#more soon? eh probably not on this site

[jsr-futurism]

the mann family sucks why cant they just stay dead. assorted sketches...

"erm scream fortress ended it isnt halloween anymore" YOUR CALENDAR'S NOT BROKEN, IT'S YOUR MIND! HALLOWEEN MODE!

[mysticdarling]

They accidentally hurt you during intimacy

Characters: venti, xiao, scaramouche (genshin Impact!)

Word count: 1.5k~

Warnings: n.sfw, smut, public sex (venti and xiao), established relationship, mention of tears, pain, rough. [NO MINORS]

(A/n) no pronouns used for reader, afab but mainly only ventis, I did proofread so I apologize if there are any mistakes. Btw I will probably be open to requests in a few weeks if you're interested! hope you pervs enjoy!~ ^^

_

Venti

Venti is a very affectionate lover, he showed his love for you in many ways, writing hymns, taking you to the most beautiful places in Monstadt, or to everyone's dismay an overwhelming amount of PDA. So when your lovely bard asked you on a date to Windrise you should have known what the evening foretold. Venti being the Romantic he is, had a beautiful picnic setup under the tree, the crystal flies only adding to the site. Sure the evening did start with songs and maybe a few drinks but soon  you both had shed a few layers, and hands began to wonder. It was only natural for Venti to want to see more, he loved your body, every inch of it. You were flawless, perfect in his eyes and the god of freedom gave you no room to doubt that. Venti left no area untouched; he was mesmerized by his lover. "Windblume i want to see you on top of me" how could you ever refuse such a request his voice was tender but so very desperate for you.

So there you were displayed on top of him. Venti started with his fingers letting his slender digits explore your Folds loving the shutters and jerks when he touched sensitive areas. Soon Venti's  length hardened against you, his grin making it clear he was very much enjoying himself. When he did rip his fingers away from you, he made sure to look you right in the eyes as he licked off the remaining wetness from them. "Mm you taste so good my love! ehe" Venti had no shame he relished in making you embarrassed. After he finished licking off all of your essence, he placed his hands upon your hips lowering you down onto his cock. The most beautiful sounds and noises escaped you both in unison as he sank himself into you. Venti was addicted to the gummy walls that constricted around him, he bucked his hips up letting out the most emotion filled whines and whimpers.

Something that's not new to you is that Venti could change his form but what he seemed to have left out was, that also included parts of himself. 

Venti wanted to feel more he needed it, he pushed himself off of the ground arching to get himself deeper but even that seemed not enough. Your god of a boyfriend wanted to defile you, to reach every orifice your body accepted. First it was just one added inch, then two, just enough to barely notice the difference but, Venti became eager wanting to fill you up completely. "shh just a little more" He cooed, his voice like silk. With each Plunge  he grew more and more holding your hips still before eventually hitting your tight ring of muscle, prodding against it. With his length he only kept bearing himself, engrossed in you. Soon he found his partner wasn't riding him, but instead recoiling, the deep pressure becoming a bit too much for you. Venti is a gentle being and would never knowingly hurt you, his face filled with remorse as he returned to his normal size, sitting up and burying himself in your chest.

His arms embraced you "oh love I just wanted to make you feel good I should've been more careful..are you okay my windblume?" Venti held you, comforting the lingering effects, completely apologetic. Let's say the wind was especially soft for the rest of the evening.

Xiao

 Dating the conquer of demons can be difficult especially since you travel to other nations and Xiao stays in Liyue.

When you did come visit him at Wangshu Inn you found yourself  pushed up in a corner by Xiao, your chest against the balcony wall. Rustling behind you, Xiao was bunching his pants down enough for his length to spring out of the clothing. " Y/n are you sure you're ok with this. I don't think I'll be able to hold back this time…" xiao waited for the reassurance to continue taking a second before removing the clothing covering your lowering half, guiding himself inside you. He couldn't wait anymore; he had to be deep in your warmth. He  let out a groan of pure bliss, his warm hungry breaths against your neck. "Ghm- i missed you… I missed how you feel around me. I hate when you leave Liyue, going places where I can't reach you." His movements started to become much more sharp slapping against the plush cheek of your ass.

Xiao made sure to tell Verr Goldet at the front desk not to disturb him tonight, even so he found himself having to put  his hand upon your mouth to keep all of Liyue from hearing how loud he made you. His cock was merciless, ramming into you so deep ripping the most vile moans from your throat. Your insides were tight around his length, sucking him back in with each movement. It became clear he was starting to lose control himself. His other hand, that wasn't clasped against your mouth, was placed upon your waist ripping the fabric of your clothes leaving scratches across the stretch of skin, his teeth buried into your shoulder. All of your whines and noises muffled by his hand, your body quivering under his grip yet it being the only thing keeping you still standing. Xiao let out groans and grunts from the sheer feeling, fucking into you as if he was a savage animal. The only thing snapping xiao out of his lustful trance was the feeling of your  tears soaking into his glove.  His hips ceased all movement, removing his hand realizing what he had done. He would have let you go completely if you wouldn't fall. "I'm sorry y/n I didn't mean to scare you, I don't know what came over me…" Xiao stammered. It was clear he just wanted to disappear after what he did, the guilt swallowing him whole. It would be your choice whether you want to stop or continue. He will respect it. Though after that night he'll probably wait for you to initiate from now on.

Scaramoche

Scaramouche may be a puppet but with his past he knows what hurts and what doesn't with a human. He wouldn't hurt you with his body unless he wants to on purpose unlike the others, but instead with his words. Scaramouche took pride in making you fall apart under him. It was pretty obvious he was no gentle lover. He was greedy, he knew you were his but, he was also very much determined to let everyone else know that too. He fucked it right into your brain leaving traces of himself with each harsh movement to make sure you would remember. You were the one person he would not let betray him, he loved you, he would do anything to protect you. Even with his attitude he knew your body well. He knew what you could take and what you couldn't, too bad it's not the same with his mouth. It wasn't anything new that Scaramouche had a sharp tongue. Even though some of his actions could be tender and sweet, his words were far from that. " y/n look at me." he demands, staring down analyzing  every embarrassing way your body reacts to him. You couldn't even deny it he made you feel GOOD. " How dare you keep me waiting. What could be more important?" He sneered clearly wanting a reply. You could barely even think nonetheless speak, all you ended up getting out was  a pathetic excuse for words.

"Is that really all you can say? Pathetic….answer me!"His words grew a bit more harsh. Scara didn't understand why you weren't obeying, do you not think he's worth looking at? Did you favor someone else's looks  more?

"You should be thankful I even chose you to be mine. Hypatia was such a good follower" Once the words escaped his lips he knew he said something wrong. In seconds something shattered inside you, you completely fell out of your daze, Staring up at Scara before shoving the indigo eyed boy off of you. He stared with no emotion upon his face; he almost looked like a doll. He finally got your eyes on him but it wasn't the look he craved for. " i don't actually feel like that…i- i don't want her! i want you i don't know why i would even say that….nothing compares to you, you know that. You just weren't looking at me and I thought if I- '' His voice cracked, his eyebrows twitched, unable to put his words together. A flash of guilt grew across his face, tears swelling in his eyes. You were his one and only. You were his heart.  " Don't expect me to apologize'' Scaramouche scoffed, before falling to his knees hugging your waist the act soon fading. "please don't leave me…" he mattered, staring up at you.

Overall it's your choice if you're willing to forgive him. 

[bluebird-in-a-cagedrawing]

Also, help i fall down this rabbit hole... I did plan to write a lot about it 😅, sorry guys for the torture, please forgive me! Ok? 🥺🥺

P. S 2.0:This is an old fanfiction that never come out two years ago, didn't have the mood to write that much...It is a bit prepared with feelings... I do plan to write more with cases and of course more SCP style since H. Hope is my SCP persona... 😅 I just got the taste of the case-detective stories 👀👀👀, oh boy... My imagination is over 9000🤣🤣♥️

...

Also part 1:->

Part 3: ->

The others strangers looked strange at her, had that look as if they could eat her, Hope was in a new completely unknown location to her, it Was scary but she had to be brave after all they Were people not anomalies.

Most teenagers and even some adults found comfort in alcohol and very fould language, they were dressed too stridently and vulgar, it Was indeed a mad world out there, the streets have so much danger on them after the sunset and With every step she took, she felt watched.

On the Site after everything that happened that day she couldn't stay there for much longer, she needed a break and her colleague understand her, for that Hope was grateful, she did not need to explain to them any forward, there was still blood, bad blood and smell, that smell made Hope sick.

While she tried to avoid unwilling conflicts a group of three boys blocked her way, that made her sigh, can't she just had a peacefully night at least once...

The blonde one said something to her, his breath smelled of cheap cigarettes and different types of alcohol, wondering how he stood on his feet by now, the middle one was shorter than the rest of those two, tried to grab Hope by her shoulder, lucky his face meet with Hope angry fist, the idiot felt down probably needed a dentist soon.

The third screams something Hope could not understand probably he had too many glass of whisky, but that kick somewhere should had wake him up.

For someone like Hope it was easy to kick their sorry lives but that wasn't something she wanted at that moment, Hope withdrew when she caught the moment.

Near the beach a detective looking at sea, the waves calmed him down, he didn't even know why he suffered from insomnia.

The moon was full and beamed with light as it looked upon him, the moon was the detective's only companion but as he sit down a noise caught his attention.

It looked like several people were chasing another person and a few swear words could be heard, this Was something that the detective didn't want to see it, his hero side come out, someone had to teach those jesters a lesson, it was incredible how society was deteriorating.

The detective had no problems When it came to fight, it is What comes with being a detective, having to know those things not only using your brain and of course be in the right shape he didn't had a problem catch up with them.

The detective had to take them by surprise so he hide behind a bush, finding a rock it throw it as far as he could, the rock made a sound that drove their attention away, following the sound they found and angry stray cat that gave them a scare, not far away two guardians having dogs come and chase those men, probably they had heard the laughter and come to see What was going on, a hotel was nearby.

As the scene was safe detective Void decided it Was time to come out, that sure Was boring but he didn't knew What happened to the fourth person, was injured, did it needed help.

As he was walking by mistake, his leg got tangled by something and in the sand his hand found a long thin rope only that it moved in his palm. As soon as it moved, it withdrew immediately leaving a thin trace in the velvet sand and clearly that wasn't a fish.

The detective follow the trace, it was obviously something was going on, he knew only one person with that tail, it was three years ago since he last saw her... And those men could come anytime soon, he had to warn her and make sure Hope was alright, not that he cared that much, sure he did not or that he tries to say to himself.

He finally found her hidden behind some rocks, the light Was weak, nearly impossible to see someone there if it wasn't for the thin rose tail that the Waves brought it ashore, he slowly gave his hand so the female anomaly would have a better chance to come out of her hidding spot.

Hope remember the young male in front of her, another strange place for a reunion but then again, they first have meet on the Site at the worst time possible, maybe next time they could have a nice cup of tea, the water in the sea was just like ice.

Just a reminder for them, they Were in an open area where they could easily fall prey, Hope made a sign, they have to move in the opposite direction, as they walked the big full moon follows them and more stars were revealing themselves.

The beach was long and wide, the sea become restless, they already were going by an half of hour, no noise, no strange figure, occasionally they heard a train passing by, the detective was silent.

Even in the darkness she could still see the sadness in his eyes,even if the detective tried so hard to hide it, something was wrong with him too, maybe he saw something that broke him too, Hope realize thst she wasn't the only one who was running from something. She knows that face too well, even in her nightmares. She got closer to the detective,as the breeze started to bother her, she still was wet from that early night bath in the sea, wished she had a towel.

Anyway deep down Hope was really happy to see the detective, since last time in a way she had missed him but then she remember her true mission and the foundation purpose, people like detective Void should be protected from any anomalies no matter the cost.

On the other hand, the silence Was killing the detective, who Were those men that were following Hope? Why Hope needed to hide from them? Have they found out? They were in danger?

The flashbacks from the recent events come before her eyes, Hope didn't even knew the detective asked her something so she tried to change the subject.

"It's crazy to think how the stars appears so small on the sky but if you would get closer to them, it can kill you."

"What are you trying to say with this?"

That wasn't exactly the conversation the detective really wanted at that moment but it had to start from somewhere plus it looked like Hope felt a little better, he saw how tense she was.

"Do you always have to let your little tail get into trouble?"

At that Hope let a small laugh, if only the detective knew, but he knows only 0.0002% of it, truth Was she always had her little tail into trouble more or less...it Was funnier this Way more or less, unlike the rest of the SCP colleague she has fun.

"I kinda wish the stars would have been this small so i could pick up some of them in my hand and make a lovely how you call those paper flowers that puts them around your neck in the old Hawai beach movies?

"For good people there will always be a compliment found."

"It's just you should be more careful... Take care of you, mister detective Void... Um, your soulmate needs you whole body and soul."

"You are sometimes weird, Hope... Why would i even need a relationship?"

"And the detectives past time activities is star gazing?"

"No. Is it yours?"

Ouch, there he caught her, she tried so hard maybe too hard to not make herself a fool well it did not work.

"Probably, i don't know, i like the night sky and looking at the many stars, at least they are not alone."

"Are you? Is that all, Hope, you are a little defensive there... When you are a detective you get to speak to lots of different people/ suspects."

"I only want someone to have a heart to heart conversation that is all. Nothing too much, or too many..."

"How was your day?"

"Great! Containment breach, violence, blood, more people in the cemetery the usually stuff. Yours?"

"Maybe i shouldn't have asked, i'm sorry... Well, i failed finding a perfect gift for someone whos birthday is about in 2 months, i can't find the right one and i am a detective i should know were to look for it."

"That is so sweet, i am sure this person knows you live them even without the perfect gift."

Hope looked at the detective and it was getting hard to keep herself up, the sad feelings were still there and it Wasn't like it could go away that easily, knocking at her doors, she tried her best to not give up anything besides good vibes, it wasn't about her anymore, it is never about her, she can go through it just fine, right? Wrong. Just thinking about those hours back the containment breach, oh gosh, it could have been anyone even the person in front of her, dead, just as cold as an ice-cream...

