#yes we still draw and read like it’s the last day on earth

[spoofyleaf]

Mom was right, we will find people who get us.

[ruddyhotelau]

Hey I read the post where you mentioned about 9 AU for justicestatic if u don't mind I would like to know about au even a short one liner is enough!!

I am really curious and love your Au!!

Ok till the moment I answer this question, the amount of AU increase to 14 AU =)))))))

Nate did draw sketches for some AU in the list, we will break it down for you.

1. Hellaver Secret

This AU started our Hellaverse Journal, it is the combination of Hazbin Hotel and an anime called Spy x Family. Mixing the lore of both media to create a plot that balances between fantasy and slice of life . The main couple in this AU is RadioApple, JusticeStatic is only a side dish that we came up with as a joke at first.

Basically, in this AU, Samael gave up his position as a Seraphim to become a normal human and changed his name to Lucifer. He's currently an assassin, a daughter he has with his long lost wife - Charlie, a telepath that can read people's mind and Lucifer form a fake marriage with a man named Alastor - a spy in disguise.

Michael is still an Archangel in this AU, he came down to Earth to bring his brother back to Heaven and somehow agreed to a business deal with Alastor's coworker - Vox. Even tho they hate each other, they still try to work things out because they both want to break the fake Morningstar couple.

2. Ruddy Hotel

You guy already knew about this one =)))

But yea, basically role swap AU

3. Band AU

This is a human AU. All the Heaven siblings decided to create a rock band called Octagrams. Michael is the drummer of the band and Vox at first was their anti, like the kind of anti that will stalk you from behind. Vox is actually a very successful businessman but he's also a stalker cuz c'mon, it's Vox.

4. Students AU

They are high school students in this AU, and yes, Vox is older than Michael in most of our human AU. In this AU, Vox is a 12 grader student while Michael is in grade 10. If anyone wondering then no, they are not dating till later when they're both legal adults with jobs.

Michael: I think you should give up on that school already.

Vox: Shut up kid, I'm trying to concentrate.

5. Hotel Supervisor

In this AU, Michael already knew Vox when the TV was still alive. Michael has to come down Earth to do his jobs and somehow Vox was his next-door neighbor. Long story short, they then fell in love but in the end, Vox died and became a demon in Hell. Then, one day, Michael got a direct message from God ordering him to come down to the hotel, keep an eye on it and decide whether the hotel deserved a chance to prove redemption is possible. Vox then knew about Michael's appearance at the Hotel... After a long time of thinking carefully, he decided to knock on the hotel's door.

7. The contract

Michael is currently having a headache about the last extermination, about his brother and his niece, about their resistance, which could cause a misunderstanding for Heaven and made God think they want to rebel against Heaven. Michael needed to know what was happening in Hell as soon as possible and Vox was the most suitable choice for this job.

8. Soulmate AU

When humans turn 18, some of them will appear a small mark at their wrist, the mark that represent their soulmate. But love has never been easy, not everyone with the mark can find their soulmate because all the mark does is glow when your soulmate is making love with someone that is not you and you will be able to feel a faint electric shock when you meet them. The mark will disappear the moment your soulmate passes away.

Vox got his mark when he was 18. Some of his friends were jealous of him but all he felt was empty and annoyed. If anything, Vox is never the one who trusts in destiny and fate. Same with his soulmate - Michael, Archangel Michael got his mark as a gift from God but he never paid much attention to it. He didn't understand why God gave him this? The idea of himself getting attached to someone on first sight is something Michael can't even imagine.

So they both waited for the day that their mark disappeared so they would no longer be bound to a stranger anymore.

But things never go as they expected...

Destiny must be crazy when it thought that tying an Archangel and a Sinner together was a good idea.

9. Get rid of you

Michael is currently a third year law student in this AU. One day, his younger sibling Gabriel thinks it's a good idea to fill that empty fish tank in his brother's house with some fish in some skeptical looking pet shop. Lilttle did the Morningstar siblings know the mini shark they picked up at the store that day was actually a demon in disguise.

10. Roommate AU

Vox, the Static Demon and Archangel Michael got summoned to Earth in another universe where Heaven and Hell didn't exist by a mysterious cult. Because they both came from the same universe so it's best that they stick together to survive in this familiar yet strange world. It took all of Vox's neuron nerve to convince Michael and after thinking carefully about his current situation, Michael knew he will have a better chance at getting back to his world if he co-operate with an Overlord and a better chance at blending in the human world with the help of someone who used to be a human. So even though he despised Vox's existence but for his future benefits, Michael is going to spare Vox's life.

So the two began to live together to find a way to come back to their world and to survive in this society without drawing any attention to their existence.

11. Guardian Angel

In this AU, all the siblings are the guardian angels for the humans.

Michael - Vox

Lucifer - Alastor

Raphael - Cherri Bomb

Gabriel - Niffty

Uriel - Husk

Jophiel - Velvette

Chamuel - Angel Dust

Azrael - Sir Pentious

Their mission is to guide their human on the right path but sadly, for Michael, he and his human are not getting along too well. Michael could only hope that he could get the guy to be 50% better at being a good person until the day Vox dies or else Michael is going to lose that promotion that he's always wanted.

12. Your Name

Inspired by an anime called "Your Name". Basically, it depicts the story of two college students, Michael and Vox, who suddenly swap bodies despite having never met the other, unleashing chaos onto each other's lives.

If you're wondering why they're doing weird expressions that doesn't match their personality is because in the pic, these two losers are swapping bodies, Vox in Michael's body and vice versa.

13. The Moving Castle

Inspired by an anime named "Howl's Moving Castle". Vox is an overly confident man who is cursed to have a demon body with a TV head by a spiteful witch. His only hope of breaking the spell is meeting a powerful, cold and distant wizard that travels around in his moving castle.

Michael's mind is filled with doubts when he sees Vox. He couldn't believe this vile man in front of him was the one he had been searching all alone and the one who could break his curse.

14. Apocalypse AU

Take place in the post-apocalypse world where almost everything was destroyed but with advanced technology. In this AU, Vox is a mad scientist and Michael is a soldier in a poor and small area.

So Michael and his siblings in this AU were all slaves when they were small. Some were sold to by dealer or black market and others came from a corrupted lab or were kidnapped. Because the 8 of them were locked in the same cage and all of them were around the same age so they got close with each other really quickly. (In this AU Michael and Lucifer are still twins) After knowing each other for a while, Lucifer came up with the idea that all of them should have a unique tattoo so even if they got split up in the future, they will still be able to recognize each other. So time passed, one by one was sold but the place collapsed before Michael got sold. And so he was able to escape then got adopted by a soldier.

Time passed, he became one of the protectors, an excellent and skilled soldier of the area. But one day, some people in the area started to go missing and Michael has been assigned the task of finding those missing people. And he was able to track Vox down. Vox noticed there has been some annoying rat following him lately, not to mention being the first to come this close to him in the first place. So he asked his old pal Alastor - a famous hitman to deal with Michael.

Then "BANG" - a clean bullet through the head, taking away Michael's life. Vox was not going to let Michael's body going to waste so what better way to reuse the body than to create a hybrid monster (The reason why Vox want to create a monster is because he remembered Al used to tell him a long time ago that he wondered how a monster tasted like. So Vox thought maybe if he created a monster and served it to Alastor, perhaps he could fix his relationship with Alastor)

So a monster was created and so did a broken screen. (Vox did change his screen later, don't worry) What will they face together afterward? What will the future hold? What kind of madness, wacky adventure and people awaiting them? It is something that they need to go through together in the future...

[dbnightingale24]

The Dog House Isn’t The Best, But It Can Still Be Our Home

Final installment to 'Pavlov's Dog'

~~

Part 3

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I told you guys I'd post it at some point 🥴 I'm honestly so sorry this took so long to post, but last year got really dark for me and everything just kind of took a backseat. Thank you so much for your patience, and thank you to all of you who checked up on me. It means more than I'll ever be able to express. Thank you @fuckingbye for being an amazing friend, and for also making this amazing moodboard. You are a saint and I love to the ends of the earth. Without further ado, here's the final chapter!

Word Count: 71,942 (yes, you read that correctly)

Warnings: SMUT (MINORS DNI 18+ ONLY), Public Sex, Semi Public Sex, Drinking, Smoking, Swearing, Daddy Kink, Angst, Heartbreak, Mild Violence, FLUFF, Lying, Betrayal...I think that's it?

Song(s) That Inspired This Chapter: Will You Take Me Back In The Morning If I Promise To Never Act This Way Again?

I do not give consent/permission for my works/stories to be posted elsewhere. I do not condone this type of behavior, this is for entertainment purposes only.

~~

“You can’t keep going on like this, babe,” Daisy sighs sympathetically as she takes a seat next to the bathtub.

“It doesn’t matter,” you shrug as you take a drag of your cigarette, “none of it fucking matters.”

“Babe, it’s been two weeks. You do the same thing every day. You get up, eat the smallest bit of food, you sit out on your back deck and smoke until you decide to start drinking, then you draw yourself a bath and drink and smoke in it until you decide it’s too cold, or I come and get you. You can’t keep doing this.”

“I don’t even have a reason to be mad at him, do I?” you scoff incredulously before taking a drag from your cigarette, “it’s not like he lied. He didn’t even know, so I have no reason to be this upset, do I?”

“He was a complete and total asshole,” she states firmly, “and you have every reason to be upset with his actions. Yeah, it was a shit show, but he definitely could’ve handled it better.”

“The shit he said right in front of that child, even if it isn’t his, were so fucking cruel! No child deserves to be spoken to like that, and he of all people should know that!”

“Babe-”

“After everything we talked about on that trip...it’s like it didn’t even matter to him. He didn’t even care.”

“I’m sure he was just shocked-”

“That’s not an excuse, Dais.”

“I never said it was, but c’mon: it’s Ransom. You really think he was thinking clearly? Linda and Marta were there and I’m more than sure he was afraid of losing you, then Marta drops a fucking bomb on him, and it sounds like she did it on purpose, if I’m honest. Just to fuck him over.”

“Daisy, I just-”

“BABY, PLEASE ANSWER THE DOOR AND TALK TO ME!” Ransom calls desperately as he bangs on your front door.

Like clockwork.

“Why can’t he understand that I need time? I don’t owe him shit,” you start to sniffle as your tears fall, and you grab the bottle of tequila that lives by the bathtub now, and take a long drink from it.

“I’ll get rid of him, just please...please get up and do something,” Daisy begs desperately.

“Ya know, you’re wrong,” you say as she reaches the doorway, finally looking at her, “I put on makeup today,” you smile weakly.

She lets out a humorless laugh before disappearing and you hear her footsteps quickly making their way downstairs.

Since everything that took place on his doorstep, you haven’t spoken to or seen him. You don’t know what to say or how to handle the situation. He’s been calling and texting non-stop since it all happened, and every two days he comes by to visit, and Daisy tells him to leave you alone every time.

But you can’t keep avoiding him.

No, you don’t know what the right thing to do is, but you know that avoiding him is the wrong thing, and you can’t keep letting Daisy handle these issues for you. You have to at least speak to him, but say what? Do what? It’s not like you have any real right to be mad at him. It’s not like he cheated on Marta with you, he didn’t cheat on you with her, he clearly didn’t know he had a child so he didn’t keep it from you, and he did defend you to Linda. However, that doesn’t change the things he said to that child.

Possibly his child.

“He’s not my son and this isn’t fucking funny!”

“We can take a test if you want, but he is your son!”

“Well, I don’t want him! You wait...however many years to tell me about him, and you sure as shit don’t need any money, so why now?!”

“He deserves to know who his Father is, Ransom! He’s a Drysdale and-”

“Watch it,” Ransom warns with a foreboding tone.”

God, how could he be so cruel to a child, after all of the talks you two have had? He’s always cruel though, isn’t he? To you, to Marta, his own son (the resemblance is too strong for that boy to not to be his child), and fuck it, even Jack. He can’t ever seem to control his temper and, if he can’t do that, what chance do you two have together?

Still, he owns your heart and you don’t know how to get it back at this point. You don’t know and you don’t wanna know.

“Ransom, you have to stop coming around!” you hear Daisy yell, and you sigh before taking another drink from the bottle.

“You can’t stop me from me seeing her, Daisy! She’s my girlfriend!” 

“Bullshit! You two never made it official-”

“Daisy, stay out of it! Let me see her!”

“No! She’s not ready to see you and you can’t force-”

“I’m not forcing anything-”

“What do you think this is?! Showing up because she won’t answer your calls or texts, and demanding to see her?! Leave her alone!”

“You can’t stop me-”

“Let him in!” you call, lighting a cigarette as you use your tip toes to turn the water back on, and heat up your water just a bit.

Who the hell knows how this is gonna go?

You hear the both of them speedily stomping up the steps, but Daisy get there first and says, “are you sure? You don’t have to-”

“I can’t keep letting you fight my battles,” you smile weakly at her as you turn the water off.

“Babe-”

“I have to deal with this at some point. I can do this,” you all but mumble not believing yourself as you take a drag of your cigarette.

“I’ll be in the room over,” she sighs softly before turning, “fuck you Drysdale!”

“Fuck you!”

You hear her slap him and shake your head. Nothing can ever be simple, can it?

“Sweet Thing, please-” he starts as soon as he makes his way into your bathroom.

“Ransom...don’t,” you quickly interrupt. “This isn’t just some small disagreement.”

“I didn’t even know I had a child!”

“I could’ve dealt with that, Ransom! It would’ve taken some time, but I honestly could’ve dealt with that! It’s the way you spoke about him in front of him!”

“I don’t want him!”

“You didn’t have to say it in front of him! Jesus, it’s not his fault that you’re a selfish bastard! He didn’t ask to be born, and Marta-”

“She did this out of spite! Not because she wants me to be apart the child’s-”

“Be that as it may, he didn’t do anything! Basically telling her that she has no right calling him a Drysdale, when he is in fact a Drysdale! Ransom, I know you’re rough around the edges, but for fucks sake! All the talks we’ve had about our own fucked up childhoods and you do this?! You just...I don't fucking get it with you, Ransom!”

“What is there to get?! We fucking talked about this, Y/N! I’m not-”

“That’s no excuse for this! You took it too far and I...Ransom, I can’t-”

“Don’t you fucking say it,” he warns as his eyes start welling up with tears. “Don’t you fucking say that to me!”

“Ransom...I love you, but I can’t be the only good thing in your life. The only person you like,” you sob, sitting up and ashing your cigarette in the ash tray resting on the little table near by.

“WHY NOT?!”

“It’s too much fucking pressure! It’s too much pressure, and I can’t keep watching you be terrible to people because you had a rough childhood! You having a rough go of it doesn’t mean you get to walk all over people for the rest of your life!”

“Listen, give it a few days and you’ll see-”

“No, Ransom. This is done. I can’t do this with you anymore. You have to grow up at some point, and I refuse to mother you.”

“Y/N...you’ll see...you don’t mean it. You always say you’re done and you come back-”

“I can’t anymore. All of this just hurts too much. You keep finding new ways to hurt me, even when you don’t mean to, and I just...you’re cruel, Ransom. You’re cruel, you’re a bully, and you will hurt anyone by doing anything. I know there’s good in you, because you’ve let me see it time and time again, but you refuse to let others in, even in the slightest and I just...please don’t call me anymore,” you sob pathetically. “Don’t call, don’t text, don’t come by...we’re done.”

“You don’t mean this-”

“Don’t make it harder than it has to be, please. Just let me go,” you beg softly as you wipe your eyes.

“You’ll see. In a week or so, you’ll see and I’ll be waiting. I’ll wait and everything will be as it should, again,” he smiles weakly, wiping his own eyes.

“Ransom-”

“I’ll call you in a few weeks, okay, Sweet Thing,” he promises, making his way over to the bathtub. “I love you and I’ll talk to you.”

He cups your face and kisses you passionately and you’re so tempted to pull him into the tub with you, but you know you’ve got to stop. You left one toxic relationship just to jump into a different type of toxic relationship.

“Ransom,” you breathe once you two break apart, “please-”

“I’ll talk to you in a few weeks,” he promises with a sniffle before standing up and walking out.

“Ransom-”

“I’ll see you in a few weeks,” he repeats, his voice cracking as he continues on his way out.

Daisy is back inside and by your side instantly, climbing into the tub and holding you close as you cry uncontrollably, as you try to come to terms with the choice you’ve just made. Yeah, he’s right in saying that you always come back, but that’s not the case this time.

You need to stay away from him for good.

The fact that he has it in his head that all of this will be sorted out in a few weeks, lets you know that this is only the calm before the storm. As both you and Daisy lean back into the tub, and she holds you close while you cry into her shoulder, there’s only one question going through your head:

How the hell are you supposed to quit the love of your life?

**

4 Years Later...

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You can read the rest of the story here

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taglist: @whiskeytangofoxtrot555, @companionjones, @autumnrose40, @fuckingbye, @pono-pura-vida, @nomadstucky, @mazda098, @chemtrails-club, @bree-lyrie, @mjey12, @charlottiedawson, @fenixstar , @thickania

[ducktoonsfanart]

Ducktales Crew in spacesuits in space on the Moon - Ducktales kids, teenagers and adults on the Moon - Happy Moon Landing and Happy Independence Day of the USA - Gift for my friend - Ducktales in Space (Ducktales AU) - Tribute to Ducktales 2017

Although I already drew Ducktales characters in spacesuits on the moon last year, still because of Landing Moon Day which is held on July 20th every year and this year is the 55th anniversary of human walking on the moon, I drew somehow a similar drawing, in my own way, in my own style where the Ducktales characters are on the moon in spacesuits.

Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins who led the Apollo 11 crew in the Saturn V rocket from July 16 to July 24, 1969, with July 20 and 21 being Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon and were the first people to walk on the moon and brought great pride to the USA and to all mankind. July 20 and 21, 1969 were the significant dates when people were on the moon for the first time. And those are the days of Moon Landing. After the crew of Apollo 11, the crew members of Apollo 12-17 will go and walk on the moon, until 1972, except for Apollo 13. Unfortunately, after more than 50 years, people reportedly did not go to the moon due to numerous problems with the construction of further rockets, but lately there is a race to the moon again, so maybe in the near future people will go to the moon again, unless they are faking it. Space travel is back in fashion. And 55 years have passed since the first walk on the moon.

You can see a similar previous drawing here: https://ducktoonsfanart.tumblr.com/post/732385519766487040/ducktales-crew-in-spacesuits-on-the-moon-in-space

I didn't manage to draw Ducktales characters from head to toe in spacesuits, but certainly the special way I imagine Ducktales 2017 is that they wear spacesuits like Sandy Cheeks from Sponge Bob, I just reshaped it in my own way and these suits can be used and for traveling under water, in volcanic regions and protection against pandemics. Yes, they wear bubble helmets, which are actually glass-proof. Della Duck is driving a lunar rover, like the first astronauts who walked on the moon, and Dewey is holding a banner of the USA flag from where he came from (although it has passed, I certainly dedicate this drawing to Independence Day for my American friends, which is celebrated every 4th July), Huey and Gosalyn hold a banner that reads: "We are the first ducklings on The Moon. One small step for ducklings, one big step for ducks!" If you understand this sentence. ;) And Louie Duck is filming this momentous event with his friends and family on his cell phone. Yes, these boys are wearing backwards baseball caps, since that's kind of how I prefer it in my version of Ducktales 2017 and the Quack Pack Reboot. And Donald and Daisy are here together as they love each other.

This drawing features Della Duck, Donald and Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck, Phooey Duck, Gosalyn Mallard, Webby Vanderquack, Lena De Spell (Sabrewing), May and June Duck. Yes, all together on the moon, and behind them you can see the planet Earth and the stars.

I hope you like this drawing and this idea and feel free to like and reblog this, just don't use these same ideas of mine without mentioning me. Thank you! Also this is dedicated to my friend @ducksinspaceadventure, who organized Moon Landing Day. Happy Independence Day everyone and Happy Moon Landing Day! And the 55th anniversary of walking on the Moon!

[v-era-18]

Earth's Armor

{Meliodas x Black! Reader}

Prologue: Fabric and Ale

‘Lady Earth is rumored to be very selfless with beauty beyond imagination! Plus, I heard she can kick ass!’- Princess Veronica Lioness

0

The winter was harsh and unforgiving this year in the kingdom of Lioness. Crops and stock were not scarce due to the prosperous spring they had earlier that year, yet many mouths were unfeed. There truly wasn’t much that could be done with the poor, as the many arguments nobles pointed out. However a certain maiden did the impossible, each night a new form of shelter would be built outside of town. In payment for the homeless silence of the maidens' identity, they provided them food to last for two months if rationed properly. 

‘No one is going to starve this winter.’ was the promise of the savior many wanted to give their lives to. Word quickly reached the castle, from the mouths of knights to the ear of servants; The king wanted to thank the maiden personally for their assistance, it wasn’t everyday a heroine would emerge giving hope to the people. King Bartra didn't send out a search however, due to the fact he already knew who the maiden was rescinding inside the castle walls. The young woman pushes herself too much really, if the Sins were to find out-the leader would be very displeased. 

Laughter emerged within the left wing of the castle, the girl's giggles could be heard outside the room as two guards stood beyond the door. The three princess teased and chatted, Veronica was currently having her hair brushed as she sat in the maidens lap. 

Elizabeth sat patiently waiting her turn, it was no secret that the young girl felt drawn to the woman. Each night the lady would tell her stories, in the morning help her get dressed, and even played outside with her when she had time. Her sisters sometimes joined in of course, but when it was just them she felt as though it was meant to be.

“Lady (Y/n),” Veronica spoke getting the lady’s attention. The woman hummed telling her to continue, “There’s been a story circling around the castle, about a woman that resembles Lady Earth.”

“Lady Earth?” Elizabeth questioned. 

“Yes, there’s a story centuries old about a young woman that one day emerged from the earth as a peace offering to restore balance among all races,” Margaret informed, as she placed the book she’d been holding down. Her eyes sparkled in memory of the old tale her father told her so many times before, “Skin brown and soft as soil, her heart was clear and still as a pond, pure as her voice of wind.” 

Elizabeth turned to lady (Y/n) with a smile, “Like you lady (Y/n)? Are you too sisters?!” 

The lady broke out into a bubbly laugh, “Who knows,” She finished the last section of Veronica's hair drawing it up into a nice bun, “Maybe we are, simply separated at birth.” 

Veronica felt the bun, pleased with the hair out of the way. The young girl switched positions with Elizabeth, much to the girl's pleasure. (Y/n) soon went to work on Elizabeth's hair, brushing through the silver tangles from a long day of adventure outside. She made sure to dip the brush into warm water before adding attention to each section needing to be groomed. Margrete and Veronica watched patiently, awaiting the moment the maiden would be done with their sister's hair. 

“Do you think we'll get to meet Lady Earth?” Margaret questioned, she played with the spin of the story (Y/n) would read to them in a few moments for bedtime, “I want to see her. I've heard so many stories from Father about her kindness and beauty.” 

The lady hummed for a moment, poking Elizabeth's cheek a bit in a teasing manner; an instruction for her to stay still. The young girl got a bit too excited sometimes with stories, hence why she waited till they were in bed before reading. 

“I believe you can when all three of you are older, but I must ask-why do you wish so much to see her?” (Y/n) questioned, she found the conversation amusing from the three girls she practically raised from time to time. She had grown close to all of them, making sure they studied, properly dressed, and took aim to be the best queens Lioness had ever seen. 

There were moments where they called her ‘mom’ by mistake and they all had to apologize afterwards. They honestly couldn’t help it, she mothered all of them. One time she went as far to scold three knights for not watching Elizabeth and Veronica properly when they both fell off the bridge. It took a certain captain to get the lady to show mercy unto them, Barta was actually going to allow the punishment-but thought better of it when all three men were hung upside down by vins for ten hours. 

An excited giggle erupted from Veronica, “Lady Earth is rumored to be very selfless with beauty beyond imagination! Plus I heard she can kick ass!”. A scolding frown made its way on the maidens face, letting the princess know she didn't approve of the language used. However there was a twinkle of amusement within her brown eyes. 

“That language is not becoming of a lady, little knight. Though I must say I'm amused you brought looks into your reason, fighting is more up your alley.” The maiden laughed lightly, Veronica puffed out her cheeks in pout. Her tomboyish nature was an enigma to many formal women, however to (Y/n) she encouraged the behavior. She even went as far to train her in the early hours of the morning with the basics of sword wielding. 

“Fighting is exciting! It’s not my fault others can’t appreciate it!”

“I know little knight. Just remember patience is a virtue even among those who fight.” (Y/n) finished brushing Elizabeth’s hair with a smile. 

The three princesses camored together in Margaret's bed for the night. It was a tradition for them to switch between rooms to fall asleep in, sometimes (Y/n) would join them in bed if she was tired enough. Although she did stress her dear friends when they had no notice of the occasion. They simply worry too much on her behalf. 

“If I were to meet her, the first thing I would have her speak about would be her adventures she had,” Margaret's smile was more on the childish side this time to the lady’s pleasure. As the eldest it was rare she had these moments, but in (Y/n)s perception as a child she has as many of these moments as they can. “Or she can grow me my own GARden of roses!” 

Veronica stuck out her tongue in dissatisfaction, “A rose garden? We already have tons of gardens in the kingdom!” The second eldest stood on the bed, piping her fist in the air. “What I think we can agree on is that she needs to be the captain over the holy knights!” 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Margaret snapped, “Gilthunders father is in charge! And is amazing at what he does!” 

“The old man can drop dead-”

“Veronica.” 

The girl was instantly silenced, her cheeks grew red in embarrassment from what she was about to say. She knew it wasn’t right to say those things, but she honestly wanted to see women in the field more than men. It was disappointing that she didn’t have that many figures to look up to. 

“Apologize this instant.” (Y/n)'s tone was firm, showing she had no room for disagreements. 

“Sorry…,” Veronica really did mean it. The princess settled back underneath the covers beside Elizabeth who was watching the whole ordeal silently. She seemed to be thinking hard either after she would need or want from lady earth. 

“I think I’ve got it!” Elizabeth exclaimed. The girl's sisters glanced at her, both exchanging a look of wonder and excitement. Their sister after all was a simple girl, she didn't ask or require much from others, only attention and mutual affection. 

“Oh,” (Y/n) tilted her head, “and what's that?” 

“I would give her a hug!” The youngest princess smiled, “She’s done so much for others without asking for anything in return she deserves it!” 

(Y/n) paused for a minute and let out a bright laugh, it was filled with warmth, causing the three girls to smile, “Oh but I know she would do that for you with pleasure Elizabeth! Are you sure there’s nothing else you would want from her?” 

Elizabeth shook her head, “No! That is it! She does enough as is.” 

“Really? Out of everything to ask for just a hug?” Veronica said, “Couldn't you just ask for something more useful-”

Margaret punched her sister in the arm silencing her sister, “That's a wonderful request Eli! I'm sure lady earth would appreciate it!” 

“Really?” The smallest princes asked. 

“Of course,” (Y/n) chimed in, “Everyone knows you give the best hugs my angle.” The lady wrapped her arms around the small girl in an embrace before giving her a soft kiss on the head. The girl giggled happily in response.

“Now,” The maiden clapped her hands softly, “Let's get started with that story shall we. Then it's off to bed.” 

The castle halls were quiet as she made way back to the sins chambers. If she played her cards right she could sneak out again without the others knowing and build one more shelter to make sure everyone is okay. The last shelter was big enough for the rest of the homeless to reside in but it wouldn’t hurt to build one more just for future matters. Maybe she could add a section solely for the children to sleep separately from the adults, she already had women sleeping with the children but it wouldn't hurt for the mothers to sleep a night by themselves. 

The door creaked and groaned as she entered the common room, and as expected no one was there. This time of night her friends were either out drinking or turning in for the night for their next assignment. She missed them greatly, but the princesses would distract her until their return. She allowed herself to relax, her shoulders slumping from keeping the posture of a proper maiden. She couldn’t wait to take off her corset-.

(Y/n) recoiled back in shock as she ran into the invisible field that surrounded her, it wasn’t till after she collided with the barrier was she able to sense her other comrades. She damned herself for not double checking like usual. 

“Oh you’ve done it this time buttercup. Captain got real upset after we heard where you’ve been sneaking off to.” Ban emerged from the other side of the pillar, his words held no malice, only disappointment and concern. 

“Oh? And where have I been sneaking off to exactly? Don’t tell me you found out about my secret lover?” The maiden feigned innocence. 

“You have a lover (Y/n)?! And you didn’t tell me?!” Diane finally exposed herself, her lips pouting displaying her hurt expression, “I thought we tell eachother everything?” 

“Not everything apparently,” King floated over in front of the barrier, he bore a serious expression, much like Ban his eyes spoke volumes, “She felt the need to sneak around without consulting us first.” 

She bite her lip, “You all would’ve said no-“ 

“For good reason,” It was Merlin this time. The enchantress waltz over to the perfect cube casted around their fellow comrade, a frown lacing her lips. “You know you’re supposed to be resting your powers, any more strain on them and you’ll end up sick again.” 

(Y/n) felt a frown make way upon her plump lips, her frustration was rising, “The kingdom's people were starving. Did you expect me to do nothing-?!” 

“Enough (Y/n).” 

The maidens mouth closed quickly at the words spoken from the corner of the room. She watched the feared captain-the sin of wrath make way down the stairs and towards her. Meliodas rarely got upset with her, he would sometimes talk her down from ‘spontaneous’ decisions or often decided to help when he saw she wasn't going to back down. 

Emerald green eyes met Brown, a silent conversation had seemed to start between the two causing the other Sins to tense considerably. Gowther analyze the situation taking into account of the captain's feelings towards the woman and how he might go about her punishment, it wouldn’t be a harsh one-just one to get the message across. 

“You told me you were staying with princesses late at night,” The sin of wrath started, the maiden decided the painting near Diane was more interesting to look at, “I had to find out from three other men on the street about what you had done. The symptoms of fatigue you seemed to have after producing so many crops from enriched soil that the winter can't produce-” 

“In the beginning, yes I was fatigued,” She locked eyes with him once more, this time challenging, “but after three shelters were built my powers no longer struggled-they in fact improved.” 

He simply shook his head, “And what if it hadn't improved? You're still at risk of pushing your magic to the max! You could've at least had Merlin go with you to watch, but instead-you decide to risk your life without even thinking about the consequences-” 

“I was fine-!”

“This time! But what about the next?!” Meliodas questioned in a growl, “Are you going to push your powers till there's nothing left of you?!” 

Ban exchanged a look with King, the two looked at their captain with worry. They both obviously knew of his feelings towards the woman, hence why they thought he should’ve stopped why he was ahead. At this rate the argument would escalate. 

“If it means another person gets to live then so be it!” 

The room grew deathly silent after the maidens' statement, the sins were ultimately shocked with her proclamation, Gowther especially didn't see it coming. Meliodas' form shook slightly, Ban almost felt compelled to say something on her behalf but didnt know what to say. 

“(Y/n), do you understand what you just said?” Merlin questioned carefully, the lady strode forward and stepped between her and the captain, wanting eyes on her. “We all know things could’ve gone south for you with your magic being unbalanced, dire consequences would ensue. Even the possibility of your death.” 

Diane gasped, “That-that’s not true is it? (Y/n)’s magic couldn’t possibly kill her could it?!” 

Merlin didn’t answer, only staring down at the maiden; her dearest friend, “Be honest with us (Y/n).” She stepped closer, eyes staring hotly at the girl's smaller form, “Do you want to die?” 

The girl paused for a moment before a sad smile graced her plump lips. 

“Does one’s embers burn the entire night?” 

~ ☀ ~

The village streets were busy with noise and laughter of its people. Stalls and stores were filled with each turn and glance of an eye. The afternoon was nice, the sun provided warmth from the breeze rustling the leaves, and the sweet waft of pastries filled the air.  

Three men however stuck out like a sore thumb; A red jumper and red tight pants caught the attention of many ladies walking by, a boy floating on a green pillow had many children gasping in awe, and finally a short blonde haired man walked in the middle, he seemed to be focused with the task at hand. 

Red eyes glanced to the right, spotting a shop with  dresses and clothes adorned in front of the windows. The man scanned the clothes quickly, the stitching, all the way to how the fabric seemed to be made from love. He swiftly turned the other way, catching the attention of the other two who followed without question. 

Pins were pressed between plump lips as (e/c) eyes focused on the hemmed cuffs of the boy's pants. Philip was a short boy, his brown locks framed his round face nicely, where his hazel eyes were easy against the autumn sunrise. He was growing a bit, hence why his father brought him in for new clothes. 

(Y/n) loved it when the children were regulars, she always found it exciting to see them grow into young men and women that would one day contribute to many things in the world. 

Dalton watched the woman with alluring eyes from where he sat, he had a good view of where she crouched before his boy leading his imagination to run wild. Like many men in the village the father was guilty for wanting the lady to himself. As a single father, it was important that Philip had a mother figure in his life. And a mother figure is what he was determined to provide. 

“You’ve been growing a lot I see, soon you’ll be too big for me to help you anymore.” (Y/n) pouted, teasing the little boy. 

Philip gasped, shaking his head, “N-no! I’ll always need lady (Y/n)’s help! Who's gonna help me tie my shoes so I won’t trip and fall?” 

The lady giggled in response, “I’m sorry love, but I won’t always be here to tie your shoes. Plus I’ve taught you numerous times, have you already forgotten?” 

A shake of a head was the response, “no, I just need you to here in case I make a mistake in towing them. It hurts when I fall down and scrape my knees, plus the other kids pick on me when I fall.” 

A hum left her lips as she pinned the fabric in place, “And what have I told you to do about bullies?” 

“To throw stones at their heads?!” The boy shouted in excitement. 

“What?!” Dalton laughed in disbelief.

“N-no that’s for them hurting you! I mean when they say mean things.” 

Philip hummed, seeming to think hard to remember what the lady told him to do. A gasp left his lips in remembrance, “To let them wallow in their self pity?” 

(Y/n) smiled and pinched the boy's side, Philip giggled in retaliation, “exactly, they only want to steal your joy to make them feel better about themselves. So remember,” the woman places a chaste kiss against the boy's cheek, leading another giggle to leave the child’s lips, “your joy is yours, don't let anyone take it from you.” 

Dalton's face turned determined, his eyes filling with adoration and lust for the woman treating his son as if he were her own child. Yes, she was the woman he needed within their home, he needs to ask her now. 

“Speaking of joy-“ the man’s voice was cut out with the ring of the store bell drawing his attention from the sight before him. Dalton bristled a bit watching the three men enter the shop with ease, what threw him off was the intense waves of power that radiated off of them. It was intimidating and left his nerves on edge, any man who would’ve been in his shoes would’ve left immediately not wanting trouble. But he wouldn’t waver, his determination setting in. 

“Welcome in!” The lady chimed without turning around, she pinned the last hem of the boys dress shirt and would soon get to hemming once they were gone. “I’ll be with you in just a moment.” 

The man in the red get up smiled, it was wide with excitement, “We’re in no rush buttercup take your time.” 

The woman froze for a moment at the familiar voice behind her. She could feel all of their magic combined, the feeling felt euphoric, she hadn’t seen or heard from them in so long. However, she felt at peace here, that was her only dilema. 

“Miss (Y/n)? Am I able to look now?” Philip's voice cut through the tension in the room. The maiden looked back up at the little boy with a wide smile before nodding. With an excited smile the boy hopped down before rushing to the changing room. 

