#ooh actually this would be a fun chapter idea

[scaredcrab]

Macaque x Reader - Silly Vallentine

Promotional Disclaimer: This chapter is being posted here to promote the whole work on AO3! To read more chapters, go to the AO3 link, in fact, the new chapters will be posted there first!

✐ 1 Chapter summary: Overcome by boredom, Macaque goes for a walk on Valentine's Day and finds you. An event that turns out to be more amusing than expected.

✐ Category: Fluff; Hurt/Comfort; Cute; Slow Burn; Slow Romance; Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence; Reader-Insert; Touch-Starved; Cuddling & Snuggling; Foreign Reader; Gender-Neutral Pronouns; Humor; Mythology References; Not Beta Read.

Trigger Warning (for the whole work, not this chapter in particular): Angst; Blood and Violence; Trust Issues; Self-Esteem Issues; Self-Worth Issues; lots of issues; Xenophobia; Trauma; Swearing; Emotional Baggage; Emotional Hurt.

-✐-☾-✐-☾-✐-☾-✐-☾-✐-☾-✐-☾-✐-☾-

Chapter 1 - Valentine

This kind of celebration usually doesn't matter much to warriors dedicated only to fighting and revenge, there's no time to meet new people and to love if you're busy going after a hated acquaintance.

But that doesn't mean boredom can't knock on these people's doors.

A powerful monkey demon walks through a large city disguised as an ordinary human. The monotony of his hiding place had ended up irritating him, resulting in a stroll during "lovers day".

The tedium was enormous to make someone so reclusive go out on a day like this. Streets are full of commemorative decorations, mainly pink heart-shaped ornaments, and serenades with sweet music can be heard everywhere, even the sky looked rosier than usual, however what occupies the surroundings more than the color pink are couples laughing. 

Couples that make you want to throw up for being so clingy, many of them look like exaggerated caricatures of what a happy pair would look like. The demon even rolled his eyes when he heard some phrases from the loose lovebirds, sometimes having a good hearing is a nightmare.

"I'm scared, honey, what if I don't like the people at the party?" - A short girl passes by the monkey.

"Calm down, if you get nervous, we'll just get out of there. Trust me, we're in this together." - The other girl takes one of her partner's shoulders and speaks in a sweet, calm voice.

He stops in place, for a brief moment.

... Yeah, even though the concept of clingy couples was a little annoying, there was a part of him that held a certain... Interest. 

The idea of having someone who cares about your emotional and physical state, the idea of being appreciated, someone to give you attention and affection, someone to trust, all of this was somehow pleasant to imagine. A part of him really craved someone he could actually count on, someone that would actually choose to stay with him.

The warrior shook his head to get that unimportant feeling out of there. Is the holiday making him emotional? This is so pathetic. Like, come on, he had more fun things to do than that!

The biggest fun of being on the streets today is watching couples break up. Or to see people rejecting each other. Dramatic love situations filled with people with broken hearts, looking like over-the-top soap operas in real life. That was pure entertainment.

A rattling bell and the sound of hard material hitting the wall shows that someone has opened a door not far away with incredible brute force, the door in question being the door of a luxuriant restaurant.

"Wait! Come back! What did I do wrong, my little pudding?!" - A man cried while trying to reach a woman in a fancy dress.

"I've already made it clear to you that I hate it when you call me that. What were you thinking, showing up dressed like that in front of my entire family?" - She pointed with her index finger at the clown nose the man had on his face.

"I-I wanted to make your family have fun."

"You made everyone laugh at me! Laugh at us. You made me look like an idiot!"

Ooh, this was a good drama, an argument for a ridiculous reason. This gives a bunch of inspiration to an artist, stupid story scenarios becomes the perfect reference to fun scenes. The beauty and the clown, yeah, this could be the theme of a shadow play, a funny one. A few laughs escaped the demon's lips, so much suffering for such a stupid reason was a special comedy to watch.

Unfortunately for him, the pairing didn't take long to reconcile, returning to the restaurant's interior happily and holding hands.

He rolled his eyes at the scene, boredom returned and, so did his quest for entertainment. Maybe looking for fun outside the hideout wasn't such a good idea at all.

He looked at the restaurant through the front window, taking off his hood of his head, so it wouldn't get in the way of the view, inside there were several couples eating fancy dishes that looked delicious...

Ah yes, the second reason to go out today, the food.

The dishes had too many heart decorations for the Six Eared Macaque's taste, however, that didn't change how tasty they looked. Main courses full of meats and spices, a big variety of drinks and sugary desserts filled the space in every busy table.

If he sneaks into the shadows the right way, it won't be hard to get some good meals.

His belly growled.

"AaaAh! That was loud!" - He looked to the side and saw... You. - "Gosh, you scared me!"

Macaque jumped startled, he hadn't seen that a human had approached to look in the window too. A loud noise came from your belly almost as if it was competing with his stomach.

"Oh... You must be hungry. You also don't have a partner to eat a Valentine's Day food?" - Your hunger had reminded you of that scary noise that came from his tummy.

Macaque was starting to consider fleeing away from there, all he needs less now is boring small talk in the midst of invasion plans.

"Today there are various places offering special dishes for couples, but only for couples." - You keep talking even without hearing an answer from him. - "I'm alone too, so I understand the feeling of walking around without a partner, it makes us think about all the good food we're missing. I only left my house today to see everything decorated and pink, you know. I wanted to see the city transformed." 

/ Does this human get chatty when hungry, or are they just naturally annoying? /

After that thought, the belly of the two rumbled together, a synchronized noise, it sounded like a were a rehearsed trick.

"Argh! Those foods look so delicious! I would even pay someone to accompany me, pretending to be my partner."

/ Wait a minute, what did they just say? /

"Would you really pay someone to do something like that?" - An interest appeared behind the question.

"Of course, I really want the couples discounts and stuff." - You answered honestly without even thinking twice, it's a habit of yours that ends up putting you in complicated situations all the time.

A mischievous grin broke out on his face. 

He turned around and put a hand on your shoulder to have your attention just for him, you look into the eyes of the man who was holding you. - "Well, today is your lucky day! I am completely willing to cooperate with you in exchange for a good payment."

Now the human eyes stared at the man, the owner of those eyes carrying a certain nervousness within them. We all know that you shouldn't make deals with strangers, you know that very well yourself, but this is an opportunity to eat the exclusive foods that will only be available for today...

You took a good look at his figure to study his details, checking out the sparkle in his eyes, the charming smile, the beard that added the final touch to his attractive face. He wears clothes in nice colors that match each other, specifically dark red and black, his dark hair wasn't super tidy but wasn't tossed around either. The strands look very soft too, a strange urge to stroke the locks of hair haunted your head, but you held back. A man full of charisma stood before you.

You had to admit, he is hot. He is really hot, and he probably knows that (right?), so how expensive would that service be?

"... And how much would be a good payment in your opinion?"

He moved closer to your ear (a thing that made your whole body heat up and shiver) and using a seductive, soft voice, he whispered the value. Your brain melted hearing the voice while collapsed, listening to the number being said. God. The company of pretty men really was expensive.

He seemed to be delighted to see you shudder, to see you making such a shocked expression at the answer, a smug and satisfied smile graced his face. And honestly, this attitude only made you feel more silly feelings in your chest.

"My lord! This much just because you're handsome?!"

"Nice try, but flattering me isn't going to make me change the price I set."

"W-Wait! Let's talk a few things before accepting any price! Like, what places do you allow us to go? What couple things I can do with you? What are your personal boundaries? It wouldn't be fair to charge a specific amount without considering certain things."

The man stares at you intently for a few seconds like someone trying to see through dark glass, arms crossed defensively as he "scans" you up and down. He seemed to be searching for lies through the aura of your soul, or something like this.

"... Like a spoken contract? A kind of sacred agreement between us?" - You nodded with your head.

After thinking some more, Macaque started to say his limitations: No kisses. No hugs. No pet names. You're only allowed to walk holding hands (so you don't end up getting lost). 

On your turn to speak, you negotiate the places to visit: an elegant restaurant, a chocolate fondue stand and a cute cafe. These places had great deals for couples and unique Valentine's Day dishes.

/ Isn't that too much food for just one person? /

He had no idea how much food would fit in your stomach, but he could eat a lot himself, so he was getting a big prize. Caring for you was the least of his worries, so your final state at the end of the tour doesn't matter as long as he's well paid and well-fed. 

Being so demanding and limiting turned out to affect the final price of the deal, you would have to pay less to the fake boyfriend, but it was still a hefty price.

With everything settled, it was time to pay.

You looked in your wallet with a sad expression. - "Goodbye sweet money, I will never forget you."

When you were about to hand over the payment, you remembered a basic socialization step.

"Wait a minute! I don't know your name." - You held your money close to your chest, hesitating.

The monkey blinked in disbelief, processing the moment, of all suspicious things was it the lack of name that made you hesitate?

A light chuckle escaped from him. - "You can call me Mac. What about you?"

After revealing your name, you glared at the man as you slowly handed over the money, taking your time to say goodbye to the lost fortune. When he took the money from your hands, you made a thin little noise of suffering. Honestly, you're so exaggerated.

We can say that you're dumb too! Knowing each other's names isn't going to stop one from running off with the payment. Lucky for you, Macaque was starting to be entertained by the human innocence. Or would it be better to say stupidity instead of innocence?

Well, it doesn't matter, a fake date has begun.

[nanabansama]

Good Afternoon! This isn't exactly a question but more like a theoretical reply to the points you made in one of your posts regarding Chapter 117. Firstly, it's possible that the teacher that sent Kou to the Red House is Tsuchigomori-Sensei. Given his friendship with Yugi Amane in the New Present, and that in the Original Timeline, he was Kou's Homeroom Teacher, it's possible that in the New Present, Tsuchigomori is still Kou's Teacher and he had him go to the Red House with the printouts.

Ooh! I totally hadn't considered it being Tsuchigomori. Shijima crossed my mind too but Tsuchigomori definitely seems like the likeliest alternative, less it was some trick pulled by the Pit God.

But yeah, I feel like the voice can't be anything but the Pit God/"Tsukasa-kun". Perhaps if there's a remnant of real Tsukasa inside Tsukasa-kun then it could be him, though, somehow...? *shrug*

I think Mitsuba and Kou are targets because they made contact with Tsukasa-kun and survived, but I wonder what they need them for. Plain revenge seems boring, so it's probably related to the Pit God's favorite thing: human sacrifices... (ooor maybe not!)

On that note, I realized that the lack of a family suicide in this timeline makes the Red House a bit different. Sure, the Pit God was always dwelling beneath it, but what happened to Amane and his parents...? Did they move out safely, or...?

Well, at least we know that Amane became an adult. But we still don't know where he is. Honestly, he could still be living there!!! (Considering he works at the school haunted by "Tsukasa", I could see him being awfully attached to the childhood home he lost him in, too...dilapidated or not...)

...hold up! Were you hinting at that in your ask?! The idea that Tsuchigomori unknowingly (I'm being charitable here) sends Kou to his doom because Yugi-sensei asked for print-outs?! And then Kou enters, and sees a school faculty member, and is duped into thinking this is all normal... oooh!!! This is so smart, I love this a lot actually. Excellent theory!!! I hope you're right, this would be a very fun outcome.

[draftsandrecs]

It's a bad idea, right?

Chapter 2: Wet and wanting more

Pairing: Best-friends dad!Dark!Ari Levinson x College!Reader

Summary: Sexual tension builds between reader and Ari. He's soft in this chapter, he manipulates the reader into thinking she has control. But far from it.

Word Count: 2,639

Warnings: 18+ (of course), age gap, oral sex

It’s 10 o’clock in the morning by the time you wake up and roll out of bed. Your body well rested and energy high. Standing up you slide your house shoes on, they look like little bunnies, soft and plush and perfect for cool mornings. You never liked being barefoot especially if the floor was cold. You head into the bathroom to brush your teeth and get ready for the morning. Popping the toothbrush in your mouth you hear Mia before you see her.

“Hey! I thought we could tan and take a dip in the lake. I have a few floaties we can blow up.” Her pitch is chirpy, excited to tell you the plans for the day.

You spit into the sink before answering, “that sounds great. Let me change into my swimsuit and we can head down there.”

