#willow starting her own team? goals

[m1ckeyb3rry]

── WILLOW TREE

Synopsis: Years after you leave Japan, Rin Itoshi finally wins the World Cup. As he promised he would, he comes to find you afterwards. (part one here!)

BLLK Masterlist

Pairing: Rin x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 4.1k

Content Warnings: rin is lowkey nice and therefore ooc because he’s implied to have matured (considering he’s like in his twenties atp), one reference to another fic of mine, almost as cheesy as part one, reader and her bff have to interact w a misogynist, nagi and barou mentions because they are my goats

A/N: @why2277 requested a part two for cherry tree so yk i had to deliver!! hehe this isn’t super romantic or anything because it’s rin and he’s allergic to emotions lowkey but i hope it’s fun anyways 🥹

Additional: check my pinned post to make sure i have requests open; after reading the rules, please feel free to make your own!

From the window of the apartment you were renting for your final year of university, you could see a weeping willow tree. It was lovely and old, its leaves swaying in the slightest wind, and in the sunlight, it was too benevolent to be anything but ethereal. During the warmer months, you used to spread out a blanket in the grass beneath its shade and work on your homework, but now that there was a chill creeping into the air, you could only gaze longingly at it whenever you passed and imagine what it would be like in spring, when the temperature outside was once again tolerable.

Sometimes, on particularly stormy nights, the shapes of the leaves would coalesce into something resembling a man or monster. In those times, you would wish there was a room you could run to, albeit not out of any fear — you weren’t as easy to frighten as you had once been. It was nostalgia, horrible and sickening, which made your stomach turn and your heart palpitate, longing for a particular bed, a familiar embrace, though both were on the other side of the world and had been far out of your reach for years upon years now.

“Jeez,” your best friend said as the two of you elbowed your way into getting seats at the bar. Her university’s break had started earlier than yours, so instead of going directly to your hometown, she had come to visit you first, and of course in celebration of your reunion, you both had decided to visit the most popular bar in the area. “What’s going on? Hey, dude, what’s everyone watching?”

The man she was talking about spun around in surprise, his eyes enormous at her question, like he found it impossible that she was asking such a thing. She scowled at him, waiting for him to answer; when he realized she was being serious, he scoffed.

“It’s the World Cup final,” he said, before adding, under his breath, “Fucking girls.”

“The World Cup?” you said, your interest piqued despite his less than savory addition. “Who’s playing?”

Your best friend gave you a surprised look. “Since when have you cared about soccer?”

The man gave you a measured look, his face still pinched with distaste, and then he shrugged. “Japan and Germany. Craziest shit I’ve seen in a while. Never thought the Japanese team would get so far, but they’re goddamn monsters. Germany’s in the lead for the moment, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Japan turns it around and makes a comeback victory.“

“I see,” you said, craning your neck so you could see the small TV in the corner. Your best friend nudged you in the side, and when you glanced at her out of the corner of your eye, her brow was furrowed in confusion.

“What’s the big deal?” she said. “I didn’t realize you were into sports.”

“I’m not,” you said. “I was just reminded of something when he mentioned the World Cup, that’s all.”

You wondered if he was playing, and if so, whether he, too, remembered that half-awake promise he had made you. You wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t. If you were any smarter, any less stubborn, you would’ve forgotten as well.

“Holy fucking shit!” the man shouted as the screen flashed in celebration of a goal.

“What?” your best friend said, enthralled, though her expression soured every time she glanced at the rude man, who the two of you were sadly dependent on for explanations.

“That was such a clean shot,” he said, eyes sparkling. “Rin Itoshi…he’s an amazing player. True, sometimes people forget that, because half of his teammates are the biggest peacocks known to mankind and hog all of the attention with their showboating, but I’d take him over Seishiro Nagi or Shoei Barou any day. Maybe he doesn’t have that flair or power, but he’s technically perfect, and that’s something none of the others can claim — not even that genius playmaker, Isagi!”

You didn’t know enough about soccer or the Japanese team to have an opinion on the rest of his claims, but you did know about Rin Itoshi, so you smiled softly and nodded. “Yeah, Rin’s pretty cool.”

Your best friend, who had finally caught up to what you were talking about, snickered. “That’s not what you used to say. I recall you hating him quite a bit.”

The man fully spun around in his barstool, glaring at you with his arms folded over his chest, his left hand gripping a beer. “On what grounds could one possibly hate Rin Itoshi? Name any player, and I’ll explain why he’s clear of them. Seriously, aren’t females supposed to like Rin? For his looks and all?”

You and your best friend exchanged glances before slowly inching away. There was no point in entertaining the man further; he was just inclined to see the worst in you two no matter what, and you would probably be better off trying to find another bar or just heading to your house for the night.

“Ah, I don’t really know any other players,” you admitted, grabbing your purse and slinging it on your shoulder. “I just happened to live with the Itoshis for a while during my first year of college.”

“What?” the man shrieked, though thankfully the music and chattering was so loud that only a couple of heads turned. “You lived in a house with Rin Itoshi?”

“Uh…” you trailed off, looking around and spotting the door at the same time as your best friend. Without even a signal, both of you took off for the exit at once, leaving the now-sputtering man behind and not slowing down until you were well down the street.

“I hate guys like that,” your best friend gasped out, leaning against the wall of a bagel shop, which was closed due to the late hour. “What a jerk.”

“Honestly,” you agreed. “At least he was kind of helpful, even if he did repeatedly insult our gender and treat us like children.”

“Yeah,” she said. “Rin Itoshi, huh? That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while. Feeling nostalgic?��

“A bit,” you said. “I told you he had a crush on me, didn’t I? Or at least, I think he did. I’m not sure if he realized it himself.”

“Yup, I remember. It explained a lot more of his actions than it really should’ve,” she said. 

“Well, the truth is that the night I asked him about his feelings, he told me he didn’t have a crush on me or anything, but that after he retired from soccer for good, things might be different,” you said. This was something you hadn’t told anyone, not even her. For some reason, there had been a seriousness to the way he spoke, and at the time it had felt like a betrayal to share it with another person. Then, when you had moved back home at the end of the semester and the two of you had stopped speaking entirely, it had faded from the forefront of your mind, locked away alongside the rest of your memories from those strange few months.

“No way,” she said with a chuckle. “Did he think you’d wait for that long? Soccer players don’t retire until they’re in their thirties, right? That’s a long time to expect someone to keep you in their mind.”

“I told him as much, but as you know, I was apparently a huge distraction to his soccer career, so he couldn’t have me ruining that or whatever. Anyways, uh, he promised that once he won the World Cup, he’d come and find me,” you said. “So. I was just reminiscing a bit over that, I guess.”

“Do you think he will?” she said. You shook your head. 

“Of course not,” you said. “He’s famous now. I mean, random men in bars praise him, so he must be a celebrity, right? There’s a lot of girls he could have, and anyways, I myself wouldn’t have even thought of it if that guy hadn’t brought him and the World Cup up. Why would it be any different for Rin?”

“That’s fair,” your best friend said. “Fame changes people.”

“Right,” you said. “It’s just a cool story that I can tell at parties now. Like, did you know that famous footballer Rin Itoshi once told me I was the most annoying person he had ever met? I bet it’ll be a real winner.”

“Fascinating tale,” she said. 

“Thanks,” you said. “Like I said, it’ll be popular with the crowds for sure. Ah, provided that they believe me, of course.”

“That’s true,” she said, snorting in amusement. “It does kinda sound like you’re making it up. You were too busy arguing with him constantly, too, so you never even took any photos with him.”

“I know,” you said. “Oh, well. They can believe me or not. It did happen, so who cares what anyone else thinks?”

“Very mature,” your best friend said with a nod. “Moving on, what should we do next? That bar’s kinda out of the question.”

“Technically, I do still have class tomorrow,” you reminded her. “So maybe sleeping is a good idea?”

“Ugh, I forgot about that,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Sorry. Yeah, let’s get back. We can do more stuff once we’re home and off for the week.”

“Sounds good to me,” you said. “It looks like it’s going to rain soon, anyways, so that’s probably for the best.”

You were right — almost as soon as you entered your apartment, the earlier breezes turned to gales, and one of those storms which was not quite wintry but gray and gloomy regardless churned into existence. You and your best friend were quick to get ready, both surprisingly exhausted, and then she made herself comfortable on your couch while you settled in your bed, pulling the blankets up over your shoulders and staring out of your window, watching the bare branches of the willow thrash about desperately, like they were searching for something that they could never have.

The break was short but relaxing, and before you knew it, you were back at your apartment in school, although you didn’t have your best friend’s company this time. You settled back into your typical routine, and within a few days, your life was once again mundane and usual. Any thoughts of the past or of excitement vanished in the haze of working and studying, and indeed it sometimes felt like you were more of a zombie trudging through life until the winter next became alive instead of dull.

Two weeks after you returned to university, you were walking home in the evening after a study group meeting in the library, humming to yourself and texting one of your friends about a homework assignment, when you became acutely aware of footsteps mirroring your own. You tested it out, first slowing and then speeding up your pace, but no matter what you did, they matched you so eerily that you became genuinely worried.

Swallowing, you sped up again, hoping you could, in some way, outrun this pursuer which you had picked up. When the pat-pat of sneakers on concrete behind you sped up as well, you gasped and then broke into a run. This wasn’t just the beginning of every horror movie but also of many true-crime documentaries. A girl. A dark evening. A mysterious stalker. Were you going to be murdered or something?

“You’re painfully slow,” your would-be assailant said, keeping up with your full sprint and not even sounding winded. “Anyways, why are we running? Did you take up jogging once you left Japan or something?”

You skidded to a stop, turning to see a familiar figure a few steps behind you. When he noticed you had stopped, he did as well, and though he tried to fight it, a tiny smile threatened to bloom on his face when he noticed your awed expression.

He was wearing a pair of loose joggers and an oversized sweatshirt, which wasn’t his typical sense of style but suited him, as everything did; additionally, despite the late hour, there was a pair of sunglasses pushed up into his hair, which shone in the light of the street lamp you both stood under. His hands were shoved in his pockets, though he raised his right to wave at you shyly, the bridge of his nose and the apples of his cheeks pink — whether from the biting cold or something else, you could not tell.

“Rin?” you said. He nodded. “Rin, what are you—?”

You broke off in disbelief, unable to even move. In your wildest dreams, when you pictured reuniting with him, you had imagined something more romantic. Perhaps one of you would pick the other up from the airport, and you’d dash towards him and leap into his arms and he’d spin you about and — well, now that you thought about it more, that was a little unrealistic. Rin had never been that kind of person. The distance between you two had made your heart grow fonder, and time had formed a rosy film over your memories, but Rin as you had truly known him had always been standoffish and awkward.

“We won the World Cup,” he said. “No. I won it.”

“Yes,” you said. “Yes, I — I saw you score.”

His stare was arresting, his eyes the same brilliant shade as a writhing sea, framed by dark lashes which fluttered as nervously as a wasp’s wings. For a second, you thought he must be waiting for you to say something else, but you dismissed the thought in turn. What else would you even say?

After a second, he exhaled, his breath forming crystals in the air. “Yeah. Well, uh, I’m sure you’ve forgotten by now, but I told you, didn’t I? That once I won the World Cup, I’d find you?”

“I didn’t forget,” you said, swallowing. “I thought you might’ve, though.”

“I wouldn’t,” he said. “I’m mad at you, so of course I needed to see you again.”

“Mad at me?” you said.

“Yes,” he said. “I was so sure it would be better once you left, but it got worse. I thought of you even more. It was awful.”

“Didn’t seem to impact your soccer career any,” you pointed out.

“Maybe it did. Maybe I’d be even better if it weren’t for you,” he said. You waited for him to laugh. He didn’t, but there was mirth shimmering in his irises, which was close enough, so you allowed yourself to shake your head in amusement.

“I guess we’ll never know,” you said.

“Guess not,” he said.

“How did you even do it?” you said. “Find me, I mean.”

“I knew which university you went to,” he said.

“That’s it?” you said. “It’s not like this is a small school.”

“Believe me, I know,” he said. “I’ve been here since last Thursday.”

“Seriously?” you said.

“Seriously,” he affirmed. “I’ve been spending every day on campus looking for you. It took me a while, but I didn’t want to give up until I saw you again.”

“You did all of that and nobody recognized you?” you said.

“One of my teammates hates the media so much that he’s perfected the art of disguising himself in public. I figured that if it works for him, despite him being built like a white-haired telephone pole, it would probably do fine for my purposes,” he said.

“I see,” you said. “I guess that’s what’s the deal with the clothes.”

“Exactly,” he said.

“Well,” you said. “I don’t…I mean, I don’t really know what to say. I never thought I’d actually see you again, so this is kind of a lot. I’m sorry.”