Dalton chuckled at his son's antics before turning to the lady beside him, “They grow up fast huh? Soon he’ll be taller than me and an even better man” 

(Y/n) nodded in agreement, “It feels like a pain knowing that I won't be able to see the children grow up as I want to,” The man in the red jacket turned to her back slightly before continuing through the shop pausing at another pair of pants snatching them off the hanger. They were exactly his size. 

The man chuckled lightly, taking his chance slowly, “You know miss (L/n), I'm surprised you don't have any children of your own,” The other men came to a halt in the shop, hearing the tone of the man's words, The blonde peeked his head out from the isle of lady undergarments, one that the fairy had silently begged him not to go to. “Any man would be lucky to have a woman like you.” 

(Y/n) felt her face flush slightly at Dalton's flirtation, she wouldn't lie the man was handsome. However, he had dark brown hair, clearly not the bright blonde she remembers from her repressed memories, meaning he wasn't her true mate. “O-oh, is that so Mr. Landar-” 

“Dalton,” The male uttered, “I've never liked formalites between us, in fact it feels a bit foreign dont you think-” 

A bell went off at the desk causing the two to turn their attention. In front was a blonde haired male, a foot taller than Phillip, with an area of nightgowns in his grasp. Dalton couldn't help but feel a tad bit irritated that a customer had interrupted his flirtation with the maiden, after all it was going so well. 

“Mr-I mean Dalton if you would..,” 

Snapping out of his daze the male gave a forced smile, “Y-yes of course, you do have a business to look after,” the man stepped aside as the woman made her way to the front desk, paying attention to her light steps of grace and posture. It was like watching a goddess in disguise, Miss (Y/n) never wore shoes-they were deemed constricting and hurtful upon her feet. So in her store she made sure to sweep the floors frequently throughout the day, to keep it clean. 

The maiden stared down at the shorter male, his smile wide as he held the nightgowns up to the counter for her to take. She stared a bit at the area of them, the diversity of lace and trim on different shades of green. One of them was her favorite, a sage green nightie with white lace trimming for straps and along the bodice. “How can I help you sir? Did one of these catch your eye?” 

The blonde nodded, “Yes! You see the maiden I'm getting these for loves the color green, I'm trying to see which one would be best for travel yet relaxation!” 

(Y/n) hummed softly, playing along, “Well the dark green one would be a good choice in concerns of travel, but for comfortability I would go with the emerald. Silk is good for the skin and the doubled layered fabric is perfect for the cold nights,” Her words were indeed true for the nightgowns. The dark green was tripled layered with thin fabrics for the cold and heat, but it might be deemed slightly uncomfortable for bed due to stiffness. However, the male couldn't help but notice her eyes shifting back to the sage green, the one she could see herself twirling in the mirror to. 

“What about this one?” The blond held up the sage green nightie, he felt the fabric before looking at its opened back portion, “Are you sure she wouldn't like this alot better? I bet it would look nice against her skin and its silk, yea?”

The maidens lips twitched a bit upwards, “Ah, yes, that one I spent three days on, handmade. It reminded me of lily pads from a certain forest. I'll be sad to see it go, but I know your maiden will be a lucky woman if you decide to buy that one.” 

“I see…, well then! I'll get this one-” 

“Ms (Y/n), I'm done!” Phillip rounded the corner, his clothes had suited him very well, from his brown slacks to the nice white shirt she sewed him. A wide smile emerged on the maidens face in response, coming from behind the desk to hoist him up on her hip, “Do I look nice?” 

“Dear your gonna knock the other maidens dead when they see you,” 

The boy cocked his head to the side, “Like my dad?” 

The woman sputered in embarrassment, She could feel the men's eyes on her, “Y-yes, just like your father.”

“Then can we have you over for dinner this afternoon Ms. (Y/n)? My dad caught a deer yesterday, he heard it was your favorite!” 

(Y/n) smiled widely turning to Dalton, the man was shuffling on his feet slightly-cheeks turning pink, “You hunt deer Dalton?” 

“On occasions, my father was more skilled at it though,” He stepped forwards with a hopeful smile, “I'm glad I paid attention, hoping to win over a maiden such as yourself.” 

The maiden hummed, slowly putting Phillip on the floor, “Is this your way of attempting to court me?” 

“Is it working?”

“This man is bold,” The man in red whispered to his floating companion. 

The male on the pillow scrunched up his nose watching the interaction, “I know, I'm surprised Captain hasn't kicked the man out of the store yet.” 

“He's got a kid with him, you know buttercup loves them. Who knew a man would use his son to pull her heart strings.” 

(Y/n) shared a long look with Dalton before finally answering, “You know what you have to do to truly win me over?” This caused the men to take a step back, evil smiles appearing on their faces as the blonde male went back to the women's aisle looking for a lingerie set for the maiden to wear. 

“What is it? For you , I'm willing to do anything.” 

‘Here we go’

“Fight me,” (Y/n) smiled. 

Dalton's face scrunched up in surprise and mortification, “Excuse me? I think I heard you wrong. Did you just say-” 

“I said if you want to win me over,” The maiden stepped forward, her voice becoming sultry, “You have to fight me.” 

The man stared at her baffled, but she didn't laugh or falter on her words. The maiden was serious with her request, the other men in the shop were not surprised, simply waiting for the man's response so they could close the shop. 

“Well, are you gonna do it or what?” The red eyed male cut into the awkward silence. Dalton turned to the man in shock , whereas (Y/n) since the first time arrived busted out in a fit of giggles. The male was confused at this point with how the maiden could want a man to do such a thing, sure he had heard of female holy knights but he was expecting the maiden to be a lot more soft and feminine than anything. 

“Ban,” The fairy hissed. 

“What?” Ban shrugged, “He said he was willing to do anything. Even though we know he won't win.” 

“I'm not fighting her,” Dalton's words were firm, yet he shot a pleading look to the woman in front of him, “Please (Y/n), are you sure there's no other way.” 

The woman shook her head giving a sad smile. 

“I see,” The man's posture deflated, before digging in his pockets and pulling out a yellow envelope, “Here, I truly hope you do find a man worthy of you Ms. (Y/n). Just remember our door is always open if needed.” 

“Of course,” The maiden took the envelope before crouching down to the young boy, she had expected him to be sad instead he was all smiles, “I hope to see you again soon Phillip-” The boy wrapped the maiden in a hug cutting her off. 

“I hope to see you again too Ms. (Y/n)! Take care!” And with that the two males left hand in hand a bag filled with clothes for the young boy. 

(Y/n) went to the shop door waving them off, before locking the bolt and turning the shop sign to ‘closed’. It was a bit early in the evening to do so but she knew better, that was the last item she would sell for a while. With her former captain merging in the shop it could only mean trouble was on the horizon. 

“Baaan,” The maiden whined, “Did you see the look on his face? He was so handsome too!” All she got from the sin of greed was a boisterous laugh before she was pulled in a secure hug. 

“Don't be so upset buttercup I'm sure there will be a man up to the challenge soon,” Ban looked back over to his best friend, who was hauling a suitcase behind him, “He’s a lot closer than you think,” He muttered to himself. 

“I don't understand how he thought he had a chance anyway,” King floated over, his expression bored at the thought of the man, “He couldn't be able to give you the luxuries of what you want and need out of a proper husband.” 

(Y/n) cocked her head to the side, “You guys didn't come here just to discuss my horrible dating life did you?” 

“No, we didn't,” Meliodas came up behind the maiden, she stiffed for a moment feeling his hand on her rump, “But while we're at it, we could possibly discuss our date this weekend-” The blonde was smacked hard enough to be send flying in ara of an amount of coats. King and Ban cringed, the first day back after not seeing her for so long this was what their captain decided to do in greeting. 

“That's not how you ask Meli,” (Y/n) crouched before him before a soft green glow limited from her hands healing him, “Although a nice purchase of that nightie might help.” 

King blushed, feeling as though they were intruding, “Should we let them be?” 

“Nah, you know she doesn't like public displays of affection too much, we're in the clear,” Ban responded. 

“ Alright, what's the situation,” The men watched the woman lift her hands slightly, using her powers to clean the store, putting clothes in bags and arranging quilts in a pile. This was what she had built of herself while they were gone, a business. By the actions that she was doing with taking the many clothes of the hangers and placing them in boxes it was telling that she was coming with them willingly, but she had a bit of loose ties to finish here.  “I felt a shift not too long ago , I figured it was the sins getting together, but I didn't know why.” 

“Elizabeth has asked for our help,” Meliodas answered swiftly, he opened the trunk for her, allowing her magic to do the folding and placing, “The king of Lioness needs us as well as its people. There's something bigger going on, and it'll be so much more convent to have you come along.” 

(Y/n) faked a pout, “And here I thought all of you came because you missed me,” Meliodas was quick to smile, taking the maidens hands gently  before giving a soft squeeze. It was moments like this she missed with her friends besides the many missions they ensued for the kingdom's protection. 

The image of the small princess she raised flashed in her mind, causing her smile to widen. It had been so long since she'd seen her last, since she had said goodbye in a haste before her memory of that day was wiped and she found herself here in a village. She left the princesses behind, it was her responsibility now to make up for it anyway she could. 

“Well,” The maiden huffed, “Who’s gonna help me deliver all these quilts and clothes before we depart, hmm?”

[saintship]

hi!! idk if u still take requests and i also don't know if ur comfortable writing about depression and suicidal thoughts/ideations? it's comforting reading someone have someone be there for them during those times so if u could write something with ghost like that i would absolutely appreciate it, love ur writing, xoxo!! 💕

I’ve been there, I hope you’re having a good day when you’re reading this, no matter what that looks like for you<3

Made reader a medic because I love the medic reader trope more than some family members

Warnings: Suicidal ideation, panic attacks, nightmares

Save you - Ghost x Reader

“MEDIC! WE NEED MEDIC NOW! FUCKING HELL!”

You were trapped—rain pelting at your head while your body remained pinned under a pile of building debris. The pressure on your chest was too heavy to speak, but you saw them in the distance. Price leaning over Simon. Blood seeping into the grooves of the wet pavement. Tears welled in your eyes as you reached with one arm, your vision spotting.

“MEDIC! PLEASE, PLEASE, WE NEED A MEDIC!”

You managed to emit a noise;

“No..”

“NO!”

You sat up, your back prickling with a cold sweat. You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t breathe,

“I can’t breathe..”

The weight next to you rose, strong arms cradling your waist. You tensed, your heart pounding. “I can’t breathe.. please..” you hiccuped, drawing breath roughly.

“You can. Listen to me.” Simon’s voice cut through the darkness, his hands running up and down your side. “Listen. Feel my hands.. hear my voice.”

His voice was bleary with sleep, only furthering the tears spilling down your cheeks. You knew a full night’s sleep was rare for him, and your nightmares were a contributor.

“You’re safe.”

Those words finally anchored you back to earth. You all but collapsed into his arms, laying your head on his chest as he moved to lay flat again. Your breathing eased into a steady rhythm, still hoarse but not gasping anymore.

“Good..good.”

Simon somehow knew that saying less meant more; his touch washed away your panic while his carefully chosen words reached the corners of your mind that were so afraid of losing him.

“You were dying..couldn’t save you..” You whispered into the fabric of his shirt, at which he resumed rubbing your back.

“I’m okay. I’m right here..”

“I know..” emotion weighed down your voice as you reached for his head, thumbing through the shorter hair on the sides. He smelled like your body wash; he always said he’d replace his own eventually but he never did. You never insisted.

You woke up to an empty bed and the sound of quiet conversation at your door. Sitting up slowly, you spotted a mug of your favorite drink on the nightstand, a conflicted smile pulling at your cheeks. It felt wrong to be treated this way; with kindness. You shared this trait with Simon, you knew he often felt he was undeserving, but being on the other side of that felt just as helpless.

You grab your drink and wander into the kitchen, spotting Simon pulling a few items out of a takeaway bag. He paused when he spotted you, abandoning his task to walk over.

“Was about to give you a shove, you slept so well.” He kissed your temple, his hands resting on your hips.

“Yeah..I’m sorry about last night, I—I don’t know, I should get it under control-"

“What? You can’t control nightmares, sweetheart.”

The pet name fell so easily from his lips it made you want to hide away forever.

“I’ll always be here for you. Like you are for me, yeah? You get on my ass for sayin’ shit like that, so I’ll get on yours.” He smoothed the wrinkles in your sweater sleeve absentmindedly. “I care, you know?”

You nod quickly. “Yes.. I know.”

He leaned down to kiss you slowly, his thumb grazing your cheekbone before pulling back to guide you to the table.

The guilt melted a bit after his little deceleration, and breakfast was nice. You also got to watch him put way too much hot sauce on his food, coughing through his words while insisting he was fine. You laughed gently, retrieving some frozen fruit for his tongue.

Soon, too soon, it was time for you to head to work while Simon stayed and attempted to burn through his paperwork. Sometimes you came home while he was in a meeting, witnessing the hilarious sight of Simon Riley being outsmarted by a video call app.

You felt sort of numb today. You walked around base feeling like your legs weren’t all there.

You’d had nightmares before. He had comforted you in the dark before. And now, he had reassured you about the ordeal entirely. But if he wasn’t sure, if he was losing too much sleep, would he say anything? You tried to wring yourself out, busying yourself with small tasks in between meetings and even helping a visitor’s young girl that scraped her knee.

Nothing worked.

It only got worse the drive home, since your phone died and your radio had been stolen a few days ago. Traffic blocked the freeway that led out of town, leaving you to sit in a percolating mess of your thoughts.

How could you take away his sleep? He already went through so much, he has been through so much, the least he deserves is a peaceful place to rest. How could you do that? How could you do that to him? Why is he with you, why is he putting up with this, why are you living while he is surviving?

Why are you alive?

The car behind you blared their horn. Space had freed in front of you during your train of thought, and you pulled forward, weaving through cars, desperate to get home and yet terrified to walk through the door. When you did, you didn’t hear the tapping of his keyboard; just the soft wind you knew came from his office fan. You set down your things, making your way to that room. Peering through the open door, your heart sank.

He was sprawled on the small couch behind his desk, practically spilling off of the thing because of his size. He was sleeping. Drawing deep, steady breaths, his chest rising and falling peacefully. He must have been so tired he took a break to nap.

You exited the room as silently as you could, not being able to stop the tears welling in your eyes. Your thoughts raced, back and forth, back and forth.

You’re being dramatic.

This is proof.

He’s finally getting sleep because you’re not here.

You’re such a

It’s not that serious!

How could you do that?

Just stop crying.

What if you were never here again?

You threw up in your kitchen sink.

Saliva trailed from your bottom lip, and you could only watch, knowing you’d woken him up. Again. He could never find peace. You spit roughly, turning your back and sinking to the floor. You registered Simon’s footsteps, his figure in the doorway, the smell of your body wash.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

His voice floated somewhere you couldn’t reach to. You noticed only now your breathing was frenzied, hoarse and uneven. Your hands trembled.

“Sweetheart, you’re scaring me, breathe.”

God, only you could manage to have a panic attack wrong. You must have made an upset noise through your hyperventilating, because he moved to face you.

“Come here.. come here.”

And then you were collapsing into his chest, sobbing harder with every breath. He didn’t say anything, holding you securely and rocking the both of you with an even rhythm

“It’s my fault..” your broken voice cracked through your tears.

“What? What’s your fault?” Simon ran a hand through your hair, still holding you to him.

“You..You’re never able to rest..” you hiccuped. “..while I’m here..you’re always taking care of me, you never get to sleep.”

You couldn’t stop now that you’d started.

“I shouldn’t be alive..”

Simon stiffened. He leaned forward to retrieve a dish towel, wiping away your tears, snot, and saliva so that you could see him clearly. You’d never seen his eyes so dark, so hurt.

“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Do you hear me?” His voice was a murmur, like he was whispering a promise.

“I- I don’t..” You were about to break into a sob again when you felt his palm at your jaw.

“You have no idea how empty this world would be without you.” He paused. “It’s not like I’ve never thought about it too, but it doesn’t last forever.”

You looked up at his admission, your breathing beginning to steady. “You’ve thought about it?”

He nodded. “I promise, you will look back on this, and realize how much you appreciate everything. You only get one shot at being alive. You cannot cut it short, do you understand me?”

You nodded, unable to say a word.

“You have no control of what happens at night. When your brain starts playing tricks on you. I’ll be there every time, because I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve done it for me.”

You inhaled a shaky breath, reaching to touch his face. “I love you..”

“I love you.” He returned, pulling you close again. Anything else in the world seemed to dissolve; this was all you had ever hoped for.

[merakiui]

Hello!!! I've been following you for a while, but this is my first ask >.< but I saw your friends with benefits dialog post and couldn't help thinking of reader being in a fwb situation with any of the octotrio (I personally like to think jade) with the dialog from reader being "i didn't know who else to call. you're all i've got right now." I like to think the octotrio are very protective, especially if they have developed feelings for the reader. Like, imagine that there is some dude that just won't leave reader alone and they don't feel safe. Just the thought of them taking us in and taking care of our "problem" has me orz

o o o o oo oooo overprotective Jade........ this is such a good thought, anon!!

(fwb dialogues)

When you see him, it's like the snow has melted away and flowers have sprung from cold, cracked earth. Jade Leech is, by all accounts, the last person you'd ever want to see after your inadvisable run-ins with him, but he's reliable. A little too reliable, admittedly. He looks like he rushed to get here, his coat buttoned haphazardly and his hat placed crookedly on his head. It's hard to believe the always-patient, ever-so-perfect Jade could forget to uphold that façade after your brief phone call.

For a short while, the both of you stare at the other. A frigid breeze blows between you, and you push past the few passersby on the pathway to reach him. He's in the process of saying something, but it's your arms thrown around him that abruptly cut him off. Relieved tears gather in your eyes, and you hold on tightly.

"I... I didn't know who else to call. You're all I've got right now," you whisper into his wool coat. "Sorry. I know you're busy."

Jade's arms close around you in reciprocation. "I'll always make time for you."

