#the eye shows him terrible things ever since the war (and the betrayal that i'm not sure if really happened or was staged to trick him)

[shizukais]

[best-enemies]

ok. you know what. ill bite. what are your thoughts on the master

Oh anon I have neverending thoughts about the Master. Took me a few days to write but I'm having a day off work, thank god. Sorry this is a long one but you asked for it lol here we go:

One, I have this personal meta that there were multiple factors that made the Master evil, all due to a) things that happened to him, be that trauma, betrayal, etc. b) the environment he grew up in, as in the Time Lord society in general. A society that dismissed feelings as weaknesses and treated mistakes as if they made one unworthy of dignity and at the same time turned a blind eye when necessary and swoop their dirt under the rug with corruption and murder, something they didn't seem that bothered by.

By the way, what I'm saying doesn't erase the Master's actions, he's fully responsible by what he does (and he owns it proudly!) and I'm not condoning those things (I shouldn't have to clarify that but you know how it is with fandom lol). But I mention this because, if you need an example, just take a look at the first Doctor, especially during his first serials, and how he was willing to kill a caveman with a rock (oh if that rings a bell lol) and has made some pretty selfish/poor decisions. But he changed, and he was willing to change. I don't think he was a bad person within his core, but those traces were a reflection of his upbringing and his culture. He kept choosing to be a good person, and that's what drives him, while the Master keeps choosing to be a bad person.

What drives the Master to be like this? Why does death and chaos and destruction give him so much bliss, even though he knows he'll suffer the consequences and they're mostly negative? Did he find comfort in those things or did it become so addicting that, as per the scene in the Timeless Children episode, it is a way to calm all the rage he can't/doesn't want to deal with (and not even those things work anymore)?

By the way, Verayne - aka one of my all time favorite authors - wrote a scene in this fic where the Master and the Doctor talk about it in bed and it's my favorite moment of them in this story (and one of the best scenes I've ever read in fanfiction). By the way I recommend all of Verayne's stories, they're fantastic and give some great insight on their relationship, especially Tensimm.

The topic of the nature of the Master is something I LOVE to discuss about. I've been a fan of the show for a decade and it's like I keep unfolding this character more and more. He's that interesting.

Two, there was an interesting moment from the War Master's first boxset that still lives in my mind rent-free. I can't remember exactly which audio, but he says that he's an observer, someone who sees the universe the way it is, a realist. That line just gets me. It actually says a lot about the Master as a survivor. For me it's actually a better description of him than someone who's just 'evil'. He knows the universe can be a terrible place, has lived through the worst, and thinks that the Doctor is living an illusion, that he doesn't see reality the way it is. That the good he sees in people is fake. That may be a reflection of his own experiences (not what his approaches might have helped). Or maybe the Doctor isn't deluded - he's just trying to prove a point to himself. That he's good. I mean, he is trying to be good every day and that that is what matters, but I'm trying to see it through the Master's eyes here so don't give up on me lol.

He knows the Doctor is lying to himself. Here's my whole point: the reason the Master exists is because he's here to make the Doctor confront himself. He's been in the Doctor's life ever since they were kids, he knows the Doctor better than anyone else. He's seen his best and his worst.

By his worst, I mean the side that the Doctor doesn't show anyone else, like his companions and friends in general. All they've got is glimpses of it. And they won't like or approve that side of him. And the Doctor knows that.

And that's why he hides it. But the Master is here to expose that side and to tell him that he likes it. He wants the Doctor to accept that side of himself because it's the one that's most like the Master. The reason why the Doctor is different from anyone else in the universe, the reason why he's special, is because out of everybody, he's the one that's most like the Master. As the Twelfth Doctor puts it: "She’s the only person I’ve ever met who’s even remotely like me."

Identity is important. Seeing yourself in someone is important. Because the Master needs to be understood, and to be seen, and as the Lumiat put it, like every beast, he just wants to be loved. He doesn't think he's wrong in his ways. He doesn't want the Doctor to heal him, he wants to be loved the way he is, a monster, because he loves the monster in the Doctor as well. And the Doctor loves the good person inside the Master, the one he knows that's still there. I mean... there was good in Missy. But a huge part of that was her love for the Doctor. That's why she tried at all.

So we see how the Timeless Child thing hurt the Master. That was one aspect of it. One, was because the Master is proud, and that's his biggest capital sin. He believes that now, the Doctor is greater than him. Two, he thought that he had someone in the universe who was just like him, whom he shared a history with, so that there was something in his life that mattered. Their history mattered. But now he thinks it doesn't anymore, because the Doctor has had a history before him, and therefore he's just a spec of dust in the Doctor's life now, just like the humans, a passenger.

He throws that anger at the Doctor because the Doctor always thought of themselves as special (and in the Master's vision, he'd always thought he was more special than the Master too), and now it was true, and the Master feels like nothing. It hurts him deeply that, in his mind, he no longer holds the importance in the Doctor's life that the Doctor has in his. And I think that he's angry at his own feelings for the Doctor, perhaps blaming himself, but he can't help but try to attract the Doctor's attention at all costs, because he needs it, he's addicted and maybe she'll give it to him and he'll have some importance in her life. Maybe if he does something grand enough, if he's the one to kill the Doctor, it'll be worth it. He'll be the one to have killed the Timeless Child, the Doctor. Now imagine how much it hurt so that he asked her to kill him too, to die with him. Maybe that's how he figures they can finally be together. Who knows.

I added some tags to this post, which I very much agree with, with my words about how the Doctor can be very controlling about their relationship, trying to make the Master something he isn't so he can feel not guilty about loving him.

Aaand here's my thoughts about The Doctor Falls and the scene I believe to be the most important Thoschei moment.

I also wrote this about the Master and how his jealousy plays out in his feelings for the Doctor, and I mean not only by wanting him but wanting what he has.

Long story short: the Master is a romantic he just takes bad flirting to a whole different level (destroying galaxies to get his crush's attention)

[faebriel]

ok ok I'm insane and couldn't pick one so have two (no need to answer both if you don't want to)

“You talk to him.” Not kindly, but he does.

“I’m used to him,” he shoots back. “I’m the only person who is.”

That makes Niki feel something, some uncomfortable tug in her chest. She mentally kicks herself. It’s not jealousy, she reminds herself, because despite the near-cliff jumping and the long nights without food and the nuclear fallout that has punctuated her last few months, being jealous of Tommy would be the least reasonable thing she’s allowed herself to be, maybe ever.

