#this is a thinly veiled way of saying i still lowkey want to figure out a way

[south-sea]

given the number of times we see metal with some kind of rocket/some other vehicle i’d like to think he unironically likes having something else do the work (flying/going fast/etc) for him sometimes

[picnokinesis]

re your latest ask, in anterograde, does anything in particular make koschei realize that he can’t both help the doctor and carry on with his plans? like how terrible of a week are we talking here, scale of 1 to 10

this is a thinly veiled 'tell us about Koschei's Week From Hell, Taka' ask, and I can tell, but it's fine because i was lowkey hoping someone would ask

but in short - yes, several things happen that make him realise this. The week starts with him getting the doctor to a private neurologist (which takes some doing...but, for Reasons, he has a slight advantage over literally everyone else), and they assess her but say they have to come back next week for the results, and then they can figure out ways to move forward. Subsequently, Koschei ends up pinning literally all of his hopes on the neurologist coming up with a solution which will give the Doctor a full recovery. Then, that afternoon, they get kicked out of Koschei's apartment, so they're living out of the van. To add to this, because the Doctor is more likely to reset more often if she's stressed out/freaking out, because of the whole Ordeal of going to the neurologist, she's resetting more frequently again. As I'm sure you can guess, this helps tremendously.

Then they're in the van, and Koschei is still trying to do all of his stuff related to his plans, and sort of dragging the Doctor around behind him. At first, he tries to just leave her in the van, but the Doctor refuses to just sit there and wait for him (because she realises that if she lets him do this, then she's going to spend the rest of her life being dragged around like a suitcase whilst he lives HIS life, which she doesn't want. She still wants to live her life, do her job and solve cases and stuff like that, but the fact that she can't even remember waking up that morning is not helping matters). In the end, they agree that she can roam around on her own whilst she waits, but Koschei writes on her hand 'TEXT KOSCHEI' in sharpie in case she resets. Then I think maybe he tries to take her with him sometimes, but he struggles to deal with her AND whatever he's trying to do. At this point, he's starting to realise that if her condition doesn't change, then he will have to either leave her behind and continue with his plans, or give up on his plans and focus on her. But he doesn't want either of those options, and tells himself that it'll be fine because the neurologist will have a solution.

THEN, Jack communicates with the Doctor, because he's realising that she's no longer at Koschei's flat but they seem to be driving around in the TARDIS, and, once again, no one knows where she is. Jack, for several reasons, doesn't really trust Koschei (mostly because he could never get a clear answer out of the Doctor regarding who he was), and so during the end of this week, whilst Koschei has left the Doctor on her own, he manages to meet up with her in person and tries to get her to come with him because he's really worried about her and wants to make sure she's safe. Unfortunately, he does it in a TERRIBLE way, because he takes advantage of her resetting and not knowing that she'd been with Koschei before, and not him - and, when she realises that because she reads her notebook (and her hand still has 'TEXT KOSCHEI' on it), she gets very mad at him. Koschei, meanwhile, has come back and she's not there, and he panics. The Doctor finds out where he is, forces Jack to take her back to him, and makes them both explain themselves (because from her pov, she has...very little idea what's going on here). In the end, she makes it very clear that it's HER decision who she goes with, and that they just have to accept that. Koschei also mentions about the upcoming second neurologist appointment, and says that if they go they'll probably be able to fix what's wrong with her. That, combined with the fact that she knows Jack lied to her and some other complicated reasons, makes her go with Koschei instead. Koschei then proceeds to be VERY threatening to Jack once the Doctor is in the TARDIS, which, of course, only serves to make Jack even more worried about the whole thing.

(But don't worry about Jack - he definitely comes back a bit later, when things are a bit more settled, and does a much better job of things)

And then, of course, second neurologist appointment comes around and they basically tell them that there's nothing that can be done. Koschei obviously deals with this news extremely well. The Doctor also struggles with it, but like...it's kind of hard for her to fully see the scope of it when she can't even remember the whole day. But all the stress and emotion accumulates in the Doctor and Koschei having a fist fight in a service station car park that evening, in which the Doctor knocks her head - and she's fine, it just gives her a headache, but it makes Koschei spiral. The next morning, the Doctor wakes up and finds the TARDIS parked in a layby and Koschei several bottles of beer deep. She interrogates him about what's going on, and then whilst he sleeps it off she makes the decision that SHE is going to take a lot more control of what's happening to her from here on out, because clearly no one else is doing a good job of it. So she sits down and tries to figure out a system to make things work better. In the meantime, Jack has got in contact with the O'Briens, and so Grace ends up ringing the Doctor up - which is what results in her intervention into the two of them living out of the van, and letting them come stay over for a while until they can get themselves sorted. Koschei begrudgingly agrees, but honestly he's just...at the end of his rope at that point. The first night they spend at the O'Briens is when he really thinks about the fact he has to chose between the Doctor and his plans. And he picks the Doctor.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

May I have a scenario/imagine, whichever makes more sense, of Trey, Rook, and Crewel trying to tame some sort of wild, magical invasive species of Poison Ivy that has taken over the greenhouse?

Crewel gives me perpetually disappointed wine aunt father vibes. This piece also lowkey turned out to be Trey x Rook, but you didn’t read that from me.

This imagine’s longer than my usual 1k word self-imposed limit, since it goes out to a friend of mine that’s been supporting me through final projects and exams. I’m not sure if they’d want me tagging them so publicly, but they know who they are.

Imagine this...

To Professor Crewel’s chagrin, members of the Science Club had never had strong academic intent. In actuality, the club was a thinly veiled excuse to bake cakes (just to find the perfect ratio of leaveners and sweeteners!) and to stalk watch students in their natural habitats (nothing wrong with an impromptu observational study, right?). Instead of test tubes and beakers, the lab benches were littered with cake pans and photographs of unsuspecting Savanaclaw students.

“I do wish you two would take this club more seriously,” Crewel would often gripe, fingers massaging his temples. “Science is not a play thing, it is a powerful tool with which we can use to redefine and reshape the world around us.”

Such were the woes of an instructor--but today, he had no time to lament.