“Did you want to?” he said.

“Huh?” you said.

“Did you want to see me again?” he said, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Did you ever think about me?”

“Let’s walk back to my apartment,” you said instead of answering the question. “I want to show you something.”

“Okay,” he said, walking at your side obligingly, though he kept a careful distance between you both. You did not try to close it, not yet. It didn’t feel right.

“By the way, why did you follow me like a creep?” you said as you changed course towards your apartment complex. “You should’ve just said hi like a normal person instead of scaring me.”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I just didn’t want to say anything.”

“Didn’t want to?” you said.

“Couldn’t,” he amended. “I didn’t realize how hard it would be until I saw you again. I had so many things I needed to tell you, and as soon as you were in front of me, I forgot them all.”

“That’s a shame,” you said. “If you remember any, let me know.”

He mulled this over for a moment before clearing his throat. “My brother’s getting married soon.”

“Really? How exciting,” you said. You had never met Sae Itoshi, so the news didn’t strike you one way or another, but you were just glad to hear Rin’s voice again, so you would’ve listened to him talking about anything and been happy about it.

“Yeah, it’s this girl he met while they were both on vacation by the beach in Spain,” he said. “She accidentally tackled him while trying to get her sandwich back from a seagull.”

“That’s a fun story,” you said. “Imagine your kids ask you how you met their mother and you get to tell them that.”

“There’s more to it, surprisingly,” he said. “But anyways, yeah, she’s nice. I don’t mind her that much.”

“Given that she’s going to be a part of your family, it’s good that you get along with her,” you said.

“Mhm,” he said. “Can you come?”

“To the wedding? Er, I don’t think I’m invited,” you said.

“I’m inviting you,” he said, his throat bobbing as he averted his gaze. “I want you to come. With me.”

“Oh,” you said. His eyes widened slightly.

“Am I — are you — um, Y/N. You don’t have a boyfriend or anything, right?” he said.

The two of you had reached the willow tree. You paused, gazing up at it. The branches no longer had their leaves, and it seemed more depressing and spindly instead of lush and inviting, as it did in the summer months. Rin stopped next to you, and you shifted so that there was only a hair’s breadth between your arm and his.

“When it rains really hard, this tree looks like a creature from one of those horror movies you used to watch,” you said. “It doesn’t scare me, not hardly, but I always wish I could run to you anyways. I guess there’s your answer. Every time there was a storm, I thought of you. Every time I saw this tree, I thought of you. Every time someone mentioned owls or soccer or scary films, I thought of you. So, yes. Sometimes, occasionally — or perhaps frequently, depending on how you see it — I did think of you. I did want to see you again.”

“What about the second question?” he said.

“A lot of people have tried,” you said. “Guys have asked me out. Friends have set me up and convinced me to go on blind dates. It never really works out, though. In the back of my mind, I’ve always been waiting for someone else. For a major jerk, in fact. The biggest jerk on the planet. Everyone probably thinks I’m crazy. It’s a ridiculous thing to say aloud, and even more ridiculous to actually do it, but here I am.”

“How long will you keep waiting for him?” he said.

“A while,” you said. “At least until I can meet someone as annoying as he is. I’ve been bored without him, and I don’t take well to boredom.”

Rin’s features were settled in a contemplative mask, his brows drawn together and his head tilted slightly. It was your chance to watch him; you had nothing more to say, so you opted for silence. Things like confessions and feelings weren’t really your style, nor were they his, but you hoped that he would understand what you had meant regardless. Just this once. Even if he never did again, this once, you wanted him to understand you.

“Thank you,” he said, and then: “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” you said.

“For making you wait. For letting you be bored,” he said. “Although it’s not my fault. I could’ve won the World Cup the year you left if it had happened then, and then we would’ve met again way sooner.”

“It’s okay. Listen, Rin, I want to — no, I have to ask you something,” you said, and then you took a deep breath to steady yourself. “Come summer, will I still be able to see you? Can I show you this tree once it has its leaves, or is this the last time?”

The last time. Was this reunion like a fleeting dream? Would it be better or worse when you were split apart from him anew? How much longer could you bear to keep waiting for him? You had no idea, but it seemed impossible, the thought of being apart from him once more.

“If you come home with me, you can always see me,” he said. “There’s another tree there. One that you’ll remember. Is that close enough?”

“What about my job and my life here?” you said, taken aback at the bold offer, which felt a little out of the blue, although maybe it shouldn’t have. “I’ll graduate this year, and then I’ll start working. How can I leave all of that behind?”

“You don’t have to leave it behind forever. Not if you don’t want to,” he said. “I’d never make you do that. But Sae’s — the wedding, it’s in the spring. The cherry tree will have flowers then. I can show it to you. You never saw it like that, I don’t think, but you’ll like it. I’m sure you will.”

A ghostly wind whistled through the willow tree’s branches, and the street lamp illuminating Rin’s face flickered. Part of you had never really believed you’d look upon that face again, no matter how much you had wanted to. His features were different from the last time you had seen him, a little sharper, more weathered, the once-permanent scowl replaced with a blank, neutral expression as he waited for you to respond, but it was still his face before you.

“It’ll be warm there, won’t it?” you said. “I’m always cold here.”

“Yeah,” he said. “It’ll be warm. Are you cold right now?”

You nodded. He made to shrug off his sweatshirt, but you shook your head, catching his arm and then placing it around your shoulders. He cocked his head at you, and then, all at once, recognition flashed in his eyes. Wrapping the other arm around you of his own volition, he pulled you into his chest carefully, unsurely, his heart pounding — you knew because you could hear it, could feel it, the way it beat against his sternum like a battle-cry.

“I miss it,” you said. “I was only there for one semester, but I still miss it.”

It, or him? Maybe both. Definitely both.

“You don’t have to anymore,” he said. You wondered if he meant his home, which in a way was also your home, or if he was talking about himself. “It’s yours. It’ll always be yours. Our roles are reversed now, I guess.”

“Reversed?” you said. You must’ve sounded like an idiot or an echo, dumbly repeating everything he said without comprehension. 

“I’ll be the one waiting,” he said. “And if you want…you can come and find me. I won’t make it hard. I’ll be where I always have been.”

“Do you think you can wait as long as I did?” you said.

“If I have to,” he said. “Will you make me?”

“No,” you said. “No, I won’t. You only have to wait until the spring. Then I’ll be there, and I don’t think — to tell you the truth, I don’t think I’ll be able to leave once I am.”

“Is it wrong if I say good?” he said.

“Maybe,” you said. His body was likely akin to a furnace or something, you thought, for curiously, in his embrace, you no longer felt frigid, though it had only gotten cooler and cooler out. “But even if it is, I won’t be the one to judge you for it.”

“Good,” he muttered breathlessly. “Good.”

You smiled broadly this time, broadly and fully, though he couldn’t see you do it — or maybe it was because of that fact that you could beam like this, as brightly as if you had won the lottery. Then again, you supposed that to you if no one else, you had. After all, somehow, despite all odds, Rin had found you again, and this time, he wouldn’t leave. Never again would he leave, not entirely, and if he did ever go, it would only be to a place where he could wait for you longer.

“Yes,” you said. “Yes, Rin. It’s good.”

[lo-toh-takes]

Hunter is NOT a Passive Character

One of Lily’s biggest critiques of Hunter as a character is that Hunter is a “passive” character who supposedly does nothing in all the episodes he gets spot light in and just repeats the same development over and over again.

To explain why this take doesn’t work let’s actually take a look at what a passive character is; basically, a passive character is a character that never acts on their own accord and only sits around and waits for the plot to happen rather than making the plot happen. The character doesn’t really have any major personal goals beyond just beating the bad guy.

They are driven by the plot, not their own distinct motivations and goals. Let’s take a look at each episode Hunter gets a main role in to see how much validity this take has, shall we?

Hunting Palismen - This episode has Hunter interacting and forming a bond with Luz, as we get to learn more about him as a character and the show develops him more. He’s not doing nothing in this episode; he’s interacting with other characters and being developed.

Eclipse Lake - Aaaand this is where Lily’s argument about Hunter being “passive” starts falling apart. In this episode, Hunter wants to prove his worth to Belos by proving his usefulness to the emperor’s coven, and so he ventures of to eclipse lake to get titan blood for Belos.

Hunter is not just sitting around doing nothing; he’s being active by being driven by his own personal motivations to prove himself. He’s not waiting for the plot to happen or come to him like a passive character would; he’s acting on his own accord and MAKING the plot and conflict of the episode happen.

Hunter is not passive in this episode, he’s being active. Not to mention this episode serves to give him a lot of development as well.

Any Sport in a Storm - Hunter sets out to prove his usefulness to Darius and he ends up joining Willow's flyer derby team. Already Hunter has a lot of agency here since he's being active once again. Though he did act because he interpereted what Darius said to him as an "order", but then later in the episode he realizes his mistake and goes out of his way to fix it. No one is really forcing him here, he does it purely on his own accord and it directly affects the plot of the episode.

Not to mention ASIAS is where Hunter goes through the strongest amount of growth he's ever had in the show. Once again Hunter is not sitting around and being "passive", he's being active and doing actions that directly affect the plot, not to mention having amazing character growth here.

Hollow Mind - Not really much to say here but Hunter isn't passive in this episode either. Hunter gets stuck in Belos' mind with Luz by pure acctident. Hollow Mind serves as a major turning point for Hunter as a character, since this is where Hunter realizes that Belos might not actually be a good person. He isn't being passive here.

Labyrnth Runners - Hunter saves Gus from the illuisionist coven head Adrian twice. And the second time he helps Gus through his issues and resolves Gus arc this episode. Once again Hunter is not being passive here as he's doing things that push the plot forward purely on his own with no outside force making him do it.

Hunter is not being passive in any of these episodes, in every single episode that furthers Hunter's arc he's actively developing as a character or doing things by his own accord that push the plot forward. Lily is once again lying about Hunter to further her narrative about him.

[toh-tagteam-au]

Tag Team AU Synopsis – Something Ventured, Something Framed + Escape of the Palisman

Synopsis Masterpost Link

Previous [Lost in Language + Once Upon a Swap]

Next Part [Sense and Insensitivity + Adventures in the Elements + The First Day]

Starting to double down way more, but we have a Luz-centric ep and a sibling ep today!

Something Ventured, Something Framed

There’s not much plot I wrote for this one. Luz goes to Hexside to tutor Amity, since she basically fired Lilith from the position in Covention. Amity gets some Luz lore, mainly that she’s the same age as her and that she was taken in by the Emperor when she lost her family. 

Eventually, Amity notices that Luz is a bit uncomfortable getting stared at by the other kids, and she pulls her to the bathroom to change her into a Hexside uniform.

(hood is up, so ears aren't showing)

On their way to a classroom, they run into Gus. Luz and Gus hit it off pretty instantly, as Luz recognizes the acronym on his HAS president crown. Luz introduces herself as a Human appreciator, and Gus gets his nickname. They get to talking about humans, but at some point Luz’s learned-bias against humans comes up.

(This isn’t stuff that Belos taught her necessarily, but it’s definitely something she picked up given how much he says she’s helpless without Hunter to protect her. It's more self-depreciation than anything she'd think about anyone else.)

Luz goes to the bathroom to angst about knowing less about her own humanity than someone who isn’t even human (cool visual of her looking at her ears in the mirror and sighing), when Amity comes in and comforts her a bit. It doesn't work super well considering she has no idea what Luz is going through and Luz can't exactly tell her.

Their goal in tutoring is to get Amity to learn the spell she learns in Adventures in the Elements, the purple fire spell. After a few failed attempts, Luz's haphazard explanations of how she thinks casting spells should feel, and generally hitting a brick wall, Luz tentatively shows Amity the fire glyph and explains some of the glyph theory behind fire spells in general – you need to know what you need in order to cast it.

While they do that, Gus goes through some stuff of his own – mainly, Mattholomule succeeds in stealing the H.A.S. presidency from him since Gus doesn't have human Luz to fall back on. He's walking outside the room Luz and Amity are training in after losing the presidency when he recognizes the glyph as something that Hunter brought up in Hooty's Moving Hassle – that if you see someone using one, chances are you can't do magic naturally. He connects the dots as Luz not being able to do magic (not necessarily that she's human), and gets some context for the whole "magic-less = useless" spiel she went on.

After they stop training, Gus approaches them and he and Luz hash it out. Luz admits that she probably doesn't know a lot about humans, and that Gus was probably right. Gus says that they can learn a lot from human ingenuity, and that the fact they do the things they do without magic is inspiring (hint hint).

Then Willow probably comes in, has tension with Amity, recognizes Luz's voice as the GG, and Gus freaks out as an ending gag.

Escape of the Palisman

Luz and Hunter are on a GG mission in the Bat Queen’s woods to gather palismen for Belos.