“You don’t believe me,” Tommy says flatly. “You never - eugh.” He cuts himself off with another ragged sigh, running a hand down his face. “Look, Niki, it’s - we were all together in Pogtopia, right? But I was there first. With him. And you didn’t see the start of it, it was horrible, and I’m glad no one else saw the beginning of it either but it was still just so shit and he kept saying all these terrible things about Tubbo and Fundy and you and,” he takes a shaky breath, “then, when I died, I saw him.”

Her breath catches in her throat.

Well, the voice in the back of her head whistles. If you were still wondering about all this afterlife bullshit, if you want to know where you’re going after your third life, here you go.

and

“You didn’t even - this isn’t about L’Manberg, Wilbur!” Niki shouts.

And then he stops, breathing hard, and he looks at Niki the same way he does whenever her voice is being drowned out in a crowd - the way he does when he wants to hear her, when he wants to know what she has to say.

“What else is there?” he asks.

Niki freezes. Stock still, unable to move, unable to breathe, ice threading its way through her gut, her chest, her shoulders, chilled down to the bone. With slow-dawning horror, she can feel hot tears welling up behind her eyes, sitting in her throat, threatening to spill over into a sob. She swallows - to keep her cool, to stay calm, to keep it together -

And then, something in her chest just snaps.

“You said you’d come back for me!” she cries, and her voice hitches on the lump of tears at the back of her throat and god, she sounds absolutely pathetic. Wilbur’s face softens immediately, which somehow just makes her feel even worse. “In Manberg. When Schlatt put me in prison, and you and Tommy were in Pogtopia, you said you’d break me out when it was safe. I waited for weeks , Wilbur. It was… it was horrible.”

“Niki…” a kaleidoscope of emotions flicker across his face, and he seems unsure which to settle on. “We got you out though, right? After the festival.”

“You looked for the button first,” she says quietly, and he stills.

Her sniffling sounds embarrassingly loud against the quiet background of night.

thank you sm!!! i’m gonna put these under the cut because they got a little long sorry (tw for discussion of suicidal ideation)

to preface: tommy is kind of the accidental but incredibly necessary invisible support beam for niki and wilbur’s making amends in bitter. niki cannot accept wilbur’s actions and apology without first acknowledging her own actions and making steps towards an apology, because otherwise it kind of falls flat? in that ending scene niki finally gets what wilbur is feeling and wilbur finally gets that someone else knows how he feels (it’s not perfect 100% yet, but…. that’ll get explored later)

onto the actual snippet! “tommy talks to wilbur - not kindly, but he does” was very important to me! tommy has stuck by wilbur ever since pogtopia, but the tragedy is that he is not equipped to deal with wilbur’s issues, and it shows. wilbur’s first stream after revival depicts this really clearly, where tommy tails wilbur around the whole time but insults him, is still stuck on calling him the villain, physically fights him at some point, etc. on one hand this isn’t healthy but on the other hand tommy is actually around, which is more than can be said for basically any other ally wilbur has had on the dsmp, maybe excluding his dad, who literally killed him lmfao.

this whole issue is exacerbated by the fact that tommy believes that he is the only person who properly understands wilbur, the only person who gets what happened to him, and feels like wilbur is generally his burden to bear. he failed to stop wilbur from both 1. hurting other people and 2. killing himself after the pogtopia-manberg war - and he doesn’t trust wilbur not to do either of those things again, so he’s stuck hovering around wilbur while wilbur is inadvertently setting off his own trauma and feeling responsible for any way he might fuck up and hating that but not wanting to leave. tommy’s memory isn’t perfect and he isn’t a perfect narrator, what he remembers from pogtopia the most were the scariest parts and that’s understandable but it means he’s holding wilbur to the worst expectations of behaviour (and he does so very vocally). the others showed up later, sure, but in tommy’s eyes he’s the only one who saw wilbur’s descent, and by the time they showed up wilbur had already changed irreversably. tommy tries to rationalise this by splitting the ‘different wilburs’ apart from each other in his head (he does this in canon too - there’s one quote from like late 2020 where he says he and tubbo need to keep on going for who wilbur used to be, not who he became, even though they’re,, the same person), and no one challenges that perspective, so he just keeps doing it even though it’s not healthy for him or wilbur.

and then limbo happened and, oh geez, THAT didn’t help jhfaskjjfsa

tommy is on a bit of a knife edge with niki in this fic. niki’s in this state of “ok, he’s annoying whatever, i’m moving on”, but all tommy knows is that she tried to kill him that one time, disappeared off the face of the map, joined a book club with two people who definitely do not like him, and now is just acting weirdly mellow and polite. she is not someone he wants near wilbur bc what the fuck is she gonna do? what is he gonna do? who knows. he’s frustrated that niki doesn’t seem to acknowledge how he’s feeling (especially bc once upon a time she would have been someone he trusted to acknowledge them - they were friends, they fought together) and he’s taking a big step by telling someone about his concerns here, especially bc tommy doesn’t really like talking about them at all. he wouldn’t be saying absolutely anything to niki if he didn’t truly believe she should stay away from wilbur, even if he’s wrong about him. (sometimes i think i write tommy as a little too emotionally mature here but it all goes out the window when wilbur’s brought up. idk if that balances it out)

ok onto niki: this is the first she has actually heard of limbo! she’s only just come around to the fact that resurrection is possible at all. death is kind of a touchy subject for niki both in general and re: wilbur in the fic - she’s coming off of a period in her life where suicidal ideation was, uh, a big thing (whether you want to read that into canon or not is subjective, that’s just the angle i went with in this fic). the sudden existence of a life after death, miserable as it is - and whether she really believes in such a place, when it only exists in tommy and wilbur’s words - that is a lot of information for her to absorb all at once. death is a weird connection point for tommy and niki here, coming right off of the fact that they’ve just acknowledged each other having those problems - tommy, out of, yknow, altruism, would very much like to keep niki out of that place, and niki is quietly reckoning with the fact that that is where she would have sent him. the concept of limbo from the perspective of a character with no experience of it, even secondhand, is so interesting to me like what kind of eldritch location would you feel like you’re living in asghjkl

(also - i gotta be honest the jealousy angle here but mostly when she’s talking later about dream not deserving wilbur’s companionship kinda came out after this post came across my dash while writing. whoops /j)

-

fun fact, this is the very first snippet of bitter that i ever wrote! all the way back in may!! this is like the moment of the fic - it's where the miscommunication that niki and wilbur have been having is shattered entirely - and so sticking the landing was uhhh kinda important to me lol.

