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#not just someone cowardly who survives by bullying others
softbean · 1 year
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everything she deserves 🌼
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sepublic · 1 year
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            Meet Nykon the Lightning Dragon! She’s a dragon made of lightning and metal, through and through! That sounds awesome, which makes it all the more unfortunate that she kinda sucks.
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                    Nykon is cruel, vindictive, and spiteful; She is the quintessential bully, petty in her targeting of those smaller and weaker than her. This is already pathetic as-is, but being the second-largest Escapee, and powerful even amongst that group, certainly highlights the pointless disparity of it all. Nykon revels in twisting the knife, pouring salt into the wound; Inflicting both physical and emotional torment, constantly reminding victims of how weak and pathetic they are, indulging in their sense of utter helplessness.
         She’s latched onto humanity in particular as her favorite targets; Nykon will terrorize a group here or there, going on tangents about how much they suck as a species to their face. How cowardly, how greedy, how bigoted they are; Which is rich coming from her, but maybe it’s a hidden self-loathing and projection speaking. And/or dragon arrogance that justifies this cognitive dissonance.
         So what’s her damage? Not that it justifies anything, merely explains… But Nykon was once a regular flesh-and-blood dragon from the Monster Realm, who breathed fire like all the rest. But her family was a particularly traditional, old-fashioned one that believed in far more brutal methods of upbringing; They saw modern dragons as having become soft. Nykon’s parents were outcasts in their own right, for their extreme sadism that crossed a line even for dragon culture at the time, and so they lived on the fringes, remote from others, and thus outside the territory of any child protection laws that might’ve existed at the time.
         It was unimaginably traumatic, growing up as a member of Nykon’s brood; They were forced to constantly fight each for food, survival of the fittest, with the weakest left to die and even become nourishment for the others. Pain was regularly dealt, supposedly to forge the children into stronger dragons; But clearly, it was just their parents blowing off steam. Why even have children? Maybe as targets to hold socially-acceptable authority over.
         In any case, Nykon somehow clawed her way to survival and emerged alive for it, yet scarred. As someone who received abuse, she could’ve chosen to end the cycle and replace it with kindness… But instead, Nykon opted to perpetuate it, the same way people justify oppressive systems they suffer from, in the hopes that one day they’ll be the ones at the top, thereby justifying what they went through.
         So when Nykon flew from the nest and joined mainstream society, she enlisted as an enforcer and thug for various dragon guilds; Sometimes raiding a village for treasure, strong-arming weekly payments from groups indebted to the dragon hoards, that sort of thing. Nykon took particular delight when it came to torturing thieves, as dragons were very possessive and proud, which translated into a severe vindictiveness towards anyone who threatened their property.
         Paranoia over thieves meant drastic measures to send a message, including excessive torture, sometimes even in broad daylight, in front of those indebted to the hoards! And Nykon was always eager to deliver and enforce on that aspect… Even amongst her peers, she was seen as extreme.
         So why humans? Aside from the fact that they’re an easy, socially-acceptable target… Dragons are a part of the Monster Realm and must co-exist with its other species, inevitably. But humans are generally outside that purview, meaning the occasional venture into the Shining Void for loot meant dragons and other ‘explorers’ could get away with anything, before disappearing back to their home realm.
         And as someone who participated in some of these raids, Nykon found a taste for human misery. They were foreign outsiders, making humans even more easy to dehumanize (for lack of a better term), and powerless compared to most species in the Monster Realm. They were even more pathetic in Nykon’s eyes, and thus even less deserving of life, in the eyes of someone who suffered so much for the privilege of survival.
         Bitterness is the reason; Bitterness that she suffered, and yet others could live so idyllically and have nothing expected of them. Bitterness upon entering regular society in the Monster Realm, only to find it not as welcoming, not as nurturing, to Nykon as she needed it to be; Even away from the nest, Nykon couldn’t truly allow herself to be vulnerable, and it drove her mad. There was a positive association to cruelty for her, rewarded by others or simply the high of feeling bigger over someone smaller.
         Humans were a favorite target of Nykon’s, but not an often one; That was, until a small group of dragons attempted to defy their masters. They failed and were sent on the run, and Nykon was tasked to hunt them down, and drag these traitors back to the Monster Realm to be properly made an example of. It was an assignment for losers; To track down losers, to be given to a loser to handle.
         After all, Nykon was seen as a bit extreme by her peers, which led to distancing and only contributed to her lack of social skills, as did her upbringing. Combined with the fact that she basically appeared out of nowhere, with seemingly nothing to her name, no possessions on her back, and Nykon was derided in whispers as a nobody.
         To be given this assignment was to be declared almost as much of a loser as these dissenters; But it also offered a chance to be taken seriously, hopefully, in Nykon’s eyes. So despite the minor humiliation of the task, Nykon accepted it and tracked down her targets into the Shining Void, the realm of humanity. In her search, she terrorized human settlements, using force even when it wasn’t necessary.
         Villages burned down, and Nykon often slaughtered the occasional group of travelers as a way to blow off steam and kill time, whenever stuck on some dead end. Tales spread of a dragon who reveled in the massacre and didn’t even care for riches, another reason for why Nykon was an outcast amongst her peers.
         Nykon simultaneously enjoyed and depised humans for their hatred, feeling indignation towards them fighting back; On the human end of things, dragons were treated as foreign beasts, and thus in Nykon’s eyes weren’t given the proper respect they deserved. Granted, murdering everyone as a first impression won’t make humans so inclined to recognize and welcome dragons as fellow people, either… Still, there’s nothing a bully hates more than a victim who fights back, and ruins their fun time for them, ends it even, and wounds them.
         Nykon came into conflict with her targets; But that brought her into conflict with a Wayvren, who needed help regarding a sacred task, and saw the dragon outcasts as perfect for the job. He needed them, but so did Nykon; Likewise, Nykon was a legitimate threat to innocents. Thus, Wayvren teamed up with Nykon’s targets, and together they defeated the cruel dragon.
         Nykon was incensed, forced to escape with her tail between her legs; She’d never felt humiliation like this before, save for when she was younger… That made her even more mad. And to be beaten by a human, no less?! Back home, she was already becoming a subject of ridicule for failing to bring back the traitors. She felt like she was losing respect both amongst peers and her victims, and Nykon became desperate to restore things to their natural order with her on top.
         Somehow, she came into contact with the Terrorbrai, who lent her one of their legendary Typhonus Armors; The Typhonus Crescere. The Crescere was unusual amongst its fellow armors; It wasn’t indestructible, save for its core. But what it lacked in quality, it made up for quantity… The Crescere could absorb metal, incorporating it into a growing armor that would build layer after layer on top of itself to become stronger. If damaged, the Crescere could always replace lost metal with new pieces.
         The Terrorbrai lent Nykon the Typhonus Crescere, for no other reason than to cause chaos, and they’d heard plenty regarding Nykon. Nykon returned for a rematch, making sure to feed the Crescere to bolster its strength, cover herself in layers and make herself even bigger… And still lost. Incensed, Nykon flew back to the Terrorbrai, and demanded they give her something else to become stronger.
         Hisinava, the Terrorbrai in charge of these dealings, didn’t appreciate this dragon’s tone (especially as someone who had a Terrorbrai dragon for a friend who was much more agreeable); However, he agreed given Maelstrom’s goal to cause chaos.
         Nykon was still a living being, and that came with weaknesses, which she despised in her victims. The limits of food, water, and other needs was such a hassle, and any Terrorbrai reborn via Maelstrom was always glad to be rid of them; As was Hisinava’s aforementioned dragon comrade, whom he had no doubt could destroy Nykon in a fight. But seeing as how Nykon clearly wasn’t compatible with the ideology of Maelstrom…
         Well, there was another way Nykon could transcend moral limits; The Phantom Alliance, sworn enemies of the Terrorbrai, had dabbled in bonding souls to objects, often suits of armor in the shape of the body their subject once had. Nykon may have had armor, but she was still a soft and squishy fleshling underneath it all… But AS the armor, Nykon would always have an indestructible core to fall back on, and remain immortal with.
         At this point, Nykon was desperate; She felt humiliated, self-conscious and already castigated in all but official word by her peers. She’d devoted years to this assignment, and the thought of being vulnerable and at the mercy of others all over again, simply not strong enough… The idea of her victims outgrowing Nykon, becoming superior? Those pathetic, lowly losers who should be beneath her…
         Nykon agreed, having nothing to lose in her eyes. She needed to restore the natural order, at any cost; Nykon accepted the loss of her body and even fire breath if it meant an immortal body that could never tire, never die. With Nykon’s consent (a strange thing to ask for, given the Terrorbrai track record), Hisinava advised her to enjoy some last few days with the pleasures of the living body. Nykon refused, but Hisinava made her do it anyway, disappearing.
         When her time was up, Nykon was approached by Hisinava once more, who led her to a mountain peak with a group of fellow Terrorbrai. Overheard, thunder rumbled as the clouds turned dark… The Terrorbrai laid out the Typhonus Crescere, and prepared an implement of soul stone. With Nykon saying goodbye to her old body, she welcomed a death to achieve rebirth, and her soul was reaped, contained within the soul stone.
         Through an amateur foray into magic and some genuine luck, the Terrorbrai managed to bond Nykon’s soul to the armor… But speaking of luck! At the exact moment her soul was being bonded, lightning struck the mountain peak they stood atop.
         In hindsight, maybe Hisinava should’ve remembered this as a hazard, or chosen anywhere other than the highest point of elevation to perform this ritual. But maybe, secretly, he knew the unpredictable dangers, and welcomed them due to his nature as a Terrorbrai. If so, the gamble certainly paid off, as it resulted in something truly unexpected and strange…
         Lightning fused with the armor and Nykon’s soul, mixing together; And what emerged was a fusion of pure electricity, wreathed in the Typhonus Crescere’s metal. It crackled, raged, and burned, flashing and vaporizing nearby objects. The Terrorbrai were forced to fall back and maintain a safe distance, but as they watched, the shambling mess of lightning and metal began to take shape and form…
         Finally, it took the appearance of Nykon herself; Now made of lightning and Typhonus Armor! The Terrorbrai applauded Nykon on her miracle, and after adjusting to both the figurative and literal shock of her new body and the unexpected twist… Nykon felt reinvigorated. She’d lost physical feeling, but fate had chosen to bestow Nykon an unexpected power to replace her fire, and why?
         Because it was destiny, no doubt; The natural order of things that Nykon be stronger, be on top. And nature itself supported her with a surprise gift nobody saw coming.
         Emboldened, Nykon immediately set off, deserting Hisinava and the others without even a thank you; Rude, but they didn’t mind it too much and went back to their regular schedule, which was basically anything. Nykon made a beeline for her enemies, those dragon traitors, as well as their human ally Wayvren…
         And while Nykon’s enemies were initially surprised and overwhelmed by her new form, in the end, Wayvren and his allies triumphed. He’d faced insurmountable odds, strange and unstoppable enemies, time and time again; This was hardly new, in a sense. Nykon was humiliated, incensed, practically maddened by disbelief over her inevitable loss, even as Wayvren decided he needed a more permanent solution.
         Nykon’s transformation was both a blessing and a curse; It made her stronger, but it also made Nykon that particularly unique type of threat that qualified her for the Tower of Tears. Wayvren had no interest in sending Nykon back to her employers in the Monster Realm to continue wreaking havoc, but despite her atrocities, he couldn’t bring himself to kill a defeated opponent, either. He was idealistic, hoping that maybe enough time could help Nykon calm down and be less… intense.
         Well, it didn’t; Wayvren didn’t know about the nightmares that the Tears’ prisoners underwent. It was what you’d expect for Nykon; Flashbacks to her helpless childhood, constant reminders of her failure. Rage and bitterness at the people who ruined her fun, at those bullies who rose up and overturned everything Nykon believed in. A desire for vengeance, especially against the humans who ruined it all for her, burned in Nykon’s heart; She couldn’t get away with hating and terrorizing dragon society, but humans? That was an acceptable outlet to project her frustrations with her species onto.
         Eventually, the Tower of Tears was destroyed; Its precious prisoners fled into the night. Nykon regrouped with a few Escapees who were under the command of Azayle, and while initiall reluctant and defiant to Azayle’s authority, learned to eventually bow to her. Any rage Nykon felt at being someone’s lackey, she once again directed towards humans and other victims.
         As it stands, Nykon is once more a loner even amongst her own peers, who themselves are all outcasts and freaks. Of course, this time Nykon has nobody to blame but herself; Her fellow Escapees would be more than welcoming of her, but a need to feel superior, especially to these lesser beings (many of whom were once human rejects themselves!) made Nykon hostile, preferring to keep things at a distance and professional.
         She’s not like the rest of these losers, she tries to reassure herself; Except Nykon totally is. Rejected by her family, her species, her own world AND this one… She’s been displaced through time and has nothing now. Unlike humans, dragons age for a long while; So most of Nykon’s peers were still alive in the modern day. Of course, Nykon couldn’t bring herself to face them after everything, after all of the transformation and loss, just to fail anyway.
         She had no idea where the traitors were; And Wayvren… She’d love to kill him, she found Midas’ group appealing for this. But in the end, Azayle’s own ambition and charisma lured Nykon in, much as she was loath to admit it. So as much as Nykon despises it, her fellow Escapees are all she has left… And maybe she’ll learn to appreciate them, realize they actually kind of understand how she feels, and finally open up. Finally find people she can be vulnerable around, and be rewarded for it…
         As it currently is however, Nykon insists on being hostile and abrasive, making her everyone’s least favorite teammate, even after the Mask of Menace who is mostly just obnoxious. Nykon’s teammates are hardly saints either and definitely sadistic to varying degrees, but as always, she manages to cross a line even they’re perturbed by. Her cruelty reminds some far too much of the bullies they’d suffered from, when they were younger and ‘innocent’…
         Nykon is a massive hypocrite, deriding humans and others for flaws she herself is totally guilty of; For not caring about others, for leaving them behind to save their own skin. And she’ll take the chance to mock outcasts for being rejected even amongst the weak, which rubs some Escapees the wrong way, naturally. In particular, her recent massacre of a freakshow, for no other reason than she could, incenses a few from Midas’ group…
         It was a distraction from Nykon’s actual mission of capturing Lloyd, but she simply had to revel in reminding these human rejects that despite their efforts, they’d still end their lives miserably, brutally murdered for their existence. This has of course earned Nykon the grudge of the few survivors, who vow to destroy Nykon for her evil…
         They’re favorites of Nykon’s to torment, remind of how their friends died as she lies about them begging for their lives. But they’re also a thorn in her side that continue to survive, continue to thrive; And that insults Nykon and infuriates her, deep down, as does seeing them continue to be kind and make new friends.
         Meanwhile, whichever partner was assigned to Nykon on a mission can’t help but be aghast. They thought they were awful, but this…! Don’t you think it’s a bit much, and impractical? Detrimental even, the unnecessary lengths your cruelty has gone, the time and energy it’s wasted, and especially the enemies it’s made? Jeez…
         In regards to her powers and abilities, as I said; Nykon is made of a mixture of lightning and metal, through and through. She’s a powerful, overwhelming, radiant being, constantly casting a blinding light. The ground burns at Nykon’s step, and the air always smells of ozone. Her body is unliving, so Nykon doesn’t need to eat or sleep, can’t tire, etc.
         Being lightning and metal, Nykon doesn’t take a lot of physical damage; But if you hit her just hard enough, the affected area will burst and fall apart in an array of sparks, bolts, and shrapnel before reforming, restoring Nykon’s shape. Nykon is still subject to the laws of entropy as a partially-electric being, so the energy lost when her form is disrupted, and used up to restore that shape… It can drain and wear her down, gradually, bit by bit. It IS possible to defeat Nykon, as much of a goliath as she may be.
         As it is, her metal components are a less hazardous target, not prone to electrocuting anyone who makes physical contact with them. They’re the only ‘safe’ parts of Nykon to touch. To restore lost energy or damaged metal, Nykon can absorb outside sources into her mass, draining power plants or crunching up a junkyard, burning away any impurities to leave only pure metal to convert into the Typhonus Crescere.
         Nykon has some limited shape-shifting capabilities, her body’s nature fluid; This allows Nykon to extend a limb, form a tendril armed with blades, that sort of thing. She can still fly, and generate bolts from any part of her body; But it’s most powerful when Nykon charges a lightning blast from her mouth, blue streaks of energy lighting up across her body before she fires, eyes similarly ablaze with that color.
         Nykon seems like an impossible opponent; She’s made of lightning and metal, so touching most of her can result in a shock. She doesn’t even need to shoot bolts from her mouth or body, just touching you can be enough! Not to mention her weight and strength, her metallic bits. But as I said, the Typhonus Crescere is mostly vulnerable, and her form can be disrupted, wasting energy. Nykon might have potent regenerative capabilities, but with enough effort and the right assets, you can reduce her down to a puny, electrified shard of metal, the indestructible core of her Typhonus Armor; Small enough to hold in a human’s palm.
         …That’s Nykon! She sucks, man. She runs on pure spite and also raw lightning. She’s terrible in a weirdly fascinating way that you love to see her suffer from; But there’s a human method to Nykon’s evil, which is a comparison she’d hate to hear. She’s enormous, gigantic and imposing, hurts people to even touch; But at her core is something puny, and Nykon still needs to make others feel small in order to feel big, despite her size.
         She’s absolutely pathetic, a sad and bitter mess who resents everyone else and is deep down envious of their happiness, their sense of peace and self. She’s an edgelord who hates everyone for flaws she herself is guilty of, because I think Nykon is deeply disillusioned, disappointed and let down by the world. She’s a brute, and her arrogance and single-minded desire to hurt others has made Nykon commit some very dumb mistakes; Letting herself be distracted despite knowing it’s a ruse, because she thinks she’s clever enough to pursue a target AND accomplish her actual mission at the same time… She’s not.
         You shouldn’t underestimate her… But at the same time, Nykon really is a classic example of the Bigger they are, the Harder they fall. She might be the most physically imposing Escapee, but there’s a clumsiness to her weight made even more apparent when Nykon is flustered by unexpected adversity; Inexperienced when people are too small and fast, so maybe Nykon should stick to picking on people her own size. She’s emotionally stunted, understandable given her abuse, but you can’t excuse that which she perpetuates.
         Nykon is the classic tale of the big, blustering bully who torments the small and meek; Only to be caught off-guard in her arrogance, unequipped to defend when those people fight back, and are suddenly hard to hit when they’re not just taking it. The lumbering Goliath to many people’s David. And when Nykon fails despite everything being in her favor, having taken her power for granted unlike those smaller who fight to survive and make use of all they have?
         Boy is she salty, seething on the inside and pushing away anyone who might be willing to extend a hand. Earning the disapproval of her superiors, be it the dragon hoards or Azayle, as Nykon struggles to earn their respect and prove she isn’t incompetent, all while sweating nervously as they breathe down her neck in judgment.
        Nykon suffers from both a superiority and inferiority complex, nothing more she hates than being looked down upon, especially by those she deems lesser. Her cruelty makes her predicable, and being outmaneuvered incites Nykon to anger that causes her to make even more mistakes; Too stubborn to adjust tactics because that’s an admission of shortcoming in her own eyes, until finally Nykon eats too much shit and has to give in. She’s an utter cringefail girlloser. I love her.
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thot-writes · 3 years
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Thoughts on junpei (if he were to survive) with a Dom partner 👀?
god.... junpei....... he deserved better. the second i saw his ass get beat up and he was all like “ur not hot & those dudes r only hanging around so they can bang u” i was like. he deserves everything.
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junpei getting what the author was TOO COWARDLY to give him;
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you’re a second year at his school, he’s seen you maybe once or twice but you always seemed to see him after he’s been brutalised— which happens a lot.
when he left, you got worried. you found out his address and started to visit him, and when you first started showing interest he thought you were trolling.
he waits for an entourage to appear behind you and kick the shit out of him, but they never do. it’s always you there trying to get him to open up, trying to help.
it takes a bit of time, but he trusts you.
you’re always flirting with him. always. you think he’s too cute to just leave alone, you can’t help but tease him. you’re conscious of his feelings though, since he’s being bullied, and you make sure not to go too far.
he’s always a blushing mess when you do, but there’s a layer of fear beneath that as well— is this when your groupies come out and hassle him?
but no one else shows.
he starts coming to school again at your insistence even though he’s scared out of his wits. but you don’t leave his side. every time class is dismissed you go from your classroom straight to his, to walk him to his next one, to have lunch with him, to go to his after school club, to walk him home.
he doesn’t get targeted for a few days, and your presence makes him feel safe despite him telling you you don’t need to do it.
it’s bound to happen again eventually— and it does.
you’re there, though.
since you never leave his side they decide to just ignore you completely. you’re just a chick, what could you do anyway?
“Yo, Yoshino, haven’t seen you in a while,” a man says— you’ve seen him before, what’s his name again? Ito?— and Junpei tenses. Ito is surrounded by a few of his friends, nothing noteworthy about them except... well. they’re unattractive, to put it kindly. Ito himself seems to be the most attractive of the bunch, but that’s not a compliment.
“And who’s this then? You disappear from school without a trace and then you come back and have a second-year girl hanging all over you. I’m jealous!” he jokes. he speaks with a familiarity that clearly isn’t deserved or reciprocated.
you glower at him. “What do you want, ugly?”
Junpei tugs at your sleeve and calls your name, he wants to stop you from provoking them, but you’ve been waiting for these assholes to show themselves.
Ito looks offended at your remark. “Ugly? The fuck you think you’re talking to, woman? Is that any way to speak to someone?”
you gently remove Junpei’s hand from your sleeve and give it a reassuring squeeze before releasing it. “It’s the only way to speak to a bitch. Who’re those assholes behind you? You wanted an audience for when you get your ass kicked?”
Junpei is increasingly uneasy as the four men spout vitriolic insults at you, the tensions are running high and it seems a fight is only inevitable at this point.
Ito reaches a hand over to grab at your collar, but you smack him away.
that’s done it.
at first Ito tries to take you by himself, but you slam your palm into his nose and break it. blood gushes out and he tries to stem the bleeding, his eyes watering.
the three that were with him are next. they’re built bigger than you, but that’s the only advantage they have. you’ve done martial arts since you were a kid, these guys are used to their size being enough. it’s not.
within a minute you have them overpowered (they did manage to get a good punch in, though) and they go to scamper off, but you grab Ito’s collar and eye him menacingly.
your voice is too low for anyone else to hear, but Ito hears just fine. “If I even so much as hear about you looking at Junpei, or causing trouble for any other students, I will make you eat dog shit. I’m not kidding. I have two mastiffs at home, I’ll bring in a sampler for you tomorrow if you feel like testing me.”
he wants to test you. he wants to think you’re lying, but you have a malicious glint in your eyes that makes it clear you’re probably not.
“Fuck off,” he spits, blood staining his lower face and shirt. “I’m gonna make you regret this.”
“Just fucking try it,” you challenge.
they gather their wounded pride and leave, and you turn back to a dumbstruck Junpei who can scarcely believe what he just saw with his own eyes.
he doesn’t even hear it when you ask if he’s ready to go home, his stare is transfixed on the area where Shota Ito just got his ass handed to him. by his friend.
he snaps out of his stupor when he notices the bruise forming on your face. “You’re injured,” he says finally. “Let me help you.”
you shrug. “I’ve had worse during practice, it’s not that bad.”
he grabs onto your arm. “Let me help you,” he repeats, and you can tell there’s no saying no to him.
you take him home (or does he take you to his home?) and brings you inside. he takes out the first aid kit and inspects you for any injuries. the skin has broken a little where you were hit, and he disinfects it.
“That was stupid, you know. They’ll probably be worse now,” he reprimands softly. he looks happy regardless. “And you got hurt...”
“I don’t mind. It was for a cute guy.” he blushes. “Plus it’s a good excuse to keep following you around.”
he purses his lips and tries hard to focus on the task at hand. he tries to ignore the rapid beating of his heart. “You always do that... calling me cute or whatever... it’s embarrassing.”
“Do you like it though? I’ll stop if you don’t.”
he pauses. “I don’t... dislike it...”
you smile at him and he does his best to avoid your gaze, he can feel the heat building up in his face. you just want to kiss him, make him blush more.
you can’t help it, you ask him what you’ve been wanting to for a while. “Go out with me.”
he almost falls backwards. “E-eh?! What are you saying—“
“I like you. Go out with me.”
he’s looking in your eyes now. his lips are trembling and the heat has travelled to his ears, he’s at a complete loss for words. but he can’t stop himself from nodding— he wants to.
you take his face in your hands and pull him in for a kiss. his eyes widen in surprise, but the feeling of your soft lips on his makes them drift shut.
he holds your arms and you run your thumbs over his cheeks. he moans a little into the kiss and you swallow it greedily.
when you part you don’t say anything. you sit together in a comfortable, soothing silence as he finishes treating your wound. he can’t keep the smile off his face, nor can you yours.
you settle on the couch to watch a movie and he returns to the kitchen to put the kit away. he grabs a couple of drinks and brings them with him before putting a dvd in the player.
“By the way,” he says as he pushes the tray in. “What did you say to Ito earlier?”
you take a sip of your drink and smile coyly. “I told him I’d feed him dog shit.”
he sputters and chokes in surprise before settling into a laugh. “You said what?! That’s way too much!” he wipes a tear from his eye and calms down. “...Will you?”
you nod resolutely. “Definitely.”
“You’ll send me pictures, right?” he asks.
“Are you kidding? You’re gonna be the one taking them.”
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adorerdraco · 4 years
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Good Enough ✧ Draco x Hufflepuff!Reader
Request: hiii i love your writing!! can you write about a sweet hufflepuff and how everyone thinks they aren’t a good pair together so one day Pansy bullies the reader into breaking it off with Draco because she feels like she’s not good enough for him then draco finds out and he’s really mad at Pansy?
Another seventh year AU where Voldermort never existed !
Warnings: bullying, slight angst, crying, cursing (barely), sad!draco, angry!draco, implied smut towards the end (also extra mean slytherins for the purpose of this imagine but i have nothing against them i <3 them as much as any other house)
Words: 4.5K
A/N: hiii thank youuuu 🥺💗 !!!!!! but ahhhh omg im a hufflepuff so i hope i delivered good hufflepuff energy in this oneee :’))) i think this might be my new favorite thing ive written omg but i do not own gif 
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There was truly no explanation how you, a kind Hufflepuff, managed to become friends, let alone a couple, with the proud and arrogant Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy. 