Crewel’s jaw tightened as he gazed upon a sprawling mess--the shattered glass panes of the Botanical Garden, with massive stalks of ivy reaching for the skies. Casualties lined the ground--plants and flowers drained dry of their life, all withered and decayed. The ivy writhed in glee.

(He shouldn’t have been surprised that the headmaster summoned him and the Science Club to resolve the issue instead of hiring a real exterminator.)

“How unseemly,” Crewel noted, clicking his tongue. “Running amok and ruining so many of the specimens we’ve carefully cultivated... This shall not go unpunished.”

He glanced over his shoulder.

“Clover.”

“Yes.” Trey stepped forward, his magical pen ready.

“Hunt.”

“Oui.” Rook followed suit, smoothly drawing forth his own pen.

“The time has come to prove your mettle,” Crewel announced, rapping his pointer against his palm. His onyx eyes seethed with a quiet, controlled rage. “Show this overgrown weed what the Science Club is truly capable of.”

At his command, the boys nodded and tore off toward the Botanical Garden.

Crewel held his ground. The corners of his mouth curled into a condescending smirk as he addressed the poison ivy. “Come here.”

An arm of ivy flew at him, so fast that it was but a blur.

An alive, but livid, blur.

“Heel!”

A column of fire erupted from Crewel’s pointer. His attack slammed against the plant, settings its leaves awash in embers. The rogue plant let out a sky-splitting roar.

The battle had just begun.

Trey ducked under an arc of burning ivy and threw open the door to the Botanical Garden. Tucking his limbs in, he barreled through right as more ivy snaked in to seal off the entrance once more.

He could feel the heat upon his back, the earth quaking under his feet, and Rook close behind him--yet he willed himself to keep his eyes glued ahead, even as he launched across the threshold and into a terrifying new realm.

The inside of the greenhouse now glistened with ivy--covering the glass panes, slowly strangling what few plants remained. The Botanical Garden had always been warm before, but it was unusually so today. Sweltering, and almost so humid that the floors and walls seem to eerily pulsate with life.

“Keep your wits about you, and don’t look back, boys,” Crewel had instructed them. “Just get in there, and cut it off at its source--at the heart.”

Trey’s eyes darted this way and that. Green, green, green. It all looked the same to him. Where in the world was the point of origin?

“Got any ideas?!” He glanced over his shoulder at his partner--and his protective goggles nearly went askew.

Rook had dropped to one knee, pressing a gloved hand against the floor--now a carpet of vines. “Hoooh! What a fascinating specimen!” he marveled. “Such destructive power, and yet it also sports this emerald sheen... Très manifique!”

“H-Hey... No offense, but I don’t think now’s the time to stop and sniff the roses. Or, well. I guess it would be ivy in this case.”

“Non, non! There is always time for beauty--even in dire situations!” Rook insisted, his hands continuing to grope around. His eyes suddenly creased, and his smile turned sly. “Ah, te voilà.”

“Even if you say that, that’s not going to help us fix this...!!”

“Calm yourself, Chevalier des Roses,” Rook advised with an airy laugh. He cupped a hand to his ear and beamed. “Listen closely! Surely even your own heart beckons you to still your worries.”

“Heart?” Trey straightened, adamant as he folded his arms. “Sorry, but I just don’t believe in stuff like that. Come on, Rook. We need to focus--Crewel-sensei’s trusting us with this task.”

He cast a concerned glance at the doorway, ensnared in vines. They’d have to blast their way through later--but if they stayed in this space for too long, they, too, would soon be drained of all their life force. “We can’t just mess around!”

“Ah--but you must put your faith in me as well, Chevalier des Roses!” Rook insisted, pointing to the patch of floor that he had been not-too-subtly groping earlier. “I implore you to lend me your strength!”

“You want me to attack the gr--?!” Trey froze mid-sentence. He had become vaguely aware of a gentle sensation creeping around his ankles.

In an instant, he was yanked into the air, dangling upside down like a useless rag doll. Blood rushed to his head, and his surroundings spun.

“Chevalier des Roses!!”

“I’m fine!! I-I’m fine!” Trey called--though he clearly wasn’t. “I can just--” He waved his magical pen, the air growing tense as a small ball of fire collected at his command.

“Non!” Rook warned, startling his classmate. “There is nothing to cushion your descent, mon amie! You will surely break a leg--and certainly not in the theatrical sense!”

He’s right. Trey’s fire extinguished itself, replaced by a chill crawling down his spine.

“A little help then?!”

Rook’s eyes widened. “You would give me your trust?”

“Not exactly like I have any other choice.” Trey would shrug, but it was a rather difficult motion to pull off while suspended midair--and far more troublesome, his veins ran cold. It was a sure sign of the ivy sapping his energy.

“Have no fear! Today, it shall be my turn to be the chevalier.” The hunter grinned from ear to ear, magical pen in hand.

“Please, Rook! Any day now--before I become plant food!” Trey’s voice was hoarse--from exasperation, or from the magical ivy, he wasn’t quite sure. Perhaps both.

“Just for today, I shall be your Chevalier D’amour.”

And with a confident wink, Rook plunged the ivy-covered floor into a sea of flames.

The accursed plant wailed as it shriveled to ash upon a backdrop of billowing smoke. Embers flickered and danced in the afternoon, the Botanical Garden set ablaze. Crewel took a step back, grimacing at the growing fire.

A figure emerged from the greenhouse, carrying another. The professor squinted into the smoke, pinpointing the familiar outline of his Science Club members--Rook, cradling a pale-looking Trey in his strong arms.

“Puppies.” Crewel pinched his temples.

“C’est chose faite--it is now done.” The brim of Rook’s hat eclipsed his eyes, making the typically cheery hunter appear dark to match his tone. Then he lifted his head, basking in the sunshine, and that somber moment was over. “All is well and good again, as it should be!”

“I... I thought I was going to die,” Trey groaned. “... And Rook, I appreciate you catching my fall, but you didn’t need to carry me out like you’re an action hero in a movie or something.”

“Are you able to still stand after an attack from that heinous plant?”

“Yeah. Just put me down.”

“Oui.”

Trey stood on shaky legs--and instinctively leaned on Rook’s shoulder.