wilbur's entire being in this fic is basically consumed by L'Manberg - he equates his self worth to it entirely. in his eyes, everyone (rightfully) hates him because of what he did to L'Manberg, because L'Manberg was corrupted and he himself with it, etc. niki tries to tell herself this, and while it definitely does form part of her issues with him, it was the betrayal that causes her this much pain - that he seemingly brushed her and their friendship off entirely when he supposedly left her for dead in manberg. because here is what we as the audience know: wilbur couldn’t leave niki in trouble when he heard her life was in danger, even when he was trying to find the button (pretty much the only thing he sees himself as having left at this point) and so he returned. here is what it looks like from niki’s perspective: wilbur told her to wait in manberg until it was safe to come to pogtopia, laid the place with TNT, went to blow up the place, and only returned when he couldn’t find the detonator (and then the first thing she saw him do in pogtopia was encourage the pit behaviour but that’s not what we’re talking about asdfgh). that is massive miscommunication and it’s been brewing between them for months - to make a quirky little reference to the title, niki has been carrying that anger with her so long it's gone bitter. it was never just about l’manberg with niki - not that anger, not her and wilbur’s friendship (hence the little flashback earlier in the fic, bc niki’s relationship to anarchism and statehood or statelessness juxtaposed with her friendships with wilbur and eret - she loves l’manberg bc she loves wilbur, but she loves eret too and those national ties don’t undermine that - is Real Interesting to me) - so when wilbur asks what else there could possibly be (because in his mind, what else could she have bothered staying around for?), she just fucking breaks.

“Niki freezes. Stock still, unable to move, unable to breathe, ice threading its way through her gut...with slow-dawning horror, she can feel hot tears welling up behind her eyes” - prose discussion time! heat and cold are two big throughlines in this fic - particularly for niki, cold is what she is. admittedly when i started with it i mostly wanted to subvert hot = angry and cold = dead but i kinda ended up enjoying this take on it for what it is instead of just as a subversion (also i like the idea of revived people running hot, their bodies r working hard to keep em going). she’s holding onto her feelings and refusing to deal with them, she’s frozen over. descriptions of cold are key to niki’s mental state throughout the fic - cold weight on her chest, feelings of frostbite when she and wilbur hug the first time, ice cold water during the dinner scene, waking up in the cold flat, etc. this was an attempt at describing a more visceral feeling of like, when you’re really mad and you can just feel the adrenaline running through your veins. always felt more cold than hot to me. when she starts to cry, the facade she’s been putting on is finally thawing out and cracking the ice she’s buried her feelings under. (also gives an excuse to write warm comforting hugs towards the end /hj). it’s a loss, it’s catharsis, it’s a whole mess.

and ofc this is all news to wilbur and he feels terrible, because as unintentional as it was, he really really hurt her - because the destruction of l’manberg fucking sucked but above all else wilbur hurt the people he loved because they loved him so much and not in spite of it, because they cared about him so deeply and his death was a massive blow to them. this hasn’t even dawned on him, because how could it? he respects deeply niki (lowkey respects her opinion more than his own at this point) so he has to listen, because it’s niki (“and he looks at Niki the same way he does whenever her voice is being drowned out in a crowd - the way he does when he wants to hear her, when he wants to know what she has to say” - because he does), and what she says fucking floors him. in his eyes, he failed her by putting her in danger and then by destroying her home - the idea that she valued him and their friendship so much flies entirely over his head until this moment, and he is forced to re-evaluate the mindset that has motivated him since… basically since pogtopia! the way i write wilbur is like… yes, he’s one of niki’s closest friends and he’s more aware of her insecurities and issues than most (which is why he does always take the time to listen to her, etc) but he does over-idealise her a bit. tbf, i think he does to some extent with everyone (calling tubbo strong on the anniversary stream, for example). also the fact that he really wasn’t around for niki’s lowest moments as a character! he still thinks of her the way she was in l’manberg - confident, steadfast, respected - and this moment shatters that for him as he realises exactly what effect he and his death had on her and everyone else, not just by his actions, but because they loved him and cared for him so deeply.

sorry that this got horrifically long!! and thank you so much for sending snippets in <3333

[everafterkeiji]

Summary: When your first Christmas with Suga turns into a bit of a sweet mess.

Pairing: Koshi Sugawara x gn!reader

Word count: 3.4k

Genre: fluff

A/N: god help me i wrote this on INSTINCT, dropped EVERYTHING for this baby. Also happy holidays my lil melodies!!

"Asahi please stop freaking out."

Sugawara says through the phone as he hears complains and whines from Asahi, panicking where he misplaced Suga's gift for Y/N. He strictly ordered Asahi to hide his present for you knowing it's all you've been talking about for months. Next thing he knows, Asahi calls him completely frantic acting like he's completely destroyed their friendship.

Suga laughs as he hears random sounds from objects assuming Asahi was carelessly running through his house finding the beautifully wrapped gift. Meanwhile he was preparing all the ingredients needed for these extremely adorable Christmas inspired cupcakes that he and Y/N found. He was looking at the list of the things needed before setting everything on the kitchen counter.

"SUGA I'M SO SORRY. WHAT IF I LOST IT?"

"Asahi you're the tidiest person I know."

"I RUINED YOUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TOGETHER. I'M SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON."

"Asahi! Please. It's too early and when you find it please just come over and bring it to me. Y/Ns got work from that cafe so we have time. I'll call you back okay? I'll just bake." He says before hanging up the phone, leaving a very stressed Asahi, feeling like there was a baring weight on his shoulders as he finds the gift.

Meanwhile Koshi has his tongue poking out as he figures out what the woman on the video just said. As he mixes the ingredients together, he can't help but smile when he realizes how important it was for the two of you.

As mentioned, it was your first Christmas together and this man was not going to pass up on the opportunity to show you how much you mean to him. You've got this lovesick fool wrapped around your finger, completely struck by your beauty and characteristics. You felt the exact same, feeling as if the gods gave you one of their prized possessions. How could you even deny the butterflies that surround you when he holds your hand, or even when he takes your bag on the way home.

Everything about him was already a gift from the heavens.

So here he was, completely forgetting what a budget meant, buying you the object you've been endlessly fangirling about it, even if you joked that you accepted him with a little bow wrapped around his head. Though he was willing to do it just to hear your laugh, he'd rather choose spoiling you instead. You can possibly imagine the way he looked, so confident swinging the little paper bag in his hands as he walked as if he won a lottery. He also bought you another gift that you didn't even request for. He just wanted to see the way your eyes would shine when you receive it.

As for you, you also forgot about your initial plan of spending less than what you expected. You didn't really settle on one thing, you had the cute idea of putting all the things he loved in a box along with all your photos together and with some heart warming letter you knew he would love. He loved the way you would stick notes on his favorite snacks and giving it to him when he was off to practice, or even the way he changed his alarm to you continuously telling him if he doesn't wake up he gets less hugs.

