#snowball scuffle

[cas-backwards-tie]

I know I haven’t been posting or queueing anything of recent, so my apologies—things have been hectic & probs will be until late feb—but going through my photos lmao I miss the snowball challenges already bc they had a few, but not enough of everyone as snowmen. I know (left pic) that’s Price as a Snowman, but I couldn’t figure out who it was supposed to be besides just a Cowboy in the right photo (on the right side it was definitely headed towards Price as well, but we won first) 💪🏻😝👸

[nintendocompositions]

Come on in from the cold and grab a bowl of chowder! This is an update to a Winter mix I made 12 years ago! Stay as long as you'd like and thanks for listening!

Animal Crossing: Wild World | Kazumi Totaka ~ Title (First Snow Mix) Kirby's Epic Yarn | Tomoya Tomita, Akihiro Juichiya ~ World 5: Snow Land Princess Peach: Showtime! | Soshiro Hokkai, Yuki Minami, Taichi Tada ~ Snow Village Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Hirokazu Tanaka ~ Snowman Mario Party 3 | Ichiro Shimakura ~ Chilly Waters Kirby Star Allies | Jun Ishikawa ~ Echo's Edge Super Mario 3D World | Asuka Hayazaki ~ Snowball Park Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | Kenta Nagata ~ Sherbert Land Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards | Jun Ishikawa ~ Shiver Star Wii U eShop | Kazumi Totaka ~ Holiday 2015 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Atsuko Asahi ~ Animal Crossing (Winter) Super Mario Galaxy 2 | Mahito Yokota ~ Freezy Flake Galaxy Kirby Star Allies | Jun Ishikawa ~ Planet Frostak Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | David Wise ~ In a Snowbound Land Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl | Hitomi Sato ~ Snowpoint City Mario vs. Donkey Kong | Schwedbeast Studios ~ Slippery Summit B Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Yasuaki Iwata, Yumi Takahashi, Shinobu Nagata, Sayako Doi, Masato Ohashi | 5 AM (Snow) Pokémon Sword & Shield | Minako Adachi ~ Circhester Kirby's Return to Dream Land | Jun Ishikawa ~ Freezing Temple Mario Kart 64 | Kenta Nagata ~ Frappe Snowland New Pokémon Snap | Hiroki Hashimoto ~ Snowfields (Day) Super Mario Bros. Wonder | Shiho Fujii, Sayako Doi, Chisaki Shimazu, Koji Kondo ~ Fluff-Puff Peaks Kirby's Return to Dream Land | Jun Ishikawa ~ Snowball Scuffle Tomodachi Life | Asuka Itō, Daisuke Matsuoka ~ Map (Christmas) Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | Mahito Yokota ~ Biddybud Snow Stroll Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Ryo Magamatsu, Atsuko Asahi, Shiho Fuji, Yasuaki Iwata ~ GBA Snow Land Diddy Kong Racing | David Wise ~ Snowflake Mountain Medley Animal Crossing: New Horizons | Yasuaki Iwata, Yumi Takahashi, Shinobu Nagata, Sayako Doi, Masato Ohashi ~ Toy Day (Clear) Animal Crossing | Kazumi Totaka, Kenta Nagata, Toru Minegishi,  Shinobu Tanaka ~ Igloo

[queermccoy]

all my friends were vampires (4873 words) by queermccoy Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Underage Sex Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz/Tommy Kinard Characters: Evan "Buck" Buckley, Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Tommy Kinard Additional Tags: Established Eddie Diaz/Tommy Kinard, Bisexual Evan "Buck" Buckley, First Time, Kissing, Snowballing, Anal Sex, Anal Plug, Blow Jobs, First Time Blow Jobs, Implied/Referenced Sex, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Locker Room, Semi-Public Sex, Caught, Threesome - M/M/M, Pre-Poly, Feminization, Crossdressing, Coming Out Series: Part 1 of friday night lights Summary:

"Are you sure everyone's gone?" said a voice Evan didn't immediately recognize. It was young sounding, but definitely male.

The next voice Evan recognized.

"Sure, yeah," said Evan's best friend Eddie. What was Eddie doing in the locker room? The cheerleaders always just changed in the bathrooms, which Evan had opinions about. They were athletes too! They should get their own space to clean off. But they didn't, and there was no reason for Eddie to be in there.

There was a scuffling sound and then the crash of something hitting the lockers.

Evan was scrambling to his feet before he knew it, hand on the curtain separating him from the rest of the room. He was about to swipe it open, naked or not, when a different sound washed over him. An amorous moan, the kind of wet-whine that came from a sloppy kiss.

or, Evan discovers something new about his best friend, the boy-next-door, and himself via an unexpected locker room threesome.

--

[cookiethebirddoll]

Tsukasa was always on the run. Or at least that’s how it felt. She could never stay in one place too long. Sure, sometimes she could get away with a few months of someone tolerating her presence, but inevitably she'd say the wrong thing or have the wrong tone or something. And then it would snowball, everything she said was wrong. Any attempt at repairing the growing rift was futile.

So she would leave. Leave before they kicked her out, hurt her. On her own terms. In the dead of night. During a heavy storm. When they were away. They would come back to no note and a lighter purse.

She'd find somewhere new. Chimata and Megumu weren't bad, all things considered. She had so much control over both of them. It was free reign as far as she was concerned. Free reign to do whatever she wanted as long as she always came back. As long as she was always their obedient, little fox. Or at least that's how it felt.

But even that couldn't last forever. This time wasn't so clean. There was shouting, but Tsukasa couldn't tell if Chimata was shouting back. There were words exchanged that she couldn't take back. Things said in anger. In desperation. 

She ran in the opposite direction. As far and as fast as she could, ignoring the tears streaming down Chimata’s face. Trying her best to ignore the stinging in her eyes. It always felt like a mistake to run. To give up whatever stability she had managed to take for herself. But she never had an option. It was hurt or be hurt. Or at least that's how it felt.

In a tired haze, she stumbled upon a shrine crowning the peak of the mountain. Rather pretentious she thought. To claim an entire mountain as their own. Surely the tengu and yamawaro had something to say about that. Perhaps that meant the owner of the shrine was exceedingly powerful. It was still pretentious.

It had started raining, too. She hadn't noticed in her panicked stumbling. There was a storage room around the back of the shrine with a door that wasn't quite locked up. And so she had found her new home. At least for a bit. And if all went well, no one would know she was ever here when she moved onto her next place.

Days passed. Weeks maybe. She was careful— quiet. Only once did someone enter the storage room while she was there. A green-haired girl with a frog ornament. There was also a snake in her hair. They had fought, she remembered. They had fought, and she had lost. But that was fine. They never had to talk if all went well.

At some point — at some point — she started noticing food left by the door. She didn't know where it had come from, but it was far better than anything she could hunt from the surrounding areas. She knew it wouldn't last forever.

The storage room door opened with a soft creak. Tsukasa quickly scampered under some junk near the back, shaking anxiously and waiting for whoever had entered to please leave. She waited. After several painful minutes, a voice spoke. A dreadfully familiar voice. It was the voice of the green-haired girl.

Sanae was fairly observant. Or so she liked to think. She had seen that kuda-gitsune from months ago scurry to and from the storage room countless times. Maybe she was trying her best to be sneaky, but she clearly wasn't doing it well. Still, she didn't say anything. She didn't tell her moms either. She didn't want the cute little critter to get scared off after all! And she understood that she probably wanted privacy, too.

So she started bringing food for her to eat. She never actually saw it get eaten, but the food was always gone when she checked the next day. And the plate. She had been sneaky of course. She didn't want her moms to find out before the kuda-gitsune was ready.

But it had also been a while, so she was going to finally talk to the fox today! Marching up to the storage-room door, she slowly opened it, carefully so as to not make too much noise. As she did, there was a very distinct scuffling, as if claws were failing to make purchase against hard ground. This was followed by the sound of numerous heavy objects thumping to the ground. And muffled yipping.

“Hey, um, kuda-gitsune? I'm sorry if I scared you, but is it ok if we talk? I really want to meet you!”

[video-game-jams]

Kirby's Return to Dream Land - Snowball Scuffle

[lovemyromance]

Did you also think the Valkyries winning the blooddrite was unrealistic? It was so cliche with the sleepovers and powers of friendship in my opinion.

Did I find it unrealistic that a group of women who have been training for 6 months can suddenly overtake a whole race of fae that spend their lives training for the BR....well, yeah.

But this is a romantasy. It's not supposed to be "realistic"

Also, SJM explained how they won the BR decently enough. They outsmarted their opponents instead of facing them head on in some bloody scuffle. It wasn't like they fought the Illyrians to the death and emerged victorious, like I imagine the Bat Boys did.

I enjoyed reading it. I enjoyed ACOSF. Nesta is the character I relate to the most, so I liked reading about her healing journey. I liked how she made friends and bonded with them. I thought the sleepover was cute. I don't think it's fair to criticize their sleepover when the Bay Boys literally hold an annual snowball fight lmao. It shows their human side.

ACOSF wasn't my favorite book in the series, but I enjoyed it, nevertheless. What I do not enjoy, is the crazy IC-hate, Anti-Feyre/Rhys, Pro-Tamlin, hostile Gwynriels it spurred on after it came out. What I did not enjoy, is seeing the Nesta stans go even crazier and say Nesta's going to get a 2nd book over Elain, Gwyn is going to be a FMC, Nesta will save Prythian, blah blah blah.

But that's fandom related. Not book-related.

Just because I liked ACOSF, doesn't mean I want ACOSF 2.0 with the same damn plot and romance and characters. I think the Valkyries served their purpose- they existed to help Nesta. And they did. I'm sure we'll see them in the background of the next book, but I highly doubt they'll play a big role in Elain's story.