You're not used to this treatment. Neither is he. You've only ever known surface-level physicality. Emotions have always been shelved in favor of indulging in fleeting, present-day pleasures. You never go any deeper than you must.

Tonight's different.

Still reeling, nerves frazzled, you relay the story in a shaky mumbling. "I went to dinner with a classmate and we were only going to talk about the semester project, but then he started... It just got weird and I hid in the bathroom, and I had no idea what to do. Without thinking I called you and you answered and... And—"

Jade rubs soothing circles into your back. His touch is soothing, grounding you in the moment. It smooths out all of the icky feelings you'd previously been at war with, replacing every frightened imagining with something bright and beautiful.

"There's no need to push yourself. I understand the story well enough."

"Thanks..." You sniffle and slowly draw away, patting his coat for good measure. "For coming, I mean. I really didn't think you would."

Jade frowns. "I wouldn't ignore you in your time of need."

"Yes, you would—" You stop yourself. He's never once left a message on read. He always returns missed phone calls. And now, holding you in his arms, he's come to your aid.

Despite everything—all of the pointless promises for something with no strings attached—he cares. He always has and he always will.

"Ah. Um. Then I guess I owe you one."

Jade's mismatched eyes flick from you to the restaurant and then back. An emotion you can't quite decipher passes over his face, and he seems to be assessing something in silence. Eventually, his expression clears and he offers you a cordial smile.

"I assume you haven't eaten yet?"

"Are you kidding? Of course not! I can't go back in there and eat with that creep!"

His smile widens, and for once you trust that more than you've ever trusted anything before.

"Well, if you aren't opposed to it, we could get dinner at one of my favorite places. It's not too far from here. My treat."

You stare at him, shocked. This is new. You've never gone to dinner with him before. "Wait, really? You're serious?"

"There's no punchline to my words. So, yes, I'm quite serious."

"And you're not just asking because you want sex?"

Jade's lips drop into a disappointed moue. It's an expression you've yet to see on him. "Your lack of faith in me is woefully astounding. Must I wear a collar for you to recognize my loyalty?"

You roll your eyes, shoving him playfully. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. You're being honest." Heaving an exhausted breath, you slide out of his arms. "Okay, fine. Dinner sounds good."

He perks up, visibly pleased. "In that case, please wait here. There's one minor issue I must see to and then we can be off."

"Huh? Where are you going?"

"To say hello to your classmate." His smile is no longer the soft, sweet thing it once was. Now it's razored with malice, and it fills his eyes with a scheming sort of darkness. "I won't be long."

"Right..."

Amidst the wintry air and the confusion, you feel strangely fuzzy inside. You're sure it's just a side effect of encroaching hypothermia. Definitely nothing else.

Mysteriously, your classmate drops out of the course and you're left to finish the project on your own. But perhaps that was for the best. When asked what he said, Jade feigns innocence and speaks in convenient embellishments. Best not to press the matter any further.

[baronessblixen]

Msr 5 on the kisses list plz and thank u ☺️

Another one from the list! This was: knuckle kiss

This is angst/hurt/comfort with a dash of hopeful cheesiness. Starts off in Dod Kalm (yes, you read that right). Mulder decides to be brave in what he believes to be his last moments on earth. (wc: 1,307)

Tagging @today-in-fic @xffictober2023

Fictober Day 2: Just in Case

He's not a gambling man, but he knows the odds are against him. Rien ne va plus. The house always wins. There won't be a cruise in his future. Well, at least he won't go bald as an old man. His body has immaturely aged and he just knows that the end is drawing near. Has he ever been this tired? He doesn't remember. Can't think.

With great difficulty, he forces his eyes open to glance at Scully. He's never allowed himself to seriously consider growing old, not with the life he's leading. But he thought he had more time. More time than this. And now, where he doesn’t have much time left, he allows himself to think about how it could be.

If this was happening 40 or 50 years later. Would Scully be there? He’s known her for less than two years, and yet, the part she takes up in his life is monumental. He wants more time with her. Wants to grow old with her. But this is all they get. Or all that he gets. There’s no future for him, but there might be one for her. 

"Mulder," she murmurs with a raspy voice. "We could still be saved." He smiles, but this time he knows she's wrong. It doesn't give him satisfaction. 

"You might be," he replies, his voice unrecognizable to his ears. "I'm- I'm so tired, Scully."

"Just hold on," she pleads with him. She takes his hand in hers and it feels just like it always has. One last time. If this is the end - and what else could it be? - shouldn't he play his last card?

"Hey," he whispers and she lowers her head. His heart beats with the vigor of a man in love. "If this ends badly-"

"No," she cuts him off.

"If," he repeats, staring up at her. "I want to you to know that-"

"I know, Mulder," she says, unable to hold in her tears.

"Just in case." He gathers the strength he has left to lean up and capture her lips in the sweetest of kisses. A moment later, everything goes dark. 

When he wakes again days later in his hospital bed, Scully smiling at him, he's convinced it was all a dream, a hallucination his mind conjured up as he lay dying. It's not until later that he remembers the feel of her lips, the softness despite it all. He smiles to himself.

Their first kiss. It had been just in case. Now he has to get it right.

But they don't. 

*

He tries to kiss her before he goes in to face Robert Patrick Modell. His lips brush hers and all he tastes are tears. She turns away from him, gently shaking her head. 

“No,” she says. “You’re not… nothing is going to happen, Mulder.” He nods, making it a promise. Even after, his heart thumping in his chest, his thoughts only his own, he doesn’t dare to try again. Scully is with him, squeezing his hand. He could kiss her again, make it right. Celebrate that they won. That they’re going to live another day. But he doesn’t. 

Fear rattles him and almost paralyzes him as he stands in the coroner's office, preparing himself. As soon as he opens the blinds, he will know. He thinks about Mrs. Scully. He’ll have to call her after this, no matter what. If this is her daughter then… he swallows hard. His fingers are weak, his hand shaking. He needs to know. He needs to see. One last breath before he opens the blinds and a million bricks fall off his chest. 

“It’s not her,” he says to the coroner.

It’s not her. It’s not his Scully. But he knows it’s someone. As he rushes to Mrs. Scully’s house, he decides he will tell Scully. Take her into his arms, kiss her silly, and ask her to spend the rest of her life with him. Or the rest of his. Just in case next time it is her on that table, pale and ripped from life.

Once again, it doesn’t happen. 

Scully gives him a peck after he returns from Siberia (and after he’s showered). Her smile is radiant, her lips as soft as he remembers. It’s a promise, nothing more. And he hopes. He dares to hope in the weeks that follow. His hopes are trampled down by a tall, dark stranger in Philadelphia whose name tastes like acid on his tongue.

Just as he thinks they’re moving toward something again, Scully calls him from the hospital. Says it’s cancer. It’s terminal. Nothing they can do. Except Mulder doesn’t accept it. Can’t accept it. They can kill him, but not her. He won’t let that happen. He thinks of the ship and remembers what it was like to feel old and feeble. He would have done anything to save Scully. Against all odds, they both lived. He’ll make damn sure they’ll both live again.

But just in case he kisses her eyelids in a hospital hallway. 

Just in case, he kisses her nose. 

Just in case, he kisses the corner of her mouth, because that is all he dares to do. 

*

The oncology ward is as quiet as a graveyard as he sneaks in at night, ready to flash his badge if anyone wants to stop him. No one does. His shoes squeak on the linoleum floor as he makes his way to Scully’s room, the only sign of life. He peeks inside the room and his eyes need a few seconds to get used to the darkness. There she is. The light of his life. His Scully. She’s fast asleep, curled into herself. He marvels at how peaceful she looks while the cells inside her body are raging a deathly war. The house always wins, he thinks bitterly. 

He touches her hair and gently brushes it away from her face, not wanting a stray strand to wake her up. His knees buckle and he sinks to the floor, as if ready to pray. His hand is on hers and it’s warm and soft. So soft. His tears fall silently as he forbids himself to make a sound. He puts his cheek on her hand, and lets himself calm down while she slumbers on unaware.

“I want to grow old with you,” he whispers against her skin. He kisses one knuckle, then another, and another. He kisses every single one of them. With each kiss, he makes a promise. This is not how it ends. You will win this. I will love you as long as I breathe. I will be there for you, always.

“Just in case, Scully. One day we’ll get it right.” 

She doesn’t wake and he leaves her side, convinced he’s leaving a part of his soul right there with her. Much, much later, she tells him she’s in remission and it’s the best news he could have heard. She grabs his face, staring into his eyes, and her face is blurry before him through the tears. 

“Go home,” she says wih a smile. “And get some sleep. You look worse than I do.” They both laugh as if they’ve just heard the greatest joke in the world. 

“I don’t want to leave you,” he says once he’s found his voice again. 

“Mulder, I’m not going anyway. My family is coming over, too. I won’t be alone. Just- go take a shower, eat something.”

“Always the doctor, huh?”

“Someone has to be.” 

“Okay, fine,” he relents. “But I’ll be back.” His terrible Schwarzenegger impersonation makes her laugh again and what more could he ask for? 

“One more thing, Mulder, before you leave.” Her hands are back on his face and she tugs him down to her level. “Just in case,” she whispers against his lips.

[hydrangeapartridge]

Title: Mind Body and Soul - Chapter 6

Pairing: Mage!Shinsou x reader

Link to AO3 here

Summary: Once upon a time there was you: a nobody, a refugee from a country devastated by Dabi’s undead army, serving as a maid in king Todoroki’s castle. There, fate decided you would cross path with the mysterious and dreaded court mage Hitoshi Shinsou. Little did you know that particular encounter would change your life forever.

Rating: M

Tagged people <3 (tell me if you want to be added): @maple-syrup-with-strawbewwies @moonlitmoonpie @obeythehuman

Chapter 6: The Spirit (under the cut!) - (link to chapter 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5)

A few weeks passed and the fire incident was forgotten. Shinsou had his burnt desk and shelves replaced. You kept busy with your studies, and soon were allowed to train with the spirits of air, earth, and fire (but only under strict supervision for the latter). You also started reading a few treaties about healing magic, only to realise you would first need to master anatomy and semiology. To treat a disease, one should first know how to recognise it. The road ahead of you would be long to become a proper healer. So for now, you took it slow, keeping the medicine themed books as bedtime readings, and focusing during the day on the other wide areas of magic.

Despite racking your brain with the question every time you had a chance to, you still had no clue what Shinsou’s spirit of affinity could be. The man was simply so skilled at anything he did (except healing magic, like he kept repeating), that you didn’t see how you could spot his best area of expertise. You once joked that he had a particular affinity with book spirits, only to be seriously reminded that those spirits don’t actually exist.

You were pondering the enigma that was your teacher while climbing the numerous stairs of his tower. You unconsciously rubbed your arms to warm yourself up and alleviate the goosebumps raising on your exposed skin. Winter slowly turned to spring and you had opted to wear a short sleeved dress today, on Monoma’s advice. But maybe it was too early to dress so lightly, especially when travelling the more desolated and unheated areas of the castle.

Once atop the stairs, you hastily entered Shinsou’s office, where the temperature was thankfully a bit higher. There, you found your master kneeling, his back to you, white chalk in hand, busy drawing strange patterns on the floor.

“Are those … runes?” You asked.

You read about runic magic, but only superficially, as part of your learnings of what magic could do and what forms it could take. It was far too advanced for you to tackle with your current knowledge.

“Correct. And can you tell me what do we use runes for?” Shinsou of course took your curiosity as an opportunity to turn the situation into a lesson. You grew to appreciate these impromptu lectures more than the planned ones, and decided that you enjoyed his way of teaching. You never had another magic teacher of course, nor did he have a student before, but you were satisfied to find that you both enjoyed your interactions. You were positive that you wouldn’t have wanted to learn magic any other way.

“Runes channel the energy needed for spells. Acting like instructions or sometimes triggers for activation. Using runes allows one to summon more complex spirits, or to prepare spells ahead of time for traps or to protect a defined area. They can also be used to enchant objects or even contact spirits and beings of the Otherworld….” Your voice grew quieter at that last part. You hadn’t forgotten the encounter with the Djinn. The memory sent a shiver of dread down your spine, your instinct telling you that if Shinsou summoned one once, he would be likely to do it again. And him doing it right now was a possibility.

“Yes, excellent” Shinsou praised your knowledge. He quickly glanced at you, interrupting his work to assess you. He frowned slightly at your stiff posture. “Do not worry, I am not summoning another Djinn” Ever so perceptive, he reassured upon seeing your obvious distress. “This circle is designed to allow us to converse with the spirit I’m looking for during a short period of time only. I’m definitely not materializing it in our plane of existence”

His words made you relax instantly. You let out a short sigh before letting your curiosity take over again. “What spirit are you summoning?”

“A spirit of curiosity” Shinsou humoured you as he returned to his complex drawing. “They can give good insight. My master often conversed with them. He enjoyed their company”

You knew from your readings that spirits that embodied certain emotions or complex feelings could be found in the Otherworld. They fed on the emotions coming from other planes of existence, like yours. Some were more dangerous than others; the book had especially warned its readers about the spirits of wrath and that of lust, which should be avoided.

Shinsou soon stood up, dusting his hands free of the white chalk and then turning to you. “Before we begin, you have to know that this is very advanced magic. Not something you should try by yourself anytime soon.” The bland yet serious stare he gave you made you self conscious. You couldn’t help but look down to your feet. He hadn’t forgotten about the fire you started in this very same room. Neither did you, but you had learnt your lesson, and since then, had behaved.

“I get it. I don’t get to experiment by myself like you do. I remember how it went last time…” You sighed.

The rustle of Shinsou’s robes made you look up. He had stepped closer to you, his features softened with empathy. “I do not mean to scold you or to deter your motivation” He clarified. “I simply wish to warn you about the dangers that some forms of magic can present”

You nodded your head. From the beginning of your training, Shinsou made a point to repeatedly warn you of every danger you could face while learning the subtle, powerful but risky art of magic. He often told you about mage apprentices finding their gruesome end during an experiment gone wrong. He insisted mages should stay humble before the mysteries and forces of the world, and should never let the power they were gifted blind them, less that power consume them. It was clear that Shinsou only wanted to protect you from harm, but sometimes it was still a little bit annoying. You weren’t an irresponsible child, and you wished he wouldn’t treat you like one.

“I saw the danger coming from the first being of the Otherworld I encountered very clearly” You retorted, thinking back to the Djinn again.

“That one was particularly menacing” Shinsou agreed, not commenting on your bitter tone. “But other spirits can be more insidiously threatening. For example the one your are about to see shouldn’t be contacted without being prepared. Whether it be using protective runes, spells or artefacts.” He pointed to a particular set of runes he traced around the summoning circle. “This sigil is a barrier. The spirit won’t be able to leave the circle, and won’t be able to tamper with the spirits of our plane. Including our own spirits”

“What do you mean our ���own spirits’?” You inquired, and Shinsou smirked at how your voice lost its biting tone, replaced by curiosity.

“Beings of the Otherworld are very powerful spirits. Conversing with them even though possible for mages still remains rather unnatural. The body, the soul and the mind of an untrained human, even wielding magic are unprepared to deal with a spirit’s marvellous’ presence. One could go mad from it. Some mages spent hours admiring spirits or so engrossed in their conversations with them that they let themselves starve to death, forgetting their own body’s needs”

Your eyes widened and you gulped at yet another horrible fate suffered by fellow mages. You had to wonder how could something as marvellous and fantastic as magic be so scary and dangerous. Magic was two sided it seemed; sometimes beautiful, sometimes cruel. Sometimes warm and bright, sometimes cold and dangerous. Not unlike a certain court mage, you thought.

“That doesn’t really make me want to learn to speak with those beings” You finally commented, crossing your arms protectively over your chest. You sighed, frustrated at the complexity of the art you were eager to discover, but somewhat forced to pursue. “Everytime I feel like I’m progressing, I learn that there is a new kind of tricky spell or ritual that is extremely difficult to master, and I realize how dangerous all of this is, and how impossible it will be for me to become a decent mage before I’m all wrinkles and achy joints….”

Shinsou tried to hide a snorting little laugh by coughing in his hand. His reaction slightly lifted up your spirit, and so did his next words.

“You are being too hard on yourself” Shinsou softly said, stepping even closer to you, until you caught a waft of the fresh flowery scent that was clearly his. “Your progress is impressive. You learnt in a few months what represents a couple years of training of a younger apprentice”

You felt your cheeks heat up under the praise, and your eyes found your boots again. Yet, Shinsou continued. “Your situation is different than that of scholars like myself. You do not have to learn every spell or every ritual to become a talented healer”

You felt his fingers graze a stray strand of hair that fell in front of your eyes. He carefully tucked it behind your ear while you looked up, frozen, yet burning up under his delicate touch. Shinsou’s deep violet eyes were on you; unreadable but intense. You suddenly felt very shy and self conscious under his unwavering attention. You inhaled shakily, struggling to hold his gaze, itching to look down to his lips when his knuckles brushed your cheek as he stepped back, finally releasing you from the spell he had you under.

He cleared his throat, putting some more distance between the two of you. “It is the endeavour of mages who focus on research like me to dedicate their lives to learning every spell in the book and research new forms of magic. You on the other hand, should simply go with what feels right”

He graced you with a small smile that reassured you just as much as it made your heart beat faster in your chest. “Are you saying I’m not a complete disaster of a student?” You teased, trying to ease the tension you felt growing between the two of you while also admittedly fishing for more praise. It just felt to good to be acknowledged.

Shinsou blinked, surprise painting his delicate features. “I never said you were” He retorted, expression open and honest.

Despite his declaration, you couldn’t help but feel insecure about the subject. “Well I did set your office on fire…” You nervously bit your lower lip before asking “Yet you don’t regret taking me on as an apprentice?” You asked.

It was only fair that he would feel that way. After all, he had to save you from a monster and vowed to protect you, a total stranger. He then took it upon himself to face the consequences of his actions by taking you as an apprentice, to make sure you no further harm would come your way. He dedicated a large part of his precious studying time to teaching you, and had to suffer your whims.