You figured that he adored your little acts of love instead of buying him a shirt or a sweater so you figured it benefitted your time preparation for his present. Also maybe buying everything that reminded him of you wasn't a brilliant idea.

It took you several days of torturing yourself from spilling the secret. You can never hide anything from your boyfriend- I mean how can you? One glance from his soft eyes was enough for you to surrender any information you've got so Daichi had to physically clasp his hand over your mouth just because he didn't trust that you have the ability to keep the secret to yourself. You thanked him knowing it was difficult to do especially when all you wanna do is ramble on how you found this plushie that you got him.

So when the universe put you two together, its absolutely the same for him.

He had to physically beg for Asahi to hide it from you knowing he was to be the least suspected one to just blurt out a secret. The con is Asahi was at the top for being anxious and being too caring. Though he deeply wished he picked Daichi, he figured he was practically a bridge for you two so he disregarded the idea. Seeing Asahi all worked up about the gift was quite humorous to Suga.

"Suga- honey do you know what that means?"

"Yes what is it darling?"

"We'll have our first Christmas together!" You exclaim, clapping your hands with a smile on your face as he chuckles draping an arm on your shoulder. He kisses the side of your head as you automatically lean into his touch.

"And I'm excited for everything, hun." He says with his heart jumping in glee at the idea of being under theChristmas lights with you, imagining you two snuggled up talking for hours just embracing the warmth of each other.

"Even New Years!"

Sugawara smiles as he reminisces the precious memories you two have made in the short amount of time. It amazes him how a person was able to consume his thoughts on a daily, how every second with you felt like he wanted it to last for a lifetime. You overwhelm his heart with so much adoration and he can't help but feel as if he was given a slice of heaven whenever he's around you.

"You do know Y/N likes you right?" Daichi asks as he sets the vice captains heart on fire with what he just said. Suga let's out a nervous giggle before waving his hand back and forth as an act of denial. Daichi laughs at his gestures, examining the pink tinted cheeks of his fellow teammate.

"C'mon, Suga."

"I-it's not like Y/N likes me back the way I do!" Daichi lets out another laugh as he runs a hand through his locks. Sugawara wipes the sweat from his forehead, finding it challenging to think about them having mutual feelings for each other. His mind can't focus on the probability of you two dating since he figured he'd feel as if he was on cloud nine if that were to happen. Another heat wave rushes to his cheeks as he shakes his head no.

"Koshi!" A voice shouts, making him yelp..his confession.

"YES I LIKE Y/N."

"ME?"

"Y/N?"

"SUGA!"

".. oh no."

He remembers how he wanted to faint that day, definitely disappointed he confessed to her opposite to what he had in mind. He wanted it to be in a calm place, only them with possibly a scenery in front of them but instead he got a funny confession, yelping like a girl before declaring his love in hopes what surprised him was Daichi but was faced with Y/N instead. In the eyes if the universe, it seemed too funny yet wholesome while Sugawara thinks it's too clumsy and could've been way better.

So with the disaster of a confession, he made it up to you by bringing you along on fantastic dates. Sugawara developing a habit of picking random things that you had on that date whether it'd be a tissue that you drew on a smiley face with, or the receipt of what you ordered that day. It was such a cute habit seeing him pick them up and just shoving it in his bag, he'll pretend he hid nothing but later on you saw a little box under his bed filled with the objects with dates on each of them.

"Koshi what's this?" You ask shaking the box in your hands as his eyes widen running to you and softly taking it away from your hands. He chuckles nervously, arms waving around you as if he was protecting it with his life. You laugh at his actions before attacking him from behind hugging him, trying to stop him from moving any farther. Suga let's out a war cry, desperate to not give into your embrace.

"NO I WILL NOT SURRENDER TO SUCH CUTENESS."

"WHAT IS IN THERE SUGA."

He trips as he walks, making you follow behind him, falling the same way he did. You fall to the floor laughing at the stupidity of you two. You were facing him as you take in the way his laughter was the best thing you've ever heard. He had his eyes closed with his smile brighter than the sun as his chuckle echoes through the room. You let your hand rest on his cheek before leaning in and kissing his temple. This quickly had the young man turn his head to you with flustered cheeks and sleepish smile.

"Seems like you're incredibly in love with me."

"What's so wrong with that?"

Before he could land a peck on your forehead, you grab the box from his hand earning a gasp of betrayal from your boyfriend as you quickly jog to a corner opening the box, and what was in this so called treasure chest was filled with random objects. As you take in the tissue in your hands, you see his handwriting on it with the date of your recent date. You smile as he comes behind you wrapping arms around your waist, resting his head on your shoulder.

"You know you're too cute for me, Suga. You're gonna make me have a heart attack with this."

"At least I can you were drop dead in love with me."

"Okay now- that wasn't cute."

This automatically carries a smile on your lips as you give the last customer their drink. Seems like everyone was affected by the chilly holiday feels since there were no customers that pissed you off like usual. Everyone was rushing to spend time with their families at home. Your family along with Suga's were spending the holiday together, happily welcoming the boy into your family. Although you found it funny when Suga acted so nervous when he was invited to spend it with them.

So as promised, your boss insisted everyone to go home early making you take your time in cleaning up.

-

"Asahi! You made it happy holidays!" Suga softly pats the ace's shoulder giving him a smile. Asahi does the same, setting down your gift on the table. Asahi takes a seat on the couch admiring the way the room was filled with decorations, with polaroids clipped with fairy lights, even a tiny Christmas tree in the corner borrowed from your parents.

"Seriously thank you for bringing it over, where did you find it?" Asahi chuckles as he removes his scarf.

"It was in my drawer all along. I thought I hid it in my cabinet so that's why I panicked." Suga shakes his head in amusement.

"I'd like to stay but my moms making me buy something from the store." Asahi says standing up. He hands Sugawara a box that was wrapped neatly with a gold ribbon at the middle. Suga's eyebrows were raised in confusion as he sees the little tag that said "To: Suga, From: Daichi and Asahi", he then smiles before handing a present to him as well. They both bid a thank you to each other before Asahi leaves.

As Suga leaves your present on the counter so he can continue cleaning up the mess he made from baking.

That's when he heard a knock to the door as he takes a peak in the little hole seeing his lovely lover standing in the doorway. Then he realizes that his present for you was just laying around and the kitchen was still pretty much a disaster. So he dashes as fast as he could.

You were replying to messages from Kiyoko and Yachi and he simply thanks the world that it was sparing him time.

And with such speed, comes with great responsibility. He accidentally knocks down the flour on the counter, where the tiny box was placed making it covered in flour making him puff in annoyance. With the dust making its way to his nostrils, this unfortunate makes him sneeze making the whip of air carry the flour residue land on his face, giving his face a powder like finish, along with his hair. This absolutely had him at complete shock as he hears the door open.

