#revived ramshackle au

[vaporvipermedia]

Special Update!

New Years is on the way. So,I’ve been planning a few things!

I don’t know if y’all can tell, but I’m a very big project person. I love creating the concepts, drawings and rough drafts of my own projects. It fuels me with so much creativity and ideas it's not even funny. The only unfortunate part of this, is the fact that I never finish them.💀

They always get STUCK in the middle of something and there’s never an ending for them. I want to change that by doing some projects of mine I’ve been itching to get to. I’m only giving myself 3 for now.

TWST Character Resurrection:

A task where I revive my old TWST characters I abandoned by giving them new designs and backstories! Rekindling their relationships with one another while giving them a fresh new look at their personalities and how they became that way.

Also because there’s a lot of improvement that needs to be done with all of them.

The characters that are going to be resurrected are:

- Sullivan Laguna  - Kai Ramsey - Photios Diamandis - Malachi Fotea - Blaze

They can finally be free from the grave! Unfortunately, Raizel and Orval must stay inside the grave. May they rest in piece.

TWST Retro AU: 

A Twisted Wonderland alternate universe set in the 80’s where everyone can still use magic. Cable TV, the rise of different subcultures, rock bands, fun food courts and full of the bright youths of tomorrow trying to make a change in the world they live in. But, every dreamer has to have a start somewhere. And that all begins in High School. I’m still drafting some designs for the OG cast but this is definitely going to be the last project on my list of things I want to do this year. This is an AU I've been loving for quite sometime. So many clothing ideas and cliques/groups in here it's not even funny. Hopefully you guys will love it too.

The Melancholy Case of Kei Yoshihiko:

OK! This last project on the list, is the most biggest one by far. BUT! It will be so worth it. As you could probably tell from the header, I will be making something big for Kei. A birthday event that will have a few chapters and a possible new character to be added to the Ramshackle Dorm. The story will mostly focus on Kei feeling worthless, homeless and finally deciding to tell the truth about not actually being who he said he was, a detective.

I won't say too much as to not spoil what I'm trying to cook up. But as of right now, I have a very good feeling about this project. It may take a while and that's ok. <--- I'm coping.

Of course these projects will come out when they come out. I wouldn't dare give myself a schedule because I know for a fact that I would not make it. I need to pace myself and not force the creativity out. I'm really excited and passionate about this. EVEN IF IT TAKES SOME TIME THESE WILL BE FINISHED! That's all! ＼(￣▽￣)／

[crow-stars]

au thoughts coming through, choo choo!

In the land of Twisted Wonderland, there are seven kingdoms.

The Kingdom of Roses, known for their extensive system of law and many rules. Their ruler acts as the judge, knowing of all the laws as they were the one to create them. Punishments are severe and some many call their ruler a tyrant, though only in secret.

The Kingdom of The Sun, known for their strong warriors and victories in battle. The knights from this kingdom are of the best and to beat one in battle is the highest honor. Many claim that the denizens of this kingdom are brash, with their ruler lazy and uncaring of their kingdom.

The Kingdom of Golden Coral, known for their merchants and trade dealings. A wealthy kingdom that is lavish in all areas and to have trade with this kingdom means wealth for the recipient. But it is highly advised to honor any deals made in this kingdom, no less the ruler, lest you be taken into debt and made a servant for as long as they desire.

The Kingdom of Burning Sand, known for their scholars and innovative thinking. The land used to be a barren place with no possibility of life, but ancestors were able to form this wasteland into a paradise. Many do question the ruler, finding them too lenient and naive, their advisor cruel and scheming.

The Kingdom of Crystals, known for the beauty the land holds and the potion makers that have a concotion for anything. Anything is made possible if you commission these potion maker's services. Rumour has it that the ruler is a cruel one, though, vain and obsessed with their beauty.

The Kingdom of Dead Fire, known for their inventions that make life easier for inhabitants. It is even said that this kingdom has the means to revive the dead, although not yet proven by the recluse of a ruler. The land is dangerous, though, rumours of monsters that can steal your soul freely roaming this land.

The Kingdom of Thorns, known for their prowess in the art of magic, denizens disiplined and loyalty strictly to their ruler. Their history is lush, architecture a marvel to experience on person. People are afraid of visiting this kingdom, afraid of the ruler who is said to be powerful enough to lay a whole kingdom to sleep.

In the midst of all these kingdoms is a, considerably, small village, having no real name.

So, people call it The Ramshackle Village, due to its desolate seeming enviorment. It has no truly notable features, only the ghosts that live alongside the villagers the only thing that seems worthy of talking about.

Recently, there have been rumours about some type of priest or priestess managing the village, fixing up the village and trying to make the village more prosperous. They say that this priest/priestess is some “beast tamer”, able to call upon the monsters and beasts that roam the land, have them at their beck and call. The most known one is a large feline beast, claimed to have blue fire emitting from its body, majestic in all ways but gluttonous in nature.

This priest/priestess is rumoured to have many abilities in addition to their title as beast tamer. But the one rumour that has swept through the whole of the land was their ability to cure a disease know as blot, sapping the victim of their life and leaving them for dead. Many had dismissed this, assuming this to just be tall tales. There are some who wonder how true this rumour is though...

Perhaps some kingdoms would like to employ the priest/priestess' services.

i got inspired by ghost and pals' aura. it's a banger, go listen. really considering doing more au stuff. back to christmas shit uuuugh

[rosietrace]

𝆺𝅥𝅯 Melodic Misconceptions 𝄡

Synopsis: Victoria Shard was a former member of the popular idol group [ Poisoner ] from NRC corporations. After discourse with her group leader, Victoria decided it was best for her to leave and pursue her solo career in a record label run by her parents.

It had been half a year since her separation from her old group, and Victoria had never been more successful. But now she has a new problem. She must return to NRC corporations in order to mentor the seven idol groups.

Ellis Clawthorne is a member of [ (Co)-connect ] the most recent group under NRC'S belt. With no experience as an idol, Ellis must persevere in order to succeed and pursue her dreams.