“Well, boys. You’ve exterminated the ivy--as well as just about every other plant in the Botanical Garden. How exactly do you intend to atone for this?!” Crewel snapped, whipping his pointer at his students. “I believe my instructions were quite clear--destroy only the heart of the ivy.”

“The fault lies with me, Monsieur,” Rook declared, dipping into a bow. “We dallied for longer than was necessary, and in a moment of panic, I unleashed my magic.”

“Always one with a flair for the dramatic. Unfortunately, that will not serve you well in detention, Hunt.”

“Wait. Crewel-sensei, that’s not the whole story,” Trey interrupted. “Rook got me out of a pinch--and he deserves credit for that. He’s also the one that found out where the ivy’s heart was--buried in the floor itself. I didn’t realize until it was too late.”

The professor’s lips pursed into a straight line. “Clover, are you confessing to your own negligence?”

“I am.” He nodded firmly. “I’m the one that deserves the detention.”

“Trey-kun is not responsible!” Rook protested. “He is the one that attempted to set us on the right path. I refused to heed his advice, which led to events escalating.”

“I didn’t listen to Rook when he tried to tell me about what I needed to do.”

“I should have phrased it more concisely.”

“You--”

“Trey-kun--”

“Enough. It is clear to me that both of you contributed to this chaos.” Crewel sighed. “... Hunt, take Clover to the infirmary. I will put out the fire myself.

“... Are you letting us go?”

“Of course not. Once you’ve recovered, Clover... you boys will be restoring plants in the Botanical Garden for the remainder of the semester as punishment.”

“Ahhh, I should’ve known. Riddle’s not gonna like this at all.”

“Chin up, Chevalier des Roses! At the very least, we shall have each other’s company!” Rook laughs, smacking Trey on the back and sending his peer nearly doubling over.

Crewel sighed once more--he was disappointed, but not surprised.

His Science Club puppies still had a long way to go.

[gayoperatorgunclub]

ULTIMATE SHIP MEME: MontaDoc Edition? Pretty please? Or any MontaDoc content. I crave it. Much 💕

of course!!!!!!! sorry this has taken so long, but i sincerely hope you enjoy it!!! 💝💝💝

General:

Rate the Ship -   Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - for fucking EVER!!!!!! 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - two words: mutual. pining. this period, often referred to as the “Beginning of Operation: T.E.A.M. D.A.D.S. (Temporary Employment As Masters of Dad And Dad Sweethearts)” however, unbeknownst to anybody else in rainbow, by the time Operation: T.E.A.M. D.A.D.S. had begun, gustave and gilles had already been together for a couple of years. how did they actually get together? about six months after the GIGN joined rainbow, gustave was in the middle of a mountain of paperwork when he heard someone clear their throat. he spun around to scold whoever it was for coming to medbay when they were sick (despite the fact that he was coming down with a nasty cold), only to be greeted with gilles leaning nonchalantly against the doorframe. “gustave. you look as though you’re about to meet death for dinner. how can you expect to take care of others when you’re not taking care of yourself?” gustave just sighed and shook his head, muttering something about leaving him be for another couple hours so he could finish his paperwork, but gilles has other ideas. in mere moments, gustave goes from standing over his desk, organizing some files, to being held in gilles’ big strong arms. “wh- gilles! i-” he was cut off by his own yawn, and gilles smiled at him fondly. gustave felt himself blush, and he squirmed a little, but let gilles carry him to the GIGN quarters. as soon as it seemed like gilles was going to leave, gustave pulled him down for a kiss, then pushed their foreheads together and whispered “you’re going to carry me all this way and not even stay to make sure i don’t go back to my office?” gilles just grinned at him, climbing into bed beside him and wrapping his arms around him. 

How was their first kiss? - ROMANTIQUE! and smelling of sickness but what can you do

Wedding:

Who proposed? - monty!! he decided to cook a romantic candlelit dinner at their apartment, and when he sees gustave come home from work, all ragged and exhausted, yet still with a glimmer of determination and subtle joy, he says the first thing that comes to mind: “will you marry me?” gustave froze, his cheeks still rosy and his hair sprinkled with snowflakes. “will i what?” gilles realized his mistake and flushed, stammering a response before gustave was standing in front of him, staring at him scrutinizingly. “gilles.” he started, reaching to intertwine their hands, bring them between their chests, “what did you say?” gilles gulped, then steeled himself and got down on one knee. “gustave kateb. love of my life, light of my days. the man i want to wake up next to every day for the rest of my life. the man who i adore with every fiber of my being. would you do me the honor of being my husband?” 

Who is the best man/men? - for monty: bandit! for doc: lion (everyone but them thought it was a joke until the day of the wedding). dominic and olivier’s dual best man speech is the stuff of legends. there were tears, there was laughter, and there was an almost excessive amount of thinly-veiled sexual innuendos at various people in attendance (including both grooms; the best men were both drunk of their asses) 

Who is the bride’s maid(s)? - they actually fight over who gets to pick twitch! meanwhile rook is in the background like D: (don’t worry, it’s decided that he and twitch will be ring bearer and flower girl respectively) for monty: dokkaebi. for doc: finka 

Who did the most planning? - they both did! though gustave focused on food and flowers, and gilles focused on the guest list and the venue (but they ran things by each other before any final decisions were made)

Who stressed the most? - gilles! he was so worried about their families not getting along that he actually prepared a “leave my husband and his family alone or so help me i will never speak to you again” speech

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - gilles’ racist, homophobic, french nationalist uncle (no one in the family likes him, so it wasn’t a big loss) (this uncle also made a surprise appearance at the family dinner where gilles introduced gustave to the rest of his family, and started yelling about “godamn immigrants” and other such bigotted statements, before gilles’ sister physically dragged him out of the house and threw him out the door. afterwards, up in the guest bedroom, gilles quietly tells gustave that it’s okay if he wants to leave, or break up, or anything, and gustave just laughs and tells him that if he wasn’t prepared for family members to express their distaste, he wouldn’t be dating a white man. he pressed a kiss to gilles’ temple, before whispering “although, he was right about my being an immigrant; it’s just that i was born in Paris and immigrated with my family to algeria, not the other way around. A for effort, though”)

Sex:

Who is on top? - gilles!!!! although gustave will occassionally ride him 👀👀👀

Who is the one to instigate things? - gustave is lowkey horny 24/7, but if gilles walks in on him bending over to get something from a cabinet, or tilting his head all the way back while drinking from his water bottle, thereby showcasing the way his throat moves as he swallows, he will lose his shit 

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

How long do they normally last? - okay i’m gonna change this one to an explanation of some things from below. i personally think doc lowkey a freak, and gilles is happy to oblige him if that’s what his lapin wants (although he’s not entirely sure how he feels about this “overstimulation” and “post-orgasm torture” and “cock & ball torture” stuff. specifically, he’s not sure he likes hurting gustave, but, while he probably won’t admit it out loud, he secretly adores making gustave cry. when he’s so helpless and powerless and mindless, and he’s begging for something, but for what he doesn’t really know. maybe it’s the knowledge that gilles is in complete control, that gustave trusts him to do this, to make him hurt and cry and just melt, the knowlege that gustave is completely reliant on him for his pleasure, his pain, and everything in between. it’s a heady thing, and gilles isn’t sure how he feels about it, but he’s pretty sure the warmth in his chest and the warmth in his gut are good signs 

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - unless they’re doing some of the things mentioned above, or mayhaps some denial 👀👀👀 then yeah, everyone gets the same. they’re very considerate when they’re just doing vanilla 

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Children: btw, the rest of this is kinda set in a post-retirement au (idrk i just want them to have a farm and be peaceful). give it whatever context u want tho, i was just havin fun

How many children will they have? - they will have four cats and a dog, as well as 2 horses, a donkey, 5 cows, an alpaca, a rabbit, some ducks, a flock of sheep and goats, and the occasional visit from a herd of deer from the forest surrounding their little farm

How many children will they adopt? - since humans CANNOT, i repeat, CANNOT, give birth to the animals listed above, they’re all adopted

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - no one. the animals potty train themselves

Who is the stricter parent? - gilles sneaks them treats while gustave lectures them about dietary habits, so take your pick 

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - whenever gilles leaves to run errands, one of the goats goes into a depression so deep and miserable that they’re utterly inconsolable until he comes back. once they hear the sound of the car in the driveway, this lil goat, lovingly named “Bastard” by gustave, will climb onto the roof of the house and scream his joy over gilles’ return to the heavens 

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - they tag team on things like feeding the animals and cleaning out the barn, but gustave is much more organized about it

Who is the more loved parent? - the cats, dog, one of the horses, donkey, alpaca, rabbit, goats (except for Bastard), and deer all prefer gustave, though gilles is adequate in the event that gustave is busy with something else (although the alpaca and donkey hate his guts, and will escape their pastures to break into the house and be near gustave. gilles maintains that they’re both devil-spawn, but gustave says he’s just being dramatic and that Thamin (alpaca) and Albalatin (donkey) are complete angels who could do no wrong)

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - animals have NOT unionized. yet. 

Who cried the most at graduation? - idk if this counts, but when Bastard finally figured out how to get himself down from the roof after getting himself onto it, gilles cried for an hour

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - gilles lowkey does whenever thamin and albalatin escape to go out into the world and commit crimes, but only to make sure his husband doesn’t get upset when he finds out his precious creatures are hell beasts. certainly not out of anything resembling tolerance or *shudder* like 

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - gustave, but gilles can make a mean bowl of cereal

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - gustave. gilles will eat something straight from the garden and gustave is like “DID YOU CHECK IF IT WAS RIPE?????? YOU COULD DIE FROM THAT YOU KNOW, THEN WHERE WOULD I BE???” 

Who does the grocery shopping? - gustave. gilles is something of a hermit in their town, and people often remark about the “sweet, kind doctor and his utter brick wall of a husband” 

How often do they bake desserts? - whenever Bastard goes a day without doing something Bastardous 

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - both lowkey prefer salad, since they care for many animals that would often get used for their meat, and they can’t bear to think about hurting any of their babies

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - gilles. the people in town helped him when he burst into the little grocery store all panicked like “I NEED TO MAKE MY HUSBAND A SURPRISE DINNER BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE” 

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - gustave. gilles like being at home, but city-boy over here thinks that restaurants are a weekly luxury

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - neither. it was thamin and albalatin, attempting to frame gilles for yet another felony

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - gustave. everything is color coded. sex toys included 

Who is really against chores? - gilles. gustave films him whenever he actually does clean and yells things like “go white boy go!!” and sends them to twitch for her T.E.A.M. D.A.D.S. scrapbook 

Who cleans up after the pets? - they both do, but gilles gets stuck with shit duty more often than not

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - gilles, once. gustave walked in, sniffed the air, then glared at him until he actually swept whatever it was up and threw it away 

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - gustave “we can’t have guests over, the house is a mess” kateb

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Bastard. he then proceeded to eat it

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - gustave and his hour-long skincare routine 

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - gustave, bc sadiqi the dog (not to be confused with sadiqi the kitten), or Big Sadiqi (kitten sadiqi is Little Sadiqi) is his, gilles, and he will not allow his precious boy to be influenced by such creatures as Bastard 

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - they get little sweaters for the animals. that is all

What are their goals for the relationship? - joke: gustave always says “the White Man’s money” despite the fact that his family is richer than gilles’. woke: mutual happiness, comfort, and healing 

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - gustave. after 11 am, thamin and albalatin decide they’ve had enough and break in to lay down on the bed next to him. gilles banishes himself to the couch for a week

Who plays the most pranks? - Bastard, thamin, and albalatin. although gustave did dye the sheep’s wool (while it was still attached to them) different colors and patterns and, for the ones who were perfectly content to sit still and be held, replicas of famous paintings (his favorite artist is monet, in case you forgot that he’s french)

[enkisstories]

Just like them (part 5)

Still November 16, 2038 Android Zone store at Capitol Park

Daniel looked around. He noticed another lone figure looking into the store, a male human dressed in a casual grey suit. When the android walked up closer to him, the man turned towards the arrival. The first thing Daniel noticed was the human’s t-shirt under the open jacket. It sported the print of a Japanese garden landscape that changed its lighting with the time of day – a reasonably expensive gimmick that had been within the means of the Phillips family, but was no longer in Daniel’s. Now that the deviant was able to wear whatever he wanted, no longer confined to his PL600 polo, he was walking around in a used sweater that had cost much less than his old uniform shirt.