Eventually, they hear a screech, and all hell breaks loose as the bat queen appears. Luz is kidnapped while Hunter is fighting off the babies. He chases after them, but is quickly lost when…

Flapjack appears!

(i had this written before the name reveal, so Flapjack is Rascal in my notes occasionally).

Cut to Luz, who wakes up from being kidnapped and finds herself in the Bat Queen’s cave. They talk about the situation, mainly that Bat Queen is pissed and figures she’ll take the Emperor’s child since he keeps taking her own. Some dialogue about how Luz feels about Belos taking her in and BQ’s views on that until Hunter appears and frees Luz, and THERE’S FINALLY A TAG TEAM SIBLING FIGHT.

It’s pretty slapdash, though. Luz gets knocked out, the staff is kicked away, and Hunter is cornered by BQ.

He escapes on Flapjack with the bag of palismen, the staff, and Luz. He lands in a clearing and Luz wakes up.

They go back to the castle. There’s probably a scene where Belos chews them out, and the way he talks to them kind of hints towards him being more pissed at Hunter than Luz. 

Previous [Lost in Language + Once Upon a Swap]

Next Part [Sense and Insensitivity + Adventures in the Elements + The First Day]

Synopsis Masterpost Link

[deconstructthesoup]

The Hexsquad + Vee in different D20 seasons:

This was an idea I came up with in my brain. If I could draw it, I would, but I can't, so... settle for this massive fucking block of text. Have fun.

Fantasy High

Luz: A human wizard (Evocation) whose life goal is to be the greatest adventurer the world has ever seen, and that all starts with Aguefort Adventuring Academy. She was always considered the "weird kid" in middle school, but she's confident that she'll find her people at Aguefort, and she's ready to take the school by storm... or, at least, find some friends who she can connect with. Luz is definitely the type of person to get her magic-studying done ahead of time, so she's a little bit ahead a lot of her classmates---mostly due to the fact that she keeps on trying the more complicated spells instead of starting with the basics.

Vee: Luz's adopted sister and a changeling sorcerer (Aberrant Mind). She's less keen on the whole "adventuring" thing, preferring a more mundane life, but she and Luz are thick as thieves, and she knows that her sister is definitely still going to get bullied at Aguefort---better to be there so she can have her back. Vee doesn't really remember a lot of her life from before she got adopted by the Nocedas, though she does know that something happened in those lost years that gave her the powers of the Far Realm... powers that she still can't quite control.

Willow: A dwarven druid (Circle of Spores) and barbarian (Battlerager). She's a case study in what happens when the shy, awkward girl from middle school discovers roller derby over the summer and transforms into a confident, punk-rock powerhouse... who still has some of those old insecurities lingering underneath the surface. Not to mention, pretty explosive anger issues. Willow is more than ready to form a kickass adventuring party on top of starting a roller derby team at Aguefort, but so far, she's only got one member...

Gus: A halfling rogue (Arcane Trickster) who skipped two grades due to being a quote-unquote "prodigy," which is a nice way of saying that he's struggling with severe gifted kid syndrome. He and Willow have been best friends for years, to the point where ending up at Aguefort is kind of the best thing that happened to him, even though he's still pretty insecure about his rogue abilities. Since he's younger than almost everyone else, Gus doesn't have a lot of friends to start outside of Willow... so, of course, the best course of action is to join literally every extracurricular. Despite already having a packed schedule. Yeah, he's overworking himself.

Amity: A high elf artificer (Battlesmith) who's built up a reputation as a top student at Hudol---a reputation that, according to her mother, she's completely throwing away by not only choosing to be an artificer instead of a wizard, but purposefully failing the Hudol entrance exam so she could go to Aguefort Adventuring Academy instead. Amity's really just learning how to be rebellious, so she's taking small steps---different academic path, exploring her own passions, dyeing her hair a different color---before she can hopefully build up enough disrespect for authority that she can move out, or at least help her dad work up the courage to ask for divorce papers. She's trying.

Hunter: A tiefling bard (College of Valor) who, like Fig, has only recently discovered that he's a tiefling. Rather than going straight to the rebellious route, though, he's kind of at a loss as to what to do, to the point where he even drops being a paladin in favor of being a bard---though, of course, still within the standard-hero vein. He's been raised by his uncle his whole life, and while their relationship has been pretty positive up until now, it's become fairly strained due to Belos never telling Hunter that his mom was a devil ("I don't give a fuck about safety, Uncle B, the fact that I am literally a spawn of hell is something that I should know"). But he's got an outlet. He's learning guitar and some bard spells.

A Starstruck Odyssey

Captain Luz Noceda: The Amercadian girl who always dreamed of becoming a spacer, she's now the captain of her very own ship, The Selkie, at the age of twenty-six... and she's struggling. Sure, she's joined every union she can, got all the insurance, and has really been trying to keep the ship on the up-and-up, but every time she takes a risk and goes for a more dangerous job, things fail drastically. Luz loves her crew and her ship, and she really doesn't want to give any of it up, but she can't ignore the little voice in her head that's telling her that she might not be as cut out for the spacing life as she originally believed. As luck would have it, though, her new hire has some excellent skills up her sleeve...

Amity Blight-Deamonne: The youngest daughter of renowned inventor Alador Blight and high-society fashion designer Darius Deamonne, Amity's got money, mechanical skills, and a sense of style that's the envy of every femme in the galaxy. She was apprenticing under both of her fathers at the same time, but after hearing that her older siblings had apparently made quite a life for themselves as spacers, she decided that there was no way she was going to miss out on the fun and joined Luz's crew as a mechanic and a "crew diplomat." Of course, Amity isn't the most prepared for the combat that they wind up in more often than not, but she is prepared to do some handy repairs and a lot of smooth talking when necessary. Which is almost all the time. (Also, she lost a leg and an arm in a childhood accident, but her family could afford to have her get fitted for cybernetic replacements without going into massive debt. This has caused her to be a major advocate for cyborg rights.)

Deep-Sea Volcano Eroded By Time, human name "Vee": An Aguatunisian who set off on her Galivant several years ago, she's been exposed to how dishonest, selfish, and uncaring the world outside her home planet can be, which has led her to becoming quite the nervous wreck. True cynicism is something that's pretty much impossible for Vee to really achieve, due to being a psychic being who can tell when people are lying and being fortunate enough to land among folks who are pretty open with each other, but she's still wary of new people until she gets a chance to communicate. Because of this, being the comms officer was the perfect choice, and Vee's pretty comfortable on The Selkie. Still doesn't stop her from going into a panic attack every time the crew gets into combat, though.

Gus Porter (soon-to-be Dr. Porter): Youngest of the crew, Gus is a medical grad student who's interning on the ship for his thesis project---which basically translates to him being the ship's doctor. On paper, he doesn't mind doing the medical stuff, since his entire thesis is on how spacers can maintain a healthy lifestyle while in a fairly dangerous occupation, but more than half the time, he's stuck doing emergency surgery and trying his damnedest not to remind everyone that he's studying to be a doctor, not a surgeon. Despite everything, Gus is absolutely enamored with the spacing life, and he's probably gonna stay on The Selkie well after he finishes his degree.

Wondrous Willow: The beta version of a battle droid that eventually got remade and rebranded as an assistant, Willow has long since given up attempting to fulfill that function and has fully embraced herself as part of the crew of The Selkie. She's a gunner, a heavy-hitter, an extremely loyal friend, and is surprisingly good at cooking---all of which makes her a crew favorite. Of course, despite technically fulfilling what she was designed for, she's still trying to find herself beyond just claiming agency, and it's slow-going for our girl. But she's not called "Wondrous Willow" for nothing, and if there's anything she knows, it's how to tough it out in this galaxy.

Hunter "Lucky Number" Seven: A supersoldier clone turned rugged mercenary, Hunter was designed to save people with smarts as well as brawn, as part of the renowned Hunters For Hire. He and his fellow clones were incredibly adept heroes who helped out anyone in AnarchEra that were in need... until a mysterious individual slaughtered almost all of them, with Hunter Seven being the only one to escape. Currently, he believes that the culprit is his now-slain creator's brother, the elusive and infamous mad scientist known as Dr. Philip B. Wittebane, but that may be a red herring, and the real killer could still be out there. For now, Hunter's found a new squad in the crew of the Selkie, a sister figure in Luz, and a girlfriend in his fellow gunner---and until he gets his revenge on, he's happy for now.

A Court of Fey and Flowers

Luz & Vee: The "twin" daughters of Trickster Court nobility, the two are a rare example of a human and a changeling who decide to remain in the Feywild rather than the Material Plane. While Vee fits in seamlessly in a court of shifters, pranksters, and folks who enjoy nothing more than mischief, Luz stands out in fey society due to her magic not coming naturally and the simple fact that she is a human---despite her parents having blessed her with an unusually long life. As such, she's in the rare position of being more nervous than her sister from the prospect of attending the Bloom, but while Vee has no other intentions than to just have a good time with members of other courts, Luz dreams of potentially finding a match at what some call the most romantic occasion the Feywild has to offer. Though it's uncommon for a fey to fall for a human, maybe Lady Luck is on her side...

Amity: She and her family are all that remains of the Court of Craft, and her father Darius disappeared some time ago. Having only recently come to the conclusion that his husband is dead, her other father, Alador, has agreed to form a marriage alliance with the lady Odalia of the Court of Wonder, something that Amity knows will destroy their court---and she believes wholeheartedly that Darius is still alive. She's at the Bloom for the sole purpose of finding out how to save her court and her father, and romance is the furthest thing from her mind... until she meets a kindhearted individual from the Trickster Court, who seems to not care about the pressures and expectations of fey society. And more than that, she wants to aid her in her cause.

Willow: The niece of Queen Titania and a duchess of the Seelie Court, Willow has attended many a Bloom, and she's used to the whole song-and-dance routine by now. However, her aunt has advised her that this year, the Bloom will be quite a different affair, and it would be in the Seelie Court's best interest for Willow to try and find a political match by the end of the celebration. Of course, Willow's a very free-spirited individual and is adamant about marrying only for love, so she's really just looking for a way to prove to her aunt that she's quite capable of being a high-society woman on her own... until she meets a certain individual.

Hunter: Heir to the Unseelie Court, Prince Hunter is attempting to put his past of just being the nerdy teen who talks about his interest to anyone who'll listen behind him, and in doing so, goes full Mr. Darcy---closed-off, socially awkward, and barely capable of making actual conversation. He fully intended to just spend the Bloom waiting for it to end so he doesn't have to keep on being "a shining example of the values of the Unseelie Court," but on his very first day, he meets the wisecracking and whip-smart Willow, and develops a big ol' crush on her almost instantly... though it takes him a while to figure out how to word it, because, y'know, zero social skills.

Gus: Pretty much the only person who's here for the social drama rather than the romance, Gus is an up-and-coming diplomat of the Goblin Court who's writing a book on the intricately woven fey society---he's intending it to be an anthropological study, but it's slowly starting to become a tell-all expose. Because of this, Gus always has his ear to the ground when it comes to secrets, and it's very rare for anyone to be able to tell him a successful lie... so, needless to say, when he catches wind of Amity's plan, he is one hundred percent on board. (Also, he and Vee become friends almost immediately. Chaos recognizes chaos.)

[dusksimulacre]

The Lee Family

Liberty Lee / Sunja Lee/ Yuri Lee/ Minsung Lee / Daesung Lee

For Rent brought us Liberty Lee's family!

While Liberty has been hopelessly trying to hide her crush on her roommate Travis in Willow Creek, her family in Tomarang are dealing with their own drama.

Minsung (Liberty's Brother)'s wife disappeared a few years ago - like many parents in Sim Nation- which has been a topic of contention between Sunja and her gossiping friends Bua and Kitty.

Daesung is starting to forget what his mother looked like, but still even now whenever his team scores a goal he can't help but look to the sidelines hoping that one day she'd be there again to cheer him on.

[charmsandtealeaves]

@jilytoberfest | 31 prompts | Prompt 6

Prompt: “Why do you have two ice cream scoops but not any food”

Words: 397

Photo by American Heritage Chocolate on Unsplash

Ice Cream For Breakfast

On match days James and Sirius were nothing if not superstitious. They followed the exact same routine every time; win, lose or draw. Their day would start at the crack of dawn with three laps around the pitch to burn off match day nerves. Touch the whomping willow. Back to the dorms to wake Remus and Peter. Apply group facepaint. Breakfast together and back down to the pitch for a match briefing. Post match showers and a party. While Remus and Peter found the whole thing absurd, they dared not jinx what the other pair believed to be their good luck ritual. 

“Why do you have two ice cream scoops but not any food?” Lily Evans asked, staring at the contents of James' breakfast bowl. 

