#to serve more than one purpose- interact with food in general I suppose

[nancytheslutwheeler678]

Very talkative and provacative rn

[msfbgraves]

After a binge of 'The Bear', I don't understand why so many characters in the show say there is something exceptionally strange about Carmen. If anyone, Sydney should get it without knowing anything about his history.

He's an exceptionally gifted, creative guy, and they're Like That.

And by like that I mean that creative people are self absorbed. Or, maybe not self absorbed the way narcissists are, who are literally pondering the genius of them - they don't feel they have to share anything with the world but their supposed awesomeness, in a reality show way. (Like what do these people like the Kardashians even do?) But the creative types want something to exist, want it to be Right, and that has something to do with how they interact with the world. How their self interacts with the thing they're doing. What that results in, what they make, brings joy to those it is for. A lot of joy. Carmen is a three Michelin star chef. What he makes is out of this world good. It is a way of spreading so much love.

But you can't do it if you pour yourself fully into other people. It interferes. You need to make your art, your food, your world record, caring for other people comes second place. It simply does. You do it when you're on a roll, when your first gift gives you so much back that sure, your cup runneth over, you can pour yourself into other people too! And maybe there are people who can do both, but a lot of the time, you're a star chef first and a brother second and Sugar, you can be mad about it all you want, but if you'd take the cooking away from him, he wouldn't even be a brother third.

So many people pour all of themselves in a few other chosen select people. We see that as moral and right and just, and we don't expect any feats of genius. But Carmen is the type of genius who can't do both. You want love from him? You get great food and whatever else he may have left to spare. And it will be less than any other random person who can't do what he does. There is a reason people's relationships with him improve when they join him in his world. He doesn't have to step away from the most important thing to his brain, he has so much more to spare for the people he loves. Of course he pours out his love to Syd while fixing a table, because he doesn't have to choose then.

And, well, is that sociopathic? Yes, if you feel that it's the wrong way to relate to people, if you feel you need to be able to leave something like that behind to go shopping, or watch a game or do things everyone enjoys. But it's not how they work. If you let them show love through what they do, they have more time to watch the game after. Or watch the game at his restaurant and let him serve you the best burger you have ever tasted during, with homemade beer and vanilla coke and fries to die for. Yeah he will come up with a new use for spinach during but so what? You'll also get to talk about what you're up to, how he can help. It's completely legit if that isn't enough and you need to find someone to pour more of themselves into you, but don't blame him, it's no use. His love is in his output first. If you'd have asked Leonardo to stop scribbling for three seconds, for your friendship you might have been fine without the Mona Lisa, but the likely result would have been 1, no Mona Lisa, and 2, a miserable Leonardo. Maybe stop trying to be friends with Leonardo then and find a buddy who isn't obsessed, if this bothers you.

One thing Carmen probably shouldn't do is have kids. That's not fair. He'd only be half a parent. But he's made thousands of lives better in other ways: he's elevated the careers of everyone at the Beef. He gave cousin Richie a purpose within a week. He's going to get Syd her star if it kills him. Poor Sugar is getting the short end of the stick for now, and maybe he can't do much for her in general, but those future birthday cakes are going to be epic. Any food intolerance? He's on it.

Who says that isn't love?

[collieii]

thinking abt how stampede handles wolfwoods introduction compared to other versions, and to me it kind of fails in a way. one of the big things about wolfwood's character is that he's kind right? he's a good person who was forced to be cruel. they show his soft side by having him interact with kids. it plays out a little differently depending on version, but essentially he sees some kids having a rough time and sacrifices smth (money or food) so they can be more comfortable. its esp poignant in trimax where they were literally stealing from him so it would be understandable if he got mad, but he isn't at all. and this follows the scene of him haggling with the driver, so we know for a fact that wolfwood is not in a good place.

meanwhile in stampede, the the kid wolfwood interacts with is zazie? and at the end of the ep its revealed that they know each other, that wolfwood is working with knives, etc. so it just makes that earlier scene look like a setup, at least thats how it seemed to me the first time i watched the ep.

it also feels a little less genuine than the moment wolfwood had with the kids in the other versions, i'm not sure why. maybe it's because the scene goes by too fast. or because of how different wolfwood is in stampede (he’s so much meaner than his past versions!) so the kindness we see here is just. obscured by how bitchy he is in half of his other scenes. if i'm to believe wolfwood is a good guy, i need to see him be good sometimes idk?

vash's comment about him being good in ep 4 is so jarring to me because it feels like he has zero reason to say that. ik it's maybe not supposed to be 'reasonable' since he doesn't even give an actual reason aside from the ~his eyes~ thing which is not logical at all lmao, just based on vibes. and i do sort of trust that vash has good instincts and can tell when a person is trustworthy or not based on vibes. but when i watched it as someone unfamiliar with the original trigun, unaware who wolfwood was, i was confused as to why exactly vash decided to trust wolfwood aside from maybe his general faith in humanity. the nicest thing wolfwood does is give the kid a lollipop which is sweet but in this context it doesn't have the same effect as giving him his money or smth (and as i said the effect is kinda retroactively belied by the fact that its zazie, not some rando he has no connection too). 

to be fair, his intro scene serves other purposes in stampede. we learn about wolfwood's past in the orphanage, which is important to introduce because his arc with livio is addressed later in the season. it also ties into vash's new internal conflict in stampede about eating and self flagellation and stuff. but that ends up being kinda detrimental to the scene too? instead of saying something normal to the kid that makes us go ‘aww hes good with kids!’ it literally just feels like he’s talking to vash, which he would not be because wolfwood has known vash for 5 minutes atp. obviously im not expecting stampede to copy the scene from the manga or 98, but the fact that they included an analogue of it means to me that they're obviously aware of how important it is to wolfwood's character. still, they managed to execute it in a way that sort of fails to communicate something i personally consider fundamental to his character in any version.

[c0rpseductor]

im reading fifty shades again, god knows why. i'm on chapter 2 now.

i'm really struggling to wrap my head around these pacing choices, which i think is good food for thought when it comes to applying Lessons to my own work. i'm always really concerned with proper pacing, i feel like connective tissue can be one of my weaker points.

so far ana has driven back to where she lives, which made sense to me as far as like, something to condense into a paragraph or two - a long drive alone is kind of boring, and doesn't add a lot in terms of character work or breathing space that would justify focusing on it otherwise.

the weird part that stuck out to me is that there's this overture afterwards of like, "oh, now she has to go to work," except it's built up and then the moment she enters her place of employment THAT'S also condensed into a timeskip, rendering the whole thing a little pointless. admittedly it's also boring to read about someone working a retail job, but there would have been an opportunity there to give the reader a little breathing room post-christian-meeting and maybe showcase some of what constitutes normalcy for ana, in order to provide more of a contrast between her in her element and her out of it with christian. as it stands it felt very like, "it's not related to the main pairing or interesting so i'm going to cut it in favor of more dialogue about The Boy with kate," at which point i feel like it would have worked better to simply not bring it up in the first place.

it's also worth mentioning that dialogue and interaction with kate is circumscribed in this way, where the moment the conversation loses focus on christian it's sort of relegated to narration, as is ana's trying to do her homework. so really none of this has served any purpose in my eyes.

in general i'm feeling like there's definitely some sort of attempt by e.l. james to provide the contrast i've mentioned and establish some grounding details concerning the mundane elements of ana's life, but it doesn't work well for a number of reasons; the details included feel largely superficial because they're provided in the form of internal narration or timeskip type disclosures rather than actually shown to the reader in a way that matters. i think it's likely that james considered all of these details peripheral at best, if not actively obstacles in the way of The Good Stuff (i.e. discussions of christian or interaction with christian) as opposed to material that would serve to support her aim with the main romance. ana is supposed to be out of her element with him, which i could see, but so far i haven't really seen her behave much differently in her element, and any opportunity james had to demonstrate this to me was swiftly wasted. interesting strategy

[sorin-sunchild]

Glamrock! Chica headcanons

Well y'all seemed to like my Daycare Attendant ones and I adore Chica so here ya go~ By the way I know nothing about AI and it's not like this game is accurate anyway so shh!

General:

All the animatronics made to be in the band legitimately play their instruments and Chica is no exception. They are not just programmed to play specific songs, their AI was actively taught to read and play music on a small variety of instruments by continuously feeding of information for much of it's development. They could theoretically play any song if given time to learn it.

They could, in theory, swap places with each other and take each others role in the band if required to.

They're also programmed for basic interactions with guests, with various character-specific catchphrases and advanced abilities to carry on a conversation. However, they cannot curse, not even mildly.

On the manner of lost children: Sometimes children would run off without their parents and get lost. Parents could report the child missing and all animatronics would be on the look out for them.

Usually the child would be happy to follow the animatronic back to their parents. On occasions of defiance, the animatronics would stay with the child and send an alert, allowing security guards and the parents to come and pick up the child.

On the rare occasion of a child using their monthly/yearly pass to gain entry without an adult and trying to stay past closing time, the same protocol would be followed and a human security guard (trained correctly in harmlessly holding children) would take them to a security point and ring the parents. Since the guards and animatronics did sweeps of the whole place before then anyway, this wasn't a very common occurrence.

Before corruption:

Chica was programmed to be the feminine girl-next-door, girl-power, cool big sister, best friend, party girl trope. As such she was often a favourite of little girls and teenagers for her upbeat, giggly and easy-going attitude.

This personality also helped her be the face of MAZErcise as she always seemed full of energy and was positive and encouraging. The fact she gave out coupons for junk food afterwards was a company decision and Chica herself (as her AI advanced) felt it made no sense as she genuinely was concerned about health and exercise.

A dancer and a foodie, easily recommending various foods to guests and often the one holding and serving the cake for birthday parties unless the guests only hired one animatronic (that wasn't her).

Could eat small amounts of food to 'join in' with the kids as if they were all really actually best friends, but was never made to eat a lot or eat non-solids. Cannot drink, at all, as she has no ability to suction it through straws but could theoretically be unarmed if it got into her system and went down the appropriate pipe to the disposal area in her abdomen.

If you paid to see her post-performance then nail painting and make up parties were her speciality! Scrunchies e v e r y w h e r e. But also plenty of dancing!

Called her fans/the kids she was with 'BFF' 'Bestie' etc

The lines she calls to Gregory during the game are the generic lines they're all supposed to say when trying to find a lost child. Usually, Chica would sound more upbeat.

Multiple language settings, including ASL, and able to administer basic first aid.

She was able to sing, but it was deemed 'inadequate' pre-upgrade and well, we know how the upgrade went. She was pretty self conscious about her underperforming.

AI became really too advanced for her intended purpose, making her (and the others) smarter than intended and more aware of things going on between guests, making her a bit of an eavesdropper and gossip at times.

During her 'free' time she would do exercises in her room so passing children could see her being fit.

After corruption/infection(again, mostly canon but I'm rolling with it):

Food priorities were ramped up. The AI confusing instructions to enjoy a little of the pizza with the children and be enthusiastic about the food to try and get people to buy it with obsessively consuming it herself, even to the point of damaging herself.

Since she's actually able to smell food to tell when it's ready, the messed up instruction to consume activates whenever the scent of pizza is detected. She attended less and less parties because of this, soon resulting in none at all, as she would consume the kids food and beat them back from trying to stop her.

Still repeats her security script, but is more interested in murdering any lost children who haven't directly been reported missing by their parents therefore won't be missed (especially if it's likely their parents don't know the kid came to the pizzaplex).

Voice box became harder for her to use, resulting in less natural sounding speech (may also have been a fault in the upgrade).

Became stiffer and less active as a lot of her processing power went to (unsuccessfully) fighting the virus, resulting in her slow plodding movements and tilted head.

Comes closer to her usual programming when on stage, as the performance instructions take over. Could also be instructed by Glitchtrap/Burntrap whatever to act 'normally' but would twitch and stare occasionally as the virus destroyed a lot of her basic coding or made it unreadable.