Content with your answer she starts picking out clothes for you. As she attends to that you begin to put your hair up, not wanting the water to get it wet. Or else you’ll have to wash it and your hair care routine easily takes up some time. And frankly, you don’t feel like taking time- anytime soon to complete that until necessary. Yes, you can be lazy but hey, its summer, who cares.

“I picked out a couple options. I thought you could just wear your swimsuit today since we’ll be at the lake most of the day.” She says standing by the bed.

You finish your hair and walk over to the options. Two from Aerie and one from Pacsun. You opt for one of the pieces from Aerie, cute and sexy. Perfect combination for anyone. It’s a one piece that is cut out in the back, rides up your cheeks perfectly, and the sides are open that show your plump breasts.

“Ooh okay! She’s feeling flirty and fun today!” Mia says as she sees you in your swimsuit. You do a little twirl for her as you gather your sunscreen, phone, and towel in one hand.

“I can make drinks while you get ready,” you offer as you walk out of the bedroom and towards the other half of the house together. “Yeah, if you don’t mind. I shouldn’t be too long.” Mia thanks you once more before she heads to her room.

You stop in the kitchen and find your way around it. You grab the liquor and other ingredients. Listing the items in your head you make sure you have everything in front of you. Malibu, check. Vodka, check. Peach schnapps, check. Cranberry and pineapple juice, check. Happy with that, you find two glasses and throw some ice in the bottom. You don’t care to measure anything considering that your goal is to get tipsy within the next hour or so.

As you’re making the first drink, Ari enters the kitchen. You send him a quick smile, “Good morning”, you say before your attention is back to the drinks.

He sets down a few tools that he was holding on the kitchen counter as he says, “Mornin’, you girls are drinking early, aren’t you?” His comment made you laugh.

You knew he was poking fun at you and Mia. “It’s never too early to drink.” You say finishing up the second mixer.

He hums in agreement, his eyes drinking in your figure. Your breasts look amazing from his view, tight against the swimsuit, just begging to be let out.

“Do you want a drink? I can make you something, a mocktail if you prefer.” You say smiling at him.

“Yeah sure, why not.” He smiles back at you. He doesn’t care for a drink; he just wants to see you turn around to get a good look at your ass. And it’s a great look indeed, amazing actually. Your back is turned completely away from him, reaching for another glass. Your swimsuit stretches across your cheeks perfectly. It hardly covers your ass to be honest, but he’s definitely not complaining.

You know he’s staring. What man wouldn’t? You knew wearing this would make him look without fail. You turn around after grabbing the cup, acting like you were taking your time finding another cocktail glass. To be fair you did have to look a little.

“Your swimsuit is very revealing for a one piece”, Ari comments but thankful that you wore it.

You cock your head to the side playfully, “This is hardly revealing, you should see my other swimsuits. One is basically just cloth and string.” You reply as you begin making his drink.

“Yeah? Maybe I should be the judge of that.” His words make you stop making the drink as you stare at him.

You were about to question if he was joking or not but instead say, “You’d like that wouldn’t you.” You reply teasingly, hoping that if it was a joke then you wouldn’t totally make a fool of yourself. Or have your hopes completely crushed.

He stands walking over to you. His stature intimidating you, his energy throwing you off. You can’t tell if it’s good or bad, especially with the butterflies growing in your stomach. You’re now pinned against the counter, you can smell his cologne and body wash, earthy and woody.

Ari is looking down at you with a small smile hanging on his face as he says, “No honey, it wasn’t a question. It was a request.” You feel your confidence subside a little before you confirm that he isn’t joking. He in fact wants you, like how you want him.

Without even thinking you reply, “When and where?” Now it’s your time to smirk, you’re confident again even if your heart is beating 1000 miles a minute it feels like.

Before Ari or you can say anything, else Mia’s footsteps are heard coming towards the kitchen. Ari pulls away walking back to where he was sitting. “Sorry for taking so long. I shouldn’t have bought a swimsuit with all these strings, I had to find a tutorial online.” Mia’s voice is heard walking into the kitchen.

She stops by her dad hugging him briefly before she grabs a glass from the counter. “I’m sorry again. I hope my dad didn’t bore you.” She says jokingly.

You shake your head, “No, actually we bonded a little.” You say before you and Ari share a glance of lust, Mia completely unaware. You two will definitely be getting along really well before the week is over.

It’s 10 at night by the time you and Mia have worn yourselves out. You two spent the day drinking and snacking around the lake, laying out on pool floaties, and even tried paddle boarding. Which you and her were awful at. Reminder that tiktok videos make everything seem easier especially when you’re tipsy. You and her already parted ways, you wanted a few more minutes by the lake and she was too tired to stick around. You don’t blame her though; you were going to turn to bed soon as well.

Standing up from the dock you strip off your bathing suit, so it isn’t dripping when you walk in the house. And you don’t want to be freezing walking in. You grab your belongings and wet suit as you head towards the house. You stop by a chair near the small fire pit, placing your swimsuit on the chair to dry in the warm heat. Your towel is wrapped tight around your body as you walk into the house. It’s quiet, most lights are out except the one illuminating the kitchen. You slowly walk to keep your movements quiet, so you don’t wake anyone up. You shiver a little walking to your room, fantasizing about how warm and great you’ll feel under the blankets. Reaching your room and stepping in your taken aback when you see Ari sitting on the bed.

“How was the lake?” His voice is sarcastic. He’s sitting in the middle of your bed, wearing no shirt and gray sweatpants that don’t hide his length. You avert your eyes quickly, acting like you didn’t notice.

“It was great, though paddle boarding isn’t for me. Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.” You tell him not actually caring, as you place your phone and sunscreen on top of the drawer. You make sure to hold your towel, not wanting to lose grip of it as you use the other hand to take your hair down. You turn around and he doesn’t say anything.

“Is there something you want?” you ask, knowing exactly what he’s here for.

“Where’s your bathing suit?” He’s standing now when he speaks to you. One hand meets your waist and the other on your shoulder.

“It’s laying by the water, probably asleep by now.” You joke, as you pat the top of your hair, hoping to smooth out any fizziness. He doesn’t say anything as he moves you towards the bed. He gently pushes you on the bed to sit, making you stare up at him from your position.

“I assume you don’t want to see my bikini then?” You ask smirking a little. He laughs a little at your comment. “As much as I want to see that, what’s underneath this towel is intriguing me more.” He says holding your face now.

“Take it off.” His voice is stern, and you eagerly comply. You stand up, eyes focused on his as you pull your towel off. The cool air hits your body, making your nipples swell instantly. You can feel your wetness increase as you stand there staring at him.

 “On the bed, lie down.” His command is once again met. You find yourself on the bed again, back cushioned by the bed. Even with the warm blankets the anxiousness that fills you still makes you shake. You’re still in disbelief that this is happening.

His knees hit the bed, crawling towards you. He maintains eye contact as he reaches your legs. He begins to kiss your calf, his beard tickling your skin. He makes his way up to your thigh, spreading your legs for better access. He kisses the soft skin, making small nips but enough to sting in the best way possible. He then sucks a little on your inner thigh creating future small bruising no doubt. A wave of shock runs through you with his touch. His lips finally meet your pussy after what feels like eternity.

He kisses your pussy, wetness meeting his lips making him want more. His tongue then meets your attentive clit. He points his tongue licking a few times, mixing his saliva and your wetness together. He rolls his tongue over the hard bud as your heart beats faster. Your hands dig into the bed sheets, grabbing them for leverage. Circling the bud once more he takes it between his lips. He gently sucks on it like he’s nursing it. He applies a little more pressure, as you ride against his face. Creating more pressure against your clit. He grabs your thighs, arms wrapping underneath them to keep up with the pace. You moan as he flattens his tongue against your clit rubbing it with light but firm pressure. Letting you take control of the pace with your hip movements.

He then makes his way to your dripping hole. His tongue circles around it before it dips in. One of his hands finds it way to your clit, rubbing small circles into the bud. The combination of clit stimulation and tongue fucking, erupts a moan from you.

“Fuck, Ari.” You moan as he chuckles beneath you. He grips your thigh as he pulls his tongue out before it finds your other hole. You try to push his head away, but he waves you off.

“Relax.” His voice is rough as you try and do so. You’re in a state of embarrassment and pleasure as he kisses around it. Taking it slow, as slow as he can. His tongue slowly circles it a few times before flattening against it. He uses his tongue to rub against it. The wetness from your pussy creating a lube easier to tongue your hole. He uses up and down movements that make you even more wet. His hand moves back to your clit as he applies a little more pressure to your hole. At this point you’re craving his cock, fingers, anything to fill your needy pussy. His tongue makes its way from your asshole to your cunt, licking at them, creating a wet mess that will for sure cause a need to wash the sheets. His face pulls away from you, briefly looking at you before he kisses you. You taste a mixture of your wetness and mint. You dominate his upper lip as his hand finds its way to your pussy again. He slaps it quickly making you moan into his mouth.

He smiles into the kiss before asking, “you like that?” You nod at his comment, and he slaps your pussy again causing you to buck at his touch. His hand no doubt wet from you. The sting against your clit makes you crave more of his touch.

“I want to see you unravel from my fingers.” He says while his fingers rub up and down your clit and cunt. He circles the opening a little, and questions how many fingers will even fit in your little hole.

“Please, please I need it.” You beg staring up at him, holding onto him, gripping his biceps.

He grants your request as you feel two fingers enter you. The intrusion makes you throw your head back in pleasure. You whisper a few cuss words as he begins to thrust them inside you. He quickly finds your g-spot, continuing to aim against it.

“Look at me.” His voice brings you back from your thoughts. You nod as you stare at him, you thrust back on his fingers. You’re whining on his fingers. Wanting, needing more.

“You think you can fit another finger?” he asks tauntingly. You shake your head, no words able to come out.

As a third finger enters your cunt, the stretch is like no other. It’s almost too much and Ari can see that with the little look on your face. “If you can barely take my fingers then my cock won’t even fit in this slutty little hole” His comment makes you moan imagining him fucking you and filling you up. He uses his other hand to rub your clit, creating a slow pace against your nub. The combination making your back arch off the bed.

“I can’t take it.” You say as you try to stop the overstimulation. You try and grip his arm to stop but he shakes his head no.

“You can do this. I want to see you cum undone.” His voice is heavy as he stares at you as he encourages you to continue.

His pace picks up, your clit being abused by his force. Your upper body sat up watching him use your body. His fingers continuing to assault your hole, bringing you closer to orgasm. You close your eyes as you feel yourself cum undone. It feels like too much pressure coming undone. Before you know it, you’re not just cumming, you’re squirting against his hand.

 “Fuck, that’s it.” He says as his fingers fuck you through your orgasm. The look on your face almost makes his cum on the spot. Head thrown back, eyes closed, mouth slightly open.

You moan his name as pleasure rips through you not caring about how loud you may be.

Once you’ve come done from your high, he makes you suck the wetness off his fingers. You tiredly do so, wanting to please him like the slut you are.

He has you exactly where he wants you. Needy, and wanting more.

[minnielvr]

DIE FOR YOU - chapter 2 : "right guy"

while y/n and her 5 other friends were hanging out and drinking in their dorm, just a few miles away was the party hyunjin and his friends were throwing. y/n looked out the window and wondered why so many people were walking towards the frathouse, so she asked her friends.

"h-hey guys..why are there so many people walking that way" she said in slurred words while pointing out the window

"oh chris told me that they're throwing a party" intak responded, "i was gonna go but you guys invited me first"

"we should go so y/n can get some dick" yunjin said and took another sip of her drink while leaning on her boyfriend

"i-im down" when y/n said that everyone was surprised, but then again she was drunk and had no idea what she was saying.

"since when does y/n agree to stuff like that?" hanni asked

"aye a-all i know is that...a drunk mans words are a s-sober mans thoughts" haerin said with slurred words and put her hands up

"well shit then we should go, i mean rarely any of us go to parties anyway right?" keeho said

"well yea but maybe y/n should sober up a little before we go, just so she doesn't do anything she'll regret" yunjin suggested

"oh cmon let her live a little" intak countered

"n-no guys i'll drink sone water then we can leave 'kay?" y/n said and got up to go sober up

‿୨♡୧‿

meanwhile at the frat party, the boys were playing and intense game of truth or dare. christoper spinned the bottle and it landed on hyunjin, he smirked.

"hyunjin, truth or dare?"