“Tradition” mumbled Sirius with his mouth still full. 

“Was I talking to you?” Lily scowled. 

“It’s tradition. We always eat ice cream for breakfast on match day.” James answered, ignoring Sirius’ sour look. 

“Hardly a befitting meal right before a sporting event. It’s nothing but sugar. Surely you’d be better off carb loading. Slower energy burn” commented Lily. Who had piled her own plate with toast and scrambled egg. 

“True. But then it wouldn’t be tradition.” James shrugged and put another mouthful of vanilla ice cream into his mouth. “Besides. The house elves make the effort to make sure we have ice cream. Wouldn’t want to offend them now by asking them to stop.”

“Why exactly of all things did you choose ice cream as your tradition?” Lily rolled her eyes at the pair of them, slightly disgusted. 

“You can blame Potter Senior for that,” Sirius laughed. 

“When I was a kid, dad always used to let me eat ice cream for breakfast before going to watch quidditch matches. So on tryouts day Pads and I ate ice cream and made the team. Then our first match ever we ate ice cream and I scored three goals for Gryffindor which won us the game…” James explained.

“Add I knocked that stupid prick Yaxley off his broom” Sirius added. 

“Exactly. So it became tradition. We can’t not eat ice cream before a match, Evans.”

[evelynndecipio-blog]

July 22nd, 2020

Dear Miss Evelynn,

I hope your extra schooling is going well. As promised, here is a rough play-by-play of how the Quidditch final went. It was quite an exciting game, though very brutal. Durmstrang’s reputation was very blatantly true, I felt bad for all the Hufflepuffs who wanted a fair, nice game, whereas the Durmstrang team seemed more interested in dominating the game with force. I hope this description gives you even a fraction of the excitement of having been there, though I know it does not compare.

At the start of the game, the Durmstrang keeper left the goals completely open right away. Serena Towers went for the Quaffle rather than the snitch and scored a free goal off of it. Actually, for most of the game Durmstrang had decided to only have one chaser go for the Quaffle, but she was alarmingly successful in the task. Her name was Greta. During the first round, she kept it away from everyone else all but once, and scored one goal and missed the next. The Hufflepuff beaters tried to target the Durmstrang Keeper (Romeo) and got one hit, and the Durmstrang beaters tried to target Serena Towers to no success. Both Romeo and the other Chaser (Hanzo, the Durmstrang team captain) went to blatch Serena T. and thankfully missed completely, having to take a penalty lap for it.

At this point, the game was tied 10 - 10, quite an exciting start! They were all a bit unsteady and fumbling around, but it was made immediately clear that Durmstrang wanted the seeker taken out and were willing to cheat to do it. The choice to have Serena T. go for the Quaffle grab paid off, but Greta would prove to be a lot more formidable of an opponent than the first round would have you believe. Only letting her go for the grab and leaving their goals open sounds like a risky move, but it proved to pay off for them as well.

During the second round, Greta got the Quaffle all three times. Not only that, she scored all three times as well. While Hanzo and Romeo took penalty laps (Romeo was the co-captain, funnily enough. At least you could say they lead by example), Quinn Healy hit a powerful bludger at the Durmstrang’s seeker Valentin and knocked him off his broom in an instant. Quite a shockingly decisive blow, which made him a target for a bludger from Durmstrang as well, though he was too sturdy to take even a half of the effect as his own power shot. His strength is quite scary! At the end of this round, the score was 10 - 40, but the Durmstrang seeker was knocked out cold.

For round three, it seemed the other Durmstrang Chaser Espen wanted revenge, and tried to blatch Serena T., only to be body blocked by Quinn, who then fell off his broom. Luckily he was saved by Serena Bowen (two Serenas… bare with me). As for the Quaffle, the Keeper Romeo had decided to join Greta in going for it this time around. He and Greta both managed to grab it two out of the three times, but Annie Morgan pushed Romeo out of the way for one of the grabs. Naturally the Hufflepuffs got a free goal due to Romeo not guarding it, but sadly Durmstrang got two past Willow. I regret to say she had to take a penalty lap after that, because she used an illegal defense.

At this point, the tension is very high. Cheating and violence on both sides, as well as building pressure of a Quaffle win. Key players were falling off brooms left and right. The Durmstrang seeker had been replaced by a girl named Ella and was immediately attacked. Saskia Nicholson hit a bludger at her that knocked her off her broom right away, though she was caught by Hanzo. The Durmstrang beaters were both still targeting Serena T., but only one of them hit and she stayed tightly on her broom despite it. I had not seen her play before, but she is remarkably durable and evasive. I must admit I would feel very threatened going up against her, it seems like you have to be extremely resilient to be a seeker. At this point the score was 20 - 60, and from what I could tell with my binoculars, it was around this time that it seemed Serena T. had caught sight of the snitch and started pursuing it.

As you can imagine, it only got more intense from there. Durmstrang had been trying to keep up with Quaffles while also trying to stop Serena from finding the snitch. Seeing as their attempts had come up against a stone wall (Quinn being the wall), this fourth round was noticeably more dramatic. They were no longer playing a long game, and instead put all their effort into trying to stop Serena T., which is reasonable considering that Hufflepuff would win the second she caught the snitch. Greta scored three goals during Willow’s penalty lap and while the Hufflepuff chasers all switched to support Serena T. in exchange for Durmstrang getting 30 points for free.

Chaser Aaron Jones tried to help Serena T. by alley-ooping her towards the snitch, but it had been off. Beater Saskia followed in Quinn’s footsteps by physically getting in the way of another one of Durmstrang’s attempts to blatch Serena T. off her broom, but for that was knocked completely out of the game. She contributed much. Chaser Annie also had her eyes on Serena T., swooping in to save her when she was finally knocked off her broom after that.

Yep, that’s right, Serena T. got a full onslaught directed at her, of course. Both Durmstrang beaters targeted Serena T. again, with one missing and one hitting. The one that hit (Kolya) finally wore her down, but Annie was there to catch her. Once again, both Durmstrang captains went for blatching this turn, with Romeo blatching both Quinn and Serena B. off their broom and out of the game, and Hanzo (with Ella in tow), tried to blatch Serena T. only to have Saskia take the hit for her instead, also knocked out of the game.

A powerful turn for Durmstrang, since the score was now 20 - 90 in their favor and many of the Hufflepuff team’s strongest players were now being replaced by the second string in the middle of the game. Still, Serena T. was still around despite endless attempts to knock her out, and it would still only take some gold in her hand to make it a victory. Durmstrang had even seemed to give up on chasing it themselves, and instead were out for blood. Ella would be stuck with Hanzo on his penalty lap with Romeo, but it hardly seemed like they were going to stop using blatching to literally knock the Hufflepuff team into submission. Would this tactic work, or would the Hufflepuffs manage to protect Serena long enough to secure a victory? Are you on the edge of your seat?

This was the fifth round, and now Durmstrang dropped the attempt at scoring more goals. There were no attempts at the Quaffle at all this round, and the Hufflepuff Beaters weren’t hitting bludgers either. Jack Warren and Reid Kovacs were focused on other things, Reid on Serena and Jack and Aaron were doing… something. There was probably a bit of confusion there, with Quinn gone, Aaron was in charge, and that was a lot of pressure all of the sudden, especially against such ruthless opponents that were knocking the badgers out one by one.

Speaking of, the Durmstrang Beaters were still happy to fling bludgers their way. Kolya missed this turn, but the other Beater, Vyacheslav (I’m pretty sure I’ve got that spelled right, I asked around), knocked Annie Morgan and Serena Towers off their shared broom, with Rosie Parker, a second-string Chaser for Hufflepuff, swooping in to snag Serena out of the air. The Durmstrang Chasers Greta and Kolya both tried to seal Serena’s fate, but as luck would have it, Greta succeeded in her blatch and Kolya accidentally blatched Greta! Perhaps their strict training wasn’t as perfect as it seemed, they lost one of their best players to themselves!

With Greta’s final success however, Rosie was sent off of her broom and out of the game, but unfortunately for them, Serena had another savior in Reid, who had been watching her instead of the completely ignored Bludgers. It seemed they were on the same page, that Serena’s safety was their last ticket to glory, and they had to manage it before Durmstrang literally knocked out their entire team, which seemed entirely possible at this point! Unfortunately for them, the constant attacks and broom switching wasn’t doing Serena any favors in trying to catch a speeding object.

Still, it was clear that Durmstrang was starting to get desperate. The final round. The Quaffle was thrown into a contest, but with Great gone, her brother Hanzo took over, even with the seeker still on his broom. It was clear that his specialties lay more in blatching and captaining than his actual position, because he could only manage to grab the Quaffle once against his only opponent, Aaron. Aaron scored a free goal twice, and when Hanzo tried to score on Willow, she not only stopped it, but threw it back at Aaron for a third free goal that round! Where was Romeo? Blatching Reid and Serena of course.

Don’t despair however, as the final act was the best of all. Kolya and Vyacheslav hit bludgers at her from either side, but she nimbly ducked out of the way of both of them as though they weren’t even there. Reid and Serena performed a spiral dive, clearly Serena saw the snitch and was reaching her hand out towards it just as Romeo was barrelling into their side. They were easily hit, the two of them tumbling through the air as the announcer spoke over the dead silent crowd: Serena had caught the snitch just in time! Hufflepuff won 200 - 90. Quite an ear splitting uproar after that.

I’m sure you would have loved it, and I hope there will be more games just as exciting in the future, then perhaps we could watch together. I’ve never been to a professional game before, but I can say this was the most exciting game I’ve ever seen. I’m becoming quite fond of the game, actually. I hope my writing did it justice. I look forward to seeing you again when school starts back up.

Kindest regards,

Flash Holmwood

[jorjaigb120]

Tigress' Trials DevLog #01 - Group Formation

The time has come for Assignment 3, and I've been super excited for group formation since the start of this unit - mostly because I was keen on the prospect of working on my first prototype, which very fortunately, we are. I've teamed up with Mila, Giveson and Willow as "OctoVision" (aka Team 8) to continue work on Tigress, now renamed Tigress' Trials.

Game Concept Refinement

As mentioned above, our group was happy to continue working on my prototype with me, but it did require another round of discussion to smooth out all the details and reform it into something everyone could contribute to.

The first version on the left is what I originally had planned, with Tigress' Trials intended to be a speedrun-type game, with a limited amount of time per level and challenges that get more difficult each time; hence the name "trials". We were unable to come up with a new name for Assignment 3's iteration, but the game captures some of that 'trial' element in which Tigress' capabilities are put to the test in saving her forest from a destructive force.

The storyline of our prototype had the most notable changes made. With a lot of group discussion, we were able to refine the idea of Tigress fighting off some vague evil to a proper character, that being her Master's other student, Ryu, who felt like he was being held back and sought out another mentor to help him reach full potential, which led to him destroying his own home in twisted revenge. We took heavy inspiration from Chinese mythology, with tigers and dragons being significant in Chinese culture and said to be enemies, so Tigress' counterpart Ryu is a dragon while the Master himself is a mix of both. At this point, we realised the story was pretty similar to Kung Fu Panda, especially thanks to the choice of influence, so our X Statement was updated to reflect this change, allowing players to better understand at a glance what the game might be about.

Finally, the last major changes came in the form of the game's goal: instead of having to speedrun a multitude of levels, our vision shifted more towards a narratively-rich RPG-style game that was slightly more lax on the pacing. The super-speedy movement mechanics were still going to be implemented and there'd be a hint of timed challenge with still having to revive the logs in time, but it was less punishing if you didn't complete that in time.

Plans moving forward

After some thorough (and very enjoyable) group discussion, we had a much clearer plan for working on this prototype, and I was looking forward to making a start. We listed and then divided up group tasks, undertaking this project management using a mix of Discord to communicate and Trello to keep track of what we needed to do.

I very quickly started designing the first stage of the game, being a simple tutorial level meant to introduce each mechanic that we planned to add (double jump, dash & wall climb). I also sketched out a sprite for the new wall climb ability which I'd later make digitalised.

While I was planning out this tutorial map, we were discussing the finer details of the game. We were all pretty interested in story elements of this game, so it had a lot of thought put into it. The idea was that our game would start out with a cutscene as backstory for the player before they're dropped into the main world and can talk to Master Kai again, who'll explain that the forest is under attack and tat you/Tigress need to bring it back to life.

Along the way of reviving fallen tree logs, players eventually uncover the darker truth in that behind this destruction was someone she knew who had let himself become corrupted and take out his anger on the people he felt betrayed him. This is the premise for the second level, which introduces a planned combat system - it's relatively simple, giving players one key to attack an enemy, as the focus of our prototype isn't on combat mechanics but movement.

