#welcome to my composition nightmare

[shepherdofthecorn]

My idiots are having an idiotic halloween

[mari-lair]

Let's talk about Akane's overprotection of Aoi and the dangers of not properly setting up a narrative tone.

We are told that Akane stalks Aoi because guys have been trying to force her into a relationship for years, so he protects her by beating up anyone who approaches. Nene and Kou are understandably horrified by this.

But in the very next page, Aidairo hit us with this tone switch:

What Akane is saying is contradictory to the violent and possessive narrative that was shown during his introduction, to this yandere role he played the entire chapter, but the manga is trying to convey that we should take him seriously here. Even the lighting and composition are the ones used when characters are vulnerable and Aidairo wants to show that what they feel is real.

It's strange...

Being possessive is never framed as something that leaves other characters in awe, just compare Akane's melancholic and peaceful gaze to the creepy tone used when Kou and Hanako have their "you are possessive" moment.

Both Kou and Hanako hate that part of themselves, Kou even rejects it, but it's still clear the rejection doesn't make him any less possessive. Both want to be dependable, they want to be the only choice, no one else is acceptable. It's a selfish feeling. Being 'the most important person' is more important than the joy of the person they want to help (Kou's wish is Mitsuba needing him, instead of Mitsuba happy as a human. Hanako wants to be the one to save Nene, the idea of Nene being saved by someone else does not satisfy him even if it would make her happy and safe)

So this isn't a "Akane is lying to himself" or a "he is delusional" case.

The narrative, which had presented Akane as a yandere, wants us to believe that "I will protect Ao-chan... Even if she never looks my way" is not only what Akane believes to be true, but also something admirable. A sentiment Nene craves directed her way, claiming to be 'a little jealous' of Aoi, despite calling Akane scary a single page ago.

Let's rewind to see how we got here.

Akane and Aoi's stories suffer from being mostly given to us in gags for a good chunk of the manga, as they are not very relevant in the early arcs, but the crumbs come together after their confrontation in chapter 69.

Why is Akane stalking Aoi? Because he worries about her. Not about someone stealing her necessarily, but about her being hurt or forced into situations she is uncomfortable with.

They are very codependent. They have been for years.

We can see Akane being shocked at the sight of people bullying Aoi since they were kids, it isn't just 'boys who want to date her' that makes her uncomfortable. Jealous girls do too.

Even when Aoi is left alone, using clothes completely out of her cutesy style to attract less attention, and just living her life, she is still harassed.

Aoi's life is a nightmare, it straight up sucks. She hates that, and when Akane notices this discomfort, he hates that too.

He is far more protective than possessive, he doesn't care when people are touchy with Aoi as long as she welcomes the touch: Take Nene as an example.

Akane never touches Aoi at the start of the manga but Nene does, a lot. He never think "Nene is touching my Ao-chan! Unforguivable". "Maybe Ao-chan likes Nene more than me is not far!" or anything of sorts

Even when Aidairo uses the same over-the-top/creepy gag humor I personally find excessive, and Aoi straight up flirts with Nene, Akane's only thoughts about it are the usual "I love her so much"

When he does show dislike for Nene it's never because she is of value to Aoi. It's because of how dismissive Nene can be, not taking Aoi's safety seriously and easily excusing Hanako's actions.

We only see him be aggressive with Nene when Hanako possesses her and makes Aoi uncomfortable.

The problem here is the framing, the comedy focus. It's hard to take it seriously.

Everything about Akane's intro chapter is hard to take seriously. We are told he is "Hard working. Reliable. What a nice and sweet person."

But we aren't shown these honorable qualities much, not explicitly at least. The big panels, the main focus, is on his gag.

And his main joke is that he loves excessively, even for this school standard where everyone is weird (like Nene writing a self-ship fanfic with Teru) so he needs to be over the top, his behavior has to stand out!

How do they try to achieve this? Yandere jokes.

It is overplayed, they spend pages on it. WHOLE PAGES on it.

It is an old narrative trick to present a twist character as a comic relief to lower suspicion, to keep the more important characterization for after a reveal when they are oficially important, but framing all his actions as comedic and devoid of dept to make his reveal as No.1 more unexpected leaves him in a strange position: Akane is intended to be written as a protector but framed as a joke, to the point his introduction become the satire of a protector.

When he is revealed as the clock keeper and allowed to be given more focus, Aidairo try to explain his behavior and show signs of him being a genuinely caring and kind person, as the first part of his intro had promised.

But it's to late.

His crazy actions and anger issues is in most people's minds, a few lines can't erase pages and pages of his introduction as a yandere like archetype, so it's easy for first impression bias to come into play and interpret all his actions as a simple "He is obsessive." instead of trying to find dept or nuance to the established dependence he has on Aoi.

When we are shown that above wanting to date her, he just wants her to be safe and happy, it does not become clear. The reader needs to pay a lot of attention to small moments like these:

Which a casual reader likely won't. Most are reading for the toilet trio at this point in the manga.

This fumble on his character introduction makes it hard to know what should and shouldn't be taken seriously. Aidairo discarded the yandere narrative relatively quick (we haven't seen Akane's bat in ages) but this gag about being happy as long as Aoi is happy turned out to be important:

It was used to further contrast Aoi's and Akane's mentality on their big arc, and highlight how much nearly losing Aoi affected him.

So the only way we can tell what joke to take seriously cause it will be used to build up his character and what isn't important is hindsight.

I did not care about Aoi and Akane's relationship when I first read the manga, i went 'oh cool!' on their conflict, cause that was very well done, but since their characters were not well introduced, I did not notice a lot of the ideas being shown to me.

Akane is a sweet boy. That's his core, his consistency. Even with Aoi, being kind is the priority over being with her.

Let's compare him with Hanako, who is an openly possessive character, and see how they approach their love interests when they don't know if their love interest likes them back yet, and they aren't reduced to a gag (so we'll dismiss Akane being 'a yandere with a bat', and Hanako's joke of him being a tactless pervert, like peaking under Nene's skirt when her time was frozen)

(so pre-chapter 86 to Hanako and pre-chap 69 to Akane)

Hanako traps Nene, he will cling to her anytime he can, he cares about Nene and loves her dearly, he even says he "loves everything about her" but he is greedy for her attention, he is selfish, always trying to make her focus on him out of everyone in the room and keeping her in his hold, out of others reach. His unsubtle possessive nature is a charm of his, makes for an interesting character.

Akane has a different vibe to it. He doesn't have many serious moments with Aoi before their spotlight arc, unfortunately, but when he does, he focuses on reassuring her (even when her time is frozen and she can't hear him) and avoids touching her at best he can. He has known her for more than 10 years, but he doesn't act as if she belongs to him.

I am not saying Akane is not possessive of her, he is. But he tends to be more worried about her than anything.

Using hanako as the trademark of possessiveness again, check out these two scenes:

At the start of the manga Kou likes Nene, and Akane is under the impression Teru like Aoi, so both scenes follow the basic premise of "A know B has a crush on their crush, and they get possessive over a possible romantic rival being too close."

Hanako doesn't say anything, but his message is clear "She is mine."

Akane explicitly says he doesn't like Teru near Aoi but he doesn't try to remove Aoi from Teru or try to do anything violent. Why would he? Aoi is in no danger, nor is she uncomfortable, so he changes focus to the person who is troubled, awkwardly reassuring Teru that his distress is, in his personal opinion, stupid, so "chill bro".

He wasn't like that with Teru before.

He was so determined to stop the wedding he even rejected hanging out with Aoi, crying tears of blood and asking for her forgiveness in his mind but prioritizing not making her get together with Teru above her joy.

Is that because of his development? Yes! A big part is. Notice the way he treats his mental image as reality? That was his biggest flaw, he imposed his views on Aoi (the view being "everyone is stupid in love with Teru" in this case), and assumed what he believes is a universal truth, doing exactly what Aoi accused him of: Not seeing her, just an idea of her.

But the reason he went so crazy and determined, it's because Akane saw Teru as someone dangerous. Someone who would use Aoi. Hurt her. He believes he is protecting Aoi from the big bad president. A view that makes sense when we take into consideration both Aoi's history of being forced into relationships, and when we go back to their interaction.

Look at this and tell me this isn't a threat:

Teru acts as if he barely remembers her name, she is just 'that cute girl', mostly a tool for him to use against Akane.

When his view of Teru changes to someone kinder who genuinely cares about Aoi as a person, he no longer enters protective mode.

He is still bothered about the idea of Aoi being with someone else, he does noooot look pleased even with his fairy tale vision of a happy couple, but the way he treats this possible 'rivalry of love' when he does believe Teru loves her is so different from his "Don't get close to her!! I will NOT allow it!!" approach.

There is no insecure overthinking. No aggression. He is playful about it. He even teases Teru.

He just wants to focus on rescuing Aoi. A 'rivalry' isn't important. He needs her to be safe.

These two parts of Akane have been juggling for a long while.

But now, character focus is the priority, and I am thankful the damage is being undone, that Aidairo let Akane's love take up whole pages instead of small panels buried under pages of jokes.

Their codependence, no matter how many issues it has, and how it can sabotage them, is based on so much care for each other.

It's a shame I only believe Akane was sincere when he said he'll always be there to protect Aoi regardless if he 'gets to be with her', because of what we see later in the manga, not because of what had been set up in his intro.

[esouliie]

- TEARS ON THE GRAND PIANO

– pairing: wanda maximoff x fem!reader (mini series)

– synopsis: moving on from the only person you’ve ever loved is proving to be hard… so hard that hiring an escort seems to be the only way forward.

– warnings: a lil angst and comfort to start us off, welcome to the prologue, hope you enjoy!

2ND AUGUST 2016

All is quiet in the compound.

In the middle of the night, you find yourself seated at your piano, bathed in the soft glow of a single lamp. Your fingers move wearily across the keys, trying to breathe life into the notes of a song that has been evolving in your mind since the day you met Wanda.

The melody is your escape, a sanctuary from the weight of the Sokovian Accords and the chaos that seems to envelop your world.

Exhaustion clings to you like a heavy cloak, but the song demands to be finished. Each note is a release, a fragment of emotion woven into the fabric of the music.

Ever since that ill-fated mission in Lagos, the Avengers' world has been turned upside down. The compound, once a haven of camaraderie, now echoes with the tension born of differing opinions on the Accords. It's torn your makeshift family apart, leaving you grappling with your own stance on the matter.

It is expected of you as a super-powered member and also as the reason for Lagos being a failure. The plan had gone awry, and in the chaos, you deviated from the carefully laid out strategy. Overwhelmed by the enemy, your powers were not enough. It was Wanda who came to your rescue, a selfless act that saved your life but led to a devastating consequence.

The explosion in the building, full of innocent people, sat solid on your conscience. And now the weight of responsibility hangs heavy on your shoulders as you try to find solace in the music you create. The piano, an old friend, is both a refuge and a confidant in these trying times.

You're so engrossed in your composition that you fail to notice the subtle creak of the door as Wanda steps into the room, her silhouette framed by the dim light.

She watches you for a moment, concern etched on her face.

“Why are you still awake?" she asks, her voice soft and filled with genuine worry.

You don't immediately respond, caught in the grip of your creative trance.

"Couldn't sleep," you admit, the weariness evident in your voice. "Needed to get this out."

Wanda's gaze softens, understanding the therapeutic power of your music. But her concern doesn't wane.

"And you? Why are you up?" You inquire, curious about the restlessness that brought her into your space.

A hint of sadness crosses her features as she confesses, "I had another nightmare.”

