

✅🎨 Trust Exercises - Sam and Crowley have been dating, much to Dean’s dismay. When they decide to go to a couple’s retreat in the middle of the woods, Dean and Cas pose as a couple to keep an eye on them.

✅ Sam Squared - When a spell goes wrong, Sam is split into two people, each with half of his soul — and half the morality that comes with it. The halves do not get along. Dean and Castiel try to reassemble Sam before the two conflicting sides of him can cause any damage.

✅ Hand in Hand - Somebody’s slapped a symbol on Crowley that keeps him out of Hell – and that is slowly killing him. Sam wants to research a way around it, but the demon seems content just to spend his last few days in the Moose’s company.

Saileen

✅🔥 Dancing With a Stranger - Eileen hates casual sex. She’s been dealing with her heat for years with artificial pheromones and a good vibrator. When the elevator breaks down and locks her in with a handsome alpha stranger, though, neither can resist the other.

WinCasWin (Sastiel, Destiel, no Wincest)

✍️🎨🔥 Shadow Box Butterfly -  From Heaven to Hell, it's assumed that Castiel is in a relationship with the Winchesters. Everybody knows but Sam and Dean. That doesn't stop the other angels from making an example of Cas for them to find. 

✅🔥 Burning Questions -  Right after Sam and Dean admit their unrequited feelings for Cas to each other, the ex-angel recruits them to answer a perfectly innocent, newly-human-problems type question: what’s a gag reflex?

✅ Double Dare -  Team Free Will have a few beers, and the brothers discover that everybody there but Cas has kissed a guy before.

✅ Wants and Needs -  Sam, Dean and Castiel are in a relationship, but Cas’s conditioning from Heaven forbids being a lover to humans. He doesn’t feel like he’s enough for them without sex involved, and says so.

✅ Now and Then - (Sequel to Wants and Needs)  Cas has gotten comfortable with sharing the Winchesters’ beds, and they seem happy with their arrangement. The angel still sometimes has flashbacks, though — and doubts.

✅ Love-Stuck -  Do Dean and Cas love each other? Sam thinks so — and an honesty spell might just convince them to admit it to each other.

WinCroWin (Mooseley, Drowley, no Wincest)

✍️ Tender Loving Care -  Crowley’s body has been stolen, his new meatsuit is a (dead) pregnant woman, and Sam and Dean convince him that ruling Hell with a baby bump is a bad idea. Crowley doesn’t care about the baby that will die if he ditches the new body, but having the Winchesters doting on him for a few months doesn't sound too bad. 

Wincestiel

✅🔥🆕 Holy Hell - Sam has a plan for how to cure Dean of being a demon, and that plan involves Cas getting some grace into him the direct way. Unfortunately, it also involves Sam having to watch Cas do his brother over and over…and over…

✅🔥🆕 A Lover’s Touch - Sam is struck with a curse that makes all touch “a lover’s touch.” Dean and Cas have to carry him back to the car.

✅🔥 Attention - Cas gets turned on watching Sam and Dean make out. Noticing this, the brothers playfully decide to focus their attention on him.

✅🔥 Good - One angel, two hunters, and a little praise kinky bondage.

✅ Wins & Losses -  A few months after Sam and Castiel start dating, the angel is killed. Still reeling from the loss of his best friend, Dean can’t just sit and watch Sam’s heartbreak slowly pull him away, too.

Wincest

✅🔥🆕 Eyes On Me - Sam and Dean are completely overpowered by a giant tentacled monster. At first it seems interested only in Dean, but when it sees how he responds to Sam’s attempts to comfort him, the thing gets other ideas.

✅🔥 If It’s You - Sam needs to have sex with someone right now, or the sigils on him will kill him. Dean tries to find somebody for him on short notice, but it turns out Sam wants him to do it.

✅🎨 Safe With Me - A case goes awry, and Sam and Dean are trapped in a rapidly-flooding cave that only one of them took a water breathing potion to explore. Dean must breathe for them both as they try to find a way out. 