"Suga honey! Oh- what the hell happened." You say with a slight giggle as you snap a picture of your beloved boyfriend covered in flour. Looking back at the photo, you laugh even more, him swiftly hiding the flour covered box in his hands shoving it in his pockets.

"Y/N! Ah- I'm so sorry." He says before you set down your bag and remove your shoes as you set the cookies from the cafe on the counter. You take in how he looks with a frown on his plump lips as you smile softly before going over to him, your finger landing on the flour as your fingers swipe across your face joining him in the little flour art on either of your faces. He chuckles as his flour covered hands land on your cheek.

"How do you make it look so cute, sugar?" He asks as he gives a slight squish to your cheeks. You roll your eyes at his words as he places a delicate peck on your forehead.

"Are you sure it's really okay? I could clean this up all by myself you go ahead and take a shower!" He says but even if you insisted on helping him he disagrees.

"But-"

"Nope nope, I did this, it's my responsibility. Now shoo!" He says pushing your back to go on ahead and shower, the habit he's been doing to Kageyama and Nishinoya. You giggle at his actions before finally giving in to his demands.

During your well spent shower you hear a scream from the outside. You immediately grab your towel, wiping away the water in your eyes and wrapping it around your figure, frantically opening the door.

"Suga?!"

"Y/N wait no I'm fine!"

You look up to see smoke coming from the oven with your boyfriend in his adorable apron with matching mittens fanning his hands as he quickly brings out the tray of burnt cookies as you both lock eyes now both widening at the same time at the sight of you.

"Oh! Wait! Look away!"

"SUGA!"

"WAIT NO I SHOULD LOOK AWAY!"

Suga covers his eyes as he tries to stumble around the room trying to move around the counter. Thankfully, he screamed when you were finished showering so you grabbed the clothes you had from the room to help the poor boy, changing while he had his eyes covered. You still had your hair dripping wet but you immediately remove the hands from his face, revealing a very red Suga.

"Koshi, love. What happened?"

"I'm sorry! I can't believe I just messed up everything for our..first Christmas." Sugawara slides down on the floor feeling like he's lost all the time to make up for everything. Y/N sits beside him taking his had and leaning it your shoulder while your hands rummage through his hair, comforting him.

"Love, you didn't ruin it. I promise you that. If its any consolation, I think you look absolutely cute in your outfit." Sugawara lifts his head off your shoulder with a pout to his lips. You giggle at the sight of him before gently placing a peck on his pretty lips.

"And a frown doesn't suit it." You say before he chuckles bringing you into his arms, a move to hide his face. You laugh as he practically hugs you even tighter.

"Should we even bother to taste the cookies?"

"Oh please no I don't wanna go to the hospital on Christmas."

-

"Okay now gift giving time!"

Suga tugs on your hand underneath the table as you look at him, as he turns his head to the side signalling for the two of you to leave the table for a while. You excused yourselves. Suga leads you into the empty room as he excitedly sits down on the bed, and you followed his actions.

"So what are you up to, mysterious man?" You ask as Sugawara pulls out a tiny box from his pockets. Your eyebrows were raised, confused at the tiny little thing. He then goes behind you pushing back your hair as you feel a cold material hit your neck. Your fingers grazes over the thin material as you feel an circle charm on it that felt like there was distinct design from the texture. You close your eyes with a smile, already loving how he was so delicate. Once he locks it, you immediately hop off the bed rushing to the nearest mirror as your eyes set upon the dainty piece.

It was a gold necklace with a small disc charm in the middle with a letter S along with engravings of your favorite flower at the bottom. You gasp at how it was able to emit such beautiful details of the flowers. He wraps his arms behind you, resting his head on yours as light bounces off the mirror from where his finger was. Curious, you turned to him as you take a hold of each hand, then finding him wearing a ring with your initial with the same flower esque design on your necklace. It was placed in his ring finger and you covered your face, speechless at everything.

Suga takes this a sign that you were absolutely bewildered by his gift and he smiles as he pulls you into his arms.

"You're absolutely god-sent, it's unfair at this point." You say as he chuckles, he pulls away to see you pouting as he tucks a piece of hair behind your ear, letting his hand rest on your cheek like usual making you rest your cheeks weight on his hand.

"I know this isn't our only Christmas, we've got so many to go through. I just wanted us to start off strong with this. At least, even without a holiday or special occasion, we'll always feel like the other is around. Especially, it kinda looks like I'm married to you so what else can I complain about?"

You slap his chest jokingly feeling like the waterworks were coming to meet you. He pats your hair as he lets his eyes linger on you, setting your heart on fire with the way his eyes made you feel so safe and loved.

You wipe your eyes as you make your way to the cabinet, grabbing the present and handing it to him shyly. He remains silent as he opens the box to be greeted by his favorite snacks, an adorable plushie sprayed with your perfume, along with scattered letters and photographs of you two. He takes in one of the notes that his eyes landed on.

"My little ray of sunshine! Out of all the things I could say, you've left me speechless everytime. It's just pure luck that I managed to pull an angel like you. I genuinely hope you like this and not scold me for spending too much but how can I when I'm too in love with you? Merry Christmas, my love - Y/N."

He shouts in glee taking you by surprise as he basically tackles you on the bed, hugging you for the hundredth time today as he repeatedly kept saying thank you. You laugh, finally feeling relieved that he loved your gift. He sits up like a little kid reading every note that touched his hand and his eyes sparkle everytime. It surely was a sight that could make it feel like Christmas everyday. He hugs the plushie with all his love as you snap a photo of them, admiring the way his cheeks looked squished against the softness of the toy.

"Merry Christmas, honey." You say, curled up in his chest.

"Merry Christmas too, love."

He looks at you and he hums in happiness at the sight of the both of you, welcome in each others arms and nothing but endless smiles and laughter.

"I'm so in love with you."

"Good, believe it or not but I love you more."

[minettestan]

Do you have a tag for games you recommend? I'm always looking for new games and my experience with point and click or 90s computer games is sorely lacking.

💕My favorite question💕 I took one of my old posts and updated it, so here!

💕 Personal Favorite

💀 Scary Content

👧 Female Protagonist

✨ Important to the genre’s history

📚 Tricky for new players, look up controls or a walkthrough to get started

❕  Difficult

👿 Potential insensitive content

The Colonel’s Bequest (1989) $5.99 💕✨👧💀❕📚

“It is the year 1925, and the roaring '20s are well underway. As Laura Bow, young college student, you've been invited to visit the Colonel's isolated estate. Watch as the Colonel announces his intention to bequeath his millions to all present!”