On the outside, your relationship to everyone seemed uncanny and plain wrong. Even your friends and housemates had looked down on it for a while but eventually came around and just let you be. You couldn’t say the same for the Slytherin’s, however, because if there was one house they disliked more than Gryffindor; it was Hufflepuff.
They berated you and Draco for weeks after they found out he had started a relationship with you. They scowled at you when you would walk by them sometimes calling you names depending on whether or not Draco was by your side. He always defended you and you did your best to ignore them, but they were relentless. You had only been dating for about a month now and the tantalizing comments from Slytherin’s and anyone else who wanted tear the two of you down were right now seeming endless.
“Why can’t people leave us alone,” you said sadly to him one night. You were lying with him in a patch of grass outside the castle, head against his chest as his hand lazily traced patterns onto your bicep.
“They’re only jealous,” he sneered quietly. “People get mad at what they can’t have or what they can't understand.”
Draco’s patience with people was worsening each and every day. His housemates, regularly, would corner him in the common room and interrogate him with questions that made him want to rip his hair out.
“Is this some sort of prank you haven’t told us about, Malfoy?”
“A Hufflepuff? Have you gone mad?”
“Is she blackmailing you with something, mate?”
“Haven’t you thought about how that makes us Slytherin’s look?”
“She’s a blood-traitor!”
The questioning would always lead to him yelling and threatening everyone aggressively before he locked himself in his Prefect dorm or would leave the common room altogether in a fury. Those were the days he would find you after he calmed down and would hug you tightly, pressing kisses all over your face as he praised you with everything he adored about you to how happy you made him and how perfect you were for him. 
You, on the other hand, were dealing with much worse. You never told Draco some of the awful things people would say to you when he wasn’t around. You would stand up for yourself very rarely, confrontation not really being your first approach to handling things but when the insults were bad enough, you were forced to.
You would always hear a variation of the same things said either directly to you or from obvious whispering, majority of them being from Slytherin and the occasional judgmental comment from others.
“Filthy Hufflepuff!”
“Can’t believe one of them is dating one of ours.”
“What does Malfoy even see in her?”
“You’d think someone who’s supposed to be kind wouldn’t want anything to do with such an arse.”
More than ever, Draco found himself giving you an excessive amount of compliments and reassurances that he thought would balance out the insults and criticisms you would tell him about or he would witness. Everything he would tell you was true, of course, but you always felt like he said them out of pity or like he had to.
“I appreciate you trying to make it better, but you don’t have to keep complimenting me, Dray.” You’ve said to him countless times.
And he would often respond with, “but I need you to know how I feel about you.”
Despite the constant uphill battle, your relationship with the platinum blond was everything you hoped for and more. Considering your friendship had started on rocky beginnings a year ago, you would have never thought you’d be with him now.  You couldn’t thank the stars more for when your aged and nearly blind owl had flown straight into the back of his head, pecking at him while he tried to swat it away which then led to him giving you a piece of his mind and trying to hex your owl - causing you to try to hex him just as McGonagall happened to be passing by the fiasco that landed both of you in a months-long detention for reckless magic usage. It was in detention when the two of you were forced to spend time together and realized that the other wasn’t as bad as they thought.
Draco, much like everyone else, always believed Hufflepuffs to be weak and cowardly, too kind for their own good - but he quickly learned how common of a misconception that was the longer he knew you. You always fought for what was morally right, defended those you love and are loyal to courageously, and were sweet and friendly with everyone you talked to whether you knew them or not.
He gravitated towards your kindness and empathetic approach to everything. He loved to see the smiles you put on people’s faces or the way animals would randomly come up to you and immediately trust you enough to give them gentle pets that they always leaned into. He even loved the way you talked to everyone as your equals, something he rarely saw in his environment. Everything you did was a vast difference to what he saw on the daily from his cold and aloof peers, but it was a difference he enjoyed. He wished so deeply that everyone could see and understand how amazing you were to him and he was determined to make it happen.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” You asked shyly as he held your hand tightly in his, walking you slowly over to his large group of his closest Slytherin friends that were all gathered around a bench under a tree in the courtyard.
The Prince of Slytherin believed that if he could get his friends to at least tolerate you, then everyone else would follow in suit. He only associated himself with the best and most influential of his house so if there was anyone that could improve his current situation; it would be them. You were a little uneasy about his plan, but later agreed when he had convinced you that his idea couldn’t and wouldn’t fail.
“Of course it is!” He exclaimed encouragingly. “Plus, I’m Draco Malfoy, they’ll like anything I tell them to like.”
“Okay,” you sighed, rolling your eyes slightly at his boast.
The closer you got to them, the more you felt your hands begin to sweat and the heat crawling up your face. They all began to turn towards the two of you, their eyes focusing on you and you only with a pointed gaze. You started to realize how greatly you underestimated how intimidating they looked. Especially the one girl who made it her mission to bother you every chance she could get - always from afar while she pointed at you and whispered something into her friend’s ears while they laughed or when she would pass by you and say something rude under her breath.
“Look what Malfoy’s dragged in!” Pansy Parkinson called out with a malicious smirk on her face as she eyed you.
“Give it a rest, Pansy,” Blaise sighed, “If Malfoy wants us to meet his little friend then so be it.”
“Not my little friend, my girlfriend,” Draco corrected angrily as the two of you finally reached the group. “This is Y/N and I wanted you all to meet her since I plan on having her around for a long while, so you might as well get used to it.”
“Long while? Poor thing can’t even introduce herself,” Pansy laughed tauntingly.
“I think Draco introduced me just fine right now but if you want, I’ll do it again to make you feel better,” you smiled a big fake toothy grin at her. “Hi, I’m Y/N.”
Everyone snickered at your response, watching for the girl’s reaction as her nostrils flared in irritation. Draco smiled to himself and gave your hand a quick squeeze, feeling proud that you found a way to talk back to her in the nicest way possible.
“Right, well, I’m sure you know this is; Goyle, Crabbe, Zabini, Pike, Flint, Nott, and...” Draco pointed to everyone, trailing off when he reached the only girl in the group, “I don’t think that one needs an introduction, she rather do it herself, right Parkinson?”
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, giving the blond a false squinty-eyed grin with attitude.
“So, you want us to be the nice to the Hufflepuff then?” Zabini questions, pointing a finger towards you.
“Yes, I want you to be nice to, Y/N,” Draco corrected again, his hand getting tighter in your grasp as he spoke. “That goes for all of you and everyone else in this bloody house. I don’t want to hear anything bad about her or us coming from anyone ever again or you’ll have me to answer to. I don’t care how friendly we are.”
“So he has to defend you too now?” Pansy spoke again, “Merlin, it’s a wonder how you Hufflepuff sort even survive in this world.”
Before anyone could say anything, you mustered up all the courage you had and stepped forward towards the irked girl in front of you.
“Listen, I don’t want any more trouble with you or anyone,” you rushed out. “I just want to go about my day without having to hear how disgusting and weak I am.”
She opened her mouth to retaliate but Blaise put a hand in front of her and pushed her back before she got any closer to you.
“Alright, we’ll try,” he answered for the group quickly in an annoyed tone, “but I can’t promise that for the rest of Slytherin. They really don’t like you guys together, thinks it makes them look bad. Eventually, they’ll get tired of it and move on to the next.”
“That’s as good as its gonna get,” Goyle guffawed, Crabbe and Pike snickering alongside him.
You sighed, looking up at Draco and slightly tugging at his hand while you silently begged him to take you out of there but he didn’t catch the hint and instead did the complete opposite when he had turned towards the only boy in the group who seemed to have brains.
“Zabini, can I talk to you really quick?” He asked gruffly. Blaise deeply sighed and nodded, the two boys breaking away from the group and stopping a few feet away before talking in angry hushed voices to each other.
You - all of a sudden felt very small and sick, your eyes frantically bouncing around the group as they watched you squirm. Pansy took this as her chance to step closer towards you, stopping a few inches away from you while a smirk made its way onto her face.
“Since you obviously don’t see the bigger picture, I’ll paint it for you,” she began contemptuously, “you and Draco really don’t belong together, at all. Sure, you might think everything’s fine right now, but what’ll happen when he gets tired of defending you and proving you to everyone. You think Hogwarts is your problem? Just wait until you meet the Malfoy’s. Do you really think his father would like or even tolerate a filthy blood traitor like you?”
You gaped at her, taking a few shaky steps away from her as her words hit you like a truck.
“Think about it, Y/L/N,” she gets in your face again, her hand reaching up to grip your shoulder tightly to hold you in place. “He needs to be with someone of his status, a pure-blooded Slytherin who comes from a good wealthy family who holds all the same beliefs as the Malfoy’s. If I were you, I’d end it before you ruin his life any more than you already have and end up leaving him without a family or his inheritance.”
“Are you trying to say that ‘someone’ should be you?” You question through gritted teeth, shrugging your shoulder hard out of her clawed grasp.
“I never said that,” she smiles, “but who am I to say it shouldn’t be?” 
Pansy tauntingly walked away from you, a smug look on her face as she noticed just how obviously she had hurt you. You wanted to run away and cry, but you held it together for the sake of your last remaining dignity and so that you wouldn’t please your assailant even more than you already have.
Draco turned to stroll back towards the group with Blaise, his eyes landing on your shuddering figure and the broken look in your eyes as they met his. He looked around at the rest of the group who were talking amongst themselves, unknowing to them that Parkinson had just ripped a new one on you. She stood around them, looking at her nails with an uninterested look in her eyes and when she felt Draco’s eyes on her, she looked up and smiled at him innocently. 
‘Bitch,’ you thought.
He slowly walked towards you, taking your hand and deeply frowning when you immediately slipped it out of his.
“What’s wrong?” His voice dripped with concern, his sad gray’s searching your face for any answer as to why you were suddenly acting so cold.
“I need to talk to you,” you breathed out. “Alone.”
He nodded, instinctively reaching out for your hand only for you to reject it again. He felt queasy at the response, his heart falling to his stomach as you turned around and began walking away. His legs were moving hastily behind you, a dooming tension had fallen between the two of you and he couldn’t for the life of him find a reason why.
Pansy’s words were like a game of pinball on a constant loop in your mind. Your thoughts were bumping and flying haphazardly as you tried to make sense of them and what you were about to do. And as much as you hated to admit it - the wench was right. You would never be able to offer Draco and his family anything that would ever be close to enough. You were just a sweet, regular Hufflepuff, someone far from who his family expected to date. And what if you did end up staying with him? You figured you would end up breaking up years later when he would be forced to marry someone else. Or in the slight chance, he fought against that, there was no way you’d forgive yourself if he lost his family and his future because of your own selfish needs.
You stopped at an empty corridor, sitting at one of the windowsills you regularly sat at with the platinum blond when the two of you snuck out at night to meet each other. Your head fell into your hands, your thoughts raging louder in your head and now through your body as you began to unwillingly shake. The held back tears had finally broken out in a waterfall of sadness, frustration, and grief.
Draco only watched, his heartbreaking at the sight as he kneeled in front of you, his hands resting on your knees while he tried to figure out what to say.
“Darling, please tell me what’s gotten you like this,” he pleads sadly. “If it’s about what Blaise said, I made a deal with him so he would try and help.”
“No, it’s not that,” you answered, choking back the lump in a feeble attempt to try and get yourself calmed down enough to talk to him.
He sat back on his heels, his hand running down his face in distress as he racked through his brain for anything else that might have gotten you like this. He let you cry for a bit, feeling useless as he watched you go through an internal battle he had no clue about.
“Then what is it? Tell me and I’ll fix it,” he says softly when he saw your tears had finally been reduced to stray droplets on your face.
“You can’t,” you sniffle. Your hand weakly brushed over his paled slender fingers that were holding your knee gently. He turned his palm upwards for you and you placed your shaking hand in his while you basked in the final moments of his warmth. You regrettably slipped out of his grip before you spoke the words you couldn’t take back. “We can’t be together anymore.”
Draco blinked, his stomach dropping as soon as the words left your mouth. “What?”
You stood up, backing away from him as you shook your head. “Everyone was right - I’ll never be good enough for you, for your friends, for your family. You deserve to be with someone who makes your life easier, not harder.”
“Where did all this come from?” He asks incredulously, standing up from his spot on the floor as he painfully watched your slowly retreating figure. “It’s all rubbish is what it is. You’ve never made my life harder.”
“Draco, look around you!” You exasperated, your arms flailing around you. “You had to make a deal with your own friends for them to even be nice to me. Your house can’t stand me and they take it out on the both of us! And what about your parents? You know for a fact they would hate me, don’t even try and deny it.”
Pale hands ran through his hair, his fingers pulling at the platinum strands in frustration.
“I thought you didn’t care about all that,” he said woefully. “I thought you’d know by now none of it matters.”
“Well, I care now,” you answer back gloomily. “And you should too.”
There was a spinning and nauseating feeling in the pit of the Slytherin’s stomach, his heart violently jumping around in his chest as he let you storm away from him. 
He let his back fall against a pillar, a deep and burning exhale falling from his trembling lips while he stared at a live painting across from him. It was of three women, the chalices in their hands supposed to be joined in a toast above them while they smiled gleefully in celebration, 3 of Chalices, it read in the caption below the frame. Instead of being in their usual position, they stared at him with pity in their softly painted eyes as they slowly raised their cups towards him in a way of showing their condolences.
He nodded curtly at them before he kicked himself off the wall and dragged himself towards the Great Hall where they were serving dinner and where he would undoubtedly find his so-called friends. He prepared himself to break the news to them, knowing they would be over the moon about it and as much as he wanted to join them in their delight, he couldn’t push away the large ache that had settled itself in his chest.
“We’re done,” he muttered dreadfully to himself, “it’s over.”
He was testing out different ways he could tell everyone the long-awaited news but they all left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“I think you’ll all be delighted to know, Y/N-” he tried again but he lost his train of thought when he spoke your name. It was like taking an invisible kick to his heart as if Peeves the Poltergeist had somehow crawled into his body and was wreaking his usual havoc on his insides. 
The second he stepped into the Great Hall and saw his group sitting there, eating and laughing amongst everyone else, he felt sick all over again. There was no way he could stomach the triumph they were about to unleash, but he sucked it up and drudged towards them anyway.
“You look ghastly,” Pansy snickers, already having a feeling as to why he looked so rough. He stopped at the bench, hesitating to sit down because he knew he’d want to dash the second everyone started to relentlessly bash you.
“Deal’s off, Zabini,” the blond spoke lowly. “I’m not with Y/L/N anymore so it doesn’t matter.”
“You’re better off without her, Malfoy,” Blaise said delightedly. “Can’t believe you nearly had us associating with a blood traitor. It’s better that she’s gone.”
“Yeah, we ought to thank Pansy for that,” Crabbe laughed loudly through a mouthful of food. Pansy kicked his shin under the table, and he recoiled too fast, the food in his mouth getting shot in the wrong direction as he started choking.
“Pansy?” Draco repeated, his eyes falling towards the shying girl. “What did Pansy do?”
“What?” Crabbe coughed roughly, “did no one else see her talking to the ickle Hufflepuff?”
Pansy kicked him again and he wailed out a “stop kicking me, you donkey!”
Any ounce of sadness Draco had in his body was immediately washed out in rage. He wanted to flip over the table and scream at everyone in his path, but he only turned towards Pansy again and asked her calmly.
“What did you say to her?”
“I only told her the truth!” She said coyly, holding her hands up in defense.
“What” his fist had slammed onto the table making everyone sitting near the contact jump in surprise, “did you say to her!”
“The truth! Or are you too blind to see it too?” She sneered at him. “Do you honestly think the two of you would last? Look at who you are, Draco!”
“Talk to me ever again and I swear I’ll hex you,” he spat, turning hot on his heel as he stormed out of the Great Hall, his friends staring at his retreating figure in shock at the outburst.
Draco found himself rushing through stairs and corridors, his heart racing as he searched for the place he just knew you’d be. Now that he knew the full story, he needed to talk to you. Even if you didn’t change your mind, he wanted to at least try to fix what had been broken. The tall and bronzed doors were ajar, a small light filtering through the dark corridor he was nearly running down. 
A mop of bright silver hair had peaked through the crack in the doors of the Hogwarts kitchen, worried gray eyes following in suit as they searched the room for its target. He found you hunched over a small dessert plate, a half-eaten cake being drenched in your tears that never seemed to stop. There was a house-elf next to you, looking up at you from the floor in concern while they patted your leg. 
“Mister!” a scraggly voice croaked out from below him. He looked down to find a rugged looking house-elf staring up at him with furrowed eyebrows and hands on its hips. “Students are prohibited in the kitchen.”
“There’s a student right there,” he pointed towards you.
“She’s an exception!” the elf exclaimed wildly.
Draco shook his head before walking past the small creature, power walking straight towards you while it ran behind him.
“Wait till Gonpy tells the Headmaster about this!” The elf calls, “Gonby asks your name, sir!””
“Vincent Crabbe,” Draco answers mindlessly as he continued walking towards the far end of the room that very closely resembled the Great Hall and its vastness.
The familiar accent rang through your ears, your glassy eyes shooting up in surprise when you see the reason for your tears hurrying towards you.
“Before you say anything, you need to listen to me,” he starts desperately once he reaches you. “I know it was Pansy who put those thoughts into your head. I know you think you’re not enough for me. And I know you think I was always complimenting you out of pity, but you couldn’t be more wrong about any of that. I say all those things to you because I mean it. You are everything to me. You are more than enough for me just by being you. You make me the happiest I’ve ever been and sometimes I wonder if I’m even good enough for you. But you need to understand how much I love you.”
“Draco,” you breathe, heart leaping in your chest at his rambling speech, “I love you too. But what about everyone else, how are we even supposed to be with each other in peace?”
“To hell with everyone else,” he responds quickly, walking around the edge of the table so that he was now only mere centimeters away from you. “Do you want to be with me?”
“Yes, of course,” you blink at him, “but do you really think your parents would let this happen?”
“We’ll deal with them when the time comes,” he mumbles, his hand finding its way to your puffy cheek where he let it rest. “Besides, my mother likes anything that makes me happy, so I know for a fact at least she will end up loving you just as much as I do.”
You nodded happily, a new hope bubbling in your stomach as you lurched towards him and hugged the stressed boy against you tightly. The both of you let out a breath of relief at the same time from the contact, finally feeling back in balance after the short-lived sorrow. 
He pulled away from you and leaned down into you, his lips capturing yours in a tender and passionate kiss. That was when the elves you had forgotten about had quickly stopped eavesdropping, scurrying themselves away from the table as they went to start cleaning up the kitchen. 
It was minutes before you had finally pulled away, looking dreamily into the happy gray’s that gazed back at you. You admired him for a couple seconds, feeling very content before you reached up towards him again, tangling your hands in his hair and pressing another kiss onto his now swollen lips. He moved needily against you, pushing your body flush the table as he held you tightly against him.
“Ahem,” a small voice uncomfortably called out from below. It was the same elf who had chased Draco down the kitchen when he walked in, a frown on his face as he stared at the two of you. “Gonpy and the house-elves make food here!”
“I’m sorry, Gonpy,” you hurriedly apologize, ripping yourself away from a ragged breathing Draco as you bent down to shake hands with the elf. “Thank you for making me cake and letting me cry here, you’re a Hogwarts hero.”
“Gonpy thanks you, Miss Y/L/N! The truest, kindest Hufflepuff!” 
Draco bit back a smile at the interaction. You stood up and reached your hand behind you for the Slytherin to take and as the two of you walked away, he yelled out a quick, “Thanks Gonpy!”
And once the two of you were near the exit, he wrapped his arms around you from behind and pressed his body against your back, lowering his mouth towards your ear and kissing the skin right below it before whispering, “do you want to go back to my dorm?”
You nodded eagerly, giggling loudly as the two of you stumbled out of the door underneath his hold and into the dimly lit corridor before pulling apart and racing towards the direction of the dungeons with his hand interlocked in yours.
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sluttbuttsstuff · 3 years
Text
LA SQUADRA BACKSTORY HEADCANONS PART 2
Here’s everyone else’s backstory,  part one with Melone and Ghiacchio is here
 https://sluttbuttsstuff.tumblr.com/post/652486890343268352/la-squadra-backstory-headcanons-part-1-ghiacchio
WARNINGS: dark themes, SFW
None of this is Canon of course, just speculation
PROSCUITTO AND PESCI:
I’m combining theirs because they’re so intertwined.
Prosciutto is a few years older than pesci, and they grew up in the same neighborhood.
By the time Prosciutto was in high school, Pesci was in 2-3rd grade, basically
Prosciutto was the younger of two children from an old school mafia family. 
Pesci was the only child of a teen mom, and mostly raised by his grandmother.
To be honest, Prosciutto was kind of annoyed by Pesci when he first met him.  He was a weird looking kid who was annoyingly clingy and kind of a crybaby
Pesci wasn't well liked by the other kids his age, and when they did hang or they usually either teased to poor kid or used him
Prosciutto was liked well enough by his peers, but he spent most of his time with people older than him- his father’s “associates” and new mafioso initiates.
There was one that Prosciutto became particularly close to- his uncle.
He was younger than most of the other mafiosos, and a lot less uptight than Prosciutto’s father.  
He made Prosciutto feel like he was already apart of the gang, trusting him with family secrets, teaching him how to shoot and care for a gun, even bought Prosciutto his first pack of cigarettes
Prosciutto’s uncle made him feel like he was the capable adult and badass gangster he so desperately wanted to be.
Prosciutto’s father, of course, loved his Brother and wanted him to have a good relationship with Prosciutto, but he didn’t approve of his son’s involvement in the family business, at least not so young.
In truth, turns out Prosciutto’s uncle was a scumbag with a lot of gambling debts, and ended up getting himself into a lot of trouble
He was always bad at money, and thought he could get some from his brother, but he refused
Angry, Prosciutto’s uncle killed his brother, Prosciutto’s father, hoping to get some inheritance or at least steal some off of him
Prosciutto happened to hear and see everything, and in a rage, killed his uncle and mentor
Angry and betrayed, Prosciutto decided not to join his family’s gang, but to make a name and life for himself, and ended up settling with passione.
He had a difficult time, struggling to survive and make a name for himself, especially when he first got his stand.
Initially, he thought it was a useless stand; he didn’t see any potential in a stand that just makes someone get older
But then he realized he could disguise himself, age others into dust, and was promoted to hitman
Prosciutto learned a lot from his experience, and realized something very important
He and Pesci, the small boy who lived in his neighborhood, were one and the same
Used by their peers, potential ignored, betrayed by their family- the next time he saw Pesci playing by himself on the street Prosciutto treated him VERY differently
Pesci was surprised but nonetheless happy; his grandmother was nice to him, and his mother worked hard to support him, but he didn’t really have anyone to teach him how to be a man.
Prosciutto didn’t encourage Pesci to become a mafioso, but he never discouraged him either.  He let Pesci decide for himself
Prosciutto tried to be a mentor that was the perfect mix of his father and uncle-strict with high expectations, but also caring and gentle when necessary
Pesci was able to stand up to his bullies thanks to Prosciutto, and Pesci idolized him for helping him so much
So naturally he wanted to be just like his mentor Prosciutto, hence joining Passione
In truth, Pesci is naturally gentle and kind, but at the same time, he knows there are lots of people being bullied and hurt like he was as a child
Its Pesci’s dream to not only live up to Prosciutto’s expectations, but to make sure he’s never weak and taken advantage of again like he was as a child
And also? He's never told anyone, but he secretly dreams of being able to protect and mentor others like Prosciutto did for him
It’s true that he can be cowardly and has issues with self-esteem, but he wants to make prosciutto proud, and I think he could have become a very capable, firm but fair mafioso like he wanted to
ILLUSIO:
Illusio is the oldest of two children from an average middle class Italian family.  
From a young age, Illusio was very aware that both of his parents preferred his younger brother.  
He was smarter, prettier, stronger, more charming etc and His parents didn’t bother hiding their preference
Illusio would work hard to earn their approval, helping around the house with chores and trying his best to do things that would make them happy, but his brother did it better
It aggravated Illusio to no end
To make things worse, his brother noticed the preference as well, and instead of sympathizing with illusio, or even just ignoring his effect, he was very cruel to Illusio
He would complain to his parents that Illusio’s room was bigger, and he would get illusio’s old room.  
Illusio had a girlfriend?  His brother would steal her away, just to spite Illusio.
Obviously, this gave Illusio a GIANT inferiority complex, and he grew to hate his brother more and more everyday
Finally, one day Illusio snapped, it was something insignificant, to this day Illusio can’t remember what it was that set him off
But he ended up strangling his brother to death.  
It wasn’t planned, but he didn’t regret it.  He quickly packed up what few things he had and ran away from home
Illusio hasn’t made any contact with his family, and they haven’t made any with him to this day.  It’s probably better this way
He joined Passione soon after for protection against the law, and manifested Man in the Mirror
Man in the Mirror was obviously influenced with his fears of inadequacy, as well as manifesting a safe space from him from others
He would isolate himself when he was having issues with his family as a child, and that manifested into the mirror world when he received his stand
He’s become obsessed with himself and his self-appearance to overcompensate for his lack of support and care as a child, which is why it’s mirrors
Because he was so often gaslit as a child, he is able to physically control who comes or goes into his “World” as  a means of protection and self preservation
FORMAGGIO:
 Formaggio’s mom was a single parent, trying her best to raise him
She kept trying to find a husband, but she had a bad habit of picking awful dudes
Best case, Formaggio got ignored, worst case, he got hit a few times by his mom’s partner
Eventually, Formaggio’s mom landed a man who was willing to marry her and adopt Formaggio
He was nice enough to his mother, but he really wasn't interested in raising Formaggio at all
It didn’t help Formaggio was a hyperactive annoying child- he couldn’t help it, he was left to raise himself
Formaggio’s stepfather was fairly wealthy, and did regularly spoil him and his mom with presents and money
But he still mistreated  Formaggio- purposefully ignoring him, beating him if he acted up
He and Formaggio fought a lot, and unfortunately Fomaggio’s mom sided with her new husband
She still worked most of the day, and had lost several boyfriends due to Formaggio’s behavior, so she thought that was the case here
Even if she wanted to, she literally couldn’t afford divorce- she needed his money
So Formaggio’s relationship with his stepfather got worse and worse
It wasn’t until Formaggio was a teenager, however, that Formaggio found a solution
He hung around a lot of bad kids,and got involved with Passione.