"Please don't go, i don't want to have you too on my consciousness. I can't protect you!"

She found herself speaking, it was true after all and if it wasn't for the professional expression mask the young detective had, that statement would have taken him by surprise. He had to admit to himself that nothing was shocking him anymore at that point, well he was wrong, they barely knew each other after all, that must have been confusing as redacted.

"I thought more than half of the foundation would dislike me, wasn't expecting this from you!"

"I don't know what your problem is but we are not evil and you are not a hero either, it's just you should live your life as a simple life nothing too complicated."

This somehow hurt him, it's not like he wanted any of this in the first place, he wouldn't admit it to anyone but this secret started to get the better of him, it wasn't like detective Void forgot his promise to forget about all of this, he really tried but fate is a cruel mistress and a twisted one.

The silence was too long and Hope decided to speak again, she didn't wanted to make him feel bad and unwanted.

"It's nice to have you in my life mister detective, i find you a funny guy with a sense of humor."

"Sense of humor? I don't think that is true about me, of course i have many qualities but that isn't on the list."

Hope started to shake, it was indeed a beautiful view but it was getting cold and colder the breeze, it was also late.

"Have you ever thought that the SCP foundation is the problem here? This secret is just a brainwash, it should have been better if people knows about it, it's the only way to confront whatever will come in the future!"

"And then what will happen? They will become so afraid that even seeing their own shadow will scare them! Some things are better left alone in the dark, if you don't know it then it won't hurt you!"

"That is not how things works, Hope!"

"Have you forgot in what twisted universe we live in?

"And does getting yourself killed solves any problems?"

"So does that means you do care a little about me? I'm flattered mister detective, please don't make me blush more than i already am."

"Eh...Why do i even bother? It's clearly i'm fighting on a war that is already lost..."

"Mister detective Void let me say something nice too, you are like a sad fairytail with a happy ending."

"That doesn't makes much sense but i will take it and please drop the mister, i'm not that old!"

"Well you sure are the detective of my life!"

Hope gave a little smile, all those books and TV series about detectives and resolving crimes, made her want an adventure like that, maybe if she asked him, Hope might have a chance.

"Again what is with this obsession about detectives?"

"Not just any detective, if i might add."

Again silence, it was fun, they just sit there on the sand and talk about ordinary things, nothing much, but neither of them mind it.

"Are you tired?"

"Yes, sort of... Mind if i let my head rest on your shoulder? So warm, i like it, ten out of ten, you would make a great pillow, detective."

"Yeah, my next great career as a pillow, a detective pillow."

Just like that Hope gave a short laugh, she already could imagine the detective pillow, at day solve cases, at night giving everybody who needs it, a great night sleep, not bad at all.She buried her face a little deeper in the detective neck, a faint blush covering her cheek.

"Come on, i saw a motel near by, i am sure they have a room where you can stay..."

She didn't wanted to go back at the Site plus too tired and she barely drag her feet, the room Was cozy points to the detective fpr knowing such a nice place, once they were in the room the bed somehow winked at her, and Hope knew how tired she Was.

"Not bad, right Hope... Oh and here i have this two coupons With 50% Off at any dumplings order, their dumplings are one and only kind, you can have them... I am too busy sometimes i forget to even eat, it would be a shame to let this coupons waste..."

The detective turned his head only to see Hope already curled up into a ball, looked like she already Was fast asleep and did not heard him, but he couldn't blame her, after that he let her a message and slowly closed the door behind him.

The detective had a lot of things on his own agenda to do, just thinking about it made him almost skip sleep that night, but that could have wait at least one more day, he could feel that he was getting closer to the truth.

The end

[not-poignant]

What made you decide to host original fiction on AO3? You're the first (favorite) author doing serial original fic online that I think of these days, though I've not dabbled since independent domains were the most common strategy. I'm hoping to make progress on a project of my own in the soon, but am having trouble finding sites without fairly restrictive content policies--are there/were there other contenders for hosting Fae Tales that would have let you go so dark, or is it AO3 or bust?

Hi anon!

I think from your tone, you're starting off with the assumption that I was trying to be a professional writer and then chose AO3, and that's not the path I took at all!! No one in their right mind generally chooses AO3 if they want to make a profit off of their original writing for a lot of reasons, and a lot of fanfiction authors leave AO3 so they can make a profit off their original writing (and some do both - write fanfic under one name, and original fiction under a completely different name. My path isn't even the mainstream fanfic writer's way of breaking into original fiction, lol).

So my journey was basically that:

I was writing fanfiction on AO3 that became quite popular in its small fandom, and I put two OCs (Original Characters) into that story that got especially popular and started getting fanart during the fanfic. A few people at the time said 'I ship these two' and I was like 'eh I don't want to write it.' And then in typical fandom fashion eventually I was like 'okay I'll just give it a try.'

I wrote several PWP hatefucking chapters mostly to see if they even really worked as a couple (they did!) - since they weren't a couple in the fanfic, they were mortal enemies, lol - and these chapters popped off among a very small number of people and I thought 'you know what, these characters deserve an actual story, because I don't want their tale to have a tragic ending' (which it would have done).

So I wrote more of the story, and eventually I got a message from a reader saying 'hey can you open a Patreon account so we can support your original writing, because it doesn't feel fair that we're getting all of this for free.'

So I opened a Patreon account.

And then about 3 years later I thought 'actually...I think I can turn this into a proper job.' And I...tried lol. It's not a very 'proper job' by the standards of people who started original writing purely for income, but it is quite a proper job for me, lol. I still write fanfiction because I love it.

I never chose AO3 as a place to build a career exactly, I just put original fiction there because that's where the readers were who already liked the original characters, and it didn't make sense to put it anywhere else. I also never expected at the time to make a formal leap into original fiction, I was actually planning another fanfic and then got completely derailed because we were all enjoying Fae Tales so much.

I stay there because I can post any fictional content I like pretty much - no matter how taboo - without fear of reprisal from the site or fear of having my account banned etc. for content. I stay because the warning and tagging system is the most sophisticated in the world. I stay because the search system is also the most sophisticated in the world. I stay because I love the spirit of fandom, and the people who find my original fics there already understand reading serials and WIPs and ongoing stories. I stay because I really enjoy AO3 comment culture, which is uniquely different to anything else anywhere on the internet, but especially other free serial sites like Wattpad, Royal Road, Inkitt and more. I stay because having to invite people to come to my Tumblr to see my posts and excerpts and sometimes find out about Patreon is a feature and not a bug, because it means the people who eventually find their way to my Patreon probably want to be there more than the average reader who never needs to leave AO3.

I stay there because Wattpad needs incredibly short chapters and I like longer chapter lengths (and long serials). I stay there because the comment culture of Royal Road is a lot of 'um, actually' folks alongside some decent folks, and you really have to love constant constructive (and not so constructive) criticism even on your most viral stories, and I am baby. I stay on AO3 because my friends are there, and so are many other folks who I enjoy the thoughts and company of.

To my knowledge, the only other place that allows really taboo content officially (i.e. not 'it's against the rules but everyone does it') is probably Ream, which is a subscription site like Patreon. And they're very recent. I will be setting up a mirrored version of my Patreon account there for all the folks who can't access Patreon due to like...credit card / bank reasons.

If you want to write a super dark, taboo serial, there aren't many free serial sites in the world where that's truly okay. I'm going to take some risks on Wattpad soon with the Fae Tales canon and we'll see how we go, lmao. AO3 is particularly unique because it started for many of us fanfiction writers who were getting banned and censored on other fanfiction and fandom platforms (like Livejournal Strikethrough, which was a huge historical event in fandom around censorship), so it literally - in many ways - was invented to protect and give space to the people who are writing adult or taboo fanfiction (and then later also original fiction). It is designed to be a safe haven for those of us who understand that fiction is just fiction when it comes to sexual fantasy content.

In the past year I have considered other dedicated serial sites for my content and frankly I don't believe any of them are 'safe' for me re: the nature of my writing (I don't feel my writing is as dark as some, but it certainly has 'rape as titillation' quite a bit, and pretty broad scale dubcon). Royal Road doesn't suit my genre/s, Inkitt is possible, but I'm not sure if my work will do well there, Wattpad is a risk but is huge and I'm not mad if my account gets banned there, Tapas allows some taboo, but is very clear that it wants no serials intended for the purpose of sexual gratification and requires 500-1500 chapters maximum, which is a bit of a downer for someone like me who has 3-10,000 word chapters, lol.

If you want to be a professional writer of adult sexual/taboo content who makes money off your writing, I wouldn't recommend hosting your works on AO3, I'd recommend publishing novels and when you have enough of a backlist, potentially offering chapters of future novels as early access on Ream (Patreon will actually also ban accounts with taboo content if you're hosting it on Patreon - and while most of us are safe at the moment, they get stricter over time).

AO3 is, imho, a great place for original authors who already love writing fanfiction or reading fanfiction, and already love fandom, and want to participate in the culture with original stories. Readers on AO3 are very savvy, clued-in people who are overall likely to be suspicious rather than welcoming of original fiction on AO3 in general (many refuse to read it outright), and who also can tell when a newcomer author is just there to try and make a profit off them. But they are also some of the most ride or die, wonderful, best readers in the world once they love your work. (I know this from experience as a reader too, lol, I am ride or die for a few authors there myself).

That doesn't mean it can't be done, it just means there's a steep learning curve re: fandom etiquette (thoroughly worth it, do recommend it, it just will take some time - months, not weeks - to feel it out). AO3 also strongly prefers/requires all original fiction there be posted 'in the spirit of fandom' - which has broad interpretations, but it does mean an effort needs to be made to at least understand and enjoy fandom.

But yeah if you're purely professional career focused, AO3 is not a first-line strategy imho. That's why...there's not many people doing it this way - even viral fanfiction authors don't do it this way, anon, when they decide to writing original fiction based off their fanfiction success. Use Smashwords, Ream, your own host site for direct sales etc. there are erotica and dark fantasy authors who are making WAY more money than I am using paths like this.

I love my path, I love it, and I do believe more people could use it and make it work, but I'll be honest with you - I know I could be making more money if I chose different paths, I'm on this path because it's fun.

[digital-survivor]

Rough translation of all the prequel stories from Digimon Survive website. There might be mistakes because this was minimally edited by myself (neither a Japanese or English native speaker).

Warning: light spoilers of the kids' back stories.

TAKUMA Just a few more days until the extracurricular camp… (I was relaxing that day, opening the camp guidebook while watching the TV…) Ahhh, of course we'll sleep in a tent… I hope we don't get bugs or anything… Oh, we'll make curry together at night! Yay! I feel like I'm starting to look forward to it! (Thinking back on it now, I was very carefree - it was really just a bit like going out for fun to me) (But it can't be helped, right?) (At that time, I didn't expect it would turn out like that…) Hmm… news? What is this… a landslide? (I've heard of earthquakes and river flooding recently…) Oh! That's right! Maybe we should do some survival training at the upcoming camping trip? To learn the skills to survive in case of emergency… yeah, this would be a good experience, wouldn't it? …what am I saying, haha, camping is nothing like that. It must be about more serious stuff. (I should have been more careful at this point.) (Because the spot of the landslide reported on the TV was the destination of our camping trip…)

AOI Ha… (On my way home one day, I let out a depressed sigh.) (A kid in my class asked me to do the daily shift for her.) (Later I found out that she was taking advantage of me for her convenience.) (When our teacher heard that I had taken over her day shift, he scolded me, asking why I didn't refuse…) Ha… Why…? Even though I was just helping everyone… Even though I only wanted to do the right thing… …oh, that reminds me, I just received this today This might be good… Yeah, this is probably a good idea. Sometimes you just have to take a break from all this stuff! Hehe, I wonder what I'm going to see. I'm getting kind of excited. (Maybe it was just escapism. But I was looking forward to the camp.) (I never thought it would come to this…)

MINORU Uwahhh~~ Ahh… I'm bored~ …eh? Now that I think about it, isn't the extracurricular camp coming up soon? Whoa, I knew it! I haven't prepared anything yet! Eh? Oh yeah, what should I bring to the camp again? Uhh, right, at times like this we need the guidebook Errr… guidebook, where's the guidebook… Oh, there it is. Now let's see… Clothes that are easy to move in, shoes… handkerchief, tissue… … Huh? Water and ready meals? Flashlight? Oi oi, are you kidding me? They're not going to make us stay in the middle of nowhere right? Are they going to make us go to a place without water and electricity? But such dangerous things don't happen that often, I'll just pack some juice or other stuff then (Thinking back, I didn't have any idea of "what I must take" at that time.) (If I had thought about packing less and lighter, we would be in serious trouble.) (I'd never thought a day where juice and sweets would save me would come…) Hmm~ maybe it's okay if I take a small bite now… No, dinner is almost ready after all… hmm~ (In the end, I decided to hold back. No, really - I'm glad I didn't eat it.) (What I chose could have made all the difference in the situation afterwards…) (Then I wonder what I should have chosen to prevent this from happening…)

RYOU Extracurricular camp? That's bullshit. Who the hell goes to that kind of thing? (I grumbled to myself as I looked to the fliers plastered on the bulletin board in the hall way.) (What's the fun in looking at cherry blossom trees and historic sites and stuff like that?) (At that time, I was thinking that for sure…) Ouch! That hurts, where the hell are you looking at while walking!? (I yelled at the girl who bumped into me. She looked like she was about to cry and quickly moved away.) (I looked around and saw people talking about me behind my back from a distance with annoyed eyes.) …Ugh. What the hell. Is it my fault…? (Yes, that's right. It's my fault. I went too far with my words even though she didn't mean to do that.) (That's why I'm telling you… stop looking at me with those eyes…) (I'm already pretty much hated, so don't hate me any further…) Camp… do guys from other schools join this too? If it's guys from other schools then maybe… (Well, I didn't expect anything.) (But that doesn't mean I want this situation to happen…)