Shinsou frowned “Were you under the impression that I did?”

He sounded ticked off, and you flushed, unprepared for him to throw the question back at you.

“You always do that!” You accused, getting frustrated.

“Do what?” He asked, seemingly clueless.

You clicked your tongue, waving your hands in annoyance. “You avoid answering my questions and ask another one instead. You always do that.” You accused.

His frown deepened, and for a second he was at a loss for words, caught red-handed into his shady habits. The silence fell heavy between the two of you, and you started regretting bringing up that subject.

“I do not regret taking you as my apprentice” Shinsou finally graced you with an answer. His tone was factual, when you expected it to be acidic. “Now, can I proceed with the summoning?” He asked, like your opinion on the matter would really make a difference in what he would do.

Upon your silence, Shinsou resumed his work, lighting the candles symmetrically placed at the edge of the summoning circle with a wave of his hand.

“Why are you summoning a spirit of curiosity?” Even if you weren’t satisfied with how the previous conversation went, you couldn’t resist asking questions just a few seconds later, arms still crossed over your chest.

“A good question. Maybe I shouldn’t need to given I have one right here beside me” Shinsou teased you, a devilishly handsome smirk on his lips.

There was no bite to his reply, and yet you grimaced, feeling your cheeks heat up. That was clearly payback for putting him on the spot earlier.

He chuckled, and that sound shouldn’t sent butterflies flying in your belly “At ease my curious apprentice. I’m just teasing. I already told you curiosity is a healthy quality for a mage” Shinsou’s smooth voice soothed your raised hackles before you could lash out at him. You hated how he made your blood boil.

He focused back on the circle, his back to you. His shoulders looked tense. “I intended to ask the spirits a few questions” He finally graced you with an answer to your initial question. “But now that you’re here this session will better serve as a lesson for you”

His phrasing had you wonder if there were things he wanted to ask the spirit that he didn’t want you to hear. But you kept that thought to yourself. Once he was done with the many candles, Shinsou placed an hourglass in a smaller simple circle contiguous to the larger and more complex circle of runes and sigils.

He turned to you, explaining its purpose “A time limit. To be sure we don’t get carried away”

That was a lot of preparation for a short interview with the spirit. As the beginning of the ritual edged closer, you grew nervous. The last one you witnessed had been unexpected and scary. Curiosity didn’t sound like it could be a dangerous spirits, but you still felt wary of this particular type of magic.

“You spoke about protection. As a more inexperienced mage, do I need to do something in particular?” You trusted your cautious master wouldn’t have forgotten to tell you about such an important detail, but still, you needed to ask, to calm your rising nerves.

Shinsou’s amethyst gaze bore into yours. “No need to worry. You are under my protection” He told you, steadily but confidently. Your heart fluttered and your stomach churned. Inside that ritual circle weeks ago, he vowed to protect you. Words were binding. That promise hadn’t been an empty way to prevent an evil spirit from eating your soul, that you now knew. Still, you didn’t know whether to feel flattered or annoyed at Shinsou’s cockiness. Wasn’t he a bit full of himself, thinking himself so powerful that he could save you from the many threats he kept warning you about?

Before you, Shinsou took a deep breath. At the flick of his wrist, the circle started glowing and the hourglass turned around by itself, the sand slowly spilling from the upper part to the lower part. Shinsou started chanting psalmodies in latin; the meaning of the incantation completely lost on you.

Soon, before your bewildered gaze, the spirit manifested. Its form was like smoke; immaterial and ethereal, glowing golden and oh so very beautiful. You had never seen such a pretty face, though not truly feminine nor masculine, it was impossibly alluring. So was its body, undulating in a mesmerizing, otherworldly dance. You were captivated, and at loss for words, unable to look away from the magical apparition. But to your chagrin, the spirit’s attention wasn’t drawn to you.

“My my, if it isn’t little Hitoshi” The spirit’s voice was all honeyed sweetness and bubbly laughter. Music to the ears. In the wonder of this new experience, you still noted that they were addressing Shinsou by his first name.

The spirit’s attention turned to you, and you felt your skin tingle under their alluring gaze. “And who is this with you?” They asked, a playful lilt to their voice. They were without a doubt the embodiment of curiosity.

“This is my apprentice” Shinsou eyed you expectantly and you introduced yourself to the spirit, deeming it safe to give it your name.

It wasn’t enough however to satisfy their curiosity. They hummed and danced in the invocation circle, unable to hold still, yet their attention remained completely focused on you. You could see why one could get lost in watching something like them for hours. They were mesmerizing; addictive. You felt as if their eyes could see through your very soul. You felt pulled towards them, unconsciously leaning over the circle, almost crossing it. Until something pulled you back. Like a string attached to your very core, a clarity washed over your mind, and you regained some control over yourself. Your eyes left the Spirit’s form, searching for something that was calling to you. Then you met Shinsou’s eyes. He was a reassuring presence by your side, reminding you of where you were; grounding you, anchoring you to reality. Just like his hand ontop of yours did.

“Hmm, and I see you are linked together rather tightly..” The spirit chuckled, the sound akin to a bell chiming. “How cute Hitoshi. I would really like to hear the story behind that”

Shinsou redirected their attention to him before you spent the whole time you were allowed answering the spirit’s questions and not the contrary. “That is not something we wish to discuss” The mage set a clear boundary, and the spirit didn’t seem offended by it.

“A shame… I hope you will tell me about it some other time then, Hitoshi” They commented, their eyes now fully focused on Shinsou. You felt an inexplicable wave of something dark like envy fill you when Shinsou’s first name rolled off the spirit’s tongue again. You tried your best to push away that feeling, and your fingers unconsciously clenched under Shinsou’s longer ones.

“You will answer my questions now” Shinsou all but ordered. His voice was firm and clear as he spoke, that weird echo you sometimes thought you caught resonating in your ears, making you feel the need to listen to him too. For a man so recluse; for someone some may call a hermit, he could really prove to be extremely charismatic.

“Let me guess. You want to know how to handle the ‘thing’ we talked about last time?” Again, the spirit only smiled at his brute request, amused and unbothered. “Your answer lies just before your eyes”

The Spirit glanced at you then, so briefly that you wondered if you had imagined it, before they focused back on Shinsou.

“Please, refrain from speaking in riddles” Shinsou’s deep voice was almost pleading, the annoyance clear in his tone.

The spirit smirked, an enticing but frightening sight. “By blood the curse was created and by that same blood only can it be undone” They offered.

You were completely lost in this mysterious conversation, but by your side, Shinsou clearly wasn’t. His eyes widened and he leant forward, his fingers tightly gripping yours “How?”

Licking their lips, the spirit chuckled, their gaze falling on the hourglass beside them. “I’m afraid your time is almost up little Hitoshi….”

In a wink, the candles blew out, and the spirit faded away.

You had to blink a few times to chase the imprint of their golden presence behind your eyelids. Kneeling beside the summoning circle, you felt extremely fatigued, your eyes prickling like after reading for too long. A headache was pounding in your temples. But despite those side effects, you couldn’t help but smile. That encounter had been a truly incredible experience. Weren’t you so tired, you would feel hungry for more.

“I understand why your master enjoyed that spirit’s company so much. They were quite a sight to behold” You marvelled while Shinsou released your hand and got to work cleaning up the remains of the ritual.

The court mage ran a tired hand through his hair. “My master wasn’t as wise as he should have been in that area. When dealing with spirits, one shouldn’t let their body or their soul rule over their mind.”

You wondered what his master did with that spirit. Given the spirit’s appealing appearance, your treacherous mind conjured the most excentric and indecent possibilities. With warm cheeks, you quickly shook your head as if to chase those thoughts.

“So I take it you don’t make it a habit to contact spirits as much as he did?” You inquired, hoping that your teacher didn’t inherit his master’s shortcomings.

“I don’t” Shinsou answered truthfully. “I am not very fond of human contact either, but I still prefer it to that of spirits. Keeping a connection with humans, mages or non mages, helps one stay grounded. It is too easy to lose oneself in the fantasies of the Otherworld”

He eyed you with an intensity that made you feel self-conscious. He was barely older than you, and yet, he sounded so wise already. You felt childish compared to him. Even if you weren’t sure he really followed his own advice, given how little he interacted with the other inhabitants of the castle.

You got up and dusted your skirt, pondering a few stray thoughts while Shinsou finished cleaning the mess the ritual made.

“Your master; was he-” You started when he finally got up, hesitant under now undivided attention. “Did he really curse the Queen?” You quietly asked.

Shinsou inhaled sharply. “I-” He stopped and shook his head, looking down to his feet, shoulders slouched, so far from the confident pose he displayed in front of the spirit. “Honestly I don’t know. I wasn’t there when it happened, and I had no opportunity to speak with him before the King-”

He cleared his throat and dragged a shaky breath as he straightened up, trying to regain his composure. “Before he was executed for his crimes”

“But I do know he sometimes experimented with darker types of magic”

He was looking away from you, in the opposite direction, where stood that door with runes that you never thought about again since he took you as an apprentice. You assumed it was an experiment room, but you never saw him enter or exit it. Another thing you had to remember to ask about later.

“The type of magic that could be found in the book you refused to buy from that lady in the market?”

Upon hearing those words Shinsou’s attention immediately fell back onto you. There was that mysterious glint into his gaze again; the one that left you both intimidated and enticed.

“Indeed” He didn’t try to deny it as he walked up to stand in front of you. “What a perceptive apprentice I have” He commented with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

You wondered why you never asked him why he didn’t confiscate the item. It crossed your mind multiple times, you were sure but you kept forgetting to voice it out. It was unlike you. But somehow the timing to ask was always bad.

You startled when Shinsou’s cold fingers gently pushed a stray lock of hair behind your ear. “Are you wondering why I didn’t confiscate it?” You gulped, throat suddenly very dry. Shinsou who usually avoided your questions was now asking them for you. It didn’t feel right. Your heart pounded in your chest in a very different way than it did when Shinsou made the same gesture with your hair earlier. You felt frozen on the spot, you couldn’t look away from him. A strange sense of déjà-vu was making you dizzy. You were sure you never asked about that before. Well, almost sure. “With how clever you are it never occurred to you that I probably reported her to the guards?”

In his tone there was something like annoyance. Was he upset that you didn’t trust him? That you implied that he delved into ark magic without frankly asking? Or did he wish you kept your nose out of his researches?

You shook your head, slightly ashamed, but unable to look away from his deep violet eyes. You shouldn’t doubt him like you did. And yet for some reason, you had trouble believing him. Shinsou’s knuckles brushed against your cheek. There was an uncomfortable tingling running under your skin that you couldn’t explain. His gaze left yours to look lower; maybe to your lips, or to your heaving chest. That’s when you succeeded in gathering your scrambled thoughts. That's when you realized he didn’t clearly stated that he reported that lady. Somehow you felt like you knew she was still in activity.

His gaze found yours again and you couldn’t bring yourself to confront him about it.

About what again…?

Shinsou’s opened palm was now cradling your cheek, his thumb stroking your flushed skin. There was hesitation in his eyes, and something sad too, like regret, or restraint.

You had completely lost track of the conversation you were having. Something about the Queen?

Shinsou watched you with something like pity in his eyes as you tried to form a coherent sentence with your scattered thoughts. The interview with the spirit had left you impossibly exhausted, so much so that you struggled to just speak. There was something you wanted to say about runes, and something to do with blood. But you simply couldn’t remember what.

Shinsou’s touch and smile were sympathetic “Don’t overdo it’ He gently told you, his soothing touch now on your forehead. His hand was cold, but there was a burning under your skin. Instead of breathless, you just felt weird.

“It’s getting late” He said, voice impossibly low. His words echoed inside you like a trigger.

It was still the middle of the afternoon, yet you agreed with him.

“It’s getting late. I shouldn’t over do it” You finally found your words.

Your teacher nodded and stepped away from you with one last caress to your cheek. “Good girl” He praised, and it didn’t raise your hackles like it should. You were too focused on leaving to realize what was happening.

What just happened again?

[cosmiccannibalcamille]

YOUR 2024 Virgo New Moon Horoscope

 Summer is almost over (boo!) but we have one last go at a new summer beginning: On Sept. 2, at 9:56 p.m. EST, we have our last new moon of summer, and this one takes place in orderly, organized earth sign Virgo. 

     If you haven’t heard through the astrology grapevine (i.e.: read this article about new and full moons), new moons are opportune days for initiating new projects, calling in new opportunities and hitting the refresh button. Each new moon carries with it a set of themes, and the themes of the 2024 Virgo new moon center on order, efficiency and clarity of purpose. All of which might be somewhat of a challenge around Sept. 2. Why? Well…

     Jupiter in Gemini is (loosely) squaring this new moon, while Saturn Rx in Pisces (loosely) opposes it. Which basically means this new moon is as tense, as it is opportunity-laden and critical-yet-constructive. In other words: it’s a mixed bag; it can go one of two, three, or four ways. (We should expect no less from this new moon, especially since its top transits involve three double-bodied signs like Virgo, Gemini, and Pisces.)

     This new moon’s ruler, Mercury (which, coincidentally, also rules both Mars & Jupiter in Gemini) is currently moving away from a hella confusing, dramatic, and existential crisis-causing retrograde. So, things are straightening out. Moving forward. Kind of.

     Mercury is still in its post-retrograde shadow, which is akin to car sputtering back to life and trying to drive as if it didn’t just almost blow up at the last three stop lights. (Or maybe that’s just my car?) Then, Mars in Gemini is moving towards a tense, confusing square to Neptune Retrograde in Pisces. Yes, Mars gives you the mental energy you need to think about what you want to achieve, but its head butt with Neptune Rx could make you feel like you’ve dropped acid. And not in a good way—more like a WTF-is-going-on-and-where-am-I-going? kind of way. But sometimes confusion can be helpful, right?

     How can you draw in some order in life to make your day-to-day grind more efficient and productive? How can you clarify your goals so that they align with your higher purpose? What have you been trying to grow this year? How can you be more disciplined about showing up for it? These are some of the questions to consider for the 2024 Virgo new moon. (Psst. Check out this post on intention-setting for an in-depth look at the new moon in each of the houses.)

GET YOUR NEW MOON HOROSCOPE on The Cosmic Almanac:

[dballzposting]

What Yajirobe does all day up there in Korin's tower is one of the biggest mysteries in dragon ball and so that's why I'm glad that in DBS they showed us that they play limbo

Korin definitely has found ways to pass the time because he's lived there for thousands of years probably and I'm not really curious about what he's up to. He's doing Korin things. Mind your business

When I was watching dragom ball I remember loving so much what I was seeing with those two but I was never able to really put into words what I was seeing .. I'm going to try but I'm going to miss a lot so please use your own heart and memory skillz to rember how awesome dragom ball was okkkk.. ❤

Why did that beautiful user draw him licking that damn cat. That was so (as one blessed user wrote in the tags:) Evocative.

I've since found out that TeamFourStar had some... interesting takes when portraying those two so I suppose that the madness of intimacy between them is not a new thing to many people... but it was NEWS TO ME so let me throw my hat in the ring a minute ...

I definitely don't think that they become how TFS did it and I definitely don't think that they settle like an old married couple.

But does he lick that cat?

Loose collection of extensive thoughts (6500 WORDS) about Yajirobe and Korin:

Master Korin is an old hermit. Like any old wise hermit, he's a crazy bitch. Hes got his idiosyncrasies. But by-and-by he can hold his own and is much more balanced and stable than some other hermits out there.

Before Goku, the last person he had up there was Roshi, like... 800 years ago? I think that was the number.

Hes been up there for probably Thousands of years. Being a hermit.

WHAT'S HE DO? He stands around. He watches Earth. He naps. He grooms. He meditates. He stays sharp. He reads little books probably (fun books). Probably has a flowerbed he waters. Makes little origami figures maybe. Weird sculptures. One pebble at a time.

Doesn't really matter.

Hes a sensible fellow. He's got good advice and he's got astute eyes. I think that when Roshi was up there for three years, he got comfortable enough to start pulling out the nudie mags (back then they weren't magazines but drawings). And Master Korin would BOP him on the head with his stick - telling him that he will never be a great warrior with a distracted mind, that he will never have a pure heart if he continues on like this-!

Korin wont allow filth like that up there. Classy depictions are one thing but lewd obsessions are another. And he tells Roshi to throw the drawings away. And well Roshi doesn't. He just hides them.

And eventually we absolutely get to the point where Korin will look at them too. Yes yes very nice. Woah. WOAH. Hand me that one there. WOAH! Eloquent handiwork here. Impressive. Nice. Very nice.

And then Korin hits him on the head and tells him again to dispose of them.

Korin wont allow that filth up there except he totally will and does. It's more than that "he doesnt give a shit" - hes a wise old hermit and he knows better than to try to control the flow of life. So he has a lot of grace when it comes to accepting events and other people's natures. When Roshi first arrived, he wouldn't tolerate it because Roshi was there to train and could still be saved. But after a while it became clear that Roshi was going to keep looking at those sexy drawings, and Korin isn't interested in the unrest of endless animosity. He says his two-cents and he will keep saying it but he cannot afford to keep getting angry. He cannot afford to lose his composure every time. This is just the way it is. And he bops Roshi on the head with his stick about it. And he isn't surprised when Roshi keeps pulling the drawings out again.

He sighs about it and shakes his head and mutters. He still cares enough to do that. He isn't a zen buddhist about it or anything. He isn't too fatalistic. He does work towards a better world.

About that better world ... He will work towards it, but he also is perceptive enough to know when to give up. For example, he admitted after Goku defeated Piccolo that he didn't really think that Goku could have really done that. He let Goku try because ... That's Goku's will, and because, well, it's a nice thought, isn't it? But if Goku had died, Korin would not have been surprised. He was willing to accept the inevitable.