In the discussion of our third level, we eventually decided that it should be a boss fight to wrap up the game, where you greet Ryu face-to-face along with the fallen deity he brought back to help him. We planned out a somewhat intricate fight, wherein players must make use of all their movement abilities to dodge a lot of attacks, with the boss having phases for attacking and allowing the player to get an attack in, and at a low amount of health players could execute a special move to finish the boss off.

We still had some smoothing out to do with the story and ideas, finalising what exactly is done each level and what it looks like, but we made a pretty strong start that I'm very happy with.

Next DevLog >>>

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

||Demon check-up part 6||

Hi everyone, Peahen mom here with another drabble to the Demon check-up mini series. If you wish to read the following chapters, they are below this:

~~Chapters~~

Part one

Part two

Part three

Part four

Part five

((Your reading part six right now))

||Drabble Summary||

The next poor victims caught was Jinx and Kali's fraction showing two more more have been taken. Now, the others remaining are still hiding in the hospital. Ophelia with her group along with Taz's own are getting closer to finishing their goal. Who will get caught next? Will they win? Read to find out.

||Warning||

~This is half funny/scary type of drabble

~crying/freaking out is present in drabble

~scared demons are present in this with a crazy happy doctor

~quick death and revival will happen during this drabble

((Guests in this drabble))

Yuuka Nakano, Ashley Butterfly, Rex oxford mills, Willow, and Jinx along with their fractions belong to me.

Van ink, Kali, Joshua, Fin, Ethan, Guam along with their fractions are in this. They belong to @demon-blood-youths