✅ Whisper to Me - Thanks to a case with a cursed item, Sam and Dean learn that they both told John about feelings for each other, and John forbade each from ever mentioning it again. Now there’s no barely keeping hands off of each other — they’re scared, and they’ve had a lifetime of practice at living just out of each other’s reach. 

✅ Bad Days - With all of the things the Winchesters have seen — all the things they’ve done, and had done to them — sometimes they have bad days. Today it’s Dean’s turn. 

Gadreel/Dean

✍️🎨 Heaven Help Them - Gadreel returns from the Empty just as Sam, Dean, Castiel and Jack are trying to solve Heaven’s angel shortage. If they can overcome the past, they might just be able to secure Heaven’s future. 

Dean/OC

✅🔥 Enjoy Yourself - Dean’s not sure how he got here, and he’s not sure who has him, but they only want one thing.

✅ Holy Shovel Talk -  Dean's convinced his new boyfriend can't handle the truth about him hunting monsters, and it's getting him down. Protective best friend Castiel decides to have a chat with the guy. 

✅ Dancing Around You -  Sam teaches Castiel to dance a few weeks before Dean’s wedding, and the angel confides in him.

Dean/Pie

Unforgivable -  Dean never should have left his pie alone

Castiel/Castiel/Castiel

✅🆕 Dream On - Castiel visits Dean’s dreams with a message from Heaven, only to find Dean dreaming about two Castiels in bed together. Cas knows how to get the hunter’s attention.

Three or More Ships

✍️ 3-sentence AU Fics - 3-sentence fanfics written based on the prompt of a ship name + an AU. There's a different ship and AU and fic in each (tiny) chapter! 

✍️🎨🔥 The Threshafterdark Art Book - A collection of my NSFW fanart for Supernatural, since I won't be able to post it on Tumblr anymore. Ships and types of smut may vary greatly, but they'll be one pic per chapter and clearly titled. I'll update the tags as I add new works.

[havekiddoswilltravel]

Finally getting around to watching Black Panther! Wow! So excited to wear my dress representing the women of Bangui Central African Republic. 🙅🏾‍♀️ (Who’s working on a closed fist Wakanda emoji?)

My Random Observations Regarding the Black Panther Film

#Wakandaforever

Marvel Studios/Disney via AP

I’m married to a Marvel enthusiast husband and am raising and educating a son who’s obsessed with all things Marvel and literally reads a Marvel encyclopedia. As his mother, I try to educate myself on the things that interest and inspire him. My husband took the two oldest kids to see Black Panther on opening day and I knew that it was driving them crazy not be able to discuss the film with me. On Monday afternoon, my husband came home early and insisted that we go watch the film. I felt like adventurous rebels by dropping everything and going on an adult date on a Monday night. I had already gone through my closet and dug out my Bangui dress that my sister had custom made for me years ago in the Central African Republic. Having watched every single Marvel film with my husband and son, I thought I was ready for what was to come as we entered into the #wakanda experience and boy was I in for an intellectual treat. 

This waterfall scene took my breath away. All of it, the costumes, the music, the dancing, the reverence, the culture was a moment that captured the beauty of a fill done correctly. 

Black Panther was filled with one liners that got my mind going and my heart moving. Shuri  [to T’challa] Just because something works, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved. Let me start with this line because Shuri was my favorite character in the film. There’s so much to love about a 16 year old African girl, who’s brilliant, poised, brave and ready to do just about anything for her kingdom. What? The world needs more Shuris. 

Marvel Studios/Disney via AP

If you want to find out why Shuri says the following line, make sure to do what all Marvel fans do and stay until the end of the second credits. 

[after Everett Ross is wheeled in Wakandan facilities to be healed]

Shuri: Yay, another white boy to fix.

Travel is my escape. I have found myself longing more and more for adventure and trips to places where I don’t know the people, culture or food. I’m itching for adventure in ways that I have not before. The following lines left me pondering and analyzing my need to learn and experience life outside of the perceived comforts of The United States. My kids and I have spent our time discussing and sharing our feelings, thoughts and experiences as they related to these dialogues. 