[seasidesandstarscapes]

Winter Diaries

Summary: The boys have some fun with the first snowfall of winter

Rating: G

Genre: Canon Era, Friendship, Team Bonding, Minor Bobby/Don, Fluff, Slice of Life, One Shot

Words: 924

A/N: for @b00ks1ut who helped create this every step of the way!! <33

-

AO3

or

When winter hits Seattle, it comes with the force of a thousand winds. Overnight, the campus is covered in snow and not a speck of ground is untouched.

While the blizzard lessens come morning, fat flakes continue to fall and the damp cold is enough to cancel practice. However, nine boys are too riled up to stay inside, the first snowfall igniting their fondest childhood memories.

Dressed in threadbare sweaters, mittens with holes, they jump out into the snow, filling the muffled air with song and laughter. Who starts the snowball fight nobody knows, but soon everyone has a healthy helping of snow covering them.

Don laughs, shakes out the snow from his hair while Chuck tackles Johnny into a deep bank. A few of the boys come to a pause to point and cheer and Don’s eyes drift from one teammate to the next.

The joy is beautiful, their cares far away, a picturesque moment amongst the days of stress.

When Don’s gaze lands on Bobby, his breath catches in his throat. Bobby’s smile takes up his entire face, the snow in his hair a stark contrast to his dark locks. Flakes cling to his eyelashes and his cheeks are red from the cold. If only Don could reach out and tug Bobby closer by his scarf.

A playful shove from Shorty breaks Don’s staring and the snowball forgotten in his hand ends up in Shorty’s face.

The scene turns to chaos, boys pulling one another, trying to shove snow down their sweaters. Don’s foot slips on ice and his arm flies out for balance, stomach dropping at the sudden fall. He ends up on his back regardless, but what or rather who he’s grabbed onto lands on top of him.

Time slows and Don is caught in Bobby’s teasing grin. His body is a comforting weight on top of him, but before Don can wrap his arms around Bobby, shouts fill his ears.

With a quick glance around, Bobby bites his lip then leans down to give Don a small kiss. He’s back on his feet before Don can say a thing, already making a snowball to throw at Joe.

His aim is true and Joe charges. Don props himself up on his elbows to watch everyone, content to let them carry on without him. Jim is sprawled out on his stomach and Roger helps Gordy free himself from a knee-high snowbank.

Like a squirrel, Bobby has climbed up a light pole, out of Joe’s reach and Joe, thinking better of the situation, stares up at Bobby with his hands on his hips.

Don can’t help the laughter that leaves him. Bobby’s proud smile spreads to his heart, their eyes locking for more than a few tender seconds. Then, Bobby slips and his only soft landing is Joe. Don scrambles over to help the two, worried of Joe’s wrath only to find he has nothing to fear.

Joe keeps Bobby pinned to his chest as Bobby tries to wiggle free, the two caught in overewhelming laughter. At last Bobby wrenches away and he hides behind Don while Joe gets to his feet.

“I’ll get you next time, Moch,” Joe teases before sliding over to Shorty.

For a moment, Bobby and Don stay this way, Bobby’s hands on Don’s hips, Don pressing back into Bobby’s frame. The other boys are too caught up in each other to notice the two and Don lets his blush warm his face.

After a few more playful scuffles, it’s then Johnny insists they get inside for a hot drink and everyone is quick to agree. In the communal kitchen, Chuck prepares his mother’s signature recipe for hot chocolate but not without help from each and every boy.

Soon, everyone has a steaming mug in their hand, the hot chocolate topped with plenty of marshmallows. Don takes a sip, but something isn’t right.

“Not sweet enough?” Bobby asks.

Of course he’s noticed Don’s concern and he takes a gulp from his own mug as if to confirm Don’s hesitation.

Don counts the marshmallows in his cup and frowns at the uneven seven that sit at the top. A few pairs of eyes watch him as he takes a single marshmallow and adds it to his cup, but no one jumps to ask.

With another sip, Don smiles, nods. Everyone stares at him and Don shrugs.

“Doesn’t taste right unless there’s eight marshmallows,” Don says as if the answer is obvious.

This gets him blinks, a few chuckles and everyone goes back to their business. Everyone except Bobby.

“Let me taste,” Bobby motions for Don’s mug.

Don offers it without complaint and Bobby tries Don’s hot chocolate and then his own.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Bobby grins. “Looks like you’re onto something, Donny.”

Matching Bobby’s grin, Don grabs an extra marshmallow for Bobby and plops it in his cup before taking back his own. It’s not just happiness that shines on Bobby’s face, but something so much more than that. Devotion, love, no words could come close to describing the beauty Don gets to see every day.

In their own little corner, watching the rest of the room, Bobby presses closer to Don. His bravery lets him rest his head on Don’s shoulder and Don melts into the touch, thankful for the little moments like this.

The season is sure to get colder, but Don knows he won’t feel a single bit of it. Not with Bobby—not with his boys—to warm him every step of the way.

[posthumanwanderings]

❄️VMII - Vapormas Winter VGM Mix Vol.1❄️ 

0:00 Christmas NiGHTS - Intro 4:20 Christmas NiGHTS - Introduce Dream (Jingle) 5:30 Christmas NiGHTS - Winter Sleep 7:40 Bomberman 64 - White Glacier 11:30 Sonic 3D Blast - Diamond Dust Act 2 17:10 Napple Tale - Spring’s Petal 19:00 Paper Mario - Crystal Palace Crawl 21:10 Magic Knight Rayearth - Cavern of Eternal Ice 24:45 Tales of Vesperia - Thousand Year Slumber of Blastia 27:20 Secret of Mana - A Wish 29:15 Sonic Adventure - Limestone Cave 32:30 Paper Mario - Snow Road 36:00 Sonic 3D Blast - Diamond Dust Act 1 38:10 Tail Concerto - Coolant 44:00 Final Fantasy VII - Buried in the Snow 51:05 Jazz Jackrabbit 2 - A Cold Day In Heck 57:50 Paper Mario - Starborn Valley Trail 59:50 Phantasy Star Online 2 - White Summit Probe Naberius 1:13:40 Napple Tale - Snowball| 1:17:25 Phantasy Star Universe - Christmas 1:23:00 Final Fantasy X - People of the North Pole 1:29:30 Tales of Vesperia - Source of the Seething Silence 1:35:20 Skies of Arcadia - Ice Dungeon 1:41:00 Seiken Densetsu 3 - Another Winter 1:43:55 Phantom Brave - Snowberry| 1:49:05 Napple Tale - Skipper 1:54:00 Napple Tale - October Child 1:58:15 Mario Kart 64 - Frappe Snowland / Sherbet Land 2:02:00 Tomba 2 - Kujara Ranch 2:04:15 Pokémon D/P - Snowpoint City (Day) 2:07:00 NiGHTS Into Dreams - Take the Snow Train 2:19:20 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team - Escape Through the Snow 2:22:45 Tales of Symphonia - A Snow Light (Flanoir) 2:26:00 Mega Man 8 - Frost Man Stage 2:29:20 Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Ice Cavern 2:32:30 Tales of Phantasia - Freeze 2:36:10 Super Monkey Ball - Arctic 2:41:45 Kirby’s Return to Dream Land - Snowball Scuffle 2:46:05 Christmas NiGHTS - New Year’s ‘9th’ 2:47:25 Shenmue - Silent Night, Holy Night 2:51:50 Croc - The Ice of Life 2:54:00 Mega Man X - Chill Penguin Stage 2:56:25 Advance Wars Duel Strike - Sasha’s Theme 3:01:15 Astal - The Crystal Palace 3:05:30 Shenmue - Sha Hua Christmas 3:12:25 Yoshi’s Wooly World - Frozen Solid & Chilled 3:17:00 Christmas NiGHTS - Dreams Dreams (Nightopian Ver.) 3:20:00 Christmas NiGHTS - Ending 3:23:10 Magic Knight Rayearth - The Sparkling Ice of Rosen 3:25:15 Yume Nikki - Snow World

[emmetverse]

"He'll hurt you!"

"I just want to talk," Spark insisted.

Threes gave him a light shove. "You can talk, but you're staying way out of his reach."

"What?! So I am not allowed an, um, an 'only us' conversation?"

"Not with him."

A muffled voice came through the walls. "I can hear you."

With a snarl, Threes span around and threw open the door. It hit the wall with a thud that shook the entire shed. The man inside was sitting against the wall next to the water he'd been given, holding the cup to his lips. He lowered it, glaring at the two of them.

"Is privacy not a right anymore?"

It was an exhausted anger. Loathing.

Threes felt a shiver run through his gut as he saw the sheer white coating the floor and the walls and the bars. If he could have broken the wood before, he couldn't now.

"There," he huffed, turning to Spark. "You can talk."

"... But-"

"No buts!"

Spark blinked, quickly looking between Threes and the man inside. His thoughts faltered, his heart thudded. 

He took a breath, and opened his mouth-

"I SEE YOU, MOTHERFU-"

Buddy tripped into view, accompanied by the sound of all the tools clattering and falling on top of him.

"Ow..."

The three just stared as he struggled to shove himself back up. Spark swallowed nervously, exchanging a glance with the others.

"... You alright, Buddy?"

"The freakin'-" He shoved the tools off of him. "Those floating eyes! There's more of 'em!"

Threes sighed, rubbing his temple with his hand. "We're kind of busy here."

"I swear!"

"Go ask Em for help."

"YOU!" Buddy leapt to his feet, grabbing one of the shoddy shovels and running off out of sight.

Spark and Threes looked at each other.

"Wow," the man inside drawled. "He really is crazy."

And then there was a clangy-thud. The surprisingly distinct sound of a shovel smacking something. And a grunt.