SAKI Ah, hello Mom? I'm on my way home right now. (That day, I took a short detour on the way home from school - it was something I did once in a month.) (Same results, same conversations) Yeah, nothing's changed, she said. She said that as long as I don't push myself too hard, I'll be fine. So, uh… can I ask you a favor? You see, today I got a notice from school. It's about an extracurricular camp. And um… I was thinking that maybe it'd be nice if I could go to this camp… Oh, of course I got the doctor's permission! I talked to her earlier, and she was okaying it! (Mom was surprised, panicked, and said no, but I have a special move.) Mom, please… this might be my last chance… (With that one word, she shushed me and allowed me with a tearful voice) (Ah~ I know I used an underhanded trick, but please allow me at least this much…) (It might really be my last chance after all.) Thanks, Mom! I'll tell you all the details when I get home! Okay, bye bye! Alright~! Let's go have fun at the camp! (I can't believe that all this camping… making great memories… turned out to be like this…) (Really… ahhh…)

SHUUJI Eh… A chaperone for an extracurricular camp…? (The call was from my homeroom teacher back in middle school.) (He said they were short on teachers to chaperone the camp, so they wanted me, one of the best graduates, to help out.) W-well, I know I was the top student in my grade, but still, to chaperone for a camp… ("I want to rely on your leadership," my teacher told me.) Leadership… That's right, to become a chaperone, surely… (I'll be able to show what I'm really capable of.) (Was it my father or my brother that was in my mind at that time…) I understand. I'll accept the offer to become the chaperone for the camp! (My heart was filled with emotions as I heard the teacher's thanks on the other end of the phone.) (It was… well, I guess it filled me with pride.) (If my father had seen me, he would have frowned. If my brother knew, he would have scoffed.) (No, that's not the point.) (I didn't have a sense of urgency at the time.) All right! As a member of the Kayama family, I will lead the group flawlessly! (I didn't know that camping can be life-threatening…)

KAITO I'm home- … Hmm? (In the evening, when I came home from school, I noticed that my sister Miu's shoes were missing.) Mom! What happened to Miu? (Mom came out of the kitchen and said Miu hasn't come home yet.) What? Not yet? It's already evening! It'll be dark soon! If we leave Miu alone, something might happen again! (I had a feeling Mom said I was worrying too much.) (I didn't hear what she said, because I ran out of the house without waiting for her to finish.) Ahhh, damn! It's starting to get dark already! The phone… she's not picking it up! Ahh really! Why is she doing this!? (I'm frustrated with Miu for going out so carelessly, but mostly I'm angry at myself.) (Angry at myself who failed to properly protect her…) I'll never let Miu cry again… I'll protect her! (That's right, I'll be the one to protect Miu.) (Even if the world is going to end…)

MIU (That day, as I was walking my usual route home, I was venting out the exasperation that had been building up in my chest.) Hmph! Everyone is no good! I can't believe they don't understand my fashion sense! What's with the long sleeves, Miu-chan? Shouldn't you roll them up? It's that kind of outfit! It's stylish! Even this hat! Don't call it childish! Cat ears are cute, don't you see! (I can say what I want to say when I'm alone, but at school, in front of everyone, I can't do it like this.) (I was at a loss for words, and in my haste, I said, "I'm going to curse you," like I always do.) Uhh… I shouldn't have said that… (I remembered the looks in everyone's eyes in the classroom… The way they looked at me, like they were afraid of me, like they didn't want to be with me…) Why… Why can't you understand… Being left behind is scary… but being watched from afar is even scarier… (Because it reminds me of that time…) Ha… let's go home soon If I come home too late, my brother will get annoying. Oh, how I want to be free- (I was half serious, half just wanting to say that…) (Maybe someone, or God, heard my request…?)

[polyphonical]

Red Hot Island - Chapter 1

[ View on site for better experience♪ ]

???: .......

Location: Starmony Dorm Room (Makoto, Adonis, Chiaki's Room)

Chiaki: …Nn

…Where am I? (-- Aah… Right. This is my room in the dorms…) (Haha. Even if it was only for a moment, I can’t believe I forgot how the room I’ve been living in every day looks like.) (The dream I had was so nostalgic… I think that’s why my head got all confused when I woke up.) (There was something like that, huh… I completely forgot until I had that dream.) (I wonder if he remembers it… That small promise we made in that white room.) (That promise we made while watching our classmates going to the pool. Happily, and full of excitement, despite how hot the summer heat was.) (Well… It’s hard to say that promise was made with the purest intent. It’s more like we were miserably licking each other’s wounds.) (Even though I knew there’s no chance that promise would come true—At that time, my heart definitely felt better.) …Haha. I ended up becoming sentimental. Hmm. If Takamine were here, he’d probably say something like “Morisawa-senpai, you’re basically waving around a death flag.” …Oops. Is it that late already? I can’t just lay here and do nothing. I should probably get ready to go to today’s job.

Location: Star Pro Office

Eichi: Hm...

(I’ll just give this project to him. Next is—Ah, now that I think about it, there were some projects left on hold weren’t there?) (I should respond soon. I have a feeling he’s going to get impatient and come here yelling at me.) [1] --Hm? Hello, Anzu-chan. Good morning. What’s the matter? Hm? You want to hear my opinion? I don’t mind, but… Aah, yes. I have time right now. I was just working on some things that needed to be done by today. So? What was that thing you wanted my opinion on? Ah, perhaps it’s about that proposal you’re holding in your hand? Fufu. You don’t have to be so surprised. It’s basic reasoning, isn’t it Watson? Could I see what you’re holding there? – Thank you. …Aah, this is a project for the ES Fan Event. And the contents are… A sports day at Aquaria Park? Oh, that’s right. Last year, to promote Aquaria Park, wasn’t there a survival game job? If I remember correctly, Hokuto and the others participated, right? [2] Hm. Survival games were too niche, so it was decided that the events would be arranged to be more suitable for everyone. it’s more like variety sports festivals that are shown on programs now.

Next, for the main part… “Treasure hunting”? What’s this? Right, I’m sure it’s just as you say Anzu-chan. It seems the area for western sailboats was added around a month ago. Fufu. I see. Pirates are often associated with water. They can also remind you of treasure. It’s true that pirate manga are popular right now. I think it’s a good idea. It’s clear who the target audience is. Hm? You don’t look satisfied. Is there something you have a problem with? Hm. You’re worried about holding such a large-scale event that isn’t a live all of a sudden? Even up until now, you’ve been in charge of things other than live shows, so I don’t think there’s anything to be worried about. Plus, I don’t think there will be any issues if the work is divided and detailed checks are made throughout. Well, if you’re still worried about it Anzu-chan, how about trying out a limited play test? Hm? Ah, that’s true. I suppose the most efficient way to play test it would be to have multiple people test it at the same time. It increases the chance that something unexpected happening. It’s the easiest way to simulate a situation closer to the real deal. If that’s the case, we could implement the prototype of the treasure hunt game since it’s a limited event. If you want to use the facility, Anzu-chan, I give you full permission to do so. …Hm? Why am I the one allowing you to use the facility? Well, it’s because I’m the one in charge of Aquaria Park. It’s one of the businesses that the Tenshouin conglomerate is running. Eh? Why are you so surprised? I thought you were asking for my opinion because you knew that already. Fufu. It’s okay, I’m giving you permission. If you’re the one asking, I’m more than happy to allow it. ♪ Hm? Um… What’s with that expression? Yes, that’s true. It makes sense that if we’re going to collect data, the people who know what the purpose is should be involved. So you have a request of me? Ah… I understand what you’re saying, Anzu-chan. Well, I suppose I have no choice. Well, if I’m being honest, the benefits of this project are great from Aquaria Park’s perspective. It’d be nice if we could just throw everything in the air and enjoy it as is. But we need to contribute where we can. Hm? That’s true. Then, Anzu-chan, I would like you to choose which members you’d like to go to the pool--

………

Ah, no, it’s nothing. I just remembered something.

………

Could I ask if you leave it to me to gather the test play team? Eh? No… I don’t have any ideas on who, but… You shouldn't worry about it. I’m sure Anzu-chan is busy working on the proposal. You can leave this one to me.

────────────────· · · · · ·♡· · · · · · ────────────────

Directory ♡ Next

I have no idea who he's referring to right here sorry ToT

Referring to the story Pool !!

[itsuki-minamy]

"CRUSH ON BABY" (PART 1)

NOVEL: REI RAIRAKU (GORA) / ILLUSTRATION: HIROKO UTSUMI

TRANSLATION: NARU-KUN

* List of Chapters

Hibiki has a sex appeal that makes him stand out even with those of the same sex.

However, despite that kind of matter, there was little concern for appearance. Despite the fact that he has cat hair and a bad habit of sleeping, he doesn't mind it, and even comes out on stage with a very messy head.

When he came to see Hibiki live for the first time, Minase was worried about Hibiki's sleeping habit, coldly barked, and couldn't concentrate. Since then, he has come to fix his hair before live performances.

"Is it alright if I let it play lightly like always?"

"Yes, leave it at that, Minase."

In the small dressing room of the live show, Minase fixed Hibiki's hair while he was careful not to disturb the other performers. First, he lightly dampened the hair to restore hair that he was bouncing too freely and then blow-dried it to create a lock of hair.

"Hibiki, are you going to have Minase-kun do your hair again?"

The band member, Yasushi, who was getting a haircut together with Hibiki, pouted and said that.

"Yes."

Hibiki also gloated and laughed, so Minase lowered his eyebrows and waved his hand.

"No, to me it's like I'm practicing with a cracked hair."

"If we become famous, I'll be proud to say that you're the hairstylist and makeup artist who made Hibiki Aisaka shine."

"In that case, I'd like to use Hibiki's name as much as possible. It'll be a nice addition, so let me quickly brag."

Minase replied jokingly, but it wasn't really a joke, it was a possible future.

Hibiki is a man in the band whose homeland is Shimokitazawa. He is the vocalist of the band "Lonely Sleep" and is also the main songwriter for the band's songs. "Lonely Sleep" has gained solid popularity centered on Hibiki, with the latter song being ranked in the TOP 100 on the distribution site. Currently, it seems that famous people are also calling him.

"I like when Minase touches my hair."

As he let the gel mix into his fluffy hair and let it play with the ends of his hair, Hibiki narrowed his eyes and said that.

"That's what you usually say to girls, right?"

"Haha, did you hear?"

"You don't have to show off your girl's persuasion techniques."

"I'm just saying what I think. You'll fall in love with me, so it's like committing a sin."

"Yes, yes."

He asked him again about his tone as he spoke lightly and finished his hair with a spray.

"Will the crackers go to the majors?"

"Eh? Hmm... I don't know."

In response to Minase's question, he returned a gruff voice that was different from the good response he had received earlier.

"You're reluctant, Hibiki. Well, indies have more freedom, and I've seen a lot of them disappear as soon as they go to the majors, so I don't know."

Although it's his own band, Yasushi says it's someone else's problem. Yasushi, who is the oldest member of the band and has a job, seems to be the type not originally oriented towards professionals and is content to do what he likes with the music he likes. The choice of whether or not to go to the majors seemed to be left up to Hibiki, who is the core of the band.

"Right now, I want to broaden my musical horizons. For that reason, I want to sing Yozora's song."

Hibiki said that with a light tone and laughed.

Hibiki's choices affect the lives of Yasushi and other band members.

To Hibiki, who was trying to choose a path to follow, his desire to sing a song Yozora made seemed convincing, contrary to the frivolous tone of the words Yozora said.

"I think Yozora will write songs that I can't write right now. If I can sing that, I feel like I'll be able to see a different scenario."

Minase smiled wryly.

"If you told Yozora-kun about your serious feelings, he'd probably listen to you a bit more."

"Eh? It's true that Yozora has that silly side, but it wouldn't hurt to ask him to do it without crying. If Yozora doesn't feel like doing it, it's pointless."

"I'm not telling you to cry. I'm telling you to be sincerer with your requests."

Hearing the exchange between Minase and Hibiki, Yasushi raised an eyebrow and said, "Sure.".

"Hibiki, did you talk about your obsession with "Yozora-kun" with anyone other than Minase-kun and Ba?"

At Yasushi's question, Hibiki tilted his head blankly.

"How is it? I feel like there's a story about that someone you want to make a song for. Why?"

"Because Miike-kun wrote a letter that seemed to know."

"Mike-kun?"

As Minase bowed his head, Yasushi picked up a paper parcel from among the stacked gifts and held it up where Hibiki and Minase could see it.

"Someone who writes a long fan letter every time. He's a huge fan of Hibiki. The shock was so strong that I completely remembered his face and his name."

Hibiki received a letter that seemed to be written on stationery and flipped through it. Minase looked at the letter from behind Hibiki.

The letter itself was addressed to the band, but the content was mostly words to Hibiki. Perhaps someone with some musical experience, his impressions of the "Lonely Sleep" songs were extraordinarily detailed, and although he thought he wrote a series of critical analyzes of the songs, he also wrote extensively about how he felt about the songs on hibiki.

"How can I say...? It's amazing."

When he tried to express his impressions softly, that was all he could say.

However, Hibiki was probably used to receiving strong attachments and affections. "Well.", he stopped him slightly.

"Artists don't like other people making them dream, so I'm thankful that people are so involved with me~. He seems to have a bit of a stalker temper."

"He is a man, right?"

"Yes. He's in his late twenties and it doesn't look like he's in a band. It's pretty rare for a guy to send out hot fan mail all the time."

Hibiki continued to flip through the paper. The letter, which was a mixture of criticism and fantasies, and in some places the statement that "I am the one who understands Hibiki's talent the most", honestly brought tears to his eyes, but Hibiki wiped his eyes with a flat attitude.

However, towards the end of the letter, Hibiki stopped.

"I heard that there is someone Hibiki wants me to write a song. I think Hibiki's songs are supreme, but I can understand the idea of wanting to add something new, so I won't object. Hibiki wants to make that wish come true, but before that, I want you to take a look at the song I wrote. I think it's a song that fits Hibiki. It doesn't matter if Hibiki sings it or not."