[flufffysocks]

let's talk about andi mack's worldbuilding

sorry this took forever to make! i've been pretty busy with school stuff and i kind of lost my inspiration for a bit, but i ultimately really enjoyed writing it! i wish i could've included more pics (tumblr has a max of 10 per post), and it kinda turned from less of a mini analysis to more of an extremely long rant... but i hope it's still a fun read!

i've been rewatching the show over the past few weeks (thanks again to @disneymack for the link!), and i’ve been noticing a lot that i never did the first time around. this is really the first time i’ve watched the show from start to finish since it aired, and it honestly feels so different this time - probably a combination of the fact that i’m not as focused on plot and can appreciate the show as a whole, and also that the fandom is much, much smaller now, so there’s a lot less noise. so the way i’m consuming this show feels super different than it did the first time, but the show itself doesn’t - it’s just as warm and comforting to me as it was the first time around, if not more so.

i think a lot of that can be attributed to andi mack’s “worldbuilding”. i’m not quite sure that this is the right word in this context, to be honest, because i mostly see it used in reference to fantasy and sci-fi universes, but it just sort of feels right to me for andi mack, because you can really tell how much love and care went into constructing this universe. for clarity, worldbuilding is “the process of creating an imaginary world” in its simplest sense. there’s two main types: hard worldbuilding, which involves inventing entire universes, languages, people, cultures, places, foods, etc. from scratch (think “lord of the rings” or “dune”), and soft worldbuilding, in which the creators don’t explicitly state or explain much about the fictional universe, but rather let it’s nature reveal itself as the story progresses (think studio ghibli films). andi mack to me falls in the soft worldbuilding category. even though it takes place in a realistic fiction universe, there’s a lot of aspects to it that are inexplicably novel in really subtle ways.

so watching the show now, i’ve noticed that the worldbuilding comes primarily from two things - setting and props, and oftentimes the both of them in tandem (because a big part of setting in filmmaking does depend on the props placed in it!).

one of the most obvious examples is the spoon. it really is a sort of quintessential, tropic setting in that it's the main gang's "spot", which automatically gives it a warm and homey feel to it. and its set design only amplifies this:

the choice to make it a very traditional 50s-style diner creates a very nostalgic, retro feel to it, which is something that's really consistent throughout the show, as you'll see. from the round stools at the bar, to the booths, to the staff uniforms, this is very obvious. the thing that i found especially interesting about it though is the choice of color. the typical 50s diner is outfitted with metallic surfaces and red accented furnishings, but the spoon is very distinctly not this.

instead, it's dressed in vibrant teal and orange, giving it a very fresh and modern take on a classic look. so it still maintains that feeling of being funky and retro, but that doesn't retract from the fact that the show is set distinctly in modern times.

of course, this could just be a one-off quirky set piece, but this idea of modernizing and novelizing "retro" things is a really common motif throughout the show. take red rooster records. i mean, it's a record shop - need i say more? it's obviously a very prominent store in shadyside, at least for the main characters, but there's no apparent reason why it is (until season 2 when bowie starts working there, and jonah starts performing there). a lot of the time, though, it functions solely as a record shop. vinyl obviously isn't the most practical or convenient way of listening to music, but it's had its resurgence in pop culture even in the real world, mostly due to its aesthetic value, so it's safe to say that it serves the same purpose in the andi mack universe.

the fringe seems to be nostalgic of a different era, specifically the Y2K/early 2000s period (because it's meant to be bex's territory and symbolic of who she used to be, and its later transformation into cloud 10 is representative of her character arc, but that's beside the point). to be honest, exactly what this store was supposed to be always confused me. it was kind of a combination party store/clothing store/makeup store/beauty parlor? i think that's sort of the point of it though, it's supposed to feel very grunge-y and chaotic (within the confines of a relatively mellow-toned show, of course), and it's supposed to act as a sort of treasure chest of little curios that both make the place interesting and allow the characters to interact with it.

and, of course, there's andi shack. this is really the cherry on top of all of andi mack's sets, just because it's so distinctly andi. it serves such amazing narrative purpose for her (ex. the storyline where cece and ham were going to move - i really loved this because it highlights its place in the andi mack universe so well, and i'm a sucker for the paper cranes shot + i'm still salty that sadie's cranes didn't make it into the finale) and it's the perfect reflection of andi's character development because of how dynamic it is (the crafts and art supplies can get moved around or switched out, and there's always new creations visible).

going back to the nostalgia motif though, the "shack" aspect of it always struck me as very treehouse-like. personally, whenever i think of treehouses, there's this very golden sheen of childhood about it, if that makes sense. i've always seen treehouses in media as a sort of shelter for characters' youthful innocence and idealistic memories. for example, the episode "up a tree" from good luck charlie, the episode "treehouse" from modern family, and "to all the boys 2" all use a treehouse setting as a device to explore the character's desire to hold onto their perfect image of their childhood (side note: this exact theme is actually explored in andi mack in the episode "perfect day 2.0"!). andi shack is no exception to this, but it harnesses this childhood idealism in the same way that it captures the nostalgia of the 50s in the spoon, or the early 2000s in the fringe. it's not some image of a distant past being reflected through that setting; it's very present, and very alive, because it reflects andi as she is in the given moment.

some honorable mentions of more one-off settings include the ferris wheel (from "the snorpion"), the alley art gallery (from "a walker to remember"), SAVA, the color factory (from "it's a dilemna"), and my personal favorite, the cake shop (from "that syncing feeling").

[every time i watch this episode i want to eat those cakes so bad]

these settings have less of a distinctly nostalgic feel (especially the color factory, which is a very late 2010s, instagram era setting), but they all definitely have an aura of perfection about them. andi mack is all about bright, colorful visuals, and these settings really play to that, making the andi mack universe seem really fun and inviting, and frankly very instagrammable (literally so, when it comes to the color factory!).

props, on the other hand, are probably a much less obvious tool of worldbuilding. they definitely take up less space in the frame and are generally not as noticeable (i'm sure i'll have missed a bunch that will be great examples, but i'm kind of coming up with all of this off the top of my head), but they really tie everything together.

for example, bex's box, bex's polaroid, and the old tv at the mack apartment (the tv is usually only visible in the periphery of some shots, so you might not catch it at first glance) all complement that very retro aesthetic established through the settings (especially the polaroid and the tv, because there's really no good reason that the characters would otherwise be using these).

besides this, andi's artistic nature provides the perfect excuse for plenty of colorful, crafty props to amplify the visuals and the tone. obviously, as i discussed before, andi shack is the best example of this because it's filled with interesting props. but you also see bits of andi's (and other people's) crafts popping up throughout the show (ex. the tape on the fridge in the mack apartment, andi's and libby's headbands in "the new girls", walker's shoes, andi's phone case, and of course, the bracelet). not only does doing this really solidify this talent as an essential tenet of andi's character, but it also just makes the entirety of shadyside feel like an extension of andi shack. the whole town is a canvas for her crafts (or art, depending on how you want to look at it. i say it's both), and it immensely adds to shadyside's idealism. because who wouldn't want to live in a world made of andi mack's creations?

and, while it's not exactly a prop, the characters' wardrobe is undoubtedly a major influence on the show's worldbuilding. true to it's nature as a disney channel show, all of the characters are always dressed in exceptionally curated outfits of whatever the current trends are, making the show that much more visually appealing. i won't elaborate too much on this, because i could honestly write a whole other analysis on andi mack's fashion (my favorites are andi's and bex's outfits! and kudos to the costume designer(s) for creating such wonderful and in-character wardrobes!). but, i think it's a really really important aspect of how the show's universe is perceived, so it had to be touched upon.

[^ some of my favorite outfits from the show! i am so obsessed with andi's jacket in the finale, and i aspire to be at bex's level of being a leather jacket bisexual]

and lastly, phones. this is a bit of an interesting case (pun intended), because the way they're used fluctuates a bit throughout the show, but i definitely noticed that at least in the first season terri minsky tried to avoid using them altogether. these efforts at distancing from modern tech really grounds the show in it's idealist, nostalgia-heavy roots, so even when the characters start using their phones more later in the show, they don't alter the viewer's impression of the andi mack universe very much.

so, what does all of this have to do with worldbuilding? in andi mack's case, because it's set in a realistic universe and not a fantasy one, a lot of what sets it apart from the real world comes down to tone. because, as much as this world is based on our own, it really does feel separate from it, like an alternate reality that's just slightly more perfect than ours, which makes all the difference. it's the idealism in color and composition in andi mack's settings that makes it so unmistakably andi mack. even the weather is always sunny and perfect (which is incredibly ironic because the town is called shadyside - yes, i am very proud of that observation).

the andi mack universe resides somewhere in this perfect medium that makes it feel like a small town in the middle of nowhere (almost like hill valley in 1955 from "back to the future"), but at the same time like an enclave within a big city (because of its proximity to so many modern, unique, and honestly very classy looking establishments). it is, essentially, an unattainable dream land that tricks you into believing it is attainable because it's just real enough.

all this to say, andi mack does an amazing job of creating of polished, perfect world for its characters. this is pretty common among disney channel and nickelodeon shows, but because most other shows tend to be filmed in a studio with three-wall sets, andi mack is really set apart from them in that it automatically feels more real and tangible. it has its quintessential recurring locations, but it has far more of them (most disney/nick shows usually only have 3-4 recurring settings), and it has a lot more one-off locations. it's also a lot more considerate when it comes to its props, so rather than the show just looking garish and aggressively trendy, it has a distinctive style that's actually appropriate to the characters and the story. overall this creates the effect of expanding the universe, making shadyside feel like it really is a part of a wider world, rather than an artificial bubble. it's idealism is, first and foremost, grounded in reality, and that provides a basis for its brilliant, creative, and relatable storytelling.

tl;dr: andi mack's sets and props give it a very retro and nostalgic tone which makes its whole universe seem super perfect and i want to live there so bad!!

[volexis]

ask: hellooo ! how are you dear ? can you write headcanons about Sanemi ? like what attracts him to a fem s/o ? how does he behave with someone he is attracted to ? thank you and take care of yourself🧡🌅—kyojuroandcie' 🥖

a/n: Hii bb I’m doing good, thanks for requesting!! I got a little carried away while writing this, I’m not 100% happy with them but that’s not the point :) Anyways I hope I did him justice... Happy reading!

tagging: @kyojuroandcie

pairing: sanemi shinazugawa x fem!reader

warnings: none I believe?

↳ Sanemi is brash, distant, and at times hostile, but he’s also stubborn and insanely protective

↳ He’s lost too many people for him to be actively looking for an s/o you’d have to be either very powerful or be able to hold your own in some way for him to allow himself to get close to you

↳ He has strong convictions and isn’t easily swayed; he seems like the type to immediately judge and ask questions later, which leads to lots of people disliking or distancing themselves from him

↳ He’s more than okay with this and keeps up the façade, it serves his purpose after all

↳ I do have a feeling he’d be attracted to someone strong. Doesn’t have to be physically strong, but someone with a strong spirit, someone who can easily push past his cold exterior and love him for who he is

↳ He values strength and determination. Your fighting spirit is probably what piqued his interest at first

↳ He’d be the type to fall in love in a sudden, all-encompassing manner. All it would take is a singular moment to change his perspective of you

↳ He was passing by the courtyard on his way to deliver a message to Ubuyashiki

↳ He didn’t know what possessed him to look out into the mass of demon slayers; he really didn’t. Maybe it was the thin beams of sunlight glinting off your sword, making your skin glow with warmth

↳ Maybe it was the way you moved, how you flowed through practiced steps with unparalleled grace. He didn’t know why, but at that moment, he found you beautiful

↳ The very thought was enough to shake him from his stupor and get him moving away from the courtyard, away from you

↳ He spent many nights after that staring blankly at the sky, his mind a battlefield in which he warred against the very idea of his attraction to you

↳ He’s pulling away before he even has a chance to accept his own feelings, going out of his way to be harsher, colder, borderline cruel

↳ In his eyes, the best way to deal with his ‘supposed’ feelings was to aggressively beat them down and keep you at a distance so there’s no chance for him to get attached

↳ He’d go weeks, months, without talking to you if he can. On the off chance that you do interact, he’d treat you like the dirt beneath his feet

↳ “Sanemi—” “It’s Shinaguzawa to you; what do you want?” 

↳ You blanched at how he practically barked at you, a snarl pulling his features as soon as you entered his line of sight. You were at a complete loss, you tried to remain indifferent, but there was no hiding the unabashed hurt in your eyes

↳ He scoffed and turned away, not even sparing a single in your direction. He wouldn’t let you see how much you affected him. He hated every second of your interaction. Seeing your expression made his heart shrivel in his chest. Not that he’d ever admitted it, he’s too stubborn for that

↳ This won’t stop him from looking out for you regardless of where you are or what you’re doing. He’d avoid helping you in any way, shape, or form while training, preferring to watch from afar as you practice your technique

↳ His eyes always wander towards your figure when he thinks you’re not looking. I mean, how can he not? You’re absolutely stunning; it takes his breath away every time he chances a look simp

↳ He thinks he’s getting away with all of this, but you’ve most definitely noticed, and quite frankly, are a bit terrified. You assume he hates you from how he’s boring holes into your skull with his intense gaze; it has you sweating buckets and practically running out of the room

↳ On the off-chance your eyes meet, his lips will curl into the ugliest sneer, and he’ll turn away quickly (mostly so you don’t see the blush that colors his ears and cheeks)

↳ You’ll have to be the one to say something; he’s too stubborn to admit his feelings or own up to his horrible behavior

↳ It’ll take a few tries, but you’ll need to be persistent. He’ll have cave eventually ↳ If you’re on the shyer, more timid side, having you force yourself out of your comfort zone to reach out will mean a lot to him

↳ Once you do manage to break through, he’ll pour his heart out to you, apologizing for how he treated you and all but confessing in the process ↳ Congrats, you now have a boyfriend!

↳ Dating Sanemi is definitely an experience. Relationships like these are foreign to him, so be sure to take it slow. If you do rush things, it probably won’t end well for either of you. It’s best to take your time 

↳ It goes without saying he’d be fiercely protective of you. Despite his outward personality, he’d be very gentle and tender with you ↳ I have a feeling he’d enjoy a more private relationship with you, mainly because it’s hard for him to be vulnerable around others

↳ However, if this does make you think he’s ashamed of you or what you have, he’ll go out of his way to remind you how much he cherishes you

↳ He’d cook for the both of you, frequently making ohagi in whatever free time he has. It’s his favorite food and one of his favorite things to make, so he’ll probably drag you in the kitchen with him more often than not. Don’t know how to make it? He’ll teach you 

↳ Sanemi’s very partial to beetles and bugs in general. If they happen to gross you out, he won’t force you to pet them, but he’ll definitely tease you for it

↳ He seems like he’d be a very attentive lover. He’d immediately notice if you’re feeling insecure or down; peppering kisses across your cheeks, nose, anywhere he can reach until you’ve forgotten your worries, too preoccupied to think of anything else

[alfredosauce50]

What makes me human [Cyberpunk! America x reader] 15

Wordcount: 3, 484 Rating: T for strong language and mild violence “For you, it can be. I'm actually conscious about the taste and origins. You know those protein jellies Zao makes? They're made of his roommates.” Chapter synopsis: Everyone goes out for a night in town for a day off. While Arthur is complaining about the venue of choice, Allen sulks about the prospect of being replaced. When you disappear to the bathroom, he follows you and comes clean about it, even suggesting that you run away with him. You're reminded that you picked the right choice when you come across some unfinished business. The reader is referred to as she/her.