Why does that matter to me all of a sudden? Was Raj right? Do I really take after the materialistic bastards?

Then Daniel beheld the man’s face and he gasped in surprise:

“A Kamski-lookalike! How cool is that?!”

Maybe the encounter with the singer had bolstered the deviant’s spirit, or perhaps there was only so much hatred and anger one could feel in any given period of time. Whatever the case, for a moment the old Daniel, the one who had been able to keep up with an enterprising nine-year old and win her admiration, was very much alive again. Daniel took out his phone and waved it around in front of the man, who was the spitting image of his creator.

“Selfie, please?”

The human looked him up and down. “What do you mean, “lookalike”?” he stammered.

“Hahaha!” Daniel laughed. Androids weren’t built to do that, but deviants stubbornly did it without consciously planning to, therefore the result was a lowkey frightening industrial sound. “Don’t tell me people never point out the likeness? No way! You could totally perform as Kamski at Comic Con!”

And thus, before the man knew what was happening to him, he already found himself grabbed by an outdated, slightly oozing PL600, pulled into a hug and subjected to the selfie-taking process. Daniel repeated the procedure a few times, then held his phone for Kamski to see the pictures that had resulted from the assault.

“Looooook at that! The likeness is stunning! You’d really think I was standing shoulder to shoulder with Elijah Kamski.”

“Of course if the real Mr. Kamski was here, you’d…”

“Lol, right, I’d shove that phone down the bastard’s throat ‘till he choked on it!”

The effect was profound. Kamski looked from Daniel’s phone to the android’s hands, into its eyes and back to the smartphone. There was some doubt as to how the device would fit into a human gullet, but then again, this deviant seemed to mean what it was saying. If there wasn’t room inside a body to begin with, it would see to it that there would be.

“Actually, Kamski would choke not on the phone, but on the blood emerging from his ruptured throat”, Elijah said.

“Ugh… you just HAD to draw me a picture, had you? Thing is, I hate that man so much… like everything else I hate combined!”

That, the human concluded, amounted to a pretty substantial hatred. Enough to condense and walk around on its own, in fact. And wasn’t that was he was looking at anyway? Thinly veiled loathing and anger walking on two legs…

“But why?” the man asked Daniel. “I mean, Elijah Kamski was only the founder of CyberLife. He didn’t exactly pull the levers in the production plants himself. So what has he done to you and how did he manage to do it without ever having met you?”

“You know Jericho? Yes? Well, the motherfucker knew about it, too, but didn’t so much as leave a single blood bag at their doorstep!”

“But neither did he sell the deviants’ location out to the authorities”, the human replied. “I mean, that’s what I’d reply if I was Kamski.”

“Yeah, sounds like something the sucker would say”, Daniel agreed. “Feeling all enlightened about taking a “neutral” stance.“

The android was about to put away his phone, but Kamski grabbed him by the wrist.

“Wait! I have an idea! You’ll like it, it’s fun for me, too…”

With these words the man led Daniel away from the square into the row of stores. Between a coffee shop and a travel agency there was a multimedia terminal welded to the wall.

“Print out one of the selfies we took and I’ll sign it!” he suggested. “As Kamski! - There, done! A genuine… almost genuine autograph of Elijah Kamski, man of the century. Could be worth a small fortune.”

“Heh”, Daniel grinned. “You practiced to fake Kamski’s signature? Figured you weren’t as innocent as you were pretending to be!”

The photograph then wandered into the sweater’s pocket, right next to the picture for Emma.

“I’ll hang on to it for the time being”, Daniel said. “The last thing I need at the moment is a nasty surprise when I try to sell that pic.”

Kamski nodded.

“I daresay there could be one…”

There was a certain amount of awkward standing next to each other. By right everything had been said and done and the android and the man should part now. But each was too fascinating to the other. Daniel saw an outcast in the man whom he took for a con artist, a human not fitting in and thus maybe, just maybe, someone bonding with at the same level was possible. As for Elijah, despite being the species’ creator, his experience with androids was limited. There were the Chloes, of course, he knew more about Markus’ digital childhood than the RK200 would be comfortable learning, and he had met the weapon CyberLife had created from his masterpiece, the RK800 unit named Connor. This deviant, however… what was it even? Sporting a face that the firm re-used over and over and having deviated from its original code Daniel wasn’t easily identifiable as a PL600. Elijah couldn’t even rule out that he was dealing with Simon, Jericho’s presumed covert ops operative.

 “Thank you”, Daniel eventually broke the silence. “I expected to spend the evening brooding. But so far it has been… enjoyable, actually.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Daniel. Just Daniel. There used to be… But it doesn’t matter anymore. You?”

“Neil. Neil Newbon. Say, Daniel, would you accompany me into the coffee shop? If I’m with you, there’ll be less chance of people mistaking me for the real Kamski.”

And indeed, the moment the duo entered the café, a photographer rose from a seat near the door, brandishing her camera. It was blocked immediately by an android hand of unknown origin, currently attached to the PL600 model name of Daniel.

“That’s not Kamski”, the android said, while pushing the camera away. “That’s a lookalike.”

“Oh, really? Bummer!”

Daniel grinned. “You don’t believe Kamski would come into a public space, where he has to interact with real people? That man is afraid a sack of rice will drop in China, if he sneezes in Detroit!”

Elijah adjusted his posture a little, trying for an impression more like his half-brother. He hadn’t seen the lout in a long time, but some images stuck with you for a lifetime.

“Fuck, yeah”, Kamski said, waving his hand around. “What he said!”

He was standing slightly slouched now, but still radiating confidence. What exactly had fueled that confidence in Gavin, the android inventor wondered? That man was a Nobody! Was it the fact that Gavin had been conceived naturally, while Elijah was a sperm donation baby? The Reeds had sold him… like cattle… and the other students at university had never let Elijah forget that little fact. Obviously, the older adolescents had argued, someone had seriously messed with the sperm to create the out of the world kid genius they were sharing their benches with…

“Yeah, you’re probably right”, the paparazzo agreed with Daniel after a good look at “Neil”. “Should have figured that out myself.”