At the end of the letter was the sheet music. Minase was able to read the score. He followed the notes with Hibiki's eyes, and in his heart, he thought he was bold.

The song included in the letter was in good shape, but that was all. Sending that to a musician he admires and being able to say it from a higher perspective that he doesn't care if he sings seemed to be the heart of the matter.

"Well, just take my feelings."

Hibiki said that with a wry smile and put down the letter.

"I don't remember revealing Yozora's name or background, so I think it's fine, but I don't think you should say careless things outside."

Hibiki scratched his head.

The proximity between independent bands and the fans can often cause problems.

Minase looked at the letter on the desk.

Even if the music written there was of higher quality, it wouldn't be what Hibiki wanted.

What Hibiki is looking for is his starting point, the sound of the beginning of his longing.

++++++++++

Minase, Hibiki, and Yozora met ten years ago.

Minase was eleven years old, Hibiki was twelve, and Yozora was fifteen.

It was just an exchange of words. Ten years have passed since then, and it was only about a month and a half ago that Minase and Hibiki met again.

Hibiki came to the beauty salon where Minase works and became Minase's first client.

Normally, it takes two to three years for an assistant who just graduated from beauty school to be able to cut clients' hair as a stylist. The owner of the beauty salon where Minase works is meritocratic, and the assistant graduates when she judges that he has the skills to match hers.

That day was the first time Minase was allowed to touch a customer's hair other than shampoo and blow dryer, and it was Hibiki who came there.

At first, he didn't realize it was the boy he met ten years ago. Facing a young man with an aura who opened the door of the shop and appeared, he was nervous because the obstacles seemed to be high from the first shot.

The owner of the beauty salon where Minase works is a well-known person who also does hair and makeup for magazines and publicity shoots. That young man, who seemed to make a living by appearing in public, must have heard of the owner's reputation and came to the store.

He greeted with a sense of humiliation that such a novice stylist was in charge.

"I am Rui Minase, and I will be in charge today. Nice to meet you."

There was no immediate response, so Minase silently looked at Hibiki. Hibiki's eyes, which were wide, met his line of sight through the mirror.

"Rui? It's you?"

"Eh? Those eyes, after all, but..."

He answered while he was confused, and Hibiki's eyes widened further.

"Minase, it's you?"

"Yes. Have I changed?"

Minase's name is generally not used in kanji for boys' names. That name was given to him by his mother, who once tried to become a pianist and was frustrated in the past, hoping that this child could perform in a way that would make people cry.

Unfortunately, that wish never came true.

"I knew it.", he heard a low-pitched murmur.

"Hairdresser, you used to play the piano, right?"

"Eh? Why...?"

Hibiki, who was looking at him through the mirror, turned around and looked straight at Minase's face.

"Ten years ago, you were in a restaurant with a piano! A restaurant where there was a recital by an amazing fifteen-year-old boy!"

At that moment, the sight from ten years ago flashed in Minase's head.

The sound of a piano played by a genius. The pressure from his mother. Fingers happily jumping on the keyboard. The face of a young man fascinated and excited by music.

"...Hibiki-kun?"

He remembered the name. He also felt a remnant of his face, if you asked him.

At that time, he had the impression that he was more feminine and cute, but his cat eyes were still the same.

"Yes, Hibiki Aisaka! Hey, are you still his friend? That piano boy, Yozora!"

He thought that comment was something strange.

Minase left the piano a long time ago, his relationship with Yozora had been broken for a long time, but he met Yozora a few months before he met Hibiki.

Looking for a model who would let him cut his hair for free, he called Yozora who was in front of Shimokitazawa station. When he called out to him, all he could see was Yozora's silky black hair, but the moment Yozora turned around and his eyes met, they recognized each other.

He felt like saying goodbye after exchanging just a few words, but when he learned that Yozora lived in the same neighborhood and currently works as a bartender, he somehow ended up becoming a regular customer there.

Then, not long after, he ran into Hibiki again.

In that city where people live with loose connections, the thin threads of three people who crossed paths ten years ago became intertwined again. Minase sensed there a modest destiny.

Unfortunately, when he took Hibiki to Yozora's bar, Yozora didn't remember Hibiki.

Minase left the dressing room remembering Yozora's indescribable face when he introduced Hibiki to him. When he entered the room, he found a straight face leaning against the far wall, having a drink.

Minase walked directly towards him.

"Yozora-kun, you're here. You said you wouldn't go because you'd be at the store."

Yozora turned away sheepishly as his smile relaxed.

"By the way, the bar was originally closed irregularly and forced me to leave the ticket, I don't think it's a good idea to waste it..."

He laughed at Yozora who said things that weren't honest.

Yozora didn't remember the Hibiki that he met ten years ago. Although it was annoying, they seemed to be completely united.

Minase also thinks that Hibiki is quite a mysterious man. He seems flighty, but he's good at people watching and pushing the limits without breaking the line.

Minase also admits that he's quite sociable, but he has a broad and superficial style, and even though he didn't have many friends to hang out with frequently, Hibiki called him many times in a short period of time, and before he knew it, he was closer to him than any of his old acquaintances.

On the other hand, he never touched the part where Minase seemed to get annoyed and he apart his hand.

"...I know you're popular with the girls."

He mumbled unintentionally, and Yozora looked at Minase in a strange way.

As the time for the performance approached, the venue was packed with people. The customer ratio between men and women is about 50/50, and you can see that Hibiki's imagery isn't the only thing that attracts women.

Now that he thought about it, he wondered if the fan card guy he'd seen in the dressing room was out there somewhere. As he looked around him, Minase moved slightly and shook his shoulders.

Standing in the front row of the stage, there was a young man looking at the venue as if he was watching it.

The other people waiting in the front row looked excitedly at the stage and chatted with their companions, but the man turned his back to the stage and searched the faces of the people, looking around as if he was going to leave.

If the position where the young man was standing was in the back, where Minase and Yozora were, he might have wondered if it was someone from the industry who came to watch the live performance, but while standing in the front row, the behavior from him it was as if he floated in the surroundings.

In Minase's head, the sender of the fan letter and his existence were immediately linked.

It matched the characteristics that Hibiki said. He was in his late twenties, roughly the same age as Yozora, and was dressed in a crisp white shirt and pants that didn't fit the atmosphere of a live show. He seemed well educated.

"Minase? What's wrong?"

Yozora strangely called out to the hardened Minase.

As Minase was about to reply, the young man's eyes suddenly turned to him.

He felt that their gazes were mixed. No, was he looking at Yozora instead of Minase?

Looking directly at the young man's face, a slight feeling of déjà vu passed through Minase.

"Yozora-kun, that person…"

As Minase was about to say that, the hall lights went out.

Kyaaa, ooohhh, cheers filled with anticipation rose like a wave.

Minase and Yozora also stopped talking and looked at the stage. The young man in the front row, who had been looking back until just now, also turned to face the stage.

The band members appeared on stage. Guitar, bass, drums, and finally Hibiki stood in front of the vocal microphone.

When he met him in the dressing room, he was the usual slow young man, but when he stood up straight onstage, Hibiki was impressively powerful.

The drums set the rhythm, he played the guitar and the song began.

[penname-artist]

Some Ideas: Rey & his Music Albums

Pre-note: these were generated by an ai (I honestly forget which sites, because I scrolled through a few of those free ones)

Also, this is for an OC and they're not really albums, as badly as I wish they were (I mean unless someone can make music really well lol)

I wanted to create a few "aesthetics" and random ideas to use as album covers for Reyzor C's music. I'm planning to probably either recreate these images as my own art (and I do mean literally, from-the-ground-up on FireAlpaca recreate) or splice them together with other things and do some heavy-ass personal tweaking to make it into. Well. What I want it to be.

I've actually gone so far in giving Rey's musical career life as to create three full lists of song titles for all of his albums, so all of these images are connected - either to the albums themselves or to the titles (and don't ask why some of them are what they are, man, just, lemme drown in my aesthetic juice okay?)

For his first album, "Artificial", I had a few cover ideas, but this one feels like the most fitting:

and this is the song list within that first album:

1. Artificial

2. Xoxo

3. Hollow Hearted

4. Wasn't Gonna Say

5. Crisis Line

6. Give Me a Week

7. Getaway Car

8. Isn't That What Lovers Do

9. Keysmash

10. Breather

11. Visions

12. Waiting List

Though I didn't generate images for any of these songs in the first listing, I definitely have plenty of ideas for lots of them. I think Keysmash in particular would be a gritty picture of a keyboard someone threw into the dirt, maybe with flowers idk (flowers are a slightly recurring theme you'll soon notice)

I do have a pic I could fit in with Breather though since it feels somewhat in line with it. Please ignore that this bird is missing half a leg. Or don't, maybe it's meant to.

Next is the album cover idea behind his second one, "Pedestal", which I won't lie to you I debated as being the cover for Artificial, but I like them this way just a teeny bit more. This image has a nice lighting and retro vibe to it. Like an 80's roller skating rink floor.

And here's the list of songs for Pedestal;

1. Pedestal

2. Mixed Signals

3. Tunnel

4. Highway Blues

5. Vending Machine

6. Just Like Last Time

7. Is This Love

8. Fake a Smile

9. Trainwreck

10. Escapism

11. Don't Kiss Me Goodbye

12. Trial

13. Empty Skies

14. Supernova

I actually tried to get some decent ai photos for Vending Machine, but unfortunately they never felt quite right - usually the ai put it in the middle of a walkway and it was just kinda awkward so, eh. This was the best I was able to do with it:

I thought that this one was really neat, and kinda trippy. It looks like it belong in a Melanie Martinez song (which like, not complaining here, but yknow). It'd probably fit best with Escapism.

I think Don't Kiss Me Goodbye, whether Rey wanted it to be or not, would be his swan song, that thing he's best known for. And this may not be the cleanest fit (actually it's one of the weakest) for an art cover with that song, but I think that catches the fact that this was an afterthought song Rey didn't think was gonna blow up.

Honestly not sure where this one would fit best, as it's more of an idea for the cover of Artificial that I just wanted to keep because I like the theme and the vibe it emits. Might go well with Trial, it feels kind of dangerous-y and on the edge.

Next up is the third and most recently constructed album titles, and that is "Gravesinger" - does it feel like Rey's songs have a line of evolution yet? Cuz I was going for that.

Corpse

2. Six down

3. Fall

4. Might be

5. Hell’s happy hour

6. Existential Cryptid

7. Pie

8. X-rey

9. Body count

10. Born (and born and born)

11. Memory lane

12. Aries

13. The Fortune Teller

14. Infinity Wheel

15. Seafoam

Corpse is probably one of those songs that's way lighter and more whimsical than the title lets on, so I want to pair it with this image of a knight and flowers to give that vibe of something quietly rotting away.

Now. Pie was one of those names I just...I just wanted it, okay? For personal silly reasons I wanted it. And I did make a matching personal silly prompt:

Actually, I made two!

I think I like the second one better but the first one is still very fun.

Then there's Memory Lane, which I wanted to put this cool ocean wave picture on, since it feels similar to that retro vibe from the previous two albums (I think I used the same bot base "style" iirc)

Being the last song in his last (presumable) album, Seafoam is likely a song of Rey's response to the resounding success that was Don't Kiss Me Goodbye and his own mixed emotions surrounding it. As such, their covers are similar.

Aaaaand that's all I managed to get in, but I might go back and make more of these to slap on the song titles. Hell, maybe I'll even make the lyrics for them one day. Or figure out how to make music on the computer, idk. That's probably kind of a stretch given I know jack shit of music. Oh well.

Anyways enjoy the aesthetics!

[machifuwa]

(5/8) Mizutama Pattern | Youth is the Color of Summer

Tetora: I'll go take a look. Excuse me~!!

I'm sorry for my sudden appearance. You seem to be in some kind of trouble, so I came.

Did you get separated from your family or something?

Hinata: I see, I see... You came to the summer festival site according to the map given to you by your family, but you don't see them at this torii (gate) where you were supposed to meet them.

Tetora: (whispering) Why did you also come here, Hinata-kun?

Hinata: (whispering) Don't worry about it, it's fine to help someone together, right?

Tetora: ...Excuse me. If you don't mind, could you show us the map?

Thank you very much. Let's see, we are at the shrine at the bottom of the map, and grandma's house is here...

Hinata: I see, she said that she came straight down the road as she was told and arrived at this shrine...

Tetora: Oh, look. There's another shrine on the map!

Hinata: The name of this shrine sounds a little familiar, don't you think?

Tetora & Hinata: ーAah!

Tetora: It's the venue of the summer festival that Tsukasa-kun said he was heading to!

I believe the name of the shrine on the poster sent by Tsukinaga-senpai was something like this!

Hinata: If you turn the map upside down and follow the path... you'll reach the shrine on the other side.

Tetora: Thank you for entrusting us the map. From what we can see here, grandma probably arrived at a different shrine.

Hinata: It looks like there are a couple of summer festivals going on near here today. I think your original destination is another shrine. Here, I marked the location for you.

Please don't worry about it, we just noticed. It's no big deal...

Tetora: ...Um, if you want, I can take you to the shrine where you're meeting your family.

Grandma wants to see her family as soon as possible, right? I'll show you exactly where to go! Just leave it to me♪

Hinata: Oh, then, I'll go with youー

Tetora: No, no, what are you talking about? Yuta-kun will be arriving soon, right?

You said you were going to eat matching fruit taffy. In order to go around together, you have to stay here, Hinata-kun.

Hinata: Eh? But...

Tetora: It's best to enjoy the festival together. I can manage to send grandma off on my own.

Hinata-kun, when Midori-kun and Shinobu-kun arrive, please give them my regards too♪

Hinata: No, no, there's no way I'll just tell them that...

Tetora: I'll be back.. I want you to make good memories before I do.

Hinata: .....

Tetora: Thank you for waiting. We'll be on our way to the shrine over there as soon as possible♪

Hinata: .....

He really... left...