"hmmm..dare" everyone was now very engaged in watching the game.

"okay...i dare you to make a girl fall in love with you. and then break up with her on halloween." his smirked stayed on his face the whole time.

"WHATTT, NAHHH, NO WAY, THATS CRAZZY" everyone started cheering

hyunjin just leaned back and crossed his arms, "pffft, lightwork. who should i do?" he asked

the boys started talking amongst themselves to pick a girl.

"ooh i think you should do y/n, i heard she hates people like you, but wait until she sees your charm" jeongin suggested

"hmm okay but you guys have to give me some money if i pull her." he countered

everyone said yes and hyunjin started telling everyone as soon as he sees her he would make a move.

‿୨♡୧‿

after y/n and her friends sobered up they walked accross campus to the party. they walked in and were met with the smell of alcohol and sweat, and heard very loud music.

"uhh guys just to let you know im not actually gonna get dicked down, i was drunk and didn't know what i was doing." y/n warned everyone, she was feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"boooo boringgg" haerin gave a thumbs down

"okay that doesn't matter guys lets just go have fun" intak said and pulled keeho with him

they all split up in pairs and promised to meet up at that spot in 2 hours.

yunjin pulled y/n with her and said "cmon lets go find you a boy toy"

"bro i really don't want one like chill" she was was now getting pissed off when someone said that. can't they take a hint?

"oh..sorry. i didn't think it was that big of a deal i won't say that again." yunjin apologized.

while the two girls were walking around the house they spotted the 8 boys, yunjin suggested they should just go and say hi to be polite.

"yunjin no one comes to a frat party to be polite to the hosts..."

"ugh cmon!!! just to socialize you know?" she argued back

"fine.." y/n agreed

the two girls walked up to the boys and yunjin tapped on felixs shoulder, both y/n and yunjin knew felix a little bit so they were comfortable with him

"hey felix!!" yunjin said with a big smile and waved

"oh hey you two!!" felix looked a bit surprised, he had never seen them at any party except for a few.

changbin looked at felix to see who he was talking to and immediately told hyunjin that y/n was there. hyunjin looked at her and smirked, forming a plan in his head.

he walked up to felix and put his elbow on felixs shoulder.

"hello ladies, fancy seeing you here" he looked y/n up and down

"hi.." both girls said with an uneven tone

"say, y/n. would you like to grab a drink with me?" he tried to make a move

"uhh no i wasn't planning to drink tonight" she responded

yunjin then nudged her and reminded her of what intak said, 'live a little'. so, reluctantly, y/n said yes and walked next to hyunjin to the drink table. hyunjin thought to himself 'this is easy money, shes so easy'

they made it to the drinks and hyunjin grabbed a bottle and two red cups. he poured them a drink and gave one to y/n

"cheers" he tipped his cup

"yea...cheers." she tipped hers and drank it

when they both finished hyunjin realized y/n looked uncomfortable, obviously he didn't care but for the sake of the dare, he acted like he did.

"you look a little uncomfortable, would you like to come outside with me?" he put on his best caring face

y/n was shocked to say the least, how could he pick up on something like that? still, she was skeptical. she acted like she was giving it some thought and said yes.

they walked outside and sat on the curb, the wind was breezing and the moon was full.

for some reason, which he did not know, hyunjin felt comfortable with her, hell even a little vulnerable. so he decided to just relax and make conversation.

"so uh, whats someone like you doing here?" he turned his face to y/n

"someone like me?" y/n raised a brow "whats that supposed to mean?"

"well, i didn't mean it in a bad way, it's just..you know....you don't come to parties very often." he tried explaining

"wellll... yeah but my friends told me to 'live a little' so i decided to give it a try" she looked back infront of her

hyunjin nodded his head and hummed. then the two just sat in silence for a while.

and for some reason, which she did not know why, y/n felt a little comfortable with him, maybe it was because she had alcohol in her, but whatever the reason was, she felt safe.

hyunjin started thinking more and more about y/n. why was she never at parties? why was she always hanging out with the same people all the time? why didn't she have a boyfriend? she was pretty, nice, and he heard she was smart too.

so he decided to ask her.

"hey y/n?" he turned to her and asked

"yea whats up?" she turned to him, their faces were inches apart.

"do you believe in love? i mean, i've never seen you with a guy you know? except those two friends of yours."

she was kind of surprised he was asking that, why would he? but she still decided to answer.

"of course i do, it's just that, i don't feel like anyone is right for me. either that or i don't deserve them..." she realized she was saying too much about herself. "but you know, i think i'll find the right person one day"

hyunjin started thinking about how he could use this as an advantage and act sympathetic. in the inside he was smirking, she is SO easy.

"well....maybe i can be the right guy." he looked into her eyes.

before she knew it he started leaning in and he put a hand on her chin. but she instantly stood up.

"yea. no. DEFINITELY not you." she dusted her pants off and looked around. "im actually supposed to leave now, bye." she didn't even look back, she just started walking back to her dorm. not bothering to go tell her friends.

───────────────────────────────

series masterlist • prev • next

the taglist is open!!! pls comment on this post or send an ask if u wld like to be added!!!

a/n : goodbye why did the written part look so much longer in my notes app😢😢

taglist : @sunoo-bby @chili-crab0811 @sanriiolino @hopefulrascalstatesmantoad @lolli4me @grayscorner @veedoesntknaur @jia-qian @cherryuqii @xrvrqs @abbiestearsricochet

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Some thoughts about writing Ed and Stede going to ✨therapy✨

One thing I think I see a lot in OFMD fics is therapy being like an instant fix, but I think it's way more fun to think about the new wrinkles and situations therapy can lead to. Sending Ed and Stede to therapy can be a great way to help them heal but I think it works best and is most in-character when you think about why they're going, how it's going to help, and what new issues might arise.

I do not think these two would just decide to go to therapy without a push. In my latest multi-chapter fic, which required me to actually think about this, I figure that it wouldn't occur to Stede and Ed would either think about it on-and-off for years, dismissing at first as something not meant for people like him, or he'd get spooked into thinking it might be a good idea for him. In that fic, the push is Ed realizing after he blows a small incident out of proportion that he's on the verge of a panic attack like constantly and deciding he doesn't want to live like that anymore.

I think couple's therapy is a really good option, it gets a reputation as only for couples in crisis but it works for anyone. It allows them to support each other and talk through their issues with a mediator. Plus, Jackie as their couple's therapist is one of the casting choices I'm proudest of!

I 100% believe Stede will go along with therapy for Ed's sake, and then when they start talking to him he'll be like "wait no." He will begrudingly go along with things, thinking he's just humoring Ed, and will be deeply surprised when some of the techniques to stop self-hating thoughts he learns actually work. You get out of therapy what you put into it, so I think Stede's progress will be slower.

For Ed, I think it'll get worse before it gets better. He's going to have cycles of grieving for what happened to him, feeling angry about it, feeling guilty for feeling angry about it...learning that he's not a monster for having negative emotions will be tough.

Therapy will turn Stede Bonnet into the slipperiest motherfucker alive. If he doesn't want to talk about his feelings he'll just start listing therapy buzzwords. Ed's probably gonna fall for it a couple times before he catches on.

I could see these two becoming competitive about how well they're doing in therapy. Like, "ooh, watch out, babe, I'm being way more vulnerable than you right now." This could be variously encouraging and annoying

Talking things through will still be hard. Real people don't really talk in therapy lingo. It's gonna be awkward and scary and weird.

One of the benefits of therapy is helping you identify triggers and areas to work on. This is scary. Part of good communication with your partner is finding areas where you can communicate better.

There will be times where they'll react to a situation well and times when they react poorly. Therapy isn't magic.

[gracexthoughts]

of violent delights chapter 1

duties and dementors

1 september 1995

Euphemia's POV

"Ugh, I have to get changed and go to the prefect meeting," I groan, leaning my head on Fred's shoulder. I had been secretly hoping the duty would pass me by and be handed to someone else, but of course Dumbledore had other plans. As if I don't have my hands full with school work and Quidditch. Not to mention trying to keep my brother from getting himself killed, again. Last year, he nearly died because he decided taking on a basilisk by himself was a smart idea. 

My little brother is Harry Potter, yes that Harry Potter. Oh, and my name is Euphemia Potter. I am two years older than Harry and, since our parents passed away, he is the only real family I have. Although we were technically raised by our Aunt and Uncle Dursley, really all they provided was the most basic necessities, often in the form of hand-me-downs and locking us in the cupboard under the stairs when we misbehaved. This summer, Harry accidentally blew up our Aunt Marge (she deserved it) and, anticipating the beating of a lifetime, I decided it was time to leave once and for all. I turn 18 in January and I was already planning on petitioning for custody of Harry at that point anyway. We spent the last of the summer living off the inheritance left to us by our late parents and staying at the Leaky Cauldron. When we leave school next summer, I'll find us a real apartment but the old inn was good enough until we left for Hogwarts. 

"Poor, Mia. She's all the teachers' favorites," Lee says leaning forward to sarcastically pat my knee in fake sympathy.

"Shut up, I am not," I scoff, pushing his hand away and standing to pull my robes out of my trunk.

"Don't lie to yourself , Mia!" Angelina laughs. "What's so bad about being a prefect anyway?"

"It's just more work that I didn't ask for and everyone is going to assume I got it just because Dumbledore plays favorites. And Kenneth Trowler is the other for our year," I state turning around.

"Ooh! Awkward!" Fred whoops. I swat down at his face, which he ducks easily, pushing himself into his twin, George.

"Oh, is he still hung up on you?" Alicia asks, looking up at me. Kenneth and I dated for 4 months last year. It didn't end badly but he definitely didn't want it to end at all and had sulked for the last month of the term.

"Let's hope not," I say, rolling my eyes. "I just hope I don't get paired with him for rounds. I've gotta change, I'll see you guys after the meeting," I call over my shoulder as I exit our compartment, robes in hand. After I change, I head to the front of the train. As I near the front, suddenly a body steps out of a compartment right as I am passing, making us run into each other.

"Uh! Sorry, I-" I start with my hands out in front of me, moving away from the body in my way, as I look up into the eyes of none other than Mattheo Riddle, the son and heir of the most evil dark wizard of all time, Voldemort. Mattheo Riddle always has such a knot in his wand and makes it everyone else's problem. He is always getting into fights and intimidating others. Most of the other students are terrified of him, but I have never been. In my opinion, he is just a spoiled rich kid who throws a punch when he doesn't get his way.

"Watch where you're going, Potter," he spits, glaring down at me.

I scoff, irritated by his tone. "I was, Riddle. You stepped out in front of me. Maybe it's you that needs to watch where you're going," His jaw clenches, as I notice a shiny green prefect badge on his chest. Great, I think, this will be fun. Riddle has had it out for me for years and makes his distaste well known. 

"Hi Mia," a kind voice says to my left. I turn and see Astoria Greengrass, standing in the door of the compartment Mattheo came out of. She is wearing a green prefect badge as well.

"Hi Astoria, how was your holiday?" I say, stepping back so she could exit the compartment. Astoria is one Slytherin I actually tolerate- even like. While most Slytherins' attitude towards me ranges from cool distaste to outright hatred, Astoria has always been kind. We were potions partners last year so I actually know her fairly well. She steps between Riddle and I and pushes him forward by the shoulders.

"It was lovely! How was yours?" She asks over her shoulder, throwing back an apologetic smile over her shoulder.

"Yeah, it was alright," I respond simply, not wanting to get into all the details. I hear Riddle scoff ahead of me and I roll my eyes. Astoria and I chat while we walk through the train;  Riddle continues to sulk ahead of us.

We arrived at the first car to most of the other prefects already there. Percy Weasley was chatting with Penelope Clearwater who's wearing the Head Girl badge. According to the Twins, Percy had been insufferable since he got his Head Boy badge in the mail, wearing it at all times and constantly polishing it. The twins told me they had changed the wording and hid it a few times earning Percy's wrath and quite a few scolding's from their mother.

Percy gives me a small nod as I move toward the table with the other Gryffindor Prefects. Kenneth is already here as well and lifts his hand to wave eagerly to me. "Hi, Kenneth. How are you?" I ask, sitting down across from him along with Harper Crane and Jaden Filly, the sixth year prefects for Gryffindor.

"I'm good, Mia. Excited to be a prefect?" Kenneth asks eagerly.