That hasn’t happened in a while, only on a rare occurrence since she started to heal from the events in Sokovia. Her war-torn homeland.

The pain of her brother's death used to haunt her dreams frequently, the agony vivid and raw in her memory. You remember when she first told you how it felt that day, the overwhelming emptiness as she felt her brother’s life slip away as if it were her own.

That was the first time she lost control of her powers.

A surge of empathy washes over you, and you instinctively reach out to touch her hand.

"I'm sorry.” You whisper, your own exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

She manages a small smile, her eyes lighting up.

“Well, I was thinking," she begins, her tone almost conspiratorial, "maybe you could come sleep in my room tonight. You know, like a sleepover?”

You can't resist the charming plea in her eyes, even though you know it’s all fake. Laced with fear of falling asleep just to end up back in another nightmare.

Usually, the sleepover ends with her clinging onto you tightly, whatever movie you both decided on long forgotten, as she sleeps peacefully. The nightmares suddenly gone as soon as you're around.

“Alright." You agree, setting aside your messy sheets. "Lead the way, m’lady."

The piano sits in silent anticipation as you follow Wanda out of the room, leaving the notes hanging in the air.

Later into the night, you both settle into her bed, the warmth of shared dreams replace the chill of nightmares. Wrapped in the comfort of each other's presence, you both drift into a peaceful sleep, leaving the half-finished melody to linger in the stillness of the night and challenges that await with the morning sun.

That was the last time you slept with Wanda.

[ask-de-writer]

NIGHTMARE NIGHT AT

THE SWEET SPOT :

MLP Fan Fiction :

Tales to Read AFTER the Lights Are OUT!

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

Return to Tales to Read AFTER the Lights are OUT!

NIGHTMARE NIGHT AT THE SWEET SPOT

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

1492 words

© 2017 by Glen Ten-Eyck

Writing begun 10/23/17

All rights reserved.  This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

Molly and her foals, Sis and Morty, all in silly fake deer costumes, approached the welcoming door of the Sweet Spot.  The happy jangle of the door’s spring bells announced their entry into the shop.

They heard a cheerful, “Be right with you!  Just tending to a tiny bit of business!”

A tan colored unicorn came out of the back of the shop.  He was wearing a silly looking deer costume too!  He had a pair of the nuttiest looking horns on his head that any of them had ever seen! The big spring holding them onto his head had a hole in it for his unicorn horn to stick up through.  The rest of his costume was a tan cloak with white spots and a phony short tan tail with a white underside.

He called, “Welcome to the Sweet Spot!  Best candies in all of Ponyville!”

Molly, Sis and Morty all chanted, “Nightmare Night!  What a fright!  Give us something sweet to bite!”

Smiling, Roe hoofed over his justly famous foal bowl, full of treats.  They all helped themselves.

Roe escorted his family into the back, where his living quarters were, before he married Molly and took in her family.  They now lived over at Molly’s cottage with its prosperous wood lot business.

As he escorted them into the back, he told them in a serious voice, “You all know what I truly am.  A deer like me, disguise or no, is a creature on the borderlands between dream and Nightmare.  

“Through your good hearts and kind wishes, you have seen the good side of me. I had help in setting up this room for our party.  Those who helped me would like to come but must be invited by you all, as well as me.”

Molly took one look around the room, now hung thickly with real spiderwebs. There was a drink fountain that flowed from the jaws of a pony skull.  It had phosphorescent glows in its eye sockets.  Treats and game prizes were laid out on top of an ornate coffin.  Ring toss targets looked like the skulls of unicorns.

Molly got a chuckle out of the dart board.  It was rear end pictures of the Ponyville Council from last year.  Every pony remembered them trying to shut down even small Nightmare Night parties to boost attendance at a Gala that was supposed to be for charity.  Grumpy Goat, up on his mountain, and some Rom had put an end to that plot!  And this year, their plots were dart targets!

There was fog of some sort flowing over the sides of the apple bobbing tub. There was dark crepe all over and real bats swooping about!

It was Sis (actually Sisterca, but she didn’t care for the name) who said simply, “If they are friends of yours, Roe, they are welcome!”

Morty agreed, “If they helped to set this up, they should enjoy the party!”

Molly looked about in admiration and said, “It would be a shame if those who helped to set up the party were not here.  By all means, Roe, they are invited.”

As she finished speaking, a black maned and tailed filly who was white as mist simply trotted through the door!  It opened behind her to admit a pair of liches, followed by a number of small zombie like foals.  Behind them came a normal looking pony with a lamia gliding along beside him on her sinuous serpent’s lower body and tail.  Behind them were two normal looking ponies that Molly recognized!

She exclaimed, “Prilla!  Charley!  I thought that I heard that Charley was killed in an accident!  Didn’t you move to Trottingham?”

Prilla nodded, a smile on her face.  “Both true, Molly.  Roe brought Charley back as well as he could.  Vampony.  I had to choose whether to let him go back to death or join him in undeath.  It was no choice, really.  I loved him then and I love him now.  We moved to Trottingham to have a safer place to stay.”

Charley spoke up, “We owe Roe a lot.  Thanks to his help, we have not killed anypony and get along really well in Trottingham.”

Roe nodded, happy that things had gone so well for them.

The two litches nudged the ghostly white and black filly toward me.  She ducked her head in acknowledgment and came over to Molly and Roe. Fishing in a saddlebag, she pulled out a wrapped rectangular bundle.

She offered it to us both.  As we took it, she spoke.  “This is by way of saying thanks, Mister Roe.  It is from all three of us.  I copied the words.  Junea did the pictures and Zom bound the book.  It is a copy of Elane, Vampony of Canterlot.”

Molly was carefully examining the lovely book.  She asked, “What did Roe do for the three of you?  You look more, um, don’t get me wrong but, well, more alive than Junea and Zom.”

The filly smiled, “Sorry, not used to being around the living that much.  I am Bonnie Bones and I am as alive as you are.

“Mister Roe found an abandoned unicorn filly with a stunted horn near the Everfree.  I wished that somepony cared about me.  Roe sent me to Ponyville Cemetery.  Zom and Junea took me into their crypt and raised me.”

Junea put her skeletal head into the conversation.  “Zom and I always wanted a filly.  We had a book binding business and I did art that we sold too.  We both died in a fire at the shop.  Zom could have got out but was trapped while trying to save me.”

She inclined her mostly skeletal head toward the now revealed deer.  “Roe hears more wishes than just those of the living.  Bonnie has made us and many others in the Borderlands of Life very happy.

“It was the ghosts that taught her how to walk through walls and the like.  Being alive, she brought games and liveliness to the Forgotten Foals.

“Bonnie has done for us what Canbe has done for the ancient ones.  Canbe is the mortal over by the lamia, Flowering Ash.”

Molly was looking about the very active party with new eyes.  She leaned against her husband and said, “You take care of both the living and the dead, dear.  I am even prouder of you than I was.”

Over in small clear area, Sis and some of the Forgotten Foals had a busy game of jacks going, ball bouncing and hooves sweeping up the sets. They were up to foursies.  Mort had a bunch playing ring toss and some of the Forgotten Foals were over in a clear area playing hop-scotch.

Flowering Ash slithered up and asked, “It is a lovely party, Roe.  Will there be refreshments for us?”

He replied, “Honestly, Flowering Ash, I am not certain.  I know that one who is a candidate is coming to the Sweet Spot.  If he does no wrong, he will go away safely.  I do not think that he will though.”

Just then, we all heard the shop door’s spring bells!

It was Horace, a local ne'er do well, barely in costume.  He saw the phony deer costume and hollered, “Nightmare Night!  I gives you a fright!  Gimme all the candy in sight!”

He pulled the foal bowl away from his greedy hooves and said sourly, “Horace, you do know how to say it right.  Say it right and get your treats or go away.”

Horace cocked a rust brown ear toward the back.  “They is a party back there!  I goin’ and no puny-corn like you gonna stop me!”

He actually stood aside as he retorted, “I wouldn’t dream of it!” Locking up and following him into the back room, he called out, “Refreshments are served!”  

Lovely Prilla, now known as Vamprilla, stepped up to him and gave him fine bedroom eyes as she suggested, “No need to be so loud and brash. Just lie down and let us take care of you.”

Like they had a mind of their own, his legs folded under him and he laid right down.  Prilla stroked a gentle hoof along the back of his neck and leaned forward, her bite as gentle as a kiss.  Charley joined her.

Flowering Ash slid across to them and softly suggested, “Neither of you has killed any pony yet.  That is a good thing.  Drink your fill but leave him alive.  Let me kill him for you.”

Roe considerately led Molly, Sis and Mort out to the front.  Shortly we were joined by Canbe.  A little later, Bonnie Bones popped out and asked, “Are you guys OK?”

Sis replied, “I thought that you were alive, like us.”

Bonnie chuckled, “I am, Sis.  I’m snagging goodies off the refreshments coffin.  But, you know, I do eat with them, just not the same things. After all, they are my family!  Wouldn’t be polite not to eat with them.”

~THE END~

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

Return to Tales to Read AFTER the Lights are OUT!

[bishie-haven]

Asmo Appreciation Week, Day 2: Best Cards, Part 1!

Welcome back, everyone!

So...Obey Me's cards, eh? Some are good, some are not-so-good, some send people into screaming frenzies, some send others into...other types of screaming frenzies.

When it comes to Asmo and his cards, I take it seriously. Since 2021, I've had a goal of collecting every card the game has released of him, and it's actually going pretty well. The same applies with Nightbringer; last night I put many stockpiled D-Energy cans to good use and grinded enough to get his UR+ achievable from the Hard Ruri Tunes missions!

Which leads me to today's topic: which of the lusty boy's cards do I think is the best?

It took so much strength to pick. And in the end, I couldn't choose just 5, just 7, or even just 10. Nope, I'm going all out and showing my TOP 20 cards! Because Tumblr has a limit on how many images can be used in a single post, today I'm going to be revealing the first half of the cards, from #20-#11, with the top 10 coming very soon.

A couple of things before I start. I did not include any of the NB-exclusive cards in this list, as those three I want to save for another day. And two, I am not basing my ranking on any of the Devilgrams attached to the cards, as some of them I have yet to obtain. I may mention them for some that I do own, but the basis of these ranking is on the art of the cards, the theming included, and meaningful context around its release. Lastly, all of the images here were found on the fandom's unofficial card-logging site, Karasu-OS.

Anyway, let's begin!

To start with, I have a couple of honorable mentions that just barely missed the cutoff:

HM 1: HLD, the New Dream Team! (Toys event SSR)

That event with the onesies was definitely one of the more chaotic ones, that's for sure. And while it's not one of my favorite sets, I always liked Asmo's pink bunny outfit. It's so floppy and derp that I can't help but smile.

HM 2: Memories and Pale Shades (Cursed Seed SSR)

This event...oh boy. Remember when I said that release context played a part in my ranking? This is one where it's a bit clear. The art and composition is beautiful, being fed a dango and admiring the blossoming trees, but the circumstances that this card came out in spoiled a bit of the joy it would normally have. Still, the positives still weighed out enough for it to land here with a good word.

Now then, on to the list!

#20: Party Hopping

It's cards like this that get the wheels in my brain turning. A funny thing about cards is that their image sometimes doesn't match the Devilgram attached or even the event or Nightmare entirely. Even without having the card in my possession (yet), cards like this let my imagination run wild in terms of what is happening in the image. Why is Asmo dressed like Little Red Riding Hood? Why is he crying? Did he come from a party? Did something happen before or after it? The card itself is simple, but allows for lots of mental creativity.