Marvel Studios/Disney via AP.

Okoye: Guns… so primitive!

T'Challa: Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We can not. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we, as brothers and sisters on this earth, should treat each other. Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe.

Given the current climate in our country, I could spend hours thinking about the implication of these two scenes to my life in CT and also how my children will be raised and ultimately what their legacy will be. 

I knew going into the film that I would connect with the women, but what surprised me the most was my understanding of and empathy toward Killmonger. His character was a perfect representation of what happens when we let rage be the prime motivator in our lives. His anger was justified, but his focus and actions were destructive not only to self, but also to those around him. His character was also the one that portrayed uncontrolled rage and violence. 

Erik Killmonger: Y’all sitting up here comfortable. Must feel good. Meanwhile, there are about 2 billion people all over the world that looks like us. But their lives are a lot harder. Wakanda has the tools to liberate them all. 

The final scene in this film left me breathless and analyzing the consequences of colonization, slavery and Jim Crow laws on African Americans. My heart literally hurt as I heard this line:

Killmonger: Nah, bury me in the ocean with my ancestors that jumped from the ships. Because they knew death was better than bondage.

My 12 year old daughter’s reflections on her Wakanda experience

It was the best Marvel movie that I’ve ever seen. I loved that there were funny parts, but also many deep and thought provoking ones.

My favorite line:

Okoye: Don’t freeze!

T'Challa: I never freeze.

Shuri: Did he freeze?

Okoye: Like an antelope in headlights.

 My favorite character was Shuri because she was funny, smart, brave and strong. I loved her interactions with her brother (Black Panther), as I think it reflects my relationship with my brother. They were protective of each other and their skills complimented one another for the best interest of Wakanda. I left the movie feeling inspired. 

My 9 year old’s son’s reflections on his Wakanda experience

My favorite character was M’Baku because he’s funny. My favorite lines are:

M'Baku: If you say one more word, I’ll feed you to my children!

[Ross shuts up, beat]

M'Baku: I’m kidding. We’re vegetarians.

  I also saw myself in Erik Killmonger, as he was black boy growing up in America. He loved basketball, fighting (sparring) and his father. 

Did you know that you can experience Black Panther at Disney California Adventure Park?

Marvel Studios/Disney via AP

Educational Resources for Black Panther

- Check out the history of Black Panther in Marvel Comic Books.

-  Video: Ron Clark Academy Travels to Wakanda

- Disney’s Black Panther Activity Packet.

- This is a wonderful resource for High School or College students who are ready to analyze and better understand Killmonger’s rage.

- Teacher resources for maximizing the Black Panther momentum and merging it into lesson plans. 

- Christians who are trying to figure out why they should watch this film, should read this.  This is a direct quote from the write-up. “At the end of the film – it’s actually in a post-credits scene – T’Challa says his country must start building bridges instead of barriers. It’s not exactly a subtle moment, politically speaking, but considering what’s come prior it’s an earned one. Black Panther is a radical film in that it looks at our country racially, culturally, politically, dares to find empathy in both sides, but ultimately insists you can’t ever truly be great if you’re not first good.It’s a point Christians would do well to consider.”

- Check out this Teachers Pay Teachers Unit Study about the movie.

- Why Black Panther is more than a movie, it’s a revolution. 

- A White Guy’s Reflections on Black Panther. 

Author: Ruth Mendes of Have Kiddos will Travel

About Ruth: I am a wife, mami of 4 active and globe-trotting kiddos. I’ve always loved a good adventure and truly believe that it’s possible to travel with kids. Join me, as I share our adventures and inspire you to get out of the house with your kiddos. Whether you’re planning a family vacation, a road trip or a trip of a lifetime to an exotic destination, I’ll share insights, trip reports and information that will inspire you. Check back often to stay up to date on things to do with kids at your next travel destination.

[getlostlovebackspells]

How To Get Ex BF\GF Back +91-8080078003

Give it time. Plenty of time. Love yourself meanwhile.

The honest answer is we can’t make love disappear completely. We just have to learn to live with that pain. The heart always wants what it wants, the problem is to silence the mind!