Will both girls be able to adapt to their current situations?

Main tags: twst oc, twisted wonderland oc, twst au, idol au, social media au

{ If you wish for your oc to be included, please tell me ^^ }

Disclaimer: The original idea for this AU is credited to @starry-night-rose , I was not the one who came up with the idea

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

Idol Groups: NRC Corp.

{ Hearts & Roses } , Heartslabyul division ❣️

{ King's Roar } , Savanaclaw division ♌

{ Ocean M4fia } , Octavinelle division 🐚

{ Serpentime } , Scarabia division ⌛

{ Poisoner } , Pomefiore division 👑

{ Tartarus } , Ignihyde division 💀

{ (!)nsomniac } , Diasomnia division 🐉

{ (Co)-connect } , Ramshackle division 🎤

✨Group Aesthetics (excluding (Co)-connect)✨

Character group positions

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

[ OC Idol profiles ]

Sumeragi Yuuta, Aijin [ (Co)-connect ] 👑

Victoria Shard, Shōri [ Soloist ] 💎

Zenith Devi, (?)carus [ Producer ] 💚

Freyah De La Rose, Valentina [ H & R ] 🌹

Nyx Leech, Nyxie [ Soloist ] 🌊

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

Album Debut: Visionary Melody

[ 𝄋 More will be added in the future ]

Track 01: Introductions [ (Co)-connect ]

[ 01 Second Edition: Idol Miscellany ]

Track 02: Decisions

Track 03: Mentor buddies but not really

Track 04: Corporate Slaves

Track 05: Seven divisions, one wildcard

Track 06: Ellis🩰

Comeback Album: Queen of nothing

Track 07: NXDE

Track 08: Yuuta accidentally unalives Mayuu also idol x actor???

Track 09: Y/N, Aguri Harper

Track 10: Unwanted Words

Track 11: Comfort from others

Track 12: Business & production

Track 13: Young and beautiful 1/?

Track 14: Young and beautiful 2/?

Track 15: Young and beautiful 3/?

Track 16: Young and beautiful 4/4

Track 17: They only want you when you're seventeen

Track 18: Filler 101 for empty brains /j

Track 19: Filler yet again but there's Yuren so 👁️👁️

Track 20: Is it a date or...?

Track 21: They only want you when you're seventeen 2/2

Track 22: Koral Larrane, introduction

Track 23: Filler reporting for duty! Ew the new managers are here 🤢

Track 24: Unwanted interactions

Track 25: Management, crushes, and a tidbit of Yu(u)ren

Track 26: Omg a cliffhanger?!?

Second comeback: Musicals and chaotic MVs galore!

Track 27: Haha.... Surprise bitches(affectionate)

Track 28: HOLY SHIT NXDE REVIVAL PROMOS

Track 29: Impossible potential

──ㅇ─────↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺───ㅇ────

[twistedwonderlandsimps]

[That One KHR AU Where Tsuna Kept Dying but Only Those Close To Him Remember His Deaths but It’s Yuu]

I'm just here to mix-and-match different kinds of Yuus with different kinds of personalities to see what monstrosity I can make. That being said,,, whatever this AU is!

Ooooo boy.

If you haven’t read this fic that I’m talking about then be prepared cause I’m linking it here for you to read. It sum good fic. Great and magnifique. Hasn’t been updated since 2019 but it still a masterpiece.

For convenience’s sake, I’ll just refer to this Yuu as Relive!Yuu.

I’m not a creative namer. It might change in the future, it might not, who knows?

So, as the title says, only those who hold affection towards Yuu can remember their deaths. Others just seem to forget they died.

Sure, Yuu’s practically immortal with all the deaths and being revived again thing they do but you have to realize the trauma their deaths give them and their loved ones.

Their life just ain’t it, man.

I would think either Grim or Crowley would be the first to remember Yuu’s death.

Now that I think about it, I’m leaning more towards Grim since I think he’s the one who’s starved for affection and needs friends.

Crowley seems like a deadbeat dad who said he was going out to get some milk but ultimately never came back.

But I mean, this is an AU and the Crowfather trope seems very, very interesting by the minute.

Hmmm….

Anyway, monster cat raccoons need love too, ya know.

We don’t even know of his background, if he has a family or not, but being a monster, although sentient, he doesn’t seem to be seen or respected.

So, just imagine Yuu’s in Ramshackle, Crowley went away to get supper, Grim arrives to get away from the rain.

The ghosts haven’t let the chandelier fall cause, y’know,,, reasons to make this AU work.

Anyway, Yuu lets Grim stay, maybe cover them in their robes or something from the entrance ceremony because the poor thing’s all soaked.

Grim gains this teeny-tiny (cough a lot cough) bit of affection for Yuu cause no one’s been this nice to them before.

People usually just chase him away cause he’s not human.

Makes Yuu their henchhuman.

Yuu just lets them do what they do, the two not noticing the chandelier above them.

The ghosts have misjudged the chandelier’s trajectory and now Yuu got crushed by it.

Grim stares at the human who died in front of him, in shock.

#Just acquired a friend who doesn’t treat me bad and they’re already dead.

The ghosts? Probably remembers it too and has an “oh shit” moment.

Mostly because I think they’re quick to warm up to people, especially to Yuu since they’re going be living in Ramshackle and the ghost are starved for company.

So, yeah, human dead, everyone shocked.

Just then, Crowley arrives with supper.

Everyone looks at him and Crowley’s confused why the ghosts and the monster that cause the fiasco at the entrance ceremony earlier was looking at him with a strange look on their face.

Of course he’s a master ignorer and he expertly ignores the stares like he ignores his responsibilities and he addresses at Yuu that he brought food and asked to know what was happening.

Grim snapped at him and told him that if he was going to joke around then he better stop it or else he’s going to burn them.

But of course, he’s tearing up and all.

He then turns his attention to the ghosts, looking ready to square up when he feels warm, soft hands running through his back.

He looks up to see Yuu, alive, but bloody.

Although there weren’t any injuries on them, the blood on their clothes was proof enough that they weren’t imagining what happened earlier.