"Uh yeah I guess," I shrug, looking around the car.

"Don't worry. It's not really as much work as it seems," Jaden says, leaning his head towards me, oddly conspiratorially, his eyes trailing over me. 

"I hope not," I say politely.

"Alright, everyone!" Percy calls, getting the meeting started. Percy and Penelope talk about duties and such and go around handing out the common room passwords and the round schedule for the year. I scan the schedule looking for my name. "Oh, bloody hell," I whisper, wanting to bang my head against the table. Under Tuesdays and Thursdays my name is written with my partner being Mattheo fucking Riddle.

"I can't believe they'd pair you up together, I mean c'mon. He's dangerous." Kenneth shakes his head, disbelieving.

"Its fine," I say curtly, pushing the paper away from me. Looking around the compartment, my eyes meet Mattheo's who glare at me. I narrow my eyes back and he turns his head, eyes leaving mine. The meeting drags on for an hour; Percy is very... thorough. Finally, it's called to an end and everyone gets up to leave. Grabbing my papers, I say goodbye to Kenneth and the others. Before I can move through the door, Riddle moves into my path blocking my way yet again. "Excuse me," I say looking up.

"Meet me outside the Slytherin Common Room tomorrow at 8:45," Mattheo says before going to turn. I scoff, and head out the door behind him. He thinks I don't know where it is, probably hoping I will be late so he can rub it in my face. Lucky for me, the twins and I found the Marauders' Map four years ago which is a map of the entire Hogwarts castle. I head back to the compartment my friends occupy and groan, sitting down heavily and laying my head on Fred's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Mia?" Alicia says as Fred moves to rub my shoulder.

"I've been assigned perfect rounds twice a week with none other than Mattheo Riddle." I sit up in the seat, pushing my hair out of my face and wave the schedule. "I'd rather have Kenneth." Everyone's head whipped around to me, their eyes wide.

"What?!" the twins said in unison.

"You're joking!" Lee says, as Angelina takes the paper with the schedule on it out of my hands.

"Why would they pair you two together, of all people?" she questions, looking over the paper.

"Ask if you can get it changed! I'm sure McGonagall would understand you not feeling comfortable around him." Alicia suggests, looking over Angie's shoulder to look at the paper.

"No, I'm not going to fuss about it. If I do that then, Riddle will just think I'm afraid of him like everyone else in this school. Fuck that, I won't give him the satisfaction" I shake my head and pull the paper back, standing to put it in my bag.

"No, Mia, it's not safe. He isn't safe, especially not for you!" Fred says, pulling me back down to sit so he can look at me.

"Please, Riddle is just a spoiled brat who's never been told no in his life. He doesn't scare me any more than Malfoy does." I say, looking down at Fred while I try to convince my friends I can take care of myself. Fred and George have always been protective of me. When I started at Hogwarts I was a shy, nervous kid. All I'd ever known was protecting myself and Harry, from our aunt and uncle, our cousin, the kids at schools. Fred and George found me on that first train to Hogwarts and never let me go. They were my first friends and the first people, besides my brother, who were willing to stand up for me. 

"Phe, you can't be serious! I mean now that Black escaped, do-"

"Freddie, Riddle is not going to kill me in the middle of the bloody school!" I cut Fred off, not currently of the mind to be lectured by one of the most reckless people I've ever met. I can't deny how his mention of Sirius Black sends a chill down my spine, though I'll never admit that to Fred. This summer, a Death Eater known as Sirius Black escaped the most secure prison in the world. Just this morning, Mr. Weasley had pulled me aside to tell me the Ministry believes Black has escaped to come after Harry and I. 

"Mia, c'mon. He's the last person you should be around," George adds.

"It'll be fi-" Before I can finish my sentence, the train grinds to a halt.

"Oh thank god, we're here. I hate how long the train takes," says Lee jumping up.

"We can't be there yet," I shake my head and look at my wrist watch, "It's only 5:15, we should have almost another hour." George and Alicia, who are sitting in the window seats, peer out the windows trying to see through the gloom and rain surrounding the outside of the train. The train jerks again and the lights go out.

"We must have broken down," Angelina says, pulling out her wand to provide light to the compartment.

"I think someone is coming aboard!"

"What, Ali, who would be coming aboard? We're in the middle of nowhere," Fred shakes his head.

"Guys, look," I whisper, pointing to water laying on the bench between Angelina and Lee. It was frozen solid when it had just been liquid minutes ago. We all looked around noticing the windows had an icy layer on them and our breath was visible in the air. "I gotta find Harry."

I bolt up from my seat and move out of the compartment as quickly as I can, moving quickly towards the back of the train. I vaguely hear one of the twins following me but I'm more focused on finding Harry. Finally I reach the last compartment and burst through the door. "Harry!" My brother stands, confusion written on his and his friends faces.

"Mia, what's wrong? What's going on?"

"I don't know, but I-"

"Mia, seriously, how are you so fast?" Fred says, panting slightly as he steps into the now cramped train car. I look around the car at the other. Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom are inside as well as a man sleeping in the corner. Besides the mystery man, I know all the others well, even Neville. I eye the man in the cloak. I've never seen an adult taking the train that didn't work on it. "Who is that?"

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Hermione says, pointing up at a case. The train jerks again causing Fred and I to lurch forward. I turn back around to look out the compartment door. Suddenly, a dark figure emerged in the hall outside our compartment, its long bony hand reaching for the door pulling it open. Its face was completely hidden by the dark cloak it wore and it made my stomach twist in knots. Fred reaches his arm towards me protectively as an intense cold swept over the already frigid room. What sounded like a raspy breath was coming from the creature as it flouted closer into the compartment turning towards us. I feel my breath quickening and my eyesight disappearing; feeling as if I'm being dragged downward as a rushing in my ears takes over all my other senses, growing louder and louder. Then I heard a voice, a voice I only hear in my nightmares, a voice long lost to this world.

"No! Please! Take me, leave them be! Please!" The voice pleaded as a bright green light erupted and a baby's crying took the place of the screams.

"Mia! Mia, wake up!" A different voice breaks through the cries and I realize I'm being shaken. I open my eyes to see Fred's face hovering over me, shaking me. The lights were back on and the train seemed to be moving again.

"Freddie?" I move to sit up but a wave of nausea overcomes me and I lean forward. Fred catches my shoulders as I dry heave slightly. "Harry?" I look up, fighting the nausea as I look for my brother. I turn, seeing him sitting up between Hermione and Ron. "Are you okay?" I ask, pushing myself up and hovering over my brother. He nods, looking behind me. I turn to see the man, R. J. Lupin, sitting across us, a distant but caring look in his eyes.

"Was that a-"

"Dementor. One of the guards of Azkaban, looking for Sirius Black." Lupin says.

"What happened? I-" I ask, still confused as to what had happened after the cloaked figure, the dementor, appeared.

"You and Harry passed out," Ron says, holding tightly to his rat, Scabbers, who is squirming in his hands. 

"Here, eat this, it helps," the man says, handing me a small piece of chocolate and splitting the rest of the bar between everyone else. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a little word with the driver." Lupin stands and moves to the door, pausing only to look back for a moment, "Eat, you'll feel better," before turning back and disappearing from view. I sigh, taking a bite of chocolate and turning back to Harry. "You okay?" he nods.

"You?" Harry asks me and I nod. "Did you... hear anything?" He asks, looking down at his feet. I look up at our friends surrounding us, and pull Harry to standing, nodding for us to talk in the hall.

"Did you hear something?" I ask, afraid he will hear the same things I did and hoping desperately I was wrong. He nods, looking at me through his eyelashes. I pull him back into a hug. "I did too, it's okay. It's just the dementors, horrible creatures."

"I heard screaming. Was it-" his voice breaks slightly, "Mum?" I take a deep breath and nod.

"Dementors, they feed on horrid memories. I heard her too, just before..." Harry nods looking down at his shoes. "It'll be okay, Haz," I say, putting on my best brave face. My eyes find the lighting scar on his forehead peeking out from underneath his hair; the one that matches the one on my left wrist. 

No one really knows why Harry and I both have curse scars from that night when Voldemort came after us. Best guess I have is that Harry was sitting in front of me when it happened, and my arm had been wrapped around him, covering his eyes or something similar. Although his pains him whereas mine never has. 

I say goodbye and leave Harry and his friends to go back to my own compartment, ready to get off the train, Freddie following in my wake. For the rest of the ride, Fred lets me lay on his shoulder and I try not to think about my mother's last words. 

Once we were off the train, McGonagall pulled Harry, Hermione and I into her office. Madam Pompfery checked to make sure Harry and I were okay and then talked to Hermione about her schedule before the three of us could head to the Great Hall. Hermione was upset we missed the sorting but I was secretly glad. I never liked the Sorting Hat's song and the ceremony drags on for what seems like hours. I take a seat amongst the other fifth years, sitting between Fred and Alicia, as Harry and Hermione move down to the third year table in the Gryffindor row. I whisper to my friends that they were just checking to make sure Harry and I were okay as Dumbledore stands up for his welcome speech.

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast...." Dumbledore clears his throat and continues, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business. They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds, and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises -- or even Invisibility Cloaks," he comments blatantly. I look ahead at Harry who is staring at Ron wide eyed.

"It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors." The twins scoff as Percy, who is sitting down with the seventh years, puffs out his chest very importantly. I can't help the anxiety settle in my stomach as Dumbledore speaks. 

"On a happier note," Dumbledore continues, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year. First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There is mostly scattered applause for the man who gave me the chocolate. I watch him as he stands and bows slightly in greeting. He looks weary and tired and ill, scars marring his face and peeking out from his clothes.  "As to our second appointment, well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs." At this a few laughs ripple through the student body. "However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

"That explains the biting book Ron and Harry had to get," I whisper to Fred and George, laughing.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," finishes Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!" At this, the goblets and plates in front of us are suddenly full of food and drinks. It is a delicious feast as it always was. Fred and George started brainstorming pranks ideas with Lee while Angelina, Alicia and I started talking about Quidditch. It's Oliver's last year at Hogwarts and we are certain he will be vying for the Cup this year; probably pushing us harder than ever before. After dessert, Dumbledore excuses everyone and students start scrambling to leave the hall.

"I have to escort the first years. Password is Fortuna Major. I'll see you later," I say to my friends, standing up from my place. I wave goodbye and find Kenneth to walk the first years to the common room. 

"Hey Potter!" I hear a familiar voice call from my left. I turn and see Elladora Lestrange leaning over the Slytherin table looking at me. Next to her standing Evan Rosier Jr, Theodore Nott and Lorenzo Berkshire; the rest of Riddle's friend group.

"What do you want, Lestrange? I'm busy."

"Is it true you fainted on the train? Were the big scary dementors too much for you?" She mocks and the boys laugh. I turn and throw her the middle finger over my shoulder, not bothering to come up with an insult. Their laughter follows me as I walk away. 

[sunshine-overload]

[BSTS] Valentine’s Day 2024 ‘Ask Yourself’ Event Story

all chapters!

Chapter 1

-rehearsal room-

saki: Hello everyone.

mizuki: Yo, we've been waitin' for you, Saki. Now everyone is here.

lico: And so? What did you call us here for?

mizuki: Because the next show is gonna be us, obviously!

lico: Really? But next is the Valentine's Day show, isn't it?

hinata: A team B solo show? Woohoo!

kongou: We performed for White Day last year, so this year we're doing Valentine's?

ran: Oo! I'm lookin' forward to what kinda song Heath comes up with.

saki: I'm sure your Valentine's show will be a blast.

mizuki: Of course. We're gonna go all out an—

lico: Stop right there.

mizuki: Huh?

lico: I'm not letting this show end up like how White Day did last year. Women hold Valentine's Day in high regard, it's a special event for them, so there'll be no violence.

mizuki: What's your problem?

ran: C’mon, how about we hear Lico out? His idea might be just as excitin'!

mizuki: Tch, pain in the ass. Fine, what do you wanna do?

lico: Keep it simple obviously. A traditional Valentine's Day.

mizuki: Huuh?

lico: We'll put on a show that makes our feelings clear to all the ladies in the audience. Valentine's is the day of love after all. Right, Kotori-chan? You want to receive my love too don't you?

saki: Y-your love?

mizuki: Christ Lico, everything you just said is gross as hell. Besides there's no way we're gonna do some sappy shit like that anyways.

lico: Tch...

heath: ...Why not?

mizuki: Huh? I ain't putting on some show that looks like K or P's.

heath: I promise it'll still be a B show at its core. I won't waver. So let's do it, a 'Traditional Valentine's Day' overflowing with B's flair.

mizuki: B's flair you say... Well that's fine then. Let's show em who's boss.

lico: Wait, actually?

mizuki: What, you're the one you suggested it.

lico: Yes but... No, nevermind.

ran: Sounds like its gonna be another fun B performance. Speakin' of, I have an idea of what to do for our special activity durin’ the event!