(Tetsu-kun went down the stone steps supporting the grandma... I couldn't say anything after Tetsu-kun's words, so I stayed alone at the shrine...)

...I was told to enjoy the festival, but I don't know what to do. I can't just enjoy the festival without him...

But Yuta-kun and the others will be arriving soon, right? If that's the case, I'll have fun with everyone as planned...

???: ーHinata-kun.

Hinata: Fuweh!? Who is it!?

Ibara: It's me.

Hinata: Vi-vice President~!? Th-the Vice President really came~!?

Ibara: You're the one who contacted me saying there was a summer festival. Please don't make a loud noise.

Hinata: I'm sorry. I was really shocked.

Anyways, that's a really big package you got there.

You're carrying a bag full of knick-knacks and a big box under your arm...

Could it be a giveaway from a food stall somewhere? What a surprise~ You enjoyed the summer festival more than I expected huh, Vice President?☆

Ibara: I did not come to the summer festival because I wanted to, but because I escorted His Excellency.

This prize is also a good thing, because we have just won more battles than we expected, when we had intended to just win.

Hinata: Battles? Was there ever such a fighting stall?

Ibara: My hands are full and it's inconvenient, so I'd like to leave as soon as possible. I can't even leave yet if His Excellency, who is shopping, doesn't return.

I'm waiting for him to come with me in the crowd with this baggage.

I'm honestly worried about what he's going to buy!

Hinata: Vice President, you make it sound like you're worried about your "errand boy" which is Ran-senpai in this situation...

Ibara: By the way, is Hinata-kun alone? I thought you were coming with Yuta-kun.

Hinata: ...Yuta-kun and the others are still on their way.

The truth is, Tetsu-kun was with me earlier. Or rather, we came from the academy to this shrine together...

Ibara: ? There seems to be no sign of Mr. Nagumo. Where did he go?

Hinata: He left the shrine. he had to take a grandma, who came to this summer festival by mistake, to the meeting point with her family.

Even though we had just arrived... He's taking her home on his own, so he wants me to go ahead and enjoy myself...

(Aah~ ugh... I already moved on, but it's still impossible not to care!)

Ugh...!

Ibara: Are you all right? You look... well, more like you don't even know what to look like.

Hinata: Uuh... That's because...!

Ibara: ...Haaah... Look, Hinata-kun.

You even sent me such cheerful messages earlier. You are here to have fun and enjoy the summer festival, aren't you?

Hinata: Oh, the message I sent you... please say something when I'm texting you...

Ibara: I would appreciate it if you would not change the topic!

ーAnyways, you're supposed to be enjoying this summer festival, so why don't you leave that gloomy face of yours and have fun?

His Excellency's eyes were much brighter than yours are now.

I could tell at a glance that he was really enjoying the summer festival.

Hinata: .....

< EPISODE 5 END >

Story: “Mizutama Pattern” [Youth is the Color of Summer]

Story by: 梅田千歳 (Happy Elements株式会社)

Characters in this Episode: Tetora, Hinata, Ibara, grandma/old lady

Mentioned Characters: the old lady's family, Tsukasa, Leo, Yuta, Midori, Shinobu, Nagisa

Reminder: I did not create this story, but I translated it, so please refrain from reposting my translation on other social media platforms.

I apologize if there are any mistakes as well.

(Prev - All - Next) Thank you for reading!

[dominustempori]

Not every day an actor you admire gets you to watch one of their movies...

Long post, you've been duly warned.

So if you've seen my more recent blogs, I've been obsessing (a bit, healthily, I assure you) over a certain adventure game series. And from there, I'm doing like I usually do when I want to know more about an actor I REALLY like. Finding other stuff they've done, checking out what social media they use here and there, non-profits they support and promote and what have you...

Enter Alexandra Boyd. Actor, writer, director...inspiration.

Podcasts? Check. Her own personal site? Check. Clips from past British shows she had minor AND major roles in? Check.

Finding out her latest film is a documentary about some of the "core extras," including herself, that were in 1997's 'Titanic?' And the trailer for it looks REALLY good?...didn't see that coming.

Truth: until, like, literally now, I NEVER SAW TITANIC.

I was probably the ONLY teenager in AMERICA that had no desire to go watch it, or had a crush on Leo DiCaprio for that matter.

But...granted, I remembered that other actors I've come to REALLY like over time since I was in high school, they were in the movie: Victor Garber, Bernard Hill, Ioan Gruffud, David Warner...you get the idea. I think I prefer Kate Winslet's performance in "Sense and Sensibility" to her Rose but, eh, I'm a little biased.

And, well there's good reasons why 'Titanic' got so many Academy Awards that year...but I'll be real: I was pretty damn excited when "Return of the King" got all of ITS Oscars for 2003.

Anyway.

Few days ago, I took a chance, hoping I didn't come off as too-much-of-an-awkward fangirl, and shot Alexandra a shoutout on Messenger, saying how amazing it was that she came back for her role as Elaine in Return to Monkey Island. And, kind of offhandedly, mentioned how cool the "Ship of Dreams" (her documentary that's releasing soon) looked, and...how I never saw Titanic but now was kind of inspired to after how many years.

She kindly responded to my message (yay!) and highly recommended to watch "Titanic" at the very least to obtain more of and appreciation for 'Ship of Dreams' when it comes out (I've no idea if it'll be in theaters where I live, but then again, I'm going to ask an acquaintance of mine, who just happens to be the director of a local historical theatre with a small modern cinema next to it, if they could possibly get hold of it. Small city living yo.)

Overall...I liked it. I definitely need to watch it again. Full on experience should be more than my library's letterboxed basic edition on my laptop.

Some scenes and lines...I was all "Oh yeah, right. Uh-huh." Dramatic license sort of getting in the way. Strongest dialogue...maybe not so much? Little cornball in places? Mm, well, putting on the romantic plot in an ultimate disaster movie...kind of lends itself to that sort of thing.

But didn't I LOVE to hate (well, strongly dislike) Billy Zane and David Warner's characters. Which of course is the idea. And I was internally cheering on Kate and Leo pretty much the whole way through. Kathy Bates was probably the best of all the first class passengers that got focused on.

Held my breath and tensed up and...closed my eyes for many of the stunt/action shots once the ship hit the iceberg. That music score realllly helped with that. Once it got to that certain high angle and you got more of the screaming...yeah, that broke me. Knew it was coming but still...hit me right in the feels. And didn't Victor look SO SAD when he realized the truth that his ship's design turned out to be SO flawed. Oh he plays that so well.

BUT I didn't get teary until good old (then unknown) Ioan "My Man Hornblower" Gruffud turned his lifeboat around and desperately called out if anyone in the water was still alive.

Yeah, I liked it. More than I thought I would. Surprised me quite a bit, which is usually a good thing. Need to find me more behind-the-scenes stuff. I'm intrigued, and that's always a good sign that I enjoyed a film.

So TL, DR: Alexandra Boyd basically got me to watch 'Titanic.' How cool is that? Thanks, Alexandra, and cheers!

[warsinmyhead]

ramble with takashi and jimin

x | meme status: accepting!

“Sir, did you know the quartermaster for Seoul was at the university I was at during initiation?” “Oh...oh yes Kumiho! He’s studying for his masters degree – eh sorry about that Kitsune, I probably forgot to mention that he wasn’t the target. But you figured it out eventually.”  Takeshi probably had a conversation with his quartermaster over the confusion after he was chosen to join the Tokyo branch of Kingsman. Albeit he left out the details of crawling under the table and being at eye level with the Seoul quartermaster’s lower half in a library. 

Similar to Briggs, Takeshi doesn’t get Jimin’s preferences when it comes to coffee and why he takes it black. How can someone stand a beverage that is so bitter? Eventually he concludes that one benefit about Jimin taking his coffee black is the fact that it is cheaper than the fancy drinks at coffee chains and often is considered an item that can be refilled for free or for a couple of cents. (Also less stressful to guess a fancy drink for the quartermaster and how much of each ingredient should go into it.)

“Why do you call him ‘Grandpa’?” Takeshi asked Amelie, AKA Agent Go.  “He’s not too hip on the trends and he doesn’t do a lot of stuff that’s normal for his age. I mean, the’s guy’s in his thirties and he acts more like he’s in his eighties, if you get me.” Nicknames aside, Takeshi understands Jimin not wanting to keep up with every trend. Plus clubbing is tiring and you can get unwarranted attention. Sometimes a hangover the day before a mission isn’t worth it.

Another time Takeshi did casually ask Amelie about Jimin and dating. He quickly had to clarify that he was just curious before she began to assume that he was an item with the quartermaster. (As he wasn’t as acquainted with Jimin at the time he inquired.) Amelie divulged that Jimin did cross paths with a former agent on loan to them, but due to age differences and the short term assignment for the agent, it never went very far beyond professional matters.  “You know, great question. I don’t think Grandpa’s taken. Maybe that’s what he needs – to get laid!” Amelie declares before taking a sip from her cup. “I dunno about Ji to be honest. I don’t think he’s not into girls but he kinda gives me vibes like maybe he’d see a guy too?”

Takeshi did get Jimin to take him around Korea once he was selected as the new agent for the Tokyo branch of Kingsman. Jimin took him to a couple of historical places like two of the well-known SK chicken places that claim to the be first that made the Korean fried chicken a thing so Takeshi could taste the difference and decide which was better for himself. Maybe he pointed out some of the entertainment buildings and warned the young man to be careful as the companies always had people out looking to scout new talent. 

Ironically one of the ladies working for an entertainment company tried to scout both young men during Takeshi’s visit. Jimin apologized to the woman and explained he was too old to become an idol and was going to his mandatory service soon. Takeshi explained he was simply visiting on vacation and could not commit to a big change at this time. 

“What do you mean you’re going for your service soon? Does that mean I won’t get to work with you for a while?” Takeshi asked in confusion.  “Actually no. It’s...hang on, let’s go back somewhere quiet so I can explain it,” Jimin sighed.  Jimin privately explains that Kingsmen in Seoul are permitted to treat their spy work as their mandatory service. They do tell friends and family they’re going to serve whatever faction of the armed forces of their choice and the company provides a cover for the friends and family members of the agent if they ask. In reality, the agents who need to do their service will temporarily move into the housing on site (if they choose an armed force profession instead of a conscripted officer) so it helps with the story. He will still work with Kingsman, but he will not been seen by outside friends and family until that time is up. (As he will be staying around his workplace more often to make them think he is away.)

At one point poor Takeshi was forced to handle a mission during a holiday, which meant missing time with friends and family. Jimin’s used to this happening, but he and some of the other agents try to cheer up Takeshi and make him feel better during the holiday. (Whether it’s getting a meal together or something as simple as a small toast of drinks of their choice back at headquarters.)

Dabs AKA Agent Oenun didn’t care for Takeshi after crashing into the Japanese agent in the hall. Takeshi did apologize, but due to the language barrier, Dabs misunderstood Takeshi and took a bit of a burn to him. He won’t be malicious toward Takeshi, but eventually Jimin does sit down Dabs to explain what happened. The youngest agent will apologize but he won’t get all buddy buddy with Takeshi. 

In one instance, Jimin had to jump in and help Takeshi and Amelie when the target’s personnel began to outnumber the pair in a mission. He was able to knock out a good number while the pair handled the rest. Granted, Jimin’s full outfit wasn’t bulletproof, and some of the items that weren’t got damaged in the fight. He suffered minor injuries and scrapes, but he was forced to shower and change at headquarters. Takeshi accidentally opened the curtain to Jimin’s stall when trying to find one for himself and might have seen the quartermaster full frontal. (RIP Takeshi’s eyes and brain processing the 7.5″ monster normally hiding in Jimin’s pants.) 

After that incident, Takeshi never speaks of it to anyone, not even Amelie. Albeit it has made him wonder how a not-so-tall guy like Jimin deals with the tuckjob every day. Maybe if Jimin saw it was Takeshi that pulled back the curtain, Takeshi would privately apologize for the mistake behind closed doors.

“By the way, Amelie is correct – I’m not seeing anyone, not that it’s her business,” Jimin once shared as he accepted Takeshi’s final report on a mission.  “What? Um...” “She’s not good at keeping her voice down – I did hear her talking to you,” Jimin sighed with a shrug. “I’d like it if you didn’t tell her this, but also I find that no one wants to deal with ahem, me as a whole, I guess you could say.”  “But you’re a good person Ji, I mean Kumiho,” Takeshi said.  “Ah that’s not what I meant, but I appreciate the kind words Kitsune.” 

“You know, if you two dated, it would be kind of funny in a good way, I mean, with the height difference, you know?” Amelie confessed. “Go, please stop pairing me off – Kitsune does not need to hear you pairing us off and making things uncomfortable,” Jimin warned her when she turned in her paperwork one night.  Unbeknownst to Jimin, Takeshi did overhear it and he was surprised to hear that his colleague thought of the two together. 

Amelie did see Takeshi when she left Jimin’s office after that exchange and explained herself to Takeshi.  “Listen Takeshi, if you don’t swing that way, I get it. But I don’t think Grandpa said no because he’s not interested. He’s just doubting himself.”

[mcalhenwrites]

Now that Geckos is out, I plan to work on the side stories for a little collection of them. "Don't" and "Dancing Bones" will be edited, but I plan to post them online for free as well as put them in the story collection.