If you love her/him truly, then it is really difficult to get over her/him and get over that love. There is no easy way to unlove a person and it is not a cakewalk. Accept that your feelings for her/him are true, deep and real and acknowledge and feel that emotion. Feel that love and also feel that pain completely.

Then wish her/him well and try to stay away for you want her/him to be happy if you truly love her/him. Don't fake your feelings. Cry if you want to, get angry if you want to, but process all those emotions fully. Time may lessen the pain. Have this in mind that you will never be completely over her/him, but you will have to start to learn to live with it. I can completely empathize with you and I know that pain as I have been going through the same for more than five long years. It is tough. But in my case, I want her to be happy even if it doesn’t involve being with me. Love is about wanting the other to be happy, not about possession. My two cents.

You never heal completely from breaking up with your true love especially if you still love them and they were the ones who initiated the breakup and left. You will only learn to live with that pain with time.

The heart always wants what it wants. The problem is to silence the mind. Accept that unrequited love is really painful. Move on for now and if it is true and meant to be, it will definitely be someday.

We don't get closure all the time and it is not required either. We just have to learn to live with that pain.

It was two long years after she asked me to stay away from her. February 12th, 2016, Fate or coincidence, we both met each other again at a restaurant on the same day I proposed her, two years back in 2014. Not as strangers again, this time with memories. I stood frozen as I was so happy to see her again with our mutual friends. She couldn't look at me as she was probably feeling guilty and overwhelmed or because she was indifferent. Emotions ruled the scene. All the Worlds a stage and both of us were the leads in the play called LIFE. I composed my thoughts, gathered up the courage and shook hands with her and told a "hi" smiling outside but weeping inside. The moment where I guided her hair behind her ears in the latest picture of hers flashed in my mind and all those emotions of love and togetherness preoccupied my mind. All she could think was "I know how much you are hurt and I don't know what am I going to do to make up for it". Our minds spoke these words and the other person exactly deciphered the other's thoughts. And we both left saying a "Hi", still hoping that the other should be happy. Sometimes silence speaks a thousand words, with more deep meaning. Words take backstage. Love is much more than just a feeling.

Forgive them. Accept yourself as is. Forgive, but don’t forget the lessons learned.

Moving on when you still love the other person truly is the hardest thing for me.

Mine was an unrequited love, but it still hurt more than a break-up. Because she is one of my best friends and my true love. She left me, not because I cared less, but because I love her way too much. It still hurts even after five long years. I remember all the important dates and events. My memory kills me.

I have done (been doing) a whole lot of things. But the thing is, moving on is difficult if you ever loved someone so truly from the bottom of your heart. It still stings to see her when I bump into her, but I feel happy to see her doing good. I will always want her to be happy and that love won't go away any day even if it is unrequited. That's the power of love. It is always unconditional. Here is something that I did to overcome(still living with) the pain.

Cried. I cried a lot. Still cry a few days when things get really hard. Emotions always win logic. It makes me numb emotionally a few days. A sign of strength/numbness, I still don't have an idea.

I spoke to my parents about it. Never ever thought they would be so supportive. My mom was my closest friend and my Dad became my closest guide. I never felt so close to them. Cried it out.

I tried every possible way to get in touch with her, with the hope that she will talk and understand. But was slapped with unanswered calls, unreturned texts, and more pain. But I wished her well and then stayed away. I even texted her once in 4 to 5 weeks hoping that things will change.

Got fed up hearing those cliches "Time will heal everything", "Billions of fishes in the sea". Believe me, it is of no value. Scars will still hurt you. If you really loved someone, it is really difficult to move on.

Some mutual friends moved away from me and ignored me. This added more pain. The real friends stayed as they knew how much she meant to me and they know what I have been going through. Some were curious but didn't know if they cared. She taught me who my real friends are.

Sleepless nights. Many many of them.

I started playing tennis a lot, started sketching a lot, writing a lot, reading books. Whatever I can do to make myself occupied, but still thoughts will flood my mind.