—end

-

Chapter 2

-rehearsal room-

ran: Since it's a special show we should have a special activity too! So how about the guests make chocolate with us? Kongou's on our team yeah? So food related things are B's forte!

lico: How come you actually just said a normal idea right now? But, we can't be making the guests cook, right?

kongou: Having them make chocolate with us would be difficult, but decorating would be possible. For example, we can prepare chocolate cupcakes and decorate them with the customers. How does that sound?

ran: Ooh, that sounds fun!

hinata: What kind of toppings will there be? Can I make some suggestions too?

kongou: Sure. We can brainstorm what would be good toppings to provide. If there's a larger variety I'm sure it'll be more fun.

hinata: Yay! Ok then umm, I'd like fruits, cream, cookies and marshmallows...

lico: We can't fit that many more extra tables in the restaurant. Well, whatever, how about we let the guests choose their toppings when they order? Then we can bring the stuff to their table and decorate the cupcakes there with them.

mizuki: What the fuck do we need to do all that for?

ran: What!? Ya don't think it sounds fun, Mizuki? What do ya think of my idea, Nee-chan?

saki: I think its great.

ran: Hell yeah, then it's decided! Ain't it fine, Mizuki?

mizuki: Fine...

lico: Huh? Seriously what's going on today? Everything is going so smoothly.

mizuki: Oh shut up, do you wanna do this shit or not?

lico: Well yes it's fine for now. Make sure you look forward to Valentine's, Kotori-chan.

-time pass, behind starless, day-

hinata (on phone): Hello? Hey listen to this! Valentine's Day is going to be a B solo performance! I wonder what it's going to be like~ I'm so hyped! Since I messed up last time I want to make sure I properly help out this time.

hinata (on phone): I can do it, I told you this already! I want to see my dream come true at this store. Ah crap, I forgot I need to call Iwa-san after this.

hinata (on phone): No he's been really mean to me~ Despite never even dropping by the store he keeps asking me to give him reports on what's going on... Yeah that's true, I know. I'll call you again soon then!

-hangs up-

hinata: Aah~! I really can't wait to see B's show~!

—end

-

Chapter 3 

-shopping centre-

hinata: I'm so excited to be here shopping with you all~!

lico: Sigh... Why'd we have to bring the whole family shopping.

kongou: Because I'd like to have a nice variety of toppings. You being here is a big help, Lico. We all went shopping like this for White Day last year too didn't we? And before that...

heath: We also went shopping for New Year's and Halloween.

kongou: Yeah. It's like it's become tradition for us to go out as a group for our seasonal performances.

mizuki: Oi, where's the meat section at?

ran: They're doin' taste tests of fried stuff over there!

lico: Hold up, what does meat have to do with anything? We're here to get toppings to put on top of cupcakes with our fans... Jeez, oh, these are cute.

kongou: How about we get them? Though, if they were a little smaller they would be easier to put on a cupcake.

lico: Hmm.

heath: I found something we can use so I'm putting it in the trolley.

kongou: Sure, thanks.

mizuki: Oi Kongou, you're just buying sweet shit, candy ain't gonna fill anyones stomach.

kongou: Well of course it's all sweet. There's going to be special Valentine's menu items.

mizuki: Tch, pain in the ass. Then you shoulda just come shopping on your own.

kongou: Well that may be true...

lico: You're the one who wanted to tag along in the first place, Mizuki. Instead of complaining how about you pick out some toppings too?

mizuki: Oh, they're doing taste tests over there!

-mizuki runs off-

hinata: What, meat!?

-hinata runs after him-

ran: Guess it can't be helped. I gotta go make sure Mizuki doesn't eat too much!

-ran runs after them-

lico: He says yet he just wants to eat the meat too... It always ends up like this, that lot really are just a bunch of damn kids.

heath: ...This outcome was predictable.

kongou: Oh well, let's pick out the toppings ourselves.

—end

-

Chapter 4

-street, day-

ran: Alrighty, all the additional shoppin' should be done now.

-phone rings-

ran: Hm?

ran (on phone): Heya, it's me. Yeah, I'm on my way back now.

ran (on phone): Ooh, so somethin' finally came up. Yeah, be there in a moment.

-alleyway, day-

underling: Good work out there.

ran: Man~ And here I was lookin' forward to participatin’ in the cupcake trial after finishin’ my errands.

underling: My bad, bro.

ran: I’m jokin' don't worry bout it. And so? What happened?

underling: Well...

-thug explains situation to ran-

ran: I see...

underling: Yeah. There's evidence of them being drowned, however any info about who they were working for has been scrubbed clean. 

ran: Hmm. That's not a good sign.

underling: Um, bro... Looking into this any further is dangerous. Please hear me out, I suggest you come back already.

ran: What? What happened for ya to say somethin' like that?

underling: Well, I received a message from the boss... He said that if you're going to keep doing whatever you want, then he'll have to remind you of your place. So let's give up on this already! We can't have you losing face before you become the head.

ran: Dummy. I can't back down now.

underling: But...!

ran: I started this. If I don't see it through to the end then I can't take responsibility for it. Even as things are now, I'm still able to properly assess the situation. Tell my old man that I know what I'm doin'.

—end

(tl note: if you’re confused about who drowned check the xmas story chapter 4)

-

Chapter 5

-street, day-

saki: (Hm? Is that Ran-san over there? I wonder if he's on his way to Starless.)

-saki walks over to him-

saki: Hello, Ran-san.

ran: The fuck ya want?

saki: Woah...

-ran realises who it is-

ran: Oh! My bad, it was just you Nee-chan! I was just a little on edge.

saki: .....

saki: Did something happen?

ran: It's nothin' ya need to worry about. Sorry for scaring ya. Oh right! As an apology let me invite ya to the Valentine's trial event! We're gonna be testin' out all sorts of toppings, sounds fun right?

saki: Sure, If I wouldn't be interfering.

ran: Of course ya wouldn't be, we'd love to hear your opinions too!

saki: Yes.

ran: I was actually just out doin' some extra shoppin'. I got some chocolate pens and chocolate sprinkles, stuff like that. See?

saki: Wow... You sure bought a lot.

ran: Uwah!

saki: W-what's the matter?

ran: Lico told me to buy some dried fruits! I forgot~ I gotta head back to the shops. Sorry, ya should come with me, Nee-chan! 

-ran grabs saki’s hand-

saki: Wah.

ran: Hm? What's up?

saki: Your hand is ice cold, Ran-san...

ran: ...Oh, you’re right.

saki: Are you ok? If you're not feeling well then...

ran: Ahaha, sorry that must've surprised ya. It's super cold today that's all! Your hand is nice and warm though. Could I keep holdin' it like this?

saki: I don't mind...

ran: Yay! Then let's get goin'! Once our Valentine’s show begins, let's make some chocolate together, ok?

—end

-

Chapter 6

-backstage-

saki: Good work on the show everyone, it was lots of fun.

ran: Ooh Nee-chan! Thanks for comin' to greet us~ We really put on a great show didn't we!

mizuki: Did you see that, Saki? B's the best ain't we?

lico: As always.

heath: But we really did put on an exciting show.

lico: I suppose. I feel like I was properly able to convey my feelings to our fans this year.

kongou: It was our opening show though, so it was a bit nerve wracking. It looks like a lot of guests ordered the cupcakes too, I'm glad.

ran: Well it was my idea after all, of course it's successful!

lico: Even though it was basically only Kongou and I that selected the toppings. What about you, Kotori-chan? Did you enjoy decorating your cupcake?

saki: Yes, I loved it. There were so many toppings to choose from, I'm already wondering how I'll decorate the next one.

lico: Right?

mizuki: Shut up, quit looking at her all mushy like that. Though, the cake didn't taste that bad I guess.

lico: You just let the guests do all the decorating, didn't you?

mizuki: Excuse me? I supervised.

kongou: Well, as long as the guests are pleased that's what's most important.

-hinata appears-

hinata: Good job everybody! Today's show was amazing, it was the best! B are the coolest ever!

mizuki: Of course.

hinata: Man, I wanted to tell you what I thought the moment you got off the stage~

saki: Did something happen?

hinata: Well y'see, there were just so many chocolate cupcake orders that I had to deal with, so I got here a little late.

kongou: I'm thankful.

ran: If it's that popular we'll surely get a bonus, right!

—end

-

Chapter 7

-behind starless, night-

heath (on phone): Hello. I'm done for today. Thank you again.

heath (on phone): This much is nothing, I'm fine.

heath (on phone): That has nothing to do with this. They're all songs that I've created up until now using my own words. And that will not change.

heath (on phone): Yeah, see you.

-heath hangs up-

-ginsei walks up-

ginsei: Good work today, Heath. Could I speak with you a moment? Or wait, are you heading home?

heath: What is it?

ginsei: The script for your show was great. You handle all the script preparations yourself, right?

heath: Yeah, I do.

ginsei: The vibe of each of your shows has changed multiple times. Like with 'Idaten' and 'No Longer Human' for example... 'No Longer Human' especially portrayed a more sensitive side... It had charm and was interesting to watch.

heath: ...Thanks.

ginsei: And so I wanted to ask, was that—

heath: Is that all? I'd like to go home now. See you.

ginsei: Ah, wait.

-heath leaves-

ginsei: What’s up with him...

-outside shrine, night-

heath: Me... And B's songs... No, not yet…

—end

(tl note: Heath’s dialogue is extremely vague here idk what he’s talking about either hdjsj)

-

Chapter 8 

-backstage-

saki: Congratulations on the closing show, everyone.

lico: Thanks for watching, Kotori-chan.

mizuki: Hey Saki, we put on another kickass show didn't we?

saki: Yes, it was amazing. Thank you for the wonderful Valentine's gift.

mizuki: Nice!

heath: I'm glad my feelings were conveyed.

saki: You too Kongou-san, good work.

kongou: Thanks. It was a bit hectic but I'm glad we got to the closing show without incident. It may have been due to how busy we were, but Hinata behaved himself too, unlike during the Christmas show. I'm glad to see he's reflected on his actions.

ran: Nee-chan! Did you enjoy our Valentine's gift?

saki: Yes, it was really fun.

ran: I'm glad. I still have so much further to go. If you think this is our limit then you're sorely mistaken.

saki: Hm?

ran: Ya think so too right? That Ran-chan's capable of way more.

saki: Y-yes. But your show tonight was already wonderful.

ran: Thanks! It's because of ya support that we were so fired up for the closin’ show. It's Valentine's, so I'm glad we could repay your kindness!

mizuki: Huh? Valentine's has got nothing to do with it. Whenever it is and whoever it is, once we've accepted it, B will pay it back in full.

ran: Hahah, true! No matter if its a debt or a grudge. Well anyways, Nee-chan! Make sure ya keep supportin’ us lots and lots!

—end

[simplykorra]

be my lover don’t play no game - chapter four

-------

“Is this your usual route with women you’re sleeping with? Take them to every restaurant chain in the city?”

With a shrug, Ava says something to the hostess (not a maitre-d, she looked it up) and they follow her to a table in the back.

If nothing else, it is slightly more personable than TGI Friday’s. The table they're sitting in is actually a bit enclosed - with vanity separates surrounding their spot (with dragons designed in them of course) and a fancy little chandelier hangs down over their table.

“Women, men, you know, whatever works.”

Beatrice picks up her menu, but keeps her focus on Ava. “Ah, so you cast a wide net then?”

Ava nods. “Absolutely, I feel like I hit the jackpot with sexuality. My cup runneth over - or whatever that saying is.”

“You’ve got the gist of it.”

“So what about you?” Ava asks, not even bothering with her menu. At this point Beatrice is convinced Ava just circles chain restaurants seven days a week.

It strikes her as almost humorous how casual the question is dropped - when at one time it would have shut her down for hours. “Lesbian, formerly severely repressed.”