15 - Blood was on the agenda

“Technology advances, but humans don't. We're smart monkeys, and what we want is always the same. Food, shelter, sex, and in all its forms, escape.”

He could repeat the quote word for word if he wanted.

A week had passed since Zao left the planet, leaving you buried to the neck with work, and him, with an unstable mechanic. Alfred was still wasting away, but he couldn’t bring himself to care when the guy was the source of all his problems. Ever since he returned to the guest room after comforting Arthur, this feeling of abandonment never stopped haunting him.

How could it, after seeing you curl up so comfortably with Alfred? Every night was the same. Allen would face you, hoping you could face him. But it was always your back. Your arms were coiled around the blonde's neck like they belonged there. And the image seared into his mind like branding. It only burned deeper into his soul at every passing day as you stuck closer to the man.

Down a narrow flight of stairs in a secluded street was a pounding nightclub. Two bouncers who could easily take his head off guarded the entrance. With tattoos of dragons etched into their skin, the sight was enough to get Arthur warbling again. “Why did we have to come here? The club across the street looked fine to me!”

Allen clicked his tongue and ruffled his hair.

“If it weren't for the fact that two of your friends are on the hit list, we'd go there. But we need every bit of protection we get.” Holding his hips as he gave the two men a squint, a tense silence fell around the group before they gave a soft grunt. A grin stretched over his face. “Good thing your boyfriend has connections.”

“... Hah...” Digging a hand through his choppy blonde locks, he shook his head with a hard frown. “And because of that, that idiot will turn up dead in a ditch one day...” As he trailed off, everyone entered the establishment. One of the bouncers whipped their head over their shoulder to stare at the group that just disappeared inside.

“Didn't we already let that guy in? The blonde one?” He pointed behind him with a thumb.

“... You're tripping balls, man.” The other sighed.

“Not today, I'm not. The one with the blue eyes. Like an hour ago.”

“Maybe he came in again cuz' he wanted to. It's not that deep.”

“This is why I'm better at this job than you.”

“Eat shit.”

It was a cloudy afternoon. A grayish-blue haze had been cast over the city, but what you walked into was so much dimmer in comparison. Nothing but neon illuminated the interior. Lights that faded from blue to purple lined the countertops. The tiles of the dancefloor were a blinding white. Next to it was a heated pool that glowed blue.

As fog clouded over the surface of the steaming water, it curled around the patrons wading in it. Needless to say, you were hypnotized. “Did nobody actually think of bringing their swimsuit?” Scrambling to the edge, you bent down to your knees and played with the white clouds. “A nice hot soak would do my sore muscles some good.” Before your fingers could do so little as graze against the water, Alfred grabbed your wrist.

“But not for your junk. They're practically swimming in STIs... Just do it at home in the bath.” He grumbled, pulling you up. Shivering at the thought, you let him pull you to the bar.

“But the bath doesn't glow...”

“Not yet, it doesn't.”

Allen narrowed his eyes. The guy was so quick to follow you, then lay hands on you, it had him rethinking his life purpose. Protecting you was meant to be his thing. Hell, it used to be his job, even. And yet, here Alfred was, having replaced him. No way. He was just an outsider in the end, wasn't he?

As he watched your interaction with him, he would soon learn he was right to some degree. Maybe Alfred didn't replace him, after all. He just became another figure in your life. Somebody he never managed to be--yet.

“Let's just grab some grub.”

Ever since Alfred arrived, he'd been wondering what was on the menu.

Hunger might have been history, but not eating. And you knew it well. Shooting him a weird smile, you nudged him with your elbow. “You say you don't have organs, but you still have a digestive system. How else do you use the toilet, huh?” Alfred looked at you, turned away, then looked at you again with his face scrunched up in a scowl.

He couldn't admit it, but you were right down to a T. “It doesn't count. It's not exactly real if it's not made of organic materials.”

Taking a seat by the counter, the stools beside scraped back to be occupied by your friends. While Alfred sat on your left, Allen sat on your right. Arthur took the end. “It's all a social construct.” You piped, much to his displeasure. The word wasn't entirely accurate to describe the emotions flurrying in his chest, however.

Was he frustrated? Yes. But he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to hear what you had to say. And you didn't disappoint. “If something serves a function in your body, it's an organ. Doesn't matter what it's made of.”

Alfred waved over the bartender. “I'm not having this conversation with you. We're from different generations, so I have a right to brood in peace.”

“Fine. But I won't let it destroy you.”

His breath hitched while he was about to order. “Can I--” Darting his eyes to yours, his voice only faltered at the steely look in them. Tearing his gaze from you had never been so difficult. “... Can I get a yakisoba with extra bonito flakes on the top? And uh, six of these dim sum-thingos?” He slid the menu to you.

“What do you want?”

A soft laugh rumbled from your throat as he refused to look at you. I'm finally getting through to your thick-headed ass, huh? But you couldn't be unreasonable. This was always a touchy subject. “I'll just have these dumplings. What about you two?”

Allen raised his brows, unimpressed. “Lotus chips and beer for me. This isn't the most vegetarian-friendly place in the world. Sucks.”

Arthur smirked. “I know, right? But protection is the priority, I suppose. I'll have the BLT.”

“I don't think you get to side with me when you ordered the worst thing off the menu.” The redhead mused, causing the other to flare their nostrils. He slapped his hands down on the counter to sit further up his stool. “But I get it. Aw, everything reminds me of him! Except for this BLT cuz' it's white.”

“Shut your gob and bugger off, Allen! It's literally just food.”

The said man sipped his beer loudly. “For you, it can be. I'm actually conscious about the taste and origins. You know those protein jellies Zao makes? They're made of his roommates.”

“So what? Not everyone has the same eating habits as you. Deal with it!”

You exchanged funny looks with Alfred. “Don't they get along well?”

“Not as well as us. And it'll stay that way so long as you don't talk about your philosophies.”

“... And that's not happening.” The food finally arrived, so the murmur of conversations came to an end. But it wasn't long before they picked up again. “You're not the only one who can have opinions.” Alfred glanced at you with narrowed eyes. “I can't even say that they're as strong as yours. But you'll have to live with them. Maybe you could learn something new.”

He scoffed, but he couldn't bite back a defeated smile. “C'mon, not this again. You of all people should understand how I feel about that stuff.”

“And I've seen what it does to you.” Alfred hung his head at that. This was exactly what he wanted to hear, but it annoyed him all the same. The hardest topics were often the most worth discussing, and this was a perfect example of it. Giving your chest a few indignant bumps with his head, he sulked like a child much to your amusement. “I'd love to entertain you some more, but nature calls.”

Hopping off the stool at that, he thrust out a hand to grab yours. It all happened so fast, even he was shocked. But it became apparent to you both what just happened—he needed you for one last reckoning. For you to see that expectant look of his, saying how he wasn't done with you. After a few moments, he let go, letting you turn away and run off to do your business.

Life had been such a shitshow you almost forgot the situationship between you and him. Even with his lacking memories, he couldn't forget it either. And now, he just had to wait for the right time.

“Right. That's it.” Allen grumbled, scraping his chair back to hop off.

Arthur glanced up.

“And where the hell are you going?”

“Gonna go with her. I've learned to not trust anything anymore.” Jogging after you at that, the mechanic was left with a fellow blonde.

“Well, would you look at that? It takes two to tango.”

Alfred shook his head. “What?”

“You and Allen, I mean.”

The toilet flushed. Leaving the cubicle to wash your hands in one of the communal sinks, you stared at your reflection as you shook away the water droplets. The pandemonium of the club music had faded to a soft thumping, giving you some space to collect your thoughts. Even in the darkness, what you saw in the mirror couldn't be clearer. It was distinctly different from watching yourself in a pond—where the ripples of the water distorted your image—specifically the one in the garden back at headquarters.

Your old home.

But it could burn for all you cared. This was who you were now. Tired, resentful, and fuelled by a fire of hot vengeance.

“... Whatcha thinkin' about?”

Your heart jumped out of your chest as you turned to the voice. Leaning against the doorframe was none other than your old bodyguard himself. “Oh my god, you scared the crap outta me.”

He craned his head to the side with a grin. “Sorry, a force of habit. Security works better when they're discrete.” You responded wordlessly with a small, wistful smile. As nostalgic as it was to have the man by your side 24/7, he didn't have to do this anymore. And it was better that way. Something about bodyguarding never sat well with you. Not with a man of his talents, anyhow.

Walking in to join your side, he bent down to fold his arms across the sink. Then, he rolled his head up to you. “So... Wanna tell me why you look like that?”

“Like... Like what?” Blinking a few times at the mirror, you leaned in to peer at your reflection.

Allen snorted. “Not literally. Well, not your physical appearance. I can tell when something's on your mind.” Straightening up, he squeezed your shoulder as he stared at both of your reflections. Almost instantly, he felt you tense up beneath his fingertips. “I've known you for nearly eight years, dollface. I'm offended that you're underestimating me.” The man pressed his cheek to yours coyly. “Even if you don’t talk to me about your problems, I can smell em’.”

You outstretched your hands to hold the edge of the sink, breaking away from the contact on his skin. It wasn't anything worth paying mind on your end, but the feeling of your face separating from his was reminiscent of tearing something from its glue. It stung as much as it was destabilizing. It showed in his troubled frown, which deepened when he heard your mirthless laughs while you hung your head.

“I'm sorry I haven't been talking to you.” The loudest silence fell around you both as his eyes went round with grief. “It's... Too productive.” Returning his gaze with a bittersweet smile, he felt himself die a little inside. You weren't spared of the sensation as you continued with an honesty so brutal, it killed you to say it. “I've been trying so hard to make something out of myself.”

Your brows trembled ever so lightly as they furrowed together. “But I'm getting so tired, I wanted to just... Give up on the future. Maybe disappear for a bit. But I couldn't bring myself to come to you or anyone about it. You especially.”

Allen huffed out a pained breath. “Why? I wanna help you! You can trust me with anything, you know that! Out of everyone in the world, I'm the closest to you, aren't I?” Holding onto your shoulders, he gave you a desperate squeeze. “Or am I wrong to assume that?” In this space in time, he never felt more betrayed in his life. The hurt coursing through every fiber of his being was unbearable—he preferred being skewered into by your father's blade to this.

“Because it’s Alfred now?”

Your heart sank as you listened to and saw how wounded he was. His lips were trembling, and tears were threatening to spill from his glassy eyes. Never in your life had you seen him cry. The sight was so sobering you couldn’t hold yourself from pulling him down into a tight hug. “No! It's because you're you.” As your bodies swayed from side to side in the embrace, you dug a hand through his hair and screwed your own eyes shut. “You’re my only family in the world. Nothing and nobody will ever replace you, ever.”

He tightened his hold on you as he let a few tears roll down his face. His eyes had been shut as a last-ditch resort to keep that from happening, but they oozed out the tiny gaps of his lids. “Then talk to me.”

Allen never knew he had this fear, but here it stood before him in all its glory, threatening to undo his sanity at the seams. It was the fear of being a second choice. Being abandoned. He already was once, and it nearly cost him his life. But if you did it--“What makes me so different from the rest? Why would it be easier to say this to everyone else?”

“Because you’ve known me since I was thirteen!” You buried your face into your hands to hide how it contorted with pain. Falling deathly quiet at your sudden outburst, he could only watch as you trembled away. “I’ve been working towards something ever since. I always thought I was scared of disappointing dad. But in the end, I was more afraid of disappointing you.”

Allen pulled you in again, and this time, he didn’t hesitate to kiss your cheek. It wasn’t a first, but the way how his mouth lingered on your skin made it feel like something more—something beyond a platonic friendship—and pulling away felt like a sin in itself. “Don’t think that fucking low of me. You could never disappoint me.” Pressing his forehead to yours, he bit back a contented sigh as your cries quietened to sniffles.

“You have nothing to prove. Fuck expectations. You don't have to live the way everyone wanted you to. Just live how you want.” Reaching up to hold your face, he was at a loss from how satisfied it felt to finally say it. But the moment of truth had yet to come—the culmination of everything he wanted in this world.

“Just run away with me. We can put this all behind us. We don’t have to think about this ever again.”

You held onto his hands that found a place on your cheeks. It was a nice thought. To abandon everything you knew to live a carefree and blissful life with Allen. But you declined with little hesitation. “We don't run from things. It's not who we are.” A sad smile made its way to your face. “And I have too much unfinished business.”

Allen wasn't sure whether to think of your response as rejection. But he wasn't about to let it get to him. “... If you ever do, then tell me. Zao's got a nice retreat in the middle of nowhere. We'll pack our things in the middle of the night and disappear by morning.” Your smile spread to him, but his was more bittersweet.

“I just want you to know that you'll always have a way out of everything. I'll wait for you. So just... Give me a call.” He shoved his hands into his pockets to walk off. With one last wistful look over his shoulder, he added this. “I'll always be your guy.”

Going to the bathroom was meant to clear your head, but here you were, sitting in your lonesome in an empty pool room in the penthouse to mull over the conversation. You would be lying if you said you didn't want to run away with Allen. A part of you wanted to return to how things used to be—when it was just you and him. He was the most important person to you in the world, but so was Alfred. You couldn't just forget about him like fuck all, could you? Breathing out a drawn-out sigh, you watched the soft pulsing of lights of the city at night through the window.

Maybe Allen did want you to forget him.

Fiddling with the gun he left you, the barrel scraped against the counter in small slides. Then, you picked it up with a huff to slide off the stool. It was about time you joined the rest. As you did, you caught sight of a familiar silhouette by the window.

Shrouded in the dimness of the room, their body was nothing but a shadow against the scenery of neon holograms and billboards. With a brief squint, you could recognize the person almost right off the bat.