The classic Sierra murder mystery game, developed by the mother of the genre Roberta Williams. Laura Bow is a sorely overlooked female protagonist. The game works by navigating Laura and typing in commands, kinda of tricky at first. Tons of game overs are a hallmark of a Sierra adventure game so save often! If you play the GOG.com version you get the benefit of autosaves. This game runs a timer, the events of the night will unfold with or without you so stay on your toes and keep moving! The game can be found for free here, but imo the $5.99 is worth it for the easy of access.

The Dagger of Amon-Ra (1992) $5.99 👧✨❕📚👿💀

“Laura Bow, intrepid heroine of The Colonel's Bequest, is back! This time she's trapped in a huge, imposing museum in the dead of night, surrounded by socialites, miscreants, thieves...and a cold, relentless murderer.“

Roberta Williams is back! Iconic game, iconic heroine. It’s still a Sierra game so like TCB there are tons of (iconic) game overs, so save often. Solving puzzles in this one gives me a great serotonin rush. Unfortunately, this game has some racism issues, particularly with the characters Lo Fat and Ramses. While an important game in the genre take it with a huge grain of salt and maybe turn of the (kind of awful) voice acting and enable text-only mode and you’ll avoid some awful accents.

Sam & Max: Hit the Road (1993) $5.99 💕✨

“Sam (a canine shamus) and Max (a hyperkinetic rabbity thing) are hot on the trail of a runaway carnival bigfoot across America’s quirky underbelly in this deranged animated adventure!“

Sam & Max are truly my favorite characters in all of fiction. I have the box art to this game as my phone case. I have Sam & Max action figures, a plush Max on my bed, a print edition of Sam & Max Freeland Police Special #1 framed on my wall. From comics, to games, to cartoons I love these guys. Sam & Max: Hit the Road is a classic of the Lucasarts adventure games. That being said, it’s the least user-friendly of the Sam & Max adventure games and the slowest. I still love it to bits and it’s important to the genre’s history imo.  

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993) $5.99 💕💀👿

“The adventure of Gabriel Knight starts with gathering materials for his new book, and ends up becoming a fight for his very soul. He must now face countless dangers in New Orleans, Africa and Germany, each bringing him ever closer to unraveling the mystery behind suspicious voodoo murders. Haunted by nightmares, he won't give up until he reveals the truth. “

Another Sierra game directed by a woman, Jane Jenson. Gabriel Knight, voiced by Tim Curry, is one of my favorite adventure game protagonists of all time. This game is scary and gory so enter at your own risk! I love the gameplay in this one, I love the narrator, I love the puzzles. But it seems Sierra games have some problems with the representation of minorities. The game is set in New Orleans and focuses on a voodoo cult. Which means consequently the game's major antagonists are all black. Unlike the Dagger of Amon Ra, Sins of the Fathers actually employed black actors to play black characters. There’s a lot to be said about the ways in which white media demonizes voodoo and those who practice it. If you play this one, remain critical. And for the love of god, don’t play the 20th anniversary version.

Day of the Tentacle: Remastered (1993/2016) $14.99 ✨👧❕

“Originally released by LucasArts in 1993 as a sequel to Ron Gilbert’s ground breaking Maniac Mansion, Day of the Tentacle is a mind-bending, time travel, cartoon puzzle adventure game in which three unlikely friends work together to prevent an evil mutated purple tentacle from taking over the world!“

Another classic LucasArts game! This was the first game co-headed by Tim Schaffer who would go on to make the outstanding Grim Fandango! This one is exceedingly wacky and the remastered version has made it more user-friendly than ever.

Toonstruck (1996) $9.99 💕

“Drew Blanc is a cartoon animator and the original creator of the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show.. Drew's boss, Sam Schmaltz, sets him the task of designing more bunnies to co-star in the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show by the next morning. However, the depressed animator soon nods off, suffering from acute artist's block. He wakes early the next morning to inexplicably find his television switched on, announcing the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show. Suddenly, Drew is mysteriously drawn into the television screen and transported to an idyllic two-dimensional cartoon world populated by his own creations, among many other cartoon characters.“

If you’re a fan of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? you’ll love this. Christopher Lloyd is Drew Blanc (ha) trying to save a cartoon world through inventory item puzzles. Truly wacky, zany, and ani-mainy. I played Toontown as a kid so I’m predisposed to like this one. This is also the only game with Full Motion Video I’m putting on the list because FMV games can be an acquired taste.

Grim Fandango (1996/2015) $14.99 💕✨

“Something's rotten in the land of the dead, and you're being played for a sucker. Meet Manny Calavera, travel agent at the Department of Death. He sells luxury packages to souls on their four-year journey to eternal rest. But there's trouble in paradise. Help Manny untangle himself from a conspiracy that threatens his very salvation.“

Yesssssssss! I LOVE Grim Fandango! The iconic game directed by Tim Schaffer has received the best remaster I’ve seen a point n’ click receive. I cannot recommend Grim Fandango enough! Stick with it through the forest section, trust me.

The Last Express (1997) $5.99 ❕ 📚

“Paris, 1914. The world is on the brink of war and this train could push it over the edge. You are Robert Cath, a young American urgently summoned by your old friend Tyler Whitney to join him aboard the Paris-Constantinople express, departing from the Gare de l'Est on July 24th. Arriving late, you discover something has gone terribly wrong. Now you must untangle a complex web of political intrigue, suspense, romance, and betrayal. Every move you make could bring you closer to the truth or your own demise. Bon voyage! “

Ooooh I love a murder on a train! This game features rotoscope animation, which I love. Like The Colonel’s Bequest this game runs in real time, meaning the events of the game will unfold with or without you, depending on where you are at what time you’ll receive different information or see/miss different events. Very replayable with several different outcomes.

Sam & Max Save the World (Remastered) $19.99 💕

“ Sam is a six-foot canine detective with a love of justice. Max is a hyperkinetic rabbity-thing with a taste for mayhem. Together, they're the Freelance Police. And they're about to save the world.”

Sam & Max Save the World, originally released in episodes from 2006-2008 has been remastered and looks AMAZING! After LucasArts was shut down their game devs formed Tell Tale Games and produced three seasons of Sam & Max sequel games, all of which are great. But TellTale was shut down (and screwed over their employees) in 2018. Since then some of their devs have formed Skunkape Games and are currently remastering all of Tell Tale’s Sam & Max series (I’m thrilled). They’ve also adjusted some aspects of the game to make the game more inclusive and less **offensive. So imo it’s worth it to wait for the release of the other seasons to experience Sam & Max in pristine condition. Save the World is the only season out now, but you can get the non-remastered versions of Beyond Time and Space, and In The Devil’s Playhouse, here and here.