Fought so many battles between my heart and mind. My mind would ask me to let her go for she will be happy at least, but the heart always wants what it wants. It kills.

Lost faith in love and friendship. Trying to rediscover me.

Learning that a million words can't make our love stay, because I have tried and that a million tears can't make my love stay, because I have cried. But still, my love for her will always be true.

But still, I say to myself. Acceptance is the key. Maybe I love her so truly that I am still unable to get over that love and move on. Life would have been so much easier if there was a way to unlove someone, but sadly there isn't an easy way.

Still working on myself, my self-esteem and my confidence. Some days are really hard, but I have that hope that everything will be fine someday and I will be stronger then and if it is meant to be, it will be.

Heartbreak is hard, really hard, especially if you still love the person truly. But the thing is we need to experience every emotion fully so that we can appreciate the good when it happens. Be it happiness or sadness, we have to experience the crest and the trough moments. Ecstatic happiness and nadir sadness.

Go through it and grow through it. Eventually, you will learn to live with that pain.

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[autographedcat]

A Fistful of Mithril: The Journey Begins

I was delighted recently to be invited by my friend Aron Wolf to participate in a D&D one-shot he was putting together.   I’m a long-time RPG fan, but I haven’t really had a group of my own recently.  Our old regular weekly D&D group in Atlanta scattered across the country, and while we managed to get things going again for a while over Skype, life intervened and we never got it back up again.  So I was really excited to not only play, but play around a table in a room with a bunch of other people I already knew i liked and enjoyed spending time with!

Because this was intended as a shakedown cruise for the world Aron is building, he gave us all pre-rolled 3rd level characters with specific backstories, which let us drop into the “meeting the party” phase without a lot of time for chargen.  This was useful, because our group was pretty evenly divided between D&D veterans and folks who had never played before, and even among the vets, some of us hadn’t really played 5th edition yet, so our knowledge of the system was rather out of date.

(Author’s note: I am not the DM of this campaign, so all of my reports will necessarily be titled towards my own perspective as a player. I will do my best to report on the happenings fairly and accurately, but I won’t always have all the information to hand about what is important, and that may influence my account.) Our setting is a land that is somewhat modelled on the Italian renaissance, and is set about 10 years after a very nasty war with a neighbouring nation-state devastated the region, and from which it is still recovering.  Our characters all had various connections back to that war. 

My own character’s story had a lot of interesting and tragic threads.  She was born into nobility, but her family’s house was betrayed by collaborators and  fell during the war, when she was a child.  Her parents were executed by the invaders, and she was held hostage for a time in the occupier’s court.  When the war ended, she found herself without land or title, and has been making a life on the streets in a variety of shady pursuits, with a speciality in skycraft and the acquisition and brokering of information to those willing to pay for it.  As a result, she’s had a hard life for one so young, but can still, thanks to her upbringing and early education, still move as easily through high society as she does the criminal underworld.  She’s still bitter about being cast out, and has ambitious to one day reclaim her birthright. 1 In addition to Kyrial, my rogue, we had the following PCs to round out the party: A cleric, Jane (Julie), A dwarven bard, Belle (Shawna) A fighter, Gordon (Marcos) A musketeer2, Lex (Jasmine/Leah)3 Another Rogue, Splendid (Paul) (Shawna helpfully live-tweeted some of the better dialogue, which I will be including throughout this report. Thanks, Shawna!) We had all been brought together to guard a caravan that was taking supplies up from the regional capitol to a mining town on the edge of the mountains, about two days travel away.  Our benefactor, Elmo Bartolo, was one of the scions of the frontier town, which was still rebuilding after the war. We had a fit of giggles over learning the name of our employer, which lead the the DM referring to him exclusively by his last name for the rest of the session.

Elmo does not travel! Elmo is the money!#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

The first day of travel passed uneventfully. We set watches for the night, which also passed uneventfully. Well, one of us heard a noise and investigated, but it turned out to be nothing.