He found out that his stepfather had pissed off some higher ups in Passione 
He ended up killing his stepfather to gain the favor of the gang, and that was how he got into la squadra
Also, He ended up leaving home, and never actually finished high school
Little Feet is a way for Formaggio to feel the control that he never had as a child, and to put his enemies into the same position he was in for years with his mother and stepfather
Like his mother and father, he still has to deal with monetary issues- he has problems saving money and wants to live it up while he has it.
Just another reason he was so eager to kill the boss and take over Passione
RISOTTO: 
Risotto was the only child of his two parents, who died tragically in a car crash.  Despite just being a baby, he was able to survive with minor injury, but his stand was awakened as a result
He was adopted by His Mother’s sister, and lived with his Aunt uncle and their own child.  
Their family was HEAVILY religious, Roman Catholic of course, and very strict with Risotto and his cousin
His cousin, a few years older than Risotto, was the only one openly warm with him
His Aunt and Uncle were cold and distant, and it wasn’t helped by the fact that Risotto seemed to be “Cursed”
Accidents, though relatively small, followed Risotto like the plague 
Kids who teased Risotto’s bizarre eyes would end up stepping on a nail at the playground
People who yelled at Risotto and his cousin on the street would get unexplained nosebleeds
Risotto’s aunt was starting to believe he was possessed by a demon, or being punished for some unknown sin
They started disciplining him whenever anything bizarre happened, and taking him to church 
They even tried having an exorcist perform on him, but it continued
Risotto’s cousin didn’t believe it though, he knew Risotto wasn’t evil and wouldn’t hurt anyone
Without him, Risotto didn’t have a friend in the world
His eyes were odd, he prematurely greyed, and he grew very tall and large from a young age.  
So he got a lot of weird looks, followed by random accidents and bloody injuries which got worse and worse
It started to become too much for Risotto, and his cousin realized this
He knew he and Risotto had to get away from his parents, so he got a driver’s license, saved up money, and made a plan with Risotto to escape 
On the day they planned to leave, their Parents caught them, and got into a big fight
There was lots of yelling, even some violence, but Risotto and his cousin managed to escape
As they were leaving, Risotto’s aunt called out that they were disowned, and that Risotto was an evil monster
In the car, Risotto’s cousin tried to comfort him, who was visibly upset, but he just couldn’t stay calm.
As if possessed, His cousins arms moved the steering wheel, screaming in pain
Nails and Razor blades were poking out of his skin, and he lost control of the car
They ended up crashing the car, and Risotto’s cousin was dying
Risotto’s cousin looked at Risotto like he never had before: Afraid.
He called him a monster, that he must have really hurt all those other people, and now he had killed him
His cousin died in Risotto’s arms, and Risotto lost everything
He destroyed the car he and his cousin had been in, and everyone assumed he had died in the wreckage
Eventually, his talents were noticed by Passione, and he worked his way up to head Capo of La Squadra Execuzione
Risotto never fully recovered from losing his cousin, and became obsessed with controlling his powers and emotions
As a result, he became a cold and ruthless leader his men respected
However, he can’t help caring for his squad, they’re all he has left at this point
His job, his teammates, they’re all his life consists of at this point.
Why is his stand like that?  Who knows, he was just a child when he manifested it
It wasn’t his choice to have this power, but he’ll make the best of it, for his team’s sake
SORBET AND GELATO: 
Sorbet grew up in a poor family, and spent most of his time on the streets trying to earn a living.  He dropped out of school early to join the workforce as soon as possible, and joined the military to leave his family.
He doesn’t hate his family or anything, they tried their best, but there’s just too many painful memories of starving and helplessness.
He met Gelato in the Military, he came from a long family line of soldiers
Gelato learned from an early age how to fight and defend himself, and had to deal with a lot of toxic masculinity and violent older siblings
Sorbet and Gelato ended up bonding, just friends at first but after a time they figured out their feelings
Tired of Military BS, they decided to desert, and ended up joining Passione
They don’t do a job without the other, and either share a room or their own apartment
They’ve dealt with a lot of discrimination because of their sexuality, but Passione doesn’t judge them for it, even if they don’t pay as much as they should
Besides, killing is their specialty, what else would they do?
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descentivity · 3 years
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Depression, Trauma, (and Most Importantly,) My Thoughts on Hello Charlotte EP1 & 2
Eating has been difficult for me for as long as I remember. It started off as an aversion to food, in favour of spending my time more efficiently on what my dumb little mind viewed as more important: Homework, video games.
Over time, it turned into anorexia. I had already gotten used to eating just under 500 calories a day, and my depression took my poor habits and twisted them into a cowardly and slow attempt at suicide.
On my road to recovery, I’ve found that years of poor eating choices have lead to my body struggling to process food. I have to eat at a painstakingly slow pace lest my stomach turns against me, and the smell of food is sometimes enough to diminish my appetite altogether. My bowel movements are, for lack of a better word, a shitshow.
This brings me to today, the 10th of August, 2021. 6 or so years of barely eating enough to survive later, I’m setting the world record for the slowest consumption of a fillet o’ fish in the history of mankind. 
In my absolute boredom and unfathomable stomach pain, ManlyBadassHero’s playthrough of some random horror game (I can’t remember the name) appears in my YouTube recommended, and I’m reminded of a horror game I bought on sale on Steam, the last of a trilogy. In all honesty, I only bought the game because it was dirt cheap and one of my sisters’ names is Charlotte. I was too horrified at the time to process the story nor play the previous two games, so I did a quick achievement run and left it at that. I was certainly very confused as I had no idea who any of the characters or what any of the concepts were, but the gore had me too mortified to go and find out myself. 
A year later, I’m looking the trilogy up on ManlyBadassHero’s YouTube channel, and decide to start from the beginning of his Hello Charlotte journey, in 2016.
Hello Charlotte EP1
I’m going to be completely honest with you, the first game really didn’t resonate with me too well. It was a cute, quirky, RPG Maker horror game, with two loveable main characters and an interesting world. However, with context from the third game, the events felt too self-isolated and inconsequential. Felix and Charlotte are in a little self-contained TV world created by a fictional race called Pythia - creatures with 3 or 4 eyes that can create miniature dimensions, once brought into a hivemind by an “Oracle,” which seems to be some sort of god. They all seem to be falling apart and have taken a horrific turn as most of the Pythia have been “executed,” and those who haven’t have either gone mad or into hiding in their own bubbles of (albeit temporary) safety.
The ending of the game is somewhat misleading, too. Once Charlotte and Felix escape the TV world by having Charlotte merge with the Oracle itself, the game almost plays off the previous events like they were all a story made up by a young and imaginative Charlotte. Did they happen at all? Is she a reliable narrator or point of view to begin with? (Spoiler alert, she is not.) The explanation for it all seems to be that Charlotte herself is a schizophrenic, though the legitimacy of this is brought into question in the third game, which I will talk about later. Altogether, the game didn’t bring out many strong emotions in me, and I was starting to zone out as I moved on to the second game’s playthrough.
Hello Charlotte EP2
What struck me as odd in the second game is that while the first game seemed to bring Charlotte out of her own strange, black-and-white world and back into reality, we’ve found out that she’s right back where we started last game. A black-and-white world, inhabited by her imaginary friends. Aliens, gods, and the like. However, Charlotte’s seemingly made-up world feels more alive this time. I’m not sure if this is the consequence of the game developer improving their skills or an intentional detail, but even more characters are introduced, and previously shallow tenants of Charlotte’s home are given more depth. The hazmat-suit wearing aliens have faces, personalities and whole backstories attached to them, now. Charlotte has a best friend at school named Anri, who has a obsessive crush on her. She’s friends with a bullying victim named C with horrible germaphobia, who has almost identical struggles to her (more on those struggles later.)
What also surprised me is the continuity between the first and second game. For some reason, I thought that this Charlotte would be starting from scratch, completely oblivious to the fate of the first game’s iteration. However, this concept only seems to be used in the third game, so I guess I was simply mislead. This game, in fact, takes place 3 years after the first, and the Oracle still lives on within Charlotte’s conscious. However, it’s a dying god, on its last leg. It had already been dying during the time of the last few Pythia, but it had used the last of its strength to free Felix and Charlotte from their world. As the Oracle’s health declines, so does Charlotte’s mortal body.
Unlike the first game, most of the themes in this game hit way too close to home. The feeling of second-hand helplessness when someone you barely knew ends their own life. Anri’s obsessive and outright manipulative lesbian crush on Charlotte, bordering on bullying. The schooltime harrassment and trauma Charlotte underwent. The fear and dangers of social interaction. Feeling unlawfully punished by your school teachers for seemingly nothing at all. Depression, self harm, and the primal urge to escape from it. Getting roped into others’ mental health, until both of your issues converge into a disgusting amalgamation of the need but severe lack of therapy and a break from it all. Delusions of what could’ve been and the possible, yet near impossible future ahead. Looking back on everything you’ve ever done and regretting every second of it.
While I ticked off the trauma presented to me on a silver platter in the form of a fucking RPG Maker game like a twisted bucket list, I found myself relating more and more to not only Charlotte, but the students around her. Scarlett, whose life was so perfect that nobody had even thought about her possible mental issues until it was far too late. Anri, who would lay down her life for a girl who simply doesn’t feel the same way. C, who desperately wanted to escape from reality by any means possible.
An interesting fact about Hello Charlotte is that there are numerous omnipotent beings amongst its cast. They aren’t shy about providing very in-depth character analysis to Charlotte, and in turn, to the puppeteer (I suppose now is a good time to inform those who are unfamiliar with the series that the puppeteer refers to a species, character, and the player, all at once. Charlotte has a puppeteer controlling her by the name of Seth. You are/are controlling Seth as the player. Capiche? Capiche.)
What this meant for me watching Manly’s playthrough was the feeling of two gods (in this game, at least) peering right into my soul, analysing characters that reflected my exact experiences and even my personality during my school days. I learned and realised things about myself that I simply hadn’t known before. Just like Charlotte, I’m simply looking for direction in life, and I’m too afraid to act without instructions. I found myself bullied, manipulated and abandoned by someone who simply wanted my affections, and only learned to miss them when they were gone. Like Anri, my desperation for love and approval from an individual in turn lead to anger and resentment for them. Like both Charlotte and C, I eventually turned to hurting myself to make all the pain go away, refusing help from others and developing a shell of false optimism and naivety to forget about the damage I had dealt to my body, personality and relationships.
As much as I hate to admit it on my little obscure Tumblr blog with 0 followers and 0 traction, I still struggle with these things. I have no direction in life, and wander aimlessly, hoping for one of my offshot attempts at content creation to take off. I find myself missing the girl who emotionally abused me to hell and back every day. I resent another girl for never feeling the same way I felt about her. I still don’t take care of myself, and spend every day in a state of denial about my physical decline and sickliness. I’m so incompetent emotionally that I spend days ignoring my own boyfriend, starving him of the proper relationship that he deserves all because of how broken, fragmented and distant my own mind is.
Hello Charlotte EP2 has four endings. All four of them, in my eyes, are bad.
In the first, C and Charlotte overdose together, leaving their mortal realm to become gods. They choose to ignore and forget the pains of their mortal lives, and live the rest of their godly lives in ignorant bliss. Do I want to forget about my depression and trauma? Learn nothing, and forget about everything that made me who I am today? Or worse even, do I dare take the plunge into “godhood,” and leave this mortal plane to end my suffering altogether?
In the second, Charlotte discovers that C isn’t who she thinks he is, and she finds him without a soul. Alive, but empty. Charlotte could not save him. Consumed by grief, she ascends and becomes a god, consuming the entire world around her. After all is said and done, she realizes her mistake. All of her friends are gone, C is still empty and unresponsive, and now she is alone. Sometimes, I feel as though I’ve already gone through this ending, many times over. Countless times I’ve let my depression become all-consuming and take over my life. I’ve pushed so many people away and hurt so many more, and for what? I have nothing to gain from every fit of depression, and the consequences make it seem nothing more but a selfish attempt to make myself feel better.
In the third, Charlotte is the only one who dies. In her last moments, the Oracle comforts her, like a mother cradling her child. They embrace, and say goodbye to each other, as Charlotte’s own life was the only thing keeping the dying god alive. At this point, I’ve started to draw parallels between the Oracle and depression. Depression isn’t always a horrible thing that beats you down and keeps you from being truly happy. Sometimes, wallowing in my own sadness and depression would be the only thing that keeps you sane, stable, and calm. The feeling of hopelessness really is bittersweet, and in desperate times, goes hand-in-hand with acceptance of one’s circumstance. Oftentimes, I find that this is the most realistic way I’ll go out. One day, I may just accept depression, and succomb to it. There may not be a struggle at all. Rather, a quiet, submissive hum, which will fade away into silence.
In the fourth and final ending, Charlotte and C die alongside each other. After her death, Charlotte confronts the Oracle, and wishes to save everyone, and for everyone to be unhappy. Of course, this is where the classic saying: “Be careful what you wish for” comes in. Because of her wish, everyone’s soul, what makes them individual and unique, is erased. After all, no one can suffer if they cannot think at all. In some ways, emptiness is pure bliss. This once again goes back to the bittersweetness of depression. The sheer emptiness it may bring on, at times, is bliss. Feeling nothing isn’t always a bad thing. It’s a way to cope with the horrors of the world. To remember nothing at all is such a tempting yet unattainable solution that I can’t say I haven’t longed for in the near or distant past. Charlotte, of course, is distraught that her friends are all gone, their identities and souls lost forever. Following this, she has one request to make of another god, the observer. She wishes to be killed, as all of her actions have lead to nothing but pain for others and herself. The observer, however, refuses this offer. Instead, he comforts her and takes her hand. They go on a journey together. He suggests that one day, she’ll learn to control her power, and she can recreate the world and her friends. As they leave, Charlotte reflects on her hopes and dreams for the journey. She hopes to learn to be kind, and not hurt others. She wants to change her ways, and become an honest, good person. Charlotte, slowly but surely, is on the road to recovery.
Putting the unsettling sequel to this game aside, maybe I could learn a little bit from Charlotte.
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phantomato · 2 years
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if tom wasn't sorted into slytherin for whatever reason, do you think he would have been sorted into ravenclaw?
Hmmmm.
The short answer is I think Tom could’ve gotten himself sorted in any house—and I don’t think this is unique to him, I think any student could get themselves sorted into any house if they have a strong desire for it. Hell, that’s my new headcanon: hat stalls aren’t proof of specialness (more than one house fits!), they’re proof of someone arguing very hard to be placed in a house that will be a challenging adjustment for them.
So let’s go through what being in another house might mean for Tom Riddle. And to start that, I’m going to need to dive through what I think being in Slytherin meant for him.
Slytherin
Tom is a proud Slytherin student in canon, presumably because his ancestor was Salazar himself. Fandom has done a great job deconstructing the likely implications of this sorting, including that Tom could have faced bullying over his blood status and/or poverty. I lean away from the straightforward reading of the canon text, which suggests that Tom was at the top of the social hierarchy and had the purebloods around him under his control. That seems a difficult feat to accomplish with nothing but his own cleverness, even if we give him the full seven years to do it. No, I would suggest that with Slytherin as his house, Tom honed his self-preservation and ambition—keeping himself afloat and having hope of something better yet to come would be the way to survive in a house that is actively hostile to his inclusion.
Ravenclaw
What does a Ravenclaw Tom look like? The poor house is given the short shrift by its creator (along with Hufflepuff—JK just did not bother), so Ravenclaw traits pretty much boil down to “smart kids.” Tom is a smart kid, sure, and Ravenclaw might see him leaning further into that image and worrying less about whether his bed is safe to sleep in that night. But I suppose the interesting option here is that Ravenclaw leaves him space to lose himself in pursuit of academic curiosity, since it’s a house with a few famous eccentrics (e.g. Ollivander). What if a Ravenclaw Tom ends up with a horcrux even earlier? What if his interest in the dark arts slips by without notice, since he’s been sorted into a ‘safe’ house? Maybe, when he falls off the grid, he never returns as Voldemort—he stays out there in the world, gathering knowledge for its own sake, becoming something of a myth like Herpo the Foul.
Gryffindor
Gryffindor Tom never leaves Britain, on the other hand. Gryffindor is a house that prides action, the courage to ‘do what’s right.’ With the daring attitude Tom might learn there, how could he justify waiting 20+ years to start his revolution? It would seem cowardly instead of intelligent. The values Tom learns in Gryffindor might push him towards that Ministry career, or maybe towards being a belligerent political outsider, or maybe towards gathering a wide-ranging support base of peers and taking something by storm. Did Harry not start an army of students? This is what we see of Gryffindor, and it suggests that a Tom who comes through the house would not value patience very much—he was a child of impulse before Hogwarts, and could develop in that direction.
Hufflepuff
I saved the best house (after Slytherin) for last. Poor Hufflepuff is maligned by both JK and fandom, and it’s a shame, because it is the houses that emphasizes more than individualistic traits. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are almost entirely self-focused. Slytherin is pretty much there, except for the (fanon, I think) concept of Slytherin loyalty. But if you look through the traits that Hufflepuff house favors, they’re nearly all, well, people-skills. They’re things that make you better at relating to others. A Tom who ends up here is forced to think about his relationship to his peers—and not, as in Slytherin, because his peers bully him, but because this house expects him to pitch in. I don’t think any house has the power to make someone a ‘morally good person,’ however you define that. At best, peers and mentors within a house will model traits that they value, and a student will probably come to value versions of those traits through exposure. So Hufflepuff’s vision of fairness would look different for Tom Riddle than for Pomona Sprout, but it’s nonetheless fascinating to consider what Tom might be like if he writes his own manual of what it means to be modest, fair, and just. He’s already hard-working, and he can grit his teeth and be patient or reward loyalty. Perhaps this is the Tom who recognizes Albus Dumbledore as too much of a nuisance with too much reach to be combated. Maybe this Tom waits out Albus’ life and builds a following with generations of loyalty and a coherent political philosophy to sway even more people to himself, and maybe it works.
I mean, ultimately I’m just spitballing ideas, here. Hogwarts houses are formative experiences, but they don’t rewrite someone’s base personality. Still, it’s fun to consider how Tom could have been influenced by each of them.
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just-come-baek · 4 years
Text
get in, loser 2
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Pairing: Taeyong x female!reader
Themes: smut | mafiaboss!taeyong | carthief!reader | streetracer!reader
Word count: 8.3k
Summary: As controversial as it is, it’s Taeyong’s order for me to participate in the most prestigious race of the underground. As one may expect, it is frowned upon by other gang members.
Warnings: disregard for police enforcement | illegal street racing | improper driving | violence | character death | taeyong being the ruthless mafia boss | poor stress management | drinking
A/N !REUPLOAD! sorry I fucked something up. Next parts shall be posted on Tuesdays every two weeks. 
***
Getting up early in the morning isn’t really my thing. I was the most productive during late evenings and nights, and the fact that I had to be ready unusually early fucked up my sleeping schedule. Hopefully, it was the first, and the last time my presence was requested at such an unholy hour. Right after getting introduced to my new workplace, they had to be flexible enough to let me adjust the work schedule to my preference.
Unfortunately, Taeyong didn’t specify how early Lucas wants to see me the next day.  I guessed it was around 7 o’clock in the morning – it was late enough for an early bird, yet early enough for someone who doesn’t really fancy getting up at sunrise.
Having parked my starling Fiat500 in front of the building, I saw a man. He was leaned against the brick wall, smoking a cigarette. It must’ve been Lucas. Who else could’ve been? It was the asscrack of dawn, for crying out loud!
“You’ve gotta be kidding me… that’s your car?” the man asked as he flicked the butt of the cigarette, stepping on it, grinding it against the ground, visibly galled by my cute feminine vehicle.
“It’s inconspicuous,” I commented, trying to make my point. Blending in after hours was one of the most crucial things in this profession, I didn’t want to go on and scream that I steal cars and race for a living.
“You’re late,” Lucas whispered. Under any other circumstances, I would roll my eyes, but right now, I just couldn’t. I was just staring at him, slowly checking him out. He was ridiculously handsome, and I tried my best not to drool. “I’m Lucas,” he said, sending me a playful smirk.
Politely, I introduced myself despite him already knowing who I was.
“That’s impressive,” Lucas commented, and I shrugged, not wanting to go through this once again. “How did you do it? It’s not that easy to steal Taeyong’s car, let alone Yuta’s,” he added, and I sighed, trying to come up with a vague and equivocal answer.
“What can I say? You’ve gotta have charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.”
“Alright, I get it, keep your secrets,” Lucas voiced, biting his lips as if in deep thought. “Sooner or later, I’ll figure this out,” he promised and smiled, willing to take this secret with me to the grave. (I had a bad feeling in my gut, telling me Taeyong would be pissed if he found out the truth about the theft, and I was too cowardly to admit the facts.)
“Are we gonna stand here the whole day, or are you gonna show me around?” I challenged, and Lucas took a step to the side, gentlemanly letting me enter the car repair shop, following closely behind me.
“Ladies first,” he added, chuckling.
It wasn’t a typical car repair shop. The space was huge, and it could accommodate at least fifteen vehicles. On the inside, it resembled a car factory, but instead of assembling the cars, people were taking them apart.
What surprised me the most was the fact that I was the only female inside. Though I knew it was a stereotypically a male profession, men to women ratio was astounding. I didn’t mind it, though. I knew I could beat every single one of them. Gender didn’t matter at all.
“Let me introduce the guys you’ll be working with,” Lucas mentioned, and a few men stopped what they were doing to look at Lucas and me. “Please, meet Renjun, Jeno, Haechan, Chenle, Jisung, Jaemin, and Mark,” Lucas introduced them to me, but they didn’t seem very happy to see me. If anything, they seemed a little bit hostile.
“Hi guys,” I said, smiling and waving at them, but their intimidating auras didn’t change. It was awful, and I couldn’t imagine how difficult it was going to work with them. They obviously didn’t like me and didn’t respect me as if worthy of the same position. And it was especially weird because I knew I was better than all of them combined.
Ignoring their angry glances, Lucas explained their roles in this division. Renjun, Haechan, and Chenle were in charge of tuning up the cars, making sure they’re up to the racing standards. Mark and Jaemin were stealing the cars and bringing them here, and Jeno and Jisung were racing. Later on, Lucas revealed I was assigned to both – car theft and racing, and of course, the boys had to voice their objection.
Apparently, they had never heard of multitasking.
According to them, it wasn’t fair for a rookie member to participate in the street races. This position had to be earned through hard work, and they just couldn’t comprehend how much effort I had put to prove my value to Taeyong.
Well… to be honest, I didn’t suspect any of the boys to ever personally talk to Taeyong.  I highly doubted they had an idea of what I had to go through to get recruited. They probably had never heard of Yuta, let alone been to his area and stolen one of his vehicles.
“I hope we will work together just fine,” I declared, though deep inside, I knew it wasn’t going to be a smooth ride. I was sure the boys were to make my time there miserable.
And, oh boy, I was right…
***
Somehow, I managed to survive a week at my new workplace without quitting. At some point, I was really close to doing so, yet then I remembered what I had gone through to work here, and this thought alone kept me going. The boys were an enormous pain in the ass, but it would definitely take much more than juvenile bullying to make me leave.
I was a lot of things, but definitely, not a quitter.
Having acted tough the whole week, I needed something to help me chill, and the only person I thought of was my best friend – Doyoung. I was a gang member now, but I knew it wouldn’t matter to him – it wouldn’t have any impact on our friendship.
Within an hour, I was already at his car repair shop. Not bothering to announce my arrival, I strolled inside, looking for him. It was already weekend. All of his employees were recharging their batteries for the upcoming week, so the slim pair of legs under the Nissan Maxima must’ve been Doyoung’s.
Smirking, I slammed my hands against the hood, startling him in the process. Swiftly, Doyoung rolled out from under the car, staring at me angrily, as if refraining himself from murdering me with bare hands.
“Jesus Christ,” he yelled when he saw my face, apparently relieved it was me. “Ever since I helped you with that gig, I have terrible anxiety,” he confessed, and I couldn’t blame him. I felt the same, fearing that someone might want to get rid of me with violence.
“Good thing I stopped by,” I mused, excited to reveal my amazing plans. “I was wondering if you would like to go on vacation with me – my treat. We haven’t spent all the money Taeyong gave me that time, and he hasn’t mentioned anything if he wants the rest of it back, so I thought we could go to the beach. What do you think?”
“More like Mr. Bad Boy’s treat… It does sound tempting, though. Where is the catch?” Doyoung asked suspiciously, knowing me all too well. “Are you on another stupid assignment?”
“Well… not exactly,” I answered, looking away, nervously playing with my fingers. “They’ve accepted me as the newest addition to the family, though some of them gotta warm up to me yet,” I explained, shrugging at the thought of the relentless bullying. “But that’s not the point. Taeyong told me to get rid of the car, and  I thought of kindly returning it to Yuta. It’s only logical I send him back the car plates, yet far from home because I don’t want anyone to trace it back to me.”
Judging by the look on Doyoung’s face, he wasn’t completely sold on this idea.
“It’s like killing two birds with one stone. We’ll go to the beach, post the plates to Yuta, and then enjoy the rest of the weekend, sipping drinks by the sea. It’s a two-minute risk-free adventure. What do you say? We both deserve some leisure…”
Staring straight ahead, Doyoung must’ve weighed all the pros and cons of my proposition. Ultimately he decided he deserves some alcohol drinks with cute little umbrellas in the glasses.
“What about the other car?” Doyoung asked, and I rolled my eyes at him.
“I’ll give it back as soon as we return.”
“Fine.”
“Great! Pack your suitcase, the plane takes off in four hours.”
As soon as we arrived, we made a short stop to mail the package to Yuta, praying for him not to trace it back to me. The parcel contained the Ferrari’s plates, a key to the storage room in Japan where Yuta’s vehicle had been kept, and a tiny piece of paper with a sorry written on it. Hopefully, once Yuta gets it back, he will forget about the car ever being stolen.
Later in the evening, we checked into the hotel I had booked, left the baggage, and hit the SPA. Having taken all available services, I was calm, I felt like a lotus flower. Doyoung, however, still was anxious and whiny.
“You need some vitamin D, my friend,” I told him, and he grimaced at me in disgust. “You know… there’s this man, his name is Jaehyun. He’s a guy from work, and I’m pretty sure he could help you let off some steam,” I offered, and Doyoung shook his head, sassily wrapping his lips around the straw, sipping on his third drink of the evening.