 **I should note the “offensive” material in the original is not as egregious as say, The Dagger of Amon-Ra, but it’s just a nice change to see especially in a game I hold dear.

Emerald City Confidential (2009) $9.99 👧

“Explore the underbelly of Oz as Emerald City's most cunning detective! As Petra, you'll be lured deep into mysteries involving new foes and familiar faces; Scarecrow, Lion, and Toto included! This is Oz as you've never seen it before! Solve the mystery and unravel a conspiracy of magic and intrigue! Follow a case through five chapters full of puzzles, witnesses, suspects, and allies in this twist on a timeless classic! “

We’re moving out of the 1990s now. Emerald City Confidential is the Wizard of Oz meets film noir. I played this as 13 year old and have revisited it as an adult and I still eat it up. Wadjet Eye makes consistently good adventure games so check this one out!

The Blackwell Series (2006) $14.99 💕👧

“Meet Rosangela Blackwell, an embittered writer who just found out that she is a medium and that it’s her mission, whether she likes it or not, to assist tormented spirits and investigate other supernatural goings-on. She is assisted by the sardonic Joey Mallone, a ghost from the 1930s.”

Another Wadjet Eye game! I’ve seen these games recommended amoungst the Clue Crew before and I’ll just throw my own endorsement on the pile. Yeah I’m in love with Joey Mallone. What about it?

The Charnel House Trilogy (2015) $5.99 👧💀

“Witness The Charnel House Trilogy, the chronicle of one fateful night aboard a train bound for Augur Peak. Three thrilling, horrifying adventure games in one, from the depths of the Sepulchre.”

Plays like Blackwell, has a Blackwell reference at the beginning, okay you got me. This is a good, if kinda short, game. It’s very creepy, involves murder and has some gore/violence so watch out! I’m still waiting on the sequel Owl Cave!

Thimbleweed Park (2017) $19.99 👧

“A haunted hotel, an abandoned circus, a burnt-out pillow factory, a dead body pixelating under the bridge, toilets that run on vacuum tubes... you’ve never visited a place like this before.“

Made by Ron Gilbert and  Gary Winnick the creators of the classic games Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island Thimbleweed Park is a love letter to the classics of the point and click adventure genre. Features 5 different playable characters, ala Maniac Mansion, who and how many you play is up to you! This one also has stand alone DLCs!

Unavowed (2018) $14.99 👧

“ A demon possessed you one year ago. Since that day, you unwillingly tore a trail of bloodshed through New York City. Your salvation comes in the form of the Unavowed – an ancient society dedicated to stopping evil.”

Okay I haven’t actually played this one, but I want to. Its a Wadjet Eye so you know it’s good. From the reviews I’ve seen this is the Blackwell Series meets Dragon Age. A point and click that incorporates RPG elements, I love that.

I also have a love of the more, strange, and unusual adventure games that I can't necessarily recommend with good conscience. So if you want bizarre 90s and early 2000s games of dubious quality hit me up.

[makiema]

For SNK Positivity Week Day 1 : Character Positivity Day ||

Zeke Jaeger : A Character Sketch

This is going to be a long rant in appreciation of Zeke's amazing character arc. He's not really my favorite character but the reason why I picked him for the character positivity day is because his character is often misunderstood and he gets a lot of unjustified hate. I did that too at one point; tbh I hated him with a passion but I'd grow out of it and even begin to feel for him eventually.

First off, let's run a background check on him. He was obviously neglected as a kid. His eyes speaks volumes here in this panel.

At the age of five, when all a kid looks for is love and care, his parents imposed the responsibility of the whole world on his shoulders. At an age when a child has a hard time spelling correctly, he was expected to infiltrate the government, fight for his brethren, become a double agent and what not. The psychological toll on a child who faces negligence and abuse at home is unimaginable. Paralleling that with stats of recent times, it's seen that bullies often come from abusive families. That's how psychology works. Once you've been victimized, you'll project that on others. That is exactly what happened with Zeke. The reason why he appeared so sadistic was because someone else put through hell before. The reason why he failed to love and empathize was because he himself was denied feelings of warmth and love. A child learns to emulate what he has learned from his parents. Can you really blame him for failing in the beginning?

But then, as the story of his life progressed, a more humane side of his character was developed with the coming of Xaver. Xaver was the first person to show Zeke parental affection. His contribution in shaping up Zeke's fundamental character is noteworthy. Even though he gave Zeke the love that he needed, his influence was not at all something appreciable, something better than before. If Grisha and Dina had wrongly used their son to meet their own selfish needs, Xaver was the shrewder one who showed affection on the surface only to permanently mould Zeke into becoming a pessimistic, merciless individual who had little to no respect for human lives. Zeke already bore the scars of his past; Xaver rather than inspiring him and guiding him decided to gaslight him into somehow believing that his whole life is a mistake and the same goes for all Eldians.

Imagine prevailing upon a teenager, whose personality is just developing, an idea that horrifying. If you sugarcoat the idea of genocide and instill that in a teenager, what do you even expect him to believe in? Drawing from our world, this was a tactic employed largely by Hitler in Germany. The only reason so many young people voluntarily took part in genocide was because they were spoon fed terrible ideas and convinced of false righteousness by their most trusted ones (often members of the family). The people we look up to for guidance are our parents and then comes our instructors. Zeke was unfortunate when it came to both. His instructor was the one who made murderous ideas seem okay to him. He's not at fault; he was only a teenager looking up at an older person for guidance and perspective.

So from there on we see how Zeke actually becomes a double agent serving in the Marleyan army. He has nothing to lose. He wrecks whole towns but deep inside he feels nothing. This lies in direct contrast with Eren who had an upbringing full of love and warmth. Remember how Eren couldn't accept even one soldier's death whatever be the cause? Again, both the character arcs follow the basic lines of human psychology. Environment, circumstances, influence -everything goes in the making of a person. However, this is true only until a certain point. You cannot forever be a product of your surroundings so once pubescence is reached, you're expected to make your own choices. Levi asking Eren to make a choice has a great significance in his life. It makes him responsible for himself. Similarlyen Zeke met Eren, he also made a choice - a choice to love someone. For the first time, he actually learned to love; for the first time he honestly wants someome to believe him and he feels like he understands Eren. Zeke realizes that he shares a common ground with someone and seeks solace in him. He's just a forlorn character seeking love and understanding.