Crowley, though, does seem to momentarily notice Yuu’s bloody clothing but it seems as if something’s trying to prevent him from doing so.

“I’m sorry you had to see that. I’ll explain everything later.”

Yuu tells Crowley that there was just a minor prank the ghosts did and the chandelier fell down.

Crowley nods in understanding while Grim wants to yell at him because can’t he see the blood on the ground and on Yuu’s clothes? It’s Yuu’s blood! Why was he acting as if there’s nothing wrong?!

Crowley still makes Yuu a beast tamer or something cause he never seen someone tame a beast, Grim, that fast before.

So anyway, fast forward, Crowley leaves and the ghosts appear.

Of course Grim is still mad at them, hissing and all, but Yuu stops him.

Yuu tells them their condition and says that they aren’t mad at the ghosts.

Besides, it’s no use telling this to people who don’t care about them and won’t even remember that they died. Trust them, they’ve tried.

Grim’s confused by what this means.

Yuu died too many times back in their own world, even at the smallest things, so it’s fine. This was just an honest mistake.

The ghosts of course say that it’s not fine.

Dying like that and not having any mental and emotional trauma? Unreal.

Yuu might think they’re immune to it but as dead people, as ghosts, they know very well that people truly don’t just brush such a huge thing off.

They don’t push anymore when Yuu waves it off again so they just go and help make Yuu and Grim feel at home and make sure no accidents occur anymore.

The ghosts are planning on accident-proofing and death-proofing the whole dorm.

Grim’s still wary of the ghosts and said ghosts are much more careful now.

The atmosphere is somber and tense all through the night.

If Grim refuses to leave Yuu that night and begins crying in his sleep, well, no one’s there to judge him…

Yuu just pulls Grim closer to their chest.

Tomorrow comes…

Yuu and others go to where the statues are to clean it, as you do.

Meets Ace and gets exposition on the statues, as usual.

Everything was going well but of course nothing ever goes peacefully for so long.

Ace starts mocking the both Yuu and Grim.

Grim gets mad, they fight.

And guess what Ace does when Grim sends fire hurtling towards him?

He redirects it.

A smart move to do, yes, but if only he hadn’t redirected it towards Yuu’s direction.

So, trauma 2x for Grim.

Grim sees Yuu dying a second time and he can do nothing to stop it.

Kinda sucky to see your newfound friend die by falling chandelier just the day before and then see them burn alive the next day.

No one’s having a great time.

Yuu lives again but their clothes are all burnt heavily.

Crowley arrives and gives them all detention.

He notices Grim’s subdued mood as he clings to the prefect but waves it off because he’s a professional at that.

Cat monster glaring daggers at Ace who doesn’t seem to have seen or react to Yuu dying.

He blames him for Yuu’s death but he also knows he’s partially at fault.

After all, it was his fire that hurt Yuu.

Realizes what Yuu meant yesterday.

People who don’t care about Yuu would just act as if Yuu was alive and not burning to their death in front of them.

He buries themselves deeper in their arms.

How many times have this happened to Yuu before? To watch the people around them just… not see them get hurt?

How many times have they tried to explain it to others, only to be brushed off?

Crowley also notices Yuu’s burnt clothes and assumes that their poor clothes were just caught in the crossfire of the fight so he uses magic or something to fix it.

Ace stalks off, grumpy and not planning to help with cleaning the windows.

So timeskip cause the things happen as usual in the story.

Chandelier falling event 2.0

But at least this time Grim’s spatially aware and alert and he pushes Yuu out the way just in time.

“Stop standing below chandeliers, idiot henchuman!”

Really, stop. They have a death wish or sumthin’?

So with the threat of being expelled because the magic stone on the chandelier broke, the group heads over to the Dwarf’s Mine.

Guess who dies again?? Your choices are Yuu, Yuu, and Yuu.

Yeah, it’s sad.

What’s even sadder is that Deuce and Ace remembered Yuu’s death this time round.

Yikes.

Yuu saved them by pushing them away from the Dwarf Mine’s monster’s range of attack.

Now the guilt of being the cause of Yuu’s death is with them.

Yeah, safe to say no one was happy with the events.

They somehow defeat the overblot, get the magic stones, and go back to school at Yuu’s gentle urging.

As if they hadn’t died just now.

Crowley may be blind to his responsibilities and duties but he isn’t blind to the group’s gloomy and pale disposition when they come back.

And Deuce, and Ace keep shooting glances at Yuu’s direction.

Grim’s burying himself against Yuu’s neck, silent.

Ace and Deuce tried to tell Crowley what happened to Yuu but, just as Yuu and Grim had said earlier, he didn’t seem to be able to hear them as if something was preventing him from listening.

Crowley finds the atmosphere weird but he makes Yuu into the dorm leader of Ramshackle and makes both Grim and Yuu official students.

This makes Grim’s ears flicker when he hears it and he perks up, turning to look at Yuu.

“You’ll see, Yuu! I’ll—I’ll become the greatest magician of all! So strong that no one can ever hurt us! I’ll protect you cause you’re a weak human, so, so… you have to keep living on…!”

At least, even just for this moment, everything’s fine…

[avionvadion]

I finally got around to coloring the Overblot picture. XD It’s about darn time, lol. I also fixed up the girls’ character sheet... thingy. 

Previous Posts Summary: Mae and Iliana if they Overblot. Crowley performed the curse, so it’s his magic that blotted, so it only makes sense that the monster would resemble him, right? The girls end up vomiting ink every now and then to try and expel the blot from their bodies, seeing as they have no way to actually get rid of it as they’re magicless. With each death, they vomit more ink. Iliana suffers the most from this as she dies more frequently. 

Credit to @twsty-lav for having come up with the re zero au and the idea that Overblot MC would be “caged” in a sense. (I think they wrote it as an hourglass? But I’m using lanterns instead) The way I’m drawing and writing it isn’t exactly the same as their version, but it was heavily inspired by theirs.