To be honest, I doubted Jaehyun swung for the same team, but both of them needed to get laid. Jaehyun because I was really close to start believing his gaze could be literally lethal, and Doyoung because he was so whiny and intractable to be around. I knew it wouldn’t ever work out, but I had to, at least, try.
“I appreciate the proposition, but I don’t hook up with gangsters,” Doyoung said, setting his drink on the counter. “You know what…” Doyoung started, and I rolled my eyes, knowing his further statement will be both funny and hurtful.
When tipsy, Doyoung would often state things harshly without even thinking about running around the bush. “Being your friend has become really stressful recently. It’s a matter of time until I go completely bold, and it will be exclusively your fault.”
“I know…” I agreed, sighing in helplessness. “I’ve been a terrible friend, I’m sorry,” I whispered, resting my head on Doyoung’s shoulder, reaching out to hold his hand. “I’ll never put you in danger again, I promise,” I added, acting way out of my character. Usually, I wasn’t this emotional, but I suspected it was coming from pretending to be badass all the time.
“OK, enough of the weeping, let’s buy some alcohol to go and go get drunk on the beach, waiting for the sunrise,” Doyoung pushed my off of his arm and jumped off the barstool.
“That’s the spirit!”
***
“Gather round people,” Lucas yelled as soon as he entered the car repair shop. As always, he looked like a complete snack, yet I chose not to comment on that. Though we barely spoke with one another, everybody knew how big his ego was, and I didn’t want to inflate it even more.
“What is it?” Haechan whined at Lucas, being annoyed by the interruption.
“The color festival,” Lucas revealed, and everybody grew silent at the mention of the event.
Though a regular person wouldn’t understand what’s that big of a deal, to a car racer, it was an event of the year. It’s an annual the most prestigious car race in the country – participation alone is an honor. It’s every racer’s dream to take part and win, earning a shit load of money and fame. The participation fee is 50 grand per head, after all. Every year the date is different, and only the best racers are talented enough to be a part of it. No wonder Taeyong’s gang will have its representative.
“It takes place this Friday, and Taeyong has already decided who’s gonna represent us this year,” Lucas announced, and the boys started to guess whether it would be Jisung or Jeno. If I had to nominate anyone, it would be Jeno – his drifting skills were no joke. “As I was saying, it’s Taeyong’s direct wish that our special snowflake represents us in the competition,” Lucas specified, and the boys looked at me the way Jaehyun did – with hatred and disgust.
“Ha-ha, very funny,” I chuckled drily, but the boys didn’t change their attitudes.
No way! Taeyong couldn’t… he wouldn’t. Well... I expected him to respect me after what I had done, but this… it was too much. Some drivers worked their entire lives mastering their techniques to participate, and right now, I felt as if I had my chance served on a silver platter. The boys must’ve felt the same way.
I deserved to participate, but Jeno and Jisung did as well. I wouldn’t mind sitting this one out. Their bullying was giving me a headache as it was, another reason to pick on me was the last thing I needed at the moment.
“It can’t be,” Jaemin stated, too perplexed to voice a longer statement.
“Well… it must be, Taeyong’s orders,” Lucas added with a smirk on his sexy lips, ignoring all complaints. “Guys, behave, it’s not my decision to make. You can always try next year,” he tried to console the whining boys, but it didn’t seem to work. If anything, it only multiplied the anger they felt towards me.
“It’s impossible,” I muttered, but the boys didn’t pay any attention to what I was trying to say, “I’m pretty sure it’s not final. I’ll talk to him, I think I can change his mind,” I continued, but once again my words were muffled by the loud white noise of complaining.
“You can’t just call him,” Lucas remarked, trying to remind me of my position in the hierarchy. Now, when I was a valid member of the organization, I had to follow the rules, and Lucas was my superior to whom I was obligated to report everything back. Talking to Taeyong would be highly unprofessional; I had to stick to the code.
“Can you try to persuade him?” Jisung asked, full of hope.
Lucas laughed at Jisung’s question as if it was one of the funniest things he heard in years.
“To be honest, I don’t give a fuck who’s gonna ride this year,” Lucas started truthfully, and I gasped at the harshness of his words. He didn’t sugarcoat nor beat around the bush. “It’s Taeyong’s decision, and I am in no place to question his choice, so beat it.”
His words successfully shut everyone up; Lucas was mean and straight-forward, but it had to be done. Perhaps his leading skills were a little bit rough around the edges, but they managed to get the work done.
“You,” Lucas exclaimed, looking at me. “Meet me here before the race; we’ll pick up the car,” he added, turning around, leaving me alone with the boys, so they could take out all frustrations on me.
“Fantastic.”
***
As expected, the boys, Jeno and Jisung in particular, were giving me hell. It was obvious they were unhappy with Taeyong’s decision, yet I shouldn’t be the receiving end of their relentless bullying. If I could, I’d pay Taeyong a visit and persuade him to change his mind, but just like Lucas said, I was on the very bottom of the gang hierarchy.
At this point, I’d call it quits. Unfortunately, I was too far in the game to bow out. Right now, I could only endure their harassment in hopes of quickly getting promoted, leaving them far behind. It wouldn’t be the most challenging thing I had done for the gang’s sake.
It was a Thursday night. Within 24 hours, I would compete in the most infamous race of the year, and I was beyond mortified. I had drunk half a dozen mugs of double lemon balm, yet the stress was still eating me from the inside out.
It was oddly quiet. Usually, at this time of night, something was going on, but tonight, it was silent. Without any white noise, one could hear a pin drop.
Everything suggested I was alone in the car repair shop. Having slammed down the hood, I wiped my hands in the cloth and looked around. Where was everybody? Did they forget to add me to their group chat? Did they go out for a drink without telling me?
I strolled through their stations, yet I didn’t find anybody. They really left me behind. That wasn’t cool. We weren’t best friends, but I deserved to know if there was a staff outing. Maybe this time around, I’d pass, given the plans I had for tomorrow, but any other time, I’d be down to have a beer with them.
Perhaps, they would warm up to me if we could spend some quality time together.
Once again, I looked around the space and decided to call it a day. There was nothing urgent that I had to finish, so I closed up. I really wanted to come back home, relax, and psych myself up for the upcoming race.
Yawning, I slowly made my way to my car, which was parked two blocks away from the car repair shop. Lucas had suggested it was for the best if the boys didn’t see my vehicle, since it would definitely become another reason to pick on me. Though I didn’t care what they thought of me, I ultimately decided to follow Lucas’ advice. He was my superior for a reason.
The narrow street was barely lit, yet I made my way through it with ease. I had the route memorized by heart, even though I wasn’t completely familiar with this city district.
Once the car conjured in my line of vision, I reached into my backpack, fishing for the keys.
Unfortunately, before I managed to find them, somebody grabbed me by my shoulders and pushed me onto the ground. Stupefied, I looked up and saw half a dozen of persons, each of whom clad in a black hoodie and a face mask.
I was being mugged in a dark alley.
The survival instincts kicked in. The adrenaline rush hit me in a matter of seconds. Just like mothers who can lift cars to save their children, I was in a combat mode, ready to fight off all of them. I was outnumbered, but when driven on hormones, I thought I stood a chance to defend myself and kick their asses.
Quickly, I got back on my feet and took a few steps to the back to distance myself from the attackers and strategize my next move. My first idea was to run away, but that wasn’t going to work out. Two men with crowbars crept out of the shadows, depriving me of the only escape route I could think of.
“OK, think,” I whispered under my breath. There were seven of them, two of whom had crowbars, while one of them pulled out a knife. Seven against one, it didn’t sound fair. Back in the day, I had taken some self-defense lessons, but it was a long time ago. If I had some skills unconsciously memorized, they would surely be rusty.
Perhaps, I could bullshit my way out of it.
It wouldn’t be the first time.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, but none of the men even flinched. They were frozen in their spots, probably waiting for the best moment to attack. “I don’t have any money on me, but I can give you my wheels,” I proposed, but once again, I didn’t get any reaction. “It’s a measly car, but I got it checked by a mechanic a few days ago. It’s as good as new.”
It was like talking to a wall. I could run my mouth, yet I would never receive any reply.
Plan A didn’t work out.
They weren’t cooperative enough for me to implement plan B.
I had no choice but to go with plan C, which consisted of fighting back, hoping they wouldn’t beat me to death. It wasn’t the most optimistic scenario, but it’s what my mind came up with after doing the math. It wasn’t a fair fight, what were the odds of me winning?
Close to zero.
When I was about to pick which guy I should attack first, the one in front of me made a cutting throat gesture. It did freak me out, but on cue, I ran up to the one with the crowbar and kicked him in the nuts before he managed to smack me with the metal. Instantly, he crumbled down on his knees, dropping the weapon on the ground.
It was my opportunity to try to even the chances.
Everything happened so fast. One second I was wiggling my body from side to side in an attempt to dodge the attack, while a moment later, I was swinging the crowbar like a baseball bat. In all honesty, I wasn’t that bad, I managed to omit most of their punches.
Unfortunately, there were too many of them. At this point, I knew I wouldn’t win. The least I could do was to try to minimize the damage.
Though I could feel a couple of bruises on my thighs forming up and my blood oozing from my shoulder, I gathered enough strength to swing the crowbar at the man, hitting him straight on the neck, knocking him out. As soon as the man’s head collided with the ground, everybody stopped in their tracks, trying to register what just happened.
They couldn’t believe that a woman successfully fought back. It was a small victory, though. Six more angry men wanted to mug me. Or rape me. Or worse.
“You bitch,” one of them yelled, going towards me with a knife as if he wanted to gut me.
I saw everything in slow motion. He ran to me, screaming, and I tightened my grip on the crowbar, getting ready to knock him unconscious, too.
Before he managed to get close enough for me to hit him, we all got blinded by the lights. There was another car in the alley, scaring the men away. In an instant, they picked up their stunned friend and ran away, disappearing in the distance.
My vision couldn’t accommodate this amount of light, so I couldn’t precisely see my savior. Unfortunately, I was unable to see the person behind the wheel, but the vehicle looked like a Ford. Too bad it drove off before I could have a better look.
Worrying the thugs might return, I limped to my car and locked myself in. My pulse was slowly getting back to normal, and the adrenaline was wearing off, making me feel the pain. Each bruise and cut was hurting me, but I inhaled, flooring the accelerator.
***
When I woke up around noon, I was sore all over. Though I had taken some painkillers and put on ointment on the fragile skin, I still felt like shit. I wasn’t the best at treating wounds, and I discovered this fact about myself in the worst timing ever.
How was I supposed to win the most meaningful race of the year when I felt excruciating pain when I had to stretch my arm? How was I supposed to operate the gearbox in this state?
By the time I had to leave my apartment, I felt only slightly better. High on meds, I drove carefully to the car repair shop, expecting Lucas to already be there. It was typical Lucas – giving vague instructions, yet at the same time, demanding precision, or in this case, punctuality.
Gingerly, I parked the vehicle outside the garage, noticing Lucas leaned against the wall, smoking what I hope was just a cigarette. Putting a smile on my face, I undid the seatbelt and exited the car, waving at my superior.
“What the hell are you wearing? Are you going to a race or Lazytown?” Lucas yelled, amused by my outfit. I could bet it wasn’t a typical outfit for street-racing.
Tonight, I chose to wear a pastel pink wig that reached down to my shoulders, a mini dress in the same shade of pink, and a pair of white combat shoes. I had my reasons to wear this type of clothing, though.
First of all – diversion; I hoped the other contestants would underestimate me upon seeing my eccentric outfit. Looks might be deceiving, and at this point, I couldn’t wait to bask in the glory of their judging stares. In this outfit, no one would think of me as a threat.
Second of all – bruises; no one paid them any attention because all the curious gazes were focused on extravagant clothes. Moreover, I could apply another layer of ointment if needed because the skimpy outfit allowed me easy access to my bare skin.
Third of all – Taeyong; pink was his favorite color and it matched his current hairstyle. It was a bold statement to demonstrate whose gang I was representing in the race.
“The outfit is going to serve its purpose, so let me live,” I murmured, not in the mood for friendly banter. Lucas was ridiculously hot, and I respected him, but right now, I didn’t feel like joking around. “What car do you have for me?”
Lucas pulled the sliding doors to the side, letting me in, following right behind me. Though I tried to control my walk, Lucas quickly caught on.
“What’s happened? Why are you walking like that?” Lucas asked in concern, and I told him everything about the men, their attempt to mug me, and the savior. I didn’t even fail to mention how I knocked one of the guys out with a powerful hit in the neck. “I don’t really think it was some random dudes,” he concluded, taking a closer look at my bruises and cuts.
“Huh?” I mused in confusion.
“I think someone wanted to make sure you’re not participating in the race,” Lucas stated. I creased my eyebrows, unable to make sense out of his suspicion. It was ridiculous. Though I knew how to race, my name wasn’t widely known in the illegal underground racing circle. “It can’t be a coincidence you’re getting attacked one night before the event.”
Well… Lucas had a point.
“Can you race?” Lucas inquired, his voice coated in worry.
I did not expect that, but it felt nice. Lucas, being my superior, looked after me, and it was the first time I felt like a legitimate member of the gang.
“I’ve taken a lot of pills, I can pull through,” I stated, smiling half-heartedly.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed, though I could already feel the medication wear off. This insignificant setback wasn’t going to stop me. I had something to prove.
“Alright then,” Lucas said, following me to the back. “Taeyong has personally chosen these cars. You can pick any of them,” he added, and I looked at the beautiful machines in amazement. “Oh, before I forget, he also said you get to keep it if you win.”
“For real?” I asked, and Lucas nodded, smiling at my reaction. “Sweet.”
Now, I really had to win.
Taeyong had selected three vehicles for me to use: BMW M2, Toyota Supra, and Porsche 718 Cayman. The three of them were white and shiny, and it was a real dilemma.
“Tough choice,” I whispered, struggling to make the ultimate decision. Each vehicle had incredible features, and it was impossible to pick the best one. It felt like having a birthday on the same day as Christmas.
“Be quick, we’ve got to go,” Lucas urged me, tapping his foot against the concrete floor impatiently. “Make up your mind, woman.”
“OK, fine, fine, let’s go with Toyota,” I answered, and Lucas put his hand into the pocket of his jeans, fished out three sets of keys, and threw one for me to catch.
“Let’s go, then,” he added, quickly making his way to the passenger seat.
“How does it feel like to win such a race?” I inquired, breaking the silence inside the car. I was speeding to the abandoned airport, while Lucas was texting with somebody, completely ignoring me. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time to bond with him, but I couldn’t help my curiosity. Three years ago, being the youngest participant, Lucas had won the race, and I really wanted to know how it felt to make history.
Who knew? Maybe I’d be the first woman to win this race this year.
“Fine, I guess,” Lucas answered dismissively, not wanting to engage in the conversation.
“Oh,” I sighed, deciding not to pry further. We would have other opportunities to talk about it.
Once we arrived, Lucas told me to park the vehicle on the start line. The race would start in an hour, and until then, I had to mingle with other drivers and make my presence known. It was time for the rich men to make their bets.
“Hmm… that’s strange,” Lucas commented when I turned off the engine. “Taeyong’s here.”
“Is that strange?”
“He hasn’t attended such an event ever since he had won it five years ago,” Lucas explained, and I nodded my head, registering the new information. When Lucas put it like that, it really seemed out of character. “Interesting,” he added, deep in thought.
When Lucas got out of the car, I searched for Taeyong in the crowd. Thankfully, it wasn’t that difficult. This time around, Taeyong was wearing a green tracksuit set, thick-rimmed black Fendi sunglasses, and a pair of simple white sneakers. With his pink-ish hair and a custom-made Dior purse loosely hanging off his shoulder, he did not fit in this picture packed with gangers. Taeyong looked like a stray 4-year-old who got lost in a dangerous alley.
Following Lucas’ example, I exited the vehicle, and leaned against the hood, posing as a confident yet quirky driver. Though I expected everyone to underestimate my skills, deep inside, I wished to be recognized as a serious competition.
Looking around, I stared at Taeyong and deliberately ignored Jaehyun’s death glares. Even from afar, I could sense he hated my guts. I suspected I was the reason why Taeyong was here right now, and Jaehyun was unmistakably displeased by it.
With my eyes locked on Taeyong, I noticed Lucas joined him and whispered something into his ear. Whatever Lucas had told him, it made Taeyong visibly angry.
“Attention racers,” a female voice spoke through the speakers, obtaining everyone’s attention. “The race shall begin in thirty minutes. We ask all racers to pick up the GPS device box at the judge’s lounge. Thank you for your attention and good luck.”
Every participant had to install the device in one’s car. Once set in the vehicle, the racer could see this year’s route and all checkpoints. The fastest one to clear all the checkpoints and come back to the airport would win the competition.
Following all the instructions, I got ready for the race. In a few minutes, twelve cars would leave the airport in an attempt to chase their dreams of fame and success.
I was sitting comfortably in my seat, and though on the outside, I seemed calm, the courtesy of painkillers, I was freaking out internally. I didn’t even notice someone knock on the window, making me jump in shock.
“Jesus Christ, Lucas, you scared the shit out of me,” I cursed, rolling down the window.
“I just wanted to wish you good luck,” he added, smiling genuinely. “I spoke with Taeyong, and he would like to talk to you after the race in his mansion.”
“Oh.”
And with that, Lucas walked away, letting me relax some more before the race. I just had enough time to turn on my playlist, which consisted of Britney Spears’ biggest hits. It always helped me to uplift my mood, and I really needed that.
“Three,” the woman counted out loud, and all participants turned on their engines.
“Two.”
“One.”
At once, all the cars surged forward, and people cheered enthusiastically, not even muffling the loud engine roars.
The route had seven checkpoints in total, and since the race was called the color festival, each stop was named after the rainbow color. There was no specified order in which the contestants ought to clear them, yet most of them chose to drive east, toward the indigo checkpoint.
I, on the other hand, decided to head west. The more drivers in one area, the more chances of dirty tricks, and I didn’t want to end up getting pushed out of the route into the gutter.
Only four racers mirrored my actions, and out of the five of us, I was leading. With ease, I cleared the green checkpoint, but one Britney song later, the driver of the red 2020 Lexus SC caught up to me, driving straight into my back left lights, making me lose control of the vehicle for a second. Thankfully, I managed to get a hold of the situation before I drove into the dangerous turn.
This bastard scratched my car and cleared the yellow checkpoint before me.
I couldn’t let him get away with it.
Flooring the accelerator, I quickly found myself on the right side of the Lexus, staring at the driver. I recognized him in an instant. It was Felix, and he was infamous for dangerous driving. It didn’t matter how many drivers he had to send to the hospital to win the race.
Perhaps, it would be reasonable to let him be, but I was high on meds, and the logical solution fled my mind before I managed to memorize it. The only sensible reaction I could muster in the heat of the moment was hitting him before he hit me again.
Sticking my tongue out for Felix to see, I abruptly turned to the right, pushing him out of the road. Unfortunately, I didn’t hit him hard enough. Before I drove into another sharp turn, I saw him in the rearview mirror. He was back on the lane, trying to catch up with the rest of the participants.
“Too high, can’t come down, losing my mind, spinning ‘round and round, do you feel me now?” I sang along with Britney, driving through the blue checkpoint.
I was almost halfway through the race, and it was about the time when I ran out of luck. I could hear a loud siren ringing in the distance, followed by red and blue lights. It couldn’t be a good sign. Competing against lunatics was challenging, yet on top of that, I had to lose the police.
My first thought was to let the other drivers catch up to me, and then hope the police would chase them, but I quickly realized it was a dumb idea. The racers would out-speed the police cruisers anyway; it was stupid to purposefully slow down.
The next checkpoint was near, and it was my priority. I’d deal with the police by the end of the race. Of course, only if the police cruisers could handle such speed. It was doubtful, but I chose not to underestimate them.
“Fuck, it can’t be,” I cursed when I noticed the red Lexus again. “He is stubborn,” I added, once again flooring the accelerator, trying to keep as much distance from Felix as possible. This car would be mine if I won, and I didn’t want any more damage.
Then, a few seconds later, another car appeared a couple of hundred meters behind me.
Too bad the police were too incompetent to catch them. The sirens were still ringing in the distance, so it only meant they didn’t give up yet. I didn’t think they stood a chance against any of the sports cars in the race, but it was admirable that they still tried.
The red checkpoint was a couple meters ahead, and I reasoned I needed to step up my game. In order to win, I had to think out of the box. I had to do something they wouldn’t dare. I couldn’t play it safe if I really wanted to win.
Having cleared the red checkpoint, I made a U-turn without slowing down. If it wasn’t for the breaks, the force would pull me out of the lane, sending me flying off the cliff. Felix and the other guy were visibly confused when I started driving right at them.
Going over 180 km/h, I passed them and the police cruiser before I made an abrupt turn, driving through run-down, abandoned properties. Very few people knew this short-cut, and I hoped it would give me the advantage I desperately needed.
With no problem, I cleared the orange checkpoint.                
Only two more to go, I told myself, trying to uplift my mood.
The violet checkpoint resembled a war zone. Three cars were sitting on the side of the road, all scratched and damaged. Compared to this psycho who had done it, Felix was a harmless kitten. Thankfully, he hadn’t chosen to follow the same path as me. It made me sick to think I could be inside of one of these wrecked cars.
Or it was the meds overload in my system.
I couldn’t be sure.
Having passed the final checkpoint, I noticed a sports car. It was heading the same direction, so I concluded it was one of my rivals. The neon green Porsche Boxter was behind me, but it was catching up incredibly fast.
I had to get my shit together, or I was going to lose.
I could see the finishing line in the distance. Unfortunately, the green Porsche was right there, on my left side. Neither of us wanted to lose, and almost at the same time, we turned, smashing against each other. Sparks were flying everywhere, the sound of scratching metal was ringing loudly, yet no one dared to let go.
If I didn’t push him out of my way, we would tie, and this result was unacceptable. With my foot on the accelerator, I turned the steering wheel to the right as hard as I could. The vehicle barely moved to the side, yet it was still making progress.
Maybe it was pure luck, but the Porsche ran over something on the road, and its driver lost control of the car. It was my time to shine, so once again I turned to the right. The vehicles made a 90-degree turn, which resulted in me being the first one to cross the finishing line.
Oh my god, I won.
These guys could suck it because I beat them!
When I got out of the car, Taeyong and Jaehyun were gone. Lucas was the only familiar face in the crowd, and he actually ran up to me to congratulate me. “You won,” Lucas said, beaming. His smile quickly faded away upon seeing how wrecked the car was. “It was a new car,” he cried, calculating the damage.
“It’s still new,” I remarked, but Lucas didn’t find it amusing. Well… I could relate. After all, it was my car. I knew the second the painkillers wear off, I was going to in pain because of what I did to the vehicle. Hopefully, Doyoung would help me get it fixed.
A lady in a deep-cut bikini and sun-kissed tan walked up to me to hand me a bag of cash and a bottle of champagne.
“Everybody, make some noise for this year’s winner,” she screamed into the microphone, making the crowd go crazy.
I was smiling like a lunatic. People were cheering, and it was all for me.
Though I was craving champagne, I knew it wasn’t the best idea to drink it. The pills mixed with alcohol would kill me, so I opted for an alternative celebration. Swinging my arm, I threw the bottle at the car, smashing it against the scratched doors.
“Christening the car seemed appropriate,” I commented when I saw Lucas trying to process what I just did. “At this point, one more tear doesn’t make a difference.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Lucas said lifelessly, staring with concern at the vehicle. “You better go. Don’t keep Taeyong waiting. He’s not a patient person.”
***
Having parked in front of Taeyong’s big ass mansion, I made my way to the main entrance and rang the bell. The doors opened a few seconds later, and Jaehyun looked at me from head to toe, stepping to the side, letting me in.
It was my first time in Taeyong’s palace, and the interior was breathtaking. Everything looked expensive, and everyone must’ve felt the wow effect during their first visit. Though I knew he had a shit load of money, witnessing his wealth first hand was an unforgettable experience.
“Stay here, I’ll get Taeyong,” Jaehyun ordered, and I smiled sheepishly, not wanting to mess with someone who could easily murder me. “Don’t touch anything,” Jaehyun added as he turned around, catching me red-handed on trying to brush my fingers against the sculpture, which was set on a coffee table.
Two minutes later, Taeyong joined me in the spacious living room.
“Lucas told me you won,” he spoke as he plopped down onto a leather couch, putting his hands into the pocket of his disgusting green tracksuit. “Good job.”
“Is that why you wanted to see me? To congratulate me?” I asked out loud, wanting to smack myself the moment the words left my mouth. Of course, Taeyong didn’t want to congratulate me; he had invited me to his mansion before the race even began.
“No,” he replied shortly, and I smiled sheepishly, trying to forget this incident. “You know what I will never tolerate?” Taeyong asked, and I sighed in thought.
“I don’t know… Hmm… it’s a wild guess, but is it Hawaiian pizza?”
“No,” Taeyong denied, smirking at my random guess. “I will never tolerate treason, doll.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to figure out what he meant. I hadn’t done anything to betray him, yet he still somehow found something to punish me for. No way, it wasn’t possible. Had he figured out how I really had stolen Yuta’s car?
Fuck.
“Come on, doll. Let me show you,” Taeyong whispered, standing up. With his eyes on me, he smiled and stretched his hand. Anxiously, I let him hold his palm around mine as he led me to the basement.
It wasn’t a good omen.
Despite all of my achievements, Taeyong was going to kill me.
“The pink really suits you,” Taeyong spoke out of the blue when we slowly made our way downstairs. “I really like this hair on you,” he added, playing with the ends of my wig.
“Thanks, I was hoping you’d like it,” I answered, trying not to show how intimidated I was.
“Oh, I do, doll,” he smirked, pushing a pair of big pine doors open, stepping to the side, letting me in first.
Inside the room were seven men tied to the chairs with a piece of cloth wrapped around their eyes. Since there was only one light bulb, it took me a while to recognize them.
They were my colleagues from the garage. What the hell were they doing here? Why had Taeyong imprisoned them? What had they done? It was them who had betrayed Taeyong? No, it didn’t make any sense. He wouldn’t have invited me if it was about them.
“I don’t understand…” I commented, my eyes focused on the tied men in front of me. The moment when I looked at Jisung, I saw a wound on his neck.
Then it hit me.
It was them.
They had tried to kill me last night.