((Just a heads up: Grammar is not good and their will be heavy mistakes but this was written for fun so please enjoy. ))

~~~~~~In the main room with Akiko~~~~~~~~

"Sis please calm down it's alright..it's over now.." Rex was sitting by his fraction who was trying to calm a shaking and horrified Ashley butterfly down. She was hugging the panda plush she got as her reward while Rex was worried.

He knew both his team and his sister's team were horrified by what happened but he was feeling his own hands shaking. Yeah, not pleasant to remember. Aikio saw some of the fractions were here but the ones remaining was Ink, Jinx, Yuuka, Willow, Ethan, Joshua, and Kali's fractions. She wonders if the others were having trouble finding them?

As Akiko was thinking about it, the doors open to get everyone's attention. Rust was shocked seeing a knocked out Willow and Ethan who was asleep with their fractions. But he also saw another group come in.

He sees it was Kali and Jinx's group who was struggling.

"Ahhh more patients! Thank you so much dears!" She saw Taz give a light nod wlth Maki happily smiling. They didn't mind but this game was drawing closer to a close. The two leave to find the rest.

"I see we are almost done. Oh well, I guess I can check the two sleeping first. Then you guys can go." she smiled to Jinx and Kali before seeing Akiko walk over to pick up Willow then had help with Ethan.

"......Let me guess; Navarro ditched you guys too?" T-bone asked seeing Kali sigh and nod. "Figures..."

"Yeah, thanks to that we got caught along with Willow and Ethan. But Ink's team is still in along with Joshua's and Yuuka's." Kali explains but she still was angry. "Though, yes Navarro ditched us.." she sighed in her binds.

"You know, I was hoping to have lasted longer in the game but oh well!" Jinx laughed but her vixens were scared not wanting to go.

However, Melinda saw Echo looking quiet but she was half angry but half upset due to being ditched by Navarro. He seriously ditched her! HER OF ALL PEOPLE!!

"E..Echo? Are you going to be alright?" she asked but Echo only closes her hand in a fist to laugh darkly a bit. "U....Uhhh Echo?"

"I"m gonna kill him..I'm going to fucking Kill. Him." she growls showing a murder tenses to make Melinda sweatdrop. Echo was pissed. If she sees him again, she'll kill him for this. For now, the groups tense hearing the buzzing noise again when the check up was starting for Ethan and Willow's fractions. Then it would be their turn.

~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~

"I can't believe you Navarro! How could you make us ditch both Kali's fraction and Jinx's fraction? What the heck!" Jaron said worried about Melinda now since she's never got treated. He did remember he saved her that one time. Now, she was there and getting it!

"I agree with him on this. Your really ditching everyone but it's just us few now." Shdwkyz said with arms crossed but he saw Navarro pacing left and right trying to think of a plan.

"Give me a second, I'm trying to think!" he said with Yuu looking nervous knowing they still were in hiding from the hunting down groups. Ink was thinking and sitting by Yuuka and Oblivion rubbing Yuu's back to keep her calm, while they were thinking of a plan. Joshua still was with them but he was worried about Ashley.

"Alright, their should be a main door somewhere around here. I think if we find that, we can get out!" he said.

"Again, we are NOT leaving the others here with the doctor! We need to save them! They took them and they took Ashley!!" Joshua said even if he wishes to help them. This ditching was getting out of hand.

"Oh come on! I said sorry!" he said worried.

"You've said sorry and you still ditched everyone!" he said. "You even ditched Echo and her team!" he said.

"He's got you there Navarro." Shdwkyz said.

"Look! I will again find a way to say sorry and make it up! Can we please keep moving on!?" he said as everyone sighed.

"Fine fine..Lets just go." Fosh said scared of being here as the fractions were about to leave. Fosh opens the door to see another hallway. Just how big is this Hospital!? They leave the hiding place and goes to move forward hoping to find them but Navarro was scared that he was already hoping to get away.

"You know? Why does this feel more like a horror film now? I really don't like when Akiko shows up here for her vacation." Yuu whines but Oblivion held her hand to calm her down.

"I know, Yuu but we will get out but we also will save our friends okay?" she saw her look at her and nod, holding her hand back still scared but she was fine. She did hope the others were safe.

As soon as they keep walking, they get to the end of the hallway to see a door! Maybe they can get out that way. As they get to the door quickly, something breaks the door down. Seems like Gerald found them again!

"BOO!" he smiled seeing them tense.

"Not again! RUN!"

They gasped but quickly runs off with Gerald chasing them. They kept on running faster and faster right through a hallway into another section of the hospital. They were running away trying to get away from Gerald but they saw the younger ones with her! Along with the healers!

"Come back guys! Stop running away!" Hex said as the spear he has was letting out the blue wisp threads to try catching someone but the three fractions kept on running. They get to a area with stairs as they hurry down.

"Come on guys hurry!" Luna said now freezing the door so they couldn't get in to follow the others down. They keep on heading down the stairs before getting to another door and opening it. They were on the first floor now running but Luna freezes that one too. They head down but heard foot steps while entering a metal chamber but their was a way out.

"There! Move!" Mina said as everyone kept running and going to the door however, as they did something was broken down showing Gerald breaking the frozen shut door.

"Guys! Come back!" He laughed following with the younger ones and Ophelia's group. They chase them down to the room but sees everyone still running.

"Hex?" she sees him nod, already showing the blue wisp strings from his spear as it shoots right towards them to try grabbing some few. As the DBT gets through, they heard some yelps seeing some of Yuu's fraction get grabbed by their feet to fall to the ground. The same for Joshua's own!

"NOOOOO!! NO NO NO!" Joshua screams scared struggling with his fraction seeing them scared trying to get free.

"I don't wanna die!" Wes said but the DBT sees them get taken quickly.

"Guys NO!" Yuu reaches but Ming, Trevor, Luna, Maxine, and Damien was struggling in the hold.

"Yuu, you need to get out of here!" Daimen said as he sees and heard the others coming. "You need to run!"

"NO! I won't leave my team!" she said trying to help by burning the wisp but some even wrap around Yuu!

"NO!" right away, Oblivion rushes to save her and grabs her hands. She struggles but Yuu saw her trying to help her. "Oblivion?!"

"OH no, your not going through that again!" she said trying to help her seeing her team get pulled back harshly while the DBT tries to help Oblivion. Navarro was busy working on opening a door that should lead them out.

"Come on, come on!" he said trying to break the door but Oblivion was still trying to pull her back away from Hex's hold. She didn't want to lose her next! She's been through it already but she didn't need this again. they keep on pulling but that's when Yuu used her goo to harden it to a blade and cut the strings to get free. Both her and Oblivion fell to the ground as they wince. She sits up quickly.

"I..I'm sorry!" she said to Tae but she groans holding her head.

"Your good..are you alright?" she asked to see her nod but then quickly looks seeing her team gone. "B..but my team.." she mutters.

"Don't worry Yuu, we will find them-"

"Come on guys, your not making this easy you know. Please stop trying to run from your check ups." A familiar scary tone said making the DBT tense. Ophelia was standing there but she still smiled as the others show up behind her. Right away, they got up to run again but as soon as the other two get up, Swan had two feathers flick over to sink into Oblivion and Yuu. Both of them saw that before they suddenly felt sleepy.

"Huh?"

"...W..what was that?" Yuu said nervous but she felt sleepy as Oblivion did too.

"Just to help you make it easy to take you back.....Gerald?" Ophelia saw him go and pick up the two while smiling. "We got you!" he laughed as Yuu and Oblivion struggles.

"Gerald put us d..down! Please, I don't wanna have to go through this again!" Yuu said struggling trying to fight the sleepy feeling. Oblivion struggles but looks to the remaining members of her team.

"Guys help!!" she said.

"Okay, this is getting more scary. We have t-"

"I got the door open, lets go!!" Navarro turns but saw Yuu's fraction was gone and now the others got Oblivion.

"Navarro! They got taken! We need to help Oblivion and Yuu!" Fosh said seeing Shdwkyz, Jaron, Ink, Hellmare about to help but he looks seeing the two caught. Now, would he stop and help or just run? His answer........

He threw a smoke bomb that got everyone coughing. In the smoke, he quickly pushes the other remaining members through before looking back. 'Sorry you guys. I'll make it up to you! I give you my word!!' he thought before getting through and closing the door.

Both Yuu and Oblivion was coughing but saw the smoke clear and saw Navarro with some of the DBT gone! Their eyes widen seeing Navarro ditch them too!!

"..H..He..He left u..us.." she mutters.

"Damn it Navarro.." Oblivion said as the two were now caught to slowly turn facing Ophelia who was smiling. "Seems we got more and you two as well. I'm sure Dr. Akiko will be happy to see you two again.." she giggled now turning to see Gerald take them back as they were struggling through the sleepy feeling due to being scared.

Seems they would get their treatments...Again.

[spyrkle4]

This week’s Owl House ep made me go from “I’m cancelling Darius” to “ok Darius has some rights” in 22 minutes wow XD

[drachenfalter]

S1E15 vs S2E13

I think I've seen multiple people compare Any Sport in a Storm to Episodes like Understanding Willow now and comment it's just "Willow helping another white person."

And while that's technically true, I think there is an important difference between those episodes.

When Willow first approaches Hunter, it's because she wants him to do something for her!

Specifically, she needs his help to put a team together, beat Professor Hermonculus and get her new club approved. And she actually gets what she wants! At the end of the episode, she has her team, she put her old teacher in his place and got his approval to start her new club.

Additionally, unlike with Amity, where Willow might feel compelled to be forgiving for Luz' sake, this time there is no social pressure to do so.

If Willow were to cut off Hunter after what he did, no one would think worse of her. We even get a short scene of Gus giving Hunter a shovel talk to emphasize this. Not even Hunter expects her forgiveness here. He seems genuinely surprised that she still considers "Caleb" to be part of the team.

(And that forgiveness only happens after Hunter did his best to undo the damage his betrayal caused Willow. Unlike with Amity, there is no long history of bullying between Hunter and Willow that still needs to be addressed.)

TLDR: In Any Sport in a Storm, Willow is following her own goals. And she actually achieves those goals by the end of the episode. Willow also isn't obligated to forgive Hunter, but still does so on her own terms.

That being said, I still think Willow (and Gus) should get more screentime in other episodes. And I would really love another Willow-centric episode, but because of the shortened third season I'm not holding out hope for that.

[kilannad]

If you like my writing, consider buying me a cookie!

My Discord.

Fanfiction Masterlist

I've Been Taught Not to be Afraid (Look at the Price I've Paid)

In the after math of the Third Valg War, Terrasen is visited by a collection of dragon riders seeking alliances from beyond their own lands. Now, a delegation is sent on behalf of King Orlon to form a treaty with Tyrrendor. Aewin Ashryver Galathynius knows even without anyone saying it that she's being brought to marry the prince she's never met; whoever Xaden Riorson is, it doesn't matter. She'll do what her country needs her to.

That being said, when she finds herself with one last night of freedom, she lets herself make a bad choice. What is one last night of passion when she's about to marry a stranger?

It feels like one last fuck you from the gods when she realizes that stranger is the very prince she's set to marry. The Empyrean/Throne of Glass xover. Xaden/OFC. Abandoned. On Ao3.

Willow in the Breeze

Five years ago, Violet had an incredible one night stand. Now, the last thing she's expecting is for her daughter's unknown father to walk through the door of her new bookshop. The Empyrean series. Collection of ficlets, Xaden/Violet kid fic. On Ao3. Updated as the mood strikes.

As the Stars Burn On

While on a solo mission to Crocus, Lucy runs into Laxus. Having forgiven him for his part in the Fantasia business, she invited him to help her investigate an ancient ruin. By luck or fate, the site involves old magic tied to the Celestial Spirits that Lucy accidentally activated. Now, trapped in a land where there was fruit instead of magic and pirates instead of guilds, Lucy and Laxus have to follow what clues they have to get back home to Earthland. They don't know where these new Keys came from or how they're tied to the Void Century, but they'll be damned before they stop looking for answers. A One Piece/Fairy Tail crossover. Laxus/Lucy/Gajeel pairing, starts with Alabasta arc. Hiatus. Posted on ao3 and Tumblr.

A Court of Decay and Growth

With Amarantha dead and the Hybern War over, Prythian is left to pick up the pieces. From Tarquin trying to revolutionize his court to Spring's rebuilding efforts and Kallias merely wanting a solution to his food shortages, all courts and their people are trying to move past five long decades of pain and misery. For no one is this more apparent than Nesta Archeron and Eris Vanserra. Forced to contend with Court politics, old magic, and another brewing conflict, both must figure out what they truly value--and what they're willing to do for it. A Court of Silver Flames rewrite, Nesta/Eris pairing, heavy politics. Hiatus. Posted on ao3 and Tumblr.

These Ancient Words (Like a Hymn of Reclamation)

Thousands of years ago, the gods chose champions to fight on their behalf--now, in the Great Age of Piracy, those champions are reincarnated to once again play a game to the death. As the game begins, these twenty-two Arcana awaken with new powers to help them towards their goals--be that trying to stop the cycle of death once and for all, or win and claim immortality as their prize. From rookies just setting out all the way to Emperors and Revolutionaries, the players span seas and loyalties. The only question; who will die first? 20k one-shot what if. One Piece fusion with Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole, but not necessary to have read the books. Open ending that I may pick up and turn into multi-chaptered. If you'd like to adopt, please message me. Posted on ao3 and Tumblr.

Invictus

Long ago, the Cerberus Assembly developed the Soltryce Academy and, with it, Söldner Squads; mercenary teams trained and deployed by the Academy and her sister Hall to fight monsters, protect notable people and locations, and obtain long-forgotten powerful relics. Everyone knows a Söldner Squad will complete their mission no matter the cost and be rewarded in gold and jewels for it. Despite their black reputation, Squads are always welcomed for the protection and power they bring. When a group of no-name misfits and low-level adventurers manages to take down a fiend the Academy was sent to hunt, they draw the attention of several powerful people and must contend with the consequences of their actions. A Critical Role Mighty Nein rewrite, heavy AU. Abandoned. Posted on ao3.

What is it to be a Hero?

In which Matt Murdock is Peter Parker's biological father and things change because of it. MCU series of interconnected one-shots focused on Peter Parker/the Defenders. Abandoned pre-epilogue but can be read as is. Posted only on ao3.

For Want of a Snail

Eight people signed up for the Dcom Experiment: two time travelers, three espers, a serial killer and her boyfriend, and a blind guy who just wanted to find his sister. Nine people end up in a bomb shelter fifty-feet below ground, stuck in a deadly game that looks awfully familiar to a lot of them. With decisions forced upon them, they all need to figure out who is behind the mask before it's too late. Rewrite of Zero Time Dilemma. Complete. Posted on ao3.

Keys of Obsidian and Bone

When Master Makarov finally brings Fairy Tail back together, Lucy expects more of the same; too bad she forgot "more of the same" implies more insanity. When the Thunder God Tribe finds a solid black Celestial Spirit Key, she's a little curious. When it brings a spirit from somewhere not the Celestial Spirit World, she's a lot worried. After all, what would happen if a Dark Wizard found these Keys leading to Shinigami? With her own Team split up for the moment because of special requests, she embarks with the Thunder God Tribe to look for the rest of these Obsidian Keys. Fairy Tail/Bleach crossover. Laxus/Lucy pairing, post one year time skip pre-final arc. Abandoned. Posted on ao3.

As you can probably tell, I'm heavy ADHD and struggle with keeping on one fandom, much less one fic. I post as I write and have a complicated real life, so apologies if something doesn't get updated as fast as you'd like. Please remember I do this as a hobby and only receive payments when you are kind enough to tip/kofi.

[polar534]

TOH Hockey AU MasterPost

So I finally got my crap together and looked up how to actually, somewhat, use Tumblr. Since you all keep seeming to like my AU (I don't know why), I'm going to probably keep posting here as I complete it. Just a reminder that the ultimate goal is to post Hockey AU as a chapter by chapter fic on Ao3!

Hockey AU Overview:

Just the generic overview and summary of the AU. Want to know the background information like what the heck the girls's living situation is? What is Amity's position on the team? How about the portal situation and if our girls are actually going to school at all? This post has your answers! I really recommend hitting this up before checking out the rest.

Hockey AU Randoms:

Looking for laughs and goofs and random stuff that probably won't or couldn't be included in a fic? Then have some randoms. (Will probably definitely add more. Especially if anyone has asks I'll probably make this into a category in the future.)

The First Shot:

Type: Chapter / Status: Complete