Fingers, eyelids, and nails are all shades of blue/purple to symbolize Mae and Iliana having died in their original world, and while they can be painted over they can not be removed. The white lilies/discoloration on their skin represent what illnesses/scars they had in their previous life that was healed/fixed when pulled through the mirror when they got revived, as lilies show that the souls of the departed have received restored “innocence” after death.  

They’re literally souls given physical form in Twisted Wonderland. So while their bodies ARE warm, like normal humans, their hands are cold to the touch. They can also touch the ghosts normally without them making themselves solid.  Mae can sew, so she basically just took the boys uniforms, took over the art room and sewing machine, and made them uniforms. Their Ramshackle dorm band is obsidian and pearl. Mae is class 1-B with Jack/Epel and Iliana is 1-A with Adeuce. I imagine it’s only after the Overblot that the “Return By Death” curse is broken and the girls are actually HUMAN human again. Because... disney and friendship magic. Yayyyyyy. 

[britishassistant]

The Villainous Paranoiac Goes To Jail and Ninja Afterlife

Two innocent children get sent to Night Raven College

A set of scenarios about three of my ocs unwittingly trading places for two days, non-canon to any of my AUs

Swap 1:

Yuu—> Konohagakure

Yuu wakes up with a tantō to the throat.

Chie: Tell me where my daughter is and I’ll make your death quick

Yuu promptly freaks the fuck out

Through a combination of panicked yelling and tears the Prefect manages to convey to the Ketsugi that if there was a kidnapping, Yuu is both uninvolved and as much as of a victim as their precious daughter

Gai confirms that the strange teenager not only has no chakra, but clearly has little to no combat training despite his(?) athleticism, meaning Mayu-chan could easily overpower an assailant of this size, especially one this undernourished!

Yuu tries not to be offended and to avoid staring at Gai and Lee’s eyebrows they’re so big

Promptly shrieks when Kami!Sanji materializes to confirm that the Paranoiac had nothing to do with Mayu’s disappearance as far as the other gods can tell

Yuu becomes convinced that this place is the afterlife

The sad part is that Chie and Jirou can’t actually say much to the contrary, because??? Their daughter remembers dying before she came here?? Also there are active deities just floating around so.

Actually tears up at the homemade meals the Ketsugi provide

Before being sick as a dog later because food infused with chakra? Does not agree with a person without a chakra regulatory system

Surprisingly patient with Lee and any questions he has the purity of Jack and Deuce is strong in this one

Bit more long-suffering towards Naruto and his rendition of Wonderwall. Sunshine child too bright, introvert Yuu can’t handle it

Keeps writing down everything everyone says

This makes ANBU and ROOT very twitchy

The Paranoiac is quietly slated for “interview” at T&I the next day

Yuu crashes on the Ketsugi couch none the wiser

Mayu—> Nanba

Mayu wakes up to confused screaming and profanity.

It’s Hani.

It’s very rare for screaming not to be because of Hani

All he knows is one child was in this bed last night, and now’s there’s a different one dressed like it came straight out of Ninja Kamikaze???

Mayu for her part is both very alarmed to be waking up in a prison cell with two strange men and very glad she has her bokken with her

Kiji comes in to find his beautiful inmates being menaced by a twelve year old with a wooden sword

The twelve year old is winning

Once Mayu has ascertained that they aren’t enemy ninja and she’s somehow in her old world (?) she becomes much more cooperative with the guards

She’s very worried about how she’s going to get back to her family in Konoha

Also wondering if she should try to contact her former little brother Harp (who knows if she’ll ever get the chance again?)

These worries are not assuaged when the Warden informs her that there’s no records proving “Tamara Kaur” ever existed

For lack of any relations who they can contact to take the child off their hands, and because they have no idea how she successfully infiltrated the most secure prison in the world and replaced one of the inmates, the Warden decides to keep Mayu in Nanba’s holding cells until further notice

Guess who finds the samurai child while breaking out?

Nico, Uno, and Rock are amazed at the existence of a real live Japanese Samurai! With a katana and everything!!

Jyugo just asks straight out if Mayu’s an actor too

Mayu is very bemused by everything, but they seem friendly! The one with the mohawk likes food too!

Plus the blonde one is British! Just like she used to be!

Uno is very confused about how a twelve year old somehow lost her citizenship

Break Mayu out to get food together

They get caught the moment they set foot in the cafeteria and scolded very harshly

Mayu has trouble sleeping in a cell cot that night

Nana—> Night Raven College

Nana’s first instinct on waking up in a strange bed next to a monster is to assume he’s been kidnapped and attempt to subdue his captors

Which means Grim wakes up to an attempted smothering

The ghosts hear muffled screaming and rush in only to get salt and iron filings to the face. Nana actually has them all on the run when Crowley bursts in

Instantly becomes a confused and lost child in front of the headmaster and dorm heads

Only Grim and the ghosts know the truth, and their complaints are overlooked due to them “scaring the poor boy”

No one has any idea what to do with a thirteen year old magicless kid. It was hard enough with Yuu, and the Prefect was at least sixteen and could attend classes!

Nana adapts quickly to the idea of being in this new world— he’s just sad he couldn’t say goodbye to Kiji, Hani-senpai and Trois-senpai before leaving Nanba

Immediately resolves to leave NRC at the earliest possible convenience when he gets a good look at the Theory Wall— he can’t even read Japanese but that amount of crazy that it signifies always spells trouble

Is confused by all the pictures of Disney villains on the Theory Wall, but decides it’s not worth the trouble to ask about

Actually uses the beauty products Vil left for Yuu correctly

Gets semi-adopted into Pomefiore after asking Vil where the high quality products came from

Grim and the ghosts aren’t sorry to see the little brat go

Vil carts him around to test his potential in the performance arts

Epel tries to be a good senpai for the kid, and tells him he doesn’t have to just go along with Vil

Nana appreciates the effort, but does find this kind of thing more fun than being on his own he’s homesick for his cell

Rook enjoys seeing the child freeze up minutely whenever he asks about the prison attire and the large “7” tattoo on the back of the boy’s head

Nana likes Rook less and less with every pointed question the vice dorm leader makes

Can’t sleep in the big cushy Pomefiore bed and so curls up on the floor with a pillow instead

Swap 2:

Yuu—> Nanba

What why is Yuu in jail now

The prefect was supposed to be back home/in Ramshackle Dorm, why is Yuu in jail now—

Yuu is stressed and overdue for Grim snuggles

Paranoiac is also not thrilled about being stuck in Building Three— it’s like Pomefiore on steroids

At least Epel and Vil don’t steal and obsess over the underwear of their “fans”

Rook...the jury’s still out. But probably not. Probably

Maybe

Hopefully

Much less cooperative than Mayu.