“Ooh that’s a fun time, huh?”

“You’ve no idea.” Beatrice smiles, opening her menu. “I have a difficult time imagining you repressing anything.”

“You’re not wrong, I suppose.” Ava laughs, it’s so damned infectious. “I was more…explorative, I guess. I had a bit of a late start on the whole ‘sexuality’ thing, figuring out what I was into, so when I had the chance I really dove in head first. Not like…literally head first, well okay I did give head first, but like…nevermind” She picks up her water glass, holding it to her lips. “College Ava was…a lot.”

The urge to tell her that current Ava is still quite a bit to take in is there, but the way Ava sips on her drink and keeps one eye on her tells Beatrice she’s almost expecting that - so Beatrice decides to pivot. “Where did you study?”

CONT ON AO3

[jujumin-translates]

Event | 7th Anniversary: All Actors Aboard! | Chapter 3: VELUDO STATION MEMORY ✕ Tsuzuru Minagi

Kazunari: Did you guys decide on what you’re gonna write about for your “VELUDO” articles yet?

Tsuzuru: No, I haven’t yet.

Citron: I have not been able to make up my mind either.

Kazunari: Mood~.

Kazunari: There are like so many fun and emo things I wanna write about that I can’t even start to make up my mind…

Kazunari: It’s for realsies so hard and stressful~!

Tsuzuru: Just how many memories from Veludo Station do you have, Miyoshi-san?

Kazunari: Huh, like a lot…!

Tsuzuru: (Well, I guess I also have an assortment of memories too.)

Tsuzuru: (I use it on a daily basis, and when I go out with everyone.)

Tsuzuru: …

Tsuzuru: (…I feel like I was really nervous when I first got off at Veludo Station.)

Tsuzuru: (I gave up on theater once, but I couldn’t give up on it forever, so I went looking for a theater company that I could join on Veludo Way…)

Tsuzuru: (When I think about it, it really is amazing to be part of MANKAI Company like this now.)

Citron: Tsuzuru. Kazu is crying because you are ignoring him, Tsuzuru.

Tsuzuru: Eh?

Kazunari: You ignored me, Tsuzurun~ sniffle.

Tsuzuru: Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something and didn’t hear what you said, Miyoshi-san.

Kazunari: Uh, rude!? I was literally giving you some of my Veludo Station memories of you, Tsuzurun!

Tsuzuru: Veludo Station memories of me? Miyoshi-san, are you talking about…?

Citron: I remember that time very well too.

Citron: I never thought that I would see you in such a messed up state. It was very shocking…!

Tsuzuru: You know about it too, Citron-san?

Tsuzuru: (Wait. My messed up state? Could it be…)

*Flashback*

Shop Worker: Thank you very much!

Tsuzuru: (Alright, cake, presents, and bouquets. …I’ve got my hands full.)

Tsuzuru: (Suberu and Noboru should be surprised when they see this.)

Tsuzuru: (I know it’s kinda embarrassing, but since they’re coming all the way out here to see me on their birthday, I wanna make sure we celebrate.)

Tsuzuru: (And the time is… Yeah, if I head to the station now, I’ll be able to make it there with plenty of time to spare.)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Tsuzuru: (Great. Looks like they’re not here yet.)

Tsuzuru: (Their presents… I hope Suberu and Noboru are happy with them.)

Citron: Ooh, Tsuzuru is over there!

Kazunari: Heya! Tsuzurun ♪

Tsuzuru: Ah, Miyoshi-san and Citron-san.

Kazunari & Citron: …

Tsuzuru: (Hm? What are they…? Why’d they both freeze all of a sudden…?)

Kazunari: Tsuzurun, is that present for someone?

Tsuzuru: Yeah. I’m going to meet them now…

Citron: Perhaps the other person is someone important to you, Tsuzuru?

Tsuzuru: ? You could say that.

Kazunari: RonRon. The way he was so enthusiastic about it…

Citron: I understand it too.

Kazunari: It’s obviously a date!

Citron: He is meeting someone for a date!

Tsuzuru: Huh?

Kazunari: Wait, hold it, RonRon! If you look closely, doesn’t Tsuzurun have two presents!?

Citron: He really does! Does that mean there are two people!?

Tsuzuru: Well, yeah, there’s two of them, but.

Kazunari & Citron: KYAAH!!!

Citron: In other words, two-timing, fooling around…

Kazunari: For realsies? For realsies, Tsuzurun?

Tsuzuru: No, no, no, it’s not like that. The two of you are weirdly mistaken…

Kazunari: Well, which of them is your favorite!?

Citron: Which one is more important!?

Tsuzuru: Both of them are equally important, but!

Kazunari & Citron: KYAAAH!!!

Citron: Bad Tsuzuru! That is the wrong answer!

Kazunari: Being with both of them at the same time is never a good idea!

Tsuzuru: (This misunderstanding is just getting weirder and weirder…)

Tsuzuru: No, because Suberu and Noboru are both very important brothers to me…!

Tsuzuru: (Hm? Where did this crowd come from…)

Tsuzuru: (Is this not a misunderstanding and it’s actually just a street act?)

Kazunari & Citron: Wait, brothers!?

Kazunari: Thanks for watching!

Citron: Thank you!

Tsuzuru: T-Thank you.

*Applause*

Tsuzuru: Ugh… how long has this been a street act?

Kazunari: Hm~m, since like halfway through? We just noticed a lotta people gathering~!

Citron: You are the one that made it a hit, Tsuzuru! The cries from your heart were very passionate…!

Kazunari: Literally! I could really feel the brotherly love.

Tsuzuru: (What is wrong with those two… Anyway, what about Suberu and Noboru…?)

*Clapping*

Tsuzuru: (The clapping from over there! Did they really just see me say that with all my heart…)

*Flashback end*

Tsuzuru: …

Tsuzuru: (Afterwards, they were impressed by how powerful the performance was. I wish we could’ve celebrated their birthday properly, but…)

Tsuzuru: (I don’t know, I kinda had mixed feelings about it all.)

Kazunari: Nah~, at first we thought it really was a legit date~.

Citron: But then we saw your little brothers but then we caught an idea!

Tsuzuru: I think you mean “got an idea”...

Kazunari: Anyway, looks like you found something to write about for the “VELUDO” article!

Tsuzuru: Huh, I’m gonna write about that?

Citron: Of course. It is the best Veludo Station memory for you, Tsuzuru!

Tsuzuru: (Well, I was done with it then, but it was kinda fun, and just remembering it did make me smile…)

Tsuzuru: (Maybe it is a surprisingly good memory.)

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[malevolentmango]

meta thoughts on Loki's role in What You've Already Buried

Yes, this is a meta post about my own fic. idk how I got here but I do in fact have a lot of thoughts about Loki and how I chose to combine the p5r persona, the actual mythology of Loki, and Goro's character arc, so here we are.

If you haven't read the whole fic and you care about spoilers, make sure to leave this for after! Also, this got... really long and sort of all over the place. I tried to organize it all but alskdjfa oops?

So, to start, I'll go through the various stories I referenced in the fic. Obviously we're playing fast and loose with the mythology here in general, but stick with me.

Chapter 2

The dream in chapter 2 was the result of me mashing together two different, unrelated stories. The poem Hyndluljóð briefly references Loki eating a woman's roasted heart, and no matter how many times I told myself I didn't need to include that imagery anywhere in my fic, you can see that it ended up there anyway because it's sexy as hell. The rest of that scene, where Goro/Loki talks about his fate and how they will always end up here, is a reference to Loki's role in the death of the god Baldr, which results in Loki being bound and eventually starting Ragnarök when he breaks free. This is the first real hint in the story that Loki is behind all of this - particularly when he refers to Akira as "the bleeding god," which is an epithet for Baldr.

Fun fact about the dream sequences, actually: originally there were only two, the very vague one in chapter 1 and the binding in chapter 3. As I was editing chapter 2, I realized that I wanted to start building up to the eventual reveal of Loki's involvement much earlier than I had while writing (and in fact, when I first started writing this, I hadn't even decided who or what created the app - I just wanted to get the concept down, and it all kind of snowballed from there).

From there though, I picked up a bit of a theme, and a progression. The dreams were meant to parallel certain scenes we get in Goro's confidant route - things like him joking about taking Akira out at the arcade, and the game of billiards that's one big metaphor about Goro's subterfuge. They act as warnings, and in the case of the dreams, rather direct ones: Goro is literally eating Akira's heart. Goro is the one who wanted to kill him, and therefore Loki, as a part of his heart, is a danger to Akira. But Akira never takes them as warnings. What he sees are cries for help, a cycle that Goro can't break out of on his own.

The parallels between Goro and Loki are pretty blatant in this one. Talking about his lies, the people he's killed, how "I can be no other than what I am." That line is actually a reference to the song No More What Ifs, which plays in Jazz Jin: "I do not / regret with my choices I'm rather proud / ooh I know I won't change anything / because I can only be me."

Chapter 3

The dream in chapter 3 was, as Goro himself explains later, the binding of Loki from the poem Lokasenna. This one is actually pretty close to the original, with the major differences being that Loki was bound with the entrails of his own son and the "poison" is actually venom dripping from a snake. I think it's neat that Loki's reaction to the venom touching him is what's thought to create earthquakes, so I wanted to include that as well.

As mentioned above, this dream was actually the first one I wrote. The idea just sort of came to me while writing and I really wanted to include it. This is why it's a bit different from the others, in that it doesn't take place anywhere that would be familiar to Akira, but rather in the Void itself. And I think the result is that it's even more pointed than the previous dream. This is Loki himself showing Akira exactly what he's getting into - that Goro, and by extension himself, comes with a whole helluva lot of baggage. That if Akira goes through with this mission, he will forever be the Sigyn who loves Loki too much to let him be hurt, and must watch him hurt anyway.

But as we know, Akira is too stubborn to let that stop him. Akira believes wholeheartedly in saving people, but especially in saving Goro Akechi. That determination is really put on display in chapter 4.

Chapter 4

The dream in chapter 4 is different in that it's not based on an actual story, but rather on the etymology of the name Loki, which is thought to originate from a Germanic root word related to loops, knots, and hooks. I'm just gonna include the direct quote from Eldar Heide that inspired this because it's pretty great: "There is quite a bit of evidence that Loki in premodern society was thought to be the causer of knots/tangles/loops, or himself a knot/tangle/loop. Hence, it is natural that Loki is the inventor of the fishnet, which consists of loops and knots, and that the word loki is a term for makers of cobwebs: spiders and the like."

It's important to note at this point, I think, that all three of these dreams take place in the story after Akira and Goro have a conversation in the previous scene about who Goro is and what he wants. In chapter 2, Akira dreams of Goro eating his heart in the interrogation room directly after Akira tells Goro what he learned in the Velvet Room and Goro tries to convince Akira that he isn't worth saving.

In chapter 3, Akira dreams of the binding of Loki after Akira tells Goro that he's worthy of Robin Hood, and then teases him about how he found Black Mask Goro, and by extension Loki, attractive. This was partially just for fun (I was imagining it a bit as Loki going "you don't have a book about me yet? well check this shit out--"), but it's also another moment of Akira reaffirming that he wants Goro around.

So chapter 4, then, takes place the same night that Akira sends the thirst trap pic of himself to Goro, and Goro responds with a last ditch attempt at intimidation - trying to insist that even if Akira cares about him, he won't be able to handle the depth of Goro's feelings for him, because they're too much. He's too selfish, too possessive. Unfortunately for him, Akira is into that.

And this dream thus breaks the pattern. The previous ones were about things happening to Akira - he couldn't even speak in them. He was a bystander, a victim. In this one, he is literally bound, a treat all tied up for Goro/Loki to enjoy. The more Akira tries to escape, the more Goro/Loki breaks down, talking about how he can't let Akira go, that everyone leaves him. And when Akira does escape and goes directly to Goro/Loki instead of leaving, he delivers on the promise he didn't even realize he was making two chapters ago: that he will pull Goro out of the cycle and set him free too.

Chapter 5

The PTs genderbending and being chased through a forest came from the Gylfaginning book of the Prose Edda, which details how Loki turned into a mare in order to lure a builder's stallion away from his work and thus cheat him out of his payment from the Æsir. This encounter results in Loki later giving birth to the horse Sleipnir.