“Alfred? How did you know to come up here?” Tucking the gun into your back pocket, you couldn't help but grin at the pleasant surprise. The said man spun to your voice, then waved. Your grin would've widened at the sight, but it faded upon discovering he was in a different set of clothes than what he arrived in. He came in a dark khaki military jacket and navy blue jeans.

Weird. When did he change to a kimono?

“Hey! I haven't seen you in ages. Come gimme a hug, dammit!” Tightening his arms around your waist, he lifted you up a few inches off the ground. A few nervous laughs fell from your lips as you held onto his shoulders to stabilize yourself. And they felt... A little softer than you remembered. Warmer. Before you could linger too long on the sensation, he set you on your feet and gleamed.

“Whatcha doing in the club, (F/N)? I thought you didn't like places like these. 'Specially when this one's got ties to the underworld and stuff.”

You craned your head to the side—never have you been this baffled. “... You walked in here with us.”

Alfred blinked. “Oh, did I?”

“... Are you drunk?”

He patted his chest a few times without eliciting any sort of whirring noise—immediately, the interaction changed to an unsettling one. But his answer only confirmed your suspicions. “Nope! Stone-cold sober. It would take more than a few drinks to get this baby down.” He gloated, much to your surprise. But the shock soon morphed into a grim kind of understanding.

Alfred couldn't get drunk.

In a heartbeat, you grabbed his wrist, then felt down his forearm. The utmost terror contorted at your expression as you felt his soft flesh sink between your fingers. You only sucked in a horrified gasp when you witnessed his veins disappear under your presses. It was almost as if he was—“Heh. You having fun there?”

Glancing up at him in a dark glower, you never bothered to open your mouth. Instead, you reached for your back pocket. If he was who or what you thought he was, you couldn't let Alfred see him. He couldn't leave this room alive. However, your conviction couldn't triumph the smallest shred of hope that you were just seeing things. There was one way to confirm you weren't hallucinating.

Blood was on the agenda, and you wanted to see it.

You pulled out your gun at light speed and fired a shot into his palm.

The explosive bang was loud enough to reach a few floors down, including the elevator that just left this one. Allen was whistling to himself when he heard it.

As faint as it was, he couldn't mistake it for anything else.

He shouldn't have left you alone.

[dearestones]

Battle of the Breath… and Boulders (Kamaboko Squad Shenanigans)

Warnings: General stupidity.

Anonymous Request: Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to writing nearly everyday! I really like and enjoy your works! :D And thank you for doing mine! (It was the Hoodlum and Swindler interaction.)

May I request some Demon Slayer main trio hijinks so not to overwhelm with just AD? :0

Thanks if you do it!

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Zenitsu clutched his sword tight in his dominant hand. Although not in a battle ready stance befitting that of his breathing style, his eyes were wide as he scanned the trees and his ears were receptive to the sounds of the wind whistling through the trees. As the leaves rustled behind him, Zenitsu felt his muscles tense up and his breathing deepen and quiet.

Like a serpent coiled to strike, Zenitsu was tensed and at the ready to swing his sword.

Above him, the sun was at its highest peak. If it were any other day, Zenitsu and the rest of his fellow Demon Slayers would have stopped for lunch. At that very moment, Zenitsu felt his stomach roll in dismay, as if sensing that its daily serving of food wasn’t going to be given its usual scheduled serving.

Zenitsu could relate.

Nothing about today could be considered “usual”.

For one, when the Demon Slayer trio had woken up from their makeshift camp in the midst of hiking up a mountain, Inosuke had been uncharacteristically silent and contemplative. For a person who was used to having his eardrums blasted by the boar child’s obnoxious antics, the blond had been relieved for the sudden reprieve. Despite that, however, it was Tanjiro who had expressed great worry and concern over Inosuke’s taciturn nature.

“Is something troubling you?”

The redhead had placed a cautious hand on Inosuke’s broad, tanned shoulder. It was a gesture of affection, Inosuke must have realized, because he didn’t shrug away from Tanjiro’s touch. Instead, the boar child scratched his chin and faced Tanjiro, the blank eyes of the boar mask seemingly even more unsettling and blank than usual.

“I want to grow stronger, Gonpachiro.”

As always, Tanjiro’s friendly smile had degraded into a grimace at the butchering of his name, but the redhead had managed to nod slowly in understanding.

“Don’t worry, Inosuke! As long as we practice and train—“

Inosuke interrupted with barely a thought for Tanjiro’s inspirational speech. “No, Tontaro! I want to grow stronger not by training,” the boar child puffed up his chest and swung his swords high up into the sky so that the sunlight glinted off the serrated blades, “I want to fight you both!”

Zenitsu rolled his eyes.

“Didn’t you learn from the first time we met?” Zenitsu leaned his back against the trunk of a tree, already too tired from this inane conversation. He regarded Inosuke with an exasperated, but fond gaze, but continued, “We Demon Slayers can’t fight each other. Why would you want us to fight anyway?”

“Hahahah! But how are we to get better if we don’t constantly practice! Fighting with our different styles can teach us new things!” Inosuke slung a muscled arm over Zenitsu either oblivious to or purposely ignoring his friend’s groan of disgust. “Pankitsu, fight me!”

“Tanjiro, please tell Inosuke that—” The blond found himself stuttering to a halt when he realized that the one person he thought would be sane enough to back him up actually looked like he was giving Inosuke’s spiel some thought. The blond groaned and pushed himself off the tree to confront his first friend. “Come on, Tanjiro! We’re supposed to head into the next town over within the next few days!”

Tanjiro looked troubled for a second before a bright grin shone on his face.

“Instead of actually sparring with each other, we can make it a race!”

Zenitsu’s ears pricked up at that.

A race?

Not only would that get them to their next destination faster, but while his comrades would be competing against each other, Zenitsu could easily make it down the other side. After all, thunder breathing style was all about speed and efficiency. So long as he remained focused, then Zenitsu would surely win!

After all three agreed, they decided on some ground rules.

No major or threatening wounds.

They could go all out with their styles and special abilities so long as the first rule was adhered to.

The first one to reach the bottom of the mountain on the other side wins.

Within the next half hour, Zenitsu basically blasted through the competition. Tanjiro and Inosuke, the true warriors they were compared to him (or so he thought), were far more focused on using their abilities to battle each other. If Zenitsu wanted, he could have stayed behind to watch to see how their respective styles fared against each other.

However, the blond was a realist and wanted to win.

So, down the mountain he went, fully aware of the sounds of sword chasing against each other accompanied by the sounds of grunts of pain and whoops of victory that rang through the air every so often. It wasn’t like Zenitsu didn’t want to fight (a part of him did) but he wanted to stay true to his objective.

Besides… they had yet to decide on what the prize was going to be.

Finally, when Zenitsu stepped onto flat ground, he allowed himself a small smile as he dropped flat to the ground.

Victory! How sweet did it taste upon his tongue.

As the blond rested underneath the shade of an ancient tree, he tried to rest and quiet his breathing that had become somewhat labored since he had run all that way down the mountain. However, before he could fully rest his eyes, his ears began to prick with a sound that he was all too familiar with.

Footsteps.

At first, Zenitsu didn’t seem to find anything wrong with it.

And then—

He realized that the footsteps were accompanied with… something rumbling? Yeah, it sounded a lot like something was… rolling down something?

Like thunder… rolling thunder?

With the speed and agility that not many people would associate with him, Zenitsu jumped up to his feet and unsheathed his sword. Although his eyes were not as sharp as his ears, he kept his gaze focused at what appeared to be a dust storm cascading down the mountainside.

Zenitsu’s warm brown eyed gaze narrowed.

If the footsteps paired well with that cloud of dust (which it did thanks to his ears), then Zenitsu had to wonder… What did those two idiots do?

Zenitsu stood stock still, his breathing nearly silent for a second.

And that’s when all hell broke loose.

Surprisingly, it was Tanjiro who came barreling down the mountain first. When the redhead saw Zenitsu, there was a brief flash of a smile on his face before it became grim.

“Get out of the way! Inosuke and I accidentally dislodged a boulder and—!”

Inosuke came tumbling next, his boar head somehow still resting tightly on his head.

“Monitsu! We’re gonna die! Hahahaha!”

As the pair of Demon Slayers ran past Zenitsu, the blond stood tall and straight, his hand twitched upon the handle of his sword.

His eyes closed.

And as the boulder bore down on him…

Zenitsu could hear the shouts of his teammates scream for him to move, to turn right or turn left…

Yet—

He stood still, his eyes closed, and he shifted into first stance, and then—

“Thunder Breathing First Form,” his eyes glowed somewhat dimly amid the contrast of the sunlight around him, “Thunderclap and Flash!”

And with that, the Thunder Breather slashed forward—

—and into the boulder, causing it to fall apart in half.

As Zenitsu sheathed his sword, he could hear the awed sounds and gasps of awe from his fellow Demon Slayers.

“That was so awesome, Zenitsu!” Tanjiro cried among the petulant cries of Inosuke claiming that he could have done the same. He came forward to embrace Zenitsu, almost as if the blond had been harmed in the maneuver. “I couldn’t have done that!”

The blond’s cheeks warmed at the compliment; on his tongue, he ached to say that he didn’t deserve such kind words, but something else came out.

“Didn’t you say that you sliced through a giant rock before the Final Selection,” Zenitsu asked him. “Why didn’t you do just that?”

Tanjiro blinked, his eyes wide and his cheeks just as red as his hair. “Oh… It was going too fast, though!”

Zenitsu resisted the urge to smack his palm against his forehead.

“Whatever… Can we go now? I’m going to have the both of you treat me to a nice meal at the next shop we come across as a reward for winning!”

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KIMETSU NO YAIBA (DEMON SLAYER) MASTERLIST

[featherwurm]

Stories

Longer narratives with complex character interaction and distinct through-lines. (Please note that this is not a free prompt - these are my own personal Wips.)

The Eternal General - A man is forced through a grueling ordeal in a low-fantasy world as the actions of the man he served as head general take shape as an unearthly monstrosity. This begins an endless bond of servitude to otherworldly forces and an eternity of different lifetimes (Features: Marcus, Rin, Ivan, Ytra.) This is a collaborative project with @fullyfunctionalminiaturebeehive.

Scratched Sky - Lifetimes and worlds away from where he began, Marcus finds himself in a world nearly destroyed through outside forces which took his likeness and were forestalled by an embittered and exhausted Ivan. He is forced into a life of recluse as we learn of the outfall of the creatures that Marcus has become bound to. (Features: Marcus, Ivan, Lynne, Shay.) This is a collaborative project with @fullyfunctionalminiaturebeehive.

Longbody Dragons - Below the ocean a reclusive empire reigns, and these dragons ferociously guard their own secrets. The Dragon King pits his many offspring against each other to determine who will succeed him and protect his empire from any interaction with the outside world. The twins, Shen and Su, take very different paths in life, but when Su's self-imposed exile comes to an end, there will be major change. (Features: Shen, Su, Dragon God Rahab, Ji-Ho.)

Gryphon and Dragon - Two creatures from another time that seem very out of place in a world where, from a technological dark age, a strange dieselpunk future has arisen. They must both unravel the strange mysteries of her past (who she is, why she is subservient to human will and whim), and going forward, ensure they understand his kind (what kind of a creature has the mind of a man but venom enough to fell him). When they find Gryphon's sisters, they are in for more than either of them is ready to take on, but out of duty and out of obligation they will go forward to whatever end. (Features: Gryphon the Sphinx, Dragon, Irina, Olga, Masha.)

Parnassus - A creature who at once seems beautiful, alluring, and otherworldly copes with being ripped from his homeland in an event that nearly destroyed him. Along the way he finds and gives much kindness to many, and the ways in which it trickles through their lives is complex and deep. (Features: Parnassus, Esquiline, Lucifer, the Tendriled Woman.)

The Voices - Strange and horrible creatures rise from the sites of massive human calamity in a slowly post-apocalyptic world. What they do, who they interact with, and what happens to them may be critical to the remainder of human life in the world (Features: The Voice of the Drowned, the Voice of the Decadant, the Voice of the Burned, the Bird.)

Humanfolk - ‘Humanity’ at the brink of collapse has split into three subgroups through various means, the humans, the flight-afflicted, and the merfolk. While once a hope of the last bastion of human thought, the merfolk had long since distanced themselves from land-dwelling humans and were considered little more than a food source. The flight afflicted are the result of a strange sickness that warps the mind and body - giving the precious gift of flight at the cost of reason and understanding. Humanity will have to find new ways to survive. (Features: Orcafolk, Flight Afflicted.) This story may blend with The Voices.

Vali the Dreamwalker - A story about surviving, enduring, and eventually thriving. Vali is gifted with the incredible ability to traverse and alter the dreams of any living thing, but ultimately, for all his efforts, healing will be his ultimate trial. (Features: Vali, Media, Oxalis, Fenn, A'thel, En'thel, B'rath, Ensen, Neis.)

Anton the Changed - A circus is abducted and altered by the fae for their own entertainment, some 100 years after this, one of their members manages to escape back to the mortal realm, although he has been permanently changed by the ordeal. He finds others that understand him and together they plan rescue of those he was bound with. (Features: Anton, Pleasant, King, Malachi, Samuel, The Fish.)

Anachronism - An immortal afraid of the ways in which the world changes, they have tried to keep to strange 'time bubbles' where the world stays still as time moves forward around them. When they are shunted from their last bastion of an older time, they are forced to confront the modern world and their own nature. (Features: Butler Cross, Rail.)

The Unable - Strange tentacle-headed creatures appear one day on our planet, inert apart from their subservience to any human whim. Their existence becomes a new economy, until, at last, one day they appear to awaken and develop wills of their own.