Questions about the Prefect’s family name are met with a stony glare. “It’s Yuu. Just Yuu. How many times do I have to repeat myself?”

Can’t answer any questions about Mayu or her current whereabouts despite admitting to knowing of the girl, but does posit a theory about the three of them transmigrating and swapping places based on the information gained in Konoha

Gets offended and even less cooperative when the interrogating guard calls the hypothesis “crazy”

Not intimidated by Hajime or the other guards in the slightest. Yuu’s classmates are far more likely to inflict lasting bodily harm and it’s hard for even the worst human glare to measure up to Floyd or Leona on a bad day

The Warden scares the Prefect though

Doesn’t stop Yuu from requesting a lawyer or other legal counsel before submitting to further questioning

The Paranoiac is a Japanese citizen and has made a point to know what the applicable legal rights for this situation are

Yuu ends up in the holding cells

Guess who hasn’t learned their lesson while breaking out?

Uno takes one look at Yuu

“Ah Jyugo, this one has your energy”

Nico loudly asks if the Prefect is from an isekai and died and reincarnated in Nanba??! Do they die over and over again and revive to beat bad guys?? Do they have an amazing cheat skill?? Are they a spider?? Can they shoot a beam??

Yuu just thinks. Ah. So this is what would happen if Kalim and Idia somehow had a kid

Don’t break the Prefect out, but Jyugo comes back later and deposits something through the bars

“This is Kuu. He’s a guard, but he’s also really good when you’re lonely. You look like you could use the company”

Yuu blinks and holds out a hand for the black cat with a guard cap to sniff

Crashing in a cell cot is uncomfortable, but hey, at least there’s a cat to pet

Mayu—> Night Raven College

Why is there a tanuki in her bed?

Grim isn’t waking up by being murdered but being poked with a stick by another smol child isn’t much better

Mayu is Concerned by the Theory Wall

“Is— is the person who lives here okay?”

Grim: Hell if I know

Mayu’s even more Concerned when she opens the fridge and sees it’s bare

>:|

Sanji wouldn’t let these people go hungry, so she’s not going to either!

Searches until she finds the Prefect’s grocery money and marches with Grim to Mr. S’s Mystery Shop

Everyone is confused by the presence of a new preteen on campus after the last one vanished from Pomefiore during the night

Mayu’s used to haggling with market people who would rather see her starve than even sell her the worst of their produce, so she’s easily able to barter Sam down to a third of the price for the groceries she wants to buy

Sam’s more amused by the guts of this tiny samurai devil than anything

Mayu and Grim drag all the food back by themselves with a few students following from a distance out of curiosity

They all soon enter Ramshackle once the smells of cooking begin to emerge from the dorm

Silver first followed because the child has a sword and is now helping to knead dough

Epel arrived because he had questions about where Nana had gone, but Mayu is genuinely clueless so now he’s peeling apples for lack of anything better to do

Mayu soon has several “helpers” for making bread and other easy-to-preserve and mix-and-match bulk meals to fill the Ramshackle fridge, though she soon has to send Grim out for more ingredients when her helpers begin getting hungry

The night ends with a feast that can rival the quality of food served at Kalim’s parties

Mayu finds one of Yuu’s blank notebooks and writes down some easy recipes the Prefect can use for all the food now in the fridge and pantry, with emphasis on fish based dishes

The ghosts and Grim enjoy having Mayu much more than Nana

Mayu still has trouble sleeping in the big Ramshackle bed that night

Nana—> Konohagakure

Well this isn’t Nanba or Night Raven College

Welp. Time to go then.

Nana is halfway out of Konoha before anyone notices

Gai does notice because a strange kid in a prison jumpsuit swiftly scurrying to the exit sticks out like a sore thumb in the early morning

ANBU’s search for the vanished Yuu is the only reason Nana isn’t stopped by them

Nana tries to run

Nothing can outrun the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha

Nana is now more than slightly traumatized

Gets carted off to early morning training with Naruto and Lee

Is initially more interested in plotting yet another escape attempt until Lee mentions Yuu and NRC—then he’s curious about what information he can glean about the two other members of this triad

Especially interested in the concept of reincarnating into another world or being brought there by an outside force rather than moving between worlds freely

Eats an almost alarming amount for his size at breakfast that morning and leaves nothing on his plate

Unfailingly well-mannered to his hosts

Offers more information about Mayu’s past world in payment for eating the Ketsugi’s food and waking up in their home after they refuse to let him pay them back using manual labor

Asks them to tell him what they already know so he can work out what knowledge gaps to fill in

Nana: ...Why are you singing Wonderwall?

Takes it upon himself to teach Lee and Naruto more English so they can at least form basic sentences

It’s an uphill battle because predicates and participles are hard

A supportive and encouraging if slightly inept teacher

Soon realizes Chie somehow knows all the swearwords and glares at him for trying to teach them to the boys

Also falls ill from eating chakra-infested food

Gets twitchier as the day goes on and asks to leave the village several times, insisting he can’t impose on their hospitality any longer

Only agrees to sleep on the couch once Jirou subtly implies that at least people will notice and go looking if he goes missing from their house compared to if he disappeared from a tree miles away from Konoha

Can’t sleep on the couch due to jumping at noises during the night, ends up curling up on the floor next to it

[shapeshiftersandfire]

bottle up lightning

prompt: shock collar fandom: scary stories to tell in the dark characters: ephraim bellows cw: shock collar, creepy whumper, electrocution mention notes: takes place post-movie, in which stella has accidentally revived the bellows in addition to reviving her friends au/related project: project verna

Sarah would like this, Ephraim thinks. The fabric sits heavy around his neck, weighed down on one side by the electric box. The metal prongs dig uncomfortably into his skin, raw and sore and irritated. Even inactive, Ephraim can still feel the electricity racing through his skin. He opens and closes his fist, rolls his head to relieve that perpetual dull tingling in his arm, which he figures is either real and indicative of a serious health issue, or all in his head, which is also an issue in and of itself.