#19: Asmo Gives Back <3

This one unfortunately got held back by the initial design of the card. For some reason, that blue suit of his just irks me... But the unlocked DF version makes up for it in spades. For as much of a party animal Asmo is described to be, we don't see him much in any kind of club or bar setting with the works attached in art. This card remedied that, showing him flushed and happily drinking away, clothes rustled around and overall giving proof of a good time for his special day.

#18: Illuminating My Love

This is an example of simplicity reigning supreme. Both of the card versions don't have anything special with outfits, just casual and demon forms, but it's the actions that hit it in the feels for me. Small lights, whether it be from fairy lights or tiny candles, bring a sense of warmth to both of the card arts. And considering these were released for Devil Day '22, warmth and love are the perfect things to feel when it comes to these.

#17: Asmos and the Fox Mask?

Much like #19, this is one where one design makes up for another, but this time for a different reason. I'll admit I wasn't the biggest fan of the yokai-style theming the DF unlock was attached to, but that is mainly just personal preference. The initial art given though? AMAZING. This is the start of where theming starts to be a basis for why I like a card, and to start it off, I LOVE masquerade balls. And this be one of many cards you see where Asmo is wearing a dress, get used to it.

#16: The Annoying Influencer

Another type of simplistic card, but this one gets bonus points for bringing ALL the color, enough that some may find it a bit annoying (eh? get it? I'll stop). Another birthday card, it warms my heart whenever I see images of Asmo enjoying a treat or any food in general. One of the tropes thrown around a lot involves him going on diets often to keep his figure, so to see him openly enjoying snacks he likes (especially here, with his favorite Surprise Guest item!) will always make me just a bit happier.

#15: A Gorgeous Phantom Thief

There was a time when I adored the Phantom Thief and Detective trope in stories, a sort of cat-and-mouse game, if you will. Also usually having a Tuxedo Mask-esque aesthetic about them, it always felt like you were on the edge of your seat, waiting for what would happen next. And while this is another card that I don't own as of now, I can still imagine the picture in my head of this lovely man wanting to steal every rare diamond and gem in existence, but the one thing he can't seem to take so easily is your heart.

#14: Looking at Someone

WHY DID THIS CARD NIGHTMARE HAVE TO BE SO SHORT?! Outside of the screaming, this is one of the cards I would be ecstatic to own, if only the circumstances on its release weren't so daunting with no re-release in sight. But even so, it's another example of simplicity being all you need. Asmo surrounded one of his most iconic motifs, makeup as far as the eye can see with a relaxed look on his face is really all I need when it comes to this card.

#13: Asmo and a Treasure Chest

Both of these images, the themes, expressions..."shoot through my heart" indeed... While pirates aren't my favorite universe to dabble into (similar to yokai in terms of preference), the two art features given to this card of the same thing go beyond my choices and SLAY me. Double revolvers on the initial, and...THIS...on the DF unlock? Oh anyone in the three realms take me now!

#12: That Special Someone

Oh the nostalgia! Even if it's only 4 years ago, the initial set of cards will always be special to me, and this particular initial UR is no exception. It was definitely a tricky sucker to get, taking me almost THREE YEARS to get lucky in Chapter A, and it still remains part of some of my best teams to this day. And the theming gives another combination of fitting the character (you can't expect someone with their own private bathroom to NOT have a shot of themselves in the tub), and my own secret tastes (self-care and beauty elements are addictive to me).

#11: Catch the Lost Bunnies!

Rounding out the first half is the inverse of the following card. Instead of taking nearly three years, this sucker came home on a FREE single pull! I have never had better luck on that gacha since then, and I'm glad it came from this lovely card. Bunnies and rabbits are Asmo's secondary animal motif (the primary being scorpions), and combining this with the bunny boy event happening at the same time, it's just a celebration of two different kinds of cuties! I wanna cuddle them both!

And with that, I have to hold the breaks. But don't worry, soon we'll go through the second half, the top 10 of the bunch. Which cards can top these? Have any guesses?

[just-somehuman]

INTRODUCTION I'M POSTING TWO YEARS AFTER I STARTED THIS BLOG LMAO ✨

Silly Wanderer header lol

A little about me ~☆

Names I go by: Nemo, Lune or my username on any social platform you find me on (there's a lot)🕺

Gender and sexuality: Female, heterosexual

Religion/faith: Christianity. Denomination: protestant - methodist.

Interests: music, composition, writing, reading, gaming, astronomy, genetic engineering, science in general lol, programming

Instruments I play: piano (11 years), recorder (7 years), saxophone (2 years). The hand drum was my first instrument (11 years ago) but I stopped playing it after I started the piano 😭

Fanfictions I write: Obey Me!, AyakashiRR, AOT, and Genshin fanfictions. They are most commonly angst, however I do have two psychological and supernatural horrors in the works!

Novels I write: I actually have no idea. It's just a variety, I guess. My personal favourite that I've written is a fable (made that one wayyy too dark for a children's story). Currently, I'm writing a science fiction book.

_________________________________________

Fandoms I'm actively in ~☆

Games:

- Obey Me!

- Obey Me! Nightbringer

- Ayakashi: Romance Reborn

- Genshin Impact

- Honkai Star Rail

- Starry Love

- Legend of the Phoenix

- Tamashi: Rise of Yokai

- MazM: Phantom of the Opera

- My Child Lebensborn

- Mysterious Forum and Seven Rumours

- Matsuro Palette

- Guilty Parade

- Life Gallery

- Project Sekai

- Cat Museum

- Fran Bow

- Iron Lung

- Mr Hopp's Playhouse

- No Players Online

- Sentient

- I also play Roblox btw 💀 I've only been playing Royale High lately though.

- All Over Me (Roblox)

- Jim's Computer (Roblox)

Animes:

- Attack on Titan

- Himouto! Umaru-Chan

- Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto

- One Punch Man

- Junji Ito Collection

- School Babysitters

- Theater of Darkness: Yamishibai

- The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

- Parasite: The Maxim

- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

- Kagewani

- Jujutsu Kaisen 0

- Orenchi no Furo Jijou

- I'm currently watching many, but these are all the ones I've finished

Web series:

- The Walten Files

- UrbanSPOOK

- Vita Carnis

- Interface

- Mandela Catalogue/Magazine

- Ashur Gharavi

- brandon works

Other:

- Hallo Aus Berlin ❤

- EKT

_________________________________________

Fandoms I'm not actively in ~☆

- Ikemen Vampire

- AFTERL!FE: The Sacred Kaleidoscope

- Midnight Cinderella

- Dangerous Fellows

- Mystic Messenger

- LoveUnholyc (dunno how to spell it 💀)

- Tears of Themis

- Vocaloid

- FNF

_________________________________________

Fandoms I'm interested in ~☆

- Twisted Wonderland

- Sally Face

- FNAF

- Omori

- The Backrooms

- Little Misfortune

- Little Nightmares

- Hazbin Hotel

- Danganronpa

- Undertale

- The Amazing Digital Circus

- Devil May Cry

- Final Fantasy

- Resident Evil

- my eyes deceive

_________________________________________

Content I post here ~☆

It's mainly Obey Me! and AyakashiRR, occasionally Genshin Impact or something else. I used to post a lot of AOT, I might get back into that. Anyways, what you can expect to find is:

- In game screenshots and my two cents 💀

- Memes/fake tweets

- Headcannons

- Fanfictions (mainly angst. I don't do NSFW)

- Theories. I theorise and over-analyse a lot 💀

- My rambling and ranting about random stuff 🤡

- SLANDER 💃

- Sometimes there's just completely random stuff that is completely out of place but whatever

_________________________________________

Other stuff I'm interested in ~☆

- Urban legends

- Paranormal stuff

- Internet mysteries

- True crime

- So you know Nexpo, Snarled's "Something Scary" volumes, Leminio, and the Infographics Show's serial killer videos? Yeah, that. All of that.

_________________________________________

This is just a summary of stuff. I've probably missed a lot since I'm focusing on not burning the brownies I have in the oven right now (it's my first time baking 💀) and I just wrote off the top of my head.

ANYWAYS, WELCOME TO MY BLOG. IF I WERE TO DESCRIBE IT IN A WORD, IT WOULD BE "CHAOTIC". OKAY BYE.

[notathrowawayname]

I'm trying to fight off another wave of jetlag sleepiness (how is this possible I slept 8 hours and only been up for 11) so here is art and descriptions for my characters from Pathfinder Second Edition campaigns.

This is Dorsen, they are a sword. No really, they can manifest and unmanifest their body, but they are the sword. It broke once, and because it's a very high stat weapon, the party debated whether or not to just keep the sword and leave Dorsen inside it. Kindly, they decided to get it fixed, and now Dorsen has crack lines on part of their body. Half the stamps on the sword were the ones used when they sent the pieces of the broken sword in the post, and the other half are ones that Dorsen thought were neat (they got into stamp collecting). The beetle animal companion is called Axle, he is a good boy.

This is Anaphia, Dorsen's fiancee. For reasons, Dorsen got taken by the setting's equivalent of the White Witch, and Ana is on the warpath to get them back (insert DOOM music). She met Dorsen when she was a researcher in the military project testing whether spirits could be used as soldiers. When she found out what had happened to her partner, she left her post, looked up all the legends about this White Witch, and built a weapon specifically designed to hurt her in as many ways as possible. She has named it the "Bitch's Worst Nightmare"

This is my Leshy Summoner for the Kingmaker campaign I'm in. Leshy naming conventions are fun, so his name is The Beautiful Fact that no Matter your Origin, State of Life or Material Composition, Nature Will Welcome you into her Warm Embrace to Spring New Life into this World ... or Beau for short. His Construct Eidolon is made out of the rotting corpse of a dead knight he found in the woods, and technically was Beau's body in his past life? Anyway it's called Trash Panda. They're level 1 right now, and as I get Eidolon Evolutions I plan on editing this and adding more stuff to Trash Panda. Maybe I'll get an Immovable Arm for Beau.

[ulyxie]

Loneliness

I never liked human contact. But now I long for it. People pass by, paying no mind to me. Why would they? I am hiding in front of something only I can see. Night starts approaching and the streets of Prague light up. I hid among the flora but even then I feel exposed. Like loneliness is putting me on a stage with a spotlight right on me. That's just what it does. Suddenly, I spot it.

A dark figure right underneath the closest streetlight. "It's rude to stare," is heard from my left. I don't even turn to the source, I don't have the energy to answer. Doctors never believed me when I told them about a dark figure I see. They would always pat my back and say: "That's a good story!"

BANG! I immediately retreat further into the foliage and wait for another noise. ... Nothing. After a few long painful moments I move back to the edge of the foliage. I can hear the figure laugh as if this is some funny prank. The twisting feeling in my gut is back as well and that forces me to move out of my hiding spot.

I don't live far from here. I keep seeing the figure at the edge of my vision. Sometimes peaking from behind a corner, sometimes directly underneath a streetlight. After a few moments, I stand in front of my flats door. Sliding in a key, I unlock the door. An empty flat welcomes me.

I still remember the eyes of my friend whenever he welcomed me home after a long day. Those small, pure eyes, filled with happiness and live. Even those eyes went out long ago and I was left alone once more. I close the door after stepping over the threshold.

The nasty rumbling in my stomach reminds me of what I have to do. The dark figure welcomes me in my kitchen. I pay no mind to it, not today. I place a frying pan on the stove and head to the fridge to grab two eggs. When I return to the stove, the pan is nowhere to be found. I grab another pan and place it on the stove. Cracking the eggs into it, I make myself dinner. Despite having dinner, I still felt a lingering hunger, as if the meal hadn't quite filled me up.

