#‘okay deathly afraid of being the second choice’

[theicarusconstellation]

regulus vs revali sass contest

[kujiba]

¡MAY THE LAND CONCEAL YOU, DEAR GRACE!

୨୧ — ꒰ gn!reader | they/them prounouns | Sagau | cultish behavior

A/n: I made this while drunk /jk

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 5

PART 6

Were you high? Possibly.

Did you feel like you were floating? 50/50

You stared directly at the glowing screen plastered infront of you, with your eyes full of focus.

CHOOSE YOUR ELEMENT: ELECTRO, HYDRO, PYRO, DENDRO, ANEMO, GEO, CRYO

'Ah.. This will be hard' You thought to yourself while nodding and looking away from it. Gazing your eyes back on the screen you either were highly delusional right now or...

You had been gifted the ultimate weapon! A system!

You're not a dumbass you've seen those novels, tv's, Mangas, animes, manwha, all that kind of stuff! So you had some bits and pieces on how to roll with this new kind of power.

Back to the main problem... Which element should you pick? Every element in the game is highly valuable and could be used with many different ways. The question is what would benefit you more in the situation you've been put upon.

Currently you had been locked in a cell by whoever knocked you unconscious, but your suspicion leaned more in the knights of favonius. You shaked your head telling yourself to deal with the problems one by one.

"Damn.. Which do I choose" You clenched your lips together tightly and scratched your chin with your own finger. Being indecisive and having a bit of a problem to choose from the choices given to you by the system.

You knew you had to pull your ultimate move.

"Innie, Minnie, Miny, moe..." You mumbled while your finger hopped it's way to each element on the screen "Catch a tiger by its toe if it hollows let it Go, Innie, Minnie Miny, moe." Your finger slowed down by the second and finally took a halt when the song ended.

You looked at the element carefully too see what the fate has given you!

"DENDRO"

YAHOO!!

Your excitement honestly didn't come from the element you choose but the thought you could have your own powers and vision!!

"Gimme DENDRO!" You declared to the system with a prideful voice, A systematic noise rang through your ears in a unpleasant way, soon after the noise came to a halt, a small glowing jeweled amulet began to descend from the air.

"Holy..!" You stared in awe as the jewel gently dropped to your hands. A familiar glowing green vision with it's outer areas decorated uniquely in a high quality silver material.

Quickly enough the system box appeared in front of you yet again.

"CONGRATULATIONS, LEVEL UP TO UNLOCK MORE SKILLS, POWER, AND ITEMS"

The system then showed a long box filled with words and numbers that you immediately understood from your long gaming experience.

[NAME]

Lvl 1 / 20

Max HP: 929

ATK: 34

DEF: 21

Elemental Mastery: 0

Max stamina: 240

Crit rate: 5%

Crit DMG: 50%

Energy Recharge: 300%

"..."

GODDAMN! Why was your energy Recharge so high?... Actually no- that isn't a bad thing, it'll be good for you to just keep spamming your burst till the enemy drops dead.

Your thoughts were interrupted when a pair of footsteps made their way too where you currently are, you quickly hid the vision behind your back, afraid they might try and take it from you if they ever found out about it.

A familiar blonde and brunette made their way in front of your cell, you gripped your vision tighter remembering clear as day what had happened, your suspicions not even faltering for a second.

"(Name)." Jean called out, she placed her hand on her chest while looking at you calmly. Amber was by her side looking at your every movement, Jean continued "Were not here to hurt you. It's the opposite really" Jean's eyes looked soft and humble...

But that doesn't excuse them for knocking you out so harshly.

You deathly wanted to talk back to her but kept your mouth shut, only biting your lip harder so that nothing would come out and spill something important.

"Please, don't be wary of us.. We're your friends" Okay now she was spouting bs. Sure you've met amber for ONLY a bit but Jean was still technically a stranger to you!

You sighed to yourself "How long are you going to keep me in here?" you asked with a tad bit of impatience, you leaned your head back on the solid wall while narrowing down your eyes at them.

Amber responded to your question "Its..it's for your own good (Name), please trust us. We're keeping you safe" Amber's tone was yet determined but also worried. Jean placed her hand on Amber's shoulder and nodded.

"We'll explain to you everything later" Jean was about to say something till you cut her off "Why not now?" You asked tilting your head to the side.

Jean looked at you then down at the ground "There.. Are still some important things we had to arrange. But even so don't try to escape, this is for your own good (Name)"

"Ha? What do you-- AND... they left" You grumbled seeing them leave you all alone in here again.

✿

"Hey system." You called out to it while playing around with your vision. The system appeared again by your side "What is it?"

A Google translator like voice came out of the box, you had this thought for a while now. "Will something happen to me when I escape this place?" You questioned it.

It took a while but the Ai voice returned "Judging from my information I have gathered. You are currently a 'GOD'."