She would be reveling in this. He slips two fingers under the collar, lifting the box away from his skin. After all he’d done to her, one electroshock session every three days, sending one hundred-twenty volts running through her tiny body, he knows how much it would please her to see him like this. He imagines her standing over him with a sneer, that infernal remote in hand, waiting for him to make some excuse for why he’d done what he had. Sometimes, she doesn’t wait. She pushes the button and lets it go, go for what feels like hours, when in reality it’s only a few seconds.

Tell the truth, Ephraim, she sneers. Tell me what I want to hear. It wasn’t you, wasn’t it, who poisoned the water?

She kneels down, her eyes dark and burning and filled with more rage than Ephraim had ever seen in her in life. Go on, she says. Say it.

And when Ephraim refuses, she pushes it, again and again and again. There was no black magic involved, Ephraim. We’ve gone over this. That’s why you’re here. And she raises the the remote, waving it in his face, taunting him.

You rat, Ephraim snarls, and is met with a rush of electricity.

That’s not the truth, is it, Ephraim? Sarah asks.

Sarah, what kind of sick game is— And he’s cut off by another stream of electricity. When it’s over, he lays on the ground, muscles twitching with the last remaining rush. Stop it, he wants to tell her. Stop it, I’m not your plaything. Stop it and leave me alone. But he knows she won’t. She’s having too much fun, if he could even call it that, and maybe he can. Sarah isn’t going to stop until she’s had her fill of him, and that may be never.

(That’s the one thing about Sarah: like the rest of the Bellows, she has that stubborn streak. She’s not going to back down once she has her target set.)

Not a game, Ephraim, she says, standing. A lesson. It’s not fun being on the receiving end of this, it is?

He doesn’t tell her no. He doesn’t tell her anything. Instead, he stares up at her with every ounce of hatred he can muster. First she kills him (and rightfully so, he won’t deny that); then, she tortures him. Perhaps she was more a Bellows than he gave her credit for.

No, she says, of course it isn’t. But then I’m sure it wasn’t fun either, was it? Unless there’s some inner depraved part of you that thrives on the pain and misery of others.

Ephraim grinds his teeth. Never, he’s never taken pleasure in harming others, he’s only ever tried to help them, save Sarah. But it was a job, nothing more. It was nothing personal, he says. Only business.

Sarah snorts. Then consider this nothing personal. Only business. And she presses the button until Ephraim sees black.

But instead of Sarah (and part of him thinks he would greatly prefer Sarah), he gets this weasel of a man who claims himself the grandson of Oliver Waldon, a quiet old gentleman who rarely did anything more than sit at his usual place in the local tavern and say nothing. A harmless fellow. His grandson, not so much.

The bastard saunters into the room, the remote in hand that so many times Ephraim has imagined Sarah holding, and grins at him. “Good morning, Ram.”

“Ephraim,” he corrects, and gets a shock for his troubles. This one doesn’t last as long as most, but it still leaves a dull ache in his teeth and a soreness in his muscles.

“I’ll call you what I’d like. You’re in my house, remember?”

“Not by choice,” Ephraim spits, and earns himself another shock. It leaves him with his face buried in the floor, spit his mouth, and ringing in his ears. “Shit.” And swearing—well he can’t deny now that Verna hadn’t rubbed off on him.

“Swearing, that’s new for you.”

“Yes, well,” Ephraim says with a cough, “you have my aunt to thank for that.”

“Oh, yes,” his captor says. “That aunt of yours that everyone says was so foul-mouthed and horrid, the one that disappeared, right? That one? I’m not shocked.”

Ephraim grinds his teeth, he knows what’s coming next.

“But you are.” And he loses track of all his senses after that, caught in a torrent of pain and lightning. When it’s finally over, Ephraim twitches painfully, coughing into the floor. His tormentor doesn’t come closer, instead waiting for when Ephraim is able to roll over.

Jamie—no, James, Ephraim refuses to call him anything but—sneers down at him, that wretched remote in his hand. And how badly Ephraim wants to knock it out of his grip. But every attempt Ephraim makes to get off the floor is met with a push of the button; he screams, writhing, gripping the collar, trying in vain to rip it from is neck as electricity races through his system.

“You just don’t learn, do you?” James asks. He kicks Ephraim in the ribs. “See that’s the problem with you old-timey people, you don’t fucking learn. Every one of you has your head shoved so far up your ass, it’s back on your shoulders. And you don’t listen.” He kicks Ephraim again. “When are you going to finally learn, Ephraim? I don’t want to do lasting damage, but with the way you’re going you might be a vegetable by Monday.”

“That,” Ephraim says with another cough, “may be preferable to this.”

Another kick, this one hard enough that Ephraim feels something crack. “Ungrateful bastard,” James spits. “I gave you a place to stay—”

“You kidnapped me and subjected me to this savagery!” Ephraim counters, pointing at the shock collar. “You keep me locked in your basement, I could hardly call that passable hospitality.” And he’s on the ground and twitching again before he can say anymore.

“And where did you plan on staying?” James asks. “The Bellows house is an abandoned dump. It’s uninhabitable.” He puts emphasis on the word, as though Ephraim, a seasoned doctor, graduating third in his class, doesn’t know what it means.

(He does, doesn’t he? He knows what uninhabitable means. Or was it inhospitable he was thinking of? Oh dear.)