I head to sleep hungry. My dreams start replaying my memories. I'd usually woke up by now but not today. My energy being sapped away by each memory that I witness. My dreams turn to nightmares as I am forced to look.

The last few pieces of my energy leave me as I breath out my last breath.

I was destined to die alone.

Information about this story

This was my graduation composition that I was forced to write as the first part of my graduation exams. There were 6 options for compositions with this being the sixth one.

This option wanted me to write a horror. I can't write horror so I tried to change it into psychological horror. Sadly it turned out to be more of a sad story.

There was a prompt text which I decided to only use parts of it:

"Night. Silence and solitude. I've been lying under that pile of branches for weeks now. A woman passed by, maybe she saw me out of the corner of her eye, but she decided not to help me. I continue to crouch here in the bushes and feel that my time is coming soon…"

[elvisdelvalle]

Five Nights At Freddy's

ENGLISH:

Inspired by the Five Nights At Freddy's movie produced by Blumhouse Productions, this album is a tribute to the franchise created by Scott Cawthon. The song used here is a cover version of the FNAF song composed by The Living Tombstone, but with a darker and dense ambient. It also includes cover versions of My Grandfather's Clock from the games, the trailer music from the film and the main theme from the film composed by The Newton Brothers. The rest of the tracks are covers of some compositions by George Bizet from his opera Carmen. Alike Wednesday Addams, MIDI files were used to make faster the creation of some tracks. The idea at first started as an EP, but it was extended to make it an album. The album originally had a running time of 29 minutes, so dialogues that make references to FNAF were included to reach the 30 minutes. The album is a mix-up between symphonic and electronic music and feels kinda of experimental, but I made it as proof of my joy for seeing FNAF making its debut on the big screen.

ESPAÑOL:

Inspirado en la película de Five Nights At Freddy's producida por Blumhouse Productions, este álbum es un homenaje a la franquicia creada por Scott Cawthon. La canción utilizada aquí es una versión de la canción de FNAF compuesta por The Living Tombstone, pero con un ambiente más oscuro y denso. También incluye versiones de My Grandfather's Clock de los juegos, la música del tráiler de la película y el tema principal de la película compuesto por The Newton Brothers. El resto de temas son covers de algunas composiciones de George Bizet de su ópera Carmen. Al igual que Wednesday Addams, se utilizaron archivos MIDI para agilizar la creación de algunas pistas. La idea en un principio comenzó como un EP, pero se amplió hasta convertirlo en un álbum. El álbum originalmente tenía una duración de 29 minutos, por lo que se incluyeron diálogos que hacen referencias a FNAF para llegar a los 30 minutos. El álbum es una mezcla entre música sinfónica y electrónica y se siente un poco experimental, pero lo hice como una prueba de mi alegría por ver a FNAF haciendo su debut en la pantalla grande.

Tracklist:

1-Welcome To Freddy Fazbear's Pizza

2-Five Nights At Freddy's

3-Carmen

4-Habanera

5-Toreador

6-Five Nights At Freddy's (Main Theme)

7-Carmen (Keyboard Version)

8-Five Nights At Freddy's (Instrumental)

9-Toreador (Nightmare Music Box)

My Grandfather's Clock

Listen Full Album (Escuchar Álbum Completo)

Buy Album (Comprar Álbum)

[chrisrin]

Hello! I was wondering how you formatted your planning doc? :Oc I was scrolling through your blog and saw a portion of it for The Other Side animatic and I really like how it was laid out (Also, LOVED the animatic. The transitions were so good and it was just /chefs kiss)

oh anon i will ABSOLUTELY tell you about my animatic planning document template!

making this a read more since i'm gonna have a lot of screenies n stuff:

Here's the look of the basic format! This is my base template that I'll make a copy of in Google Docs and go from there:

A big majority of my animatics use songs, so it was initially formatted around lines for lyrics, however, there have been times I've adapted it just to be for scenes of dialogue (usually I'll have the dialogue replace the "lyrics" bit and I'll do general descriptions of the audio.

> First column marks the shot number! This will help me track progress by saying: "I need to get shots 5-7 lined today!" (for example)

> Second column is where the lyric/description of the audio content goes.

> Third column is for a general description of the shot I would like to do!

(for example:)

(notice how the shots are separated even on the same verse because multiple shots take up the amount of time spent on that line)

Final column is for color coding and making any extra notes on the progress for that shot! The color-coding follows the key at the top of the page.

Here's an example of how my Other Side one looked! This time I also added colors to sync up with who was saying which line in the song. I also didn't add descriptions to every shot, and some stuff got changed.

With ToonBoom, you have to cut the animation into pieces because it's a nightmare trying to get a whole 3-minute animation (especially one that's colored) into a single file. It's just not made for that. ToonBoom encourages you to split them up into separate scenes.

When I have to do that, I'll separate the tables to make them easier to understand. (i.e. the Curses project which I've separated into 9 parts total!! usually, I don't do that many, but considering this project will be fully colored and composited, it's going to save me a LOT of time if I separate them out more than usual.)

The planning document gets updated as I make progress, and it's a big motivator for me to change box colors to that finalized green color! It also helps me get a bigger picture of the whole thing, especially when I'm working on so many smaller pieces/scenes individually.

Usually when I have an idea, this is the first thing I do before I start the boarding process!

I hope this thoroughly answered your question anon, if you have any additional questions you're more than welcome to ask!

[marinetteplztakeabreak]

I need to share soft sign language buddies ninogami headcanon because they’re taking over my brain always:

(This got so long, so youre welcome if youre also starved for ninogami content)

Nino’s mom is Deaf , so he grew up signing as much as speaking. When he was younger he always signed as he talked.

It turned out he’s also Hard of Hearing, so sign language is way easier for him to understand most of the time.

However, though he’s great at making friends, he’s very awkward when it comes to talking about himself. So never comes up in conversation.

It’s not a self-deprication issue. It’s just a “thinking of things to say is hard and I’d rather have someone else do the talking” thing. He’d rather talk about anyone except himself.

Additionally! He’s great at helping other people, but he’s terrible at asking for help. He does not EVER want to be like “hey i cant understand what you’re saying, my ears dont work great,” its his worst nightmare

And it doesnt help that there have been a few cases of people being rude about it when he doesnt hear them after they repeat themselves. And possibly worse, there have been even more cases of people giving over-the-top apologies instead of just,, telling him what they said. So it’s not worth the trouble in his mind

with his few close friends who still dont know, it feels like its too late and it’d be awkward to bring it up, so he just… doesnt. He’s procrastinating on telling them he cant hear them

He stopped signing as much as he talked in middle school because strangers would always be like “woah thats so cool, how do you know sign language” and he’d just panic because he was an awkward tween, and he didnt know if he was comfortable telling them he was HoH, but ALSO just saying his mom was Deaf and not mentioning himself felt like directly lying by hiding information, so he just took the “lazy” way out and signed less in public.

Sometimes fighting the anxiety was not worth it so he just let it win in that case.

Nino is so nice and energetic and loves people, but he is way more introverted and anxious than his friends think.

But when they start to get closer, Kagami who is ever-observant, notices him signing a little bit, (not ever to her, not ever on purpose, but he’d sometimes sign a word he needed to remember while speaking or sign along to emphasize something)

and she luckily for his anxiety, she doesnt know how to have a normal conversation either.

Her (platonic as well as romantic) love language is studying and research, and Nino seems very cool and she likes him, even if she is awful at holding a conversation with him or doing anything to show it.

She thinks he’s so cool and such an amazing talented kind friend. She has so much love for him that she doesnt know what to do with it. So she channels that energy into learning to sign through the internet and whatever tools she can find

And then after a while of this, she’s like “oh no, he’s gonna think that’s so creepy, I cant tell him I know sign language or he’ll be so uncomfortable”

So, like a whole idiot, she hides that she’s learning sign language from anyone. Because OBVIOUSLY if word got back to Nino, he’d assume it was because of him and that she was a weirdo he shouldn’t be friends with

But also Kagami accidentally falls in love with sign language because she has undiagnosed autism. She always assumed that communicating was just going to be impossible no matter what, but as she gets proficient in sign language she’s like,,, oh,,, OH,, this is very nice

Even just signing while she talks makes it so much easier to keep words and sentances straight, but she only does it when she’s alone with her mother, who is literally blind and would never know.

They become closer friends in late high school, and by that time a lot of Nino’s anxiety has worn off and he’s become completely comfortable letting teachers know when he needs to hear somthing, and middle school feels like a distant dream

At some point, Nino invites Kagami to his house a few times, and he signs with his mom. Nino is like “I can interpret for you,” and Kagami is like “wow thanks, I’m so lucky, because I obviously do not know any sign language, why would I have learned it, and also for the record it is brand new information to me that you can sign,” and Nino is like “cool? Its not a secret but im glad i told you if you somehow didnt already know,” and Kagami is like, “yep :)”

But then eventually as they become really close, they are texting one night, (Kagami can still barely get out of her house, so they need to communicate remotely. And both of then HATE phone calls bc its so hard to understand whats happening, but neither of them have admitted this to anyone)

Nino admits that he likes using sign language better than talking, and he wishes he could use it with his friends, but he’d feel so guilty asking them to learn an entire language just to make him slightly more comfortable. He can talk and hear OKAY so he shouldnt put the pressure on them.

and Kagami is like “you could always ask, worst case scenerio they say no, and i dont think thats an unreasonable demand” and nino is like “it is though,” and kagami’s like “ok so haha funny story, please dont hate me” and nino is like, “…what.” And kagami confesses everything and nino is like “why… why would i hate you for that?” And Kagami is like “oh wait youre right im stupid,”

And then Nino’s also like “hey if YOURE more comfortable signing too, then why dont YOU ask your friends to sign for you. Do you see what i mean? It’s hard to ask-” and kagami is like, “as your friend i will prove it is not.”

So then Kagami ends up confronting Adrien and Marinette the next day and is like “Hi. This is a sign language dictionary. Learn from it.” And they’re both like “what?” And she’s like “oh wait sorry. Backing up. I’m autistic. I decided like three years ago. Forgot to tell you. And I need you to learn to sign a little bit so you can understand if i sign something at you. If you want, of course. Please :D.” And theyre like “ok sure yeah i can do that.”

(Theyve already learned and accepted that shes extremely direct in asking for things)

So then she texts nino and is like “i did it. Youre welcome.”

But anyway both of them are uncomfortable in crowds and parties: Nino cant hear anyone and Kagami tends to get sensory overload, so they start signing mostly in those situations, and then it starts to sink in that they’re allowed to sign whenever and that the other really IS also comfortable with it.

(Both of them are much more willing to make sacrifices for others than to try something new and intimidating for themself, so this is the perfect situation to trick them into getting out of their comfort zone, ironically by trying to be more comfortable in the long run)

so they will just sit together and hang out and have long conversations while just chilling somewhere in a park or at cafes or whatever. Both of them become chattier than they’ve ever been because talking and understanding is so much easier, and its addicting

And their close friends all become proficient enough in sign language to have simple conversations.

But also Nino and Kagami start sitting together automatically even in group hangouts, and they start hanging out more with just the two of them, and soon neither of them feel bad about asking to hang out in quieter places, because they can justify it knowing that it will also help the other one, and together that makes both of them also more comfortable asking for little accomodations from other friends, if only to prove to the other that they can do it too.