But he didn't admit that until after. During, he cared enough to go against the odds and to aid the cause of good. Korin is a wise old hermit who knows how to read the tide but he DOES play a team - the side of virtue, unequivocally. Hes got opinions.

Korin doesn't just let any bastard up there and and he absolutely has standards. Hes a little bit snarky or feisty because hes an OLD CAT! But hes also pretty reasonable. And he can be nice enough.

When Yajirobe first showed up there, Korin was accommodating. And he was even impressed by his strength.

And later he tried to offer him tea. Becasue that's what you do when you have company.

And we see them talk a few times in filler shots. And they're both chill about it.

OK wait there was one scene that was so funny where Korin was telling Goku about how one has to be pure of heart in order to go see Kami-Sama. And how Goku fit those qualifications perfectly. UNLIKE YAJIROBE

^ he just went out of his way to YELL at him like this ... CHECK OUT HIS FANGS. ME-OWCH!

That's Korin. He's got quick eyes. He knew to yell at Yajirobe. He knew that Yajirobe deserved it

Yajirobe was only there because he had to bring Goku up there (twice). Okay sidebar

YAJIROBE:

He shows up in the story when it has taken an abysmal turn. A nosedive toward devastation. And we're following Goku who has snapped out of shape from circumstance. And we're watching him navigate this. And navigate he does becasue he is still alive. And it's bizarre, becasue we're seeing something that usually isn't in stories; usually stories are what is dramatically satisfying, stories have direction. But at this point in the narrative, Goku is just ... alive. He almost died. Hes starving and trying to do something about it, lest wait for death. Krillin is still dead. What's to be done, but to....do. it's.....peaceful, in a harrowing way. Unobserved. And then Enter Yajirobe. Hes not a diamond in the rough necessarily, but we are definitely digging around in the rough, or you could even say we're in the shitter at this point- and hes no diamond, but he's more than dirt. He's a shard of obsidian in the rough, maybe. Hes something. And we find him and we're still in the rough.

To elaborate further: this little dip in the story speaks of survival and persistence. Bear with me. When it comes to Yajirobe and Goku's character, there is between them an interesting tango of physical health VS higher moral spirit. First, because this part of the story is a flagging physical existence underscoring an absence of higher hope, we meet the hedonistic, physically adroit, and survival-minded Yajirobe to attend to that necessary foundation. This is a virtue that Yajirobe offers our hero now, and later on too as their characters progress through difference scenes (more on that later). This simple Yajirobe contrasts with the pure-hearted Goku who struggles to retain his character in the overwhelming mess of his enraged and wounded spirit, but through this Goku must also find a way to persist (this isn't resolved until Mr Popo beats that attitude out of him). So Yajirobe's character first teaches of treating the most basic realm (physical survival which extends into persistence of being), and then highlights through contrast the extent of our hero's honor and prowess (which, you could take as a direct contrast, or you could take as a comparison, saying that emotional/spiritual expression and sustenance is just as key for survival as saving your skin is; persistence of being is resilience of character). Yajirobe's debut being at this miserable point in the story is what creates his character for us - the shining obsidian in the rough. He's a survivor.

He is able to keep up with Goku. He swims as fast as he and runs as fast as he. When they fight each other they both remark in their heads that this is one of the strongest guys that they've ever faced (Goku had kicked him with his full strength and Yajirobe stood back up all the same...!). And he eats Cymbal like it's no big deal, against even Goku's protests.

we receive no indication that Yajirobe has received any formal training. It seems that Yajirobe has acquired his abilities by just .. practice. Out here Livin it. He got that katana from somewhere but he's just out here surviving.

The wikis identify him as the ronin (masterless samurai) archetype, right down to his outfit. This is awesome.

He is truly built different. He's fully human and entirely different. He's selfish but not malignantly. He's oriented toward his own safety, survival, and comfort, and he allocates all of his resources toward these goals, and in this he is effective: he doesn't waste time procrastinating or playing the hero (WITH SOME NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS..!!!!) He's built different and doesn't need or WANT friends. He doesn't want to be bothered. He wants the freedom to be alone. If he wanted to settle down in one area then he would have built a house. But he hasn't, presumably because before long a mailman would find him and connect him to a greater society. So Yajirobe is just out here hunting and sleeping and staying on the move. He's completely happy and self-actualized to do so.

Yajirobe can be lazy and cowardly but still, not quite ... to be cowardly implies you are going against your greater want or virtue. He never intends to be anything but SAFE, so he's not cowardly, just smart and goal-oriented. To be lazy implies that aspects of your life suffer because you don't put any resources toward them - and he never intends to be anything but well-rested and content, so hes not lazy, just comfortable. Furthermore: Yajirobe doesn't put off hard work when it's in his path. He doesn't procrastinate. He really does want to make his life enjoyable, so he doesn't burden himself by half-assing something multiple times. He saves himself the resources and the headache by doing it right the first time. If he has to swim an ocean, he'll do it. If he has to run for miles, he'll do it. If he has to fight a dinosaur until it's dead, he'll do it. He is indeed effective. He doesn't like to waste his own breath, but he is not afraid to use it to max capacity if the results will be worth it. And when he was trying to outrun Goku to earn some damn peace and quiet (and to retain the one-star ball), he was truly willing to run for this, until he found a cart of hay bumping along a lonely road. Then he was like SCORE and took a nap on it and let it move him along for him. It was definitely much more slow then running, but it was comfy, and convenient, and Yajirobe is opportunistic that way. HE WONT WASTE A CHANCE TO SLEEP!

Yajirobe is really good at securing his own survival. In DBS, in the bad future timeline, he survives like a cockroach! He really is just built different. He's a beautiful bastard

Again I want to comment on his appearance in the story ... Even when shit gets crazy and you don't think that you could sink any lower, you could always meet a guy with a katana who is HUGELY skilled when compared to the general populace but you didn't know about him because he didn't want to be found. That is always possible. Anythinf is possible

He does what he must and he takes rests when he can and he defends his own and he hides from the bullshit and he is CONFIDENT in all of this. He doesn't cut corners, and everything he does, he does with conviction. If he shows up late, he's not late - he showed up exactly when he meant to. If he doesn't want to do something, he won't. You could always try to convince him of course and you might succeed with a compelling enough argument or incentive (Ex: he didn't throw the baby Trunks out of the window because he didn't want to invoke Vegeta's ire. Ex: He'll do anything for a Yajirobe Snack in fact that's why he climbed Korin's tower for the first time), and that's all good and fine. He wont act like his mind wasn't changed if it was. Well he may try to fight against it due to an internal conflict of interest but who doesn't hedge a bit at times like that ... Whatever he does or doesn't do, he wont feel shame. He womt feel shame. He wont feel shame.

Yajirobe doesn't know shame. This is key. Well actually more astutely he doesn't know embarrassment. Embarrassment is inherently a social thing, and he just doesn't subscribe to it. He doesn't CARE if he does what's unexpected or rude. He does exactly as he intends to for whatever reason he has. He doesn't care how he fits into a general society! He'd be more angry than embarrassed if you forsake him in a social faux pas context. He doesn't feel that much shame either, but that's not necessarily a social thing, and he can feel it sometimes. If he fails to honor himself adequately he would feel shame, I think, as his one priority is always to protect number 1 (himself). Sometimes that shame may come from losing a fight, or not hiding well enough, or being stupid enough to get involved - and other times, not honoring himself means not acting on the nagging pull in his chest to INTERVENE and DO SOMETHING. I mean, he can handle a lot of life at once - he lives here, and he knows how to earn his keep here, and he has the right to be curious and hover around fights, and he has the right to have opinions about it.

He's always standing around and crossing his arms protectively and responding with animosity .... hes always making snap judgements that are completely true ... he doesn't care who you are or what your name is. You can't talk to him that way.

Yajirobe represents something special to me .... he represents an organism who is successful in being with itself and standing up for itself. Convincingly. I think that that's so beauriful and importsnt ...

Ok anyway.

So Yajirobe ascends Korin's tower becasue Goku is beaten to shit and he tells Yajirobe that theres beans up there and so Yajirobe commits to this tower. And he totally makes it. And when he gets up there Korin is impressed at how Yajirobe climbed the entire tower with Goku on his back.

And then later after Goku defeats Piccolo Daimao for real, Yajirobe carts his ass up there AGAIN and if I recall he just did that out of his own volition. WHY? BECASUE IT WAS A MATTER OF SURVIVAL. He serves those sorts of imperatives.

Yajirobe intervened two other notable times earlier in the story for the sake of Goku's survival: 1.) When he swiped his cadaver from the scene of the first Piccolo Daimao battle and revived him in a river, and 2.) When he tried very very VERY hard to convince Goku to NOT drink that super special water that was most likely poison but would possibly make Goku stronger. The latter example felt less like a character caring about the death of another and more about a debate of greater philosophical importance, like they were discussing the true rules of the world: must one put their life on the line to free their soul, or is it always better to be rational about the preservation of one's physical health? This scene was the culmination of Yajirobe's purpose in the story.

Worth mentioning: When Goku did ascend to Kami's Lookout, we get a scene where Yajirobe is sitting on the railing of Korin's tower and staring up into the sky. He admits that he's looking up because he feels like Goku might fall down at any second, and he wants to be there to catch him if he does.

^That's what I was referring to earlier when I said that Yajirobe offers Goku the much-needed virtue of survival and that there would be "more on that later." Goku is always meeting different characters who teach him different skills or perspectives, and at this late point in the story, you would expect that he meet another wise hermit type who is truly above and beyond. But instead we go backwards and touch base again with the most basic of necessities, and it's applicable in context because Goku's spirit is so wounded and confused by grief that he needs that physical anchor as to not lose himself entirely. He's Goku though and quickly reorients himself and is able to apply that virtue of persistence to all of him, and his argument trumps the unambitious Yajirobe's as the purpose of the story.

Anyway. Back to the point of my post...

As you know, Yajirobe stays in Korin tower for forever and ever. He attends the 23rd Budokai, in DBZ he trains with Kami, he hangs around during the first Vegeta battle, he delivers the Senzu Beans and then stays at Capsule Corp for the remainder of the Android Arch - ETC. But by and by. For the most part. We see him up there in that damn tower with that damn cat eating those damn Senzus!

It's no big mystery by now:

Yajirobe avoids hassle and wants to be comfortable. It's safe up in Korin's Tower. Very removed. Very quiet. There is only one (1) other guy up there and he's not THAT annoying. He mostly just waters the plants and grooms himself out in the open and takes cat naps. And when Yajirobe first sees Korin licking his little furry cat balls out in the open like that, he thinks in his head: "That's disgusting. I would never do that." But then two years up in Korin's Tower later and how do YOU think that Yajirobe is bathing?? :cry laughing emoji:

So ... Why does Master Korin LET him stay? Let's break it down:

As mentioned at the beginning of the post, Korin likes to hang out in a place of agreeable temperament. He won't turn rude for fickle reasons. He likes tea and naps and peace. Yajirobe likes those things too and spends most of his time advocating for those things.

Korin is a Crazy Old Hermit Cat Bitch. Completely insane. He's petty and all of his reasons are fickle but he doesn't think that they are. Like any good old hermit, he has no qualms with YELLING at Yajirobe. He can handle Yajirobe. He probably bites him

Korin is first and foremost an old martial artist hermit. He subscribes to a greater harmony in and with the world. His role, and only role, is to assess those who are worthy. While Goku is at Kami's Lookout and Yajirobe stays behind with Korin, Korin tells Yajirobe that he will never ride Kinto-un. I mean anybody could have ascertained that but it's uniquely Korin's role to tell him that. But Korin doesn't just sit idly by. He wants to instill virtue in the next generation of warriors. He keeps certain secrets and skills away from evil hands, and he does what he can for the side of good. And Yajirobe is some young punk who is clearly worthy in strength to scale that tower twice with Goku on his back in such a short time, but is of a wretchedly bound spirit. And Korin is a mischievous little cat hermit bitch and can't help but to see potential, or even a game when there is one: he's not going to turn down this opportunity to try to turn virtuous this bastard soul, whether subtly or not.

Furthermore: Yajirobe isn't evil. Korin can't bring himself to banish someone who isn't truly evil and who has scaled the tower with his own discipline.

Over time it becomes clear that Yajirobe isn't changing and Korin has to accept him as a person and not as a student, and honestly that's great because Korin is kind of lazy too ... He didn't want to be training this whole time like DAMN. FINALLY he can just CHILL... Yajirobe's virtue is NOT Korin's problem and that's such a relief. And eventually Korin becomes content to just watch Golden Girls DVDs with Yajirobe. Because Korin is a cat who appreciates sleepy time with a warm body.

Korin Can't Kick Him Out if he Wanted To becasue Yajiorbe is just going to Keep Coming Back because the Peace and Solitude is too Tempting and well Who is Korin to Deny Fate its Sick Little Games

And don't think that Korin doesn't mess with Yajiorbe becasue he absolutely does. He'll walk up his back and use him as a ladder. Or he'll put a flagon of ale on his stick and make Yajiorbe try to catch him for it. I truly cannot figure out if Yajirobe would give up when it becomes arduous becasue he doesnt want to waste his energy being mocked, or if he keeps at it becasue He Wants That Ale God Damnit. But wither way it'd be fun for at least 30 minutes.

So. Ummmmmmm.

Back to the thesis. DOES HE LICK THAT CAT?

Well...

I will say that I do think that they both keep a respectful physical distance for a while. Out of courtesy for themselves. Korin is a self-respecting cat hermit who is too wise to be trifled with and who doesn't want anything to mess up his fur. Yajirobe is a self-respecting vagabond who knows that his body is a temple and who won't tolerate arbitrary annoyances done to it.

I will say however that early on we have that scene where Yajirobe was stashing Senzu Benas on his person and Korin saw the lump in his clothes and thought that Yajirobe was hiding a tasty treat. And it's Korin's damn tower and he wants those damn treats so he PUT HIS PAWS ON HIM and TORE HIS CLOTHES OPEN. Very rude. Screenshots below

CHECK OUT HIS CLAWS IN THE SECOND ONE.

Korin is a QUICK read of character (of course he is...!) and after only knowing Yajirobe for a few days he KNEW that if he was stashing anything it was yummy food...! He was so sure of it and he so wanted it for himself that he tore his clothes off for it. He's such a crazy bitch

This is not a good example of them respecting the other's personal space but my sense is that it's becasue this is right at the beginning and the dynamic of Korin being a wise hermit and Yajirobe being an irreverent youth is apparent. Korin can put his paws on him. He can do what he wants. It's his tower. And Yajirobe is just some kid.

But I'm arguing that this dissolves over time. Yajirobe stays over the years and he DOESN'T CHANGE. He MATURES but he doesn't CHANGE. He lives his whole life that way and at some point you have to start taking him seriously, right? And Korin is not keen on blatantly disrespecting people. He's a reasonable guy. He respects others' free will and he respects their decisions.

He'll judge you, but he'll accept you. He won't expect anything from you other than what's wonted for you.

So he and Yajiorbe sleep on opposite sides of the tower because neither really wants to burden themselves with getting too close. They are exactly like diplomatic roommates. They eat meals together, they chat, they argue, but they have none of the obligations of intimacy. They are not responsible for or are interested in the other one's feelings.

And it continues this way for as long as it's due. But you know that Yajiobe is up there for literal years. And that there's not much to do up there but to interact with the only other bloke there.

OK LISTEN: A bit of a sidebar but not really because it is deathly relevant: They've always spoken candidly with each other. Neither of them are ever changing. Korin because he's already so old and this is just who he is and Yajiorbe because he's already perfect. And on DAY ONE they both got a read on the other's character that holds up TO THIS DAY.

PLEASE LISTEN: They both formulated opinions about the other on DAY ONE that never change. They never change becasue they are already dead accurate. Both are living authentically and both are students of nature in their own ways and both are incredibly perceptive for it - Korin KNEW that Yajirobe would never give him anything more than the spoken "-sama" and a courteous physical distance, he KNEW that he would never ride Kinto-un, he KNEW that he was somebody that you need to just YELL AT in order to get through to - and Yajiorbe KNEW that Master Korin was a crazy cat bitch, he KNEW that he was full of mystical shit, he KNEW that he was unreasonable in the way that everybody in the world except Yajirobe is.

No matter what time, no matter how long they've known each other - if you go up to visit it will go the same way. You're standing there talking to Master Korin and having a pleasant chat. Then he thinks to say something to Yajirobe, or to get his attention, or even to summon him or what have you - and he interrupts your perfectly pleasent mild-mannered chat to turn his head and YELL in some direction. Throws his arms back and YELLS. Attaching pic for reference

Just completely goes from sweet-old-grandpa to HARSH-YELLING-THAT-PROBABLY-HURTS-THE-THROAT.

He goes like

"YAJIROBI!"

and says it with an "i" and not an "e" becasue that's how he mispronounces his name in the Japanese dub.

And Yajiorbe obviously doesn't enter the room or anything. You hear banging from the kitchen and Yajirobe yells back

"WHAT?"

And Korin yells back and Yajiorbe yells back and this is how they do it. Yelling back and forth like somebody's sweet old grandparents who completely hate each other.

Let me freestyle something hold on

"GET OUT HERE WE HAVE A GUEST"

"AND WHY'RE YOU SCREAMING AT THEM FOR??"

"I'M SCREAMING AT YOU YOU DIM-WITTED BASTARD. GET OUT HERE SO THAT I CAN STOP"

"YOU COME IN HERE! I'M MAKING DINNER!"

"WELL STEP AWAY FOR A MOMENT AND COME MIND YOUR MANNERS!"

"YOU MIND YOURS AND I'LL MIND MINE! I'M MAKING DINNER!"

"WHAT?"

"I SAID I'M MAKING DINNER!"

"YAJIROBI! GET OUT HERE!"

"YOU DEAF ALREADY?"

"YOU KEEP MAKING ME YELL LIKE THIS AND IT WON'T BE LONG!"

"WHO'D'YOU THINK YOU ARE, BOSSING ME AROUND IN FRONT OF THE GUEST?"