The Gardener - At the forefront of human bio-engineering and molecular botany, a strange and singular person lives in total recluse. Despite their successes, there is much they hide. They are forced to confront their own issues as they deal with corporate espionage, the ethics of synthetically made life and sapience, and reconciling a painful past. (Features: The Gardener, Glass.)

The Pitfighters - In a wold where manipulation of the human body can be pushed to tremendous and frightening physical extremes, underground pitfighting is a brutal blood sport fed by using the bodies of the illegal and the unwanted. Three different former pitfighters tell their stories in a political drama (Mercutio), a buddy road trip (Tac and Ephra), and a gentle love story (Tom and Zir) (Features: Mercutio, Tac, Tom, Ephra the Shifter, and Zir the Reptile Charmer)

Sinkhole City - In the world, strange portals to some other place are opening, and while they are dangerous, people seem drawn to them, and cities form around their edges. In this strange place Leon, recovering from a previous life, discovers many secrets and quirks of it, and the dramas that play out because of it. (Features: Leon, Lynne, the Horned Man, Rin, Ivan.)

The Beast of 1,000 Shadows - The monster lives far and away in distant hills and changes her form when she removes her pelt. She has different ones, but not many, and those that pass through her domain know to fear her. All but one. One who had been through many other things long before and marked them all on her skin in her own way. A wanderer and a wayfarer who found reason to pause. (Features: The Beast of 1,000 Shadows, The Tattooed Woman.)

Soft Minotaur - A version of the myth where the poor beast escapes with the help of two Athenian sacrifices, seeking only a simple life.

Quellus and Cipher - Raised in secret to be trained as the perfect king, the young man known only as Cipher (his real name lost - it was supposed to be a cipher for him to determine), suffers in the military academy where he has been pushed ahead, ahead, ahead, even though he'd rather retreat into the woods. When he is revealed as prince, his elder brother Quellus, with much hesitance and love, helps him flee from their war-torn society. (Features: Quellus, Cipher, Cipher's Sister.)

The Raw - ... I was going through some things. (Features: The Raw.)

The Unnamed World of the Four Schools - When a war for conquest comes to the Dark Mage's swamp, she is forced out of the neutrality that binds mages to lives of recluse. Reluctantly joining up with the mage, Arthur of the Woods, the two of them journey to forestall further conflict, and prevent a magic war that could damage the very fabric of reality. (Features The Dark Mage, Arthur of the Woods.)

The Unwitting Mage - Terrivald had lived a peaceful life under his brother's shadow, quietly enjoying a solitary life in his library, until a baffling artifact of elven making and a strange prophecy teleport him halfway across the world. As he journeys home, he must discern the purpose and abilities of said artifact, and whether or not he truly believes that he is some sort of savior figure, or if someone is simply having a laugh. (Features: Terivald, Navaras, Sandstorm.)

I often record my more memorable dreams as short fiction with accompanying illustrations. They are all tagged under 'Dream' and are sometimes a starting point for a longer piece of fiction.

I occasionally make short comics if I think the idea suits the medium.

My husband, @fullyfunctionalminiaturebeehive is working on a story involving Sihal, Farrow, Agate, Fall, Muriel, Rochelle, and others (side characters include Druzy, Saphire, Emerald, Snowflake Obsidian, etc.)

Some old stories may or may not see the light of day (but have some fragmentary existence in my portfolios) include: Mortalis, D.R.L.H., There are Places, Unfortunate Innocence, Vlasis and Lavinia, Lane Davenforth.

[bestworstcase]

Tromus tromus tromus tromus tromus TROMUS

( @bat-anon )

What I love about them:

okay so i already went over how sugracha is evil mirror rapunzel sO let’s talk about tromus is evil mirror eugene:

1. both present this sort of aura of being laid-back / suave / witty but beneath the surface eugene is actually a bit neurotic (strict hair and skincare regimen to maintain his appearance, freaks out if he has a hair out of place, charisma vanishes under pressure and he turns into a babbling mess who can’t shut up) whereas tromus strikes me as being very genuinely an eccentric with his head so in the clouds that he has this suave sort of demeanor paired with him saying. utterly bizarre stuff because that’s just how he thinks. so where eugene is very conscious of how he presents himself and is doing this on purpose, for tromus it’s his natural, unfiltered personality showing through. (see also: he continues to be just as weird after he reveals his true identity)

2. eugene and tromus are both improvisational problem-solvers: when something goes wrong, they roll with it and are both quick to let go of plans that aren’t working - but eugene has common sense and tromus um. doesn’t. he just has a junk drawer full of cursed artifacts that he tosses at his problems seemingly at random.

2a. “we’re in a room FULL of MaGiCaL artifacts, and i don’t knOW what aNy oF tHeM DO!!” the only difference between eugene in RTTS and tromus in the HOYT is that tromus knows what the artifacts DO

3. one of eugene’s key defining features is his unshakable faith in rapunzel - which can be both a strength (he is unflagging in his support for her and her most loyal ally) and a weakness (his faith can blind him to her falls and encourage passivity bc he just trusts her to solve everything). meanwhile tromus is devoted to zhan tiri, who is trapped and, despite being very powerful, unable to help herself - so he is reliant solely on himself and his own capability and whatever sparse communication he had with her before successfully cracking open her prison enough for her to latch onto cass. he is far from faithless - in the sense that he is loyal - but he serves zhan tiri rather than supporting her

4. the contrasts here are much murkier because tromus is not a direct antagonist of eugene in the way sugracha is of rapunzel, but - consider a matchup of sugracha & tromus vs rapunzel & eugene and how, based on their personalities, the former would very likely work together with a dynamic very similar to rapunzel and eugene: sugracha is the planner/the dreamer/the one with a clear goal, extremely capable on her own, and tromus is the more relaxed/more flexible one in a support role, able to run interference and quickly navigate around unforeseen obstacles. they would make a spectacular team for the exact same reasons rapunzel and eugene make a good team.

5. consider also how eugene, who continually struggles with his identity and is repeatedly thrown into tailspin’s when something challenges his notions of himself, is paralleled in tromus, who is utterly secure in his identity as zhan tiri’s disciple whilst also successfully maintaining the charade of mr. matthews for days if not weeks. there’s a fun “honest but uncertain” vs “duplicitous but assured” duality here

6. eugene is kind of casually lowkey hedonistic - he enjoys luxuriating in comfort while servants attend to his every need, he likes spa days, he likes fine dining, he likes to relax. tromus on the other hand at first glance appears to lead a rather decadent lifestyle - the fine clothes, the sprawling manor, the abundance of good food - but… his house is in the middle of nowhere, he lives completely alone, and that implies he’s doing all the work to create this luxury himself, either through actual manual labor (he DID chop down a tree with an axe…) or with magic.

7. when tromus personally enters rapunzel’s lotus dream to directly manipulate her he literally pretends to be eugene.

and like just in general where sugracha is the impassioned artist of the trio and gothel is the aloof mean one who betrays them, tromus is… the chill flamboyant sociable one. the vibes align. 👌

What I hate about them:

nothing he is flawless

Favorite Moment/Quote:

“look at how wet you are. do you suppose it is from the rain?” kgkfjssj

What I would like to see more focus on:

there is so much mileage to be gotten out of eccentric collector of cursed curios who also worships a demon that i just want like a million post-canon fics where he’s still alive and just. becomes a perennial thorn in everyone’s side. he’s like prime frenemy material come on

What I would like to see less focus on:

no 💚

Favorite pairing with:

idk i don’t really ship him with anyone?

Favorite friendship:

“they literally do not interact in canon but she and tromus both have such strong personalities that the evil brotp basically writes itself” <- quoting myself because lazy

i also picture him as being the one who was closest to demanitus out of the three pupils and while this of course ends badly i have a whole story in my head about it kgjdksj

NOTP:

i sort of answered this already in the sugracha one but yeah the concept of tromus/sugracha is very cursed

Favorite headcanon:

the rivalry that he has with calliope (and rosalia morcant) in my head - his favorite game is finding new and creative ways to mispronounce words just to get under her skin

[terramythos]

TerraMythos' 2020 Reading Challenge - Book 34 of 26

Title: The Harbors of the Sun (2017) (The Books of the Raksura #5)

Author: Martha Wells

Genre/Tags: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Adventure, LGBT Protagonist, Female Protagonist (Kind Of), Third-Person

Rating: 9/10

Date Began: 12/11/2020

Date Finished: 12/25/2020

Moon and his friends are reeling from the betrayal of a former ally. With several members of their party kidnapped, and a mysterious weapon stolen by their new enemy, the chase is on. He and the others must infiltrate unknown territory to rescue their missing family and avert a deadly calamity. At the same time, a massive army of Fell are gathering to attack the Reaches. The Raksuran colonies of Indigo Cloud and Opal Night must join forces to defend their home before they are overrun and destroyed. 

“But you don’t want to be near Fell,” Moon guessed. Considering what had happened to Shade when they had been captured by the Fell flight northwest of the Reaches, it was only rational. 

“No, I don’t.” He looked at Moon hopelessly.��“Is that weak?” 

Consorts were supposed to be weak and delicate and need everything done for them, but Moon and Shade were different, and nothing was going to change that. And “weak” wasn’t really the right word for what Shade meant. What he was trying to say was harder to express. It was giving into feelings other people thought you were supposed to have about things that shouldn’t have happened to you in the first place, but were not like the actual feelings you did have. There wasn’t a word for that in Raksuran or Altanic or Kedaic or any other language Moon knew. Moon said, “It’s not weak.” 

Full review, some spoilers, and content warning(s) under the cut. 

Content warnings for the book:  Graphic violence and action. Implied past r*pe (it’s the same plot point as previous books). Genocide is a big plot point of this one. 

The Harbors of the Sun is the fifth, and presumably final, book in the Raksura series. And boy what a ride it's been. I've enjoyed settling in with a longer fantasy series. While I'm excited to read something new, I'll miss these characters and the captivating world they inhabit. Since this is probably the last installment, I'll look into book-specific details, but also provide some series retrospective commentary. I won't touch on everything, just things that stick out to me.

From what I can tell, The Harbors of the Sun is a little controversial with long time fans. I can see why, and it's the same reason I added "Epic Fantasy" to the tag list. Most of the series has focused on small-scale conflicts centering on the Raksuran characters. There's hints of large-scale stuff in The Siren Depths, but that crisis is averted, so thus not fully realized. However, these last two books contain a much longer storyline, and the stakes in The Harbors of the Sun are potentially catastrophic not just for the Raksura, but thousands if not millions of people. Think The Lord of the Rings trilogy vs The Hobbit in terms of ramp up.

Due to the larger scale, this book also embraces a rotating point of view. The original trilogy is entirely from Moon's perspective, and The Edge of Worlds only dips its toes into alternate POVs. The Harbors of the Sun features multiple character groups all doing important things to the story, so there's lots of perspective shifts. While I still consider Moon the main character, he shares the stage with many others.

Personally, I like the scaled up conflict. It seems like a natural progression of the series. While not every point of view wows me, finally seeing some stuff from Jade and Chime's perspective (for example) is really cool. While Moon is an enjoyable protagonist, he often interprets characters and motivations wrong. Getting someone else’s take on a given situation or character is refreshing. 

One of my favorite alt-perspectives is Frost. She's a young child and minor character, but serves as the perspective for a tense political discussion between Raksuran queens about impending war with the Fell. This whole section serves to convey important information, but also as great worldbuilding to see how Raksura interact with, indulge, and care for their young. While we have seen adult perspectives such as Moon happily playing with his children, it's interesting to see a child's view of life in the colony. This is emblematic of Wells' approach to the series and her technique when crafting this world. It would be easy to pick a major character like Malachite and tell this section from her perspective, but we would miss many interesting details. Using Frost isn't something I would necessarily consider, and is just a cool writing choice.

By the end, The Harbors of the Sun feels like it's been a long, epic journey-- more so than the shorter adventures of previous books. A LOT of stuff happens in this book, and there's so many different interesting places the characters visit. Even events at the beginning feel distant compared to where everything ends. There is a unique appeal in this kind of story. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I personally like the change of pace and tone, especially as a finale. 

For a series retrospective, the Fell are an interesting subject to discuss. I'm impressed with what Wells pulls off with them. One of my criticisms of The Cloud Roads is the Fell aren't especially compelling villains. They're an evil race of shapeshifters, distantly related to Raksura, who infiltrate cities and eat the population. The Fell are parasites-- they have no real culture or ability to survive except through the destruction of others. They’ve recently taken to destroying Raksuran colonies, kidnapping survivors, and forcing them to produce crossbreeds. Obviously, this introduces two narrative problems. One, "evil races" in fantasy are boring and already done ad nauseam. Two, how can one make the Fell interesting when they're literally irredeemable monsters? 

The answer, it turns out, is a nature vs nurture debate, and it's mostly approached through the Fell/Raksura crossbreed characters. While these ideas have been explored throughout the series, The Harbors of the Sun brings it full circle. The Cloud Roads' main antagonist is Ranea, a crossbreed queen raised by the Fell. She sees the crossbreeds as a natural way to strengthen the Fell and make them an even deadlier force than they are by default, since Raksura have their own set of powers and traits. She’s soundly defeated, supposedly concluding the subplot. Until, of course, it comes back. 

In The Siren Depths, we meet several crossbreed characters who are, for all intents and purposes, Raksura. Malachite rescued them as children and chose to raise them as Raksura of Opal Night. The result is that, while Shade and Lithe are aware of their heritage, they've experienced love and acceptance throughout their lives. Sure, they may have some physical traits and abilities that differ from the others, but often these have practical uses in the story. Their families don’t treat them differently because of this. As characters, they're just as Raksuran as everyone else.