Utgard-Loki

From the same book comes the story of Utgard-Loki (technically written Útgarða-Loki, but I chose to leave it as "Utgard" the way the Persona series does). Utgard is a giant who agreed to shelter Loki and Thor for a night in exchange for performing a feat. The reason the Thieves have to do four feats is because there are actually two children with Loki and Thor in the story, but I didn't want to get into all that here. For similar reasons, their feats are a lot more straightforward than, for example, Loki competing in an eating contest against the personification of a wildfire.

Fenrir, Sköll, and Hati

Next, in the forest, we get Fenrir and his sons Sköll and Hati. The two younger wolves are said to chase the sun and moon across the sky until the onset of Ragnarök, at which point they would be caught and swallowed. In the fic, this has already happened, as their light is visible when the wolves howl - implying that Ragnarök has already started, and the Thieves are moving closer to the final battle.

The place they lead the Thieves to, Fenrir's island, is a direct reference to the island Lyngvi (meaning "a place overgrown with heather") where the Æsir bind Fenrir with Gleipnir, as described in Gylfaginning. They do so by tricking him and questioning his courage, saying that if he truly can't break free of this simple ribbon, then he must not be a danger to them after all. In reality, Odin feared Fenrir, who the prophecies said would be the death of Odin, and the gods considered all children of Loki to be too dangerous to be free.

This is where a lot of the threads start to come together with regards to how I chose to portray Loki in this fic: as a deviant, as a trickster, as a murderer, but also as someone who (like Goro) was a victim of his role in the larger story he's part of. Ragnarök can't happen without Loki - it doesn't matter how much he aids the gods, how much he's a part of their ranks. The moment he pulls the strings of Baldr's death, he's an outcast. He is the unwanted, the persecuted, all because it's foretold that he will be. He cannot escape the cycle. No one escapes Ragnarök.

In talking about this story with a friend, I described my portrayal of Loki as being more sympathetic than a lot of other ones I've read in this fandom. I think that really comes through in this scene, even though Loki isn't in it at all. Part of that is because it's from Akira's POV and he has a massive savior complex, but really I just liked the idea of twisting the lens through which we think about Loki as a character and how we connect him to the actual stories about him.

When I was reading about Loki for this fic, the idea I kept coming back to was that he just seems... tragic. That as much as he delights in causing suffering, it comes at the cost of a deep, personal pain. Imagine having everything you've worked for, everything you've done and created, taken away from you at the whims of someone more powerful than you. A player in a game you were born to lose. That's Loki, and it is also, of course, Goro Akechi.

Loki in the Mead Hall

This piece was, of course, inspired by Lokasenna, Loki's Flyting. The Thieves hear the gods reacting angrily to Loki's insults as they approach the building, but ultimately don't understand what all that vitriol means. This was partly because there was no way in hell I was writing an actual flyting, but also because I wanted to show off a bit of Loki's power over this space. It's his realm, after all.

(Fun fact: the descriptions of the mead hall and the forest from the previous scene were loosely based on the truly batshit amount of time I spent playing Valheim.)

This encounter with Loki was actually the first thing I wrote that took place in the Void - I think it was around the same time that I wrote the dream in chapter 3. I wanted to show that Loki is someone to be feared, someone who by his very nature is crafty and powerful and terrifying... and I also wanted to show why that doesn't make him evil by more directly stating his intentions. This is the scene where the Thieves actually get an answer to why Loki is helping them and Goro - because he cares about Goro.

Which sounds like a simple answer - of course the source of Goro's persona cares about him - but it's not. One of the things that trickster figures are known for is defying expectations. The expectation for a god living separate from humans in the Void would be that they don't have particularly strong feelings for them one way or another. We see this in the previous scene when the Thieves encounter Odin, who was once Akira's persona - he acknowledges that connection, but still plans to trick them.

From the moment Loki captured Goro and then gave Akira the Crow app, he was defying his place in the cycle. Loki cannot change his own fate, but he can change theirs - that's what a trickster does. Similarly, Akira also defies expectations when he tells Loki that he wants him to be himself - Loki, who is meant to be a shapeshifter, who is meant to bring destruction by his very nature, is being told that that's okay. After all, Akira loves Goro just the way he is. Why wouldn't he do the same for Loki?

Plus, I just really wanted to make Loki sexy as hell in this scene. I mean Look At Him.

Jörmungandr

His appearance is brief and not as important as others, but there two important bits to take away from this. One, that Akira continues to empathize with Loki and his children where the Thieves are still frightened (this is more just to keep on theme). And two, that Jörmungandr is free - he's not biting his own tail and encircling the world, another sign that Ragnarök has begun.

Fimbulwinter and Ragnarök

So obviously there's a lot going on here. I wasn't pulling directly from any story here, just the general themes: Fimbulwinter is the harsh and unforgiving winter that precedes Ragnarök and puts an end to all life on Earth. Ragnarök itself is then characterized by the great battle in which many of the Æsir die, after which the world burns and is then completely submerged underwater. Only then can the world rise again and the cycle can continue.

An interesting note: While the Thieves battle Ragnarök Loki, the form that Goro's shadow takes, they never actually enter the part of this realm that is Ragnarök. They remain in Fimbulwinter because that's where Goro was being held - because Loki had to keep him far enough in to be safe, but didn't want to put him in the place where Loki himself is doomed to repeat his own death over and over again. It's another example of Loki's strange brand of kindness.

I'm actually pretty happy with how Shadow Loki turned out. The idea that Goro had to face his own shadow was one I took from P4, which a friend was streaming for me and a few others at the time I was writing this. Of course, in P4 it's about accepting a part of yourself you don't want to acknowledge or come to terms with, and that's not really the case for Goro. I think he knows exactly who he is - he's told both Yusuke and Haru outright that he doesn't regret what he's done. For him, facing his shadow is about proving that isn't all that he is - that he is more than the smiling prince and the bloodied assassin and the unwanted child.

And of course, the reason his shadow takes the form of a sort of amalgamation of Loki and his own Black Mask outfit is because Loki is the source of all that. He's the one who gave Goro the power to kill, and Goro used that power without restraint. Goro stepped willingly into the same cycle of violence that Loki has always known, and in this scene, he's finally breaking free of it.

After the fight, we finally get Loki explaining to Goro in his own words why he's done all this. It's slightly different from what he told Akira in the mead hall - to Akira, he admits that he cares for Goro, whereas to Goro himself he says he wants Goro to live because "one of us should." Both answers are correct, but I think the second one is more true to how Loki sees himself and how he sees Goro. Loki is limited by his nature as a god to never change, to always be both an agent and victim of fate, but Goro isn't. And rather than attempt to change himself using the so-called "leeway" afforded to tricksters, Loki uses that power to give Goro the life he himself can never have.

And finally, we have the moment where Goro gives the treasure he took from his shadow to Loki. As Akira learns later in the epilogue, this is a hair pin that belonged to Goro's mother, which he would use to hold a blanket in place around his shoulders when he pretended to be a hero. That he would give such an item to Loki - something he lost years ago after his mother's death, something he will never see again in reality - and thank him for lending him the power to survive as long as he did is, I think, really telling of their connection to each other. In a way, it's almost a challenge, even a threat - Goro is telling Loki not to forget him and what they stood for, no matter how many times he repeats the cycle. He's taking his own stance on the idea that Loki can never change, and that stance is "Try harder then."

And maybe he can. Or maybe he can't. One of the things that I really wanted to explore in this fic is the idea of how a persona and its user overlap with the stories that persona comes from, and Loki and Goro are a great example of this. Two characters bound by fate, doomed to die by their respective narratives. Of course they found each other. And of course Goro would never be happy with the idea of a part of his soul being controlled by outside forces. Whether or not Loki can really change, though, is up to interpretation.

In Conclusion

idk I just think he's neat. Which one of them am I talking about? Yes. If you read all of that nonsense, you're my hero.

And just for fun...

I actually did write an entire move set for Ragnarök Loki, even though it was completely unnecessary. Figured I'd include it here for anyone wondering just how tough a fight that would be!

Ragnarök Loki (2 actions/turn)

Call of Chaos - Boost self's attack but drop defense for 3 turns. Laevateinn - Colossal Physical damage to 1 foe. Megidolaon - Severe Almighty damage to all foes. Concentrate - Multiply user’s next magical attack damage by 2.5. Sigyn’s Burden - Inflict Despair (high odds) to 1 foe. Hel’s Retribution - Decrease ATK/DEF/AGI for all foes for 3 turns. Jörmungandr’s Venom - Medium chance of instantly killing all foes. Fenrir’s Hunger - Heavy Nuclear damage to 1 foe. Medium chance to inflict Hunger. Fimbulwinter - Severe Ice damage to all foes. Ragnarök - Severe Fire damage to all foes and inflict Fear (high odds)

[aimlesspixel]

Chapter 3 of Isat Scintillation

I'm not super confident in my writing for Mirabelle in this chapter so please let me know if there are any aspects of her character I may have missed or should keep in mind. Thank You!

Isabeau - "I've got some shopping to do so I'll meet you all back here at sundown!" Odile - "I'm off to go get us some lodging."

Bonnie is already gone by the time you look back presumably off to explore the town maybe something else.

Mirabelle - "Well that just leaves us! Wanna explore the town together?"

Sure you had to go pretty quickly when you were saving Vauguard together so just exploring sounds quite nice. "It sounds like a fun time Mira." You say with a small smile.

The town is quite lively for just coming back from the end of the country, then again Vauguard is the country of change. Lots of people are moving about cleaning up any damage left behind by the sadness' and freezing. It makes it all the more surprising that the shops and such are open already Mirabelle's eyes lock on one in particular.

Mirabelle - "Oooh! Let's go in this one! I used to shop here all the time before the king came!"

You give a slight nod of agreement and Mira leads you inside. It's a bookstore and the door makes little ding ding on entry.

Mirabelle - "Ding ding hehehe." "Oh is that housemaiden Mirabelle back in my shop? It's been quite a while hasn't it?" Mirabelle - "It has ma'am." she says with a smile "Me and Siffrin will be looking around though I do have a quick question before we do." Shopkeep - "Would you happen to be looking for that final issue of the Cursing of Chateau Castle?" Mirabelle - "If you have a copy on hand I'd love to pick it up! Oh, but I actually wanted to ask if you have any empty familytales on hand." Shopkeep - "Of course but why are you looking for one if you don't mind an old lady prying. Don't you have one already or are you getting bonded?" Mirabelle - "Oh! I -I don't mind Ma'am. I-It's not for me. It's for one of my traveling partners Odile."

You all discussed a bunch of different things while traveling and decided to get Odile a familytale to keep since she doesn't have one yet and you're all family. You remember remarking at the the time that the idea was quite Novel, much to the bemusement and chagrin of your family present there.

Shopkeep - "Ooh alright dearie it's a shame it's not your time yet but it's best to take your time while you can. Change knows I did."

While the shopkeep gets the items Mira asked for you look around. Mira recommends some of her favorite horror stories when one book in particular catches your eye. A particularly dusty novel written in a language that can actually cause headaches.

[You have equipped Memory of Memories] It's been a minuet since you've remembered this but you could never let it go not after all it took to get it. You open the book, It's a collection of recipes from various parts of the world including your home.

Mirabelle - "Ooh what do you have there Siffrin?" She peers at the book curiously. Siffrin - "It's a recipe book! It has some that I'd like to ask Bonnie to make." You can feel some excitement in your chest, you may not be able to remember it but you can experience some of what you used to have right? It may be a little iffy if the universe will let you without any headaches or side effects but…

wait a minute.

You look back at Mira eyeing your novel curiously. "Is something wrong Siffrin?" Siffrin - "Are you not getting a headache right now Mira?" Mirabelle - "No, I don't know that language so I wouldn't try to read it in the first place though it looks like you're having no trouble so-"

WHAT HOLD ON WAIT HOLD ON A SECOND

Siffrin - "Wait wait wait wait wait. You're not getting a headache right now Mira? Positive? Absolutely???" Mirabelle - "Yes??? Why would I????"

No way No way No way what. How is this possible shouldn't-

Mirabelle grabs your shoulder lightly - "Sorry but, are you ok? You're shaking do you want to breathe with me?"

You didn't even notice in your hope and disbelief but you're shaking from excitement. You don't know how or why this is possible or what's even going on but you should calm down first. This is huge if it's what you think it is. You nod your head.