"NO FLOATING EYEBALLS IN OR AROUND MY GODDAMN WORKSHOP!"

Thunk.

"Ay-! Alright!"

Spark and Threes looked at each other again - this time with a very noticeable panic. 

Scuffling and shuffling came from around the side of the shed. Then Buddy appeared, and shoved a vague figure down to their knees. They could only just be made out - covered entirely in black clothing to blend in with the dark sand. Buddy pointed the shovel at them threateningly.

"See!"

It was dead silent. The stranger rubbed their arm, turning to shoot a glare back at Buddy.

But they didn't get that far.

Their eyes locked with Spark's, and the two of them launched at each other.

Threes was ready to leap in, his blade already extended, but they just hugged. They just held each other, wrapping each other close in their arms. The stranger pulled off the scarf he'd wrapped around his head and pressed his forehead against the top of Spark's head. Their hair was the same stark white as one another, the same burn mark on their neck.

They both sank to the ground, refusing to let go.

Hesitantly, Threes glanced back into the shed. The man was kneeling up against the bars, holding on to them. The layers coating the bars were thicker than before. His expression was unreadable. Threes pushed the door closed.

Spark sniffled as he pulled his face away.

"They- they said y-you-..."

Snowball just laughed, pressing their foreheads together. "I got better."

[snootlestheangel]

@stuffireadandenjoy the snow has given me ideas

It's most prominent when they experience a snow heavy winter. Bailey is excited out of her mind because of it. Just her childish joy of snow is something that the boys can't help but fall for.

Next thing any of them know, they're at an all out snow war in Price's yard. Gaz and Nik have teamed up against Bailey and Price (albeit its mostly just the captain they're targeting) and it's chaos. Nik keeps tackling Price into big piles of snow while Gaz makes massive snow balls to toss at Bailey. The snowballs don't stay very solid so she ends up just getting showered with snow more often than actually getting hit.

Meanwhile, Soap and Ghost are having the time of their lives sabotaging everyone else. Price finally gets the upper hand on Nik? Ghost is charging him back into the snow and simultaneously throwing snow in Nik's face.

Gaz has the massive snow ball ready and Bailey is squealing with laughter trying to get away from him? Soap is running up behind Gaz and slapping the snowball so it explodes in Gaz's face and then scooping Bailey up to playfully toss her into the snow.

This all happens only for Soap to get pelted with snowballs from Ghost and Nik while Price continues to lay in the snow questioning his life decisions. Bailey is laughing so hard as Gaz joins in on pelting Soap with snow, but he ends up missing and hits Ghost.

It's an all out scuffle between the two sergeants and Ghost after that. They're wrestling in the snow, shoving snow in each other's faces, and just shouting at each other. Nik has since joined Price in laying on the ground, and Bailey is secretly building a stash of snow balls.

She ends up convincing her dads to assist in throwing the horde of snowballs at the three, and it's what leads to the end of their little war.

She's laughing so hard the entire time, and it's genuinely one of the greatest days of their lives. The boys all getting to experience a good, genuine snowball fight for once in their lives. Them getting to let loose and be silly and unserious for even just an hour.

Of course, once they all go inside, they end up watching movies while sharing blankets. Bailey, Soap, and Gaz fall asleep like halfway through the first movie, and it's honestly so precious the way all three are cuddled up together on the couch.

[vivere-est-nocere]

No Soft Sounds (4)

Lesson 4: Cortisol levels in the intrauterine milieu may have an effect on neurodevelopmental processes in fetal structures.

directory

i.

You’re not sure what Takasugi was expecting to happen when he challenged you to a fight.

Did he really think something constructive would come from it? That it would be conducive to some sort of understanding? A connection of man to man, mano a mano, forged through shared blood and sweat?

Because if he did, he was a bigger idiot than you previously thought.

Takasugi Shinsuke. He seemed to find his way into the memories Shouyou painted of his school more often than not, though not necessarily just because he was a talented student. Once a problem child from the adjacent military school, he’d often come around looking for fights after finding a relative superior in Gintoki. He never seemed to get along with his actual classmates, being a student who lacked any real challenge amongst the rich nobles that frequented his school.

He finally found some sort of home in Shoka Sonjuku after cutting ties with his family, still a bit testy but much more at ease in a setting that actually encouraged him to learn and improve.

You should clarify that you haven’t had much of any real reason to hold any ill will towards Takasugi (the current situation at hand notwithstanding). You just seemed to come from two very different walks of life: one who sought real battles and another who proclaimed themself sick and tired of them.

The issue thus came when you were expected to intersect. Tentative trust in Shouyou does not equate to being buddy-buddy with everyone you come across, including Shouyou himself. Tentative trust also does not then necessitate a willingness to go along with any hare-brained challenge someone like Takasugi throws your way.

He was also probably still mad about the whole ‘kick the can’ incident, now that you think about it.

The two of you roll back and forth on the wooden floors of Shoka Sonjuku’s hallways, stray legs and hands tearing holes through the paper screen divider as though it was a winning bingo card. It’s still early, but your scuffle is loud enough to wake even the heaviest of sleepers, bleary-eyed students scrambling to find cover from your rampage.

A snowball of furious limbs, you suck in and spit out people and belongings like a gluttonous tornado, not a single dorm room safe from the storm.

It’s a dirty fight, filled with biting, hair tugging, and strangling—definitely not what you think Takasugi envisioned when he confronted you. In fact, though he returns every one of your tricks in kind, he doesn’t look the slightest bit happy about it.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” He manages to choke out as you grab him by the neck.

You answer him earnestly. “Fighting, Stupid.”

“You’re Stupid, Stupid.”

“No, I’m Katsura.” Another voice joins the action and you both stop momentarily to stare dumbfounded at the boy with the dark ponytail sandwiched between you. You have no idea when, how, or why he got there, but you don’t have time to dwell on it as Takasugi attempts to send a kick your way. Not one to sit things out, Katsura also obliges in the violence, albeit as a poorly organized mediator.

“And this fighting needs to stop!” He tries keeping the two of you apart, using his placement to his advantage to wrench out a gap, but he alone isn’t strong enough to stop the shit show that has become this fight.

Katsura Kotaro. Another one of the three boys Shouyou told you tales about during your journey to the humble temple school. He was certainly an odd one, but weren’t they all in some way or another? Still, Katsura was described with such conflicting mixes of competency and strangeness, you couldn’t help but listen with rapt attention whenever he was pulled into the mix.

A noble boy who fell on hard times after the deaths of his parents, maintaining his scholarship position in military school through sheer force of will, Katsura always held his head high despite it all. Homeless, without a family after the death of his grandmother, and disillusioned by the curriculum he fought so hard to have access to, you could see why he had such a strong sense of duty. The fancy talk about the responsibilities of a general was a bit above you, but you admired his commitment to picking and choosing his battles.

And if anything, you found yourself a bit envious. He was someone who seemed to see the value in backing down for self-preservation yet also held the admiration of so many around him, a natural born leader. It’s not like you ever desired the same accolades for yourself, but the notion of balancing self with others seemed so foreign you felt almost scandalized by how he could have his cake and eat it too.

You’re not sure what to make of Katsura, but despite it all, you can’t say you dislike him. Such is the way of his strange pull over so many others. You suppose you’re no exception.

“Shut it, Zura!”

The three of you continue to tumble down the halls, barreling through screens and knocking over thick dividers with ease. By this point, all of Shoka Sonjuku has been roused from their sleep, either fleeing to somewhere else to avoid being caught in the crossfire, or watching with rapt attention as the two, no, three newest kids duke it out for dominance.

It is only when you slam into the hard wall that you realize how far you’ve travelled from your original sparring position. And boy does it hurt like a motherfucker.

Close to seeing stars, you sit up, still winded by Katsura’s leg getting you in the windpipe upon impact and Takasugi’s stubborn  insistence to get you to spill your entire stomach contents onto the floor. The other boys are in equally bad shape, if not worse. Katsura, the bottom of the pile lies knocked out, a pulsating injury comically glowing from his head. Takasugi hangs onto the verge of consciousness via pure spite alone, cussing you out with each breath he takes like it’s some sort of lifeline to lucidity.

All things considered, you got off pretty easily. Or maybe they’re just wimps. Neither are mutually exclusive…

You’re just about to deliver an elbow drop, a finisher to end all finishers, when something knocks you on the head, sending vibrations through your teeth and totally breaking your concentration.

“Fuck!” You hiss, grabbing at your temples. That’s definitely going to leave an ugly bump.

“Something somethin’ one hundred years too early or whatever.” Comes a dull voice. “Some people are tryin’ to sleep ya know?”

Looking up with a glare and a new surge of adrenaline, you see a head of curly silver hair, extra spiked and unruly compared to the usual peaks they settled in over the course of the day. Reddish, half-lidded eyes don’t even bother to make contact with yours, as if the act itself is too much a hassle to even attempt.

Sakata Gintoki.

The third and final, yet also first member of the trouble trio. He’s been a bit of an enigma in your short time here. At least, he would be if you gave more of a damn about him. But aside from your grudge over stray mucus, you’ve found little reason to interact with him.

He was one of the first students of the temple school, taken in by Shouyou following an orphaned life on the battlefield, and that was all you knew. Not that you cared enough to pry further of course.

You’re starting to not care about a lot of things at this point though. Or maybe, less not caring and more not processing as your vision becomes a narrow tunnel. Your temples throb like they’re on fire.

The slam in the head was a wakeup call.

“Seriously…” He mutters, wooden training sword still raised over his head in warning like one would wield a broom.

You, not one to give pause to any sort of attack, respond in kind by grabbing and tugging his ankles out from under him. He comes crashing down, perfectly bisecting Katsura and knocking the wind out of Takasugi as you resume position.