It’s a moment before Ephraim can respond. His head feels fuzzier than he’d like. He can only just make out what James is saying to him, and it takes him far too long to process once he can finally hear enough. “Well,” he says, slowly, “at least my old ramshackle abode doesn’t come with a shock collar.” A quick buzz rushes through his neck. Ephraim grips the shock box and pulls it away, trying to get some respite from the electricity and the metal prongs digging into his neck. He grinds his teeth at the residual shock running through his body.

He wonders, dimly, how Sarah would have fared in a shock collar. That bulky black box clipped around her pale neck, the prongs digging into her skin. She’d never really feared the electroshock mechanism, but a shock collar… Ephraim can only imagine the fear in her eyes every time he so much as twitched a finger.

How long would it have taken you to give in then?

He’s shaken out of his distant considerations as a hand clasps his shoulder and rolls him onto his back. James stares down at him with a mix of irritation and curiosity. Ephraim doesn’t have the energy yet to sit up. Instead he lays on the floor and stares up at James, waiting for his head to clear and debating how much more he wanted to fight before he lost the rest of his mind.

“You should be grateful to me, really,” James says, not without a note of smugness. “If it weren’t for me, you’d still be wandering aimlessly. You’d have nowhere to go. You’d be homeless.” Ah, yes, the homeless point that he loved bringing up so much, as though Ephraim is glad to be trapped in a basement with a shock collar on his neck instead of out exposed to the elements where at least he could keep his mind clear and he wasn’t at someone else’s mercy.

“I should be,” he says, and he means it more as a derogatory remark, but without his wits about him it sounds like it comes out as something very much the opposite.

“That’s right,” James croons. He runs his fingers through Ephraim’s hair, discomfort flares in Ephraim’s chest— “No—” and then James’ hand comes to rest on his cheek. “You should be.”

And it stays there. It’s enough for Ephraim to snap out of his daze, momentarily, with a flash of anger.

“Don’t touch me!” Ephraim shoves James away. He sits up and backs away. “Shock me all you’d like but I won’t be the object of your depraved sense of affection.”

“That’s incredibly rude of you, Ephraim. Insulting and foul. I should shock you into oblivion.”

“Then so be it. I’d rather that than have your filthy hands on me.”

James’ jaw tenses, his thumb lingers on the button, but Ephraim knows he won’t do it. He’d rather have Ephraim alive and conscious and spitting protests than a brain-dead meat sack.

In an unprecedented move, the remote is tucked away into James’ pocket. He crosses his arms, surveying Ephraim with hard eyes and a shifting jaw. “You’re a psychologist,” he says, thoughtfully. “I’m sure you know all about conditioning. Don’t you?”

Now it’s Ephraim’s turn to clench his jaw. He tries to swallow away the nausea at the back of his throat. “Yes.” It was one of the first things he’d learned in school, one of the most basic things. Pavlov and his dogs—the association between the bell and food. Classical conditioning.

James takes a step toward Ephraim. He crouches down to Ephraim’s level, takes the remote from his pocket and holds it in plain view. “Then you know,” he says slowly, “that I can make you like having my ‘filthy hands’ on you. It won’t take much.”

Ephraim inhales heavily. “You wouldn’t—”

“Wouldn’t I?” James asks. “Why don’t we find out?” His finger hovers over the remote—

“No,” Ephraim protests. “No, I don’t want—” A shock sends him to the floor. When the electricity fades, when his muscles have stopped contracting against his will, Ephraim fights to keep his eyes from tearing.

“If it means anything to you, Ephraim, I’m not really interested in what you want.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

Another shock.

Damn it.

“Keep this up, Ephraim, I can do this all day, as long as it takes.”

I’m sure you can, Ephraim thinks, and feels another little piece of him lost in a surge of lightning.

                                                         [***]

“Ram! Ram!”

The voice is far off, somewhere in blurry distance. It sounds familiar, a voice he hasn’t heard in years. He doesn’t recognize it.

“Ram! Ephraim!”

Someone knows him. Should he know them? Does he? He can’t remember.

He can’t remember much of anything. Those shocks must have addled his brain more than he realized.

Side of effects of electroshock therapy include amnesia, he remembers, from some fuzzy, yet intact bit of his mind. What does he know about electroshock therapy? He must have worked with it. When? What did he do for a living?

What’s he doing now?

“Ram!”

The voice jogs something in his head. A name comes back to him, not a face, no, just a fuzzy white space and a mess of neat black hair. Verna?

Who was Verna to him? How did he know her? How did she know him?

“Ver…na?”

“Ram! Ram?” The voice grows closer now. He raises his head, something shrieks in the distance, a sound harsh enough that he cringes and flinches. “Ram!”

And then hands—hands on his shoulders—No, no! Get away from me!—he lashes out—the prongs scrape his neck—

“No, Ram, Ram, it’s me, it’s Aunt Verna—”

Aunt Verna?

“Oh, God, Ram—” her hands move to his neck—

Get off!

“Easy, Ram, easy, easy, it’s just me.” A pair of small hands close around his wrists, not pinning them, just holding them. “Look at me, Ram. Look at me.”

Inhale. Exhale. He’s been breathing heavily. His vision clears, he comes to his addled senses. He might not remember his name—among other things—what is his name? Ram? Ram? Ram—Ephraim—Ram—Ephraim? It’s Ephraim, isn’t it? And that’s Verna, Aunt Verna, with her hands on his wrists, urging him to look at her—

Ephraim does, he looks at her. It’s Aunt Verna.

And that’s when things come crashing down.

He starts crying—he never cries, he doesn’t cry, Ephraim Bellows doesn’t cry—

But he can’t stop, he can’t stop—

Aunt Verna, Aunt Verna—and he grips her arm

he needs her how the hell long has he needed her how long ago did he get attached to her when did he realize he needed his Aunt Verna where’s his mother where’s Delanie he wants Delanie where is she where is she he needs her he wants his mother where is she

“Aunt Verna—”

“Easy, Ram, I’ve got you—”

Her hands go from his wrists to his face he wishes they would go to his neck get that damn collar off

he tries to focus on her voice “I’m right here Ram I’m right here I’m gonna take the collar off okay” he nods he wants the collar off he wants his mother where’s Delanie

“Delanie”

“She’s okay Ram she’s at home waiting for you”

I need her I need Delanie I need my mother why didn’t she come with Verna why did she leave him alone why isn’t she here he wants her here why isn’t she here why isn’t she HERE

A click and the collar comes off something pulls at Ephraim’s skin—

The collar falls to the ground with a clatter Aunt Verna pulls him into her arms

And everything slows down.