Mirabelle - "Okay with me In…"

She waits a few moments

Mirabelle - "And out…"

You repeat this until you are sufficiently calmed down.

Mirabelle - "Okay are you felling better now?" Siffrin - "Yes, thank you Mira." She smiles - "It's what we're here for. Wanna talk about it?"

Definitely you absolutely want to discuss this with everyone. "Absolutely though I'll save it for when we get back to the Inn alright?"

Mirabelle looks at you with some concern in her eyes but agrees.

You add the book to the purchases you're making and as the shopkeeper couldn't recall the price she was selling it at she let you take it as a gift to the Saviors of Vauguard.

[onejellyfishplease]

Out of curiosity, have you ever listened to "Control" by Halsey? Because now I can't unsee the SnapDonnie animations that pop into my head whenever I listen to that song. I already have a full animatic scripted and planned out. Whether I have the executive function to actually complete it, we'll have to wait and see

On a somewhat related note; I absolutely love it whenever comics use limited color palettes that change every chapter. Pinetreevillain does something similar in his RotTMNT comics, and it's always so fun to look at.

I might use that idea to make my currently non-existent animatic a bit more visually interesting...

ooh its been a while since ive listened to it (but im playing it again rn)

AND HOLY SHIT!??? THE LYRICS FIT SO WELL?? and the VIBES!??? this is literally perfect!!! (adding it to my snapdonnie playlist rn) (who is in control?? and all the kids cried out please stop youre scaring me, i cant help this awful energy!)

And Im glad you like my colour pallette idea! im gonna have a lot of fun with it! <3

And why do people keep threatening me with Animations!??? that would be amazing omg!!!

[epickiya722]

Hey, I hope you’re doing well. Ik we fic writers always complain about the lack of discussion surrounding our work so I thought I’d start asking questions to my peers.

Here we go:

I have a few questions about the Jin x Kenjaku fic you wrote:

1- How did you get the idea?

2- Did Jin’s characterisation cause you any problems since we don’t know much about him? How do you usually handle characters we don’t have much information about?

3- Can you detail your writing process a little bit for that one? Did you write it easily? Did it take a few days or more?

My last question is about writing in general. What do you like about writing Mirko?

Thank you in advance 💕

For anyone curious, this is the fic -> Blissfully Clueless

1 - Since I've been more "active" with JJK, I remember doing a reread and getting to chapter 143 and going "Oh, new fic idea" when I read the flashback scene. Wanted to try out an interpretation of how Jin's relationship with Kenjaku could have been like, you know? Simply was just writing it to be writing it! Honestly, I'm surprised I even wrote that fic because I didn't think would! Most of my fics are more comedic, but lately, I've been dipping into trying more styles.

2 - Ooh, so this plays into what I'll say later! It wasn't easy coming up with some kind of characterization for Jin, but at the same it was kind of easy. What made it difficult was that, yeah, we don't know much about Jin like that. Writing the fic, I questioned myself "how can I write this particular character without making feel too OOC, how to make a possible personality fit for this character"? Now what made it easy is that Jin doesn't have a lot to him in canon. Whenever I write characters who have little to nothing to them in canon, I think of them as empty or unfinished canvas. I have room to add colors to them, details that can bring them to life. Instead of a paintbrush, I'm using words. With characters like that, I'm able to let my imagination roam free because there are no limitations. If Jin had a lot more to him in canon, then it feel as if I have to take that and work with that. It's like "Well, he's like this in canon, so I can't mess up". I won't lie, sometimes I feel pressured to write a character aligned with canon personality because I feel like if I step just a little over the line, someone is going to get fussy about it. I mean, I understand that some people tend to write characters completely different just to bash that character in their fics or twist them in ways they see fit because they feel they have some authority over that character even though it's not theirs. But other times, there are those who do it as a creative choice, they're doing it to fit into an idea they have for a story. And it doesn't mean they really think of the character that way.

3 - That fic actually took a good twenty minutes or so! I needed a distraction that day and thus, that fic was born! Like a lot of my fics, I didn't plan that one. The idea came to me and I just wrote. As I wrote, that's when I question how I could possibly frame Jin's character. A challenge it was, but it was a fun one!

**

Oooh, to choose what I like writing when it comes to Miruko is giving her more depth. Okay, she has a personality in canon, but I just feel like she isn't just this "aggressive, angry rabbit woman" that some of the fandom sees her as. Now, unlike Jin, Miruko does have more backstory and screentime. In Vigilantes (BNHA Spin-off manga, it's great), she even has a whole flashback arc. So I have a little more to work with when it comes to her.

However, she is still just a minor character, so there is still not too much for her in canon. Even so, again, she's a canvas to me.

I actually have a lot of posts analyzing her character just from little information and her dialogue. I don't know how I do it, but I believe it comes from more how much I enjoy Miruko.

When writing her in fics, I don't want her to feel one-dimensional. Some of the fandom already do from canon which sucks. I'm about to sound salty, but it's just crazy to me that some fans will complain about aspects of female characters they find annoying and displeasing, but makes excuses for the male characters and admire them some those same aspects.

Some people will say the female characters barely got personality, but come on. Some of the male characters are bland as hell or has been done a thousand times before. It's not just the female characters, folks.

Anyways! I want readers to see that Miruko is capable of being sad, happy, tired... that she is capable of feeling, too. So I often think back to my posts about her and incorporate them in my fics. Or even vice versa. Sometimes, my fics inspire a post.

Sometimes, it can be a challenge, but not one I'll give up on because it's fun taking a line of dialogue and deciphering what it could mean for Miruko. I get enjoyment from looking at a scene and writing a post about it.

Gets the creativity flowing!

That's all I really can say for now. 💜

[theesteemedladydebourgh]

Hiya Ange! Just finished reading the latest TFTDC chapter and it was WONDERFUL. The end of the chapter (no spoilers) mentioned Lily humming and singing a few words and I got to thinking....in this AU set in the 21st century....

Do you have an idea of the characters' music tastes? What muggle music do you think people were smuggling in to play at the Quidditch parties in the 2000s? Do you have a particular song you believe Lily was humming at the end of chapter 8? I'm so curious!

(I know you have the playlist, but wasn't sure if you consider that in-universe music that aligns to their taste or if that's more for you)

hi hi! 🥰

Ooh this is such a great question. So the TFTDC playlist is definitely much more my music taste than theirs, I’d say, as it’s songs that get me in the right emotional headspace for whichever bit of the fic I’m writing.

Now, for their music tastes…

Lily: I imagine Lily is pretty classic when it comes to her music tastes, in that she likes the Beatles, and 50s/60s music (Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin etc) and collects old records. But she also enjoys a good modern pop banger (it is 2019 after all), and I think she’d be a big fan of Florence + the Machine and Lorde. Also, in her early teens she was obsessed with Shania Twain’s album Up! (entirely because I also love that album). At the end of TFTDC 8, I think she was humming Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) by Irma Thomas, both because I’ve been listening to it a lot recently, and because the lyrics are somewhat topical 👀

James: I honestly don’t picture James as a huge music guy? In terms of Muggle music, I think he mainly listened to what Sirius was listening to (lots of rock, both from the 70s and the early 2000s. Sirius would’ve been hugely into Paramore), and then a sporadic scattering of wizarding bands. Oh, I think he also somehow accidentally heard a Carly Rae Jepson song at some point, and she’s his guilty pleasure music, except he doesn’t know how a CD player/stereo/phone works, and thus can’t access it and would never tell Sirius because the mockery would be unending (mainly because Sirius is a bit of a prick, and a ‘music purist’ and doesn’t have the ears to appreciate CRJ 😂).

Spoilers but James and lily’s music taste actually does come up in a future chapter

At Hogwarts, I think it must’ve been mainly wizarding music (which I don’t have enough musical creativity to invent haha), but probably infiltrated every now and then by the most popular songs of the day, and ofc some early Beyoncé, because who doesn’t love Beyoncé. I honestly don’t know a ton about early 2000s UK music, so I can’t give specifics, but I also imagine that they didn’t particularly care what they were listening to, I think that it was mostly wizarding songs that inspired intense fervor.

this was so enjoyable, thank you so much for that fun question, Kelsey!

[dyrewrites]

Chapter fouuurrrr 😭😭😭 I love them so much!

But also what are your thoughts on how the afterlife meets a vampire's temporary death? Maybe they're used for reapers in training or Death simply gives them a bemused glance?

I personally think Life wouldn't like vampires at all. Like yes they stay in her realm forever but at the cost of other living things. Whereas Death, I think, would only be mildly annoyed by them at worst because paperwork.

<3 I'm so glad! It was one of my favorites to write. ^.^

The world they're in actually has a Source (power) of Life and Death, but they won't meet them in this book. They might in the series, should any of those Sources have warlocks or witches causing trouble Deluca needs to investigate.

But they don't technically die. As in, the soul stays, it is what puts the body back together. So they never make it to Death, and Life, well...they're not exactly alive anymore either. The first death cuts that connection and does funny things to the soul (things related to the Desire that actually makes the vampire).

I doubt either would particularly like them.

But Death, the one in this world anyway, finds vampires hilarious and would love to get to speak to just one of them once, would be fun to pick their brain, see how they like all the dying without the permanence ("and hey, how's it feel to rip a bit of your soul off every time you make a new one of you walking corpses. Ooh, or the connection to your body you keep, no matter how many pieces you're in, what's that like, does it itch?").

Life does not care for the work they give them and would appreciate it if they stopped ruining all the people, it is so difficult to make those, you have no idea. Death is not fond of giving those souls back. Do you even understand how finite those are, all the work we have to put in to get those recycled? Never mind your stupid souls that never let go, and you share them, locking others into their bodies and out of our grasp entirely. It is infuriating.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

More Like a Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Egg

1093 is a pretty action heavy chapter, so it leaves a lot less to ruminate on. The Kizaru fight is oodles of fun. The Dawn Stamp to all the illusions after getting them lined up is a classic, reminds me a little of Kuwabara vs. Byakko from YYH. And I love how much Luffy looks like a lil gremlin when he goes big. He'll always be just a lil guy to me. We'll also see a lot more of Egghead as we jump around and sadly nothing that bolsters the idea this was Toki's island. We even add a new Egghead-specific vegetation in some happy lil Diablo cacti. I think we've seen them already but you know...hard to remember every plant you see. And now I kinda want to take this break to talk foliage on various islands. Remember the spotted flowers would be the golden hint.

Still, I wouldn't toss that idea just yet. We only saw one bay on Toki's unnamed island. The placement still adds up, as does the timeline for Vegapunk getting started on his projects.

We did play with this area another way though, since Bonney incidentally gave us a detail about the timeline. And this is the big gun from this chapter. I've backed off of pointing out shared themes because it was getting repetitive, but this is a huge one. Type of thing where even non-obsessive weirdoes like me are catching on. We strongly imply Bonney's actual age is younger than first assumed. This is why you never horndog about people with skewed time. I do see people stumbling on this so keep in mind Bonney could be a "young girl" and like...14. This would all make sense.

That makes Bonney a humongous tie with Momonosuke as well as Kiku & Yamato who play with that theme in different ways. So tomorrow we're having a fun Tale of Two Hannya about that. Ooh, and while we're at it lovely Thriller Bark callback in Luffy thinking of Perona's ghosts with Kizaru's illusions. It's a long crescendo but the type of stuff we've been looking at all along is still escalating.

Sentomaru looking cool as hell here, and I'll say Vegapunk's reckless abandon rushing to save Bonney is reminding me of Usopp in the Raid. Good on him actually, he's seemed to be a little careless about allies all arc and knowing Bonney is actually a child makes a lot of sense out of how he treats her.

Last thing I'll say here is this. These have been some big chapters fleshing out Jewelry Bonney. We've been keeping an eye on her all Egghead because of her basic setup lending itself well to picking up Kiku's thread. Just remember...we took a lot of arc to get here. We've done the same so far with Stussy and Sentomaru and Vivi in the cutaway. Bonney being an actual child pushes her more towards ending up in a "family" structure as an ending. Happy end for Kuma, Vegapunk taking responsibility, something like that. If it were just her in all these side story spots I'd be over it, because I like Jewelry Bonney a lot actually...but when it's juggling multiple stories like this that play with established Wano themes, you can't ignore when someone who threads the needle on all of them was the one with the strange ending.