“Bunny.” “…Bunny?” “Bunny.”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #belle #gordon

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Midway through the second day, we were approaching the entrance to a narrow gulch in between two rises.  Off to one side, the wreck of an overturned wagon could be seen.  Though the first two wagons in our caravan had passed into the gulch without incident,  Splendid decided he would stealthily try to circle wide and scout it out from the higher ground.  The bard was already wary of the entire scenario.

Belle, singing “It’s prooobably a traaaap, it’s prooobably a traaaap”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #belle #bard

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Successfully sneaking up onto the ledge, Splendid spotted four goblins–one rather larger than the others–waiting in ambush behind the cart, which he signalled back to us via a message spell Belle had established.

Belle: “It’s deeefinitely a traaaap, it’s deeefinately a traaaap” Gordon: “Really, Belle?” Belle: 🤷🏻‍♀️#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #belle #gordon #bard #captainobvious

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #goblin #ogre Image description: four goblins and an ogre on a rise of rock. pic.twitter.com/uiPvdKfm72

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Just as the wagon in front us had passed through the ravine, a rock slide fell down into the path.  Above the ridge on the opposite side from where the previously spotted goblins were hiding, there were four more goblins and an ogre.  All of whom came from hiding to engage the party.

Spoiler: it was a trap.#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #goblinsandogresandrockslides #ohmy

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

With the trap sprung, we leapt into action.  Splendid pegged the goblin leader in the back with a arrow from his hiding spot, while the cleric sent a spiritual weapon spell forward to smack him in the face as well. Between the two of them, he was not having a very good ambush.

The goblin boss is, obviously, not happy.#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #jane #goblin #boss

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Lex went wide to the left and fired a shot off at the ogre, which hit but, thanks to poor die rolls (a theme of the evening), it did so little damage the ogre, not knowing what a rifle was, didn’t actually associate the loud far off noise with the damage.  Meanwhile, Belle and Gordon moved forward to engage the smaller goblins with their preferred weapons, respectively an enormous warhammer that was taller than she was and…a cast iron frying pan4

Kyrial, who had been brought up never to walk up to a strange group of goblins without a proper escort, kept to her perch on top of the wagon and took crossbow shots at whatever target appeared most favourable from that vantage point, declining to take a move action at all unless she was forced.

#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #jane #lex Image description: dnd minis, 2 on a cart, one on the ground, and two horses. pic.twitter.com/wS1XDL6YLj

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Aron (DM): “Are you gonna fall off the wagon?” Kyrial: “It depends on my Dex check!” 😅#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #kyrial #dm

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Belle's first attack with the hammer left hes target on death's doorstep, a mighty blow that nearly reduced the hapless goblin to pulp.  ((Put a pin in that thought.  We'll be back for it later.)).

DM: “He is hurt, but not paste. (He has one hit point left.)”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #belle #Goblin #dm

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

In the second round, the ogre and his retinue of goblins had scrambled down the hill.  Lex took a second shot at the ogre, and this time connected with a more substantial amount of damage.  The ogre, now aware that the human with the boom stick was creating the hurt, peeled off to make a beeline for the musketeer, and tagged him for half of his hitpoints. (Ouch!).  Belle, meanwhile, cast a shatter spell on the four goblins he’d just abandoned, obliterating two and badly hurting the others.  At one point, Gordon did a massive amount of damage to a goblin who didn’t have much health left, and Aron wrapped his knuckles on the edge of the table while reaching out to turn over the mini.

“You did so much damage, you killed the goblin and injured the DM!”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #gordon

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

The goblins did manage to get some minor hits in against their melee targets, poking them with their rusty short swords, but it was clear the battle was not going the way they had planned.

“Does tetanus count as poison?”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #belle #rustysword #goblin

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Of course, this being our first combat (even for the D&D veterans in the group, this was the first time a lot of us had been playing 5th Edition, so a lot of what we knew about combat was no longer applicable. One person noted it was a lot like trying to figure out the controllers on a new video game, and not being sure which button was the one to attack with.