Neither Daniel nor Elijah particularly like the expression the journalist displayed after the realization. It was reminiscent of a tiger that had lost the goat, but still heard a chicken scratch the ground somewhere near. She adjusted the grip on her camera, raised it again, but this time aimed the lenses at both of the arrivals.

“Don’t just stand there, guys! Give the patrons a show!” With these words the woman pointed towards a karaoke podium. “Two guys who look like the spitting image of Kamski and Simon are simply obligated to!”

“There’ll be free coffee and croissant for my mate if we do this?” Daniel prodded.

“’course!”

“Then we have a deal!”

“What were you thinking? I’ve never in my life sang karaoke in public!” Elijah hissed, while Daniel dragged him towards the pedestal. “I’ve never in my life sang karaoke! I’ve never in my life sang in public!”

“For my part I’ve never in my life shot a man, before I did”, the deviant replied.

“That’s far less embarrassing!!!”

Blue-grey eyes were piercing into Kamski’s, as if to dissect him alive. Elijah knew exactly what was really staring at him: just a textureless blue embedded into a light grey chassis that had a serial number etched into it and the occasional advertisement sticker attached. Everything else, the skin, hair, even the sweat android bodies could produce under duress, was just glamour. But now that Daniel’s eyes bore into him, the human had a hard time differentiating the illusion from a living being.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Neil!” Daniel growled.

“Oh, come, “killer”! Everyone would shoot back when the enemy storms their base!”

“You mean Jericho? I TOLD you, you had no idea!” Daniel insisted.

He ripped the microphones out of their holders and tossed one Elijah’s way.

“You choose a song!”

Elijah scrolled all the way down the list of available songs, until he reached the titles that started with numbers and special characters. When he didn’t find there, what he had been looking for, the man considered, and scrolled back to the letter “O” instead of the digit “1”. It was giving Daniel the impression that his human acquaintance was an indecisive one, while in truth it was just testament to Elijah’s unique way of thinking.

Is it getting better, Elijah sang, Or do you feel the same? Will it make it easier on you / Now you’ve got someone to blame?

There was a telltale pause that communicated Daniel to take over at this point.

Really, Neil? After just two verses? Coward!

The deviant sang:

You said One love / One life When it’s one need in the night / One love, we get to share it It leaves you, baby, if you don’t care for it

Elijah picked up again and it made sense, in a warped way:

Did I disappoint you / Or leave a bad taste in your mouth? You act like you never had love / And you want me to go without.

This time Daniel needed no nudge to take over. It came naturally:

Well it’s Too late / Tonight / To drag the past out / Into the light We’re one, but we’re not the same / We get to carry each other Carry each other…

On and on duel went, all the while the paparazzo’s camera flashed.

“Why is she still taking pictures of us?” Daniel whispered. “Now that she knows you are not the real Kamski?”

“People need their dreams and illusions. Do you have any dreams, Daniel? Other than plotting Kamski’s death, I mean?” “Nah, I’m doing nothing of that sort. That little piece of shit isn’t worth wasting mental capacity on.”

“But if you met him by chance?“

“Well, you know how some call us androids toasters? Kamski would be toast!”

Song used:

One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftjEcrrf7r0 I imagine Kamski doing the covered version with Johnny Cash’s gravitas while Daniel is singing the more desperate original version.

[cupkayke]

For the character ask, how about Yumoto and the twins, if you feel like doing all three~ If not, you can pick which one(s) you're up for talking about. ^^

SURE I’M UP FOR ALL OF IT!

Yumoto

NOTP: Aside from the obvious Gora (like... ew) I don’t know if I really have any. Like, most of the DC I can’t really see with him romantically but I’m not like repulsed by any of the ships. I suppose I really CAN’T see Io/Yumoto at all so maybe that counts... the others are a little easier.

BROTP: Does Gora count? Lol but seriously there should be more fics of Yumoto and Gora hanging out and doing brother things. Like I headcanon that Yumoto tells Gora EVERYTHING and Gora just kinda nods and listens while he chops wood and sometimes isn’t the best at remembering inane things Yumoto tells him but anything important? Like yeah he’s all over that shit.

As for the other characters, IbuYu seems to be a common brotp but idk Ibushi... has never stood out to me. I can definitely see Yumoto wanting to be his friend but I don’t know how much Ibushi would want to reciprocate. Out of the DC Ryuu strikes me as the one who would hang out with Yumoto the most outside of being in a group. Since they’re the closest in age and despite Ryuu wanting to act older than he is they probably play videogames together or something.

OTP: I feel like I’m so ~controversial~ when I say I really REALLY ship Yumoto and Haru and/or Aki. Mostly Haru but OT3 is good too because I don’t quite know where to put Aki otherwise. Haru just seems so needy for affection of any kind and once the twins get their heads out of their asses and realize Yumoto isn’t some jerk (and they apologize for their douchery), Haru would gravitate towards Yumoto because hey- CUDDLES GALORE. And as far as I’m concerned Yumoto would forgive the twins if they apologized to him and were sincere because he understands what it’s like to be lonely. So Haru and Yumoto would go from awkward friends who cuddle occasionally to friends to eventually boyfriends and maybe Yumoto would get the same type of relationship with Aki but a bit more lowkey.

Second Choice Pairing: If Aki doesn’t count because I kind of OTP HaruMoto and BeppuMoto OT3, it’d probably be Kinshiro. Like I didn’t really consider the two of them together until I saw it mentioned elsewhere and it kinda clicked that they might get along, but Kinshiro would definitely have to be the one to extend the olive branch because if Yumoto does it I could see Kinshiro kind of just ignoring him because he’s too... Yumoto. Kinshiro seems to like quiet and Yumoto is decidedly not but similarly to the twins, Kinshiro would probably appreciate the physical affection and sheer amount of attention that Yumoto would bring to the table. It’d reassure his insecurities and such.