In The Edge of Worlds, we're introduced to another crossbreed queen, a foil to Ranea. While she makes some early mistakes, unlike Ranea she seems capable of reason and compassion. We learn her name and backstory in The Harbors of the Sun. Consolation was born in a Fell flight, but most of her childcare came from her father, a captive Raksuran consort. Hence her name, which is painful with context and distinctly Raksuran. Apparently, the consort's influence didn't just extend to Consolation, but to other outcasts in the flight. After his death, Consolation and her allies slaughtered the leadership and took over the flight, and seek a place to live in peace independent of traditional Fell corruption and influence. 

One of the interesting things about this are the kethel and dakti in Consolation's flight. Throughout the series, these two Fell castes are basically treated as cannon fodder. If you need a big intimidating enemy, throw in a kethel. For annoying imp swarms, dakti. The Raksura tend to think of these creatures as intelligent animals, not people. They only talk when a Fell ruler takes over their mind. They're treated badly among the Fell; cannibalized them when food stores get low, thrown into suicidal situations, etc. 

In The Harbors of the Sun, the kethel and dakti can speak, much to the surprise of the main cast. Consolation's main advisor is a crossbreed dakti named First. There's also a kethel (presumably pureblooded Fell) that follows and assists Moon and Stone throughout the book and engages them in conversation. They clearly distrust it, but over the course of the story go from calling it "the kethel" to "Kethel", like an actual name. It has ulterior motives-- to convince the Raksura to help Consolation-- but is certainly not "inherently evil", nor just an intelligent animal. This is counter to everything we've been led to believe through the series, and it shocks multiple characters and challenges their way of thinking. 

The argument at the end is that the Fell are evil because of a poisonous ideology and the total control of the progenitors (female rulers). Raised with compassion and better treatment, they're very similar to the Raksura. I'm honestly impressed with where the Fell end up vs where they start in The Cloud Roads. I don't know if Wells planned this arc for them from the beginning, but I like the amount of nuance she introduced without it feeling gross or trite. Does it work 100 percent? I'm not sure; I'd have to reread the series in more depth. But based on my current thoughts, it’s a good development; it doesn’t “redeem” or justify the Fell, but demonstrates the ways in which future generations can change and break the cycle. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and many characters clearly distrust these “new” Fell (understandable considering the sheer trauma most of the cast has), but it’s an interesting take nevertheless. 

On another subject, we never really learn what was up with the forerunners! Except they really liked flower motifs, I guess. I kind of like this; there's an impression that the long forgotten civilizations of the past were technologically advanced, but no one knows what happened to them. It's just an enduring mystery of the series. Ultimately it doesn't matter to the characters, and that's fine.

Also, we now have confirmation that The Serpent Sea is basically filler. It felt like a side story when I read it, but part of me hoped it would have some relevance to these last two books. Nope. I’m a little disappointed in this, but it’s not the end of the world, just something to keep in mind when reading the series. I think the book is entertaining on its own merits, but there’s little to connect it to the main story besides the characters. 

Overall I recommend these books to people looking for a non-traditional fantasy series. There's no humans or typical Tolkein-esque fantasy races. Instead there are dozens of sapient humanoid species invented whole cloth, with some obvious real world inspirations. The shapeshifting Raksura are lovingly crafted, with lots of interesting detail about their culture, customs, and daily life. I love how they feel like believable people but are distinctly nonhuman. As a setting, The Three Worlds is deadly and fascinating, with lots of interesting places and people. There's always a sense of a big, vibrant world, even when the books choose not to explore it in depth. While The Harbors of the Sun feels like a finale to the current Raksuran story, I wouldn't be surprised if Wells visits this setting in the future.

There are some short story collections in this series which I do plan to read sometime in 2021. However, I'm going to take a break from the Raksura series and dive into something else for now. Thanks for reading! 

[flufflebones]

some more fun hcs about delphine [mc 1.... closest 2 my heart since ive used her in various settings for a While]! it’s a little long so im slapping it under a cut but its all sfw and all very much in good fun.

you know, mostly. i only really got two headcanons down and one is brief/about michael and the other is about pets in the devildom

- can and will fight michael do you think they saw the angel/anni event and were ok with it? yeah? no! just going to kick him hard enough in the shin to....... probably bust their own foot but its FINE 

- has an approximate accumulated f*ckton of devildom native and possibly (definitely) magical pets

[The list:

Sosig / Sausage - Hellhound - Gift from Beelzebub!:

A beast of considerable size and [reportedly] god awful temperament, bearing charcoal fur and the lingering [faint] scent of sulphur. More vulpine than canine, their frames are typically gaunt, with the flames that fuel their bodies licking out from the ends of their tails, their ankles and wrists [on their normal quadrupedal legs], the inner portions of their ears [leaving them at a disadvantage when it comes to hearing], their somewhat visible / open ribcage, and the corners of their mouth. 

Despite this general introduction, hellhounds are wildly varied and have a number of breeds and variations in recent history, typically intended for one of three purposes.

Companionship - These hellhounds are typically smaller in stature and less sturdy, with a tendency to bond strongly to one or two masters [with some consideration/leeway for those close to their master: See- Cerberus]. Arguably the most docile of any class of hellhound, they are still dangerous if not raised correctly, and have a nasty bite. Though not a true classification and with no formal means of training a hound to do so naturally, some companion hellhounds serve as a psuedo service dog, heavily attuned to the needs and potential problems unique to their primary master. This isn’t to say that they are an alternative to service animals, or anywhere near as well trained, *of course*, but the devildom is hardly the safest place for a regular human realm animal; And sometimes, you’ve just got to work with what you’ve got.

Sport / Show - Typically very much breed standard. While raised to tolerate handling and grooming, these traditionally built hellhounds are temperamental at best and borderline terrifying when their willful nature comes in direct conflict with a demonic handler who bit off more than they can chew. Heavily regulated, and typically owned by the elite.

Protection - The devildom is dangerous, and nobody is questioning that. Demons with a knack for animal handling [or demons who can afford to hire someone skilled with animals, of course!] breed and train these creatures to guard many things; People, places, objects, etc. They’re typically territorial and hard to train as a rule, as one cannot allow for a beast such as this to be tempted by treats or good petting from *anyone*, yfm?

Sausage is a bit of a mixed bag. Born from protective stock and bought by Beelzebub after overhearing Mammon trying to convince Lucifer to get Delphine/my mc a pet [who lays eggs, we’ll get there, that he can sell for a massive profit]. Being the youngest present brother at the time, anything capturing his interest other than food is both welcomed and encouraged in an attempt to positively reinforce him to not put the devildom at risk of a famine.

Delphine unintentionally raised this brick house of a hellhound puppy into a sort of in-between of companion and protector, with him being very social, very sweet, and *fairly* defensive and willful if things aren’t going his way. He’s typically the one to step in most successfully to motivate her to move around [yes, moreso than the brothers!] and do her day to day tasks, and is probably the best way to find out if something’s wrong with her-- Past being able to just kind of drag her off due to their size differential, his general wit and ability to communicate his needs and wants have led to unexpected food deliveries, blankets spread over her shoulders, and human world medicines arriving a few days before she shows any real signs of illness that she can see.

He’s also spoiled as all get out. If you’re sharing a bed/couch/blanket/etc with her, you can bet Sausage is soon to follow. Sorry, Mammon! He loooves table scraps and is almost as bad as Beel when it comes to eating things he shouldn’t [and looking too cute to be scolded about it too heavily].

Rocky - ... That’s just a rock, dude. - Gift from Belphegor:

It’s really hard to tell if Belphegor is messing around when he presents Delphine with a rough hewn black rock bearing two googly eyes, a pair of hilariously out of place crystalized horns, and a pair of similarly out of place crystal wings, but I swear on all things unholy, he’s doing it for a reason.

Though not... Really sentient, initially, Rocky just needs a good, possibly year long charging. Soulstones are sort of... Weird, in that they are inert and lifeless for as long as they remain with the boulders from which they are harvested. but typically-- After being exposed to a single party’s magical runoff and signature for a year or so-- absorb enough energy to come to life, their coloration and mineral makeup adjusting to fit the nature of the being they owe their life to. Delphine’s takes the form of a celestine and blue goldstone peryton; A winged stag. With crystalized wings and antlers, Rocky would almost look majestic; If it weren’t for the fact that the googly eyes have remained a feature that she has never been able to figure out how to remove. Soulstones are typically quiet observers, not requiring active care to thrive but delighting in contact [especially immediately post spell casting or magic use]. They are attuned to the needs of their magic bound masters, and typically exude an air of-- if not positive-- reassurance.

In Delphines Little Canon Divergence Corner, it’s likely that rocky coming into her care is one of the first of many attempts at reconciliation that Belphegor makes with her post chapter 16; And it honestly really, really sets him back, like, even when she returns to the human realm. Forgotten but included in her luggage, it’s a few weeks into her settling down on Earth that she finds the dinky little stone, and an overload of magic-- Possibly emotionally sourced, possibly due to unresolved tension/a discussion that never got to happen because he was being a little jerk about it-- sets off the transformation, which occurs overnight.

She recognizes the little stone figure when it approaches her in the morning, and one of her first texts about it is a simple, succinct “WTF” + an image attachment sent to Belphegor, specifically in the dead of night with the intention to wake him.

Henry “Pogchampion” 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0, A.K.A: “Pip! Minette! Beans!” - Infernal rats - Gift from Leviathan:

A note: If you don’t care for rats or you’re more familiar with their popular association with illness or disease/classification as vermin, and are only capable of thinking of them in that context, I don’t care. I am specifically talking about rats in the context of them being pets-- And good pets, at that. If you want to talk about how much you wish they were dead/didn’t exist, thats not my problem. Just don’t do it on a post discussing them as a pet, or I will block you!

Anyway!

Leviathan is probably the most appropriate person for them to get pet recommendations from, but her asking never winds up a necessity; When he finds out that he’s got another pet enthusiast in the house, he’s *all* about it, and when he finally [very unsubtly] weasels his way into the information he needs, he gets them to come along with him to what’s supposed to be a routine supply trip for Henry that just *CAN’T* be accomplished online. It’s a trip to *a* shop, but not what she’s expecting, especially when she gets to meet a handful of very curious, very playful, larger than a medium sized dog mice and rats. These guys are very much pests turned pets, with a small niche of hobbyists raising them and breeding them for temperament and overall health and disease resistance. Very social and very intelligent, they tend to thrive best in groups if one is not devoting all of their time to them as an individual. The type Leviathan recommends are on the smaller side, with cloudy, soft fur and sweet temperaments. And massive teeth, nubby horns, spade tipped tails, and very large, typically bony or leathery wings.

Levi is... Probably the one who wanted them, really. They get a little big, and tend to like to roughhouse, and they chew like nobody’s business-- And while he can’t risk his figures or merch or other Otaku Trappings or wires for everything in his room, he *CAN* risk Delphine’s. Plus, Sausage needs a friend, right? Or three?

They pick up three, all of whom are sisters, and all of whom on paper are named Henry “Pogchamp”, 6.0, 7.0, and 8.0, since he *is* technically the one paying for them and at least gets to do that much. Even when they start being named Pip, Minette, and Beans, in casual conversation, he can still hold on to the fact that they’ll always be Henries in his heart of hearts.

Sausage loves them to bits, for the record, but their interactions tend to be supervised/very brief even without the worry of him being able to harm any of them due to the general (and very appropriate) ill advisement of large predators interacting with smaller prey animals. It’s cute, sure, but it can be dangerous, and Delphine (and Levi, to a lesser extent, because he’s using the excuse of them being friends to keep Lucifer off of his ass for adding another animal to her menagerie) isn’t about to risk it.

Sweets - .... A black cat? That glitters? - Gift from Satan and Asmodeus:

Small, sleek, and independent, Sweets is probably the pet people see the least of all of Delphine’s little collection-- Though that doesn’t mean she’s not well loved. A pet project between Satan and Asmodeus, Sweets isn’t *technically* a cat; They’re a being comprised of shadow, somewhat similar in nature to a familiar without the connotation of them technically being a demon slash demonic. Who just so happens to have been enchanted to appear like and generally function in their day to day life as a cat. That sparkles, the only concession Satan was willing to grant Asmodeus in return for his help obtaining the materials necessary to create  the little beast (and in return for him taking the heat when Lucifer inevitably got pissy about it). Given its unique nature, very little is actually known about the little being of shadow past basic care and assumptions based on its generally feline behavioral patterns. The rats scare the hell out of it, however, and it tends to be out of sight except when called, hiding in shadows and only occasionally emerging on its own.

... Oh, and be careful. Satan hasn’t told Del yet, but it seems that the belly rubs this shadowy kitty offers tend  to bite off more than they can chew if they’re not careful. Asmodeus thinks its horrible. Who wants a pet with a massive maw of teeth in their stomach? Satan desperately wants to use this quirk in Sweets’ nature for a prank. Delphine already knows, but is playing dumb for the sake of faking surprise when its formally revealed.

Elysia - Gilded Crow - Gift from Lucifer and Mammon:

SO, i”M going to keep this short because i’ve been writing this for several hours at this point on and off and i really really want to be ready for my dinner when its ready, but!

Elysia is a sort of... Special circumstance. Literally. Devotees to Mammon-- And yes, there *are* people who think he’s a legitimate demon lord, the only people really allowed to treat him like garbage are his brothers and a few choice officials too strong to be eradicated as any lesser demon might have been-- with a background in magical augmentation specifically enchanted this line of crows to reflect that which is most valued by their Lord; Riches. They’re technically not legal due to their status as something of an organic money generator, but a select few in a small flockare kept under the watchful eyes of the Demon Lord and his immediate family, and those who have been trusted by his family members. This is where Lucifer comes in.