And Kagami has the lesser-known autism side effect where she makes WAY TOO MUCH eye contact. She’s aware of it but that doesnt make it go away. Normally she feels so awkward about it, and overthinks her gaze because she doesnt want to scare people away. But when signing, you literally HAVE to be watching the other person constantly, so she has an excuse to just be herself, and its so relieving

(and also its kind of fun to look at Nino anyway because he can get so animated and his smile is really nice and oh no she is in love a little bit)

And Nino always struggles because he emotionally ALWAYS needs to be the nice polite one. His anxiety sometimes gets the better of him and he’s constantly worried about sending the wrong signals to his friends and coming off as rude somehow. But with Kagami, he can literally just ask?? And she will tell him her honest opinion without making it weird. And its so comfy and so good and he really loves hearing her unfiltered opinions on so many things because she sees the world in such a unique way and she gets so passionate about such little things and then oh no, he is fallen for her before he can realize it

And they also learn that they’re both artists, they both love to just observe the world because even if they;re awkward, people are actually pretty great most of the time, and its fun to observe them and try to capture the world, and they just sit together and sketch, or they watch each other sketch, and the thing is, both of them draw ONLY FOR THEMSELVES, its not a ‘skill,’ and they don;t want it to be, its just private art for relaxation. Somehow, though, its okay if they share their art with each other. They can just sit in comfortable silence for hours while one of them sketches something and the other watches patiently

And they start to get more comfortable with one of their heads resting on the other’s shoulder as they watch them doodle, and sitting so close their legs press together, and soon enough their hands start brushing against each other’s as they walk next to each other and then all of a sudden they’re casually holding hands whenever they’re not signing because it’s nice

They try to share headphones so Nino can share some of his favorite songs and his compositions with Kagami. But try as she might, Kagami can not handle the sensory of only having one earbud in. Nino knows her tells by that point, and he’s not about to let her suffer for a stupid reason, but she REALLY does want to hear his music. They somehow end up with Kagami putting a pair of headphones around her neck and turning up the volume a little bit so she can hear, while Nino rests his head on her shoulder so he can hear just enough to know where she is in the song

And then he has to sit up and scootch away just enough to see her hands so they can talk about it, and they both pretend not to notice how nice it was to snuggle as they sign. Its fine, though, because now they get the excuse to just look at each other again and sign overdramatically with exaggerated facial expressions, and no one else around can overhear their conversation, and Nino likes to go a little over the top when signing onomatopoeia and acting out particular parts of the song rhythm that he likes, and Kagami laughs, and they both mentally save the image of each other in this moment the same way that they look at reference images for artwork, memorizing the lines of each movement and the things that make each smile unique,

and Nino also shows up at every single one of her fencing tournaments, and he sits as close as he can and signs encouraging messages to her from the crowd whenever she’s not actively competing, (that her blind mom can never catch, which is somewhat of a bonus to Kagami, because every element of their friendship that her mother cant interact with makes this more personal and special and HERS). Every little sign she sends back at him, even a simple thank you, always feels so good and rebellious and free because shes supposed to be focusing on fencing but shes deciding to care more about friendship. And even if she’s expected to leave immediately afterword, she’ll find every excuse possible to find him and give him a hug, which he’ll always accept even though she jokingly warns him shes sweaty and gross

And eventually they are special best friends and it brings them instant joy to see each other and theyre able to interact for no reason other than that they want to and like each other

(And then they kiss)

[darling-i-read-it]

Futamono

2x06

Hannibal Lecter x reader x Will Graham 

Hannibal Re-Write Series Masterlist

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: spoilers for hannibal, murder, mental health problems, jail, sorta cheating? If not i’m walking a fine line 

Author’s Note: This episode! It hit different. In particular there are a few scenes that I am very excited for you to read so reactions are greatly GREATLY appreciated because I love love reading them as they come. I really hope you enjoy! not gonna lie its hard to write something that might hurt will so i might just protect him through and through lol 

I used some direct quotes from the script so some things may seem familiar 

Official Episode Summary : A city councilman's body is found intertwined with a tree, Jack crashes Hannibal's dinner party to investigate Will's suspicions, and a revelation shocks everyone

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director 

Tag List (is always open!) : @llperfectsymmetryll​ @ericacactus​ @vlightning95​

(not my gif)

The Baltimore State Hospital was colder than usual. You felt it as you walked down the hallway to where Will was. You felt odd. Like your stomach was in knots and you never had that with Will. He never gave you that feeling.

As you stopped in front of the cell he turned around. He sat down, like he would usually when you were there. He kept note that you did not sit down on your white line, nor did you approach the bars. You weren’t scared of him, he knew you weren’t. But you didn’t look exactly happy with him either.

“Hi,” Will said, breaking a crackling loud silence.

“Hannibal Lecter is alive. In case you were wondering.”

“I was not,” he told you. You let out an annoyed sigh and looked down at the ground. You had thought about how to approach this with Will but every rehearsed conversation felt wrong. This didn't feel exactly right either. 

“Will,” you whispered and met his eyes. He stared at you and you stared at him. You shared a few words with your eyes. 

“Chilton will have a hard time figuring out this conversation,” he muttered and you cracked a small smile. 

“You can’t send a man to kill Hannibal even if you think that he is the Ripper.” He raised a betrayed eyebrow. 

“I didn’t send anyone to kill Hannibal. And are you saying he isn’t the Ripper? Did his kiss persuade you that much?” 

You imagined Chilton hearing that over the speaker. Probably got popcorn to accompany this conversation for the dramatic guy he was.

“I still think he is.”

“And you have no problem with that?”

“Of course I have the problem with murder,” you breathed. You sat down on the white line finally and he was happy to see you at his eye level again. You stared at each other hard and he knew you knew that he sent someone to kill Hannibal. There was no need to say it. “This isn’t going to help you in the eyes of everyone,” you whispered.

“I’m not scared anymore,” he admitted. You mulled that over for a minute.

“I’m glad. I still don’t condone murder on either side.” Will smirked a bit, laughing. 

“Actions speak better than words.”

“Jacks gonna come speak to you about this.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Oh I have no doubt. I’m just giving you a girlfriend worthy heads up so you could plan.” 

-

You walked into Hannibal’s house with the spare key he had given you. You put your bag down quietly as you heard the sound of piano through the air. It calmed you immediately. Your emotional turmoil had been something else.

There was much confusion in your brain but really you were mostly worried about both of the men in your life while also being more worried about your dogs. You had to walk them tonight but you decided to stop by Hannibal’s to see how he was doing. 

You walked into the main room and Hannibal continued to play. You listened quietly, leaning against the wall. Eventually he stopped to put something else in his composition. You walked up to him and put your hands on his sweater clad shoulders. He smiled, not having to turn around to know it was you.

“That was beautiful,” you whispered. You wrapped your arms around his neck from behind and looked over the composition like you understood it. 

“It’s proving to be more difficult than I was hoping,” he said honestly. He grabbed your hand and pulled you down to sit beside him. You did so.

“How are you feeling?” you asked quietly. He shrugged, writing in another note before turning to you. 

“I feel as though that noose were still around my neck. It’s strange to have nightmares. Never used to,” he whispered. You nodded solemnly. You understood that better than most. 

“You’re always welcome to call the house if you need something,” you said quietly and honestly. Your nightmares hadn’t gotten much better but you were trying to pull through at the house by yourself. Still, knowing Hannibal was there had made you feel better.

“Thank you,” he whispered back to you. You looked at the piano and then back at Hannibal. He stared at you. “I can no longer work with Jack. Or Will.” You were surprised to hear that. Then again, you should have expected it. Almost dying can do that to a person.

“What does that mean?” you whispered.

“I won’t be consulting on any cases with Jack. You’re welcome to continue to work for me and be my…” he paused, “friend but I can no longer assume that I can help Will. I can’t trust him. He’s in a dark place where the shadows move. It’s not safe to stand with him anymore.” 

You looked away from Hannibal and at the wall in front of you as you processed what you were being told. 

“I hope you understand that I care about you Hannibal,” you whispered, turning to him. “But I will continue to see Will.” He nodded.

“I understand.” You weren’t sure where you stood with him then. 

“Play it again,” you told him, voice barely audible. 

He put his hands on the keys and you imagined those hands taking a life. 

It wasn’t much of a stretch.

-

Alana walked beside you as you walked the dogs. It was nice to be around them. It was almost like Will was with you at the same time. You were walking through the barren land around the house and she accompanied you upon your request. 

“My head is full of conspiracies. There are too many versions of events. He said. She said. He said. He said. She said. It’s maddening,” Alana told you, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. “The one thing I have clarity on is, Will tried to kill Hannibal.” 

You glanced at her.

“He believes that’s the only way to catch the Ripper.” 

“And you think the same thing? I notice how you’ve gotten closer with Hannibal.” You shrugged, still sore from the last conversation you had with the man.

“Jealous?” you teased. 

“You’re avoiding the question,” she whispered. “And no.”

“I think that Hannibal is more capable of senseless murder than Will. They’re both capable of murder. Will has never lied to me.” You paused. “He only lies to me when he knows I can see through him.” You turned to Alana and stopped walking. She stared back at you. “And you? Where do you stand?” 

“I haven’t given up on Will. Just re-evaluating who I think he’s become.” You glanced at her. 

“Will has always been this way. He just didn’t like to show it.” 

-

“I feel like I’ve been watching our friendship on a split screen. The friendship I perceived on one side and the truth on the other,” Hannibal said. Will sat in his cage and stared at his former therapist. They stared at each other with a sense of competitiveness and a mix of entertainment.

“It’s a terrible feeling isn’t it?” Will asked, numbly but with a stab at Hannibal.

“You’ve been lying to me, Will.” 

“I don’t have a gauge for reality that works well enough to know if I’ve been lying or not,” Will said simply. Hannibal had a sense Will had him right where he wanted him. It was impressive. 

“You understand the reality of Beverly Katz’s death. You understand your role in that.”

“What was my role?”

“Beverly died at your behest. You’re as angry with yourself as you are with whoever murdered her.”  Will didn’t show much emotion but spite.

“Actually, I’m not. I’m singularly angry at whoever murdered her.”

“You tried to kill me, Will. It’s hard not to take that personally. However, if I were Beverly’s murderer, I’d applaud your effort,” Hannibal said. They shared a look.

“I’m no more guilty of what you’ve accused me of than you are of what I have accused you of,” he stated simply.

“Jack Crawford, Alana Bloom and Y/N Y/L/N believe you are responsible,” Hannibal stated. 

“Or Y/N Graham as the people say,” Will said simply. Hannibal fought his amusing anger. “And where does responsibility begin and end, Dr. Lecter? With a final act or the events that led to it?” Will asked. 

“I don’t expect you to feel self-loathing or regret or shame. You knew what you were doing and you made your own decisions. Decisions that were under your control.” Will scoffed. 

“You think I’m in control?” Will asked. “Where does Y/N stand with you Dr. Lecter?” Will stared hard. “Are you still actively pursuing her? Are you pursuing me? Or perhaps the fact that she’s still dating the man who allegedly tried to have you murdered is putting a dent in your plans.” Hannibal put his hand on his arm, holding it. The two men stared at each other, not as men competing for a woman's love but as men who were toying with the idea that there was a connection they weren’t going to sever. Hannibal hoped to cut that link despite the fact he knew it wouldn’t work.

“We were friends before I met you and I imagine we’ll be friends after we part ways.” Will smiled in arrogance of the knowledge you would likely do anything for him. 