“As I said, I cannot tolerate treason,” Taeyong voiced as he began to rip the makeshift blindfolds off their faces. “Working against the gang is unacceptable, and you dared to hurt one of your own,” he spoke, and I trembled, afraid to witness what’s going to happen next. “Who came up with this stupid plan?”
Silence.
“Alright then,” Taeyong concluded through gritted teeth. It was the first time I saw him this angry, and I was scared. I’d shit my pants if I were the reason for his wrath. “Come here, doll,” he ordered, wanting me to join him. “Pick your weapon,” he told me, and I looked at him in confusion. What did I need a weapon for?
I looked to the right and saw pegboard tool storage on the wall. It was an impressive collection of torture weapons, and Taeyong wanted me to use them on the traitors. It was wrong on so many levels, and I really didn’t want to do it, but the perspective of wronging Taeyong seemed even worse. I would rather hurt them than let Taeyong hurt me.
“We don’t have a whole night, doll,” Taeyong urged me, and I grabbed the first thing which was in my arms’ reach. It happened to be a hammer. “Excellent choice; who should we punish first?” Taeyong asked, resting his arm over my shoulder, smiling like a maniac. Without any doubt, it was to bring him a lot of pleasure.
“I don’t know…”
“Alright, then,” Taeyong smiled in amusement before he started to sing the eeny, meeny, miny, moe counting rhyme to select the first victim. At first, I didn’t look, but once Taeyong stopped singing, I opened my eyes to see that his finger was pointing at Haechan.
“Do what you gotta do, doll,” Taeyong ordered happily, leaning against the wall, making sure he had the best view at the scene unfolding in front of him.
I wanted to cry, but I tried my best not to. As a part of a gang, it was inappropriate to show vulnerability. I didn’t want Taeyong to revoke my membership, especially when the only way to leave the gang was through excruciating death.
“Where should I start?” I asked myself under my breath, having no idea how torturing worked. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a way of inflicting the least amount of pain, while maintaining the expected level of Taeyong’s satisfaction.
Having closed my eyes, I swung my arm, hitting Haechan’s palm with the hammer, making him groan in pain. “You bitch,” he cursed, and I repeated the blow a couple of times until his hand looked like a smashed pomegranate.
Haechan was yelling in pain, Taeyong was chuckling in amusement, and I tried my best to refrain myself from crying. Though I didn’t particularly like Haechan, and he had been a real pain in the ass with the bullying, he didn’t deserve such punishment. How was he supposed to work at the garage without his dominant hand? His career was basically over. It was a dick move to attack me, and though I was awfully petty, the punishment was too severe.
“Who came up with this stupid plan?” Taeyong questioned again, yet none of the boys dared to speak. Not even Haechan, who was in a tremendous amount of pain. “Here, hold this,” he added, handing me a baseball bat, “I got bored of the hammer.”
Obediently, I grabbed the baseball bat and hit Haechan in the stomach until he started coughing blood on my pink dress. “What the fuck?” I cursed, getting angry at the minor inconvenience.
“Stop it, you’ll kill him,” Jisung yelled, trying to shimmy himself out of the ties. “I did it. I told them to beat her up. She didn’t deserve to ride in this race,” he carried on, and Taeyong sighed, walking up to Jisung nonchalantly with his hands loosely tucked in the pockets.
“It wasn’t that hard, was it?” Taeyong asked as he bent a little and caressed Jisung’s chin. “I really appreciate your honesty,” he added before he pulled out a gun and shot him in the head.
It was hard to process, but he really did shoot Jisung.
“Good job, doll,” Taeyong congratulated me with a smile before he fired his gun once again, this time shooting through Haechan’s forehead. “What? He was useless without his hand anyway,” he commented upon seeing my shocked reaction.
“You’re not gonna kill them, are you?” I quietly asked as I leaned against Taeyong’s frame, clinging to his chest. None of them deserved to die, yet I hoped Taeyong would spare the remaining five.
“No, I think it was enough for them to learn their lesson,” Taeyong revealed, and I sighed in relief, glad the bloodshed was over. It was the first time I saw somebody get killed, and it was a morbid sight. I wouldn’t mentally handle the situation if he decided to murder them all.
“Can we go now? The blood makes me sick,” I confessed, and Taeyong once again wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulled me to his side, and led outside. Surprisingly, regardless of what I had seen a while ago, his hug felt genuine. “I have a question, though.”
“Shoot.”
“How did you know it was them?”
Taeyong smirked, “who do you think was in that car that scared them off?”
“You?” I asked, cocking up my eyebrow, trying to process the newfound information.
“No, what I would be doing there?” Taeyong denied, making me even more confused. “I told Jaehyun to pick you up and bring to my mansion. However, when he saw you were attacked, he drove off and hunted them down.”
“I guess I owe him big time.”
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Note
Greetings Mod Mikan
I remember to saying this in your Kokichi misconceptions/rant post about the whole 'Kokichi and Hiyoko' comparison a lot of fans makes. I would love to hear more about your thoughts about it, since it's also something that bothers me about the fandom
If you don't, that's fine
Thank you
Mod Mikan: Hello nonnie! Ah, no worries! I will never deny the chance to rant about my favorite panta gremlin
How dare the fandom compare the panta gremlin to that banana haired bitch?
But in all honestly, I believe that comparing Oma and Saionji is one of the most unfair comparisons you can make between characters. Yes, they both are childish and insult people. But really, that's literally all they have in common. Please, by all means, give me ANOTHER similarity they have in common!
I also apologize since this post turned out longer than expected, so if you wanna keep reading, just click down below. Thank you
I mean....what did you expect? Kokichi literally does way more for the story and practically carries the whole plot of DRV3 on his back. Even after his death, he is SO useful. Even if you don't like him, you can't play DRV3 and NOT admit that Kokichi didn't play a huge role in the entire game! He adds so much to the story, it's virtually impossible not to give him credit, positive or negative, on the impact he created throughout the story
Hiyoko, while she was going to become a survivor and receive a proper redemption arc, didn't do anything for the story. While that does sound harsh, it's the truth! Yes, she did make the shrine for Mahiru, but she was killed off right after that. It also makes me think (as I said in a previous post) that if she actually did survive and got the justice that she was originally going to receive, I would've warmed up to her. Yes, she did receive that in the anime, but it was poorly written (at least IMO) and didn't stick out much to me
Not only in a gameplay perspective, but as people, Kokichi is definitely a better person. Before you all call me a simp and 'defend Kokichi bullying others' please just let me explain. Hiyoko bullies people because of her background and upbringing. It's entirely personal why she looks down on others and insults them. It's also why she acts childish. I admit, her backstory is pretty sad, but honestly? Boo-fucking-hoo, Hiyoko. Is that harsh? Yes. But can you blame me? I'm bombarded by both Kokichi haters and Hiyoko kinnies that have shoved her backstory in my face, using it as an excuse for her actions. A person's backstory isn't an excuse to bully people. Hell, there is no 'right' excuse for being a bully! While I'm aware I sound a bit arrogant saying that, Hiyoko lacks the 'depth' and 'interest' that Kokichi gives to the audience. She's a 'copy and paste' of a 'schoolyard, playground elementary bully' who had a tragic backstory and bullies the weak to feel strong.
It's overplayed, if you ask me
Kokichi's bullying is much more complex, which gives him more entertainment and interest. It's for several reasons. He's mostly known for just teasing the cast, but there was four exceptions of people he, on layman's terms, 'bullies': Miu, Kiibo, Kaito, and Maki. Yes, I left Gonta off this list. He didn't really bully Gonta, just manipulated him in the beginning. He even saw Gonta as a friend, slowly but surely, without even realizing it. Yes, yes, I am aware that he called Gonta 'stupid' and 'an idiot' during trial 4, but can you blame him? He was paranoid, nervous, guilty, and felt a HUGE amount of remorse rest upon his shoulders. He was in a very bad state of mind, and his own logic and trust issues were pulling him down and allowing his own demons to swallow him--Needless to say, he was sunk into the pit of utter despair
For bullying Kiibo, I came across the reason, from others and even myself when I started to replay the game, that Kokichi was suspicious of Kiibo when the killing game begun. Before the killing game was even announced, Kokichi's behavior towards Kiibo was 'child-like' and more like innocent ignorance rather than having any malicious intent. But when the killing game begun, Kokichi probably wondered "Why was there a robot in the middle of a killing game for humans?". I mean....Kiibo, being an advanced piece of technology, was in a very suspicious position in the midst of a killing game. Heck, not only Kokichi, everyone isolated him and even threw in 'robophobic' remarks (not as often as Kokichi, but still)
In Miu's case.....well, honestly....Miu got off on it XD. I explained his relationship with Miu in another previous post, but long story short: He basically insulted Miu because it was the 'nicest' way for her to be quiet and shut up. If he were to yell at her, Miu would've cowardly whimpered or backed down. But she wasn't bothered by degradation and actually got off on it. Also, reviewing what I said about Kiibo being in a suspicious position in the killing game (which was actually proven in the end with him being the audience's surrogate and voice), Miu also had an impressive talent. Her talent gave her a HUGE advantage if she decided to become blackened. Kokichi needed to manipulate her in some way so she wouldn't have gotten her mind filled with the intent to murder. And surprise surprise. Chapter 4 rolls around and she decided to murder Kokichi--someone whom he put his trust in. It's understandable he would be a little salty towards her, even after death
With Maki's case, it was really tied to her being an assassin, something Kokichi hated. His organization had that 'no murder' rule, and he probably revealed Maki's talent out of spite and to avenge Ryoma's death, believing that it was Maki's fault he ultimately decided to give his life to Kirumi. Not only that, but he was legit choked by her in front of everyone, and who did Kaito and Shuichi decided to be-friend IN THE MIDDLE OF A KILLING GAME?! Yep! A trained assassin!
And that was really tied with Kaito's case as well. Kokichi was probably pissed off at Kaito's blind faith in people and tried to get him to change his ways throughout the game. Which is probably why he was also rude to many people and nitpicked their flaws. He wanted to help them and steer them into a better direction, but didn't want to directly help them. And why??? Well, do you remember what Kokichi said in chapter 1/2 about working together? Monokuma will just drive a wedge between all of them if they decide to cooperate. Kokichi was on the cast's side, but wanted to do it in an underhanded way to avoid raising suspicion with Monokuma
Now tell me......did Hiyoko do any of that?
I'm not saying Kokichi's bullying was excusable. Like I said, there is no 'good' excuse to bully people. But he, on layman terms, had a 'better' reason to bully others than Hiyoko did. Kokichi was driven by logic (with a little bit of his trust issues mixing in) while Hiyoko had personal reasons
Look at Kokichi's UTDP and compare it to Hiyoko's events. Kokichi doesn't really bully anyone. He teases people with his lies, but it's nothing bad really. Even outside a killing game, Hiyoko is still pretty fucking rude
I hope this gave you some insight to my view about the whole Oma vs Saionji comparison. This turned out longer than expected, so again, sorry about that!
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hectabdr · 3 years
Text
Dragon Raja IV - Chapters 11 & 12 (Abridged)
Hi everyone!
Today's chapters are a little slower than the previous ones, but they have a lot of insight on Nono, Luminous and the nature of their relationship. I also kept more of the original dialog for the same reason.
BTW, this is the point where the illustrations suddenly stopped for some reason so... No more drawings :P
Previous chapters.
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Chapter 11
A girl waited in the top lobby of the Black Prince International Financial Center. At 21 years old, Tu Xiaojiao was already known as the "Sophie Marceau of China". She was in that building to meet the legendary "Master Shao", the inheritor of this powerful organization. If anyone else in the world made Miss Tu wait for more than half an hour, she would leave the place immediately, but Mr. Shao was different, he could offer her the role of her life, so she decided to stay in the waiting room.
When the receptionist finally allowed her to enter Shao's office, she found him next to the window, reading a poem out loud. She had to wait for him to finish for fifteen minutes, her high heels started making her feet feel numb, wondering if he was mocking her, Shao didn't even notice her presence. To her dismay, once he finally saw her in his office, it didn't make much of a difference, since Shao only had one topic in his mind, his adored senior was back.
Miss Tu tried to be polite, and asked to know more about this "senior" girl. When Shao was younger, he had a girlfriend, she was actually one year younger than him, but she demanded to be referred as his senior and he obsessed over her for the rest of his life. He even showed miss Xiaojiao a picture of himself and his senior back when they were a couple. Tu Xiaojiao was confused, in the tiny photograph, there were two children, one looked like Shao and by his side, there was a girl who seemed completely indifferent towards him. This was cut from a kindergarten group photo, and he carried it in his wallet ever since.
Shao had everything at his disposal since he was born, his focus in the entertainment industry was nothing but a hobby. He could visit any place that he wanted, he could buy any piece of clothing and of course, he could date some of the most beautiful women in the world. But he didn't want any of them as his wife. The woman of his life had to be someone who would make him beg for her affection, someone who would make him kneel in her presence. The only woman who could make that to him, was Chen Motong.
Every time that Miss Chen came back to the country, he felt like a five year old all over again, but getting her heart wouldn't be an easy task. She acted cold and demanding, when she arrived he asked her out for dinner but she just wanted to borrow a car from him and left. He heard about an Italian man, apparently her boyfriend and he couldn't learn anything else about him, it was driving him crazy, but he received some information that brought some hope back into his eyes. Miss Chen had a friend in town, and he was in the hospital. Shao left his office with Miss Tu in it, on his way to meet Mr Luminous.
Young Lu was also disheartened because of Nono, although, his reasons were different. His 91st attempt to save her also ended in failure. When he realized that they were once again going to die, Nono desperately tried to make him react, but he lazily waited in the car seat for the whole scenario to restart, frustrated and annoyed, as the gravity of the situation slowly became less palpable. He looked to his side and saw Nono's face looking at him. Her expression was as ruthless as ever but in her eyes he saw deep sadness, he almost felt like hugging her before they died but the simulation ended. To him, death meant that he would have to start all over again, but for Nono, every single time it meant a genuine end.
To interrupt his depression, a young, short, overweight man entered his room. He called himself a friend of Miss Chen and Luminous thought for a second that she sent him there to get him out of the hospital, but Shao was there to speak.
He started making questions, in particular, who was this Italian scumbag that he heard about? Tragically for him, Luminous spoke highly of Caesar's fortune, personality and actions, and to make matters worse, he wasn't only Chen's boyfriend, but her fiancé.
A depressed Shao proceeded to tell an anecdote from his childhood. When he was studying in the United Kingdom, Shao felt belittled next to ehe aristocratic children that studied with him, so he started bragging about his own family's wealth and promising other kids money for listening to him, when he tried to show off in front of Nono, she beat him up and told him to call her "Senior Sister".
The school's Rugby matches also got violent, Shao played aggressively, so the other kids retaliated against his attitude by deliberately kicking him in the face and hitting him with the ball. His front teeth got broken as there was no coach present to stop them. He sat down on the grass, defeated, when Nono took his place in the match, she fearlessly rushed into a defense of fifteen boys while Shao swore to his heart that one day he would marry that girl, even if he had to kneel and crawl in front of her.
Shao compared himself to the protagonist form "The Great Gatsby", who desperately needed to be with his love interest, Miss Daisy.
-Why should a girl be with a man who needs her?
She should be with a man she needs. My senior sister doesn't need me, I am the one who needs her.
Before Shao left, Luminous reminded him of a scene in "Journey to the West" where Tang Sanzang found a silly monkey who lived behind a waterfall. The cowardly monkey recognized Tang's strength and left his hidden home to follow him around the world. There are two types of monkeys in the world, the smart ones that can survive out there on their own, and the silly ones, who need a master they look up to.
Shao understood his metaphor and he felt encouraged. Realizing he could trust the strange mental patient enough to untie one of his hands, Shao gave Luminous a can of beer and they toasted. When Shao left, Luminous took a syringe from the side table and injected himself with more sedatives. This was his 92nd attempt.
Shao returned to his office, motivated and lively.
-I met a new brother today!
He encouraged me to come back here, he's a philosopher and his words are very touching!
People living in mental hospitals are all experts in this kind of stuff.
He realized that he left without saying goodbye to Miss Tu, but his apology wasn't answered, because the girl in his office was Nono. She was drinking, looking tired, she didn't wear any makeup and silently stared at the window.
Shao was determined to win her over, but Nono answered most of his questions briefly and coldly. She didn't want to speak with him, she was just there to return the car keys and now she wanted to leave.
Shao's pitiful voice tone softened her attitude a little so she asked him for some gin with ice. Nono drank the whole glass in one sip and asked for a refill. She had another glass, and another.
- Senior sister, is someone bullying you?
- Who could possibly bully me?
- Usually no one, but aren't you engaged now?
- Caesar wouldn't do that, don't worry about it, just take care of yourself.
- Are you really going to marry an Italian? Those guys spend their money so recklessly!
- Could you give me a better reason not to marry him? Who are you to say those things? Stop messing around and just confess your intentions.
- I'm your boyfriend from kindergarten! If you gave me a chance instead I could be endlessly more confident and...
- You? "Endless"? Nono was so angry that she laughed.
Shao Kneeled and asked Nono to be his girlfriend instead. He kneeled in one knee, so she asked him to kneel on both like he used to, and he did, but not for begging, he used to do so as punishment. Nono didn't like his subservient attitude.
- We were just classmates, I was wrong to treat you so hardly, but you don't have to hold on to me, I am engaged and you could marry just anyone.
Shao kept begging, Nono deflected every single one of his arguments until he recited Luminous's "Journey to the west" reference. His delivery was incredible, but she had no reaction to it, she looked at her glass with tired eyes. She got up on her feet and entered the elevator.
After she left, Shao was avidly celebrating, he interpreted her reaction as progress and showed off in front of his employees.
Nono stopped at a small ramen restaurant to warm up her rain-soaked body. Chu Tianjiao was her last clue and she lost it. If Luminous was actually sick, why didn't she give up on him yet?
Why did she feel the need to insist on his case? This wasn't only about her, every moment she spent in the middle of nowhere, escaping from the secret party, she got Caesar in trouble. How was she supposed to explain this to them?
She had to admit that she cared too much about Luminous's well-being. She wouldn't doubt to give him her diving suit, she immediately called him last year when she and Caesar were overwhelmed by Scythe ferrets to warn him of the impending danger and now that the whole world was against him, she kept insisting on proving his sanity. Regarding his feelings for her, she comforted herself with positive thoughts. Who didn't have a crush on a senior girl at some point in his life?
Zero was great for him, so was Isabelle, if she had known Erii in person, Nono would have considered them to be "such a fucking perfect match".
Over the last few years, this petty boy had grown up, he became more energetic, better dressed and gained so much experience, yet he kept holding on to her. She left Shao's office without saying a word because she recognized those words belonged to Luminous. They were about Luminous.
- Chen motong, you're such a fool, you messed everything up.
Chapter 12
An exhausted Su Xiaoyao leaned back on her office chair, she had spent a long day on work meetings and in the middle of the night her phone kept ringing. This was her life ever since she had to leave school to take over her father's business. She had gained some weight ever since but no one really cared, she was still one of the top bachelorettes in the city and she had just accepted a blind date, excited to take a break.
During the student reunion, seeing Luminous made her cry a little. It wasn't because she used to have a crush on him during their high school years, she just realized that those carefree days would never repeat themselves. Back in the day, she and the other girls used to sit on the basketball courts to see Luminous play basketball. Even the air felt different.
Su took her high heels off and put her feet on her desk to take a quick nap, but her phone interrupted her attempt to display an urgent text message. It was Liu Miaomiao, her old rival in love.
- Su Xiaoyao, find a way to get here, quick! They put our senior brother in a mental hospital!
Game level: Gungir light, 101st load.
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- So, where did you get that rocket launcher again?
- I found it under the seat...
The whole fight seemed extremely rehearsed by now, Luminous always knew exactly where to shoot, it almost looked like he could predict the future.
- Did you learn that in your special training? I want to take that special training too!
Nono slowly became the most problematic element in the simulations, she didn't retain her memories after every attempt like he did. This was probably the first time Luminous felt something other than absolute admiration towards her, she became a little annoying, but he couldn't really blame her. They got in the car and tried to escape, but one of the tires was damaged.
- Are you hungry? I just found some nuts in this car!
He knew Nono was trying to calm him but he was still a little anxious, he repeated the steps to replace the tire in his mind but the car-wheel escaped his hands and rolled over the highway.
His tantrum surprised Nono, who dropped her snacks all over the floor. Ming·Z paused time and got out of the car.
He noticed that Luminous asked to reset his last six attempts instead of waiting for his death, he seemed far more tired than usual after his conversation with Shao, it made him reflect about his feelings for Nono to the point of getting distracted in battle.
- First of all, I'm not the only monkey that she brought out from the waterfall, second, I am the one who needs her, she doesn't need me.
- Brother, I expected you to regret going to Cassell College, you wouldn't be so sad otherwise.
- I don't regret it, if I hadn't gone to Cassell College, I wouldn't know my senior brother nor my senior sister or the boss, nor would I know Finger, the Japanese "Lonesome George" brothers... And Erii.
Luminous ignored Ming·Z's snarky remarks and got a better hold of his feelings.
- I always ran after my senior sister, I like her so much that it makes me very sad that I can't be with her. Caesar was born with everything, he could have married any girl he liked but he picked the only one I cared about.
Suddenly I realized that I'm wrong, that was just wishful thinking on my part.
There are more people for me out there, Erii liked me, but Nono was the only one I had eyes for. Nono doesn't need me, I'm the one who feels at ease when I follow her, like she'll feel relieved when she marries the boss. She wouldn't feel like that if she were with me and to pursue her is to act on my most selfish side, why did my senior brother support me?
- Your senior brother wasn't that upright, don't you think?
- Finally, are you willing to admit that he's real?
- Okay okay, Johann Chu really does exist, but there is something wrong with him and you need to get him back"
- Then I'm relieved.
Ming·Z confirmed more things, the city was closed on all exits due to the weather conditions and the Nibelungen was invading their reality on a large scale.
- Thank you, Ming·Z·Lu. Why do you call yourself Ming·Z? You deliberately used my cousin's name"
- No, my name is Ming·Z·Lu, there has always been a Ming·Z·Lu in your life and that's me, not the fat boy in your uncle's house.
Luminous went back to the car, picked the dozens of floating snacks and put them back in Nono's palm one by one.
- Sister, don't worry, you will be fine, I will definitely find a way, I changed my mind, I will attend your wedding, I'll see you in your white dress holding orange flowers, walking on a red carpet full of happiness... Maybe you should throw the bouquet in my direction.
Three girls were sobbing next to his bed when he woke up, Chen Wenwen was the first face he recognized, followed by Su Xiaoyao and Liu Miaomiao. Su was one of the most influential persons in town, so she demanded that her old classmate got released from the hospital.
They took him out on a car and decided to stop on a luxurious bar. They all felt a little insecure about what they were wearing, so Su Xiaoyao asked her driver to bring them their old school uniforms.
Sitting at the bar, after multiple drinks, the girls kept reminiscing of their old days in high school, Luminous past in this reality was the same as Johann's, including his Saxophone recitals at the cultural festivals. He used to envy Johann so much back then...
He stood up and told everyone that he was going to the bathroom, but he changed back to his normal clothes and got out of the bar. A man with a motorized tricycle was waiting for potential passengers outside and Luminous gave him his expensive watch as insurance for borrowing his small vehicle.
He drove all the way to the Number 10 highway and entered the Nibelungen again. Odin was waiting for him far away, he didn't say a word but he slowly raised his lance. Luminous turned around and left the god's prison.
Back in his old apartment, Finger had befriended Luminous's aunt and kept doing shores for her. Nono came back to the place and they argued about their course of action.
- If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have rescued him from that theater.
- Feels like you stepped in bubble gum and you can't take it off.
Finger suddenly left the room and came back with the news, Luminous had left the hospital with three old classmates. Nono grabbed an umbrella and ran out. She knew the bar and she knew about Su Xiaoyao, they weren't going to be hard to find.
By the time she arrived, the three girls were arguing after Luminous left. They actually tried to blame each other, the way they admired him was surprising to Nono. Suddenly, Luminous came back and justified his absence by saying that he went to a convenience store to get something to eat.
Nono watched them from the dark, feeling really stupid, there was a strange obsession that she couldn't let go of. In fact, she should have driven away the silly monkey that pestered her long ago, the more she helped him, the more he would rely on her. This wasn't good for any of them, but she couldn't bear to refuse.
She was afraid that he would end up crying alone in the wilderness, where no one could listen to him. She hoped that one day he could become one of those smart monkeys who run around happily, but maybe this silly monkey was smart from the beginning and she was pitying someone who didn't really need her.
She strolled under the heavy rain, her clothes were soaking and stuck to her body, it was a long way back to the uncle's house but she wanted to walk alone. She felt colder and colder and for the first time in her life she missed the Golden Iris Academy. She felt like going to a ramen stand again but there were no businesses in sight, however, there was a phone booth.
One call, that's all she needed to give away her location, Caesar made her memorize an emergency number long ago, it was the right thing to do, the person she should trust the most in this situation was not Finger or Luminous, but Caesar. Dialing felt like betraying her old classmates, but she started pressing the numbers.
"No, no, no, no, no, don't be like this, don't be like this"
Subconsciously, she looked aside and saw a small boy in the rain, looking at her from the other side of the glass. What was such a young boy doing out there on his own?
He was delicate and beautiful, like a porcelain doll.
- Are you looking for me? She asked.
The expressionless face of the boy slowly got horrifyingly distorted by the raindrops on the glass. She couldn't breathe due to an overwhelming sadness, so she opened the door but the boy was not there anymore. She took the calling card out of the booth and hanged up the phone.
Rome, Italy.
Caesar was waiting in front of a phone, he was under a lot of pressure, but the moment he received Nono's call, all of his problems would be over, yet the phone was silent.
The family elders felt like Luminous had stolen something that belonged to their heir, so they suggested that he cancelled his marriage.
- No, there are only two people in this world who can dissolve that engagement, Nono and me.
To avoid being put under heavy suspicion, he had to act calm and decisive, like he did a few days ago, when he released the monsters from the ice cellar to find the fugitives. Parsi entered the room and informed Caesar about the worsening weather conditions in Beijing, this type of climate phenomenons usually signaled the awakening of powerful dragons.
Luminous, the never-existing Johann Chu, the grim reaper, it was all starting to make sense. Caesar instructed Parsi to prepare his private jet and his desert eagles, he also dissuaded Parsi from going with him. At the lionheart club, president Babru informed the former president and dragon slayer Abdullah Abbas that Caesar wanted to team up with him to hunt the dragon down.