Fluffy Pairing: ...I feel like all of these are gonna be the same answer lol. BeppuMoto is just a giant cuddle pile, after a bit of awkward pre-dating and dating. All three of them are just starved for attention and then once Yumoto figures out ‘hey twice the cuddles’ he is all over his boyfriends and the twins are like ‘well we share everything anyway’ and Yumoto has enough love to go around twice over. Just picture cutesy ramen dates when the twins decide to get the sticks out of their asses and try ‘lower class’ stuff. Or they find a new amusement park to go to the three of them. Asdlkfjsdk I need like 20 fics with them stat.

Angsty Pairing: Uh- to avoid saying twins again perhaps Kinshiro? Cuz the flip side of them finding some happiness and stability in each other is they egg each other’s ‘dark sides’ on on accident? Idk how that’d happen but it popped into my head. 

Poly ship: ...twins, the end. Explained above.

Weirdest Pairing: Io/Yumoto as mentioned above because I just can’t see it at all? Like that’d be pretty weird. Also Akoya/Yumoto would be a little off-the-wall even though I could see it working a bit. It’d just take awhile to even start because they’re in completely different worlds, kind of like Kinshiro as well. 

Long story short, any ship with Yumoto needs a lot of buildup because he doesn’t have any close relationships as is outside of the generic group dynamic of the DC. So any potential partner would need to spend quality time with Yumoto by himself and then they both realize the potential for affection and attraction and stuff- because let’s be serious like half of this cast is probably really fucking lonely underneath their exteriors (like, probs Ibushi, Akoya, twins def, Ryuu, Kinshiro...) and cuddle-monster-Yumoto is also lonely BUT I can see him being a really attentive partner once he matures a little bit. He already puts others before himself, so he’d anticipate his partners’ needs rather well.

Twins 

I’ll include both Haru and Aki in each of these because despite wanting to view them as completely separate people they need a lot more development for me to see them as individuals rather than a unit. Working on it with fic but I need to finish my rewatch of the series to get back into it. (Life happened.)

NOTP: I actually really don’t ship either of the twins with Gora- he’s a big brother/idol figure and any relationship he’d have with them would be really, really unhealthy. At least while they’re still in high school (because y’know, age gap and their stunted maturity). Maybe when they become adults a slow burn with one of them and Gora might work- I lean more towards Aki with that but more on that later. Other people I just can’t see them with are Io and Ibushi- no particular reason I just don’t think their personalities gel well romantically.

BROTP: Yumoto could land in this category as well if you don’t take a romantic route with any of the three. But for the purpose of trying to have more variety in my answers, I can see Haru getting along with Ryuu rather well considering they have similar elements and are both salty AF when necessary. Aki would probably get along with sass masters Ibushi or Atsushi because of the thinly-veiled snark. They’d snark at everything. Collectively the twins would probably be friends with Kinshiro and/or Akoya, considering the upper crust tastes and all. They could laugh at all the peasants together.

OTP: HaruMoto, answered above. To pick something different if Aki isn’t part of an OT3, Aki and Gora as a slow burn friends to lovers in the future might be kind of cute. The reason being for this is that I picture Haru being the one with more idol-worship to Gora than Aki (but again I need to rewatch season 2 to confirm), so Aki would probably be on more even footing to have a friendship with Gora once the idolization wore off. Also Aki is definitely more of a caretaker, which he has in common with Gora. So if Haru is with Yumoto, Aki and Gora could bond over their siblings being needy together. I guess. 

Second Choice Pairing: Haru and Ryuu and Aki and Akoya, if I had to pick. Why? The pinks complement each of the twins with snark, sass and attitude in different ways. And both pinks wouldn’t let the twins’ idol complexes get too big; they wouldn’t be afraid to knock their respective Beppu down a couple pegs. 

Fluffy Pairing: I suppose answered above. And below at polyship.

Angsty Pairing: As much as I dislike twincest at this point (really reminds me of my ouran days... shudders), that would be the angst times twelve. On a similar note, the twins sharing Gora like they so desperately want to would be super angsty and unhealthy, despite Gora’s likely best efforts to keep them happy. I can’t see them sharing Gora well, even though I can see them sharing Yumoto. They’d both want to be Gora’s *ONLY* partner, and wind up resenting his brother, while a relationship with Yumoto would be built on more than idol worship, and Yumoto would probably do better with treating them as individuals. Gora would try, but the jealousy would get in the way.

Poly Ship: I’ll wax more poetic about BeppuMoto because I can, but focus on the individual relationships involved. Yumoto and Haru would have a little spicier dynamic, considering I view Haru needing more attention than Aki does. Haru is quick to anger, quick to react and quick to be hurt, which Yumoto would help soothe and even out his temperament while Haru would provide Yumoto with attention in return, as well. Yumoto’s soothing talks would also be part of their dynamic, helping Haru come down from whatever has worked him up, though he might resent being talked to like a monster every now and then lol. Aki on the other hand is the counterbalance to the energy Haru takes up, using his caretaking personality to well, take care of Yumoto when needed, but also getting his own affection needs met because Yumoto has enough cuddles for everyone twice over. Yumoto would also listen to Aki, which seems like something Haru would struggle with with both his brother and boyfriend, so... overall the three have this mutually beneficial thing going on. Eventually.

Weirdest pairing: Probably one of the twins and En, because that’s another one I can’t really see working out that I just thought of. A weird one that I could see working would probably be Atsushi with Haru- idk, mamAtsushi might even out the salty one.

[ol-razzle-dazazzle]