“Well I’ll be curious to see how that works out for you. She’ll tell me at her weekly visits.” Hannibal raised his chin and hardened his look.

“Good-bye Will.” 

Will was not amused.

As Hannibal walked to his car he opened his phone. He dialed the top number on his phone. 

“Hello,” you said, sounding distracted. “Sorry, feeding the dogs.” 

“I’m throwing a dinner party tonight. You’re attending I hope.” You hummed a yes.

“Of course.” Hannibal smiled. 

“I’m glad.” 

-

Hannibal put his hand on your hair and fixed a piece that was out of place. You both held champagne glasses in your hands and were talking to some of his colleagues. You had been complimented on your look seven times already, twice by Hannibal.

You had yet to touch the food. You believed Will there.

Jack and Chilton spoke, watching the two of you chat. 

“Prosciutto roses. Heart tartare. Beed roulade. Needless to say, I won’t be eating the food,” Chilton said. 

“Dr. Chilton,” Jack chastised. 

“Hannibal the Cannibal That’s what they’ll call him you know. And look at Mrs. Graham. Curiously enough I have no idea what her angle is.” Jack nodded.

“She’s always been a bit confusing.” 

You laughed at something a guest was saying as Hannibal laughed about it. You were barely listening.

“I didn’t know you had a lady friend Hannibal. Are you Mrs. Lecter?” one of the ladies said. You paused which made Hannibal laugh. You hadn’t been prepared for that.

“No, I’m...we aren’t together,” you said simply although your voice didn’t sound very convincing. Jack grabbed your arm and you turned to him, surprised. “Please excuse me.” 

He pulled you aside.

“Have you eaten something?” he asked. You shook your head.

“Amazing you think I don’t listen to my own boyfriend.” You stared at Chilton and shook your head. “No, I have not.” 

“I’m...I can’t believe I’m telling you this... I’m listening to Will,” he said. Your mouth flew open.

“Wait a second, you can listen? You can listen to people?” you asked sarcastically. Jack gave you a look.

“I’m telling you, just in case.” You nodded and Hannibal walked over. 

“Jack, I’m happy you’re here. In many ways, you are the guest of honor. You saved my life, after all,” Hannibal said, putting his hand on the small of your back. You didn’t move it. Jack made note. 

“I’m afraid I can’t stay. But I’d like to take some food to go.” 

You stared at him and he stared back.

Maybe Jack did listen after all. 

-

You sat at the piano by yourself after the dinner party. You put your fingers on the keys and started to play the only thing you knew by heart.

Chopsticks. 

Hannibal walked over and sat beside you. 

“The ending to my composition has been alluding me. You may have solved my problem with Chopsticks,” he said laughing. He put his fingers on the keys and played a background to the simple tune you carried.

“If only all our problems could be solved with a simple waltz,” you said honestly. Hannibal didn’t look at you. 

“I’ve walked away from Will, but I’m still trailing his accusations that you believe,” he told you. 

“Alana has also walked away. You’ve both continued to make eventual fools of yourself,” you said simply, pushing a key down loudly before meeting Hannibal’s eyes. 

“Why do you say that?” 

“Because I believe him. You know that.” Hannibal turned to you and you stared at him. Silence ensued the Lecter household. You broke the quiet.

“Would you like to stay the night?” he asked.

“Hannibal Lecter, I’m not that kind of girl,” you said laughing a bit. “But yes. I would.” You turned to him quietly and stood up, holding your hand to him. He took it and the two of you walked to his bedroom where you tossed a shirt from his dresser at him while taking one for yourself. You got dressed facing away from each other and then got into bed. 

You stared at each other, hair pressed against the pillows.

“Goodnight Hannibal,” you whispered.

“Goodnight Y/N.”

You nuzzled your head into the pillow and he leaned forward. He kissed you and this time you let him. You brought your hand to his cheek and he leaned over you. His hands caressed your hair. 

You pulled away after a moment.

“I’m not that kind of girl,” you whispered back at him again. His lips were still practically touching yours as he spoke.

“I know you aren’t.” 

He leaned back into his side of the bed.

“If Alana Bloom had stayed behind, this would be a different story.” Your mouth dropped open and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wow, I’m sorry should I call her?” you asked, laughing. He shook his head.

“I prefer you. You help with nightmares.”

“It’s my magic power.”

Both of you thought about Will. 

You moved forward and Hannibal wrapped an arm around your shoulder, your head on his chest. You both fell asleep to even breathing and a peaceful room.

-

You woke up, your head nuzzled into a pillow. You opened your eyes slowly and met the face of Hannibal Lecter. You had expected to see Will. Despite that disappointment you smiled at the fact that for the first time since the murder, you had a dreamless sleep.

“Peaceful sleep?” you asked. Hannibal opened his eyes, stopping from pretending to sleep.

“Yes. You?” 

“No nightmares. Not even a dream,” you said dreamily. “Perhaps you have a superpower too.” The bell rang and you both looked up startled.

“The last person who rang my doorbell this early was you,” he admitted. “And it clearly isn’t you.” 

He slid out of bed and put on a robe before walking to the front door. You walked to the bathroom, finding one of the old robes in there. You walked down the hallway, the sound of Hannibal's voice echoing. 

“Here. All night,” Hannibal said. You rubbed your eyes.

“Anyone beside you can verify that?” You walked in without thinking, not even registering the voice as Jacks until it was too late. 

“She can,” Hannibal said simply. His face flashed surprise but he tamped it quickly. 

“This isn’t what it looks like,” you said but Jack shook his head.

“All I need to know is if you were here all night.” You glanced between the two and nodded simply.

“He was here all night. We both were.” You glanced at Hannibal. “I’m gonna go,” you said quietly and he nodded solemnly. You turned around but you felt four eyes on you and you weren’t sure how you felt about it.

-

You walked into your home. It still smelled like Will. Maybe Will smelled like the house. You couldn’t quite distinguish it. The dogs pooled around your feet and you pet them, glad you were back early enough to where their food schedule wouldn’t be off at all. 

You fed each of them and they walked around the bowls together. 

You walked to the made bed and felt guilt rise in your chest. It didn’t feel like you had cheated on Will. He knew Hannibal was pursuing you. You knew Hannibal was almost in a backwards way pursuing Will. 

But still as you sat on the bed you grabbed Will’s blanket you got him for Christmas and held it to your chest. He would be back. He would sleep beside you again. 

Even if you were mad at him you loved him to pieces. 

You imagined you always would. 

You wanted to go see him. You got up to do so when the phone rang. You picked it up on the second ring after noticing it was Jack. 

“Hello?” You were nervous he was gonna bring up the morning you had had. 

“I got the results of a murder that happened a few days ago. And Will didn’t kill any of the people we thought he did.”  You wanted to make a sarcastic quip because duh but you just sat back down on the bed. It felt so nice to hear Jack say what you knew in your heart. You grabbed Will’s blanket with your hand without looking at it. 

“Yeah?” you whispered. 

He was silent as you assumed he prepped to tell you that you were right all along.

“We’ve found four lures that are almost identical to the ones we found at your house, made with materials from the exact human remains. There was no copycat. It was always the Ripper.” He paused again. “Will and you were right.” 

You let out a shaky sigh and smiled widely. 

 “No shit,” you muttered and Jack had the heart to laugh. 

“I’ll call you with the details later.” He hung up the phone and you sat on your bed and you let a few laughs of happiness out mixed with some tears of happiness.

The dogs came to you and you pet them each individually. You spoke to them in a happy tone.

“I think dads coming home.”

2x07

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Your Hands Hold Home: Chapter Twenty-Nine

@lukadrien-june

Read it on AO3: Your Hands Hold Home: Chapter Twenty-Nine:  “What About Me?” “Anything for You.”

“Ah!” Rose squealed, eyes going as round as her mouth as she scooped the sparkling pink unicorn hooded scarf out of the wrapping paper she had just shredded. “Adrien, I love it!”

She launched herself over Juleka to tackle-hug her future brother-in-law. “You’re the best!”

“I’m really glad you like it,” Adrien chuckled, trying to keep himself from falling over into Luka.

“I love it!” Rose reiterated, giving Adrien a fierce nuzzle.

“It even has mittens attached,” Juleka snickered, picking up the scarf-hat combo to inspect it. She laughed, amused, as she flopped around the gloves at the end of the scarf.

“Marinette outdid herself,” Luka observed, pleased.

“She did,” Juleka agreed before turning her attention to Adrien. “So, whatcha get me?”

Adrien extracted one arm from Rose’s embrace to grab the little package off of the coffee table and hand it to Juleka. “Gloomy Bear hair clips.”

A wide, mischievous grin spread across Juleka’s lips as she tore away the paper to reveal hair clips featuring a pink cartoon bear with blood on his mouth and claws.

“I also talked to some of my industry contacts who haven’t cancelled me, and, if you want, there’s a spot for you to model in some upcoming spring line photoshoots for a couple small boutiques,” Adrien informed sheepishly. “I mean, they’re small, and you’d practically be working for free, but at least it’s getting your name out there and providing you with some experience to put on your resume.”

Juleka clambered over Rose to wrap Adrien in the most crushing hug.

“Thanks, Dri,” she whispered weakly, overcome with emotion.

“You’re welcome,” Adrien replied with a smile, resting his head against hers. “Merry Christmas, Juliet.”

Luka smiled warmly as he watched the exchange and noted how seamlessly Adrien had slipped into the Couffaine family.

“Now I want to see what my Christmas present is,” Luka hummed impishly, waggling his eyebrows.

Adrien’s face instantly flushed, and he looked away bashfully. “I’ll have to give it to you later.”

“Give it to him now,” Rose urged. “We’re not doing anything as a family until lunch. You guys have time.”

Luka arched an eyebrow. “What exactly am I getting?”

Juleka smirked. “Adrien’s got a private concert planned for you as soon as he gets you alone in your bedroom.”

A raging blush stained Luka’s pale skin crimson as he attempted to swallow and find some kind of response. “O-Oh?”

“It’s not like that!” Adrien protested, beginning to squirm. “I just… I wrote a song for you. That’s all.”

Luka inhaled sharply in surprise. “You wrote a song for me?”

With a shy smile, Adrien nodded. “It’s not very good.”

“It’s the sweetest thing,” Rose interjected.

Juleka nodded in agreement. “You’re going to love it, Luc.”

Luka turned back to Adrien. “Show me? …Please?”

Adrien gave a tentative nod. “Okay. If you’re sure you want to hear it.”

Luka slipped his hand into Adrien’s and gave it a squeeze. “P5, I’d love to hear your song.”

Slowly, a hopeful smile filtered onto Adrien’s lips. “Okay.”

“Ow-ow!” Juleka cheered as they got up and headed for Luka’s room.

Luka ignored his sister, but Adrien shot her a pouty glare.

Giggling, Rose admonished her girlfriend, smacking her playfully on the arm before climbing onto Juleka’s lap to snuggle.

That shut Juleka up.

 “Like I said, it’s not very good,” Adrien reiterated as he shut the door behind them and went over to grab the black acoustic guitar he’d been practicing on over the past six months.

Luka rolled his eyes, taking a seat on his bed. “Adrien…your self-esteem issues are as bad as ever, aren’t they?”

“No,” Adrien grumbled defensively, sitting down beside Luka. “I’m just not good at guitar or composition, so…I don’t make music like you and Zay. I just play piano, but I thought it would mean something to you if I composed something on guitar and played it.”

Luka reached out to give Adrien’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “You were absolutely right. I am ecstatic that you put the time and energy into doing this for me. That’s what really counts.”