Intrigued, Abdullah accepted and instructed everyone to get ready.
To be continued, final update on Monday.
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feralcoffeebug · 3 years
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Hello everyone I am here with my info about the merbug au! If there’s any questions about things about it just send in an ask!!
The infection was something predating both the Radiance and the pale king. It was something that would cover a bug in a glow orange in the dark thing, making spots of said bug glow orange in the darker caverns of the ocean. The infection is actually a creature that if you become friends with it it will listen to you and let you command it
The people that were suffering with their people getting infected took a substance and created a nonmortal but not immortal mers called Void Entities. It was unknown by any of the public about how they were made, only those working on the project truly knew what the substance was to make these creatures.
They were still feral however and tended to kill whoever came close to feed, it was unlike the infected mermaids that would just kill you just to kill you.
These new immortal mermaids soon died out due to being trapped in a cave system below. All except one died off. This remaining one is called the Shade Lord by historians and those who braved the depths and came back alive. Those rare few that survived lost almost all memories but only knew of that name and a long and rich black mer.
Soon enough things seemed to die down in the oceans waters.
Two factions moved in close corners, the Radiance and The Pale King. They both had very difficult ways of leading their group but were mostly unconcerned about the other. The Radiance’s faction lived in the deep caves lit up by sea lights they found on ships and around the water named the Dreamy Depths.
Hornet came about because Pale and Herrah were together before Pale started dealing with Radiance. Pale and Herrah were in a relationship for a little, then separated because too much fighting and Hornet ended up becoming a joint custody child. But when the caves became too dangerous for a child Herrah left Hornet to her dad. Hornet is older than her half-siblings (the voidmers)
Nothing much happened between the Pale King and The Radiance. That was until The Radiance started to study the infection. The Infection, being a hivemind like creature, made it so the Radiance could befriend it to use it.Soon enough she mastered how to use it for good for her faction but how to use it against those who made her upset.
At this point Pale was terrified that her sights would come to going against his own people. With no other ideas he turned to the ancient texts. There he found information about the Void Entities and a Goddess only known as the White Lady.
Needing someone who knew of the void entities would help, plus an immortal being was needed, Pale set out looking for the White Lady.
He needed her to make the voidmers because he needed a mortal's dna(his own) and an immortal’s dna (wls) to make them. She agreed to the plan and while working together they grew feelings for eachother.
He eventually started his experiments to temper down the feral behavior of the Entities. He eventually made something called the Voidmers (Vessels). He made a lot of them, some died dur to complications of being hybrids, some survived. The ones that survived were Moth, Kin, Ghost, and Pure. Moth ended up getting lost in the caves and got killed off.
Pale soon realized that the threat of the voidmers might not get Radiance not to go after his bugs. At this point she hadn’t been going after Pale’s faction. Xero got too close to the creature and it attached itself to him.
And so he took Pure and trained them to be able to fight others. However, instead of succeeding, Pure failed and got captured instead. With the Voidmer’s immunity to infection, the Radiance started working on a way to get past it. These experiments only slightly worked and it took a lot of time to do and it is rather difficult. Around this time is when Kin got too close to the caves and got captured.
Lost Kin is one of the few voidmers who wandered too close to the caves and got nabbed. They got nabbed and were one of the failed experiments by Radiance. They were too chaotic in how much control they had and often it was a 50-50 chance it would be them in control or the infection.
With Pure infected, the Radiance could use them as a sort of guard dog. They are bigger then most other mer. They are known for protecting the lower layers of the caves. The few bugs that have survived their hunting calls them The Beast That Lurks. No one goes down into the lower caves because they don’t wanna die.
A few years go by and a little voidmer that goes by ghost ends up wanting to know what happened and why they weren’t allowed to go down below. During these few years in between, Pale disappears.
They end up diving into the caves, shortly followed by their bigger half sister Hornet, who doesn’t know them too well but also knows that she’ll get in trouble if they get hurt. Ghost ends up not noticing her and ends up losing here. Eventually in a grassy place she jumps out and goes “you’re going home!” And ghost kinda just goes “no” and so they fight and Ghost wins before swimming off.
They meet Quirrel, another adventure. Tiso, someone who heard of the way your name goes down into history if you find something out and wants that glory.
They meet myla, who honestly just works there but likes ghost and helps them out from time to time, until one day she gets infected and attacks them
The infection can be healed and scraped off as well to help with healing, she’ll just need medical help before it takes her over and kills her completely
The infection works by covering a merbug in a thin layer of bioluminescent orange. This stage is where aggression starts due to chemicals the infection has. Then, if not treated, it will start to clump at the gills, bringing down oxygen intake, eventually it’ll slowly kill the mer without them noticing because it does this slowly. Eventually the bug seems to lay down to rest and they die completely in their sleep.
Eventually, they get the help from some of the people working on studying things down below. Lurien, someone who studies the infection, monomon, who works with it in a daily basis, and Herrah, a beast of the deep who knows how to avoid the Beast that Lurks.
Lurien and Monomon were easy to find and talk to, Herrah actually saves Ghost from being spotted by the Lurker (nickname for THK)
Pure’s job is to seek out anyone who was not a part of the Radiance’s faction down there. They know what they are doing but don’t agree with it and can’t control their own body. They’re body is being controlled by the infection but it can’t kill them due to their immunity.
They are called the Beast the Lurks by the mers down there because it’s silent, the only thing you see is glowing orange before it attempt to grab you and kill you
Ghost actually gets into the place where The Radiance is because Pure grabbed them, was about to kill them. But the fact that Pure, upon seeing their sibling, fights the infection harder and regains control for a moment and lets them go before Hornet jumps in and ties them up for a moment for Ghost to get into there.
However before this they met Shade Lord, who promised to help them after negotiations and gave Ghost some tools to get past the infection without it affecting them so much. So after they take over the Radiance, the Shade Lord begins to attempt to help Pure get rid of the infection from their system. They still need some extra help because it hurt them a lot and it was eating away at their shell and scales. Plus blunt force trauma from running into walls.
Unn is a slug ^^ she and Radiance were good friends until she went into the research about the infection before they finally separated. Unn honestly just kinda vibes on the sea floor with advice about how to deal with Radiance that may or may not be helpful
Grimm and Radiance are twins, however instead of staying in one place he travels a lot and has a few friends he travels with and puts on shows with. He mostly traveled back to see what was going on and Grimmchild (who is getting a dif name) wanted to go with Ghost to explore and Grimm went “ok, keep them safe little fish or else.”
Grimm isn’t a responsible parent but he is a good parent at the same time. Grimm or one of his group sometimes pops in and gets Ghost out of a tough situation. The troupe also always have a warm place for Ghost to sit and rest for a while and have a good meal.
Cloth is a shy and clumsy mer who was bullied for being too cowardly, so she wanted to prove she wasn’t a coward by going into the Dreamy Depths. She meets another merbug down there. They spend a lot of time together and the merbug tells her that it’s okay to be scared of things. Cloth ends up staying with her, until she gets infected and tells cloth to go before she gets attacked by her. So cloth leaves her behind. The love ends up dying. Cloth stays alive though, helps ghost out and while helping ghost she meets Myla. Myla and her hit it off and so she stays with her. When Myla gets infected she refuses to leave but does make sure she’ll be safe from getting killed. Cloth is one of the reasons Myla gets better.
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thelordstears · 2 years
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Writing totally isn’t a passion of mine *Wink, wink*
"Fools, always think they're the smartest one in the room, as is the same with saints, it would seem." - Moores Thomas
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"This wicked heart doth not beat lovely." - Valkronin Sambridge
"We're pawns in a game that doesn't fucking care; the King and Queen have left the brooks and knights bleeding on the edge of the board. All that's left of us is the way we move across a checkered board, wondering why black, white and red is the only color we can see through these loyalty blinded eyes." - Flitz Haktoll
"We're all lookin' for glory at the end of a faded bullet; grins echoing in the decaying lights of justice and heroism." - Benjamin Scotsfire
"Glory is not found in the pursuit of death. It's often found in the pursuit of something greater." - Henry Onlark
”Lies fall slick from the tongue of the foolish.” - Cross Smykens
"I left the war; but it never left me." - Jay Foster
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"You haunt many a folk 'round here and you don't even know the names of the graves carved into the stone of your heart; everyone's nameless too ya. But everyone's got a name and a couple thousand stories to tell, what merry little tale do you think I plan on orchestrating tonight?" - Monte Pelamo
"I thought I was raising a rifle to fate; but then I bled as my finger curled around the trigger." - Alastair Sambridge
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"Crazy and misunderstood is a very thin line many walk." - Westell Gramstein
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"Any man can become a shadow wisped secret of himself. How do ya think the darkest of creatures are made, brother? They start off as good people doin' good things. But sumthin' comes along the line and rips them from their shadow, leavin' them defenseless against the dark." - Valterren
"In all madness, my friend, there is what created it. Dare you tread in the black waters of my mind?" - Westell Gramstein
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"I stand stagnant in a pool of others blood, wishing it was my own." - Alwine Hickory
"I looked for who I am in all the wrong places. Like the way a boys hurt tasted on my heart, or the way a cigarette burnt my tongue. It's as if I never really found me. As if I never will. Because in all honesty, I feel as though I was never someone that could truthfully be called Inazo Lizomann." - Inazo Liomann
"I'm licking fate off of the barrel of temptation's revolver, my heart splintered and weary. Once you get a taste of the things that damn you, like the way cruelty tastes on your tongue, you begin to fall away from yourself. I swore up and down I'd survive. But I didn't. I never had." - Huntsdale Klizollo
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"I'm cursing you with the thought of life in the midst of the death of those you called friend." - Sevelsworth Hickory
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"You won't make it out of this alive. You'll try. You'll walk mile after mile. But you're just a tombstone with legs." - Quentin Satchel
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"I was raised on the Devil's backbone of sin, standin' like the snarl of a rifle. Don't you come ta wonder what makes monsters like me? Brother, life has always been what makes monsters outta human men." - Cavowit Hickory
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"I got a tattoo runnin' below my eye that tells the truth, as if the grim reaper has put her eternal mark on me." - Henio Bonstook
"You'll become a reflection, of sorts. You won't exactly, look like me. You won't exactly, look like my gunmetal stained past. But it'll be there, lurking in the corners of the mirror. Waitin'. Watchin'. Readyin' itself to pounce on the little gunslinger who thought he could, and that my friend. Is the day you'll die." - Ulfrich Diggory
"It's not about, who you are in the now. It's about who you're gonna be after I start carving little pieces of you off with the edge of my gunslinger malice." - Ulfrich Diggory
"Truthfully, I killed someone for that woman. I carved little pieces from off my heart, begging her to love them, but she was a Devil wrapped in gossamer, silk and roses, telling me that our little secret was nothing more then a flickering streetlight, providing little protection to the darkness of the night. And I suppose, my streetlight flickered out, leaving me with nothing but the sparks of a cigarette and the warmth of a revolver." - Grant Filepen
"Where once faith swung like curtains behind my ribcage, now it feels more like a couple of nooses, whispering my fate into the winds of my feeble, decaying sense of self." - Amaziah Bokenmay
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"Truthfully we're all heroes in some capacity. But some cast that away, they tear it screaming from their heart, our heroism often begs when faced with greedy fingers, but the cruel don't care. And to all the heroes who invited the kindness in, I hope it didn't take too many pieces away from you, to let the fact that cruelty exists despite the bravery in you break you." - Kirsten Hezofrein
"The cruel call peace a revolution just so they have an excuse to kill the protestors." - Sebastian Dovens
"The blood ran black from my wrist, dripping down like candle wax damnation." - Joey Alderson
"Skinny and starvin' I died, sittin' on the edge of my frozen over revolver. I shivered, I shook. And mate, I didn't make it ta the end of the tunnel, I was caught by the traffic of beasts, but 'ow peculiar is it, that they stared at me with eyes I recognized? As if pe'raps, friends can become enemies within the span of a god damn blink." - Arv Harknizia
"Darkness has to blot out the sun for light to shine later on." - Gustave X. Van Velk
"Those in power are often the weakest man kind's got to offer." - Garth Yeager
"I saw life flash before my eyes in the banging of a rifle, sins sitting cruel on a masked man's sleeve. It was in that moment of death that I cut humanity from out my heart, becoming something unfamiliar. But these cackles of insanity start to feel beautiful." - Tahasha Moonlight
"Life keeps forcing me down, these shadows start to whisper into my mind that the light is just outta reach. And those damned shadows rip at the threads of the sun's golden rays, ripping into the warmth of Summer forevermore. I'm telling you man, you think Summer memories will always be goofing off under the hot sun, playing videogames with your best friend as your mom brings you cookies and lemonade. But all I can hear now is the gunfire melody of the hunt, sickening cackles ringing in my ears like poppers goin' off to damn early." - Scottie Bloodvallo
"Death is something we can not avoid. It catches all souls who live, it lingers in the cold mountains and in the hot springs, hiding in the shadows and the light. Wherever we go it is hiding, always hiding. But I find it so,  innately cruel that sometimes, death catches up to men and women who still have miles to walk. People who from then on out have to walk mile by begrudged mile in death's wicked boots." - Caesar Cagelstan
"Men like me, men of the mountains and cold harsh winds of Antarctica don't really fuckin' live. Sure, we breathe. But as an old friend said there's such an ugly difference in that, cause as I puff another hazed, stale old cigarette, smoke drifting towards the Heavens, I come ta realize these angels wear smoke wings and ember halos, praying that this warmth is enough ta melt the ice in their hearts." - Daryl Fate
"People think that because they've walked comfortable miles, they know what it means, to truly be alive. But breathing and living are a very thin line many cling too, as if it was the lit fuse of a pact of dynamite, praying that it doesn't cover them in shrapnel truths and war bound horrors. I no longer live. I breathe. And there is such an ugly difference in that." - Mankar Hagmallio
"You don't know this city like I do kid. There's sharks swimmin' in the waters of these secrets, boy, and you're starting to smell a helluva lot like blood." - Roman Ustolgio
"I'm a Diablo, friend, and you're here for a handshake." - Abundio Garciel
"They called me a fucking misfit, as if who I am wasn't enough for society. And so as I washed myself in the blood of my innocence, draped in the crimson shawl of my identity, I came to realize no one, and I mean no one at fucking all, can add up to the expectations of a civilization ruled under the boot of the Heavens. And so we call ourselves angels, as if that made us holy in any sense of the fucking word." - Nicolla Bravajin
“ These skyscrapers stand like dead goliaths of faith and virtue, reminding us that New York city is where identities go to die and justice comes to wither and writhe underneath the heat of another darkened day. “ - Bartley Exodus
“ There comes a time when every man must choose who he wishes to be. He can walk the road seldom traveled or walk amongst the villains, slipping a mask of fangs over his face as to hide the bravery flickering in them golden eyes of his.” - Bartley Exodus
“ I pick up my old, rusted revolver and carve a couple dead men's names into the bullets and shove 'em into this chamber. Did I say dead men? Sorry. I've got a tendency to talk future tense." - Bartley Exodus
“ There's a locked room in my head where all the thoughts used to go.” - Bardem Lazolla
“ You know, all my life I've had to be tough, had to be just a bit stronger than the last guy; but I'm tired of the act. This mask is beginning to slip and I fear who I'll be once it falls. I've been someone else for so long that I don't know who I'll be once I'm me. “ - Bardem Lazolla
“ Isn't it strange how some people choose to be stuck in a nightmare while everyone else is living the dream? They can say we're all crazy, nutcases who belong in the looney bin. But in the end I'd rather be crazy than normal. I'd rather be me than someone I never was.” - Axelo Hayware
“ We've gotta be accepting, because humanity is built on love; but some people think power and hate is what gets you a name remembered. Yeah sure, names like Adolf Hitler and Julius Caesar are prevalent in the history books; but who do you look up to? Martin Luther King Jr or the fool who let power get to his head?” - Axelo Hayware
“ Humanity isn't doomed, we're just a little stuck is all." - Axelo Hayware
“ You know how when you're just a kid you dream of one day changing the world? Well look at you! Look! You did it; I promise. We're all changing the world daily with our actions, wondering if we ever meant a damn thing in the end; and I'll admit, I stumbled a few times. This path had a couple of roots along the way that felt like a noose wrapping around my dreams, forcing me to sputter and choke on nightmares.” - Tom Hanson
“ I refuse to let the gunshot melody become my song. “ - Tom Hanson
“ Look, there's a time and place to be a hero. And that's everywhere and all across the clock.” - Spencer Vokeswagon
“ I'm just the civilian who watched in wonder as the sky burned with glory bound promises, smelling the way they broke in the air.” - Spencer Vokeswagon
“ I'm falling inch by inch; wondering why the fall is such a slow descent, it has taken years for me to reach the atmosphere, and I have been burning ever since I first touched a broken star with human fingers that never should've found those old secrets dusted in the corner of a shelf in her son's bedroom.” - Valentine Valks
“ I shall never discover for I fear taking a step forward.” - Valentine Valks
“ Was that taut leather in his eyes or love?” - Valentine Valks
“ He is cruel and unjust, claiming himself an angel as he rips the wings from other's backs if only to stitch them onto his own. Is it such a sin to give life to the devil whom would steal it? I didn't know, I plead to the Heavens. But in my skull I hear the booming voice of God fracturing my pieces, and he tells me, "It matters not. He is your blood; and so you shall bleed in his place." And like a fool I accept my punishment as Jesus once did. I am bleeding on a crucifix of my son's sins, crown of thorns wrapped around my head as all the color bleeds from me. Black and white blend to a warped sense of grey; and all I know becomes fogged and misty. “ - Valentine Valks
“ I was raised a warrior, fighting battles of mind and blade, because in a world where evil lurks in every corner; everyone needs to be a hero or have the capability to be one. “ - Kadlin Paulson
“ The true warrior fights for what she loves and what she knows to be true.” - Kadlin Paulson
“ I'm an old tree trunk covered in the scars of the hatchet; and I know they dare not remember my name. For if the hatchet were to remember the name of every tree it cut its handle would begin to rot. Because to cut and cut and cut; the hatchet must have slain a couple of once sturdy trees. But I will stand sturdy forevermore. “ - Kadlin Paulson
“ I was young when I learned to keep a watchful eye on all that one loves; for everything has a darkness waiting inside of them, prowling in the depths of all saint's bones, waiting to pounce on the weary hearted followers of God. Dare not let this darkness prevent you from stepping into the light; for this is how the shadows in your ribcage win, how the demons start cackling with a strength they didn't once possess. “ - Nial Moorannan
“ My hands are stained with the blood of every man I've ever been.” - Nial Moorannan
“ I have watched the sun set one too many times; aiming the scope of this fox hound's rifle a thousand and three times, always me in my sights. Always me I watch go down in a howling scream of blood lit confessions and regret cackling at the midnight sky ever burning.” - Nial Moorannan
“A serpent followed us into our perfect little garden of Eden and stood watchful at our forbidden trees; eyes beady and forever burning with an emptiness that was never quite human. And he stripped the roses from Heaven; he tore the angels from a once clear sky and cackled as fire erupted through the clouds. And so all the angels of Eden fell; forever fell. On that day I died a death like no other, dreaming of beauty as I fell from Heaven, grasping the burning clouds wondering why death tasted like a memory on its way." - Nial Moorannan
“ There's a black serpent slitherin' in me ribcage; darin' me ta take a step forward in this dance with me shadow, and I dance, and I dance, and I bloody dance. A pirouette in the soddin' dark of me own bloody moon. “ - Arnold Schull
“ First time I died was when I were covered in da blood of boys sent howlin' ta an early grave, dagger drippin' crimson wif' regret. Second time I died was when I shook da hand of a masked devil, anarchy and violence howlin' just behind me. And mate; I've died many more times. “ - Arnold Schull
“ I've neva' seen 'is face. But those eyes dance wif' somethin' sinister. “ - Arnold Schull
“ Sometimes we hit the clouds before we make it to Heaven.” - Armellos Crescendo
“ Feather by feather who you are will be restored. “ - Armellos Crescendo
“ Rejoice, my friend; the sun of humanity has yet to sink. “ - Armellos Crescendo
“ I got fight left in my old bones and people to protect with all I got, so I roll up my sleeves and stick a cigarette between my teeth, letting the smoke be a warning of the fire that roars inside of me. “ - Armellos Crescendo
“ My father once told me that we have a choice when faced with the edge of a bullet; we either run from it or let it dig into our hearts. We're either the shield or the one that's behind it. And my mother once said that the world is a sorrowed plain of darkness; we're just the stars living in the blanket of shadow. And these words echo in my mind as I try to push back against the life I've been living, the sorrow ached life I've been given. “ - Ariel
"There's a storm in me heart. It rumbles and cackles with lightning and thunder; red rain pouring down on me cracked and broken ribcage, and as I try ta rest I feel the storm brew like death in this weary little fool. “ - Annabelle Courtney
“ I didn't pull the trigger, but I din'it stop anyone from lettin' the bullet soar neither. “ - Annabelle Courtney
“ I was a good woman once. But ever since I met that woman underneath the streetlights, I knew that I was a goner; she wore her nails red as blood, leather jacket draped over her shoulders as she snarled at the sky and all who made her the way she is. And as I fell through the ever lit skies of her rage I became something much less than who I am. She once dug sharp nails into my cheeks and snarled at me to paint the walls the color of my namesake, and with mournful regret I watched the white walls become a ruby red. “ - Ruby Vollstale
“ She's just a wild dog that doesn't know how to calm herself down.” - Ruby Vollstale
“ I once told myself that the fall is a long way down; but as I started to trip, the fall felt like only a few begrudged seconds. “ - Ruby Vollstale
“ Before one can fall head first into death he must go through the echo of life.” - Zecheriah Holyton
“ We are dropping like flies swatted by the electric swatter; dying as flashes of light in the nebula abyss of earth.” - Zecheriah Holyton
“ I was born curious, my friend. So I dug into the truths of philosophy and secrets, tearing my measly little claws into the greatest poets man kind ever knew trying to find the purpose of a life so obsolete. And I discovered that in truth; life is what we make it. But it also happens to be heavily influenced by our surroundings. “ - Zecheriah Holyton
“ I look into the stars of Heaven and often wonder if it's angels or graves in the sky or if that perhaps the sun is a culmination of all the burning wings set ablaze to give humanity warmth on event the harshest of winters. “ - Zecheriah Holyton
“ We are dualities of what we've done; wondering if what we didn't do condemns us in the end. “ - Zecheriah Holyton
“ Humanity is a vessel; of what I can never tell. All I know is that we're Babushka dolls." - Zecheriah Holyton
“ It's funny, how people will look at the unwell man with such fucking disgust; they say, "Look at the battered whore of a man! Sipping on the delusion that he is something other then his madness!" But don't they understand I'm trying to stuff myself so full of placebos that this fucked up thing I've become finally passes me by? “ - Arthur Wellburn
“ These emotions whir around my mind like cannons and gunfire, always hitting me down to rock bottom. But then I soar! Oh how I fucking soar. But I'm always falling within a month; laughing at the thought of splatting bloodied against rock bottom once again. “ - Arthur Wellburn
“ They always say you're strong for fighting the mental illness, but if they could see my heart they'd recoil and ask me to be put in a mental ward for all the thoughts that swim like death in this black watered river of my fucked up mind. “ - Arthur Wellburn
“ I'm just a nobody looking at the world through the eyes of Arthur Wellburn, wondering why I can never see a reflection of my mania. I'm stuck in this little corner nowadays, as if I'm just this little monster in a cage of his mind; and I'm always thinking the cure to my disease is a revolver shoved in my mouth and a wildly loud BANG! BANG! BANG! It'd be so much easier to die than to live, you know? So much easier to let the weight of my burdens fall onto my families shoulder like a ghost that lingers on the other side of death. But I never do it, I never do! And I get to wondering, "Why?" Because as life guns me down; I cackle in the red rain." - Arthur Wellburn
“ Look, I was just a kid hiding his truths behind dorky smiles and girls I didn't even have a crush on. But my brother, my sister, they were always gonna accept me as I am; there were never strings attached to our bonds; never scissors waiting to slice. “ - Tony Ikelfur
“ I am nothing more then a messiah of the broken and condemned; come one come all, safety is found in the comforting embrace of the shadow mistress. “ - Antonio Sharp
“ I walk within the light if only to watch it fade; striding beneath the sun if only to watch it sink one last time. “ - Antonio Sharp
“ I was born under the shadows of pinewood trees and howling wolves.” - Antonio Sharp
“ As the world comes to a grueling close who do you think will walk into paradise? The holy; or the heretics of life? Who do you think will be praised by the oh so holy creator of darkness but they who embraced it? We are beasts and bastards in these shadows my brother; so become one with the edging blade of destiny. Let it cut pieces of your identity from off your skin, let it call to you with the silver shadow of a soon to be crimson soaked dagger. We are children of the shadows; messiahs of the night. Dare the hero walk into the night with his rifle and bravery he will be shown as an example as to why the darkness is superior. “ - Antonio Sharp
“ I'm cheap smoke rising from the New York sky.” - Ambrose Walsh
“ Ever since the day I dug a grave I ain't been who I am. The lantern shed a pale yellow light across my face, cigarette stuck between my gritted teeth as I huffed and puffed, shovel working hard as the soil dug up beneath me. The moon was cast sorrowful on this broken man's soul, the reflection of a wolf dancing in the stream right by the old cemetery that knows too many forgotten names. You really don't wanna meet who I became that cold, Sundeh night. Because not even I can face the bastard in the reflection. “ - Ambrose Walsh
“ You can't trust the dogs who kept on a diggin' despite the way the soil reeked of death.” - Ambrose Walsh
“ You know how you try and be who you are after tragedy? You cling to the memory of the smile in your mirror and convince yourself that you're still that person? Because I tried real damn hard to be that person after the fire. But I know that boy is gone; buried underneath the secrets he found in a town he thought knew peace. “ - Alex Devonwood