It'll likely only be an ebook, though, and it'll have a few more stories. That includes a finished version of "Late Returns" (what I've posted is only the first part of a WIP). I want to get back to Stargazers' Hill and the Warren/Henry story that isn't titled yet, but right now, Seasons has taken over my brain again. I'm editing and reposting chapters on AO3. I thought people might be upset that I was reposting it, but so far the reception has been kind. ;A; (I still feel bad somehow? But that's on me.) After publishing Geckos and having an amazing day in the next town over, the following day was... not so great. We had storms. I'm gonna be vague for location reasons, but I live in one of the towns hit by a tornado the other day. I saw a map of it, and uh, I could've seen the tornado out my bedroom window if it had hit during the day instead of at night where visibility is shit. And if I hadn't been huddled in the downstairs hallway with my cats and roommate. I was panicked about the weather all day, and that was worse because it was the anniversary of Andover 1991 (a tornado). I lived through that. Uh, very luckily I lived through that, it hit my neighborhood and was scary close to my house, to the point the sirens 50 ft away or so were drowned out by the sound of the tornado. We had no basement and no good inner rooms or closets in such a tiny house at the time. I've been through other tornadoes since then, but none were as terrifying as that one. Before the tornado and after the reminder that it was Andover 1991 aniversary... I also got an email that I didn't get a job that would've been good for my disabilities. Like, worked around it well and not been too straining on me. Plus I would've worked with animals. I'm struggling financially, so writing is the only way I'm getting any income - outside of crocheting, and I don't want to fucking do that for money. I want my hobby back. I want to make gifts. I want to make OC dolls. I want my limited physical spoons for crocheting to be for ENJOYMENT. Not so stressful it makes me fucking hate crocheting. Which... yeah, I'm kind of there again. That said, I have made a few book sales, but... Well, I'll keep trying. I've got other novels cooking. I'll double down my focus, maybe. I will sketch more. Maybe I'll reconsider using something like Patreon, which... don't love, but like. What can you love? Every site is screwing over creators in some way or another. :'( It's depressing, actually, bc I hop on facebook, and I can't see ANY posts of the people and groups I follow, but you know what I DO see? Fucking suggested pages for AI art. I really hope all the people who gentrified the tiny house movement get scammed into buying stupid fake tiny houses due to AI images and end up taking legal action eventually that helps to bring about the (hopefully inevitable) death of AI? I'm mean, but like, tiny houses and mobile homes and caravans and shit like that were houses before rich people decided they were cute and they went up to $200k-$300k. I wanted a tiny house bc I thought, "at least I might someday afford this" but nah. They took even that away. So enjoy your shitty "this is perfect for me" gushing when the fucking pillows are melted into the planks and the switches for the oven and stovetop are underneath the burners! Anyway! I should probably do more writing and take my anemic ass to bed soon. It's been... a shitty couple of days. I'm trying to be cheerful and remain optimistic and just boost Geckos, Automata... but eh. I'm also trying to survive when everything is against that. I had a suicidal thought earlier today that I should just gulp down all the pills I can get my hands on and be done with things. yay. (I won't. It was a passing thought. A desperate "oh god I can't afford to live and I should give up, I'm in my late 30s and nothing ever gets better" thought.)

[o-eh-never-sleeps]

Ay, I'm O-EH. I'm pretty new to Tumblr, so I'm sorry if I don't really know how to use this site.

I've decided that I will probably use this site similarly to how I would use Instagram, that is, one blog for my random silly stuff and another for my official webomic (Door of Despondence on Webtoon btw).

I'll be posting more of my drawings on here soon. :3

#ocart#original character#digitalart#webtoon#artoftumblr

[kaiqarker]

the watchtower’s lighthouse | stan vogel

pairing: stan vogel x reader

warnings: smut, swearing

summary: months after a disasterous first date with stan vogel, your paths cross once more when you’re lost within the depths of kern canyon national park during a thunderstorm and stan happens to have inherited a shift patrolling from the watchtower.

a/n: back from the dead because of this man. hope y’all enjoy :)

THE SKY EMULATED STAN VOGEL'S morals, consisting of gray unpredictability. If he was within the familiar walls of his assigned cabin, located along the grounds of Kern Canyon National Park, it would be an indication he wouldn't have to do much patrolling. Campers usually stayed put if there was rainfall, sticking to their own site and not off doing God knows what to the land Stan takes pride in preserving. Cascading a thick husk of superiority and knowledge was his favorite thing about the job, which is why he was disappointed he was stuck maintaining the watchtower for tonight.

The surveillance for the watchtower was run by a tight knit schedule of volunteers and the occasional firefighter that needed a change of scenery for a couple days. Needless to say with all the strange occurrences and sightings, there have been less and less people willing to take on the task. And now the duty was bestowed upon the park ranger— at least for tonight. He swore to himself that at sunrise he would be out of there and back to being the persistent, vexing gum stuck to the bottom of everyone's shoe.

Stan now sat in a wobbly chair, feet propped up on the desk and his trusty binoculars in hand. His surroundings were darkening, quicker than they would at his cabin because of the parade of trees towering over the area. He could mostly only see shadows and the outlines of the forest. His paranoia kept him on the lookout, knowing all too well what kind of perilous entities the park harbored, dark secrets he was trusted in keeping.

It was why his body jolted and he nearly fell out of his seat at a sign of movement. His hands itched to drop the binoculars and reunite with the shotgun propped up in the corner. His burst of anxiety was halted, however, once the lenses revealed a person. A wandering, soaked person clearly becoming victim to the thunderstorm that had been periodically easing and worsening for the past two hours.

Stan stood, walking over to the window with his binoculars hanging from the strap around his neck. He easily pried it open and stuck out his head. The drizzle of rain didn't reach him because of the roof stretching out along the perimeter of the watchtower, but he still felt the dip in the temperature. He estimated that it had dropped at least fifteen degrees since the start of the storm, the disappearance of the sun only escalating the drafty change.

He was about to shout down at what is most certainly a woman who had strayed too far from her campsite but then she twisted around, finally noticing the light emitting from up above. Recognization crumbles both of their attentive expressions. She becomes more than a drenched, carmine tank top, huddled body, and ropes of wet hair. He transforms into the exact opposite of a saving grace when his beige uniform and ironically angelic face are perceived.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Stalking your ex, eh?" Stan called down to her. The pattern of swift and drawned out words, swirled into a provoking and often mocking Australian accent, reached her ears over the light patter of rainfall.

She sighed, dramatically enough for Stan to see the rise and fall of her diaphragm. She considered turning around and braving the unknown of the wilderness again. If it wasn't for her sore feet and her prediction that she would develop some sort of hyperthermia if she stayed out in the cold, then she would've already been on her way.

"We went out on one date. You don't count as an ex," she clarified, craning her neck up at him. His smirk from knowing she was in a miserable condition and that he was the only one that could do anything about it ignited the first sense of heat she had felt in awhile. Her fists clenched against her crossed arms. "And you're the one with the pervy binoculars. On the prowel for half-naked campers, are you?"

He scoffed, winding his head to the side for a moment. "Enough with the bullshit. Are you coming up or not?"

In any other situation, he probably would've dragged their reunion out, teased her for being so helpless and naive. But she was shivering and looked so small curling into herself; it was a sight that played his heartstrings like a mystical harp. Even after a date gone wrong and the resentment that followed, he couldn't bare to see her like this.

She, on the other hand, still clung to some hesitation. Cozying up in a small, confined space with Stan where there were no other people around to ground her into the realms of sanity wasn't a compelling option. The both of them simply didn't get along. The nightmare of their date was very vivid in her mind, too, and she didn't want tonight to be a repeat of that.

Almost like nature could sense her doubts, thunder crackled and reverberated around the forest. Lightning flashed, incandescent and forbiding. The rain intensified, hitting her bare skin with a harsh force. Muddy shoes stumble forward a few steps but still don't gravitate towards the ladder.

"Better move your ass, sweetheart! Unless you'd prefer to get struck by lightning? Not to mention all the dangerous things lurking around that you haven't the slightest idea about."

Undeniable complacency was weaved into his taunt. However, it did get her moving. If she would've bothered to look up or if there wasn't such vast distance between them from their differing heights, she might've seen the concern nestled into glimmering, cobalt eyes.

Suffering through a climb where her wobbly legs and white knuckles were put the use, she eventually made it to top. Stan already had the latch swung open, bent down in the center of the room and waiting for her with an outstretched arm. Reluctantly, she took his offered hand and allowed him to pull her inside the watchtower.

"Crickey, you're freezing," he murmured. There was a softness to his features and the low timber of his voice. He'd even began rubbing over her fingers with his own, attempting to summon some warmth back into him, before he realized what he was doing and backed away.

"That's what happens when you get lost and separated from your friends and then get caught up in a storm," she summed up, monotonous.

"Your friends are idiots," Stan muttered.

She was about to deter the insults back his way until she suddenly felt a subtle weight on her shoulders. The scent combination of spearmint gum and lingering campfire smoke was sensed with a mere sniffle, and soon her hands were reaching up to pull on the sage green trim of his coat.

"You don't even know them," she settled for saying.

"They let you get lost, didn't they?" Stan's eyes found her wide ones, squinting slightly in familiar anger, but she could tell—this time at least—it wasn't directed towards her. "Yeah, bunch of mates, they are."

It was her turn to break the intimacy blossoming between them. She disconnects their stare that was inevitably going to convey all the unspoken feelings that still flourished inside of her to spare a glance over his shoulder. The furnace filled with a burning stack of dry wood lures her away from Stan, and she kneels down in front of it.

His hands go to his belt, elbows bent outward like he was posing as a chicken. He was unsettled by how consumed he was by his emotions. He wanted to give her space but then he finds himself reaching for her. He wanted to remain civil but the distaste in her tone and her infuriating, unreasonable glare casted towards him causes him to delve into his own hostile urges. The confusion of what to do and how to deal with her presence was boardering on insufferable.

But facing her, watching her beneath the firelight, the strain of his internal compass ebbed. He was no longer directionless or purposeless. The orange glare enducing a riveting shine to her hair and her tranquil countenance she upheld gazing into the flames had him feeling certain in just about every single thing that made the universe, the universe.

"You're staring," she whispers, a tremble in her reply she blames on recovering from the weather.

"And you won't even look over at me for a second." His observation coaxes her into peering at him, finding that he enclosed the distance between them by a few steps. A playful smile twitches across his lips. "What? Don't like a man in uniform?"

"I wouldn't be bragging about your outfit, Stan. You're a glorified Boy Scout," she remarks, rising from her position on her knees. Her thumb and pointer finger pinch the small, golden slate pinned to his shirt. "Even have badges and everything,"

"Get your grubby little hands away from my name tag. You're gonna smudge it," he grumbles, smacking her hand away; she lets out a humorless, short-lived laugh at his overreaction.

"Still an uptight asshole, I see."

"Still a mouthy brat, then?"

His retort makes her face harden. "Being honest doesn't make me a mouthy brat."

"Just inconsiderate?"

"You're preaching to me about being inconsiderate? You live off of ridiculing people. On our date, you insulted and humiliated our waiter because he didn't know the exact species of deer mounted to the wall."

"I was just taking a moment to educate him!"

"You called him a fumbling idiot who didn't know the basic fundamentals of biology!"

"Oh, like you were any better! Shoving your tits into the bartender's face to get free drinks!" He throws his hands up, easily overtaken by frustration and unresolved jealously.

"I know how much you make, Stan. You should be thanking me for that," she says slowly, deliberately, bringing up the one thing she knows will push him over the edge. He takes the bait, but she doesn't expect what he throws back at her.

"You're right. Thank you, sweetheart, for acting like such a slut on our first date that all anyone had to do for dessert was crouch down between your open legs."

Her mouth dropped at his statement. His exasperation dissolves to shock at processing his own harsh comment. He isn't able to focus on it for long, though, because she properly acts by allowing her palm to connect to his cheek.

Head snapped to the side, he can begin to taste a droplet of blood on his tongue, emitting from where his incisor pinched his bottom lip. He licks over the minor wound thoughtfully, heaving out a breath of false amusement. When he looks at her again, his face is dark and full of cruel intentions of revenge.

Stan surges forward and doesn't stop until her body crashes against the wall like she was just a bag of dismantled bones. His coat falls from her shoulders and slumps against the hardwood floor during the journey. His towering height and weight pin her in place, leaving her at the mercy of splayed hands and the relentless motions of his mouth against hers.

The awakening, leftover flavor of gum he must've chewed eariler just sinks in when he bites down hard on her lip. A whimper, the first sound she makes besides the ejection of a surprised gasp, is forced out her from the harsh gesture. A metallic taste replaces the one prior, one eager swipe of his tongue rolling past her parted lips.

The instinct to shoot her hands up and enmesh them in the soft, chestnut strands of his cropped hair is interrupted by an action of his own. He eases the intensity of the kiss, allowing her to breathe through languid, desperate puckers she reciprocates, but his fingers hook around both her bra and tank top straps, yanking them down her arms. She lifts herself out of them only to have him grasp the collar of her shirt and pull it down, her bra in tow, until they were just bundled material around her midriff.

Calloused hands fondled her breasts while his mouth diverts to her neck, sucking and nipping until her skin resembled the colorful patches of a quilt. She throws her head back against the wall, leaning into his touch and letting out the most delicate moans that had all of his blood gushing to the apex of his legs; she felt proof of it when he rutted himself against her.

Her forearms are squeezed between their bodies so she can reach the buttons of his shirt, manicured fingers working hastily and with not as much care she knew Stan would've liked, but he seemed to be too preoccupied by kissing her all over. Soon her hands were tugging up the white t-shirt he always wore underneath his uniform, and he helped her out by shifting it over his head and discarding it to the growing pile of clothes.

His chest was warm and inviting compared to hers. Her skin felt like cool marble underneath his fingertips, keeping her nipples pebbled and sweat from the heated exchange at bay. It was quite a contrast as their bodies continued to press together, her hands sliding along the expanse of his taut back while he concentrated on undoing her shorts.

"All mine," he mumbled against her jaw; it was certainly hard to disagree with him and all his handsy clutches and kisses that left her craving more.

"All yours," she confirmed softly.

The words barely left her mouth before she felt the heart-jolting sensation that was his hand sliding past her unzipped shorts and underwear. His fingers ran up and down down her folds, taking his time, ever the explorer. He often grazed her clit, encouraging her hips to arch into him for more direct contact, but he was careful to only give her a slight, fleeting amount.

"Stan." His name parted from her in a low whine—somewhat shamefully because she never thought she'd be in this circumstance, begging a hardass park ranger with a major superiority complex for a release.

"So wet for me. Awful naughty of you to get this soaked from one arguement with me, don't you think?"