It’s either you or them.

“What the hell was that for?!” He yells at you, beady eyes turning more unsure as you finally manage to tower above the three of them.

But you don’t answer. You don’t even hear him.

Instead you’re focused on the moment. And in this moment, you’re back in the ring. Blood rushing through every part of you, heart beating with adrenaline. It’s not over until someone’s dead. It’s not over until you’ve put on a good show. And God, are you gonna give them something to talk about.

Weeks of pacificity, of antsy idleness for someone so used to working for everything they’d get. It made you nervous, the clean smell that had begun to settle in the absence of metal. The tenderness of Shouyou’s touch…

Grownups are liars, but maybe all that time in the district has helped you mature faster. Because this? This is what you were missing. And you’re tired of pretending otherwise.

Hands grip the wooden sword that stupid boy brought and pry them from his still prone figure. You stand there, tall and imposing, no longer meandering through a new routine devoid of purpose. You know what to do, and you know how you’ll do it, because you’ve done this millions of times before. You take to the air, weapon drawn.

And don’t touch the ground.

Your ears hurt though. They hurt like a bitch. Eventually you realize you’re hanging by them.

“Good morning everyone.” Shouyou smiles down upon all of you, “You’re a hundred minutes too early to be causing such a ruckus, don’t you think?”

‘Ah.’

Takasugi and Gintoki blanche at the sight of their sensei. Even the typically oblivious Katsura looks grim as he fails to untangle himself from the mess of limbs. You continue to dangle, the bloodlust beginning to ebb away from the main stretches of your mind.

“Let’s go have some tea.” It’s not a suggestion. Shouyou tosses you over his shoulder like a sack of grain, piling the rest of the boys over you in rapid succession. The air is strained from you like a wringed washcloth, but it feels as though that’s to be the least of your worries.

You spare a glance at the others. Takasugi’s motioning a slit neck with his hand, Gintoki’s glaring at you with something more than just mild annoyance, and Katsura looks all but happy at how his ‘choose your battles’ philosophy has turned on him.

You’re not sure what to do at this point, slowly leaving fighting mode to opt for something more docile. All you know is that ‘tea’ is not going to be just tea.

You’re screwed, aren’t you?

ii.

All tea tastes the same. That’s what you think at least. Green, black, gray, whatever.

Big Sister tried to teach you the actual differences once, something about floral versus fruity and a whole bunch of other nonsense you couldn’t grasp at the time. She had even snuck out a tray of testers they’d give to customers for you to try, but your palette was not refined enough to sense out anything aside from “This isn’t water.”

Taking a tentative sniff, you think she would have liked Shouyou’s tea.

It’s… sweet? And what’s the word… Dirt-y? No. Groundy with a hint of leaf? Maybe. It’s a strange color too, a deep periwinkle shade of blue.

But it’s not bad. It’s not bad at all. What is bad is the current situation at hand which has facilitated the brewing of the tea.

Shouyou’s smiling, but he’s not happy. A line of skin by his temple twitches strangely and there’s a faint glint of his teeth peeking out from behind his lips as he sips at his drink. He hasn’t said anything yet, and the silent atmosphere’s tension is oppressively heavy.

The four of you sit on mats opposite of him, though you refuse to exchange glances with each other.

“So,” Shouyou begins, “tell me, why do you think we’re all here right now?”

Takasugi, Katsura, and Gintoki answer in their respective order.

“Stupid?”

“Fate?”

“Tea?”

“Wrong.” He pinches the three of them on their noses in quick succession.

“Kid? Any thoughts from you?” Shouyou’s resorted to calling you ‘Kid’ for the past few days. He did try to get a name after your little stint with Gintoki, but by that point everyone was pretty adamantly settled on calling you ‘Stupid,’ including you yourself. Not one to give into pressure brought on by children a generation younger than him, he simply told you to think on it and let him know when you had a preference. But if it’s all down to you, then he can call you ‘Kid’ to the grave.

“Your tea is blue.” Blunt, to the point, and not at all what was actually requested of you.

He elects to pinch your left cheek.

“True, but not what I meant. I was more referring to why the four of you—yes, four of you—decided that the dormitories were the ideal place for a brawl. And don’t think you’ll be able to pass it off as a kendo match.”

Gintoki’s the first to pipe up. “But that’s not fair! Takasugi and Stu—the Kid were fighting and I got dragged into it! If it were up to me, we’d all still be sleeping right about now.”

Shouyou holds up a wooden practice sword that smells of the last day’s meals, evidence piece one. “Care to explain this then? Or perhaps this?”

He motions to the welt on the top of your head.

“Justified self-defense.”

“Self-defense my foot.” Takasugi mutters.

“It was self-defense!” Gintoki roars indignantly, “Is my beauty sleep a joke to you people?”

“More like a myth, Dandelion Head.”

“Who said that?!”

“This is getting us nowhere,” Katsura sighs. “I think it’d be better if we addressed the root of the problem. Takasugi, what have you got to say for yourself?”

“Me?! Why me and not Stupid over here?” He motions you off as if trying to sell a precious heirloom to a stingy buyer.

“Of course you.” Katsura says it like it’s a matter of fact. “You’re the one that started the fight.”

“I challenged him to a fight,” Takasugi starts, running a hand through his mussed-up hair in exasperation. “I didn’t think he’d just start fighting me in the dorms!”

Shouyou casts a sideways glance at you. You shrug it off, continuing to sip at your drink, which has become oh-so interesting as of late.

You don’t want to look at him. You’re too busy thinking, questioning.

…Why? Why was it so easy to shift back into that mindset of killing? Why did it happen? Why did you like it?

“Good kids don’t survive long here,” a handler once told you, “Ya gotta be some type of fucked up to make it past match three.”

At the time, you hadn’t the foggiest what he meant. You were just scared

And then before you knew it, you’d won more matches than you could count. So much blood on your hands, and yet you kept doing it with little thought; killing with guilt but never regret. Because brutality was its own mercy, you had decided that early on. Mercy to the dead, and mercy to you. Protection for you and them; a sick moral compromise.

…But at what point had desire replaced fear? At what point did your justifications crumble like pillars of salt and sand in the face of the truth? At what point had you yourself become tainted beyond repair?

Maybe there was never a point. Maybe it was always in you from the start. You. Your fault.

You don’t answer Shouyou. He looks at you thoughtfully.

“‘The tea’s strange,’” Shouyou starts. “That’s what you said, right?”

A change in subject? Tentatively, you nod your head.

“Would you believe me if I said I could make it stranger?”

Without waiting for an answer, Shouyou stands up, and you brace, but nothing you’d expect ever comes. Instead you peek to see him heading over to a nearby cabinet. Rustling around for a bit, he seems to find what he was looking for and returns. In his hands is a plate of lemon slices, freshly cut. You look at him, curiously.

“Give me your cup.”

You don’t know this game. Trying to puzzle out his intentions, you do not oblige him, gripping onto your cup with even more strength like a dog who’s had their bone threatened to be taken away.

Shouyou’s eyes soften and he takes a knee to face you. “Please?”

It doesn’t negate your hesitation, but after a few moments, you give. Even after all that time on the road, you’re still not used to knowing an adult quite like him. It’s disconcertingly comforting.

With a grateful nod of thanks, he takes your cup of tea and places it in the middle of the table for all to see. He then takes a lemon slice and squeezes four drops into the drink.

Before your very eyes, it begins to shift in hue until the once oceanic blue tea is a pinkish purple.

Startled, you look from the cup, to Shouyou, back to the cup, and then Shouyou again. The others are equally surprised, though they do their best to play it cool and not show it. Shouyou laughs at your reactions, moving to squeeze a few drops of lemon into everyone’s cups, each turning different shades of purple depending on how much lemon is mixed in.

“Butterfly pea flower tea from the South,” He explains. “There’s a compound in it which reacts to acidity from things like lemons, making it turn purple from the mix of its natural blue and the red from the change in PH. In other words, the lemon not only changes its flavor, but its color transforms too.”

He sees you eying the drink suspiciously and chuckles. “Go ahead, try it.”

Almost as though he knows your suspicions, he takes a drink of his own cup. Gintoki quickly follows suit, then Katsura, and finally Takasugi. You take a sip from Katsura’s cup. He doesn’t object.

It’s tangy, but still sweet, and not half bad.

“Drink it slowly or pour it out to start over and there will still be some hint of lemon left, I’m afraid.” Shouyou swirls his drink. “Add more tea, and the color won’t be the same, but it will shift. Though, I must say I enjoy it either way. I don’t believe in bad tea.”

Setting his glass down, Shouyou gets up from the table and heads towards the doorway.

“You four will spend the day in here and write letters of apology to the other students. Kid, I’ll have something for you to practice copying and writing.”

The others groan. There are definitely benefits to being near illiterate.

“Oh and before I forget,” Shouyou pauses and gives you his ugliest pretty smile yet, “No meals for you today, Kid. Anyone who tries to help you will be demoted to reviewing the absolute basics and won’t so much as touch a sword for another year.”

It’s a grim and quite frankly disproportionate punishment. Yes, you were in some sort of area of the wrong, but it’s not like you started it. If anything, you were about to finish it. But then again, maybe that’s why your sentence is so severe. Perhaps Shouyou saw the willingness in your eyes to recreate that same hurt you’d thought you escaped.

…Still, food is food and this is cruel. Scream at you, beat you, forget you, any of those three would be better than willfully starving you. You don’t think you like him much after all this.

”Consider it your punishment.” With that, he leaves.

You wish you could throw your teacup at his back, but all it does is hit the closing door and shatter instead.

iii.