“ I hate to break it to ya, but angels don't fucking exist. We're all just people living our sorrowful little lives selling ourselves to the dream that it gets better one day. But it doesn't, it really doesn't. I've been trying to find that happily ever after for a long time, but the man that haunts my memory? He sits in the recesses of darkness like a leather draped beast always waiting to drag the hopeful into his devious maw. Truth is life wasn't made to be lived. Life's only purpose is to serve us to death on a silver platter and I don't wanna stand for that. I wanna live but know it's impossible. “ - Alex Devonwood
“ I tried to tell my story; but no one roots for the underdog who never bit back, the dog who never barked his truths to the sky. People prefer tales of perseverance over the tale of the boy who never won. It gives them false hope, that they can be like the boy who won. But the boy who lost eats their dust." - Alex Devonwood
“ I used to be full of this joy that you couldn't really kill; but that man, he tore it from me. Sorrow leeched at the edges of his eyes; a dogs bark snarling somewhere in his throat, and he told me that we all live our lives confined in a locked room. And that the wrong person had found my key. And into my locked room he walked, ripping my heart from out the walls, digging into the wallpaper to discover the secrets I hid like confessions in my chest. And it was on that day that I was left as barebones of who I was. “ - Alec Bonehoff
“ I was just a fucking kid, man, I shouldn't have had to bare the weight of my brother's unguilted conscience. “ - Desmondo Dreadful
“ Sometimes ve chase our dreams. Sometimes zey chase us. “ - Luka Schiefer
“ People are always gonna hate even though it don't get no one anywhere, so when faced with this rage, when faced with this hatred ever seething. Take a few deep breaths and remember emotions often lie; and given the chance they'll shoot ya down with pellets of doubt and fear.” - Gary Heartlock
“ I was just a kid enjoying the company of himself, always told he just weren't a good influence. “ - Gary Heartlock
“ When you let the armor of lies shed from off your skin you start to grow a tougher skin of truth; don't you know that's why Icarus laughed as he fell? “ - Gary Heartlock
“ Be so authentically you that the hateful use you as an example of what's wrong with humanity; be so yourself that you set the bricks for the next man's path. “ - Gary Heartlock
“ You know how it is, right? You try and do the right thing but get caught up in all the bad of this world, wishing you had just stayed the fuck put.” - Dominiqua Claytor
“ Somedays I look back at the bridges I burned; memory of my eyes watering stinging my mind, the idea that I once smelled the smoke killing me from the inside. But I learn my lesson and move on. “ - Dominiqua Claytor
“ My brother and I are just two cold cases no one cares to look into; because who the hell cares about the death of identity? Who cares about the cigarette that never sparked up? “ - Adella Furrow
“ With my tattered boots and old leather jacket I walked into the unknown, and from whence I never returned. “ - Abel Romiro
“ Everyone stared me down, blaming me for the way fate unraveled, and I started to wonder if that town was home or just another house of too many damn walls. “ - Abel Romiro
“ That town was just too filled with devils for a single angel to do a damn thing.” - Abel Romiro
“ I've been both Cain and Abel truthfully; both Judas and the apostles who followed faithfully. But in the end I betrayed my own namesake, blood of a brother staining my once pure hands; and on that day I killed the hero inside of me. On that day the vultures flocked around my heart; pecking at what was soon to be dead. “ - Abel Romiro
“ That man locked me in a cage of the mind and told me to flay these pieces of identity from off my skin layer by layer. I bled for hours on the meat hook. A starving and skinny crow I became; yearning for a day where death didn't seem like a dream. And I found it in the hearts of my shield sisters. “ - Aadab Zivell
“ They say good fortune comes to he who raises a pistol in the name of peace; but often the man who slings bullets and sins ain't the man who finds the stairway to Heaven. “ - Aristead Solace
“ I've spent my life huntin' the cruel, finding them in different states and dead end alleyways. But still that one case sends shivers like death up my spine. Think of a lion; blood covered maw snarling inside of a cage it called the world, now take this lion and put him in a field full of gazelle. What will you get but a slaughter? That's what that man was to the world. Just a lion in a field of waiting gazelle. “ - Aristead Solace
“ Sometimes the heroes, they think their villains because ya gotta break a few commandments to stop the sinnin' man, and we call ourselves regretful devils. But we're just human, huh? And that's what made all the difference." - Aristead Solace
"Humanity. Kind one moment. Cruel the next. “ - Varkens Willowbrook
“ I have come to learn that there is an evil plaguing this world, it's wrapped in barbed wire and gunfire violence, the rage within sitting heavy in the open chest. And it goes by the wicked name of humanity. But simply because humanity is wicked does not mean that all of humanity is wicked. You'll find the kind ones somewhere waiting for you; but you are sure to find the wicked man often in a world that operates on kill or be killed. “ - Varkens Willowbrook
“ I believe that this world is kind despite the bad apples in the barrel; though those few bad apples started to rot the rest of the seeds within; the water roaring with the infection that came with the sin. Unfortunately just one bad apple effects the whole barrel. So one bad man effects the whole population. “ - Varkens Willowbrook
“ Somedays, the wolf; he wins. He trots around my ribcage victorious as can be, but that's when he gets cocky, when he begins to get careless. So the half-winged angels in me swoop down like a reaper's scythe and banishes the wolf to the locked door in my mind; where all the horrors go to starve. “ - Salvatore Graham
“ Ever since my father first laid a fist against my mother's cheek justice breathed through me as if I were a vessel in which it could see. And I told justice that I would dare not go blind. “ - Salvatore Graham
“ I pick up this blade; knowing one day I must turn it on thyself. “ - Salvatore Graham
“ Oh you know me; just a child of the old night sky, singing the blues as sorrow passes me by with a mournful sort of smile, knowing I'll come back around to her place in a day or two. “ - Franco Jonwitz
“ I'm just cigarette smoke chasing trouble.” - Franco Jonwitz
“ I take this old hat from off my head and read the poems that've been scribed in my ribcage, sadness following the words and prose I speak to the empty night sky. I've been a boy of sorrow ever since ma and pa became graves, moving along to an old orphanage with the scent of sadness wafting from off my papa's old, white suit jacket, hands and tears hiding somewhere in the fabric of that coat. I hold pieces of him inside of my heart, pieces of my mother hidden inside of my smile; and I guess there's sumthin' beautiful about that, huh? “ - Franco Jonwitz
“ I must confess, I've named a few of the stars after the ghosts that follow me, praying that they can fly up to the sky and find Heaven. But here they remain in my mind; reminding me that with sorrow comes trouble, and with Franco Jonwitz comes the inevitable idea that death kills before ya die." - Franco Jonwitz
“ War rains heavy over the weary soldiers who didn't make it past the gunfire; the ones who survived selling themselves to this ideology that their sins were for some greater good. But trouble etches its way into the bones of all whom pulled a trigger in the name of glory, sin or their own self gain. “ - Terminus Hydra
“ I lost everything, my friend, so a sin I became. “ - Terminus Hydra
“ Random acts of violence are often the ones that drive a man halfway to insanity, and the acts of violence he chooses to commit are the ones that drive him the full mile. “ - Terminus Hydra
“ I am a bad man. Dare not let my past tell you otherwise. If the people I knew where to speak of who I was they'd say he was a loving man who didn't let his tragedy define him; but speak to my enemies and they'll spit my name like venom on their breath. Two men tell two very different stories. My father would say I am a man of honor, but an old friend would call me the serpent to his corrupted and decaying garden of Eden." - Terminus Hydra
“ These scars on my legs tell the tale of a girl who lost herself too early; and it seems I can't hide my history from peering and bloodshot eyes. “ - Mayell Da Ville
“ My son tells me that one day, when I realize that who I am is beautiful despite the scars I'll find the wings had always been in my mind rather then on my back. But these scars, these horrific scars; they prevent the wings from growing ever again. “ - Mayell Da Ville
“ Here lies Mayell Da Ville; the ghost who found life too late. “ - Mayell Da Ville
“ There's a wolf on my shoulder; snarlin' at the frontlines and tellin' me ta stain my rifle in the blood of the innocent, and with a grin dancin' with moonlight I head inta the shadows and play myself a little game of huntsman and the lion. “ - Dekiah Doorvenstail
“ My father raised me ta be a killer. You should expect nothing but the bang of my rifle. “ - Dekiah Doorvenstail
“ Once you get blood on your hands it begins ta grow like a garden in your chest. But there's sumthin' different about this haunted little flowerbed. You begin ta realize that your ribcage was once Eden, but slowly, as the blood trickled down your fingers, Adam and Eve started fleein', the angel of flamin' blade nothing more then your heart that slowly faded ta black and grey. And as the serpent slithers onta your shoulder, you begin ta realize temptation lives in the hearts of all man kind. And only a special few accept their primal urges ta become nuthin' but a slaughterhouse on a cold Sunday afternoon. “ - Dekiah Doorvenstail
“ We were never wolves, my friend. But fragile people with hearts that can break and minds that can scar easy, but dare not turn to the shadows for comfort. They hold a dagger in one hand; and they hide it in the crevices of their darkness.” - Sabu Thorn
“ I think that if one is to find peace within themselves, they must first find peace within their scars. “ - Sabu Thorn
“ Eons ago I lost my mind.” - God
“ They say that dead men tell no tales; so who will whisper the tale of humanity once I'm done with it? “ - God
“ Everyone's always saying God's not dead. He's with us he's with us! But as I come down from my heavenly throne; the blood of humanity staining my shawl of lies and secrets; you'll pray that I am. But all your prayers have fallen on listening ears friend; and yet they never come to fruition, do they? “ - God
“ In the face of evil; silence is compliance.” - Gustave X. Van Velk
“ They don't tell you that the fall is so easy. They don't tell ya that we're all one crooked grin away from violence; so I take a steady step forward and throw a fist or two towards the evil that sits violent in this town of unwelcome shadows. “ - Gustave X. Van Velk
“ I've always tried to understand the enemy; walk a mile or two in their shoes, but Milos' boots are just too damn heavy and stuck in the muck of his powerful identity. “ - Gustave X. Van Velk
“ My sanity peels away in whispers and shadows.” - Cartniza Harvester
“ The word safe is such a fucking lie; no one ever is. “ - Cartniza Harvester
“ I don't know why this heart beats like a slowly rotting flower.” - Mackton Stoneshire
“ They say this Queen of madness is a revolver's shadow standing above peace; and she is. Because as she walks down these halls my bones shiver with shadows and things you could never dream of. Because she's a nightmare in the head of the weary; grinning deviously before she sins another deadly sin. And as my eyes shift to the checkered floors of this old mental ward; I know she can sense my fear. “ - Mackton Stoneshire
“ I'm still stuck under these shadows that fog my mind; heart roaring empty in the ribcage of a coffin. “ - Rupen Schello
“ I can still remember the night flames erupted inside my home; they now flash like colored lights in my memory, my parents' smiles becoming nothing but a shadow I can no longer follow. “ - Rupen Schello
“ A man with a memory can never be free of his torment.” - Rupen Schello
“ Every choice I ever made led to the death of who I am.” - Mervin Gavinwood
“ I never meant to fall; but I was born with the belief that I had wings, and so I leapt from blinding heights expecting to soar. “ - Mervin Gavinwood
“ The day I killed a man is the day I died. As his skull cracked against the bar stool; groaning and dying in the most grotesque way who I am started bleeding from the corners of my eyes as those two devils beside me laughed and laughed and laughed. “ - Mervin Gavinwood
“ He sits in the edges of my memory like a crow just waiting for his murder to come on along.” - Mervin Gavinwood
“ I've just been trying to cope with this loss of who I am for a long time; clinging to memories of him like a blanket that keeps me warm. But there's holes in this wool blanket; letting the cold settle into my bones. “ - Carol Corin
“ I weep for a life never lived; a death already fated. “ - Hexi Moorenfowl
“ Every detective has got her case, right? The one that drives her halfway to insanity because things just aren't adding up. I tried so hard to find those girls, I tried so hard to find that man's wife. But in the end it was a cold case that never went warm. “ - Maryland Fainrick
“ Mysteries often end in tragedy.” - Maryland Fainrick
“ I woke up in a foreign bed wondering why a stranger looked at me in the mirror; that was when I died an unfamiliar death. Falling from the heights of a Heaven I never deserved. “ - Kiddy Wendellburn
“ I choked on who I am a long time ago. And I don't think I can ever swallow my truths; because they taste so fucking vile. “ - Kiddy Wendellburn
“ "When you realize who you are, it's your job to become that person. “ - Adrella Soderit
“ We're all dreamers trying to find our happily ever after despite the nightmares that find us in the light; but don't you think it's the way we react to this darkness that defines who we are? “ - Adrella Soderit
“ So do me a favor and accept yourself won'tcha? Even when everyone around you condemns who you are. Even if you gotta keep that acceptance a secret in a little jar until one day, you can let those torch bugs fly into the open air." - Adrella Soderit 
“ I don't know what one would call him. But he feasts on the sacrilege of identity and flesh, sinking his teeth into innocence as if it were a divine, juicy, blood dripping steak. I'm just the remnants of the girl I used to be, and as I remember his parched tongue against my skin a shive runs cold down my spine and my fighting instincts kick in. As if my mind is a clock forever running backwards. Minutes and hours mixed into a relived past. “ - Marlia Ferotosia
“ I remember his smile. Filled with teeth and unkempt flesh. “ - Marlia Ferotosia
“ I listened to her sorrows. Her troubles. Her secrets and confessions. But she was torn from this world much too early. And that is a sin a man like me can never forgive. “ - Zack Mordell
“ The old soul is supposed to fade before the young one. But fate is a very cruel mistress; dancing with those who don't know the rules to the deadly tango. “ - Zack Mordell
“ I'm a fading symphony wondering when my last notes will play out into the wind, but I keep singing. “ - Zack Mordell
“ Healing will come after the scars stop bleeding, so a little word of advice, don't stab those dagger like thoughts into your skin. “ - Cordemlia Munstwain
“ Some people say they aren't themselves, and I get that; sometimes it's difficult to admit that we're changing. Difficult to admit growth feels uncomfortable in the hurting mind. But eventually you'll grow into this new you. You'll find that it's often like a scab. It only forms to protect ya from the infection a wound leaves. “ - Cordemlia Munstwain
“ Some people say love at first sight don'it exist. And, I don't fink' it were love at first sight. But love at first spoken word. Love developed inside da poetry we spoke underneath da dyin' lights of the street. He's a broken man, but I built 'im new pieces and told 'im ta shimmer and shine like a star in the night sky; and it feels as though when I put a lovin' finger on 'is cheek dat he's started ta feel more human. As if 'e's no longer a whiskey stained ghost. “ - Daubellia O’Snair
“ Fate twists in some awfully strange ways, huh? You could be a normal, everyday girl, fighting hardly noticeable battles and then in the blink of an eye tragedy rips through the air like a bullet in your fucking teeth. “ - Alexia Hathorn
“ Sometimes you gotta make a choice. Live or die. And sometimes you'll do both.” - Alexia Hathorn
“ We're the scar ridden angels of Heaven, soaring on wings stitched with different pieces; like a quilt of many colors. We're not heroes, just people who got caught in the crossfire of a world roaring with evil. “ - Alexia Hathorn
“ Often people in pain's mind is fogged up from the hurt, and so they don't really know what they're doing, ya know? “ - Hispania Hopva
“ Death I've learned, stalks the living. “ - Hannisada Gravewit
“ You can't really cure addiction. It walks beside he or she who used. Like a ghost that doesn't know when or how to move on. Is it really that much to ask for a halfway decent mind? One that doesn't taunt me with the idea of one more fucking high? But I suppose it was my choice to accept that little baggie at a party, right? It was my idea to get addicted, right? That's what they always tell ya. They call the junkies and ghosts monsters of society, but damn it man, we've been victims all along. “ - Hannisada Gravewit
“ I tried to hide my scars under thick coats and heavy blankets, but I bled and soaked through those. So now here I stand. Naked and awfully vulnerable to my demons and ghosts." - Hannisada Gravewit
“ His insanity ripped me from my backbone when I was only a child. I can still remember the violence shattered between his knuckles, the anger on his cigarette snarl. I still remember the screams. The God awful screams. I've been trying to dream for a long time man, but these nightmares always plague the boy who never lived. The boy who never had the chance, to live. “ - Jonathan Enders
“ I just, I don't know how to escape these nightmares, man. Because that man's cruelty echoes in my mind; his smoke whispered anger booming through my thoughts. I was just a kid, man. But he stole that option from me when he put a bloodied finger to my lip and whispered that he was never here. Or when that old, boney skeleton beside him clasped two hands around my shoulder and whispered in a low, harsh voice that they were the boogeymen. And I believe that. Because the boogeyman is what goes bump in the night, right? And if there's anything that could be considered monster, I'd give the definition to them.” - Jonathan Enders
“ I take a fragile breath, hoping it doesn't rip through my throat like a bullet. “ - Jonathan Enders
“ I fought myself for such a long time only to realize the reflection had always been a friend. “ - Baila Von Cascia
“ Ya know how fate works, right? Ya meet one or two people and your whole world unravels. Sure. They're good people. You learn that they've become family somewhere along the road. But the villains you met alongside them just isn't worth it. “ - Joshua Houstella
“ I have fallen down this rabbit hole of oneself, gripping the roots of madness.” - Ingretta Shazowlla
“ I am nothing short of a sin. Nothing short of a monster masquerading as a woman. “ - Ingretta Shazowlla
“ This heart of mine has whispered in sin and death ever since my mother told me all of her secrets, the closet looking like a welcoming home where Narnia and all the lions would protect me. But fantasy has never been as cruel, and unpredictable as reality. For reality hides until the right moment. Waiting. Forever waiting. And one day it snatches you so unaware and drags you through the nightmares. Oh you may kick. You may scream. But you'll most certainly succumb. “ - Ingretta Shazowlla
“ Forever my friend, can last only a second as the white rabbit once said. And forever, has lasted too long for my angel." - Ingretta Shazowlla 
“ I speak my truths in barely audible whispers, screaming my lies at glass shattered levels. “ - Molly Chain
“ My lonely little mind is slathered in grey and blue paint, memories glossed over with thick layers of dark color. I've tried to peal away that wallpaper. But there's endless layers in this house, and I just don't know how much strength I've got left. “ - Molly Chain
“ There's blisters on my strength, and I fear I'm about to slip. “ - Molly Chain
“ All my life I've been afraid. Of myself. Of my father. Of the shadows that hid like monsters in my closet. And as I come to the realization that I will never escape my mind, I know that this is who I am. And she's such a broken girl. A wisped shadow of something great. “ - Clarice Sanchez
“ I honestly believe God started typing me up, but he left to work on something greater and left me an unfinished piece of poetry, as if my prose bleed into the way fate unravels and twists. “ - Clarice Sanchez
“ My peace of mind bleeds from the holes in my heart. “ - Clarice Sanchez
“ From what I know cruelty is the last guillotine, and we're just whittlin' down the rope, wonderin' when it'll snap and fall down on humanities head. “ - Leone Kassophic
“ God's voice is echoed through violence.” - Leone Kassophic
“ If my sins were tangible, would I bleed upon contact? “ - Darkin Vagabond
“ Truthfully I am not me. Just a graveyard symphony ringing like the funeral bell, revolver held in one hand, regrets held feebly in the other.” - Darkin Vagabond
“ I look to the star painted sky and wonder what prayers he's been answering, which whispers screamed the loudest. “ - Zelene Clifforde
“ I am a lover at heart, wishing poetry and words spoken could heal the damage of war. And truthfully, that is the only way to stop a war. You speak to the enemy with a certain understanding. You try to discover who they are past the violence shattered between their bruised and bloodstained knuckles." - Zelene Clifforde
“ I am a gentle soul at heart, but alas, I sharpen my claws and go to war like a sinner who doesn't know when to quit, like an old, tattered wolf who wishes to quit all the bloodshed. “ - Yngvir Alvisson
“ Often I wonder if this heart should just quit feeling. Quit letting the blood stain it like a memory that shalt not be forgotten. But I pick up my heart, and I shove it fragile and broken back inside my ribcage. For to become a beast, my friend, is the loneliest achievement of all. “ - Yngvir Alvisson
“ Way I see it. Hate is a revolver. These men and women fill their chamber with all the good pieces of themselves, firing off for a cause that never mattered, something that shouldn't even exist. “ - Jaspello Crosshair
“ In every sense of the word I'm the hero I needed when I was a kid. “ - Jaspello Crosshair
“ Take life one step at a time, second by second, minute by minute. Eventually the storm will pass you by. Sometimes it feels as though you're not gonna make it, but that's the kind of thing tragedy whispers, it tells you lies in an attempt to weaken your resolve. “ - Chris Shaw
“ Debby and I treat life like a workout. We breathe in. We breathe out. We face it head on and don't let the idea of pain stop us. “ - Chris Shaw
“ I was just a farm girl lookin' for a happily ever after, but that wicked and damned man stole the light from me layer by layer. It's as if he carved pieces 'a me off 'a my skin, whisper by whisper, sin by unnatural sin. “ - Ellen Duster
“ There's so many pieces 'a me missin' nowadays. “ - Ellen Duster
“ Redemption is a sunset, and it jus' don' ever rise." - Ellen Duster
“ I tried to build a paper boat and drift away from my prison cell, but the storm started howling in my mind and I fell off the side, clutching the paper rafts and oars, wondering why this is how life drowned me. Some men drown in whiskey. Others drown in sorrow. But all I ever drowned in was the tragedy of being someone I'm not. “ - Isaac Abernathy
“ If a lie fits the powerful man's agenda, he'll do anything he can to make that lie a truth, or at least make it appear as such. “ - Jacob Abernathy
“ I can still remember how that man told me that we'd save the world together, that as the bombs started going off, we'd be the men history looked at and said, "Well done, heroes, you did it." But as I watched the world fall asunder, my heroes heart fading into a broken one, I knew that all the man did was lie to my good nature, and it was on that day, unaware, I bit into the sacrilege of false revolution. “ - Jacob Abernathy
“ I was just a girl without shadows in her mind until I stumbled into a rabbit hole of Godhood and the way blood spills on the arena floor. And as I fell, little pieces of me being carved off by the blade of a malicious God, I knew that I must have more of this undying pleasure. “ - Sonata Vickowinter
“ I'm just a broken bottle angel who forgot his wings on the downward descent.” - Ash Caesar
“ Often I say I'm better off dead, because this man I am is hardly worth a damn, let alone two cents and a nickel, so I glug down another bottle of whiskey and let my little sister down one more fucking time. “ - Ash Caesar
“ I always say I'll change, but everyone else is running a marathon, and here I am, standing stagnant at the starting line. I dare not cross that line in the sand. Because I'm scared of the regret, the shadows, the way my mother's words echo in the ones I scream. “ - Ash Caesar
“ Truth is, I can still remember the way my mother's open palm felt against my cheek, or how her wine glass felt shattered against my noggin. But those glass pieces of her addiction bleed into me. “ - Ash Caesar
“ All I see in the mirror is a man who fell so cruelly away from himself, and as my sister reached for my hand, I let it slip. And all she could do was watch as this regretful Icarus laughed in the flames." - Ash Caesar
“ I have found, that I am the single black rose in the garden, sitting idle like a warning of what will come if you step towards this black petaled beast, this decaying flower of cruelty. “ - Madam Stephanie Rose
“ I am a tired beast. “ - Madam Stephanie Rose
“ I was once in an empty room. Love knocked, oh how she knocked gently, so softly. As if it were a song that whispered into my ear. But hate drove her away. He knocked, he knocked, oh how rage filled his fist boomed against the door. With tears rolling down my cheeks I let him in. He stole the blankets from off the bed and wrapped them around my throat, choking me with the violence inside of my heart. And ever so cruelly, I became a black, withered, and deadly rose." - Madam Stephanie Rose
“ I sink ever familiar into this garden of decay, praying that someone will save me from the blood on my hands I speak of like darkened poetry. But death, was never a story. Only a harsh sin ridden reality I've given to so many others. How strange is it, that death is the end of reality, but also one in of itself? “ - Mike Duster
“ I'm a man of many sins. “ - Mike Duster
“ I slowly flay myself from my own skin, screaming, forever screaming. I carve another layer of me from off my skin. I subject myself to the meat hook and try so desperately to bleed all the darkness from the crevices of me, but alas, to bleed myself from the darkness would be to bleed all of me away. For all that runs through me is dark, twisted and unfamiliar. “ - Mike Duster
“ The truth, does not whisper, my friend. It screams.” - Ava Callenwillow
“ Secrets stick to me, and more often than not they take over my identity, pulling me into the depths of another shadow, another mystery with my name written all over it. I've been running from fate for a long time, finding ways to avoid this noose around my neck for years, but one day the stable ground beneath me will collapse. And I'll be nothing but history. “ - Ava Callenwillow
“ Wherever I go, death tends to follow like a loyal wolf whom sits at my bedside, howling to the blood red moon that is my wicked and decaying heart. “ - Tezilda Vaxweed
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devilsvvaltz · 3 years
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                      ❛ and my heart will be blacker                             than your eyes when i’m through with you . ❜
( ross lynch. masculine non-binary. death note. ) it looks like mihael “mello” keehl has been transported to seven devils. he is a twenty year old canon and the aesthetics associated with him / them are the scent of melted chocolate on the teeth , head to toe in blood-soaked leather , risking everything simply to prove a point . he / they remember some of their past and are known to be an assassin with an affiliation to the underworld.
I. AN INTRODUCTION TO…
name: mello ( mihael keehl )
age: twenty
birthday: december 13th , 1999
affiliation: the underworld
occupation: assassin ( “unemployed” )
languages spoken: english & german ( both fluent )
abilities (if appplicable): above-average intelligence , near-dangerous bravery & motivation
fandom: death note
status: some memories
II. BUT, LET’S GET MORE PERSONAL
siblings: no
parents: unknown
children: no
gender identity & pronouns: masculine non-binary , he/him & they/them
romantic & sexual identities: panromantic pansexual
skills or hobbies: careful planning , negotiation ( aka , intimidation ) , spying , organizing criminal activity , deduction 
III. HMM, MAYBE MORE ?
dishonest / brutally honest / sincere
posessive / jealous / understanding
volatile / sometimes unpredictable / predictable
malicious / merciful / warm-hearted
valiant / cowardly / aloof
eccentric / ordinary / free-spirit
altruistic / selfish / compassionate
IV. JUST A FEW MORE QUESTIONS !
how long have you been living here? ever lived anywhere else?
mello has lived in seven devils his entire life ; he has family from germany , but other than that ?? nowhere else .
what was your childhood like in seven devils?
mello can’t remember anything before the orphanage ; his parents , all he knows is that they were originally from germany & the headmistress of the orphanage was a close friend from germany , but that’s it , and that’s how it stayed until he decided to run away on his own at the age of sixteen - because relentless bullying & being reminded nobody wants you is a lot to deal with in the first decade of your life and then some .
where would people most likely find you in seven devils?
mello doesn’t really have a set place he likes to be ; he often sometimes travels around the rest of the city on his motorcycle , just to clear his head - maybe sometimes going to the dive bar if he needs to fill his stomach ( he can’t legally drink , and surprisingly , he’s adamant about not doing so until he’s twenty-one . ) he’s sort of a loner , sort of not - he won’t go with anyone , but he might talk with anyone there . 