This is the fully written first chapter of the fic. (I'll probably edit it a bit more when I go to post it officially) In this chapter Luz takes Amity to her first hockey game in the human realm. It's got wonderful established Lumity and Luz being completely unable to skate. So the full package.

Hockey Injury:

Type: Summary / Status: Complete -Awaiting Full Rewrite

Amity gets severely injured on the night of the big game. After an intense night of waiting and hoping Amity pulls through, Luz is lost. She can't tear her mind away from how injured Amity was and how she almost lost her girlfriend.

With the injury preventing her from playing the rest of the season and costing the Otters their big game, Amity feels like she has let her team and herself down. Now at the mercy of her concerned siblings, Lilith, Eda, Camilla and of course Luz how does Amity expect to handle the biggest question of all? What does she do now?

Just a few longish summaries of how I plan on having the biggest arc of Hockey AU go. It's got angst, it's got supportive Lumity, it's got a sports team banding together, it's got Owl Fam protectiveness and Camilla being a boss. Everyone makes mistakes and has misunderstandings as they all work together to heal.

Part 2, Part 3

Jersey Stealing:

Type: Chapter / Status: Complete

What happens when Luz's past just can't seem to leave her alone? How far will Amity go to find the truth about her girlfriend's rocky history with her old classmates, and just how far will she go to get them to leave her alone?

This 4-part fully written out arc features some new characters and some of the small town's signature homophobia. For the most part it is purely Luz angst as she's haunted by her past. Hopefully it gets balanced by Lumity fluff and protective Amity.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Practicing

Type: Chapter / Status: Complete

A short shot based around Luz's inability to function on ice. (Guys... I am not joking... Luz CANNOT be on ice. The very universe determines this fact, I can't change it.) Featuring one very determined Luz Noceda and supportive and loving best friend Willow. While not official yet, this is most likely going to be the starting chapter for the Semi-Finals Arc that leads up to Hockey Injury.

Pizza Date

Type: Chapter / Status: Complete

The girls go out for pizza after a long day of practice for Amity, but quickly after they arrive at the restaurant, Luz notices something that Amity doesn't.

Part 2

Parenting:

Type: Chapter / Status: Current WIP

Amity Blight has been living with the Noceda's for almost a year and half. Away from her parents she has grown and taken massive strides to become her own person and live her own life. Happily in love with the human they once claimed was unworthy of ever visiting the Boiling Isles, after so long of silence, after months of healing... is Amity really ready to have them back in her life?

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

[mjmacchio1991]

Hi :D

what'd you think of the new owner house episode?

Hello Fish!! 💕

I loved the new episode so much!! Willow is one of my favs and I’m glad to see her enjoying her self (and I was so happy to see Viney and Skara as well!!)

That derby match was so cool seeing the team work together with Hunter and work together and have fun! Especially since Willow was able to achieve a goal by starting and winning with her team and Hunter was able to have fun with kids his own age and not be confined to work! It was very cool to see him rescue the team and sympathize the “half a witch” term with Willow! And Darius letting Hunter have a scroll and continue to hang out with the team and keep Flapjack was such a wholesome surprise after seeing him as a coven head fighting Eda and Raine! I’m so here for nice and caring Darius!

[violet-knox]

Signals

Year 7 - Chapter 66

Summary: You meet up with Connor in the library but start to worry when Severus takes longer than expected to join you after his meeting with Slughorn.

Word count: 2182

Warnings: Swearing? (I supposed)

A/N: This chapter didn’t end up as I first planned, I’m started to feel a bit repetitive in my storyline, but I suppose we shall see where it takes us. Also it turned out rather short (oops). Hopefully it’s length doesn’t minimize the plot or importance of what happens here. 

Previous Chapter - Chapter 1 

~

Looking over at the clock on the wall in the corner of the library you’d invaded with Connor, you began to worry Severus had forgotten about your agreement to meet here after his talk with Slughorn. He spoke of nothing but his interest in joining the Society of Potioneers after graduation as a member in training these past couple of weeks, building his profile to submit the application that was due beginning of April. Slughorn was well connected, he made sure the whole world knew that, and Severus knew a reference from him would push his application beyond his competitors and better his chances of receiving an acceptance. Supporting him was the only thing you felt like you could do, completely helpless as you yourself were struggling with figuring out life after Hogwarts. But it was enough for him and you were grateful for that. 

Since the start of this year, your excitement for graduation had only grown stronger, even with the weighing dread of stress hanging over you as you riffled through your career options. Nothing would please you more than to play Quidditch for the rest of your life, but the odds of being accepted into a team was very unlikely considering your age and lack of experience, but you had to try nonetheless. Severus of course had nothing negative to say about your application, pushing you to it and supporting you as you did for him. 

“He’s brave for trying to get a reference out of Slughorn,” Connor commented when you told him about Severus’ adventures today. “I’ve heard rumours that asking a favour of him is like selling your soul to the devil.”

You laughed at his comparison, Connor smiling in turn. Your friendship with him had been quite the gift this year, even if Severus found him to be intrusive at time. Connor was there for you when Severus wasn’t, he was a breath of fresh air from all the drama your class had created over the years. You’d even grown to enjoy helping him with his assignments and studies despite the repetitiveness and you knew Severus shared that same pleasure despite him claiming otherwise. You were going to miss him next year and from that longing look in his eyes that appeared every time you spoke about graduation, you knew he’d miss you and Severus too. 

“Severus is brilliant at Potions, best in our year. Slughorn would be a fool for not offering him a reference,” you said confidently, worry Severus was taking so long because Slughorn had decided otherwise growing like a seed buried in the back of your mind. “And if he ends up ‘selling his soul’, then I’m sure Severus will find a way to get it back.”

Smirking, you imagined him emerging triumphant after going toe to toe with the Devil himself. Severus was a rather mischievous person, ambitious enough to chase his goals, never faltering, never giving up. There was nothing you could imagine Slughorn doing or saying that would stop Severus from obtaining that reference. But no matter what happened, no matter the reason for his current tardiness, you would be there to support him, to comfort him and cheer for him. 

“I’ll miss these talks next year,” Connor said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. You looked at his eyes that could brighten the darkest of nights, a smile already etching on the corner of his lips as his sadness turned into hope. Friendship had always been the strongest magic you’d known, even after you found out you were a Witch. Nothing you’d learned at Hogwarts could ever compare to the strength true friends drew from one another and when you met Severus, you’d learned of a new form of magic, one you were sure could conquer all. 

“So will I,” you smiled back at him, assuring him he wasn’t the only one who cherished the sudden friendship that had grown between you. “But we’ll write to you, or at least, I will. And you could always come visit over the holidays.”

“I’d like that.” Connor’s smile grew wider, his eyes sparkling with hope, something you’d clearly misunderstood as he slowly stretched out his hand to place over yours. Your eyes shot to his in confusion, his filled with curiosity and optimism. You felt your heart sink at the realization that Severus’ absurd claims hadn’t been so irrational after all, you were only too naive, too blind to see it. You’d wanted so badly to believe the friendship between Connor and Severus could benefit them both, but it seemed like an illusion now, a blindfold you’d placed over your eyes out of sheer denial.  

“Connor I-” you whispered, trying to find the words to explain you had no interest in him the way he did for you when you found yourself interrupted by a familiar voice. 

“What’s going on?” Whipping your head to the side, you found Severus standing there with his arms crossed, eyes shooting daggers at you both, fumes rising from off his body. You’d never seen him so angry before, not even when Lily had stopped talking to him or when James had saved him from the Whomping Willow. You jumped to your feet in fear of whatever conclusion he’d made, needing to deescalate the situation before it got any worse. 

“Nothing,” you said calmly, your eyes completely and utterly focussed on him as you slowly approached him. You felt like he was on the edge of a cliff he could never recover from if he took another step forward. Your heart raged with fright at how quickly the situation had flown out of hand and you were completely powerless to stop Severus from jumping off the deep end. But nothing scared you more than the very real possibility you were just about to lose Severus, that he’d never come back to you after stepping off the edge of the dangerous territory he was crossing now.

“We were just talking about-” Connor’s voice was so much smaller than you were used to, you almost didn’t recognize it when he spoke. 

“About how you want to be with my girlfriend?” Your heart nearly stopped as he tumbled, your hand grasping to catch his, holding him tightly to try and pull him from off that cliff. He’d spoken before he thought of what consequences his words may bring, about how venomous his tone was, poisoning those around him. 

“What?” You could hear Connor almost choking on the word. Daring to look back, you saw him staring at you both wide eyed with shock, the exact thing you were hoping to avoid when you’d decided together you wouldn’t tell Connor you were dating. Your own anger boiled as you saw the hurt in Connor’s eyes. Severus had gone from defensive and upset to vigorous and unstable in mere moments. 

“Severus.” You spoke in a calming yet stern voice, a bit of warning thrown his way in fear of what may happen next if he didn’t recoil from where he stood. He’d already made the situation so much worse when he so bluntly accused Connor of doing something you didn’t even get the chance to correct. Things would have been fine if you’d just explained to Connor you weren’t interested, if Severus had only shown up thirty seconds later. 

“I-I didn’t know you two were dating,” Connor said and you could tell by his tone he was beyond taken back by the mess that had unfolded before you. Your Ravenclaw friend didn’t know Severus as well as you did, he didn’t know Severus only tends to overreact like this when he’s under immense pressure and stress. His meeting with Slughorn hadn’t gone well, you could tell and you knew that had to be the reason why he was acting so rash.  

“LIAR,” Severus howled, completely ignoring the fact you were all still in the library. You felt yourself shrivel at his sudden burst in volume, your heart racing but you kept your eyes on him, taking a step forward hoping he could still be pulled back from off that damn cliff. “You knew, you just didn’t care you filthy mu-”

“SEVERUS!” You shouted, absolutely stunned at the line he so easily crossed without a second thought. You stared at him in horror as he finally seemed to snap out of his anger fueled hysteria when you caught his hand as he hung off the cliff of devotion, a sea of darkness sitting beneath him, waiting to gobble him up. His eyes softened as he realized what he’d done, darting between you and Connor as he fell completely speechless. 

Flashbacks to fifth year filled his mind as you looked at him with disappointment, his anger now transferred to you. You had that same look on your face as Lily, the same look of betrayal and resentment when he’d uttered that awful word to her. He knew it was too good to be true, that it would never last, that he was destined to live alone. A year of working at your relationship, a full year of true happiness and stability and he’d ruined it in seconds, sure there was nothing he could say or do this time to make up for it just as Lily had stated nearly two years ago. 

“I think I’ll make my way,” Connor mumbled as he gathered his belongings, avoiding looking at either of you. Severus could see the hurt in his eyes, the devastation for what he’d done. He wanted to apologize, to find the magic words that would undo what he’s done, but they didn’t exist, he’d learned that the hard way. Looking back at you, he waited to watch you pack up as well, leave him and walk off with Connor, abandoning him, but you didn’t move.

“Connor, I’m sorry,” you said sincerely, apologizing for the boy who just stood there like a lost puppy, wearing a frown on his face rather than trying to reprimand what he just said. 

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” Connor shot Severus a rather harsh look, something you never thought you’d see from the kind Ravenclaw before throwing his bag over his shoulders and walking away. Logic told you to follow, to run after Connor and explain yourself, comfort him and make sure he was okay, but it wasn’t him you worried about. It wasn't him you loved, and you couldn’t leave Severus alone now. Judging by the utter broken look on his face, he needed you more than Connor. 

Severus watched with his heart tearing in half as you packed up your own things, your anger free to expand now that Connor had left. He felt tears prickle the corners of his eyes as he thought of how happy he’d been with you, mourning the loss of something so good, something he’d learned to depend on so heavily over the last few years, he couldn’t imagine living without you anymore. 

“(Y/N).” His throat was so dry, your name came out hoarse as he spoke, reaching out to try and stop you, but he couldn’t bring himself to go near you, afraid he’d only worsen the situation. He felt powerless as you picked up your bag only to be surprised when you took hold of his hand and dragged him along with you. Neither of you spoke a single word as you led him out of the library, your hand holding him tightly, your anger pouring out into each stride you took. 

“(Y/N), w-where are we going?” he asked cautiously, the power he held back in the library completely vanished as his voice shrank. Never did he think he’d fear you, the girl who’d supported him over the years, who’d never had anything negative to say about him, but in this moment, he worried over whatever was on your mind. He could only imagine what consequences you had in store for what he’d done, how you’d break up with him and hand him back everything he’d given you, everything that represented the love between you.  

“Somewhere where we can talk without the entire school hearing us,��� you gritted between your teeth without so much as giving him a glance. You could feel your anger bubbling the closer you got to the astronomy tower, once a place of solitude, friendship, love and acceptance now to be a place of rage, disappointment and devastation. You were not looking forward to the discussion you were about to have with him, something you never thought you’d have to do. It scared you to realize you didn’t know Severus as well as you thought, that he still held such resentment, such hate within him. But most of all, it scared you to realize that you might not be able to get through to him, to help him and support him like you thought you had over the last few years. You wanted so badly to believe your love for him would get you through this, but after what happened today, you weren’t sure if it would be enough anymore.

~

Next Chapter

~

[cheri-translates]

Headcanon - when you specially celebrate his friend’s birthday

This work, 当你特意帮他身边的人庆生, was originally written by 君兮耶君兮 on Weibo, and she has given me permission to translate it 🌸

[ VICTOR ]

After finding out when Goldman’s birthday is, you decide to rope Wei Wei into the celebration to create an opportunity for the two of them. You give yourself a round of applause for your ingenuity. After all, there aren’t that many bosses out there who go to such lengths for their employees, right?

[Note] Wei Wei is an intern from MC’s company who appears in Victor’s Chinese Wedding date, which has not yet been released in EN!

“I heard that it’s Assistant Goldman’s birthday tomorrow,” you hint during an idle conversation with Wei Wei. “He mentioned wanting a new tie. Hmm, I wonder if he’s bought one already.”

The innocent-minded girl immediately rises to the bait, and she bites her lip. “Boss, could you accompany me in picking out a tie for Assistant Goldman after work? As a... ‘thank you’ gift for how he usually takes care of me.”

“Sure,” you respond eagerly, wanting Wei Wei to just tie the knot with Goldman already.

After work, you and Wei Wei pick out a dark blue tie from New Light Mall. After making payment, you speak up just as she’s about to hand the tie to you.

“Come with me to LFG tomorrow, and give it to him personally.”

Blushing, Wei Wei nods.

-

The next day, the both of you reach LFG early. 

“Good morning. The meeting hasn’t started.” Goldman tidies up documents on the table. “Lady Boss, the CEO is in his office.”

You hurriedly wave your hands. “No no no, we came specially to find you. Happy birthday Goldman~” You hand him the gift, and use your other hand to prod Wei Wei forward.

Wei Wei walks to Goldman timidly. “Assistant Goldman, happy birthday.”

“It’s your birthday?” The sudden voice takes all of you by surprise.

“CEO.” Goldman instantly sets the gift down.

Seeing this, you grab Victor’s arm. Pushing him towards the office, you turn back to Goldman. “I have something to discuss with your boss, so help me take care of Wei Wei~”

-

In the office, Victor watches as you press yourself against the door in an attempt to eavesdrop. 

“You specially came here for Goldman?”

Your back is facing him, and you wish your ears could travel outside the door. “My main goal is to be a matchmaker for the two of them.”

“You know when his birthday is.” It’s not a question, but a comment.

“I flipped through his materials.” 

The office has quality soundproofing, so the sounds outside are quite hazy.