“What’s your deal, Stupid?” Takasugi starts, holding a hand out to halt Katsura in his mission to clean up the mess you’d made.

He’s not fuming like he was before, the tea having seemingly done its job to calm him down from the mood that set him on the warpath towards your room in the first place. At this point, he just looks confused. Frustrated and confused, like he’s trying to piece together puzzle pieces of different sets into one cohesive picture.

“Shouyou-sensei could have set you up with a real home if you needed one. What are you doing here if you don’t intend to be a samurai?”

So this is what the whole issue was about. Now that you think on it, your lack of cooperation must have seemed like a slap in the face to students who were dead set on dedicating their lives to the blade. You had your reasons of course, but they couldn’t have known.

What are you doing here?

It’s a reasonable question, an inevitable one really. Luckily though, it’s one you have a partial answer to.

“I don’t trust grown-ups. Shouyou’s the closest thing to an exception.” Keyword: closest. It’s not like you have unlimited faith in him, especially after what just happened, but he is an anomaly of sorts. And you know deep down that despite your distress in this moment, you will not leave.

“Why though?” The pieces have yet to click.

Why did the district dogs continue to pad back to their handlers even after being kicked and starved for any minor inconvenience? Why would they still bite and heel on command?

“I don’t know. He fed me once.” All it takes is once. Surely a samurai-in-training could understand the sentiment. “I don’t want to go back to what I had to do before.”

Takasugi and Katsura look at you quizzically, silently asking for an elaboration you will never give, be it due to self-preservation or shame at the thought of how they’d react to the details of your background.

You offer only the vaguest of sentiments. “I’m tired of people dying.”

That isn’t the whole truth. People don’t just die. You pause and resume your words.

“...I’m tired of killing them.”

Finally, some sort of picture comes into place. Not a whole picture, but one that the boys can understand nonetheless. They are dead set to become samurai after all. Katsura’s expression is pitying. Takasugi’s, unreadable. Neither speak, but you’re grateful for that.

“Then don’t.” Gintoki’s voice pipes up for the first time in a long while. You’d almost forgotten he was here. He seemed to have no stake in the conversation, lazily looping his brush around in messy strokes that didn’t at all look like what Shouyou had in mind. And yet, here he is, butting in like it’s as simple as that.

You can’t stop yourself from asking the next question. “But what if I can’t?”

He shrugs.

“Then I won’t let you. Easy.”

To that you have nothing to say. Neither it seems, do Takasugi or Katsura. Gintoki doesn’t bother to continue it either.

You wish it was that simple.

The four of you go back to your punishment.

…

…

…

The silence of Shouyou’s office is tense, broken only by the rustling of brushes against paper. No one has said a word since, the three boys busy writing letters to every student of the temple school while you copied the template given to you as best as you can.

It’s actually quite hard work, your fine motor skills not receiving near enough development to write as swiftly as the others. Not to mention that you only understand the barest minimum of certain parts, most of the paper’s contents remaining a mystery.

Though you scratch away, your mind is anywhere but the page.

Instead, it is back in the ring, where the cheering of the crowds and the blood rushing through your ears deafen you to all else. Where pain is exchanged one blow for another and guilt is an emotion long since rendered irrelevant. Where it’s cruel, but easy.

Easy. You’d finally admitted it. Killing was easier than not.

Because at least killing prolonged a cycle you knew, one you had some semblance of control over, and some ability to rely on. You didn’t like taking lives, but you knew as long as you took them yours would be kept intact. At some point, you began running and never learned how to stop.

Killing was like flying without learning to land. It had to be continued for fear of what would happen the moment you paused. What was it like to plummet down to Earth after so long? Being here, you had finally gotten a taste of falling, and you didn’t like it.

Not. One. Bit.

But still, that didn’t justify you. It barely gave any sort of reason to your madness. You look at the trio of boys and curse yourself with every derogative you can conjure up.

“...I’m garbage, aren’t I?” Is the only thing that makes it past your lips. It’s silly, but it’s true.

You thought you didn’t want to kill them, but you were going to anyway. You didn’t have to, but you were still going to. You. It was always you, and just you.

“Add more tea, and the color won’t be the same, but it will shift. Though, I must say I enjoy it either way. I don’t believe in bad tea.”

Tea be damned, you’re the lemon slice, bleeding out colors that can never return to their previous states, sour and disruptive wherever sweetness may be found. These three boys in front of you, so different, so doomed, yet still so human—they only cement your fear. A fear that nothing can ever go right for you, not because of the hand you were dealt, but because this is what you are: a sick old dog that was bred for the fighting ring and nothing else.

Running was a mistake. There was no escaping this. You might as well just—

“No, you’re Stupid.” Gintoki says without so much as a care or thought in his words.

Your head snaps up, but there is no gaze to meet, no emotion on his face to read out other than boredom. You don’t say anything, and neither does he. Takasugi and Katsura glance at each other curiously, but make no move to continue the conversation.

Silence returns.

iv.

Lunch is a much more excruciating affair than you’d expected it to be. You’d eaten a good amount last night, but still unused to the richer food (even modest temple school diets far trumped what you were typically given to gnaw on) you had also thrown a good load of it up.

And thanks to this morning’s little stint, you don’t even have breakfast to give your stomach company. Instead, a familiar, lonely pain makes its nest there. It probably would have felt less cruel if they starved you from the beginning, but now the fresh memories of food haunted you.

By the time the three trays of rice, toppings, and side dishes find their way into the room, you’re already steeped in the dredges of despair.

But you won’t cry. Of course you won’t.

You go back to rubbing your brush against the paper, ignoring the salty smell of miso.

“...Open up, Stupid.”

You blink, and turn to your right. There Gintoki sits with a bowl of reddish rice (definitely a mix of something), looking at you expectantly. There’s a hefty load of it between his chopsticks, and you feel a dribble of drool drop from your mouth.

“Anyone who tries to help you will be demoted to reviewing the absolute basics and won’t so much as touch a sword for another year.”

Shouyou’s words snap you from your salivating. You give Gintoki an irritated look. As if he’d risk a year of probation to stop you from skipping a meal. Is he teasing you or something?

He returns your irritated look in kind. “C’mon, my arm’s getting tired.”

This has to be a trap, it just has to be… But the rice looks so warm and smells so good and you’re so hungry…

…It’s not like Shouyou said you’d be punished for being fed, and if Booger Boy over here wants a year-long break from training, who are you to oppose? The next thing you know, your mouth is enclosed around his chopsticks, refusing to let go as you clean them of every grain of rice.

You release them, only to be greeted with another mouthful a few moments after.

Katsura looks concerned. “Gintoki, you remember what Shouyou-sensei sai–”

“I’m not helping him.” Gintoki shrugs, “I’m just throwing away the crap I don’t like in the trash.”

He continues to spoon the mixture of coated rice into your mouth like he’s shovelling compost. You wolf it down, only barely getting to appreciate the taste as it finds its way into your stomach. It’s got a mellow sweetness to it, like how you imagined the desserts Big Sister described to you were like.

As you’re busy appreciating another bite, you feel something cool and wet poke your cheek. You turn to your left to find Takasugi with a cold glass of something that once again isn’t water. However, from the looks of it, it isn’t exactly tea either, having a more washed out purple color and being too opaque to qualify.

“I don’t know what Shouyou-sensei was thinking,” he starts, pressing the glass to your lips roughly. To prevent yourself from preemptive drowning, you decide to go along and drink it, still thoroughly confused at this turn of events. “My bladder’s way too full to have room for any milk. Might as well just dump it…”

It’s like the tea from before, but so much sweeter and creamy. Eyes widening, you chug until there’s not even a single drop left.

“Takasugi…” Katsura looks even more surprised than you, but Takasugi waves him off as well.

“You can’t throw milk into the plants. I’m just using our garbage disposal to take care of it.”

Takasugi and Gintoki continue to clear their trays, claiming a coincidental dislike over every vegetable and piece of meat on their plates. You, not one to argue, happily bite down on anything shoved your way.

A wad of sauced noodles is held up to your face. Katsura sits across from you, looking you dead in the eyes.

“This’ll give me diarrhea.”

Nodding solemnly, you inhale the bite, savoring the salty, tangy flavor that envelops your tongue. This goes on for a good few minutes, the boys taking turns coming up with various reasons why each bite deserves to be thrown out. You don’t fully understand them, willingly throwing their food to someone who had landed them in this situation mere hours ago, but as your stomach fills, a foreign warm fuzziness occupies the forefront of your mine.

Who knew trash could taste so damn good?

“Well, well, well.” The four of you freeze as a familiar voice comes from the doorway. “I’m glad to see you finally learned your lesson.”

“Lesson?” You say through a mouthful of sweet potato. Really, what could he have possibly meant? A lesson in disobedience? Was this another one of his strange tricks before the hammer of punishment came down on you all.

He chuckles.

“Samurai are more than a mindless set of rigid principles.” Shouyou looks at you pointedly, “Obedience to these images, and to these figures mustn't eclipse your true duty to care for the people you serve.”

He turns to Takasugi and the other boys, “Don’t worry about defending something as silly as my name. It does not require anything to live on other than your actions as samurai.”

“Yes, Shouyou-sensei.” They answer. You still don’t quite understand, but decide against voicing your conclusion. Things have been resolved, and that’s all that matters.

“Now,” Shouyou begins, “I have some snacks that need to be thrown out soon. I do hope I can receive help from four able-bodied disposals to take care of them.”

It is at this moment that Takasugi’s stomach grumbles. Embarrassed, he buries his face in his hands. Gintoki and Katsura share two devious grins, each snatching one of you to drag along behind Shouyou to “take care of business,” as is their duty as samurai.