V. A LITTLE HISTORY TO END ON
CANON ( SPOILERS FOR DEATH NOTE . )
It’s supposed to be a place where the children of the dead , unwanted , et cetera are cared for - but more so it’s a breeding ground for geniuses , raised and conditioned from the moment they walk through those doors to be the faces of a new dawn , or to live up to their poster child , the world’s greatest detective - L . Wammy’s House for Gifted Children ; that’s where Mello grows up . 
A hero-worship , one would call it , of the iconic detective is what he develops early on , and there’s motivation to strive to be just like him . Because someone is going to be his successor , and he wants that title to carry on his hero’s legacy . However . . . there’s an issue .
He strives and tries his best , yes , and he does amazing - but there is always one kid who seems to beat him at every test , every trial , and his name is Near and Mello grows up resenting him because he can’t seem to shake the “number two” title he gets with Near always in front of him . And it’s getting really goddamn annoying when you’re crying your eyes out in your little room because someone told you that you were so close to getting a higher score than him but , as always , you never make it . Because THAT’S the tragedy of being second best .
To say that Mello has a bit of an inferiority complex . . . would be an under-exaggeration . Because that’s what encompasses the most of his life - trying to be the best he could to eventually take that spot . And his motivation sits on a computer screen behind a a fancily font-ed  “ L ” . Hero worship never fades .
It leads to heartbreak when he’s young - fourteen , bright-eyed , and learning that the indestructible and undefeated L has fallen to a mass serial killer known as Kira . And his first question - “Who did he pick? Me or him?”
“He hadn’t chosen yet.”
“You could work together.”
And it’s a sneer that leaves his throat as the idea of working with his opponent is proposed , choosing to leave and instead find his own path . Because he WILL prove himself worthy , on his own , and take his place as L’s successor . 
Five years later , and he wants Kira’s head as his own . And he knows Near is looking for it , as well - so the competition starts up again .
He’s reckless - or more than so ; because he is not afraid to break the law by any means necessary to get what he wants . Joining the mafia , coaxing kira’s weapon into his hands by kidnapping the task force chief’s daughter & making the trade , using it to his advantage and figuring out how it works . Threatening the president into giving him resources to catch Kira . Negotiating with a god of death into confirming his theories .
Of course , the first incident leaves him scarred and burned , because his hideout’s raided by a SWAT team , so he sets off an explosion and that very same chief of police dies . He feels bad , because good people don’t deserve to die . . . but that’s the way things are , especially when you have a point to prove . The burn scar on his face & body shows enough that he’s hardened enough to survive such a feat .
The second incident is a bit different - after hiding out with one of the people under Near , and of course , confronting him one final time ( telling him his crucial discoveries to the Kira case ) , he enlists the third of L’s potential successors - and his best friend , Matt - to aid him . Together they deduce that the new L is the prime suspect for being Kira , and their plan to expose such is thrown into action by kidnapping a news reporter that is heavily close to him , and could be an accomplice . 
. . . It is a bloody day ; Matt dies in a blaze of gunfire as a distraction .
And by that news reporter’s pen & ink , Mello , in his own words post-mortem , dies like a dog in the truck he’s driving . A body never discovered as everything goes up in flames , yes his discoveries create the breakthrough that leads to Kira’s eventual demise - like a last laugh , if you will.
“ Good memories & nightmares . ”
SEVEN DEVILS .
In a way , one could say there’s many similarities to this life & the other . A child of unwanted parents , tossed in an orphanage , leaves at sixteen after constantly being reminded and tormented that he isn’t wanted . 
Only issue is - how’s a young one to support himself in a city that chews its residents up and spits them out like flavorless gum ??
Crime . That’s the answer . 
It starts out in gangs , unaffiliated gangs that pay Mihael - or Mello , because names have power and he doesn’t need anyone else to have power over him - to do things such as steal , transport , smuggle , etc . And in turn , he crashes at their hideout , has food in his belly , et cetera .
But then those gangs get involved with larger syndicates , and it’s in an altercation that he’s discovered and one of the higher-ups in the Underworld recognizes raw talent from the way he fights and defends himself , negotiates with an unshaken bravery that only comes with being tossed around like you’re nothing . 
. . . He’s recruited in - taught to shoot a gun properly , snipe an enemy , and other ways to bloody his hands because he’s got the potential to be able to take a life for a price . And while he doesn’t enjoy the thought of murder on his conscience , he’s given a deal that all of his expenses will be paid for as long as he’s in service to the syndicate - shelter payment , a motorcycle he can ride , a salary for groceries and fees with every job for other things . And of course , tools he uses for the job . 
He’s a good assassin - sometimes , even used as more of a threatening messenger to pass along the words of the syndicate . Because he’s amazing at intimidation , negotiation , and getting his way . 
But there’s still a need to prove himself , because he wants the world to know he has the potential to be more than just a crime syndicate’s lackey . Maybe go out on his own - and take out the people who’ve used him here since he knows although they provide for him , he’s still expendable and he knows it . It forms a chip on his shoulder that he’s never going to be seen as much unless he proves that he’s dangerous to even the people who use him for so . 
It’s an endless desire to feel wanted , special , taken seriously as his own person . And that’s all he wants . Even if he has to bloody his hands & betray those who took him in ( can’t be out of the kindness of their hearts , can it ? ) to do so .
OTHER FACTS
OKAY SO LONG STORY SHORT IN SEVDEV Mello is an assassin for the Underworld who was taken in after his original gang got clapped and the whole reason he got into a life of crime was to escape homelessness . And now he’s . . . a very good assassin , and the Underworld pays for his living expenses , but he’s got a desire to grow past them since he knows they could take him out at any second and only view him as an underling and hoo boy , he’s not having that . Whether this means going out and starting his own gig or even playing into the hands of the enemy ?? Who knows . Mello hasn’t discovered this yet . But he wants to be taken seriously and he’s forming a plan on how .
He’s kind of a jack-of-all-trades in the Underworld - primarily an assassin but they also send him to do stuff like threaten a contact ( then kill if it doesn’t work ) , negotiate , etc . bc he’s really good at intimidation and he’s very smart but again , underestimated in the sense that he’s under their thumb and he can’t do anything about it - unless he goes out on his own plans . 
He doesn’t really have a stable home tho like he’s honestly kind of moving around physical places ( bc again it’s all paid for ) in different hotel rooms or motel rooms frequently bc living in one solid place isn’t the safest for him , he thinks . So he’ll rent out a place for maybe like a week or two weeks at max and sometimes even shorter if he’s feeling too at risk . 
Civilian cover story ?? He’s just ... a guy there isn’t much else else . He makes up a different story as to what his situation is every time and it ranges from “uh rich family” to “i have a sugar daddy” and a lot of times he has to move apartments so ppl don’t figure out his location ESPECIALLY if they have information on the Underworld .
He remembers ?? Some of his past like he remembers Near & Matt , and then the explosion that gave him the scar on his left eye . And also taking Takada on the motorcycle but none of what happens afterwards - doesn’t remember Matt dying & doesn’t remember himself dying . 
AND UH  . . . . that’s ?? Pretty much it like I don’t rly have much else that won’t go in the plotting call . 
I’LL PUT THAT UP SOON SEE Y’ALL LATER HOPE U LIKE MY KIDDDD
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pomeqraniqht · 3 years
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Random Character Development Questions meme: ALL OF THEM for Sofia (revenge!!)
001. When is their birthday?      June 5th.  002. Do they do anything to celebrate their birthday?      Depending on the verse she’ll go out with her friends or her Aunt will take her on a vacation or something.  003. Does your character like coffee better, or tea?      Sofia likes both equally, tea more in Autumn though for some odd reason.  004. Do they prefer being alone or with others?      Sofia does NOT do well on her own AT ALL. She definitely needs a healthy ecosystem of people to survive.  005. Are they in good health?      Sofia under-eats at times and others she starves herself to fill her mother’s outlandish ideas for body image. So no, she isn’t.  006. What sense do they most rely on?      People’s approval.. whether it is at work or in relationships.  007. Is your character an optimist or a pessimist?      Both at times it depends on which mind-set she is in.  008. What is their favorite fairy tale?      Cinderella.  009. Do they believe in happy endings?      Yes even if time and again she’s been proven they aren’t real.  010. Do they believe in love at first sight?      Yes and no. Sofia’s so hateful to herself she believes in it for everyone else EXCEPT herself.  011. How would your character court the person of their dreams?      Carefully and with love, Sofia would honestly do anything and be anything for them.  012. What makes your character embarrassed?      LITERALLY EVERYTHING! 013. Have they ever been bullied or teased?      Too many times in her life.  014. Detail one secret shame your character feels.      Sofia hates her stretch marks and wishes she could have them removed forever. 015. Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?      Fists. She’s tiny but mighty! 016. What is their choice of weapon?      Whatever is the closest option? 017. When does your character think that violence is justified or deserved?      When someone is trying to hurt someone they love/robbery/self defense. 018. Your character wakes up to find that war has been declared. What do they do?      Cry. 019. If they could have a superpower, what would they choose?      Invisibility. 020. What are their hobbies?      Sofia enjoys reading, listening to music, baking/cooking, swimming, and buying face masks. 021. How do they display affection?      Cooking food and sweets for the ones she loves. 022. What is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever seen?      Verse dependent as par usual but for this one I would say: the forest they got married, Roman, Stella, and Rusty the day he was discharged 90 days sober. 023. What do they consider beautiful in others physically?      Eyes...and tattoos. 024. What do they consider ugly in others physically?      Nothing! Sofia finds everyone beautiful (but honestly it’s dental hygiene.) 025. What do they consider beautiful in others personality-wise?      Kindness and understanding. 026. What do they consider ugly in others personality-wise?      Hatred. 027. What is their idea of perfect happiness?      Eating sweets without gaining weight with the person she loves. 028. What makes them laugh out loud?      Tickles. She’s extremely ticklish. 029. What sort of sense of humor does your character have?      Sweet and dark. 030. Do they believe in the afterlife?      Yes, she visits her father’s grave often and speaks to him. 031. Are they superstitious about anything?      Breaking mirrors and Friday the 13th. 032. Does your character believe in ghosts?      Yes. 033. Do they keep their promises?      Yes. 034. What’s their view of lying?      Death penalty. 035. What is the most important rule your character lives by?      Treat others how you wish to be treated. 036. How honorable is your character?      Extremely unless she’s in the shower or bathtub with a certain someone. 037. If your character saw someone drop a large sum of money and knew that they could probably take it without anyone noticing, what would they do?      Absolutely not!  038. What bad habits do they have?      Weighing herself constantly and hiding beneath baggy clothes. 039. What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?      Cheating. 040. What is their obsession?      Face skin care. 041. Are they comfortable with technology?      Yes. 042. What is their greatest achievement?      Graduating college with a teaching degree. 043. What will they stand up for?      Justice for abuse victims. 044. What disgusts them?      Worms. 045. Does your character have any chronic medical conditions?      No. 046. How do they handle getting sick?      Not well, she’s a little bit of a baby. 047. What was the last medical problem your character had?      On record/cannon it was a car accident while she was about 7 months pregnant with her second child. 048. Do they have any allergies?      Yes, to Bullshit.  049. How does your character feel about growing old?      Indifferent. 050. How does your character feel about their own mortality?      Everyday is a blessing.  051. If they knew they would die tomorrow, what would they do today?      Go find Rusty Parker and spend every minute with him telling him to be happy, to stay away from drugs, and to be strong for their kids.  052. What is your character’s worst flaw?      Her insecurities.  053. What is your character’s greatest strength?      Her cooking skill. 054. Does your character want power or authority of any kind?      No. 055. Is your character an introvert or an extrovert?      She’s an introvert but with her friends she’s a happy medium. 056. Has your character ever struck someone in anger?      Yes. 057. Has your character ever killed anyone?      Not yet. 058. What is your character’s idea of a perfect day?      Pancakes and sex. 059. List several phrases your character is fond of uttering. Where did they pick them up?      ‘Goodness me, oh my god, are you serious? Baby...and c’mere’ - several places. 060. What is your character’s attitude toward education and learning?      If you want a better life a degree certainly helps but education should NOT cost you your life to be able to afford it.  061. Does your character prefer adventure or safety and security?      A healthy dosage of both. 062. What sort of legacy does your character wish to leave behind?      A kind one.  063. How well does your character handle difficult people?      Not well.  064. In what ways does your character annoy others?      Constantly needing he be reassured she’s wanted. 065. Is your character better at leading or following? Which do they prefer?      Neither? She just wants to let someone else handle it all. 066. Does your character prefer city life or being out in nature?      Out in nature. 067. Does your character believe in fate or destiny?      Both, extremely so.  068. How strong is your character’s sense of responsibility? What kinds of things trigger it?      Sofia is extremely responsible, she loves kids and wants a big family some day. Her job, her aunt, her relationships.  069. What about your character is heroic?      She’s a survivor of mental and physical abuse. 070. What about your character is cowardly?      She won’t acknowledge her eating problems.  071. How kind is your character?      Would rip her heart out and give it to someone if they needed it.  072. In a Dungeons & Dragons game, which class would your character be? (wizard, fighter, bard, priest, ranger, etc.)      A wizard, duh. She’s magic.  073. In a novel, what plot role would your character fill? (hero, anti-hero, sidekick, villain, etc.)      The main character.  074. What is your character’s favorite game?      Monopoly. 075. Is your character ticklish?      EXTREMELY! 076. How do they express anger?      Tears and yelling.  077. How often do they cry? Over what?      1 week out of the month and literally anything.  078. How emotionally stable is your character?      Depends on the day, we’re either 2009 Britney or Kamala Harris.. it’s never in the middle.  079. How easy is it for them to read the emotions of others?      Good and bad sometimes. 080. How easy is it for others to read your character’s emotions?      It’s like a two way mirror.  081. Is your character religious?      No. 082. What are your character’s sleeping preferences?      All the time.  083. What is the first thing they say and/or do when they wake up?      Go potty and brush their teeth. 084. Describe your character in one word.      sunshine.  085. Describe your character in three words.      Sweet, soft, adorable.  086. How would your character describe themself in one word?      Ugly. 087. How would your character describe themself in three words?      Smart, fat, awkward. 088. Is your character quiet or loud?      Yes. 089. How vocally expressive is your character?      Very. 090. How bodily expressive is your character?      Not at all. 091. What type of music does your character like?      Literally anything.  092. What emotion does your character evoke in others?      Happiness? I think?  093. What is your character’s goal in life?      To be a professor at a college.  094. Name three things most would not expect your character to be able to know.      How to deliver a baby, how to do stitches, and how to bake a turkey.  095. Name three things most would not expect your character to be able to do.      Fix a broken boy, kill her mother, and have a baby without pain medicine.  096. How do they move and carry themselves? What energy do they project?     Sofia’s a shy little bean who honestly just walks around smiling even when she’s broken inside.  097. How well do they adapt to change?      It takes her a long time to get used to somethings but others its easy.  098. Does your character like animals?      Yes! 099. Do they talk to inanimate objects?      Absolutely.  100. Does your character dream? If so, what do they dream about?      the happily ever after.
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edenvhs · 4 years
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So I decided to send the first chapter of my fanfiction here, since i dont really get that much criticism over on my discord servers, so... Here ya go! I hope you enjoy. Also if you have any names for the fanfic please give me ideas, it will help greatly, thank you!
Strong language ahead, also i tend to write a lot so beware for a good read!
Chapter 1: New Kid [Susie’s Perspective.]
The bell rang in the girls ears, a sound she heard every single day at the exact same time every single day, but yet she ignored that bell on purpose. Being on time was something Susie never did, and never got in trouble for. She’d just look at old Alphys and she’d start sweating. How cowardly. See, Susie wasn’t the type of girl to be messing with. Her height, for starters, was stupidly tall, towering over most teachers at the damned school, and sometimes she has to bend down to get in classes, which would have been embarrassing if she were someone else. But of course, Susie was the bully of the place. No one dared to even step foot anywhere near her. Not even if she was doing something bad, like what she was doing now, which was stealing chalk from the cabinet of another empty classroom. She wasn’t stealing it to write with, oh no, chalk was in fact her favourite snack to have. Especially the strawberry ones. So she took one, and bit it in half, concealing the box in her front trouser pocket. She sighed, “Suppose it's time to pay that Alphys and her dumb class a visit.” she grumbled, closing the door and trudging along to class. Closer and closer the door came, closer the noise was. “Huh, looks like Alphys here cant keep her classroom quiet. Better teach those twerps a lesson or two about being quiet for ya teacher huh.” she laughed to herself before swinging the door open, and what greeted her was silence, scared staring classmates…
And a new kid.
Huh. “Psssht. Looks like an absolute nerd to me.” she thought, before shooting the new kid a look, before sitting in her seat at the back of the class. The small teacher, standing behind her desk, looked as if she were sweating. “W-well… as I-I was eerr, saying- Um, welcome our new classmate, Noelle Holiday!” Alphys stuttered, clearly still shocked by Susie’s grand entrance. The girl who’s name apparently was Noelle, didn’t seem so shocked, just nervous, looking down at her feet, extremely red in the face. Susie leaned back in her chair, one foot on the desk, raising an eyebrow. “This kid aint gonna survive a day if she even tries talking to me.” Susie muttered to herself, chuckling quietly. “H...Hey everyone..” Noelle squeaked, “Erm, M-my name is Noelle a-and i um, i really like writing. Hope w-we can a-all be friends.” she waved rather awkwardly, as the class, of course other than Susie, said hello back. She just rolled her eyes, averting her eyes elsewhere. Well, there wasn’t much to look at, just poorly plastered walls and white plain ceiling. There were windows but today wasn’t as nice as the last, it was all grey and dreary outside, clouds looming over the city like a blanket. Sounds like it will most likely rain soon.
“Erm, w-why don’t you take the umm e-empty seat next to Susie? I-I heard y-you are great at helping people with their work, so um… perhaps Susie could need some help in the f-future?” Alphys anxiously looked between Noelle and Susie, laughing a little nervously too, gesturing Noelle to walk to her seat. The class quietly muttered between each other, watching Noelle walk towards the desk rather sheepishly, as if she were walking towards literal death itself, though Susie was sometimes compared like that, compared to others. It was something she got used to, something that never really bothered her. Though what did bother her was the fact that Alphys likes to think that Susie wants the kid’s help. She didn’t get a say at all. But she just stared at the girl walk towards the seat, before looking back to the front of the classroom.
And there was the second bell, meaning class had officially started. Another dumb wasted day full of pointless shitty lessons, which obviously, Susie was gonna—as always—do absolutely nothing in. Waiting for the bell for lunchtime. Until then, she would lean against the wall on her chair and wait, listening to rain which began to gradually patter softly against the window.
And there it was, eventually it came around, and everyone walked out of their seats and into the cafeteria to eat, except Susie of course. She stomped along to the empty classroom again, as she usually did. It was peaceful there, oddly enough. Even brutes like her liked the peace and quiet sometimes. She shut the door, and walked to the old teacher's seat. She always found it weird that teachers got better seats than the students, even though students would do all the work. Surely the students were better than them? Susie liked to think that, that she was better than everyone else, because she is in her mind. Everyone was just pebbles beneath her feet. No one gave a shit and/or was scared shitless of her, so why should she care about those fools? She sighed again, sitting on the windowsill, watching the rain. It was nice, to be honest. Soothing. Rain was her favourite weather, besides thunderstorms. Just sitting there, listening to something for once. She was never angry during those times, she was calmed by the soft pitter patter against the windows and on the concrete roads. Sometimes, she’d sneak outside to sit in the rain at night. She’d gain attention just sitting there, with no hood on in the rain, but did she care? No, of course not. So she sat, looking rather bored watching the grey clouds slowly move across the skyline.
That is until the door opened, and the petite figure of the new kid, Noelle stepped in the classroom, shyly shuffling on her feet.
Susie exhaled heavily in annoyance, standing up, looking at the girl. “So. You’re the new kid, huh.” Walking over to a desk near Noelle, leaning against it. “A-are you supposed to be here..?” Noelle mumbled, still looking down. Susie angrily replied with, “No. Why does it matter, twerp?” folding her arms. “What, ya gonna run to old Alphys and tell of me, squirt? Now listen here, she ain’t gonna do shit, and you. YOU ain’t gonna do shit either, capiche?” she walked over, standing directly in front of her, looking down at her in annoyance and anger. “Got anything to say, huh?” she tilted her head, watching Noelle’s cheeks flare, her body scrunch up and shake in fear. Suddenly, Susie got closer, muttering, “I know you don’t know me, and trust me, you should be glad ya don’t but…” her hand grabbed Noelle by her checkered jumper and slammed her against the door. Susie’s piercing yellow eyes looked down at Noelle, full of vexation, growling:
“Quiet People PISS me off.”
“And do you know what..” she chuckled, “You are really pushin’ your luck here. Not even a yelp, huh? I give ya a week kid, and you’re outta this place.” Susie noticed Noelle’s teary eyes, shaky body and very red and embarrassed face and loosened up a little, letting go of the girl. “You’re lucky that I actually do have a heart and didn’t bite your face off.” she backed away, turning around and opening a box of chalk and picking out a blue piece of chalk, biting it in half. “Just get outta my sight squirt. Don’t even try coming in here ever again, ya got that?” she grunted. After a few seconds, she heard the door shut, and no Noelle in sight. Susie sighed. sitting on the desk, staring at her hands. Even though she was an emotionless brute of a girl, she did feel bad for the new kids. They were fresh meat, easy to pick on, needing to be taught lessons. But that kid didn’t even fight back. Didn’t even yelp in fear, just bottled her feelings inside. What, did she think she was better than her? Psht. There was no way in hell. But for a few moments Susie felt confused, the kid seemed odd, seemed different. She didn’t know what it was. Just… A gut feeling. Perhaps she shouldn’t have done that—No. She should have. She disturbed her, right? Ghn..
Jolting her back to reality was the bell, indicating the last lessons of the day would begin, then it was time to head back home, the same thing she did everyday. Great. She snarled at the ringing sound, banging the empty classroom door open, disturbing some younger kids who were making their way across the opposite way Susie was heading. Back to class.
END OF CHAPTER 1.
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emile-hides · 4 years
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Pokemon trainer Norman (Sword vers) is a cowardly Normal type trainer with abnormally bad luck. He tends to be a bit of a cry baby when it comes to most situations, and allows his Pokemon to lead themselves in battle.
Key points of Norman’s journey:
Upon entering the Wild Area, Norman proceeded to get lost. Chased by strong Pokemon, he somehow ended up in Hammerlocke. Hop, called by League staff, came in a flying taxi to pick him up
Norman lost every battle to his rival, Hop, until Stow-on-side, where the loss to Bede threw Hop off his game. Hop continued to loose to Norman until Circhster
Norman also lost every battle to challenger Bede, until the fight in Stow-on-side. Norman cares strongly about Hop, and took this fight very personally
Norman also also lost every battle to challenger Marnie. She relentlessly bullied him, called him a baby, and playfully picked on him. They became like siblings traveling together.
Norman actually spent a great deal of time with Ms. Opal, she was probably his favorite gym leader
Norman’s passion is cooking, he adores making curry for his Pokemon and camping quietly just outside of major towns
The Team:
King - Eevee - lvl 79 - Male - Pay Day, Attract, Last Resort, Dig - Norman’s first Pokemon was a gift from his father, a flirtatious Eevee named King. King is determined to win every battle and does not take well to loosing. Without this feisty partner, Norman would have never become a trainer.
Hop - Dubwool - lvl 72 - Male - Headbutt, Cotton Guard, Double-Edge, Body Press - Norman’s second Pokemon was the Wooloo that broke the fence to get into the Slumbering Weald. The Pokemon was named Hop, after it’s headstrong nature reminding Norman of a certain someone. Over time, much like the trainer he was named after, Hop came to be a rock for Norman, a friend he deeply relied on when face with a challenge he doesn’t think he could handle.
Hazel - Greedent - lvl 71 - Female - Body Slam, Super Fang, Bullet Seed, Fire Fang - Attracted by Norman’s Charizard class curry, Hazel was the third Pokemon to join Norman’s group. Hazel has very little care for battling, rather spending her time eating whatever goodies she can dig from Norman’s bag.
Ryouta - Unfezant - lvl 71 - Male - Facade, Sky Attack, Steel Wing, Tailwind - Ryouta, much like Hazel, was attracted to Norman’s team for food. After stealing from Hazel the Skwovet, Norman and the team had no choice but to track down the thief Pidove. Upon finding the thief starving and without a warm place to stay, Norman offered for Ryouta to come with them. Ryouta may be one of two of Norman’s Pokemon who actually listen to him.
Stardust - Obstagoon - lvl 70 - Female - Double-Edge, Night Slash, X-Scissor, Giga Impact - Stardust was a gift from Marnie. She said it was because she the Zigzagoon had just followed her, but truthfully, Marnie went out of her way to catch Stardust for Norman. Stardust, much like King, cared only for winning. Tough and tumble, Stardust took every challenge head on and never backed down. She loves picking up shiny things and using them as projectiles in battle. She’s thrown a Gold Nugget at Bede’s head on every encounter.
Eos - Heliolisk - lvl 71 - Female - Thunderbolt, Thunderwave, Thunder, Swift - Eos hatched from an egg Norman bought at the market place in Stow-on-Side. Raised around King and Stardust, Eos grew up with a thirst for battle, and took on challenges she was not up to the task for. She has a strong Goddess complex, and takes full credit for victorious battles, even if she didn’t participate. King considers himself Eos’ father.
Bonus:
Queen - Zacian - lvl 70 - When Norman was 4 years old, he got lost deep in the Slumbering Weald. He gave up trying to leave and found himself at the Royal Gravesite. There, he sat and cried until he passed out. When he woke up, he was being placed on the other side of the gate by the Legendary Pokemon, Zacian. 
(Zacian is named Queen because King the Eevee was the only one of the team to survive her attacks, and was the last Pokemon standing when she was caught. They are married.)
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