She nuzzled her face into the side of his, nose brushing along his chiseled cheekbone. "Please."

"Aw, look at you. So sweet. You'd never think that you live to slander me."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I am nothing but nice to you."

"Oh?" He inserts his middle finger into her, curling it precisely, while the heel of his hand grinds against her clit with every deliberate pump.

"Yes," she gasps.

Shallow pants gradually rack through her torso, and the ache of his throbbing cock becomes unbearable at the sight of her defenseless against his advances. He adds another finger, the grip and warmth of her slick walls causing him to shudder in anticipation.

"Such a little liar," he groans out after a particularly provocative contraction around his digits, one that rids him of whatever patience he had left.

He abruptly removes his hand from her shorts, something that makes her closed eyes flicker open. Her mouth immediately morphs into a pout and she squeezes his biceps in protest.

She isn't left waiting for long, hands on her hips guiding her away from the wall until the underside of her knees hit the edge of a cot. His mouth parts from hers once more, a sweet dragging of overlapped lips exchanged during the slow steps, so he can pull back the blanket. She looks over her shoulder at the neatly presented cot, which Stan must've brought with him along with his own fitted bedspread. She was now appreciative that he always came prepared.

Without having to be told, she crawled underneath the covers after ridding herself of the remainder of her clothing. Stan did the same once she was settled, becoming the final layer that draped over her body. The blanket and the crisp white of a top sheet stopped at the dimples of his back, and she was trapped in warmth, intensified by the glorious weight of his bare body on hers. Arms on either side of her head latch the cage as he leans down for another kiss.

"Don't mistake me keeping you warm as forgiveness. I'm still very mad at you. You drive me crazy," he sighs against her jaw, his eyelashes fluttering against the apple of her cheek.

"Don't mistake me moaning for you as an apology. You don't deserve one." Her strokes at the nape of his neck never faltered. Her thighs spread, legs winding around his, desperate for him to do something with his cock that laid twitching and swollen on her navel. "Well, you might if you fuck me hard enough."

"Shut up already."

Long fingers brick over her parted mouth in time with the repositioning of his hips, muffling the cries of consumption that came from him sinking inside of her. Eyes roll to the back of her head, almost completely sated by just the feeling of being filled. The head of his shaft glided against her most sensitive spot like a brush of shoulders, and her thighs tightening around his waist was her turning around, ready to chase shattering gratification.

Although slow, his thrusts into her were brutal. They held onto to each other like you would to ropes of a ruinous bridge connecting two cliffs, like they would be faced with a plummeting death if they were to let go. And yet, they were fighting along the wobbly planks, the semicircles of hip bones clashing together like medieval swords. It was all extremes, but neither of them would have it any other way.

He was making the most beautiful sounds above her. Through his ruthless motions, were breathy moans and whines of her name, the occasional praise intertwined into his enticing responses. Eventually, he allowed his hand to stop sealing her lips, sliding it down to clutch the flesh of her thigh with the promise of bruises. Her soft pleas and moans of euphoria joined his to create a symphony worthy of a ballet orchestra.

Strings of saliva conntected rouge lips to the marked skin of his neck, where she continued to suckle and playfully nip. The roll of their bodies picked up speed, both becoming impatient by the delicious ache they kept provoking, daring one another to spasm out of control. They craved for their muscles to become a tightrope and for the most intimate parts of them to pulsate from the finality of release.

"You've never looked prettier than you do right now. Your cunt squeezing me so tight, your mouth only able to form breathless whispers... completely wrecked. I love it."

"Please," she cannot help but beg, flickering eyes undecided on whether to shut her continue their hazy, half-lidded stare into his own.

"You want to come?" The inward pull of his eyebrows and the slight curl of his parted mouth way as well have been a mocking pout. "I know you do. I shouldn't even let you, though. You've been intolerable. I should just come all over your writhing body and leave you here without any satisfaction. Even if you were to finish yourself off, it wouldn't be enough. It would only feel subpar, and you know that, don't you?" His breath fans her face like the furnace had moments ago, and she can only whimper in reply. "Only I can sate you, sweetheart."

Her hands, whose nails had already inflicted damage to the freckled canvas of his back, sweep over his shoulders to cup his jaw. Her thumb strokes his jawline while the other ventures down the column of his throat, feeling the bob of his adam's apple with every constristing swallow he took. She could tell he was close, too, and decided to nod her head gently in agreement to his words, to wave her white flag.

Her surrender is reassured by fingertips dragging down her torso to her enlarged clit, granting bone-vanishing swipes that causes stuttered gasps and limbs going slack. It only takes a few seconds of coaxing rubbing for her release to erupt, the molten lava bursting from the pit of her stomach to electrify just about every nerve in her body. Her encompassing walls clutch around him so tightly that it summons a delirious climax from him.

His strenuous pace wavers, his hold on the cot becoming prudent, as if it was a buoy keeping him afloat through the thrashing waves of pleasure. White, sticky ribbons coat the inside of her thighs, and it's only when his heartbeat ebbs from his eardrums that he cracks his eyes open and collaspes into the small remaining space between her and the wall.

Stan speaks after catching his breath, remaining pants interwoven into his declaration. "This should've happened sooner."

"It would've if you weren't such a prick," she noted, sparing him a quick glance.

"Okay, maybe... I wasn't on my best behavior. But I was nervous. I liked you a lot. I wanted to impress you."

"And you thought bragging about how you're a know-it-all when it comes to plants and wildlife and the park's terrain was going to the trick?"She questioned, snorting at his logic. His nose twitch, an indicator of embarrassment, and she grabs his arm and tucks herself into his side. "You're such a dork."

He smiled at the gesture before she continued, "I'm sorry that I flirted with the bartender. I didn't mean to make you feel like you were second best or anything. Honest to God, I just wanted free stuff."

"Well, the cream puffs you got out of it were actually delicious," Stan admitted, tilting his head in her direction.

She smiled back at him. "I know, right?"

Stan may not be a prime example of a good guy but he had always took glory in being good at his job. That's what kept him going, that's what fueled him all these years. Now, he was considering what life entailed outside of that. Outside of the stressful responsibilities and government conspiracies and the never-ending studious tendencies. She came to him for refuge tonight, but, the truth is, he had been relying on her for a long time. To fascinate him, to stand up to him, to guide him back to where he belonged.

He felt like he was finally pursuing something that was more important than his duties here, than anything else he's ever experienced. He was an off-bound ship, cruising blind into the dead of the night, and she was a lighthouse, promising purpose and salvation from every bad thing that ever tried to sink him.

// idk who to tag but i think @sojournmichael @fckinsupreme & @instinctsxbaby might be interested (you’re all so talented)!

[kyouxa]

Diabolik lovers Chaos Lineage: Shin Tsukinami (Story 12)

In terms of the gameplay: The black choices lead up to a bad ending, the white choices lead up to a good ending. Please no reposting onto other sites, ask me before translating this into another language too! If you enjoy these translations, please consider supporting me on ko-fi.

Place: Abandoned house — Outside

Yui: (Yesterday I was apparently the first one to fall asleep. Was I really that tired though?)

Kino: How nice. C’mon, it’s hot now.

It’s some food I’ve been stealing beforehand, so please eat it as carefully as you can.

Yui: Kino-kun, thank you.

Shin: Did you steal things like this before us knowing about it too?

Kino: I might’ve taken some while you two were resting a bit.

For once, I wasn’t just playing around as you see.

Shin: No, that’s an extension of playing around, don’t you think?

Kino: Meanie. I only brought it with me because I thought that girl might be hungry to begin with. 

Yui: Really? Thank you for your concern then.

Kino: Ah, yeah! I also found something really interesting while I was searching for food!

I want to show it to Shin, so wait here for a hot minute. I’ll go get it.

*Kino leaves*

Shin: What could be so interesting? Well, whatever. I shouldn’t be surprised about anything that guy pulls up anymore.

Go on, you can eat without holding back now. You’re hungry, aren’t you?

Yui: Yep, after everything that happened, I really am. Thanks for the food! 

Ah, it’s hot… ! 

(The meat is really hot because it was freshly roasted… !)

Shin: You’re not a child anymore, so eat more calmly than that. Nobody’s taking it away from you after all.

Yui: Yes, you’re right. 

...Nn, it hurts… it looks like I burnt my tongue

Shin: Haa. Your clumsiness is showing, seriously.

*Shin gets closer*

Shin: Alright, show me your tongue. I have to check on it before it might get even worse.

Yui: Eh!? I’m fine, really! It’s not that big of a deal.

Shin: If it gets worse you’ll suffer deterioration. It’s better to show me yourself before I’m forced to pull your tongue out myself, right?

Yui: (Uhh… it’s no use, but I still hate it… let’s see)

Fine, I get it. I’ll show you myself.

Shin: What? I would’ve been fine with pulling it out myself as well.

Yui: No, thanks… ! Alright, Nn…

*Yui shows tongue*

Shin: Ah, it’s getting really red.

Should I take care of it? It would heal way faster like that, don’t you think?

Yui: Eh!? No! You don’t have to go that far, I’m fine.

Shin: You shouldn’t decline. I would be glad to help you out for the sake of it healing faster. 

Yui: T-That’s not...

Shin: Perhaps you would rather want to be bitten by my fangs than simply being treated? Well, if that’s so you could’ve told me earlier.

Yui: That’s not what I asked for… ! 

Shin: Looks as if the third wheel’s about to come back. I’ll settle this now or never then.

Nn…

*Shin kisses Yui*

Yui: Nn…

Shin: Kuku, your face is bright red. You’re still shy even if it’s just kissing.

If you don’t get used to it, there might be some difficulties in the future.

Yui: It’s embarrassing to me, therefore I can’t help it, okay… !?

Kino: ...Ahem, Ahem! 

Yui: Ah, Kino-kun! You’re back!

Kino: Yep, I’m back. Ah, don’t worry about me, just keep going.

*Shin backs off*

Shin: We can’t easily continue now. There’s nothing more we’re gonna show you either.

Kino: How lewd. Well, whatever. Apart from that, I want you to look at this. 

*Kino gets closer*

Yui: Ah, talking about it, you wanted to show us something interesting, right… ? 

Kino: Hm, yep! Tada, look at this! It’s a caricature of Shin! 

Yui: Eh? Of Shin-kun?

Shin: Uwah! Where did you get this from!?

Kino: I found it when exploring the Orange mansion. I brought it reflexively with me because it was kinda an amazing sketch, in my opinion.

Hey, did you draw this? I found it in Shin-kun’s room, but...

Shin: T-That’s...

Yui: But it looks really good. Did Shin-kun draw this all by himself?

Shin: It’s not like that. Because I had no time to do it myself, I let a familiar draw it for me instead.

Kino: Hmm, so it’s a portrait? As expected from a founder, they really act differently.

But even so, do you really like yourself that much? This portrait is way prettier than you actually are though.

Shin: Shut up! I mean, you’re not beautifaction yourself in person either! I at least let them draw me faithfully.

I’m totally fine with how this turned out. We have to talk about way more important things than that anyway. 

Kino: Yep, Yep. Let’s talk seriously about this matter from now on. Does any of you got something?

Shin: I… I want to regain my brother’s memory.

After I first got to observe the situation, I immediately felt as if it’s an impossible task. We met each other face to face several times, yet I haven’t noticed any change in him.

Yui: Shin-kun…

Kino: Well, guess so. 

Shin: So I think it’s best to find a way to get out of here first, before trying anything with him again.

Kino: Don’t you think that this is also difficult? We’ve just been looking around the mansions for now, that’s it. And even there were no clues.

Shin: I know that. I just want to get out of this ridiculous place if possible. Maybe his memory would come back naturally then.

...I thought that if I can’t somehow shake his memory, they might be able to come back themselves by any chance.

Kino: By chance, huh? Does that mean you actually cared about what I said yesterday?

Shin: ...Not really.

Yui: Yesterday? 

(I wonder what happened while I was asleep?)

Shin: So, what’s it? Do you think it’s the opposite? 

Kino: No. As you said it yourself, I think it would be quicker to get out of here first.

Shin: Thought so. What do you think?

Choices

1) What about Carla-san then? (black)

2) I want to know how to escape (white)♡ ♡ ♡

— What about Carla-san then? 

Yui: What about Carla-san then? You’re the one who wants him to remember the most after all.

Shin: It can’t be helped. I’m worried about my brother, yes, but I can’t let this be a constant priority that weighs on my mind. 

Yui: You’re right. As long as Shin-kun’s fine, I think it would be better to find an escape route first too.

Kino: Aight, it’s unanimous.

— I want to know how to escape♡

Yui: I think it would be best to find a way to escape from here first as well. Maybe Carla-san’s memory will come back once we escape.

Shin: Right? It wouldn’t make sense if we meaninglessly return home without all of their memories coming back to them. We, Kino and everyone else.

Yes, that would be a reason to postpone my brother. This is what we should aim for in the future...

Yui: (He’s speaking to us as if he’s entirely trying to convince himself about this)

(Maybe Shin-kun really wants to go and actually see Carla-san as soon as possible)

(I can’t get this feeling of them wanting to desperately kill us off either though…)

It’ll be fine, Shin-kun. I’m sure this won’t last too long anymore.

Shin: Yes, it’ll be fine. I know that.

Alright, unanimity agreed to it then.

Yui: Yes.

Kino: Okey-doke.

end Choices

Shin: That’s settled then.

Kino: I guess he’ll be able to manage his memory somehow or another. If I could go back to my original house, Yuri would probably help me for sure.

Yui: Yuri-san?

Kino: He’s my loyal servant. As soon as I get home from here, I’ll let him do some research in order to restore your brother's memory.

Shin: Yes, that would help a lot.

Kino: But, y’know… Even if we’re looking for an escape route, we have to first of all figure out how we were brought to this place 

Shin: It’s worse, especially since we know nothing about this place. If there are at least any hints somewhere...

Yui: That’s true. It was also one of the reasons we went into each of the mansions...

Shin: Seriously, did you notice anything?

Yui: What I noticed—

*flashbacks*

Yui: Ah! Speaking of that—

Shin: What?