You let them lead you, stomach full and head now set with many new developments to digest.

‘Samurai are an enigma,’ you conclude.

v.

“...Adzuki.”

“Stupid, you’re just saying that because you’re hungry.” Takasugi smacks the silver-haired boy on the head. It’s been almost a month since the three of them resolved to give you a proper name, and things have not been progressing with much luck.

You can care less as you munch on your fifth bowl of rice. Still, it seems to be a big deal to them so you refrain from making any discouraging comments.

“I am neither Hungry, nor Stupid. I’m Gintoki.”

“I’m Stupid.” You pipe up crumbs of rice sticking to the corners of your mouth.

“No… we just went over this." Katsura pets your shoulder. Taking the warm cloth in his hand, he swipes at your face, much to your embarrassment. Ever since you’ve made up, he’s gone full mother-hen mode on you, encouraging you to eat and build up more weight (which you didn’t mind in the slightest) and lecturing you on how to properly wear your kimono. He’s dedicated to doing things right and has seemingly taken you under his wing.

You grumble but acquiesce and hold still for him to finish. It’s surprisingly more pleasant than bothersome… though you’ll never admit it.

“Still, feels kinda weird to not call you Stupid anymore…” Takasugi mutters. “I guess I sort of got used to it. But it’d be weird to introduce you to people with it.”

“Only weird if you make it weird.” Gintoki shrugs. “‘Baka’ has a nice ring to it. But I still think ‘Adzuki’ is supreme. Very honorable to be named after such a beautiful thing, y’know?”

Takasugi knocks him on the head again.

“Now you’re just projecting.”

Katsura hums thoughtfully though, looking between the three of you like he’s piecing together some puzzle only he can see. Finally, he perks up. “...How about ‘Baki,’ then? Change the characters and the ending a little and it still sounds like Stupid, but now it’s an actual name.”

“Baki… it is pretty fitting for someone like you.” Gintoki goes back to picking his nose.

You narrow your eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

You actually don’t know what it means. It’s a genuine question. Gintoki stares blankly. He flicks his booger at you in response. You catch it and flick it back.

“Well for one you’ve got one hell of a bite,” He slaps the booger midair like one would a fly. It hurdles at you, but you manage to intercept and smack it back. This game of ‘flick the booger’ continues as he explains, “And you’re kinda like a puppy. Y’know, small, easy to mess with, scruffy.”

The booger hits you square in the forehead and you spit at him.

“Case in point.” He finishes, wiping his face off with Katsura’s sleeve. The long-haired boy grimaces.

“I hate to agree with Pube Wig but it does suit you.” By this point, Takasugi already knows the fire his words will light, and artfully parries Gintoki’s attack. “What do you think, Stupid?”

Baki. A name, just for you. A name with thought and intention, and something other than malice or indifference.

Your brow furrows. But still, it’s just a word, a collection of characters and sounds that have surely been combined in infinite ways before. It doesn’t feed you, or clothe you, or keep you warm, so by all means it’s near useless in any way that matters.

Baki.

You feel strange when you say it in your head, its syllables echoing off of your mind’s walls. Strange, but not bad. Sort of like Shouyou’s color-changing tea. Tangy, yet still sweet.

But names are just sounds and tea is just leaf water. Flavor doesn’t matter and neither do the words that people call you by. That is what you tell yourself as you nod your head—that you don’t care and it doesn’t matter either way.

Baki.

The three boys look at you, each with varying degrees of contentment at your agreement.

“Well then,” Katsura starts. “It’s only polite to introduce Baki to everyone. Let’s go.”

All four of you stand up from the table, plates and bowls cleaned of their contents. Katsura grabs your hand to guide you, Takasugi pushes behind you to take the rear, though this time when your shoulders knock into each other, you feel no malice, and Gintoki… Well, Gintoki shoves his hands in his sleeves and moves to go to his room without so much as looking at you.

Still, you swear you catch something muttered under his breath as he passes you.

“Welcome to Shoka Sonjuku, Baki.”

[zarkishere]

A starry night

short little thing cause i love them <3

Ruben sat on a log near one of the campfires; it was late, really late, but what started as some simple wondering on past actions ended up snowballing into a whole session of overthinking, which now had the mixed man incapable of sleep. Usually he'd ask his hidden lover, Javier Escuella, for some comfort but...the man was nowhere to be seen. Ruben was sure Javier told him where he'd go but he found he could not remember for the life of him. He wondered where Mac Callander, one of his closest friends was, (the other person who'd usually bring him some sort of comfort too) but Ruben was advised by Sean Mcguire not to wait... Of course, this had Ruben thinking Mac had gone out drinking again. And he soon found out he was right. First, he heard horses, then...it almost sounded like someone fell of their horse...then grass and eventually some very angry gaelic muttering. Ruben giggled to himself. " ya alright? " He asked towards the darkness where the noise came from. " Feck off " the darkness answered " 'm just worried 'bout cha " Ruben huffed as he got up, dusting his pants off Mac rolled his eyes and stretched, hard enough Ruben could hear his back popping. " 'm fine, 'm alright...don't worry so much " He grumbled, stumbling a little and nearly falling. The mix of smells on his body was pretty disgusting...tabaco, alcohol, sweat...Ruben was sure he'd gotten into some scuffle, given the blood on his knuckles.

" i can't help it " Ruben answered, crossing his arms over his chest " do ya want some water? i can guide you to your roll otherwise.. "

Mac gives a scoff, waving his hand dismissively when Ruben mentioned resting...though, his drunken self is starting to get more and more tired...

" don't need to go yet, 'm fine. And I don't want yer damn water " Mac retorted, but he was already swaying on his feet. Ruben sighed " Mac...c'mon, lemme help ya scotsman " He gently moved his hand closer and offered it to Mac, giving him puppy-dog eyes. Mac grimaced, scoffed, and took his hand. Ruben beamed with happiness as Mac accepted his offer. He led the larger man to a log and playfully nudged him to sit down, to which Mac shot him a glare but didn’t say anything more..he's too tired (and a bit too drunk) to argue anyways. " i'll be back, okay? " Ruben reassured, as if worried Mac would grow antsy. " mhm... " Mac hummed, crossing his arms. The reassurance felt stupid to him, but he knew Ruben was the nervy type, so at some point he stopped complaining.

Ruben sprinted toward the water bucket nearby, and he would've crashed into it if he hadn't had a few remaining neurons working. He sighed, grabbing a probably clean mug and filling it up before he trotted back to Mac, hand over the top of the mug, so no water spilled out. " here ya go, scotsman! " Ruben gave him a smile as he handed him the mug Mac yawned as he opened his eyes and looking up at Ruben. He grabs the mug of water with both hands, bringing it to his lips to take a big sip. " ...thanks " He mumbles with the smallest of voices, clearing his throat afterward. When he looks up at Ruben, his face looks softer...though that's probably just the drunkenness. Ruben hums a response, tapping his foot on the dirt below his feet twice before looking back at Mac. He tilted his head. Mac was confused. " so...you okay? " He asked again, licking the pad of his thumb and wiping the corner of Mac's mouth clean. Mac stiffened up at the touch. He was even more confused now. At the gentleness, the intimacy...something he was not used to. Once he recovers, he grunts and smacks his hand away...

" I'm fine " He mutters " stop touchin' me " " oh--sorry " Ruben pulled his hand away, a wave of worry running over his face. Mac was weird about touch...some days it was fine, others Ruben could swear Mac would snap his neck if he tried anything. " i..uhh... " He scratched his neck nervously " do you...want me to leave? "

Mac sees his uncomfortable expression and immediately sighs.

" Nay... "

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. After some moment of silence, he sighs again and glances at the space beside him on the log.

" Sit down." Ruben nods and waddles closer, sitting next to him " how...uhm... " He scratched his hand " how was drinking..? " He asks, unsure, just trying to keep the conversation going.

Mac shifts a little so he's sitting straight, trying to make himself more comfortable as Ruben sits next to him.

" ...whiskey was great...an' fighting was great too...not a good combination though "

He says with a scoff, looking off into the distance for a moment. It's as if he's thinking about something...but he quickly snaps out of it and looks back at Ruben. Ruben follows his gaze for a second, a little lost on what Mac's looking at, before looking back at him with a little smirk " you sure like to do it, though " He giggled, poking Mac's side " i thought Davey would've gone wit'cha...? "

Mac lets out the slightest of chuckles, flinching a little. He shakes his head with a scoff. He mumbled something about Davey being a dumb idiot before responding with " Nah...said he got things to do, didn't wanna go out to drinkin' wit me " " aww...he's finally leaving the nest " Ruben said, playfully mocking Mac " how do you feel, mother hen? " Mac scoffs, a hint of a smirk on his face. He gives Ruben a smack in the back of his head.

" Shut yer yap, Connor, don't call me that " He says in a light-hearted grumble, shaking his head. Ruben pouts, rubbing the back of his head " rude " Mac snickers. He shifts a little on the log, trying to get comfortable.

" Aye, I ken." He sighs, picking at his nails.

" You really worry too damn much. " He says in a matter-of-fact tone, leaning back, eyes closed. " whatever.. " Ruben huffs.

He keeps quiet for a few moments before speaking again. " Seriously, though, why you care so much " Silence settled in once more, the only noise filling the air was crickets, other critters of the night and some gang members snores...

" can i not care about my friend? " Ruben eventually asked, fixing his hair before he crossed his legs " i don't know...i just care about you " Mac lets out a scoff, although it's not exactly aimed at Ruben, per se. It's more of a scoff towards himself... he doesn't really know how to accept being so openly cared about apart from Davey, it's something he's foreign to.