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU UNGRATEFUL FREELOADER!"

"FREELO- I WAS GOING TO SHARE, BUT YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN DINNER!"

"MAKE IT FOR THREE, BECAUSE WE HAVE A GUEST!"

"WHO'S HERE ANYWAY?"

"IT'S GOKU?"

"WHO?"

"GOKU!"

"OH!"

[Sound of clutter and clanging. Enter YAJIROBE carrying a mixing bowl. He is stirring it with a wooden spoon.]

"Hey Goku, long time no see!"

END SCENE.

Anyway.

So That's Yajirobe and Korin. They perfectly read and completely accept the other. Neither modifies his own behavior or hamstrings himself in any way for the sake of coexisting with the other. This is just who they are. And it works out.

For decades.

I want to point out that when their relationship advances to new tiers of depth or intimacy, it must not be thought of in that manner. There are no "tiers" and we are not "advancing." They are both objective and no-nonsense people. As such, the progression of their relationship is by nature without a shred of suspense.

There are no subtle desires that are held onto until deemed appropriate to express; there are no reality-checks that yield results that startle.

They keep their space because they want to. They talk because they want to. They play games becasue they want to. Korin will claw up Yajirobe's back rather than walking up him horizontally (a known ability that he has) when using him as a ladder because he wants to. They sleep in the same space because they want to. They cuddle because they want to.

It's a long time until they cuddle like cats, but pointing it out in any manner that may evoke the word "eventually" is already giving it too much prominence. Understand that it's a gradual thing like all things and does not matter in the slightest.

ARE THEY SELF-AWARE ABOUT THIS? Yes and no.

Yajirobe doesn't care enough to do self-reflection about shit like that. One day he was barely trusted to water the Senzu plants and another day he was touching the cat's toe beans. So what. They still yelled at each other to SHUT UP every day in between. What's changed, and why does it matter? Yajirobe attaches no importance to gestures of intimacy or camaraderie - he just appreciates warmth and comfort. He trusts that cat to cuddle up and take good naps with him. All is well. So what?

Master Korin definitely meditates about the state of the world and is so aware about everything. So he is aware each and every day what is going on between he and Yajirobe. He knows when he settles down to groom that this is the first time in hundreds of years that he has settled into the crook of someone's bent elbow or neck. He knows it. And he doesn't care. Why should he? It's a fact, an event, like all things. It's nice. It's comfortable. Yajirobe can be trusted to respect his boundaries and to interact with his body in a manner that is acceptable and predictable. In the spirit of being sensible, for the cause of engaging with a greater unity - the path of least resistance right now is napping with Yajirobe.

So that's that.

Take a water break my dear ... I'm not done with you yet.

They do respect each other's personal space. But there is a point where Yajirobe picks up that damn cat.

DETAILS ON THE EVENT OF YAJIROBE PICKING UP THAT DAMN CAT:

That cat is a crafty son of a bitch and he can MOVE. His training with Goku was facilitated through Goku trying to catch him.

And Yajirobe isn't keen on grabbing that cat gratuitously. He has definitely taken many passes at him however when they play / "train" / Korin is being a nuisance on purpose and Yajirobe has had enough (like when he was tempting him with that flagon of ale and eventually Yajiorbe DOES capture that cat...)

And if one is in the other's way: Korin will just walk up and over Yajirobe (which Yajirobe HATES), and Yajirobe will either punt the cat out of the way or yell at him to move (both of which Korin HATES. Especially the kicking. It always starts arguments).

But listen. There is a point where picking up that cat becomes the path of least resistance. It will garner the least resentment and spend the least amount of time.

We get to the point where if Yajirobe is standing up at the stove trying to make his own damn dinner and that damn cat is in the way, he'll just. Pick him up and move him.

Like if Korin were blocking the flour cupboard and Yajirobe was trying to make a roux for the max and cheese then he would just. Pick up the cat. And move him somewhere else.

And Korin would be all like RRREEAAAQHQHJ like a cat does, but when he's set down he's fine. It didnt take long. He wasnt held or airborne long. Obviously it's startling to be GRABBED and FORCIBLY RELOCATED but it's over soon enough and hes cool as soon as it's over.

But still. If he didnt want to be picked up, then why did he let it happen? Couldnt he have darted out of the way?

HOW is Yajirobe able to pick up the cat?!:

On some level Korin knows that it's not a big deal. And that it's just Not Worth the energy expenditure to get away. Like how pigeons walk rather than fly away because it takes a lot of energy for lift-off: Korin COULD dart away, but he doesn't care too. He has a reason for blocking the flour cupboard (doing something, just chilling, I don't know) and he's not gonna abandon it so quickly just to prevent Yajirobe's grubby hands from touching his fur. Yajirobe isn't a big deal. Hes been there for years. He doesn't matter. And though it's an affront to be grabbed and moved, it doesn't actually take long, and Korin doesn't have to actually do anything, and he is free to express himself during, so hes not really being inconvenienced much. Deep down he knows this.

Yajirobe has gained some speed and precision during his time here. I suppose this isn't relevant here because it's not like hes trying very hard to grab the cat, but it's worth mentioning. He can be precise. He just grabs the cat. See Yajirobe didn't come here to train but like I've been saying Korin is a bit whimsical and mischievous so he's gotten his hermit due and has sharpened Yajirobe's abilities by little gambits and whatnot.

So yknow we do get to the point where A.) Korin is comfortable/trusting enough to have his guard down (and Yajirobe is not a big deal or difficult to have around) and B.) Yajirobe's movements can be hard to read/catch/predict sometimes.

WHY does he pick up the cat?!:

Yajirobe is no-nonsense and he doesn't like to waste his own time. He relocates the cat, and he does it right the first time. He's not gonna be all like "Move it furball" and then have to keep saying that because Korin moved to a random spot that is still in Yajirobe's way but just in a different way. He knows where he needs the cat and so he puts him there.

This is efficacy in the form of keeping the peace. Yajirobe doesn't care if he disrespects Korin, and when he does he means nothing by it; but if kicking the cat / punting the cat / pushing him away with his foot would cause such a fight, then he won't do it. He doesn't have the time for a fight. He's making mac n cheese.

Worth mentioning that both are probably really bored all of the time. If he doesn't grab that cat often, then this opportunity may be an enticing piece of stimuli.

So yeah he grabs that cat.

Ummm. What else is there to say........I mean I mean FURTHERMORE:

Yajirobe keeps coming back to Korin Tower. He never wanted a friend, and he never asked for a friend, but he has found someone that he becomes very comfortable with. And if Yajirobe is about personal comfort and pleasure and peace - it is very, very nice to have someone who accepts you, will have you, and who is sometimes even happy to see you. That makes relaxing easy. That makes life enjoyable. Of course he keeps coming back.

Master Korin probably appreciates the fact that there is somebody whom he knows consistently over the years. Usually when he meets someone, it's like starting over every time - but he's had years of conversation and memories with Yajirobe that they can both draw on. Korin can tell a joke and know that it'll land, and they probably have inside jokes too. And it's not like Korin has ever had, or has ever expected to have, a roommate who can be sensibly considerate. Yajirobe knows the foods Korin likes and he considers this when he goes hunting and gathering. He knows what'll piss him off and is sometimes inclined to use this knowledge for good, to keep the peace. Yajirobe may be rude, but he really is reasonable - he will do what feels nice and he'll do what needs to be done. And he doesn't mince words either. He says what he means and nothing more.

So.

DOES HE LICK THAT CAT?

Probably ....

Like I don't see why not ....

VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT THAT I FORGOT TO WORK IN:

Do ... you know the madness of isolation? Not only that but isolation with another. Yajirobe and Korin definitely develop their own language. And since they are the only ones there, everything they do is through no one's judgement but their own. And they were already pretty comfortable with the weirdness of the world to begin with. The monotony of isolation absolutely dulls and then erases any conventions for normalcy that you had. AND WHAT WAS THERE TO BEGIN WITH? They were both already completely anti-social. At first Yajirobe wouldn't lick that cat becasue he has self-respect but he's up there so long that he grows so comfortable with Korin that he has jurisdiction over and no qualms with licking that cat. HONESTLY IT'D BE WEIRD IF HE DIDN'T?

It'd be weird if he didn't. It'd be weird if he wore judgement like a hat. It'd be weird if he denied himself anything. He licks that cat.

And the cat lets him.

Korin has just as much self-respect as Yajirobe does. He allows himself life's pleasures. He would enjoy the pleasures of trust and comfort, and he would enjoy being licked.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Korin is a wise old hermit who is a crazy bitch who has found someone who invokes him to yell "SHUT UP" to without a moment's thought for his own elegance of image. Yajirobe treats Korin with the irreverence of a mortal and it has nothing to do with a disrespect for Korin and everything to do with a respect that Yajirobe has for himself. They don't hate each other but they have disliked everything about the other's unchanging nature since day one. They feel the comfort of friendship when around each other and Yajirobe is eternally motivated to climb that tower (or use a hovercar if it can reach that altitude). Honestly Yajirobe probably just stays there becasue it's a hassle to have to climb up it again every time and he knows that that's where he'll end up anyway. Korin is a cat and he likes to be licked. End post

STAY GORGEOUS !!

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

Hello wello,

Please DO SPLAT US IN THE FACE WITH MATHIAS cause he is such a cutie and gentle patotie my gosh I love him as Greencoat, good job Nemo &brain. And I have a question (again lol) do you think that Mathias and Dorothea would have a moon garden type of garden (does it make sense?) for when they would have an impromptu midnight picnic ? I think that this type of garden would highlight Dottie’s pale hair/features and thus further enhance her “morning star” nickname ? And do you think that Dottie would paint/create painted artwork with his scars one of these night where Mathias feels particularly low as a show of affection and appreciation of his being and existence as a whole ? If not/and/or do you think Mathias would do the same with Dottie since painting serves for him to lay down the rawest emotions and deepest part of his souls and he wants to convey that to his lady love ?

Hope you had a good day,

Hello anon

Good Morning, Good Morning Nonnie!! <3

Please, have never fear of bringing question to my inbox, they actually make my day <3 each and everytime! (seriously, nothing makes me happier than chitchat about my cutie patooties, in every possible scenario lol So please, never apologize for sending in ask <3)

Now, first thing first, since it's early morning over here (not even 7 am lol), lemme give you some coffee to enjoy (and it's approved by Agent Cooper, so we know that it's a damn good cup of coffee lolol)

NOW.

ONTO YOUR QUESTION.

(need to give context as to where this moon garden would happen, and by the Gods, the twins' native Andalusia sounds just like the place lolol)

SO.

First of all, the MOON GARDEN idea is SPECTACULAR.

SPECTACULAR.

Like, it makes total sense to me, and I wish I could actually draw backgrounds and landscape becasue dear gods, I would LOVE to illustrate this lovely abode for Mathias and Dorothea.

I can absolutely imagine Mathias knowing HOW MUCH Dorothea loved to spend her days reading in her mother's own hothouse and inner garden, when she was in London, so, because Mathias is just the most considerate man to ever grace this Earth, he would take it upon himself to design and then actually build this Moon Garden for Dorothea.

He would plant lilies and white roses, night blooming jasmines and moonflowers, honeysuckles shrubs and evening primroses, all surrounded by plumeria trees and pomegranate shrubs (Colette obviously suggesting the last one lol) that would just serve as a cover for privacy for them, with small pathways that would allow them to walk around freely when not sitting together to enjoy a midnight picnic, and once done, despite his ABSOLUTE TERROR of fire, he would fill it with lantern of every kind because he KNOWS how much Dorothea loves lanterns and their glittering light.

And Dorothea would love it so much, oh dear Gods, she would be have a hard time articulate or even speak, for a minute or two (like, seriously, my girl would go absolutely gaga for a gift like this).

Mathias would definitely joke about it being the only way to charm and catch the elusive Morning Star lolol (and yes, that is a reference to one of my fave songs from Blackmore's Night lolol)

As for drawing/creating painted artwork with Mathias' scars, I had to give a good thought about it tbh.

Because Dorothea, while artistically inclined in the musical sense, is *absolutely* disastrous when it comes to figurative art, and she would be *terrified* of making Mathias uncomfortable.

She knows how sensitive he is in regards to his scars, how sometimes, as a reflex, he still covers up whenever they are intimate, and her heart breaks each time it happens, because she knows that, while he is not ashamed by her looking at him anymore, his trauma still runs so deep that it's almost a reflex. (and this, I am sad to say, will last for the rest of his life, albeit he actually got better once his children are born. Dorothea tried to guide him through that, reminding him that what appears to be strange and unorthodox to them as adults, children see it and just accept it for what it is).

And Dorothea loves and respect Mathias too much to put him in any situation in which anything connected to his scars might cause him embarassment or emotional paint.

That being said, while this is not something that I see happening IN THE BEGINNING of their relationship (like, for example, at the point in time in which my last writing is set), I do see it happening after they have been together for a few years and especially after being married, because the relationship is deeper, the bond is stronger and the mutual respect and trust is established to the point that yes, Dorothea and Mathias would be comfortable enough with Dorothea trying something like that.

And yes, Mathias would MOST DEFINITELY do the same for her (with a greater degree of success, if I do say so myself lolol sorry Dottie, you are a great violinist and singer, but a poor painter)

And knowing him, he would probably paint a portrait of her as a representation of the Night Sky, with her freckles serving as the twinkling stars that grace those clear Spanish summer nights (which doubles as heartwarming to me, because it's both an homage to her as his Morning Star, and also his safe haven, much like the Night itself is for Mathias, his refuge from the cruel light of the Sun).

SO YEAH.

THERE YOU HAVE IT.

THANK YOU, NONNIE, FOR BRINGING THIS TO ME AND ALLOW ME TO BLABBER ABOUT THEM FIRST THING IN THE MORNING (good gods, the day is going to be great now!! <3)

Now, allow me to go and grab my second cup of coffee for the morning, while I wish you a lovely day ahead of yourself (or a goodnight, depending on the time zone lolol)

THANK YOU AGAIN, NONNIE <3

--Nemo

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Dreamcast - PSYVARIAR 2 The Will to Fabricate

Title: PSYVARIAR 2 The Will to Fabricate / サイヴァリア2 ザ・ウィル・トゥ・ファブリケート

Developer/Publisher: SKONEC / Success Corp.

Release date: 26 February 2004

Catalogue No.: T-9907M

Genre: Shooting

PSYVARIAR 2 The Will to Fabricate is 2004's best offering for Dreamcast shooting fans and is certainly not to be sniffed at. Developed by the Korean company Skonec and released in the arcades by Success, this shooter has got to be one of the most original ones out there alongside Treasure's Ikaruga.

At first glance, Psyvariar 2 looks to be a blatant rip-off of Ikuraga with its flashy camera angles, fast fast-moving backgrounds with multiple layers of clouds but that's where the similarities end. Psyvariar 2 has NO power-ups nor Speed-ups to collect. The only way to power and speed up your craft (robot) is by using the BUZZ system. This is achieved by skimming your craft against the sides of the thousands of oncoming bullets. The more BUZZ chains you can achieve, the more powerful your craft will become. This system doesn't feel so good at first since your craft moves so slow with such a lousy firing rate. But after a little experimenting, I found that if you "shake" your craft from side to side a few times, it will start to roll. Enabling it to fire out bullets at a much faster rate whilst allowing you to move quicker to dodge the enemies' oncoming attacks.

Psyvariar 2 takes place over 6 (even though I can only access 5 for some odd reason) short but action-packed stages. Each stage is as beautiful as the last with each featuring a giant boss at the end that takes no mercy in throwing everything it has at you. Whilst some of the backgrounds could do with a much further draw distance. They make up for it in detail. The first-level boss is a prime example of sheer beauty by the way it fires 5 beams down to the earth resulting in one of the most beautiful (If an explosion can be called beautiful) explosions ever seen in a video game.

The Dreamcast title, Boarder Down, was criticized greatly for its music. Whilst I liked it, it could have been better. Well, being Asian I love the music in Psyvariar 2 with its Eurodance-style tracks (think Cascada's 'Everytime We Touch'). Try to imagine a Marc Snow track mixed with a bit of Euro rave with a tiny bit of Taito's Zuntata Team's music and that would probably be a pretty close comparison to what we have in Psyvariar 2. All in all, great stuff (^v^)

Earlier I wrote that there are 6 stages, but I can only access 5 of them. How the 6th stage is accessed I've yet to find out. I've finished the game with the woman character on ALL level settings including Very Hard but still, there is no 6th stage. If you look at the ranking tables, you'll notice that the top scores all have AREA 6 next to the score. Could this be some hidden level that will be revealed after playing for so long? Or must the game be complete with both characters? If so, you'll be in for a hard time since the male character's game is far more difficult than the woman's. The guy's bomb is next to useless, and his weapon seems to be far weaker than the woman's too. Maybe there's a point to this that I'm missing. All will be revealed once I've read or struggled through the instruction book.

So, is Psyvariar 2 The Will to Fabricate worth getting? In short, YES!! It's far better looking than Border Down. It's far more original than Ikuraga in my opinion but it is quite short. Then again, completing the game with the male character will keep you busy for quite some time. I've only had Psyvariar 2 for two days now but have already played it 8 times while Puyo Puyo Fever has only been on twice. So, it's certainly got that addictiveness to it.

My copy came with this cool Psyvariar 2 dog tag courtesies of Sega Direct. (photo from a discontinued website) I don't have a dog right now but if I did, it'd be cool.

[women-of-malevolent]

All references to women in Part 22 - The Town

Flashback/dream to an argument that Arthur had with John. John says he's sorry for what he said; Arthur backed him up against a wall with Emily, and so John felt attacked and lashed out.

Arthur agrees on one condition: John never mention her (Faroe's) name again. John agrees.

Arthur wakes up hung over. Yellow says, let's go, we need to get up and find Anna. Arthur is confused, what? Yellow says, Anna Stanczyk, remember? Arthur calls Yellow John, which Yellow bristles at, then asks for a refresher about what happened last night.