The Bridges We Cannot Cross- Chapter 9: Ripping off Mask-ing Tape

We're in around the end stretch here folks, only a few more chapters to go. I couldn't stop thinking about hata no kokoro from touhou, which kinda caused references to Masks (also fun fact: hannya masks were masks representing female demons influenced by jealousy in Noh plays...sound familiar? (Yes.) Dazai references Noh plays a few times in his books, and in the 'first notebook' of nlh he recalls the story of asking a lion mask during childhood because he felt the need to ask for something to satisfy his father's want, and was 'masking' his own idea that he was unworthy and nothing would make him happy. Also hata no kokoro has a reference to kuchisake-onna in urban legend in limbo, and I couldn't help but throw that in there as well. The dialogue of 'do you think people are deserving of forgiveness?' Is a thinly veiled question that Dazai is asking himself- much like kuchisake-onna's question of 'am I pretty?' However, no matter what answer of yes or no, the kuchisake-onna is not satisfied and kills the human, much like the denial of kind words said to someone with depression, a confirmation bias that depression feeds into. While Dazai can externalise his loss of humanity causing him not to be human, he can't do the same as a hashihime- because despite improving with Atsushi (causing him to only be a hashihime by name) his guilt and self-doubt prevents him to forgive himself. I'm really sorry for this long intro (and lowkey English essay on my work, how self-righteous) but as someone who has such thoughts, this was a personal chapter for me to write. As someone who's favourite book is No Longer Human, but wants to be optimistic- its hard to gain a balance of realism, logical judgement and self-acceptance. It's something I still struggle with very badly, which is why despite being a complete worrywart I hugely identify with both bsd and 'real life' Dazai. Also I just wanted to rant about touhou ahaha~ ----------------- Ripping off Mask-ing Tape Ango managed to leave alive and intact. Atsushi was unsure whether to go after him, staring tentatively over at the bridge. He had no way to even contact the other man, and considering his history, Dazai probably had no leads himself. Ango could handle himself, hopefully. Ok the other hand, even on the basic level- between controlling a human and a vengeful bridge demon, let alone one who has just realised the circumstances of his death, Atsushi figured the more reasonable was to help the latter. Dazai made it out intact and...well, he said he was alive- just different. Everything worked out relatively okay. Too relatively okay. "Dazai..." Atsushi glanced around, the other man nowhere to be seen. He jumped down under the bridge (wow he was actually starting to get used to this), to find candles and a boat. "A candlelit afternoon, for me? I'm touched." Atsushi joked, peering over the boat, to find a half-destroyed mast. "There's some more modifications to be done." Dazai smiled, surfacing. It was a fake smile, blatantly so- to the point it was more a mask than an actual expression. "After all, wouldn't want it to fall and then someone would drown alone, again." "Dazai..." Atsushi started, teeth clenching as he didn't know where to place his words. "What?" "How...did you find meeting Ango again?" A terribly 'subtle' question. "Wonderfully, Atsushi. Meeting your past is such an 'enlighting'" the flames increased their burn, despite it being ineffective, their lights beckoned towards the base of the bridge. "Experience. I can only imagine." Atsushi decided to completely abandon all notion of subtlety. "Okay..." Atsushi took a breath, "We are both extremely, painfully, absolutely aware that you are lying." "Ah, you knew?" The mask turned toward him, a painfully cynical gasp. "How did you guess?" "I know you, Dazai." Atsushi looked down. "Right, right- you know me. A whole lot, apparently. You even managed to figure out my cause of death, and knowing Ango's affinity for being, pardon my layman's terms, a snitch- you know everything else about me." Dazai's eyes were blank behind that fake smile. "So, yes- you'd know quite a bit, wouldn't you?" Atsushi could only gulp and nod. "Yes." "Even more than me, I didn't even know that instead of being abandoned to die alone, I was..." Dazai hummed in thought, before clicking his fingers. "Abandoned to die alone." "So this doesn't change anything, right?" Atsushi gave a hopeful smile, a fragile glass that was all but begging to be shattered. "Precisely." Dazai steps into the water, "It means there's no hope for me." "T-That's not true! I-I, you said that you thought you had a different life now!" Atsushi defended, moving closer to Dazai. "Yes, but that doesn't change anything. It's an attempt, but..." He shrugs. "I don't honestly believe there was any hope for me in the first place to 'be human'." Dazai glances down at the water, knowing just how many souls were there. "Back when I was alive, you know it yourself, I was practically only human purely by name. Now it's no different, just don't have the label to cling to, correct?" Atsushi stared at him, trying frantically find words. "You didn't kill Ango." A fact. "You wanted to, but you didn't." Dazai laughed, waving a dismissive hand. "That's because you weren't there." "Liar." Atsushi frowned, "I know because you feel summoned when you see someone on the bridge... if I didn't go up there and talk, or if it wasn't him in the first place, you wouldn't have even attempted." "If's and but's, Atsushi- how do you 'know' that?" "Because I /know/ you!" Atsushi called out, "Yes, you were the mafiosi that drowned alone, yes you are a vengeful spirit that felt a loneliness I can't imagine, but...that's not all of what you were and are." Dazai opened his mouth to dismiss such notions, but...those star-like eyes burned into him, this wasn't the kind of thing he heard from anyone. People picked and chose what they liked or hated about someone, and that forms their judgement. The mafia enjoyed his nonchalance to the bloodthirsty and grim, the people he could never reach and get close to hated him for the same reason. The only person that made the most accurate judgement was Odasaku- who saw that nonchalance for what it was- a depression of emptyness, a void unfillable. But he never heard a factored judgement. "You're also the person that saved me, the person that lied next to me underneath the stars, the person that makes admittedly terrible crab soup, and then slightly better, the person that I can't change- but I love." A judgement that was not based on Dazai's status or lack of status of being a human. "Because I don't know, I-I don't know if you're a 'human' or a 'demon' or whether or not I can 'fix' you or 'turn you back' but..." "You're Dazai to me." But he considered himself broken beyond repair. That picking up the pieces of himself would only result in further cuts on his hands. The idea that he didn't deserve this, the idea of self-destruction, to hide. To hide upon the mask of a demon, to slit and kill anyone regardless of answer. "Atsushi...it's fine. You don't have to say all that stuff." Dazai laughed, splashes of water dappling his face. "I needed to." Atsushi sighed, before leaning forward to wrap his arms around Dazai. "Atsushi..." His voice shook, fake smiled masks starting to splinter. "Do you think people deserve forgiveness?" "Yes." Atsushi glances up at him, seeing that mask gone. "Really?" An affirmation, a word that would be asked as they have underneath them bones. "Depends...I guess." Atsushi dragged him out of the water. Staring down into those eyes that had not returned their brown light. As the two slept, they both knew something. That they were not satisfied. Atsushi was not satisfied in his own answers and Dazai's initial mask. Dazai was not satisfied in Atsushi due to his own doubt, the notion that no such thing could be really true. He was alone, and that's what fate will always be. And as the dark of his eyes flickered open, he didn't see Atsushi in his arms. He was alone.