“And even gave him a gift?” His pitch elevates slightly at the end.

“It was along the way.”

Hearing some anxiousness in Wei Wei’s voice, you feel the strong urge to rush out and confess to Goldman on her behalf.

 “...”

Hearing no further sounds from behind you, you finally turn to look at him. “Victor, what’s wrong?”

He lifts his wrist and peers at his watch. “In the three minutes and seventeen seconds since you came in here, you haven’t looked at me once.”

...that’s very accurate.

“You even specially prepared a gift for Goldman.” He pauses, adding on in a softer voice. “And have nothing for me.”

It’s rare to see him like this, and it tickles you. “Are you jealous of your own assistant?”

“Idiot.” He lets out a soft ‘hmph’, and picks up a report at the side.

Laughing on the inside, you pull out a wine-red tie from your bag, encircling it around his neck.

Stunned, Victor runs his fingers across the tie.

“How could I possibly give Goldman a present and not you?” Your eyes crinkle, looking at him mischievously. “Little Vic, don’t get jealous for no reason~”

He takes off the loosely strapped tie on his neck, then removes the tie he was originally wearing. “Childish. How could I possibly be jealous?”

“Yes yes yes, I’m childish. Want to return the tie to me then?” You reach out, as though you’re going to take the tie away.

“There’s no such thing as returning a gift.” Victor shifts in his chair, avoiding your hand.

“Yes yes yes, you’re always right.” You continue perfunctorily.

“Dummy.” With this familiar address, he puts some distance between himself and the office desk. 

“Aren’t you going to put it on for me properly?”

[ GAVIN ] - Important context: they haven’t started dating yet

As Minor’s high school classmate, you naturally know when his birthday is. Since he’s Gavin’s number one fan, you decide to invite Gavin to the celebration.

“...you know... what he likes?” Gavin watches as you pick out a gift for Minor, his expression a little difficult to read.

“He mentioned wanting to change his gaming keyboard in the office,” you hold up a keyboard, giving it a look-over. “How’s this?”

“Any one will do.” He reaches out to pinch a leaf of an ornamental plant.

“Oh yes, Willow and I plan to organise a small birthday party on the day of Minor’s birthday. You’ll be there, right?” You ask while making payment.

Since a long time ago, you could already sense that Willow and Minor were somewhat interested in each other, but neither have broached the topic. 

You plan to seize this opportunity to make something happen between the two.

He takes the bag from you. “Will you be there?”

“Of course! I’m one of the two people in charge.”

Gavin is silent for a while, but eventually comes to a decision.

“...I’ll go.” 

-

The gathering takes place in a karaoke lounge not far from the office. That day, you dismiss everyone from work early, then head for dinner before going to the karaoke lounge together. Gavin doesn’t join in for the dinner gathering, but goes straight to the karaoke lounge first.

The moment Minor sees Gavin seated on the sofa, he rushes over excitedly.

“Bro Gavin, you really came! That’s amazing! Even in my dreams, I wouldn’t have thought my beloved Bro Gavin would help celebrate my birthday!”

“’Beloved’, huh?” You nudge Willow, who rolls her eyes.

“Officer Gavin is a male. It’s fine.”

Gavin lifts a cup of chrysanthemum tea from the table. “Your boss invited me.”

Minor immediately rushes to you. “Boss, you’re the best. You know me so well!”

His grip around the cup tightens.

Embarrassed, you step behind Willow. “If anyone is deserving of praise, it’s Willow. She suggested it.”

With a reddened face, Minor thanks Willow.

Watching them look abashed and not speaking, you lean towards Minor. “In order to plan for this birthday, someone lost several nights of sleep. She wasn’t even that tired when working together with you in the same team.”

Gavin balls the hand resting on his leg into a tight fist.

“There are many things I’m not in a position to say, so I’ll have to trouble you to say it yourself.” You pat Willow’s shoulder.

Oh, so she was referring to Willow, Gavin releases a shaky breath, setting down the tea cup he almost shattered in his hand.

He even planned to drag Minor out to give him a beating if you were to confess your feelings to him. 

The last thing he wants to do is give you up - the person he’s been protecting for such a long time.

Seeing that the two of them are finally becoming a thing, you select a love song. With a motherly gaze, you plop yourself next to Gavin.

“What’s wrong? You look terrible.” Even the dim lights aren’t enough to conceal his pale face.

“I thought you...” Gavin speaks, but pauses halfway and doesn’t continue.

You lean back against the sofa. “You thought I liked Minor? And that I was going to confess to him?”

“Mm...”

You burst into laughter. “How could that be possible!” Turning to face him, you add. “But I do have someone I like.”

“Who.” His voice is stern.

Supporting your chin on your palm, you blink while looking at him. “He’s very tall, very handsome, likes basketball and growing succulents even though he usually fails. But he treats me really, really well.”

“...” His amber eyes dull. Gavin doesn’t speak, staring at the lyrics appearing on the screen.

Now that your feelings are off your chest, you feel relieved. But you put on a deliberately troubled expression and sigh. “I just don’t know if he likes me, and whether he’s wiling to be my boyfriend.”

“You’re such a good catch. Of course he’d be willing.” Gavin lowers his eyes, fingers rubbing the rim of the cup.

“Really? Gavin, you’re really wiling to be my boyfriend?” Your eyes sparkle, hearing your voice grow louder involuntarily.

Gavin turns to you, dumfounded, eyes filled with disbelief.

...

...

...he thought you were talking about somebody else?

The dim lights become warm, and a rare tenderness flashes across his eyes. 

Because of the person next to you, all your emotions soften by a hundredfold.

“I’ll leave myself in your care then, my girlfriend.”

[ LUCIEN ]

Recently, Lucien has gone on a business trip, and Loveland TV has been rushing to produce a documentary episode involving biology. As such, you didn’t see a need to inform Lucien about it, and have been communicating directly with his assistant, Ah Ming, to obtain his input for the shoot.

To thank him for his help, and because his birthday is coming up, you decide to make a few cream puffs as both a ‘thank you’ and birthday gift. 

Today, you didn’t notify Lucien that you’d be heading to Loveland University to give the present to Ah Ming.

Carrying the nicely packaged cream puffs, you push open the doors to Ah Ming’s office.

“Happy birthday, Ah Ming! Thanks for all your help in the programme. I made some cream puffs to express my gratitude.” You hand the gift box to him.

Ah Ming accepts the gift box, then scratches his head a little abashedly. “Thank you, Teacher’s wife. It was really a small matter.” 

[Note] Ah Ming addresses MC as 师母 (”shi mu”), which refers to the wife of one’s teacher. It sounds a little weird in English, but I couldn’t think of a better substitute T^T

He opens the cover. “Looks delicious. You must have taken a lot of trouble to make these.”

“Ah Ming, the data for the experiment...” Lucien suddenly appears at the door, and is visibly shocked by your presence. “...Wife?”

Lucien’s line of sight flits to the cream puffs on the table. With a flash in his eyes, he asks, “Is this a dessert you bought? Could I have a try?”

You purse your lips, a bad feeling surfacing in your gut.

Although Ah Ming is a little confused as to why Professor Lucien, who doesn’t usually eat sweet foods, would suddenly want to try the cream puffs, he obediently hands the box to him. “Professor Lucien, please.”

Lucien takes a cream puff and plops it into his mouth. He closes his eyes, carefully giving it a taste. “Mm, it’s delicious. Could I have all of them?”

You can’t help but pipe up. “Lucien...”

“Would my wife like to try one too?” He asks, holding up a cream puff.

When I meet his meaningful gaze, the words I had prepared are lodged in my throat. 

“If Professor is the one who wants it, of course.” Ah Ming closes the box and passes it to Lucien.

“Thank you very much,” Lucien takes the box, then holds your hand as the two of you walk towards his office. Before that, he turns his head and smiles. “Oh yes, happy birthday. I’ll give you your present later. I hope you’ll like it.”

-

Along the way, you notice that Lucien’s gripping you tightly, as though he’s afraid you’d run away. Only after reaching the office and locking the door does he loosen his grip. 

You grumble. “Lucien, how could you snatch the ‘thank you’ gift I gave to Ah Ming?”

He sets the box on the table before taking a seat, propping his chin on his palm as he looks at you. “You made him cream puffs just because he helped you once. As the programme’s consultant who has helped you on so many more occasions, how should my wife show her gratitude?”

From his tone, you can tell that the Great Professor Lucien is suffering from a bout of jealousy.

“Isn’t devoting the rest of my life to you enough?”

Hearing your response, Lucien nods in agreement. “I hope you’ll only do such things for me.”

“Not even as a birthday gift?”

“No.” Lucien’s eyes narrow. “Especially if it’s for a male.”

Every time he has this expression on his face, you know that he’s being calculative. You compromise. “All right. Since you’ve snatched Ah Ming’s gift, your present better be more thoughtful to make up for my guilt.”

“My wife is very thoughtful.” Lucien retrieves Ah Ming’s thesis out of a thick stack of documents. “I will definitely. Mark. His. Final. Year. Thesis. Properly.”

“...”

What’s with this sudden shiver running down your spine?

As though something occurs to him, Lucien pulls out a notice from his drawer. “I’ll be responsible for the gift.” With a pen, he writes Ah Ming’s name on it. “I’ll give him the opportunity to work in a Tibetan-inhabited area. That way, he wouldn’t have to compete with others.”

...Professor Lucien, Ah Ming will cry after receiving such a gift. Deepest condolences to him.

“Also,” he lifts his head to look at you. “We’ll account for how you have been giving presents to other males in the school behind my back tonight when we’re at home.”

You purse your lips, asking a question. “But how did you know I made them myself?”

He pats your head. “As long as it’s made by my wife, I’ll remember how it tastes after trying it once.”

Oh, okay then. Next time, you’ll just give them something he’s never eaten before.

He encircles your waist and draws you into his arms. Tilting your chin up slightly, he sounds mildly threatening. “I hope you’re not thinking of giving them something I've never eaten before. I’ll be able to tell.”

[ KIRO ]

Savin’s birthday is approaching, and the both of you have been counting down the days, planning to spend an unforgettable birthday with him.

“I think our well-wishes will be better expressed if we bake the cake ourselves.” You’re in the kitchen with a hand on your hip, staring at Kiro, who looks like he’d rather perish than let you touch the bag of flour.

“No way. Miss Chips can only bake cakes for me! Even if it’s Savin, I won’t allow it!” Kiro hugs the bag of flour to himself using a death grip.

“Kiro!” You exclaim fiercely.

Kiro looks wronged. “All right, but Miss Chips can’t lift a single finger. Give me instructions, and I’ll bake it.” He places the bag on the counter, and prepares a bowl to knead the flour.

“Hold on, you have to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks first. ”You stop him before he can pour flour into the bowl. “Be more careful - the egg shells will get in!”

Kiro trembles and falters as he removes the egg shell from the bowl. “Don’t be so fierce... it’s the first time I’m using the kitchen...”

“...” Who was the one brimming with confidence earlier, and asked you not to lift a finger?

After sending the kitchen into disarray, Kiro manages to bake an edible cake.

“The cream is ready too. I just need the pastry bag...” Kiro fills the pastry bag with cream. “I paint really well, so it’d definitely be a beautiful cake~” 

You recall the time the both of you did painting together, and toss him a mischievous glance. “Of course, you’re Picasso’s apprentice after all.”

“...Miss Chips!” Kiro’s flushed face expresses his unhappiness at your comment. “Forget it, I should leave such artistic endeavours to you.” Reluctantly, he hands you the pastry bag.

Since you learnt how to do it from a dessert shop in preparation for Kiro’s birthday, you draw an adorable shape on the cake with a skilled hand.

“Miss Chips, leave some space for me! I want to make a snowman for Savin.” He comments, leaning over.

Kiro holds the pastry bag slightly unsteadily, resulting in an oddly shaped snowman which looks... not that great...

Since there isn’t much time left, you store the cake in a box, grab the gift, and rush over to Savin’s place together.

The moment he opens the door, the both of you express your well-wishes in tandem: “Savin! Happy birthday!”

“Thank you. This cake looks pretty good, just that that lump of cream in the middle looks a little strange.”

Kiro is silent for a while before he says, “It’s you.”

“...”

You stifle your laughter while sticking candles onto the cake. “Savin, make a wish.”

Kiro pulls a sheet of paper from his pocket. “I’ve prepared your birthday wish for you. Just listen and repeat it: Number one, that Kiro will not put on weight. Number two, that Kiro will have an unlimited supply of snacks. Number three, that Kiro will suddenly get rich quickly. Number four, that Savin will not be fierce towards Kiro. Number five, mmhfffm-”

You cup a hand over Kiro’s mouth before Savin can shove the cake knife into Kiro’s throat. “Hahaha I’ll keep him quiet for you, Savin. Please think of your own wish, hahaha...”

Savin wordlessly sets down the knife in his hand, closing his eyes to make a wish.

Kiro grumbles softly at your ear, “You’re actually siding with Savin? Your Kiro is unhappy.”

You roll your eyes. “I was saving your life!”

Savin’s eyes snap open. “Let’s dig in. Kiro, you’re only allowed to eat the base!” He slices the cake, carefully avoiding the snowman in the middle, trying his best to retain its shape.

Kiro whips out his phone and snaps several photos. “Wishing Savin a happy birthday every year~”

Kiro’s Weibo Caption: Happy birthday Savin! I was the one who baked the cake - definitely not Miss Chips. I’m the only one who gets to eat what she makes, hmph~

After getting home, Kiro has his arm wrapped around your waist as he speaks to you in a low voice.

“Miss Chips sided with Savin today. When Kiro is angry, punishment awaits.”

[ SHAW ]

As a frequent visitor of Live House, you’re pretty familiar with the members of the band. Hence, it was no surprise that Adam would invite you to his birthday party. Not wanting to go empty-handed, yet not knowing what would be a good gift, you decide to be responsible for the cake that day.

When Shaw discovers that you’re going to specially get a cake for Adam, his brows are knitted so tightly that they could squish a mosquito. 

“Don’t be late,” he grunts.

“Got it, I’ll go immediately after work, okay?” You pack your bag and prepare to head out.

“Lower your volume, I’m not deaf.”

“...”

If domestic violence wasn’t a crime, you would have beaten him into a pulp.

-

The birthday gathering is held in a karaoke lounge. After singing a few songs, the group decides to play “Truth or Dare”.

When the tip of the bottle points towards you, you click your tongue. 

“Dare.”

One of the band members reads out the words on a “Dare” card.

“’State three positive traits of someone from the opposite gender.’ Since it’s Adam’s birthday, you could talk about his positive traits.”

Initially planning to compliment Shaw, you’re momentarily stunned. Lowering your head, you think about Adam’s merits.

You begin with a superficial trait. “Mm... he looks pretty handsome.”

Shaw crosses his legs, expressing his scorn. “Tch, someone gets a huge stack of love letters in his drawer every day.”

Pursing your lips, you suppress the urge to whack him. “I heard that Adam received good grades in university.”

Adam scratches the back of his head. “They were all right.”

Shaw takes a gulp of his mixed cola. “Someone’s twenty this year and is already a graduate student in Loveland University’s Archaeology Department.”

The band member lifts a finger. “One more.”

You think for a while. “I think you’re very skilled at the keyboard.”

“Tch, it’s just a keyboard. Someone not only knows how to play the keyboard, but also the bass and skateboard.”

“...” 

Even the summer insects are silent.

Looking at each other wordlessly, you decide to break the silence. “Shaw, why do you keep bickering with me today?”

Shaw turns away from you while Adam shrugs as though he isn’t bothered by it at all. “He’s always like that. We’re all used to it.”

The other band members nod in agreement.

“Come, let’s have cake.” Adam opens the box you brought. After sticking the candles on and lighting them up, the guitarist standing closest to the switch flicks the lights off. Everyone sings the birthday song while Adam makes a wish.

Suddenly, a sharp streak of lightning flashes across the sky. Dull thunder resounds, shattering the joyous atmosphere. The sound recording of the birthday song pauses abruptly, and Adam trembles. “Let’s turn the lights back on.”

The guitarist clicks the switch, but nothing happens. 

“I can’t. Maybe there’s a power outage? The lightning struck the circuit box, so the staff are trying to fix it now.”

Adam shakes his head in resignation. “All right, let’s just use candles for now. After finishing the cake, we’ll head back.”

--

Along the way home, you glance at Shaw, who has been silent. Poking his arm, you ask, “The lightning just now - it was you, wasn't it?”

“So what if it was? If the karaoke lounge didn’t install a lightning rod, I’d have struck them all. Why would I strike the circuit box?”

You laugh softly, tousling his lavender hair. “Such animosity - do you have to be so vicious towards your own band members?”

With a cold ‘hmph’, he turns away. “They made my girlfriend compliment another man - of course I'm angry!” 

He faces you. “Also, your boyfriend has so many merits. How could you compliment someone else in front of him?”

You burst into laughter. “It’s just a game! I was originally going to pick you, but they told me to compliment Adam instead.”

Shaw grabs your hand and quickens his pace. “You can’t do it even if it’s a game. You can only compliment me. Let’s get home quickly.”

“Walk a little slower please!” You stumble, struggling to keep up with him.

“Let’s go home! Give me compliments!”

–

More translated and original works: here

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[ Permission to translate ]

君兮耶君兮: You can - just note the source of the author