They argue/discuss their situation and come to a more honest understanding with each other. Yellow asks, what's the truth about Anna Stanczyk? Arthur says, she's still the best chance we have at separating ourselves; still a mutual goal.

I was going to leave Addison the town itself out of this, but you KNOW the word Birth in that first newspaper headline has my attention, given what I already know about the dead sexually exploited child who the town is named after. So I'm just adding it to the Other category, idk if anything will come of the line of inquiry.

In the bar are newspaper clippings about how, in 1873, 60 years ago, that Larson's coal mine claim birthed the town, a mining town, and many miners came for work around the base of Mt. Hoosac. Arthur knows that area; good, they're close to home. Supply lines were established in the town, and Addison was flourishing.

Another article, from 1916. The coal caves ran dry. The Larson mining company closed down. Speculation around the event was high, and the famously reclusive Larson did not comment from his estate.

Other articles mention a college creating an observatory on the mountain.

There's also a hand-drawn map, childlike drawings, with a phrase written down: Day comes when the wind is done...

Day comes when the wind is done holding the dark. A man nearby says, it's a local saying. Someone local carved it into the wall of this place, and no one covered it up.

Arthur/Yellow and the man get to talking. The man is here because of a love of truth, a need to understand.... there's a place on Earth where light doesn't touch, unfathomable depth, nothing but consuming blackness, complete absence of light, light can only be hoped for. Arthur says, Addison? The man says, some call it that, but it has many names; he calls it The Unknowing. Seeking that brought the man here. Arthur says, that seems like an idea, not love or a truth. The man says, it is all of those things. This is a dark place; people who come here by choice stay only to peek into the abyss; those who come by chance find reason to leave.

I fkn love what I'm reading as domestic-despair-as-cosmic-horror vibes here honestly

What about those who live here? The man says, you know what they say about those who gaze into the abyss. Yellow doesn't know what that means, and no one explains it to him 😢 Then the man says, Arthur and Yellow are basically stuck here, maybe they should go to the Larson estate, maybe he can help.

The Larsons are very private people. Shy and the like.

Arthur asks the man, how long has he been here? Ten years? Wasn't he just passing through? The man says, yes, Addison tends to hold on to people until it's done with them. Addison lets you leave when it wants to. He goes on to say that this town was birthed on the graves of countless dead; their bodies are one with the mountain, like mortar, and they watch over us all. He watches those who are not strong enough to leave. Arthur asks, who is he, Addison or Mr. Larson? The man says, yes.

Yellow asks, what's supposed to be in Arthur's bag; Arthur mentions the tooth, among other things.

Yellow describes Addison the town a bit. It sits at the base of a large mountain. There's woods. There's a mine entrance and a cluster of a dozen or so buildings.

Arthur and Yellow discuss Addison the town a bit. Arthur thinks it's strange that the mine dried up so fast. It had been such a boon for the town that it birthed it; but 40 years later, it's closed? Arthur doesn't know, it just seems like not very long. Plus, why was a surveyor here? Why is anyone here? Yellow says, well, Irvine said the town was born from countless dead. Arthur says, he wasn't being literal. Yellow says, why do you think that? Arthur says, it's naive to think there's a mass grave in the mines... well, people do die en masse during mining, but not countless people. Irvine was probably just being artful.

They walk through the woods, then take in the mountain. Yellow is taken aback. He says the mountain seems like it was cut from another world, maybe his world.

They find the surveyor's tent. They find some papers where he talks about how, some of the mine's entrances are marked, others are sealed; but the surveyor opened them back up. He had crates of dynamite in the mine. Why did they close the mine, when there was abundant coal being produced from it?

[squidsandthings]

i give you 7 and 21 ^_^<3

hi vik :D

7: that i nursed in a daydream before finally writing

hmm I guess the closest I have to that would be my sunflower drabble so here's a piece from that

The temptation of oblivion pecks at my soul like birds pecking for seeds in the weeping heads of sunflowers. The want and the will to witness my own rot and decay so that I might see the light before death as the sunflowers do. Witness it as my last breath draws and sink into the earth like a flower picked and petals plucked. My heavy head crumpled into my body as I hold the yellow petals in my hand.  How do sunflowers live? How can they live where I cannot?

sunflower drabble my terrible creation you will never see the light of day besides that one time I read you out to a vc of sleepy tumblr mutuals who wanted a bedtime story

21: that i liked, but had to cut

cut thing from a drabble about my dnd character echo:

We would become each other’s life. And he would be the reason I died.  A corpse outside a tent. A stranger in the night. An owl at twilight sitting with a priest of the moon. A child caught in the liminal spaces between. And I am a lost soul who worshiped those spaces. The last word that ghosted my lips as life left them and he went on without me. A star shining on even when it cannot see its own light. Aelin is what I called them, even after they eventually told me their name. My Aelin. Always on the brink of a death that they could never reach despite their efforts. That wasn’t his name though. That wasn’t the word I spoke as I felt my heart slow to stop. My final plea to a friend. Not the annoying corpse on the road. No. Their name, yes, their name, was Echo. A boy that surely changed my life.

this was when i was still figuring out echo and koray's friendship so it's not accurate anymore but I like it.

ty for the ask <33

ask game

[ranger-kellyn]

tears of the kingdom has made me desperate to revisit my age of calamity fic, if nothing else so i can start working on a aoc timeline telling of totk and AHHH

idea musing below the read more, but endgame/major spoilers for totk

i've been vaguely wondering how i would work in the totk story line into the age of calamity timeline, and honestly??? i think it's going to be fairly easy. at least...leading up to it lol remembering to work in all the characters who are now still alive will be the main challenge lol

i hear a lot of youtubers saying that "zelda was a dragon for 10,000 years" but i'm pretty sure that that it was actually way longer than that. 10k years ago was the last time calamity ganon broke out, when the sheikah created the divine beasts and guardians. the founding of hyrule, when zelda turned, was an "unknown" years prior to that.

at least, that's how i'm working with it. when i am working/thinking about anything regarding breath of the wild, age of calamity, and tears of the kingdom, i am not at all considering any of the other games. to me, this is it's own contained thing within and around these three games. (mostly bc i never played any of the other games so i wouldn't be able to draw from them easily/fluidly) ((and yes i figure things that were similar to other games happened, but not those exactly))

all that to say, in my head, this is the timeline i'm working with: ganondorf, the original One True Evil™, was sealed away in the hopes that one day in the distant future, link will rise to kill him for good. (a good chance i'm wrong on some of the "canon" of what i'm about to say, but i haven't fully explored totk and won't for a while but w/e i'm Workshopping) hyrule castle was constructed atop ganondorf and rauru mostly as a way to safeguard that chamber until link could get there to take care of things. i still haven't worked out why the sky islands exist now, because rauru even makes the comment if you talk to him atop the first area with a view of the temple of time, "though in my day, this was all on the ground".

but on my initial descent into the depths of the castle to get back down to the sealing chamber, that whole area of downward stairs that seemed to just go on forever and ever, that i just...fell through rather than walked and dealt with all the monsters-- i kept that in mind thinking about how long it must have taken link and zelda to get down there. i remember in the initial trailer for the game, they had a huge ass ox and cart, so even though they got rid of that, it all still sets the tone that it took them...a while. to get down there.

i thought about it on my second playthrough that i started last night, and really looking around at the stairs and cave walls, and i just...i really got to thinking a little harder than i needed to about it.

i thought about what it would take to actually seal something like that away. it gets a pass because it's a Magic World, but realistically, good god the work that would take. our world 10,000+ years ago was nothing like it is now. we were still what? mostly hunter-gatherers. google says "pre-pottery neolithic B". so like, the world is constantly changing. the tectonic plates are always in motion. volcanoes erupt and make a whole new top layer of soil and earth. tsunamis regularly wash things completely away. earthquakes...fires...drought.........

like. hyrule has at least one active volcano, glaciers, is near the ocean--

if i played with even a few of our real world...whatever...to hyrule-- that sealing chamber probably would have caved in at some point, or at the very least, the stairwell leading down to it, along with the murals, and all the other tunnels and whatnot, would have to be rebuilt...pretty often, all things considered.

it's something i'm trying not to stress about while writing, but it will. bug me. lol i'll get over it

ANYWAYS

back on track.

thinking through the botw -> totk timeline:

i am going with the idea that like...Calamity Ganon??? didn't. exactly. Actually. exist. like, sure, ganon did plenty of damage and razed the land, but like...it was only...a manifestation of ganondorf. a way of pressing against rauru's aging seal.

the "first" time calamity ganon rose, meeting the sheikah army, the hero and princess-- getting defeated by them? that was all a part of the plan. and by that point...the general population??? completely forgot about what was actually sealed below the castle. that's well into the "nobody is to ever go down there not even the royal family--NOBODY". too steeped in tradition/fear/whatever-- ganondorf has been "forgotten" about. their focus is calamity ganon. which, at the very least, they all know will return again.

the sheikah get "too powerful" (probably reminiscent of the zonai's god-like powers--who at this point are probably nothing more than legend). the banishment happens, they seal away all their tech to appease the hylians, things...go quiet.

then, the events leading up to botw happen. calamity ganon rises again, and i honestly...think it was in the plan to lose. extra 100 years or not. 100 years is a drop in the bucket in the face of thousands. calamity ganon didn't need to win. calamity ganon needed to get the castle to fall into disrepair as a part of the final act.

zelda mentions something about if you talk to her on the way down; since the calamity, the castle fell into disrepair. then the gloom started leaking out from the depths.

ganondorf needed the ground to be shaken up enough to where the castle part of the seal would be broken enough for more of his powers to really be able to seep out into the world.

the giant pig monster of calamity ganon-- still part of the plan. tear up the ground. rip up as many of the devices that were set to contain calamity ganon as possible. (it's at least what i'm generally going with to explain what happened to all the sheikah tech)

SO.

with that in mind, i figure the "totk" events for the age of calamity timeline...happen very similarly. only a few years after the initial CG event. the castle was shaken up enough. the castle seal was broken. the gloom will start leaking.

but now thinking more in age of calamity terms. botw!zelda and aoc!zelda are....in my mind, different zeldas. very much the same in every way, but i think it's more of a "nature vs nurture" situation. their natures are the same, but i think they had different nurtures. botw!zelda was not a fighter. she was not the "take up a weapon" sort. she had different shit going on. aoc!zelda is a fighter. she's the one who figured out how to weaponize the sheikah slate. she's the one who refused to stand by while link and impa did all the heavy lifting in the breach of demise. she had just enough differences in her life that she could at least take that up while still unable to awaken her sealing powers. BUT STILL. at the end of the day, they're both ARE fighters, just in different ways. i'm honestly struggling to figure out if aoc!zelda would have the mental fortitude to take on draconification. i figure the whole 100 years imprisoned with ganon thing really is what helped botw/totk!zelda be able to do that.

so while i work through that, at the very least, on my drive home from work today, while sitting in traffic, i just...I saw the opening of my fic for the age of calamity sequel. all because i thought something along the lines of, "you know...that was an odd question for zelda to ask her father? 'what is below the castle'? why would she question there was even something down there in the first place? why would she ever wonder if anything other than like...a crypt or something was down there?? it seems like a very...pointed...question...a question that gets asked if you saw something you maybe shouldn't have..."

in my age of calamity fic, the endgame pairing for zelda is zelda/impa, so. obviously. impa will be going with them down into the depths as part of the first change. (really want to get back into drawing so i can try to explain the "future" design for impa more-- bc i'm loving what i'm seeing in my head. same hair length but braided, at least one new piercing, some more ink-- girl looks Good)

and knowing that, i've been trying to figure out "is impa staying the present with link and everyone else?? or am i sending her ass to the ancient past, too?? if i do?? how do i??? what do i??? do with her????"

as much as i would love some antics with "yOURE CLEARLY NOT MY WIFE" from impa with all the Shmelda's running around in the present...i don't think that's the route i will go. (i could prove myself wrong later who knows i haven't finished the first fic lmao)

BUT SO. i had an idea to completely change up how i have impa and zelda originally met. instead of them not meeting until their late teens, i had this idea of them being small children, right around the time of the death of zelda's mother. impa and purah are the children to the king and queen's advisors, and zelda had been good friends with them all her childhood. (for my work, impa is a year older than zelda, and purah is about four years older than impa) after the queen's death, little zelda had been inconsolable-- absolutely shut down, not taking, not emoting-- nothing. purah and impa are both desperate to make their friend smile again, so purah decides, "hey!! why don't we sneak you down to the secret tunnels! there's all kinds of cool stuff to look at down there!" and what she MEANS is the like. staff tunnels and whatnot that are all around the castle for staff to move about unseen. the secret escape tunnels-- things like that.

impa...was less keen on the idea, knowing damn well they're sneaking where they shouldn't be-- and teleporting around with the princess??? it's one thing to endanger your sister. it's another to endanger the crowned princess--

purah presses her, and when it's the first time zelda has shown any interest in anything since her mother's passing-- impa caves.

so down they go. impa's powers have always been strong, but they're definitely less graceful at that age. they "poof" around the tunnels, going down to the docks, around the tunnels, sneak somewhere where they can probably find the three of them treats. zelda has fun for the first time in...a long time. so impa doesn't really stop. they keep going, and going, and going...and going...

and eventually.

the three of them realize they're...in a part of the castle they've never seen. they're too young to be able to put into words how it's different, but it's a combination of just how stale the air is. the architecture. the color of the stone in and around everything-- in front of them is a huge slab of text. it's ancient hylian-- something only zelda can read a few words of. but she knows the words she needs to know from it.

she grabs both their hands. "it says stay out," she says with a gulp.

purah squeezes her hand, not bothered. "that just means there's something really cool behind it! c'mon, impa!"

impa hums, putting her hand on the cold slab. "i don't know...that's...really thick...I can't poof unless I have a perfectly clear path...at least, not yet."

purah, curiosity getting the better of her, needles her. childish taunts of her being a big scaredy cat, big cucco, bawcking at her until she's red in the face and is just like "FINE!!" and then smacks her forehead "but i'm stealing your energy to do it!!" in a manner similar to what she would need to do to sap energy for symbol clones.

she then is able to get them on the other side and it's....even more different. they're at that huge stairwell. the air isn't stale it's old. purah is too busy complaining about how much it hurt to have her energy sapped that it's a few seconds before she realizes that impa and zelda are both...terrified.

the endless stairwell shaft that looks like it goes down to the center of the earth-- this is where impa's fear of heights starts.

absolute silence between the three of them as they stand near the edge, zelda having a death grip on the railing.

it's so quiet, the only thing they hear is one another's shallow breathing...their own pulses-- they don't have to even see a trace of ganondorf, the sounds of their own pulses echoing in their ears is more than enough to terrify them.

zelda, tears in her eyes, "we're gonna get in trouble--"

holding back her own, impa grabs both their hands again and gets them the hell out of there, wearing herself completely out by the time they make it back to somewhere they're allowed to be.

impa almost collapses, so they all sit together against the wall of wherever, not saying a word until she's caught her breath.

weakly, impa finally says, "we can never talk about this ever again."

zelda nods.

purah doesn't even tease her a little about it.

and so they never do talk about it...but they all never entirely stop thinking about it. zelda asks one day "what is below the castle" and gets that cryptic answer from her father. she doesn't even dare try to tell impa and purah what he said.

probably around that point as well, i'm going to have the king dismiss his advisors, their presence reminding him too much of the queen. they head back to kakariko or something idk. but zelda won't reconnect with them for a long time, right up to the point where they originally did for my fic (so about 5 years before calamity ganon awakens in the game)

my fic goes how it goes, and then there's relative peace afterwards, like in botw/totk.

the kingdom is rebuilding, a bright future looks to be ahead of them--

then the gloom. the gloom that they quickly realize is coming from the depths of the castle. depths that has zelda concerned. she meets with purah and impa first. [i'll probably have terrako rebuilt by this point too] "do...either of you remember when we were children, and we went too far down in the castle? When we found that...horrible stairwell?"

impa wraps her arms around herself, visibly tensing. "i try not to remember."

purah grimaces. "i unfortunately remember..."

zelda opens her mouth to speak, but the words aren't quite there yet. eventually, "this has to be coming from there..."

and from there, they agree to meet with the others, the king is strongly against her going down there, but is eased by the fact she'll at least have impa, link, and terrako with her.

from there. i think i'm going to send impa back to the past with her. i think i'm going to use a little author liberty, and--

in the past, after zelda has committed herself to draconifciation, mineru pulls impa aside. "impa...there is something i must tell you," she says between coughing fits. "There is another secret stone. one even my brother didn't know about." (she's the older sibling--girl's got secrets i'm sure of it)

so impa learns of a stone, hidden away, deep on an island, off the southeast coast of hyrule. on a map, she will recognize it as Eventide Island. in person, it's...a completely different island. much larger, and even more dangerous, fraught with all kinds of trials for her, unlocked thanks to mineru--

she gets her own secret stone, and from there...i have two routes, and i'm not sold on either, 100% yet. the title "sage of shadows" keeps jumping out at me, but idk entirely what to do with that. i could either have her go immortal dragon as well, or...i could have her be the one who teaches the people who will become the sheikah that stasis power they ended up using to seal themselves away in the shrines to later test link for the calamity. thanks to her own prowess, and enhanced by the secret stone, maybe she'll be in a different kind of stasis. hidden away in a shrine of her own making, deep within the depths, waiting...waiting...waiting...

but shadow dragon DOES sound pretty cool.......(I like the idea of her dragon mirroring zelda's perfectly, just in the depths rather than the sky)

idk. that was. A LOT. of word vomiting. all to just be like "this is how much my brain crammed into the span of maybe 5 minutes during my commute)

no clue which way i will end up going. i kind of need to. uh. write the first fic to bEGIN WITH....but still. it's nice to like. be writing again, even if it is just word salad.