" You care too damn much...you're gonna get hurt one day. " " if it's for you guys, i don't mind " Ruben shrugged, yawning " i wouldn't mind doin' anything for you guys... " He adds, looking down at his hands like he's seeing something on them. Mac silently agrees; he'd do most anything for the gang...for Davey and Ruben, specially. He understands the feeling. The blood, there but also not. He just hums and nods, looking off into the distance again. It's gonna be a long night. _______________ ALRIGHT THATS ALL YIPPPEEEE IDK IF THIS IS GOOD !! IM NOT A WRITER !!! IM JUST INSAE YIPPIESAYY AYYYYY

not really shipping but do what you want i guess lol

[dotieeee]

i feel like oscar is the type of cat who would come protect nellie and rub his fur around her ankles to comfort her when she and snowball are fighting.

but at the same time i feel like if snowball is 🍇ing nellie on the other side of the door... oscar be like rolling on the floor and saying "what-eves" 😂

oscar is def a mood.

HELLO MY DEAR ANOOON!! sorry for the late reply, work is giving me very little time to indulge in Snowball thots 😭🥲🥺

Anyway, u right about Oscar the Cat ngl 😂😂 he tried that in fact before Snowball bit her head off for being drunk with Livia but he carried him to his playroom before she can pet him 😭 daddy doesn't want Oscar to hear mommy and him fight 😂😂😂

And then the latter point 😳😳 Oscar is just a cat in his defense and he thinks the scuffle in the room is just mom and dad play-fighting

Oh they're playing, alright - just not the kind of game he thinks and Nellie's losing bad 👀😳😈

[braemjeorn]

CHAPTER XII [masterlist]

pairing: bang chan x ofc

genre/notes: general audience; regency period drama; family fluff; domesticity; ocassional angst; slowburn; governess!oc; nobility!BC; age differences; age changes.

wordcount: 2.2k

summary: the Bangs New Year mischief.

also available in ao3, if you prefer that format

© Do not repost, copy, or republish into another site or under another name.

⚠️ All characters that shares the name of real life person in this story are represented in a fictional manner for entertainment purpose, and not to be alluded with real life.

TAGLIST: @spookykryptoniteperson @nixtape-foryou @do-you-know-what-else-is-big

“Faster!!” Minho crowed, as his father dragged the sledge and the eldest atop it up to the hilltop.

“Minho, you’re quite capable to pull it up yourself,” Mari sighed, waiting for the two at the top.

The lad merely giggled, tumbling aside from his sledge into the soft snow.

“‘Tis fine Miss Son,” Commodore Bang said, grunting as he righted the sledge to face downward, then turned to Minho. “Shall we go down again?”

The lad nodded, grinning and happy like he was five. “Let's!"

“All right, then.” Despite her disapproval, Mari couldn't hide her smile. Giggling, Minho settled down in the front. The Commodore took the reins behind him, feet planted on the snowy ground to launch downward. “Ready?” The Commodore pushed, and their laughter carried on as they slid downhill.

“He’s my first child after all,” the Commodore mused to Mari, while Minho gaggled with the twins. ”He’s been very good to his younger brothers, but I ought to let him have more fun at times.”

Their relationship had improved much since the reconciliation. Mari was glad for it; Commodore Bang cosseted them an equal amount without care for age. Thus, despite entrusting Minho with more responsibilities as the eldest, he indulged and adored the boy. Not that there was anyone else to do it; there were few people around to whom Minho might let his voice trail off into a whine or laugh with childish glee.

“Look at them,” he chuckled as the boys took snowball fights to rain snows down each other's collars. “Those little goblins.”

“Your boys are a particular set, Commodore,” Mari acknowledged.

“Will you have your turn now, Miss Son?” Commodore Bang turned; Mari followed his gaze, towards one additional sleigh resting by a withered oak. In truth, Mari would like to slide down the hill on it, like she had years ago. The wild sixteen-year-old in her heart would soar at the chance. But as a teacher, she refrained with a curt smile.

“I should not, sir.”

“Come now. I would not think less of you for stumbling.”

Mari shrugged. “I may not be hesitant in my abilities, but there are other things I am considering."

“I only wish for you to share the thrill,” Commodore Bang said.

“I do not think it is necessary in my sedate age,” Mari laughed. A shriek came from down below—Yongbok and Jisung were tangled in a scuffle, shrieking and throwing lumps of snowballs at each other.

“I could not even persuade you with the sleigh,” Commodore Bang mused, unperturbed by the scene.

“Do you not think nine people and four horses are a bit precarious?” Mari laughed.

Commodore Bang had unveiled his two-seater cutter sleigh from the depth of his stable. Once polished and cleaned, took his boys on a ride to turn about the country. But despite the two rows of seats, Mari was still reluctant to ride alongside them. “I would not leave one of them behind. But now that I have returned, they would not leave me in the house.”

“When Minho’s old enough I shall get another one,” Commodore Bang decided. “A narrower sledge, for four of them to tuck in warmly.”

“Do not forget the bells.”

“Of course not,” he scoffed good-naturedly. “If a sleigh would not do, nor sledges, then there can only be one thing left to entertain you in this good winter...” 

Mari saw the Commodore in contemplation, which soon bloomed into a brilliant glint of mischief — much like Seungmin before he tucked into the biscuit jar. “Commodore?” she stammered, stepping back as he grinned wider. “W-What is it?”

Two days after he threw a large rock— at least five kilograms worth—to the frozen lake in the back garden. There was a loud boom as it landed far near the middle, but hardly a crack. The Commodore then tied up his skates and slid towards and around the rock. After a moment, his hand rose, calling the boys over. Hyunjin zoomed first with a whoop, followed by the twins. Mari sat down at the steps of the port, Minho having persuaded her to fit a pair of skates over her boots.

“Dear boy, I never knew how to skate,” Mari murmured.

“It’s like dancing, Miss Son, except without the steps,” replied Minho. Quite done helping her with the contraption, he offered her hand to help her up. “It’s great fun really, and not that scary after you’ve got some help to find your way around it. Don’t you worry—try standing up first—Appa and I will catch you whenever you need help.”

Mari was quite ready to kneel on the ice the second she rose—how does one keep their balance on these thin, long steels?

“You’re doing great!" Minho exclaimed assuringly. His feet were easy as he glided towards the others, hand steady despite her grip to guide her stiff legs. "Just keep your balance— now I’ll push you to Appa. (Oh, dear…) He’s a mere short way ahead, all you have to do is just��glide a bit by pushing your feet forward one by one. Then you can stop near him. Ready?”

“No…”

“I’ll push you, Miss Son.” Mari was grateful that the boy took care to warn her of the actions he will do. "You can do it."

Mari bit her own tongue from making any noise, heaven forbid a shriek. With only one moment to reign her panic before Minho pushed her, her foot stepped forward and her form slid. By the sheer force of Minho's push and her stiff, frightened figure, she managed to glide ahead for five seconds, after which she gave into reaching for the Commodore's hold.

“Caught you,” he chuckled, between her muffled wince. His hands held her by the elbow, righting up her poor jelly-like form. When Mari looked up there was amusement in his eyes, but it was not condescending. The man was in a merry mood, and Mari thought her incapabilities ought not to ruin such humour.

“The least I can do is not fall—the boys will worry,” she panted.

“You must not fear," the Commodore replied. "Minho is right. It is such great fun—but he’s a terrible teacher."

Mari suppressed a snort. Commodore Bang held one of her hands as the other hovered by her elbow; he steadied her to face the lake again. The boys were making merry with themselves, trying to outdo one another in whatever way they could manage. Even Jeongin skated quite well on his own, giggling as the others clapped when he made a smooth glide.

“Will you try again?” Commodore Bang offered. Mari was startled at hearing his voice so near. The sun hit his face, warming his dark eyes into honey-brown pools. It was but a half-second notice, but enough to make her conscious of herself. She turned away, muttering a  yes  in a flustered hope for distraction. The Commodore pushed his foot forward, and being in his hold, Mari followed with some alarm.

“I’m holding you well, have some courage,” he said, as they circled a bit farther around the boys. “Now, I’ll need you to march, push your right leg ahead, then your left... Go on, right and left, and right and left — go on ahead, don’t stop.” He manoeuvred his hold on her that she skates right by his side, and holding to his forearm instead. Mari had a firm grip on that arm, her eyes shifting between her legs and her track—the Commodore had a smile by the lilt of his voice.

“That’s a nice turn, go on, right, and left….”

Mari glided on, ceasing her movements and slowing her pace. She faltered again in trying to stop before crashing into a tree or the edge of the lake, but again a pair of strong hands steadied her.

“Got you!”

With heavy breaths Mari straightened again, pushing away the hair over her eyes and setting her screwed bonnet. Commodore Bang was showing her to stop in skates, and she nodded to his words, even while chuckling at her hesitance and her sudden halts of panic. But the Commodore’s eyes had kept the warm mirth, and he grasped her hand in encouragement.

“You shall do quite well, with that eagerness and a little practice.

“I think my feet have their own fright to overcome,” Mari considered, then laughed again. “But I understand now why Seungmin asked you to throw him back to the lake.”

“Pardon?”

“Like that time you swung him about in your arms, claiming you’d throw him out of the water. He was screaming out of his wits when you swung him away and laughed his head off when you clasped him back. But the shameless lad asked you to swing him again like it was fun being induced to scream his head off.”

“A thrill, perhaps?”

“Yes.”

Commodore Bang chuckled. Mari looked ahead to the boys, circling each other in their own games or racing by the outskirts of the lake. Minho paused to wave and grin at meeting her eyes.

“Chin up, Miss Son,” said the Commodore. His hold moved to her elbow again to push her away. “And look ahead. Why don’t you try to go over to Minho?”