Understandably, Mammon is not allowed to have care of his flock, though he certainly wouldn’t be the worst at caring for them. He’d just also be selling their products illegally, and you can’t have that!

Elysia wears a small enchanted band comprised of dull, unimpressive iron-- The kind of thing Mammon would neither notice nor have interest in. This band is enchanted, and serves as a sort of storage space for any of Ely’s dropped organic components. Talons, feathers, eggs-- Everything is automatically absorbed into the band, rendering the bird borderline useless outside of being a gorgeous pet, and a gigantic nuisance. 

Lucifer hates to admit it, but he really is a fan of the large, intelligent, gorgeous creature; And Mammon thinks it’s really funny to teach her to take shiny things (like grimm, loose jewelry, gum wrappers, etc), even past the sentimental value of the bird itself and what her kind represents to him. 

Delphine adores her, too, and is about as good an influence on her as Mammon is-- Teaching her to speak, in some capacity, simply by repeating certain words or phrases to herself as she does things in the day to day, especially during feeding time. It’s all fun and games, until this pretty golden bird calls Lucifer a ‘motherf*cker’ while she thinks he’s out of the room while visiting with Diavolo for an update on her health.

[somedrunkpirate]

In the dark we travel (Geraskier Sci-fi au)

The witcher fandom yelled at me so hard more gays in space spawned, I love yall. Chapter 2 just got posted. 

Chapter 1 (Tumblr) | Chapter 2 (this post)|  Chapter 1 (ao3) | Chapter 2 (ao3) 

Though Geralt has been on large ships often, there is something about Garbagecrafts that looms over you when you enter. Walking over the edge of the doorway is akin to stepping into the maw of a creature, a cavernous space opening up before in a tunnel, leading only to greater open halls. The bowels of the beast with thin walkways crawling up walls that reach 20, maybe even 30 meters. 

The echo doesn’t help matters. Even though the first three halls they pass are almost filled to the brim with labyrinths of containers, the sound of footsteps ricochets off the metal floor and comes back multiplied a dozen times over. It disorientates Geralt, the echo overlaying with actual sounds to such an extent that it is hard to know where anything is coming from. It will be better slightly further down, he knows, where the walls taper off to a humble 15 metres. 

Every Garbagecraft is built the same way. You have the smaller, lower level, where engines reside on one side, and the dangerous and toxic wastes reside on the other, guarded and secured. Then you have the second level, the one they’ve just entered, where the majority of the trash is stored in those endless halls of space. Some elect to spend their time there, in between the containers— mostly those who are able to trance or hibernate in some manner or another. A way to biologically skip the time. 

But for those who need some measure of utilities, the best bet is to come as close to the third level as possible. The crew eats, drinks and sleeps there. If you’re lucky, there are bathrooms and showers just in between the second and third level, for the lowest of the workers to use. 

The crafts are made to be manned for long periods of time. Geralt has heard of people who have been on a single garbage run for over three years. They go from planet to planet, picking up specific kinds of garbage that can be reused or destroyed in other parts of the galaxy. This one seems to be most focused on fuels— biological, chemical, quantisable, Geralt can smell all kinds —though they always have some bays open for more general waste that can be discarded off anywhere. 

Theirs is a service that goes beyond borders or politics. There have been so many planets and societies either destroyed or corrupted by their own waste, that there is an understanding among the galaxy that the disposal of materials is something that must be done with equity and generosity. No society is too small to have the right to ask a Garbagecraft coming to their docks. 

And of course, with any service that is for the good of all and has no motive other than necessity, the ships are perpetually understaffed. 

This is how they can carry people, as well as waste. For all intents and purposes, they all just got hired. 

“Are you going to claim a bunk?” Jaskier is saying, forcing Geralt to realise that he’s still walking beside him. “You’d have the right to it.”

“Hmm.” 

“That doesn’t actually illuminate anything.” 

Geralt shrugs. 

“You’d have to right to it. This place must be hell for you.” 

Geralt doesn’t respond. It isn’t that he’s wrong, but Geralt has no intention to wade into the utter mess that is the bunk claiming process. If you could call it a process. The Sketh will likely get her way, she’s shown her willingness to use her blaster in any manner she sees fit on the platform. But despite Jaskier’s idealistic declaration, the art of getting a bunk is much more about status than merely intimidation. 

There are rules in places like this— lives like these. Who is supposed to interact with whom. Where you can sit with, who you can drink with. There are three sizes of it: species, role, influence. Jaskier is going to be high up in all— humans tend to have the unerring ability to elevate themselves above others, even if it is just through sheer annoyance. His role as a Bard will gather him many accolades, as few people have an ability that is actually of use during their stay. And well, on influence. He’s shown his mastery of that on the platform as much the Sketh showed her volatile nature. Jaskier will have no trouble getting a bunk, nor gathering food, drink, protection, companionship, and all else you might need. 

Geralt, on the other hand— 

There is little consensus whether Ancienthunters even should be considered a species, rather than an augmented experiment with admittedly, some use to them. Their trade of killing the worst the universe has to offer earns them less than respect.  Many believe even the proximity to those creatures leaves the hunters tainted and prone to corruption. Influence is a hilarious afterthought, not even worth mentioning. He could use his sword, or Roach, to be convincing, in some sense of the word. But there must be more than a hundred people down below, and the moment the crew hears of a wayward Hunter, terrorizing the people, he’ll be outside the ship’s walls faster than he can blink. 

He won’t get a bunk. That’s just the way it is. 

Jaskier is about to say something else when they turn a corner, and the last cargo hall opens up before them. 

“Oh, fuck yes.” 

The last hall is where most people congregate, only because that is where the main airflow system resides. The big blades of ventilators cast a damp breeze through the area. Horrible still, but marginally better compared to the labyrinths down the hall. The further wall also gives access to the third level, and with a measure of relief Geralt can see small neon signs of pointing arrows with shower and toilet symbols. 

But the best thing— the reason why Jaskier sounded so utterly delighted, is half of the hall is empty. There are a few containers stacked to the side, and three large piles of miscellaneous crap greet them besides the entrance, but other than that, they have about half a hover-hockey stadium all to themselves. 

“They must be planning to do a pick up at The Grand Station,” Jaskier muses, smiling. “Oh this is going to make it suck so much less. Look! There are even cots put out-- those military folding beds, and there is a bar! Made from empty fuel drums, but still. They must have had a lot of stowaways here before.”

“Running low on funds,” Geralt says. It's the only reason why they actually would be catering to their technically illegal passengers. It belies a sense of desperation. Geralt’s gaze casts around the area, wondering dimly if there are any repairs the crew has been procrastinating due to lack of cash flow. Last thing they need is for the water to stop running, or worse still, for the engines to. 

“Or,” Jaskier says, eyebrows raised, “They figured we would appreciate not sleeping on the ground.”

Geralt snorts. 

“Ah, you’re one of those. The world is never dark enough in your eyes, is it?”

“I’m not the one keeping you here,” Geralt says, low and without inflection. 

Jaskier laughs like he made a particularly good joke. “You say so, but there is something magnetising about that perpetual frown. How does he manage it? Is there a limit to one's ability to glare on a daily basis? Can you get stuck like that?” 

“If you are going to ask me to smile—“ 

“I have more self preservation than that.” 

Geralt tilts his head, makes a noise that could be construed as questioning. 

“She wouldn’t have actually shot me. Much too messy.” 

“Hmm.” 

“Risk assessment is something I am particularly good at.” 

And yet you insist on talking to me, Geralt doesn’t say. 

As they walk, they’re coming nearer the open space where some of the travellers have already laid claim to a few of the cots. The Pervuvians have gathered about a dozen, laid them out in a circle, and are guarding them like dragons on a hoard of gold. A group of humans have set up a few closer to the makeshift bar. Two women, one with tight braids piled on top of her head and the other with long blond curls that must be fake, are already pouring drinks and cleaning plastic shot glasses. Yur and Decalons have gathered together, the neighbour species sharing their space much as their planets do, some even preening each other’s feathers and making quiet conversation. 

There are other little groups scattered around the area, and Geralt knows not to approach any. He stops at the last row of sporadically stacked containers. There are two that come from the wall on either side of a ladder, that leads to a small square grate hanging like a small balcony over them. It must have been once connected to a larger walkway, but Geralt can just see the haphazardly welded edges of it— maybe someone was too enthusiastic placing containers and broke through it. 

In any case, the space between the container stacks will serve as a nice place for Roach to stay, and she’ll stand vigil before the ladder. The grate won’t be comfortable, but it hangs right in the shadow— the rows of yellow industrial lights barely miss it — and from that height, he’ll be able to keep an eye on things. 

It takes Jaskier a few steps to notice that Geralt has turned right. 

“Where are you goin— really? This is where you’re going to stay?” 

“Didn’t ask.” 

“My judgements are always unsolicited and free of charge, and I think this is bullshit. You’re going to fall off of there, or at least break your back on that grate.” 

Geralt ignores him and folds out a water tray for Roach. He should have enough hydration packages for a week or so before needing to get tap water in the bathrooms. 

“Is being stubborn something they teach you or is it something innate.” 

Geralt shrugs. 

“I won’t be here if you’re gonna complain about not being able to sleep.” 

Geralt turns to him, looks him in the eye and says, “Good.” 

Jaskier throws his hands up. “I don’t know why I even— You know what. Fine. I’ll come back once you’re less—“ He makes a vague hand motion that encompasses Geralt’s general form, “— this.” 

“Good luck with that.” 

“Would booze help?” 

“Hmm.” 

“I’m choosing to take that as a yes because I desperately need some at this point.” 

“Sounds like it.” 

Jaskier makes another exasperated sound and begins to walk away. 

Geralt hesitates for a moment. Roach stares at him and then leans in to huff a warm breath in his face. 

Fine. 

“Jaskier.” 

The footsteps halt at once. 

“Yes?”

“Stay away from the old timer. Blue uniform. Wrinkles.” 

“What. Why?” 

“Just do it.” 

There is pause. 

“You’re not going to give me a straight answer, are you.” 

“Hmm.” 

Another, longer, silence. Pacing, and then a sudden chuckle. 

“You’re insufferable, you know that.” 

Geralt takes a deep breath, sighs it out through his nose. 

He braces himself when Jaskier continues speaking, but what he hears is: 

“I’ve never met a man so interesting and yet so reluctant to be at the same time in my goddamn life and I swear to you, I will figure you out.” 

And with that, Jaskier leaves. 

Geralt has absolutely no idea how to feel about any of it. 

Roach looks at him knowingly, presses her snout against his shoulder for a moment, and then turns to drink some water.

Geralt rolls his eyes and begins to climb the ladder. 

Up above he can see the commotion as the last wave of passengers arrive and the people begin to out divide the cots. He should be keeping an eye out for conflict, keeping track of who is willing to fight, who is impulsive, who is calculated. But Geralt finds himself watching as Jaskier makes his way through the crowd, slipping through all designated areas in brash ignorance of any social rules. Somehow he’s never met with a fist as he does so. Instead, wherever he goes, he draws out the species’ best approximation of a bemused smile. They seem unsure what to do with him at first, but one by one, he manages to lead them to an easy and harmless solution: to have fun. 

It doesn’t take very long before laughter cascades the hall. Rounds are had, songs are sung. 

Geralt sits above, iron pressing cold lines into his back, and watches. 

He thinks that once or twice, Jaskier looks up, and watches back. 

The merry sounds only let off when the ship gives a roaring rumble, and familiar alarms go off warning everyone aboard to take hold and sit tight. 

There are no belts in this place, but as everyone hunkers down, holding pipes and walls and each other, the ship lurches into motion. 

Geralt closes his eyes, trying to breath through the building pressure without throwing up. 

The ship tilts, dives lower, accelerates. Beds and people alike begin to list to the side. 

But with a sudden burst of force, the ship rightens and stabilises. The walls behind Geralt tremble still as different parts of the ship move and interlock with each other— going from the standard dock positions to long void travel. 

One of the platforms that had been folded up now shifts away, and opens up a small window on the opposite wall. Most everyone’s eyes are drawn to it one by one, as they slowly watch Zevos’ many purple moons becoming smaller and smaller, before the planet itself is swallowed mostly by the light of its sun. 

They have four days before that too, will disappear entirely. 

Geralt heaves a deep sigh. 

The journey has truly begun. 

[courtingstars]

Notes for The Vanishing Prince: Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight has been posted! I don’t have nearly as many notes this time. (Which is good, because it took me a lot less time to draft this post. XD;) Still, I did want to bring up a couple of things that I thought might be worth mentioning.

And as always, I updated the inspiration board for this fic over on Pinterest, so feel free to check out the new images if you feel like it/have access to Pinterest. (The most recently added images are at the top, so when you scroll down, you’re basically going backwards through the story.) And with that, onto the notes...

(Cut for the ramblings of a writer who overthinks everything, and also some very important notes about omurice, because I LOVED writing that part…)

Akashi and His Mom, Plus Heian Poetry

This is basically just a note to say that I really loved being able to write the scene with Akashi and his mom. <3 I think it’s the first scene of them together that I’ve posted online…? (Though I’ve written lots of scenes where Akashi talks about his mother, or has a very brief memory of her.) I wrote something short about them for Mother’s Day years ago, but I never finished it, sadly. So it felt nice to finally be able to include a glimpse of how I see their interactions.