“Which of these buttons isn’t crouch?”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

At one point, I was asking about attacks of opportunity, recalling that in 3.5 days the rules were so complicated that our friend Mary had written an entire song just to teach everyone how they worked. 5

“@DrMaryCCrowell wrote a song just to explain attacks of opportunity.” “Remember that that was for 3.5.”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #filk

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Meanwhile, between spells, arrows, and melee, the goblins were in a world of hurt, and the Goblin Leader decided that the better part of valour was abandoning his cannon fodder and going to gather more, healthier cannon fodder.  He turned to flee, but in the process ran right past our hidden rogue, who managed to tag him for the last of his health.

DM: “The goblin sees you.” Splendid: “I wink at him.”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #splendid #goblin

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

Lex, on the other hand, took one more shot at the ogre before deciding also to abandon his now close-range target for the warm embrace of the cleric’s healing spells.  Unfortunately, leaving the ogre’s threat radius did provoke an opportunity attack, which was substantial enough to help him cover most of the distance between himself and the cleric in the air.  Luckily, the cleric was prepared with a healing touch.

“Boop of Healing!” 10 points!#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #jane #lex

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

The ogre closed the gap to where Lex, Belle, and Gordon were standing.  At this point, between Kyrial picking them off and Belle and Gordon smacking them with hammers and pans, the goblins were pretty much off the table, but the ogre still had a big mad on, and he was looking to take it out on someone.  Kyrial suggested this was not how the creature had expected his afternoon to go.

“He just wanted to read you his poetry.”#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

With three targets to choose from, the ogre picked randomly, but missed, but so did we trying to hit.  But that set up the moment in the next round that brought us victory. Splendid, having run out of targets, had moved around to the front of the ridge, and managed a critical sneak attack with his bow that brought the giant foe crashing down.

DM: “How do you want to do this?” Splendid: “It’s through the femoral artery, pinning him to the ground.” Ogre: “blaaaghlrrlrlrlrlrlrlrrrrllllll” x_x#dnd5e #fistfulofmithril #splendid #criticalrole

— Shawna Universe (@SheIsTheWeather)

November 23, 2019

We looted the bodies, which didn’t net us much, and then surveyed the rest of the caravan.  The lead wagons had been fighting off a goblin band of their own, but had dispatched them.  Unfortunately, the path was no longer navigable, so we were told to take the longer way around through a nearby pass and meet up with them in town.

And thus ended the first combat.  I have to say I’m quite impressed with the way combat flows in 5e. They’ve managed to streamline it substantially, without taking away all of the strategy or skill synergy that makes putting different builds and styles  in a group to see how well they work together.

The session continued when we reached town, but this post is already long and full of tweets, so I’ll continue that story in another post.

Much of this information is still largely unknown to the party, and in turn, I only have some glimpses into the backstory of the other characters myself. ↩

Gunpowder is a relatively recent and rare invention, so this is a notable character ↩

Jasmine was not feeling well, and had to leave partway through the game, so Leah took over her character for her. ↩

Don’t judge.  It was super effective. ↩

It’s true, and it’s a bop.  You should listen to it even if it isn’t necessarily useful for teaching D&D anymore, because it’s a bop. – https://marycrowell.bandcamp.com/track/opportunity-tango  ↩

[theultimategirlnextdoor-blog]

Moving On and Getting Over

John Mayer, on his song "Moving On and Getting Over", said that moving on and getting over are not the same thing. I, too, wholeheartedly agree with his point. For me, moving on doesn't mean that you've got over that one particular person from your past relationship. In fact, moving on can be defined as a state of acknowledging that one's relationship is over and one's trying to let it go. It's the initial step after break-up. Meanwhile, getting over is the next stage of moving on. It's a circumstance where one has reached the point of peace. There's no longer crazy stalking routine on their social media every five minutes, no more "heart skips a beat" moment everytime someone mentions their name and no "I wish we were still together by now" wishful thinking before going to sleep. No more string attached. One's finally clean.

Anyway, I wouldn't write this long background story all for nothing. Actually, there's a friend of mine who asked me to write a blog post about moving on. I don't know whether she thinks that I'm such a moving on expert (which I clearly am not) or she has been trying every possible way and ran to me eventually, but one way or another, I decide to share some tips that I found panning out in order to move on and get over someone. Hope these work out well on you too.