Mari managed to make a turn by herself at the end of the day and returned to the house with delight and fatigue set in her. It was a day well spent, exerting and pleasant all the same. But the boys had no notice of weariness and went to play with their toys by the fire. Mari settled under her shawl with some tea and rice cakes. Commodore Bang sat with the eldest two on the couch. He had obtained school recommendations from his friends and currently disclosing the specifics; there were concerns over the distance and the tuition, with occasional comparisons to their previous school. Mari attended and contemplated on her own, relishing the warm tea flooding her mouth.

“I should inspect these two schools—and B– School too, to see if their offers are worth the expense,” settled the Commodore. “Once the snow melts, possibly.”

“A high price does not guarantee high quality,” Minho remarked.

“Quite right, that is.”

“Unfortunately, it would be hard to know exactly the quality offered under such pricing,” Mari mused.

Changbin turned to her. “How to distinguish them then, Miss Son?”

“I’m not sure… To judge by the impression you receive the first time?”

“If you are a good judge of character, that is,” Commodore Bang returned.

They shared a glance, and with some embarrassment, Mari became conscious of herself. But the Commodore’s eyes were mirthful—teasing man.

“I would not vouch for myself,” Mari mumbled.

“Appa, can I go to school?” Seungmin piped up. Commodore Bang turned to him and called the lad upon his lap. Seungmin bent himself over his thighs instead, hanging his arms over one side while his legs slouched.

“Of course. When you’re eleven years old.”

“No—I want to go with Minho and Changbin-hyung.” the child insisted.

“If you go, then what will Miss Son do?” Commodore Bang's gaze flitted back to her.

“She’ll stay with Jeongin, no?”

The youngest was sitting beside her as she assessed the tear on his fox, looking up with confusion at the mention of his name.

“But if you go, soon enough Jeongin will want to follow,” Commodore Bang said. “If you all went to school, then what would she do?

”Then you keep her company,” Seungmin decided nonchalantly. Minho and Changbin snorted at the words. The Commodore sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. But his humour was apparently spurred as well, for his body shook with laughter as he tickled Seungmin. The boy cried and giggled, lighting the hushed with commotion.

“Easy for you to say,” Mari sighed, rubbing her temples. Even so, the flippant suggest both amused and despaired her. Seungmin was a complete master of the menace he embodies, with his innocent air and a toothy little smile.

“You be Miss Son’s student!" he said when he turned to Mari. "Appa’s a bit old and boring but you won’t mind,  ssaem , won’t you?”

Commodore Bang’s laugh pitched higher. “Seungmin-ah…!” he bemoaned.

Mari shook her head. This child... “I’d tease your father less than you, that is certain. The Commodore and I will survive.” She leaned to the child across her, pleading with her face, “But then I will miss you terribly, Min-ah, then what shall I do?”

Seungmin paused at the remark, then muttered that he might come home for the seasonal holidays. Commodore Bang settled down from his glee to tighten his hold upon the child, exhausting his adoration. The child was not pleased, but he was then hoisted up his father's shoulder, head down to the floor. The Commodore rose while hauling him so, and as Seungmin laughed and begged to be put down, the others were ushered along to nap.

“I don’t think I should play with him anymore,” Jeongin declared quietly by Mari’s side. He held her hand as they exited the room, the fox plush in his other.

“Why so?” Mari asked.

“I’m going to be six soon,” he said. “That’s too old for a plush no?”

“I suppose it is.”

“Well, then. And Mr Ennie gets old way faster than me—he’d better rest by my bed instead.” Mari might only pry the fox away when the youngest is to attend school. But Jeongin's hands were empty the next morning, much to his brother's bewilderment. His fingers fiddled often but his mouth deflected determinedly at his brother's despair. Commodore Bang let out nothing but a long sigh. Either warmed or in agony at the youngest growing up.

commodore bang: flinging off weights away and along with him in an unconscious attempt to preen/flirt. this man, really. but sparks are sparkling, yes?

i hope you like this update. we only have seven more!! let's get to it, braem!! please look forward to it, and please stay healthy and happy ^^

[5daysofygofemslash]

Prompts Explanation, Origins, and Ideas

Need help getting the ball rolling for some inspiration? Or just plain curious as to how I plucked the 2023 prompts out of the ether? Look no further than under the cut!

Warning: long and self-indulgent rambling under the cut. Nothing of too much importance haha

Mod Merry

Beach

This was a prompt from last year which made it to the semi-finals of my selections so I figured it could be used. Thank you to the Anon from last year who suggested it!

Ideas: A day out on the beach and all the fun that comes with it. Or perhaps a merperson romance AU? Do anything ships that remind you of the beach come to mind? Seasideshipping (Aoi/Kiku/Miyu) is an example that comes to mind but there's likely plenty more characters who would be totally interested in hitting the sun and sand.

Snow

Chosen to complement "beach" for those of us who may be in colder weather during the prompt fill period just before posting. So from one extreme to another.

Ideas: For ZeXal enjoyers, this prompt has Kamishiro Rio's name written all over it (and that's intentional lol). Snowbirdshipping, Snowanimalshipping, there's plenty of Rio to go around and other snowy themed girls, too, like Olga from Arc V or Asuka when she was in her Society of Light era. For some scenarios, however, think about snowballs fights or drinking some hot cocoa by the fire. Or maybe some hypothermic whump might be just what the doctor ordered. Or maybe the fairy tale Snow White is ripe for your picking.

Alternatively, if you are looking to superload your event/prompt fills quota, as is allowed with the event rules, snow is an elligible fill for the 100ships challenge (on dreamwidth) if that sounds up your alley.

Sharing a Bed

This is one of the mod's favourite tropes. Its versatile and dependable, a staple of the shipping scene and so it just had to be included.

Ideas: Do you think any of the Academia girls ever shared a bed? Or maybe someone had a nightmare and needs cuddles after. Or maybe the mutual pining is just too intense when there's only one bed left at the hotel. Smutty interpretations welcome as well.

Sharing Food

Contrasting doesn't always have to be stark! I was thinking about what else could be shared aside from personal space and food came to mind almost straight away. Food is a lovely way to show you care.

Ideas: Do you think any of the XYZ decadents had to share food to survive? Or is there a character you just knows bakes the best homemade biscuits/cookies and could use that as a conduit to express a confession of a crush/love?

Routine

Ideas: Tell me about your ship's domesticity. Who struggles to get out of bed first thing in the morning? What do they eat for breakfast? Who reads the newspaper first? Or maybe routine more like a dance routine, a comedy routine, or something else entirely. Like does someone care wayyyyy too much about their hair care routine and gets into early relationship post-honeymoon phase scuffles about it, perhaps?

Unexpected

What happens when there's a sudden change to the dull, rote, and, well, routine? The unexpected of course. This was an obvious contrast in my mind that can hopefully provide some rising tension for your stories.

Ideas: A sudden death in the family. Elopement decided on the outcome of a card game. There are many ways to take the routine and break it (maybe even breaking a leg or two in the process). Did the proposal come as a surprise? Or maybe this could be a good day to break out some really eclectic, never met before, crossover pairings. Show me something very unexpected in character/ship chemistry hahaha

Sparkle & Shine

A prompt leftover from last year was - Glitter - and it made it very close to the final selections but I chose different prompts in lieu so again, it just felt right to at least use it as inspiration. Also because I misremembered the submission as Sparkle before double checking to see it was Glitter. My apologies Anon but you are here in spirit. I personally thought "Sparkle & Shine" rolled off the tongue better than Glitter alone and wanted some multi-word prompts to spice things up as well. And so Sparkle & Shine was ultimately selected.

Ideas: Sparkleshipping(Kisara/Mana)!! The prompt is practically named for them though I felt it was applicable to a few other ships, too. Alternatively, Glittershipping (Anzu/Kisara) given that "Glitter" was the original inspiration for this prompt. Give those girls some love if you are a DM enjoyer especially, I say. Or maybe a magical girl AU? Or maybe you want to delve into some meta behind why Lustershipping was chosen for Masumi/Yuzu. Or talk about the way Character A admires Character B's prowess in everything she does.

Murky & Unclear

Selected to complement Sparkle & Shine. Again, I chose it because I wanted a multi-word prompt to pair with its contrasting Day 4 prompt and

Could be a tricky prompt so good luck to anyone drawn to it but some ideas I had in mind included angsty tragedy fic or witchy AU's.

Before the Beginning

Basically a fancy way of saying "Pre-Canon". Was selected in mind with trying to parallel the original 2022 prompt set's ending prompts without just being a free-for-all free day in name.

Ideas: Are you absolutely convinced that even though these two female characters who have never met are exes with a viscious past? Yeah, me too. My personal ones are Ema/Queen, Asuka/Grace, Asuka/Gloria, and Himika/Yoko but maybe you have an entirely different relationship derailment in mind. Or maybe you want to explore how two girls who are friends in canon met and became friends (with a little inkling that maybe this friendship could become romance tinged with enough time)

After the End

And what pairs best with pre-canon? Why Post-Canon of course!

Ideas: Are there any loose ends that bother you? Here could be the perfect time and place to tie them up. Do you think the Bracelet Girls ever split from Yuzu again? What about Aqua returning to Aoi and/or Miyu? Or maybe you just think Characters A and B ride off into the sunset and get married ten or twenty or however many years down the line after the final credits rolled.

[skrytch]

Calvin is best at distance tactics (snowballs, pinecones, slinghots) and has usually come out on the losing end of any close up scuffle.

Christopher Robin is a Victorian era youth who instinctively brawls fiercer than your average MMA fighter and doesn't understand the concept of "fair fight"

HOBBES vs. TIGGER cage match TO THE DEATH say goodbye to your childhood because ONE! WILL!! DIE!!!!