Blushing, Adrien looked down at his fingers.

“I kind of stole the idea from Xavier-Yves,” he mumbled. “When I heard him play the song he’d written for you, I was kicking myself, wondering why I’d never thought to serenade you, so I hope you don’t mind my lack of originality when it comes to romantic gestures.”

Luka clicked his tongue. “Adrien, you’re speaking my love language. It doesn’t matter if someone else wrote a song for me too. I want to hear what you wrote. I want to hear what’s in your heart.”

Adrien gave a breathy chuckle and shook his head. “I don’t think this song does what’s in my heart justice, but…I guess it’s something, at least.”

Luka nodded in agreement. “I’m going to love it.”

Adrien’s uncertain expression morphed into a warm, affectionate grin. “Yeah. You are, aren’t you?”

“Yep,” Luka encouraged.

Adrien’s grin turned puckish. “…Could you show me how to play F?”

A tiny crease formed on Luka’s brow, but he carefully positioned Adrien’s fingers anyway. “You know where F is.”

Adrien nodded, unashamed at being caught out.

“I just wanted you to touch me,” he admitted. “After my mom disappeared, no one really touched me anymore. That’s why I’m so clingy. Sorry for deceiving you all this time.”

“You dork,” Luka sighed, ruffling Adrien’s hair. “You could have just asked for a hug.”

A bark of laughter caught Adrien by surprise. “I would have been plastered against you constantly.”

“Who says I would have minded?” Luka snorted, a flirtatious note slipping into his voice.

Adrien looked away with a giddy smile. “I did not need to be any more of a hopeless mess over you than I already was. I’m trying to be a well-adjusted, functional adult here.”

Luka gently stroked Adrien’s cheek with a knuckle, whispering, “Love you.”

Adrien chuckled, self-consciously echoing, “Love you too.”

Luka gave Adrien’s thigh a pat and scooted back to give Adrien some space. “Will you play your song for me? Please? I’d love to hear it.”

Adrien nodded and took a couple slow breaths, mentally preparing himself. “This is called Memories of You.”

He swallowed and began to play.

At first, the melody was soft and dreamlike, like skimming along the surface of a pond made of clouds. It was gentle and warm, evoking feelings of safety and reassurance.

A wide grin spread across Luka’s lips at the thought that he made Adrien feel like that.

Gradually, the beat picked up, and the melody became more energetic, bouncing along with passion like running through a field of lavender and spinning in circles with your arms flung wide to embrace life.

The notes spoke of good times full of laughter and fun, but they touched on the hard times as well. The tears and anguish and struggles were all in the music. Longing and comfort were there too.

Luka could hear the times he’d held Adrien in his arms while Adrien cried and the times Luka had calmed Adrien down after a nightmare. There were the times when they’d snuggled and the times when they’d gazed up at the stars…the times when they’d fought and the times they’d made each other crazy. The whole breadth of their relationship was there in the music.

Luka closed his eyes and let it wash over him as he relived each of the memories.

He was surprised to find that, mixed in with the rest, there was a sense of yearning. It took a while for Luka to place, but he eventually identified it as Adrien’s desire to be an equal partner in their relationship. Adrien wanted to be there for Luka, to support him just as Luka had always been there for Adrien.

It nearly took Luka’s breath away.

He wasn’t used to being cherished. People didn’t normally want to protect Luka. Usually, it was Luka taking care of everyone else, putting himself on the backburner so that he could give his all to others.

It was so touching that there was finally someone who wanted to look after Luka.

Silent tears started to stream down Luka’s cheeks as the song gently faded out into the relative silence of the bedroom.

Adrien looked searchingly at Luka, waiting for the verdict.

Luka’s expression was so full of gratitude and desire as he reached up to cup Adrien’s cheek. “I told you I was going to love it.”

Adrien drew in a sharp breath. “Yeah? You did? You liked it?”

Luka nodded. “It means so much to me how much time and hard work you put into making me feel loved. Thank you, Perfect Fifth.”

“Of course,” Adrien chuckled, setting the guitar aside. “I’d do anything to make sure you knew how much you mean to me.”

“Adrien,” Luka breathed, eyes drifting closed as he leaned in.

Adrien gulped, utterly conflicted. “Luka, I…I don’t know if I should…I’m not—”

“—Adrien,” Luka cut him off firmly, hunger in his half-lidded, dark eyes. “Kiss me.”

Adrien knew he ought to say no. He was still a mess. He was worlds better than he had been four months before when they’d last discussed dating, but Adrien wasn’t ready to be in a relationship yet. He couldn’t be there for Luka and support him the way Adrien wanted to be able to. Adrien still relied on Luka for so much, and it wasn’t fair. Adrien didn’t want to be the needy one in this relationship. He wanted to be Luka’s equal.

“Adrien,” Luka whimpered. “We’re already practically dating. What difference would it actually make?”

“A big one,” Adrien protested, pulling away.

With a sigh, he grabbed the guitar and went to put it back on its stand.

When he turned back around, Luka was gazing at him with something akin to despair.

Adrien’s heart broke for the boy he loved, and he inevitably gave in.

“Okay. Just because it’s Christmas. For one day only,” he stressed, placing one knee on the bed and lowering his face to Luka’s. “One kiss only.”

Luka knew that he was manipulating Adrien, but, for once, he decided to be selfish. He’d been good for four long months—six if you counted the time before Adrien had confessed his feelings. Luka couldn’t help but feel like one kiss wasn’t such a grave sin.

Their lips met, and it was like a jolt of electricity.

Luka didn’t hold back. His arms wrapped around Adrien, and he arched up, moaning into the kiss.

Adrien was easy to entice, and one kiss became two became four until they all blurred together and Luka and Adrien lost track.

The burning assertiveness gradually faded into curious exploration before slowly devolving into a sloppy mess of languid pleasure.

Adrien completely disheveled Luka’s hair. Meanwhile, Luka’s hands cautiously meandered down south until he finally achieved his longstanding dream of touching Adrien’s butt.

Adrien gave a little squeak of surprise but was back to kissing Luka before Luka could even ask if he needed to move his hands.

Half an hour slipped by unmarked before Adrien raised his head to look down at Luka beneath him.

“That…was more than one kiss,” Adrien observed.

“Yeah,” Luka agreed, voice husky and pupils blown wide, need evident.

Blushing furiously, Adrien scrambled off of Luka, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and pointedly not looking at Luka.

“I’m not ready for this,” Adrien informed flatly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to lead you on. I didn’t—”

Luka extracted his brain from his pants and pushed himself up onto his elbow, reaching out to run gentle fingertips up and down Adrien’s spine. “—Shhhh. Perfect Fifth, it’s fine. You weren’t leading me on. I know I guilted you into that kiss in the first place. I’m not expecting anything more from you, so just relax, okay?”

Adrien anxiously peeked back over his shoulder. “You’re not? Expecting anything? Physically, I mean?”

Luka shook his head. “The fact that I’ve slept with previous partners doesn’t have anything to do with our relationship. We go at our own speed. Whatever’s right for us. Okay?”

Adrien blew out a sigh of relief. “Okay. All right. Good.”

He bit his lip and turned to face Luka. “Because I’m not ready to be in a relationship with you yet.”

A cloudy expression drifted onto Luka’s features.

“I’m not ready,” Adrien repeated before Luka could protest. “I’m sorry. I just—Aren’t things okay as they are? I don’t want anything to change. I don’t want to mess up what we have.”

Luka took a deep breath and placed his hand over Adrien’s. “You don’t have to be afraid, P5. It’s going to be okay. Like I said before, we’re already practically dating. Not a whole lot will change once we make it official. I know you’re scared, but I promise you everything’s going to be fine.”

Adrien still didn’t look convinced.

Luka gave Adrien’s hand a squeeze. “Will you give me the chance to prove to you that everything’s going to be all right?”

Adrien worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “…Let me think about it?”

Luka nodded, willing to take whatever he could get. It was a step in the right direction at least. “Okay. Sure. Absolutely. …Thank you.”

A small smile graced Adrien’s lips as he laid down on the bed with a sigh. “Thank you. For being patient with me. I know I’m driving you crazy.”

Luka winced. “It’s not that bad.”

Adrien arched an eyebrow, calling Luka’s bluff.

Luka sighed, lying down in defeat. “Okay. Yeah. Pining like this is hard, but…I get that you want to be healthy going into a relationship. I appreciate that you’re taking this so seriously and trying to do it right.”

Adrien leaned in and pressed a grateful peck to Luka’s jaw. “Because I love you.”

“You’re killing me,” Luka groaned through a grin.

Adrien snickered. “You a masochist or something?”

“A little,” Luka chuckled. “—Oh. That reminds me.”

Adrien looked skeptical. “Of what exactly?”

“Your present.” Luka sat up and leaned over Adrien to get at the bedside table drawer. Out of it he produced a small present the size of a necklace box.

Adrien frowned as he carefully slid his finger underneath the edges of the wrapping paper and pealed back the tape.

Inside of the box he found a soft, velvety black ribbon made to look like a belt with a silver buckle, a metal tip on the end, and tiny holes to approximate a real belt.

“It’s…my Chat Noir belt…in miniature,” Adrien realized without understanding why he was receiving such a gift.

Luka smiled sheepishly. “Do you remember that one time you told me you thought you might like it if someone tied you up with your belt and chose to use that power over you to take care of you?”

Adrien’s entire face went red as he burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Are you serious?”

Luka nodded.

Adrien hugged the ribbon to his chest and laughed harder. “I can’t even… I love you so much. You have no idea. This is just… Thank you.”

“I did look into bondage after that,” Luka confessed. “I asked around a little and did some research, but I came to the conclusion that I’m never going to feel comfortable actually tying you up. I did, however, come up with a compromise. May I?”

He held out his hand for the ribbon, and Adrien readily complied.

“Hold out your wrists?” Luka requested, and Adrien did.

Luka looped the ribbon around Adrien’s wrists, tying it loosely so that it didn’t chafe and Adrien could easily slip his hands out.

“You’re on the honor system to stay tied up,” Luka informed with a wink, making Adrien giggle. “It’s more symbolic bondage than anything, but I thought maybe you’d like it.”

“I do,” Adrien verified, giving Luka’s cheek another kiss. “Thank you, Luka. I appreciate you looking into this for me and the miniature belt and—Did Marinette make this?” he thought to ask.

“I didn’t tell her what it was for,” Luka assured.

“Okay. Good,” Adrien sighed. “…Can I tie you up with my belt sometimes, or is that weird?”

Luka shrugged, holding out his wrists. “I’m good so long as you’re happy.”

Adrien transferred the ribbon from his own wrists to Luka’s and grinned at the effect.

Luka smirked. “What are you going to do to me now that you have me at your mercy?”

Adrien’s smile turned soft and warm. “Love and protect you.”

Luka’s cheeks suddenly felt unbearably hot. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Adrien confirmed, eyes all adoration.

Luka gulped. “I’d really like that, actually.”

Adrien looked at Luka hard before promising resolutely, “…I’m going to become someone who can take care of you.”

Luka shook his head. “You already are, Adrien.”

Adrien didn’t look like he believed it.

Luka slipped his hands out of the ribbon and patted Adrien on the head. “You are. I promise. …Come on. Let’s make ourselves presentable so we can help Rose and Juleka with lunch.”

Adrien pressed one last kiss to Luka’s cheek before complying.

[ask-de-writer]

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN … :

MLP Fan Fiction :

Tales to Read AFTER the Lights are OUT!