He did love his grandparents before and also loved Xaver, of course, but that was more of being loved and then returning it. When it came to Eren, he made a choice of giving love to his sibling in spite of knowing his true intentions. His victim complex immediately assumed that Eren was also a victim of parental abuse and he chose to take care of him like a big brother. He never once doubted Eren. Even for someone as cold and sadistic as him, even for someone who had just murdered hundreds of SC members without a second thought, love existed; and with this a possibility of redemption; a hope of adopting a new perspective at life - one that is not inspired from hate, abuse, negligence or pessimism. From this point onwards, Zeke's character arc takes an interesting turn.

Ever since he met Eren and got to talk to him, we've seen him trying desperately to protect Eren. He's a product of negligence and he believes Xaver saved him. Therefore, he wants to save someone he loves too. He loves his brother and Eren is the only one who matters to him. He'd go to any extent to protect him. Hence the "Onii-chan is here" in the ending of Chapter 117.

He is adorable and his love for Eren is exemplary sibling love. It can be even compared to the likes of Itachi, Ace, Lelouch and Tanjirou - the famous big brothers in the animanga history. In 118, he knows Colt feels the same way but Xaver took away the feeling of empathy from a young, naive Zeke and so he goes on ahead with the Scream. Is it his fault ? No, not really. He was never accustomed with the meaning of life. He was a child growing up amidst war and devastation who looked up to a wretched cynical figure as his father. How can we expect someone to attach significance to life when all he was made to believe was that he is somehow at fault just for being born?

This directly contrasts how Eren was made to believe that he's special just because he was born in this world. The contrast between the brothers is never so eminent as in here, in this astonishingly different approach towards life.

There is a quote in Banana Fish that goes like: "You cannot be loved unless you love"

Ever since Zeke took it upon himself to save Eren, to shower him with love and affection, he showed us a more humane side of him ; a side I'm sure even he didn't believe he had in him before he came across his brother. He opened a portal to a kinder world when he learned to love. He was a sad, unfortunate creature unloving and unloved for most of his life. But now that he has so much love in his heart, even at the moment of betrayal, he gets to know how being loved feels like.

I cannot even begin to elaborate on the shock and the disillusionment that Zeke had to face when he learned the truth- that Eren was the one who manipulated Grisha and not the other way round. The good thing that came out of this was that Zeke learned that he was genuinely valued by his father and that he trusted him to stop Eren. However, Eren ruins it perfectly when he throws salt on Zeke's open wound.

Of course, years of negligence cannot be forgotten and/ or forgiven at the expense of one tiny moment and Zeke is hesitant to call Grisha 'dad' at times

but at least he knows now that Grisha regrets his wrongs and that he loves him. Isayama had granted Zeke what he was long due, when Grisha confessed to him. Zeke's love for Eren is so pure, so selfless. Even when Eren says he had only used Zeke, even when he is rude and nasty with him, Zeke is convinced that it is all because of Grisha's brainwashing. He is so upset when he learns of Eren's betrayal in this panel.

Of course, Zeke's love for Eren seems to be leading him to nowhere and this is sort of payback for all his crimes but at least, with Chapter 121, it can be said that Zeke Jaeger is no longer a tragic unloved character. He was loved by his father and he more than deserved to know this. His character arc is churned out wonderfully. He began as a villainous character but then Isayama gave us a glimpse of how tragic his story is; from there on Zeke's character evolved and his development reached its peak with his sincere and genuine love for Eren. Gradually his sad arc that made him to be a pitiful unloved creature is resolved with a confession of love from the most desirable person, not to forget that this new found love also came with Grisha's faith that Zeke would be able to stop Eren. He saw how in the impending future Zeke's plan will fail but even so he still has faith that he's going to stop Eren.

-×××-

Wow this became longer than I expected it to be. But I have been getting a lot of feelings for Zeke recently and I felt like I had to highlight him for the character positivity day because he is so misinterpreted in the fandom. I really hope people forgive him because basically nobody is evil by choice, it's the effect arising from cumulative traumatizing experiences as a child.

[raendown]

For the prompt meme, #83 "Stay There. I'm coming to get you." Madara/Tobirama/Time traveler of your choice?

Like any other person with a functioning imagination - and yes, okay, any other person who read Icha Icha Back To The Past - Kakashi had imagined what it would be like to time travel at least a few times in his life. He never expected it to actually happen to him, though, which is why it was such a surprise to suddenly be dropped in to the middle of the warring states era with two deadly clans standing either side of him, each thinking he was working for the other side.

Making peace between the Senju and Uchiha wasn’t the easiest task he had ever assigned to himself. When he managed it before the death of Uchiha Izuna he allowed himself a nice mental pat on the back. If he remembered his history books correctly, the death of his younger brother was the catalyst for Madara’s mental breakdown and subsequent betrayal of the village.

In an effort to make sure history did not repeat itself, Kakashi kept a very close eye on Madara for the first few months once the village came in to being. Hidden in the shadows, he found himself with a front row seat to the most awkward courtship in history. Without Izuna’s death to breed such strong hatred between them, Madara and Tobirama were almost magnetically drawn to each other. 

Both of them proud men, it took a long time for either to make a first move. Madara broke first and Kakashi had the hilarious honor of watching the titan of the Uchiha clan attempt to flirt - as well as to watch Tobirama just not get it. It took several months, two dinners which were supposed to be dates but turned in to business meetings, and countless terrible innuendos before Madara finally got fed up. He showed up on the younger man’s doorstep with flowers and a thunderous expression and Kakashi nearly choked on his own laughter as he watched the light of realization reach Tobirama’s eyes. 

His own place in this mess was somewhat of a surprise. Only a little over a month later Tobirama pointedly asked why Kakashi had been following Madara around for so long. Ever since they started dating he’d gradually become more and more protective over his beau and while some found it terrifying, Kakashi just found it cute.

When he revealed that he’d done it purely for the entertainment value of watching them both fail at relationships, Tobirama had taken a moment to look slightly embarrassed before dropping a bombshell over his head.

He’d asked Kakashi if he wanted to join them sometime. 

A handful of months later and Kakashi couldn’t imagine his life without either of these men. It was much too early to be saying such things but he found himself thinking of forbidden words like ‘love’ and ‘forever’. To be honest it terrified him a little. 

For a long time he lived under the assumption that nothing terrified either of his lovers. That assumption lasted only until the day the Inuzuka clan joined their growing villages, when Kakashi discovered the one thing neither Madara or Tobirama had even known they had in common: they were both scared of dogs. 

Huddled together in the epicenter of a virtual hurricane of dogs, both men looked ready to bust out their most deadly jutsu in a bid to escape what they clearly thought was hell. Kakashi looked on for a moment with a fond, if amused, smile.

It wasn’t until Madara sent him a pleading look that he decided maybe he should help them out. He began wading through the sea of dogs, calling out to them as he wondered how in the world this had become his life. 

“Stay there. I’m coming to get you!”