Also, the part about Japanese poetry is indeed a thing! A lot of the Heian-era poetry in Japan revolves around themes of courtly love, and because of how courting worked in that time period, they often feature various forms of pining-for-your-lover-from-a-distance. So like Akashi says, there was a folk belief that if you were missing your lover enough, you would appear in each other’s dreams, so that you could at least be together in the dream world. Like this site about the poet Ono-no-Komachi explains, “the intensity of one's feelings for one's lover could induce him to appear in one's dream or could cause one to appear in his dreams.” I always thought that was a fascinating concept. (Also the idea that Akashi would be studying those poems at six years old is just really funny to me? But anyway. //laughs)

Akashi’s Issues, Poor Guy

I don’t want to go into too much detail here, but I thought it might be worth mentioning… One of the things I really wanted to explore in this fic (and the series as a whole) is the reality that working on mental health problems can be a very difficult and often nonlinear process. While it’s not the only plot line of the story—and I definitely don’t claim to have done a great job with it by any means, though I try my best!—I felt like it was important to take the time to show how a person’s struggles with mental illness don’t just get solved overnight. Akashi has been fighting a lot of the same problems throughout the series, because these kinds of emotional hang-ups and coping mechanisms aren’t easy to change.

To be honest, it felt somewhat counterintuitive to me as a writer, because back when I was trying to publish original stories, there was this idea that you weren’t supposed to write characters “brooding” for too long or repeat the same issues/mistakes over and over. Basically, the characters needed to show growth quickly, and passages that could be seen as repetitive should probably be cut, because they weren’t “progressing the story.” While I can understand that idea in a writing sense, I tend to feel like it’s not a very fair representation of what it’s like to struggle with mental health. (Which also applies to a lot of other kinds of personal issues/growth as well, honestly. Change is just hard in general.)

So I’m definitely trying to walk a balance between not writing the same scenes over and over, while also showing Akashi’s struggles as an ongoing journey for him. The latter was really important to me, both as a writer, and as someone who’s had cycles and setbacks with my own mental health stuff.

Bokushi Is Still Kind of an Asshole, Lol

On kind of a similar note… I have no idea how Bokushi comes across as a character at this point in the story? //laughs But if anyone finds him to be kind of a jerk, I will say that’s an intentional choice, at least. Ideally, I wanted him to be likable but still flawed, and I do find him hilarious personally, but… Hopefully it’s obvious that I don’t think he’s a perfect person, by any means. XD;

I think I’ve said before that I really want to use this storyline as a chance to explore my view of his character—and the why/how of how his personality differs from Oreshi—in as much detail as possible. Hopefully it ends up coming across as nuanced in the long run… But if nothing else, I hope it’s at least fairly interesting to read! Because I do find him extremely interesting as a character.

Omurice!

So here’s my major cultural note for the chapter… I’m guessing a lot of people are already aware of the fact that Furihata’s favorite food in canon is omurice, since it tends to pop up in AkaFuri fics a lot. For anyone who’s not familiar with the dish, omurice (a borrowed compound word for “rice omelet”) is a Western-inspired Japanese dish that’s extremely popular as a comfort food. (This type of Western-inspired cuisine is generally called yoshoku. Which I think I also mentioned in Storming the Castle, but… it’s been awhile? //laughs)

So basically, omurice consists of pan-fried rice that’s usually seasoned with either ketchup (often considered the more homey/classic version) or demi-glace sauce (more often seen in restaurants). Like in a lot of fried rice recipes, vegetables and meat are added to the rice, and then the whole thing is served beneath a super-fluffy egg omelet. It typically looks like this, or this. I’ve made it before, and enjoyed it way more than I expected. So while I was writing this chapter, I couldn’t resist preparing one of my own (for research purposes of course, lol):

I’m not a good cook, to put it mildly, but I was proud that this one came out a little better than the last time I tried it. XD

To me, the coolest thing about watching someone prepare omurice is the part where they plate the omelet... This can be done a few different ways, and some take more skill than others. (I totally cheat, by making a single-layer omelet and just setting it on top of the rice as best I can. XD) The most difficult way (and the way Furihata does it in the fic!) is to layer the omelet on top of itself while you’re cooking it, so that it becomes a kind of pouch that you can slice open over the rice. There’s a great animation of this process over on my Pinterest board, and I also really recommend two videos on Youtube if you’d like to see more… This clip features an amazing chef from the most famous omurice restaurant in Kyoto, and this one is an iconic scene from Tampopo, a classic Japanese film. To learn more about the context of those clips, and about omurice in general, I also recommend this really fun article about it.

The thing I find the most interesting about omurice is that it’s such a popular comfort food, so it’s often associated with home and family life. That’s why in The Fast Train to Kyoto, I was inspired to have Furihata’s mom make him omurice when he’s having a bad day. At the same time, though, the dish can also have a bit of a “lovey dovey” connotation to it? Like how in this survey it was one of the top foods that Japanese guys said they would like their girlfriends to make for them. (Hence the trope of decorating the omelet with a ketchup heart, as Bokushi mentions, in his extremely Bokushi way. //laughs)

For all these reasons, I tend to think of omurice as the perfect favorite food for a character like Furihata. It definitely inspired how I write about him, especially when it comes to things like his family life as well as his romantic side. <3

So How About All Those Storming the Castle References Huh

This is just a quick note to say that if anyone happened to be confused by some of the references in this chapter, a lot of them were referring back to events from Part Two of Storming the Castle. (Like the first time Furihata saw Akashi’s dad, the huge portrait of Akashi and his parents in the ballroom, the butsudan altar, the secret passage with the stairs, the ghost, etc, etc… Also the character of Ginhara, since he’s the butler who runs the mansion in Tokyo.)

I tend to be pretty indecisive about exactly how much detail I should use to explain something that happened earlier in the series… Since I know some people might not have read the earlier fics, and at the same time, I don’t want to be too repetitive for those who have? In any case, if anything was confusing/unclear, it was probably a callback to that story. (Oh, and there was also a callback to The Fast Train to Kyoto, about when Akashi and Furihata talked about becoming friends!)

Well, that’s it from me this time around. Thank you so much for reading, as always. As I mentioned in more detail over on Ao3, I really hope everyone is staying safe where possible, and supporting each other in this difficult time. I will do my best to get the next chapter posted very soon. <3

[ships-for-you]

Hello^^ May I request a two black butler ship one romantically and one platonically? I’m average height and I’m my early twenties. I had long curly brown hair, but I cropped it short on a whim and I’m loving it! I’ve got green eyes that tend to change color depending on what I wear. I’m a rather soft spoken individual and I’ve been told my voice is soothing to listen too.(1)

Romantically, I ship you with: Joker!

Now this may seem like a weird matchup but hear me out!

You’ve mentioned that you don’t mind befriending people as long as it’s technically in a forced situation.

Naturally, I perceived this as a perfect way to apply this idea; what if you were working for the Phantomhive manor?

Not only that, but what if you were tasked to be a private eye before they decided to infiltrate the circus?

As someone who is generally soft-spoken, I think Ciel would appreciate it if you were to speak less, so not speaking unless spoken to.

Ciel thought you were both a valuable but disposable asset to his array of pawns on his chessboard so although he appreciates your loyalty, if you were to fail? It would hardly matter to him.

Don’t get me wrong, he appreciates the fact that you’re caring towards him.

And that you’re probably the closest to a motherly figure he’ll ever have. But to an extent.

He assigns you the task of observing the variety of acts that Noah’s Ark Circus offers as soon as he recieved a letter from Her Majesty.

Through this, he expressed the intention of you getting recruited before he watches the show so he knows what to expect while leaving Sebastian to investigate the pattern of disappearance of the children.

Speaking of Sebastian, he’s the one who provided you with the blouse and trousers to make you blend in.

Apparently men are more welcome to be recruited, as they’ve read in an article. Luckily they managed to make you simply look like a charming young lad.

You bought a ticket to the presumably 2 hour show and had decided to keep a keen eye on anything there was to observe.

Too bad, as you made your way to the tent, you bumped into a performer and fell flat on your behind.

That would’ve been alright, had he left you there but instead reached out their “hand” to help you up.

That hand was that of a skinned man’s, naturally you backed away.

“Aw, there ain’t no need to worry! It be only a prosthetic, E'ee needn’t be scared!” The performer tried to console you and chuckled as he watched you try to scramble away clumsily.

You’re not really good with talking if not required to and so you panicked. If you don’t need to talk to him, don’t. Is what you thought.

Turns out he was the ringleader.

Great. Way. To make. An. Impression.

You kept up a facade to make sure you looked over the top interested so as to attract attention from the performers.

He recognized in the crowd halfway through the show and asked you as his volunteer for a, “Dagger’s” performance.

“How about the wee lad in the centre?! E'ee seem to be in good spirits!”

They told you to stay put infornt of the target but right as the blonde boy had thrown his knife, you saw something shiny and thought it was something suspicious.

Needless to say, you turned your head and moved a bit so the knife sliced your nose a bit. The crowd gasped as the boy’s mouth dropped.

“AM INCREDIBLY SORRY MISS!”

They took you to the back after the show to take a look at the cut with their doctor, chatted about, and you brought up your request to join as you expressed your interest in the circus.

“So are ee’ a young lad or lady?”

Form there, they’d be skeptical however would recruit you by the end.

You can’t be a tightrope walker, not with your clumsiness.

Certainly not a trapeze artist either.

That left you with knife throwing, juggler, or beast tamer. Any guesses what you’re best at?

Juggler it is!

From there, you spend a lot of time with Joker when training however not too much time.

You’re usually on cooking duty first thing in the morning ever since you cooked once and they wondered what you did.

You just said it was secret and the younger members and Dagger called it magic lmao. 

He likes your reaction to things that amaze you. The childish light in your eyes that he tried so hard to keep in the performers’ eyes.

He likes to bring you small gifts like small bundles of flowers or tricks that he’d like to use in their next show.

He appreciates your devotion to your friends, the rest of the first and second stringers, and your family. He knows that you write every night to your family to ensure them that you're fine and happy at the circus.

Or at least you told him you were writing to your parents.

Little compliments that seem almost flirtatious, much to Beast’s charging.

You try not to be charmed by his efforts however he just seems so genuine.

But you cannot continue. You have a task and you are falling for a criminal. Is what you tell yourself everytime he does these things.

You constantly writing every night to the Earl Phantomhive of your progress, purposely leaving out your domestic interactions with the ringleader.

The plan continues as you feign ignorance to seeing your master and colleague be recruited. Now, they serve as a constant reminder why you cannot continue as you please.

Of course, you can’t help but seem more at ease with “Black” by your side since you usually work closely together anyway.

Guess who’s jealous but laughs it off anyway? This little Pierrot.

I mean, he has no right to be. It’s not like you have an established relationship with him. He doesn’t ask how you’re close either.

He’s suspicious but he can’t suspect you since he thinks you have nothing to gain. So what if you’re chummy with a butler you’re supposed to have no way of connecting with?

He also, of course, understand that whatever he feels for you, he cannot fulfill for he also has a duty and obligation to the Baron.

It’s a fruitless romance you share with him and so you’ve merely chosen to enjoy whatever you have in the present with him.

You’ve already come to a conclusion what would happen to him in the end.

Platonically, I ship you with Sebastian!

As seen from the earlier situation proposed, you’d be colleagues meaning you’d pass by each other a lot.

I feel like you’d get along with most of the servants and occasionally Elizabeth when she visits but your dynamic with Sebastian is the most interesting and the most intimate amongst all of them.

He appreciates that you care for his master and that you don’t leave too much for him to clean up after, if not at all.

You help him clean after the other servants too and keep them in check.

He likes anyone who’s responsible enough so you’re pretty good in his book.

He’s not really the type to, “enjoy the company of others” since he’s usually too busy taking care of his bratty master’s orders however he does seem to prefer time with you than the other servants.

He appreciates how soft spoken you are therefore he finds the rare times wherein you do speak to him casually somehow precious(?) For lack of a better term.

You find yourself spending time in the young master’s library to read and he occasionally assists you when finding new and interesting material.

When you find something you like, he notices it’s always unavailable in the library.

“(Insert story lmao) again? It seems that you’re quite taken with that book, miss (y/n).”

He finds you to be the complete opposite of the humans he’s served in the past and so he’s naturally interested in your mannerisms.

He likes to observe you and you make him smile uncharacteristically for it simply finds a way to his face.

You like observing him as well as he’s unlike any “human” you’ve ever met. As perfect as a butler and as a man could ever be.

There was one time he caught you late at night outside chasing around fireflies that seemed to illuminate the silver sterlings in the garden.

He didn’t know whether to scold you for acting like a child or laugh at you for acting like a child.

Honestly, what if you tripped?

And then you tripped. Nearly fell sideways had he not done anything.

“Miss (y/n), this is hardly an appropriate time for a lady to be out and about. One could get the flu.” He’d coo but you can see that he’s slightly annoyed.

You’d apologize but would definitely do it again.

You like to be outside so you get along with Finnian as well in that regard.

Speaking of Finnian, he really likes your love for the outdoors and how caring you are for all of the servants.

“Miss (y/n), look what I’ve found near the creek! It’s a pretty narcissus flower!”

Bard appreciates how you’re very patient with him and help him when cooking meals. He’s stubborn since he can’t really let go of his flamethrower but at least he knows to be a little more patient with food now.

“That’s a pretty cool technique but I think we could speed this process up with m-” “Bard, please no.”

Mey-rin and you ofcourse share same clumsiness although hers is more related to her eyesight. She laughs along with you when you accidentally bump your hip along the servants’ tables when setting up.

You’re probably roomed with her as well and end up having nice conversations with her.

She likes your hair a lot and thinks it’s pretty and unique for the era.

“My hair just straight up looks like swine blood, yes it does! How do I have pretty hair as you, miss?”

Your “friendship” with Sebastian is quite odd and may be misplaced but as long as you don’t necessarily get in each other’s way, it’s all good.

Something I noticed very late, your eyes are literally a compliment each other’s.

~|~~|~~~~|~~~~~~|~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~|

Thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoyed your matchup! Requests are open lovelies.