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Tales to Read AFTER the Lights Are OUT!

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN …

by De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

1612 words

© 2016 by Glen Ten-Eyck

All rights reserved.  This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author. ////////////// Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions. All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged. ///////////////////////

It should have been a dark and stormy night!  Just to be perverse, it was calm, clear and well lit by a nearly full, waning gibbous moon. 

Rory was laying in wait!  Nightmare Night was his favorite!  He was lurking in the brush, not far from the cemetery wall.  His costume totally hid his head and cutie mark, making it all the more fun to jump out at the passing foals!

When he waived that old scythe at them they ran like rabbits!  Dropped their loot bags, as often as not!  Fun all around!  For him.

Pity that he swung wrong, that one time.  Grazed one of the escort ponies.  Nothing serious, but you know, if he got caught the authorities would be like it was the crime of the century!

It added spice to the game!

The slightly wounded mare ran straight for Twilight Sparkle’s Golden Oak Library!  Breathless, she panted, “Twilight!  We have to do something!  Look at my neck!  There is a big earth pony jumping out of the brush to scare foals into dropping their loot bags!  He waves this big scythe!  He hit me!”

Twilight paused in handing out small books and candies to her Nightmare Night visitors.  Turning, she saw Spike at the ready, quill and parchment in hand. 

“Take a note, Spike!   Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna:  We have a problem here in Ponyville.”  In a few words, she described the unpleasant situation.  Spike breathed fire on the note and the smoke streaked away!

Celestia and Luna were presiding over a masquerade dance party of nobles.  It was about as boring as a Nightmare Night celebration could be.  Luna had just observed, “Trust the nobility to make something so fun into a soporific!”

Celestia was giggling agreement when the wisp of smoke sailed in and became a note.  She scanned it and promptly magicked it over to Luna.

“I think that this one is for you, Luna!  Have the fun I am not going to have!”

Reading, Luna began to grin.  Fangs showed.  Ghastly pustules appeared in her magic, in lieu of stars.  Her forehooves became claws.  From her normal dark blue, she became utterly black.  She answered Celestia, “I will!  I have not spoken to Swift Feather in a long time.”

Dryly Celestia observed, “Being dead for 3000 years does tend to cut off the conversation!”

Luna said in a soft voice, “There is a loophole in that.  I rule the Dream.  The Dream can cross time.”  She stalked out of the hall.  Her condition upon leaving was noted by the Herald.

“Your Highness, what has so upset Princess Luna on this festive night in her honor?”

“It was not this festivity, however boring it may be.  We had word of an evil thing in Ponyville.  She is going to take care of it.  She will return soon, I am reasonably sure.”

~~ ~~

Swift Feather lay in her sleeping stall in Fortress Canterlot.  She hated garrison duty.  She wanted to FLY.  To carry out the good orders of her Princesses, so recently crowned.

Sleep came at last.  With it came a dream.  She saw her Princess Luna.  She looked the same as the Princess that she knew except that somehow she seemed older, more experienced.

In her Dream, her Princess gave her the most welcome of orders.  “Kit up, Swift Feather.  Full battle gear.  We have a wrong to put to rights.”

With the speed of dream, Swift Feather was ready.  “Where are we going?  What is it that we need to do, my Princess?”

The Dark Princess replied, “Follow me.  It is not far by dream, though the distance is greater than mere leagues.

“Your wise leadership has secured us a great and mostly peaceful kingdom.  We are going to stop one who would spoil the simple fun of many foals.”

Their wings spread, they flew through the mighty stone walls of the Fortress of Canterlot.  Swift Feather saw in wonder, the very land beneath their wings change.  The flying years beneath them saw forests grow and die.  Fields planted and harvested in the blink of an eye, the stroke of a wing.

A town grew suddenly beneath them and Luna spiraled down, Swift Feather following.  Luna pointed silently to a small herd of foals in outlandish costumes.  They gathered at the door of a home and sang, “Nightmare Night!  What a fright!  Give us something sweet to bite!”

The smiling householder, also in costume, hoofed around a bowl of treats.  The young ones eagerly took some, placing them into bags.

Luna directed, “Go and join them.  Take with you this bag for your sweets.  I promise that your skills will be needed soon.”

Puzzled, Swift Feather did as asked by her Princess.  Settling her weapons properly for parade, she stepped out of the darkness and joined the foals.

They looked at her light aerial battle armor, with its bracers protecting her legs and wing joints.  Her chanfron battle helmet, chain armor for her guts and steel for her flight muscles, spine and back.

One of them, in a sort of goblin costume, asked in wonder, “Wow!  You look like a warrior from Fortress Canterlot!  Who are you dressed as?”

Catching the mood, Swift Feather replied, “Good guess!  I am Swift Feather, Flight Leader and Wing Commander to the Princesses Celestia and Luna of Fortress Canterlot!”

A little witch costumed filly commented, “Your outfit looks like real armor and weapons!  Could I look at your shield and spear?”

Swift Feather nodded indulgently and held out her small targe and carefully unslung her air combat spear with its fins to guide its fall if it was used against a ground target.

Emboldened, the foals crowded about to examine her war gear.  One bold colt tapped her breastplate.  Awed, he said, “That is real steel.  My dad is a smith.  This is a totally awesome costume!  It would be right at home in a museum!”

As Swift Feather replaced her spear and and small targe-sheild she understood what Princess Luna meant by a distance of more than mere leagues.  Remembering the rest of her instruction, she thoughtfully settled her weapons for instant use.

She joined the happy chant of the foals and was given her fair share of the treats as well as many compliments on her costume. 

Soon the group started up a street with brush and stone wall on one side. 

Remembering that she was to right a wrong and that there was one who would try to spoil the foal’s fun, she cautioned, “Let me lead you.  This place does not look safe to me.  It could be an ambush.”

The foals, thinking it a game, did fall in behind her.

Rory lunged out, swinging his scythe!  The foals screamed and fell back.

Swift Feather’s targe caught Rory’s deadly blade and deflected it up past her head!  She dove in close, using her spear shaft to block Rory from pulling his scythe back!

Enraged at the failure of his trick, Rory tried to spin about so that he could continue what was now a real attack!  When the vicious swing was just starting, Swift Feather stabbed!  The combination of his spin and her thrust drove the spear deep into his shoulder!

The scythe clattered safely away across the cobbles!  Shocked, Rory screamed his agony!  He was down and kicking frantically!

The astounded foals watched the combat in utter amazement!  Not one dropped a loot bag!  Swift Feather pulled back, her targe at the ready, a short, pointed stabbing sword at the guard in her skilled hoof.

Assured that the enemy was down and safe, she directed in her best military manner, “One of you get a constable!  The rest search those bushes!  He has stolen other foal’s treats!  We must see if they can be returned to their proper foals!”

The youngsters, responding to her air of total authority, sprang to follow her orders!  The smith’s colt sprinted up the street for help!  The others found the loot bags in Rory’s hidden ambush place.

The situation now under control, Swift Feather heard the voice of Dream, of Princess Luna, speaking in her mind, “You have done very well, this night, Swift Feather!  Fly back with me across the ages to your well earned rest.”

She took off in a thunder of wings.  A watching filly said admiringly, “Look how well she can fly with all of that armor!”

Together, Swift Feather and Luna flew across ages back to Fortress Canterlot and through its stout stone walls.  Swift Feather saw her sleeping self and faded into her body.  Lips curled into a smile for her good dream of righting a wrong.

When she awoke, she found a bag with treats in it under her pillow.

~~ ~~

In Ponyville, the Constable Crager was trying to make sense of the scene.  The foals were the only witnesses and they would not budge from their story.  “It was Flight Leader Swift Feather from Fortress Canterlot!  She said so herself!”

Looking at the antique design of the aerial battle spear in Rory’s shoulder and then at the big scythe laying in the street, Constable Crager could almost believe it.  The Ambulance Ponies were getting Rory stabilized for removal to Ponyville General Horspital.

One commented, “We are going to have to get that spear out of his shoulder to get him into the ambulance!”

The blacksmith’s colt pointed to the spear and said, “No you don’t.  Look, Swift Feather is taking it back to Fortress Canterlot!”

The solid seeming spear lodged in Rory’s shoulder quietly faded away like a dream upon awakening.

~THE END~

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to Tales to Read AFTER the Lights Are OUT!

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

[oosteven-universe]

Willy’s Wonderland #1

Willy’s Wonderland #1 American Mythology Productions 2021 Written by SA Check & James Kuhoric Illustrated by Puis Calzada Coloured by Emmanuel Ordaz Lettered by Natalie Jane    Hey Kids!  Do you know what time it is? It's your birthday and we want you to have Fun! Welcome to Willy's Wonderland! The surprise hit horror flick of 2021 is Willy's Wonderland!  Nicolas Cage unleashes a can of Punch Pop on the Willy's serial killing animatronic crew in the film, but what came before the janitorial rampage?  Find out here in this official prequel to the movie giving you all the party filled blood spatter you can handle! Willy, Ozzie, Arty, Cammy, Tito, Gus, Sara, and Knighty Knight all are back with a blood soaked romp through homicidal birthday parties!    This is what happens when you mix Chuck E Cheese and Chucky the doll.  You get this crazy made for SyFy film prequel series.  I mean this is some crazy arse messed up stuff and with the recent Banana Splits film it makes complete sense for this to come out as well.  It really is the stuff of nightmares, possessed animatronics that kill and eat people while in the guise of a children’s party palace kind of place yeah there’s nothing already inherently creepy going on there.  Concept wise Halloween is completely the right time of year for this hit shelves.      I am very much enjoying the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well.  The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter fleshes out the characters extremely well.  The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story only makes me want to see and know more.    I like how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story begin to emerge and grow.  How we see the layers within the story open up new avenues to be explored we see some great depth, dimension and complexity being added to the story.  How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is incredibly well achieved.      The interiors here are interesting.  I do wish the linework would be a lot sharper and a lot creepier instead of this more traditional comic book style work, but this is my preference for what I wish we’d see.  The more traditional style does work in keeping the animatronic characters more authentic and showing less emotion and just getting on with the business of killing makes it creepy on its own account.  We could also use more backgrounds in use but then again how we see the composition within the panels brings out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a solid eye for storytelling.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a great understanding of how colour works. ​    This is a lot more fun than I was expecting to see.  There is a lot more going on here than meets the eye and there’s definitely some shading dealings happening and it all promises to play out in some wonderfully unexpected ways.  The opening here could’ve been a bit better like why the first page was what it was and its significance to the story, the homeless well that speaks for itself really.  So for a crazy wacky slice ‘em and dice ‘em good time look no further than a stop at Willy’s Wonderland!

[mordcore]

gender flag! for my specific flavor of maverique

colorpicked from:

album cover of villains pt. 1 by emma blackery because the lyrics are so gender:

I am a maverick

Built to create, designed to destroy

And I am the quiver in your bones when you get annoyed

And I am the nightmare

These monsters I hold, I'm bringing them home

And I am the shiver in your lungs when you're out in the cold

and since we are already here i decided the non-red parts were going to be my redesign of the maverique flag (sorry i just hate the original color composition):

i cant find if there is a widespread maverique symbol so have this amalgam of agender and the mercury symbol. i thought mercury used to be an intersex symbol but if it was, it fell out of use and no one remembers it? anyway i love both demon horns and Xs. but i also made a version without it.

yes these are the final versions, anyone is welcome to make their own spins tho if you want, change the colors, give meanings, make less handdrawn versions, etc, just dont be transphobic :^)