It’s like waking up. His brain processes everything one realization at a time, in slow succession. First, that his head is tucked against Verna’s shoulder, and she’s holding him, not unlike the way she held Sarah, close and protected. Second, that his neck stings something awful, between the chaffing and the electrocution. Third, that his tears have dried on his face, but he doesn’t have the energy to wipe them away. He has a handful of Verna’s dress and he’s not about to relinquish his hold on that any time soon.

Fourth, that the hand Verna runs over his head in slow, repetitive strokes is the best thing he’s felt in a long time.

He sees now what Sarah saw in Aunt Verna: a wildfire that burned hot and furious when it burned at all, and a low simmering warmth, safe and controlled. Aunt Verna is safe. Ephraim doesn’t remember when he last knew safe.

“I’ve got you, Ram,” she whispers, breathless and relieved. Ephraim thinks she should want to kill him, after what he did to Sarah—not that he can fully remember what he did to Sarah, but he knows, faintly, that he did something and by all means Verna should be furious. “I’ve got you.”

Ephraim closes his eyes. His neck burns. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. He doesn’t tell Verna he can’t remember what for exactly.

“Yeah,” Verna sighs, her voice tired and worn, too tired to be angry anymore, “I think you are.” She holds him a little tighter. Her chin rests in his hair.

(He wonders, dimly, if she knows what he did. He thinks it’s better not to ask.)

(He’s probably right.)

“Delanie,” he croaks.

“”Yeah,” Verna says again. “She’s at home.”

At home?

No, no, that can’t be right. The last time I saw Delanie—

Something bad happened, something during the night. Ephraim remembers blood and broken glass and screaming—

“Delanie,” he says again, pulling away from Verna, “Delanie, she’s—”

“She’s okay, Ram, everyone’s okay.” She wipes his eyes. This time, Ephraim finds he doesn’t mind her hands on his face. James on the other hand… He tucks his head back into her shoulder. He doesn’t want to think about that right now.

“I want to see her.”

Verna holds him a little closer. “You will,” she promises. “I’ll take you to see her…”

Ephraim tunes out everything Verna says after that (something about his neck and a hospital, he thinks), but he can worry about that later. All he wants now is to see his mother.

[littlelonghairedoutlawllho]

I wrote this little ficlet because of the farming AU that @wheel-of-fish asked me about last week.

I hope you all enjoy this little fluff offering, unedited and straight from my phone.

——————

It was Nasir’s idea, moving to the country. And Erik wasn’t exactly in a position to protest at the time, still weak from in his recent illness and no condition to do little more than sleep as the packing was carried out and arrangements made. And then he was bundled into a brougham, and then into a private coach on a train (“your generosity knows no bounds, my friend”, Nasir told him cryptically when he dozed awake long enough to enquire about the expense). They left the train at a provincial station, and from there it was a wagon that carried them out to the farmhouse.

The cool evening air was enough to revive Erik somewhat, and he looked around himself with a mounting sense of horror. The rolling fields and tumbling walls, the trees, and ramshackle little house, the barns.

The cows. Ten of them, some with calves alongside. He had not been close to a cow since—since—since long before the siege of Paris. Probably not since his flight from Persia. And now suddenly there were ten cows, looking at him curiosity, their white heads tilted, the evening sunlight tinting their red patches blood and the remaining white parts of their bodies golden.

He barely had the strength to stand on alone, but when he stretched out his fingers, the leader of the little herd (he has since named her Anka) snaked her head forward to sniff his palm. And then her rough tongue licked him and she walked forward, and her small calf, one of the younger ones, came up to nose at his legs.

Something cracked open inside him, then and there. Some great reluctance, some secret part of him long hidden away, gave way like a river breaking through a dam, and his heart swelled, tears prickling his eyes, and he would have fallen to his knees, then and there, if Nasir had not put a steadying arm around him.

“Let’s get you to bed, all right? It’s been a long day.”

*

As his strength returns, the cows become his responsibility. He milks them, morning and night, sitting on a little stool and tipping the milk from the bucket under the cow into a bucket behind him, to keep it clean. The cows stand peaceful for him, chewing hay, chewing the cud.

One of them (Rosetta), who is not milking, is soon due to valve. He knows by the fullness in her udder, by the slight weakness in the bones at her tailhead. At night she lies up in her stall, and he watches as her side jumps, with the calf within kicking.

The first time it happens it makes his heart stutter to see.

The second time he smiles to himself, and pats her side.

The cows all take to him, quicker than he had any right to expect. They accept his hands on them, under them. Some of the calves follow him as he fixes the stone walls and fences.

They’ve been there three weeks when he works up the energy to play his violin, standing in the middle of the shed. And the calves settle down to sleep listening to him play. And the cows are quiet as he leaves them.

Anka is asleep, her head tucked into her side, and even in her sleep she snuffles at the straw beneath her.

He quietly slips out, back to the house, where Nasir is sipping tea and reading a book, his feet propped up. Darius has already retired to bed, and it is only the two of them, left alone by the fire.

Afterwards, Erik will not know what possessed him. Some sentiment of old, fought off decades ago. The newfound warmth in his heart. But he leans in, and brushes his lips gently over Nasir’s forehead.

And his breath hitches.

Nasir stares up at him, lips parted, and Erik understands less what possesses him when he bows his head again, and kisses Nasir, ever so lightly, on his lips.

And when Nasir softly leans closer, and kisses him back, Erik sinks to his knees, and wraps his arms around him. Nasir’s hand comes to rest on the back of his neck, draws him closer. And there is nothing, nothing in the world, that could possibly be better than this.