Yui: Each of the mansions had the exact amounts of chess pieces on their chess boards

Shin: Now that you mention it, I do think I noticed one standing in the living room of the Orange mansion once...

Kino: Ah, there was also one in Scarlet’s mansion.

Yui: I remember there was also one in the Violet mansion. Besides, the floor of the church also has a checkered pattern of black and white marble—

Kino: Like a chessboard.

Yui: Yes!

Shin: I see. But what exactly does this have to do with this? Both are probably just there as decorations.

Kino: No, I doubt that it’s just for decoration… I see now.

Yui: Kino-kun, did you figure something out?

Kino: I wouldn’t call it “figure”. It’s just that I thought of something...

We were forcibly dumbed off in this unknown place and also got a fake memory. In my opinion, this all seems as if it’s definitely someone’s work.

Shin: So you’re saying there’s a mastermind?

Kino: Exactly. If there’s an ongoing game, there also has to be a mastermind behind it.

Us, as the players, were given those hints to probably keep this as interesting as we can.

Shin: Hah? In other words— ...Nn!

Yui: Shin-kun? What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly stand up?

*Shin sniffs air*

Shin: Hnff

Damn it! We’re surrounded!

Yui: Eh… !?

Ayato: Guess we finally found you, traitors!

Kanato: You did terrible things to us, remember? There is no way we would let you kidnap Eve and then join hands with the enemy—

Yui: (Ayato-kun! Kanato-kun! And—)

Ruki: —Shin, I get it now…

I would’ve never expected for my most trusted person to end up betraying me as simple as that.

Shin: Ru… Brother…

Ruki: A traitor, such as yourself, has no right to call me his brother any longer!

Yui: ...Nn!

Shin: It’s useless even if I’ll try to explain. But I never intended to look as if I was about to betray you or anything, I swear.

I know you were a good brother, even if you’ve never been my real older brother in the end...

Ruki: I’ve got no idea about what strange things you’re blabbering, yet the confirmation of you being here is fact enough.

It doesn’t change the situation, even if you start coming up with excuses.

Ayato: Hey, Ruki! Let’s take these guys out quickly!

Kanato: That’s right. Let’s rightfully punish them. I’ll tear them into pieces once I get my hands around them.

Yui: (What should we do now? If we’re doing nothing, they’ll start a battle—! Am I really not able to somehow avoid this?)

Kino: Shin, what do we do?

Shin: The only ones with fighting skills are you and me. It would be 3 vs 2...

Kino: Besides, it would be a battle while we’d also have to try to protect the girl from being taken away from us.

Yui: (What should I do… I’m holding them back from what they have to do because I’m with them)

Shin: We have no choice, seems as if we really have to confront our problems head-on and fight them.

Kino: Eh? That’s not true. If you transform yourself into a wolf, you could carry her and easily run away.

Shin: Hah? I can’t just do that!

Kino: ...Why not? Do you really have to complain about my strategy now?

Shin: My back is limited to only giving one of you a ride! I don’t know if you’d be able to get away without me helping you!

Kino: ...Nn!! What… why would you say something like that…

*Kino mumbles*

Kino: Ahh… I guess I have no choice but to save you as a repayment now too. 

Yui: ….. ?

Shin: So instead of running away, I’d like to break through this in our own ways...

Kino: No, we’re gonna avoid confronting them head-on and not fight them. We’re changing strategies.

Shin: Hah? Why change them so late...

Kino: Ready? When I’ll give you the signal, you have to run.

Shin: Eh? What do you mean?

Kino: With this, we’ll easily be able to get away right in front of them… you guys, close your eyes and noses! 

*Kino throws something*

Ayato: What the!? What did he throw!?

Kanato: A pouch… ?

Ruki: ...Nn! That’s not just a mere pouch. Close your eyes and hold your breath!

*pouch explodes*

Kanato: Ahem, Ahem, Ahem

Ayato: Ngh! What’s going on here!? I can’t see shit anymore! Ahem, Ahem.

Ruki: Kch… Ayato, Kanato can you see the enemy? 

Ayato: Don’t bullshit me! I can’t see anything!

Shin: Damn, that guy’s really something. But he saved us! We only have to run away now!

Yui: (Shin-kun’s voice!)

Where? Where are you? I can’t see anything! 

Shin: Over here!

*Shin grabs Yui*

Yui: (The one holding my hand right now… it’s Shin-kun!)

Kino: Hurry, both of you! 

Yui: (I also heard Kino-kun’s voice. I’m sure I’ll be fine as long as I follow the sound of their voices— !)

Place: Outside — Forest

Yui: Haa… Haa… Haa—

Shin: Haa… Haa…

Kino: Haa, Haa…

Shin: Kino, what was that about?

Kino: It was a wheat bomb.

Yui: Huh!?

Kino: I secretly made it when we were in the Violet mansion back then. All I did was wrap the smoldering wheat in a cloth, get it?

Shin: And you really made that yourself? You’re an unexpectedly shrewd guy.

Yui: Thanks to that, we were saved! Thank you, Kino-kun!  

Kino: I have to admit… I’d love to hear you praise me more, but we have to worry about running away first! 

Yui: (Seriously, it’s all thanks to Kino-kun that we’re safe right now. He’s a really good person after all)

[spark-09butghostfilesbitch]

Truth or Dare

“I don’t want to,” Mai said as she straightened a bouquet.

“But everyone’s gonna be there, Mai!” Ty Lee implored. “It’s gonna be fun.”

“I don’t like fun.”

“What’s going on?”

The two girls turned and their eyes fell upon Tom Tom.

Ty Lee replied,"Aang, Katara, Toph and Sokka are visiting. They want Mai to come too since they won't be staying very long."

Tom Tom looked at his sister, doing his 'polar bear puppy eyes' thing.

"Please, can we go, Mai? I want to see Aang's air marble trick again!"

Mai frowned at her brother. "I'm willing to drop you off but I'm not coming."

"It would be so much better if you came, though," Ty Lee interjected. "We'd love to have you there."

Mai sighed out of frustration. It wasn't that she didn't like going to the palace. No, she just didn't want to meet Zuko.

Ever since their 'make up', Mai was unclear on what to do. She was sure she liked him liked him in the I-don't-hate-you kind of way, but she was still hesitant to be in a relationship again. When she had told Zuko this, he had cupped her cheek and told her he'd wait as long as she'd wanted.

And Mai had been thinking about his words. She just wasn't ready to face him yet.

"Mai?"

Ty Lee's voice shook her out of her thoughts. The knife thrower looked at the chi blocker.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to," She said.

"No, no, I'll come," Mai said. She smiled at her oldest friend. "It'll be nice to reconnect with some old friends."

*

When Mai and Tom Tom arrived at the Royal Palace the next day, they found Ty Lee waiting for them. Tom Tom waved at her.

"You didn't have to wait," Mai said. Ty Lee looked up from where she had been doing a handstand, her legs arched and almost touching her head.

"I wanted to," She replied. She bent out of her handstand to survey her friends.

"You look tired, Mai. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine. Tom just woke me up early." Mai frowned at the seven year old, and he shot her a sheepish grin. Mai sighed and shook her head.

"Let's go," She said. Together, the trio walked inside.

*

Mai opened the door to the sitting room. Inside, she found Team Avatar and Kiyi. Suki sat on the carpet covered floor. Kiyi sat on an armchair which looked too big for her. Aang and Katara sat together on a fainting couch. Sokka sat on a settee. Toph was lying down on the settee and had her feet propped up on Sokka's lap. The Water Tribesman didn't seem to mind.

Zuko sat at the foot of Kiyi's armchair. When he saw Mai, he smiled at her. Mai returned her more subdued smile. Tom Tom managed to squeeze in the armchair with Kiyi. Mai and Ty Lee took seats on the floor.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Sokka asked. They all nodded.

"What will we be playing?" Tom Tom asked Sokka. Sokka grinned.

"Truth or Dare, kiddo," He said. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that Mai didn't like.

*

"Okay, who'll go first?" Sokka asked enthusiastically.

"Ooh, me!" Said Ty Lee.

"Okay, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Well," Sokka placed a hand on his chin. "Who's one person you can't live without?" He asked.

"I'd say...the Kyoshi Warriors, you guys and my family," Ty Lee finished. Sokka nodded. He turned to Toph.

"Toph, truth or dare?"

"Eh, truth," She said carelessly.

"Have you ever lost an Earth Rumble tournament?" Said Sokka.

"No. Other than the one with Twinkletoes I haven't lost to anybody else."

"Katara, truth or dare?"

"Dare," The waterbender answered.

"Okay," Toph said."I dare you to drink that bottle of extra spicy peanut sauce." Toph looked at her smugly. Katara spluttered.

"What - drink that?! Are you out of your mind?" Katara shrieked.

"Yeah, Sweetness, drink that bottle of extra spicy peanut sauce. You can have water after."

Katara looked like she was about to protest, but she defiantly walked across the room and grabbed the bottle of sauce. She stared at it for a few moments before opening it and taking a long sip.

As soon as the bottle was away from her lips, she gasped. Her face was flushed. Lips pressed together, she walked over to the table where the water was, grabbed a cup and took another long swig.

After draining the glass, Katara walked back to Aang and glared at Toph. The others laughed.

"One point to Katara," Suki said.

*

The game went on for another two hours. Suki was dared to kiss Sokka while holding a handstand, Aang was dared to walk around the palace and explain the rules of Pai Sho to random people. Mai was dared to throw a knife on an apple placed on Zuko's head while blindfolded. Thankfully, the tasks turned out well.

Finally, it was Zuko's turn. He'd been withdrawn for the most part and he agreed to a dare.

"Zuko," Sokka said. "I dare you to announce who the prettiest girl in the room is and kiss them."

There was silence at Sokka's words. Zuko's eyes widened and his cheeks flamed. The others put a hand to their mouths to hide their smiles. Zuko glared at Sokka.

"Couldn't you have given me anything else?" He exclaimed.

"You asked for a dare," Sokka said. "Here it is."

Sokka smiled at him innocently. Zuko bit his lip. Mai could almost see a plan to escape forming in his mind.

Finally, he announced in a strangely strangled voice, "Suki."

Everyone laughed. Toph had a cocky look on her face. "I can tell when people are lying, Hothead. And we all know it isn't Suki."

Zuko went even redder. Mai was sure that something in the room might be set on fire. But why was he so flustered? He just had to announce the prettiest person in the room and kiss them. It wasn't an uncommon thing to ask during Truth or Dare.

She felt like she was missing something, a vital piece of the puzzle. She felt like she should know who he was about to kiss. But she didn't.

His eyes kept flickering to her, his face turning redder. He ran a hand through his hair and kept glancing in her direction and.....oh.

Oh.

Mai understood. The others' smirks made sense. Zuko's fluster made sense.

She bit her lip and stared at her lap. She could feel everyone's gaze on her.

"Are you going to do it or not, Jerkbender?" Sokka asked teasingly. Zuko glared again.

"Fine," He said.

He cautiously approached her. Mai looked up a him. Zuko looked nervous, uncertain.

He stared at her furtively for a few seconds, before dipping his head down and kissed her. They broke apart within seconds and even though it was barely a brush of the lips, it left Mai's heart racing.

Zuko moved away from her. The others booed good naturedly. Mai could hear Tom Tom make retching noises.

"Oh, come on, that wasn't even a proper kiss!" Sokka protested. There were murmurs of agreement among the others.

Zuko shot him an icy glare but that didn't have an effect on them.

"You asked for us to kiss. We kissed. End of story." He said.

"It was barely a kiss and it still made your heart do somersaults," Toph said. "You've got it bad."

"Toph!" Zuko said angrily.

"What? I'm just stating facts."

Mai sighed. She knew their friends weren't going to leave them alone after this.

"We'll do it," She announced.

She walked over to him and knelt down. He looked at her, nervous and uncertain.

"Do you want to do this?" He whispered.

"Let's just get this over with."

His lips were soft. He kissed her gently, his hand cupped her cheek, while the other linked their fingers. Mai rested her hand on his forearm.

Mai had missed feeling like that. The feeling of his hand in hers. The feeling of his lips against hers. She felt warm, both inside and out. They broke apart and Mai glanced at Zuko.

His face was flushed. He stared right back at her, trying to control his breathing.

She heard someone wolf whistle and there was an outbreak of awkward giggling. Mai and Zuko disentangled themselves from each other and resolved to siting in their usual positions near Ty Lee and Suki.

*

Their friends slowly began to trickle out after that. Finally, when only Mai and Zuko were remaining, Zuko plopped down next to her. They sat in silence. It wasn't awkward but it wasn't comfortable either.

"I'm sorry," Zuko said.

Mai looked at him. "For what?" She asked, confused.

"For - well, I don't know what I'm apologizing for but I feel like I may have crossed a line," Zuko said.

"You didn't cross any lines. There isn't anything to apologize for," Mai said.

"There isn't? I didn't make you uncomfortable or anything?" Zuko asked.

Mai sighed. She knew they were going to have this conversation sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.

"I know I said I needed time," She began. "I think about your offer a lot, Zuko. To be honest, I didn't want to come today because it would mean meeting you but I'm glad I came. I felt like this gave me a push I needed."

Zuko smiled at her. "So, you're okay with us being a thing again?" He asked.

Mai returned his smile. "We'll practice opening up about our feelings and problems. If the Spirits are on our side, we could probably make it work."

Zuko took her hand. "We don't need the Spirits on our side. I already have you."

Mai blushed. "You're so cheesy."

But she was smiling too, and Zuko felt his heart soar.

He leaned his forehead against hers. Mai placed a hand on either side of his face. He knew what was coming and his eyes slid shut.

He smiled against her lips and could feel that she was smiling too.

They kissed slowly and then they broke apart. Mai's cheeks were dusted with a pink blush. His smile grew wider as Mai rested their foreheads together once more. He knew they ought to head back to their friends, but right now.....he was happy right where he was.

Story is also cross posted on Fanfiction.net and AO3.