1. Cry

Number one, the very basic starter, is cry. Why crying is supposed to be done when your closest friends and all stupid tumblr quotes say you shouldn't cry over someone who doesn't care for you? Because crying is healing. Forget those who say that your tears are too valuable to be wasted on someone who's not worth it or crying changes nothing and yadda yadda yadda. You have the right to cry. In fact, you have to. You gotta admit the loss, the sorrow and woeful feeling you have after your relationship ends, simply by crying your eyes out. Cry like it's the saddest thing you've ever suffered. Play on repeat Stephen Day's Autumn's Song and listen to every break-up songs on a radio, to help you cry better. Experience the bitterness and every possible taste you get after the break-up. Drain all your tears until you suffocate and lose your breath. Until, there will be one point where it finally hits you, that you've been on the rock bottom for too long, and you're done with it. You finally realize that you can't stay on the ground forever and getting up seems to be the only choice. The exhaustion over crying too much eventually gets you where you should be. That is, the next stage of moving on and getting over.

2. Find a closure

Among these (not so)-well-written 5 tips in this writing, I can say that number 2 is the most crucial one. This is most likely the determination factor of your success rate in getting over someone. Because, if you haven't been able to get a closure, you'll forever be stucked on stage number 1. Moving on seems impossible when the closure is out of your reach.

The first and the only thing to do in finding a closure is accepting. Accept that your relationship is over and that is just the way it's meant to be. It may seem very easy to hear, but to be able to really accept the fact that you and your SO is no longer together is pretty rough. But once you accept and find your peace with it, the next stage will be easier to get through. Forgive their mistakes, forget both of your bad and good memories with them, widen your view so you can see things from different perspective. Because life is so much more than just your breaking up drama.

3. Social media detox

Once you fully get your closure, now it's time to ease the phase by pulling out yourself from a fleeting world. Social media can be a toxic for some people, especially the ones who are still in a flight risk. Delete your Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and any platform that can bring you negative influences. Elude yourself from checking your ex's profile and being all terrified everytime s/he posts something new. Save your pride from posting some stupid passive-aggressive stuffs you're going to regret next. Avoid yourself from being so consumed with fake portrayals people try too hard to create in order to impress others. Be real. Live and savor your real world for a while, 'til you finally discover your true happiness out there.

4. Have fun

This one is particularly not only meant for the ones with broken heart. Having fun is mandatory for everybody, especially when you have to get through some hardships. Hang out with your long lost buddies you haven't met for years, make a solo travel plan oversea, spend more time with your family that you probably have been taking for granted all the time. Do everything you haven't got the chance to do when your time was too consumed for your past relationship. And believe me, you'll come across to a relief that you're now free from attachment that's been hanging on you for too long. You'll eventually see a silver lining from the darkest cloud. And somehow, as Mr. Big said on his "To Be with You" single, broken heart can't be that bad. When it's through, it's through.

5. Pro tip for your next relationship: love in an appropriate amount

This one is a prevention step, one thing you can learn from your experience: don't do too much "lovey-dovey" thing in your next relationship. Everything that's too much has never been good, including love. As long as you're still on a date, not taking a greater step like engagement or marriage, I'm advising you to confine every possible feeling towards your partner; love, anger, passion, desire, etc. Do everything with controllable emotional state. Refrain yourself for falling too hard, love too much and give your all. Create a border, make a clear boundary in which you can still manage, know your limit. This may seem insincere, but since the only possible finale scenarios for relationship is either marriage or break-up, prior preventive action is supposeably taken. You'll never know where are you gonna end up, there's 50:50 chances. You surely wouldn't suffer the harsh heartbreak twice, would you?

So, here are 5 things I found working on me, to get me through my worst days. These may be hard to be done, but once you complete every step, you'll reach the next stage of your adulthood. If you can handle heartbreak, you surely can do many things else.

And now, let's start a brand new chapter in life, shall we?