Ha?

"What!? What do you mean, God!?" You exclaimed in a panicked voice. You? A God?

You were snapped out of your frenzy when you heared it's voice again "There is currently a popular and confirmed tale plus ballad that you are the creator of Teyvat. People began worshipping you after you had abruptly dissapered without any warning, so they prayed and worshipped, hoping to bring you back"

You were even more bewildered but also... Understanding? I guess? I mean you are the player who basically built everything in the game. But isn't also Cai Hauyo (Mihoyo) basically the creator of what had been created? You'll dive deeper into that later.

"So.. They're all after me now?" Your tone had a clear hint of worry. You didn't want to be on the run and just wanted a normal life! The system replied saying "Not quite yet. I belive only the knights of favonius must've known. But Im sure it won't be long till the whole mondstadt or even Teyvat will find out about your presence"

You grimaced at the thought of being hunted down by multiple people, especially if those beloved people that you used to grind hours on end for!

You shaked your head in disapproval "Yet I can't really stay here either can I, it seriously sucks" you stretched your legs out on the cold cement flooring, the exterior of the room you had been trapped in was definitely not suited to live in.

"Why are you eager to escape?" The system sought to find the answer, you gave it a long frown "First of all, I am not going to be trapped here for the rest of my life! I'll die of boredom before anybody could even reach me" The system responded with only small glitching noises, it seemed like it was trying to process the outcome of your actions.

You took that as a cue to continue your rant "Secondly, I'm not really trusting the Knight's of Favonius yet nor anybody in general here. When you said I'm a supposed 'God' that's already trouble going to bite me in the ass" You breathed heavily to catch your breath, letting that all out of your chest felt pretty good to be honest.

"I know they're up to something"

!?!?

Jean stared down at the stack of papers and files scattered around her desk. She took a deep breath and began to tidy things up around the office, a vivid memory flashed through her mind, a memory that wasn't that long ago.

Amber had gone out to continue her Outrider duties leaving Jean to take care of their business for the time being. Her lips trembled ever so slightly like a leaf being blown by the wind, so she quickly bit her lip with her eyes full of worry and dread.

A god was in a cell. A cell she placed them in. Or.. So she was assuming

Back then, Barbatos and the creator had a small fondness of each other. Tales and Ballads would often say they were friends, even with the gap between their ranks and powers, the creator treated everyone fairly no matter what rank. They adored their creations and thus, the creations adored them back.

If only they hadn't left so soon that Teyvat began to slowly crumble, leaving a nation to fall down, a nation to lock itself away from the rest of the world, a nation having their own Archon sacrifice themselves for their people.

If only...

Jean had her doubts. It wasn't the first time that a supposed 'Creator' stepped up only for them to experience demise and pain for their foolish actions.

The creator didn't have a confirmed face or appearance since they often changed what they look like, the creator did had 'Aura'.. That was only visible to vision holders. But of course, the humankind has evolved and people began to come up with a 'Fake Aura' that was the exact replica of the creator's.

Her feet paced back and forth through the room, deciding on what to do with the supposed 'God' that was locked away in a cell.... Should she eliminate them now? False identity was a crime. And when it comes to the creator, no one is spared nor given mercy.

"...Their too suspicious, Why only now did they appear? They must've been like the others." She whispered to herself, her thoughts running wild about them.

A 50/50.

They were either the actual creator

Or they are a fake.

And Jean's choice began to tilt towards the one most logical.

"Tomorrow. We will arrange a public execution"

!!!

"GAHHH!! AGHHH" You desperately tried to concentrate on your mind to activate your vision powers "What the heck how does this work!?" You gripped the amulet tighter with your left eye twitching violently. Your annoyance only filled more as the messages of the system flooded in your face.

"Try concentrating more calmly. What are you doing? Taking a shit?" The system taunted you while also sending some emojis.

"I'm trying okay!? How do you..." You trailed your words off, having a random flashback of when you still were at earth for some reason.

"Hey how are you always so calm?" You asked your friend filled with curiosity, they looked up at your eyes. Seeing your curiosity they hummed "Well I mostly think about my happy memories and things that I like. It's like day dreaming you know?" They answered your thoughts calmly.

"What?? You sound like one of those cliché characters in shows lol."

You blankly stared at the wall after the flashback had ended. Your head turned to the system "That was your doing ain't it?" You deadpanned seeing that the system had completely ignored you and instead sent whistling emojis.

You groaned finally giving in since you had no other ideas anyway. "Agh... Fine, worth a shot" You grumbled giving in to the cliché idea.

You relaxed down your body as your shoulders began to lower along with your guard, you cleared your head, thinking nothing but a blank space for some moments. When you felt ready you had began to imagine all the joyful things that you deeply favored for the past years. All of that gathered into one moment inside your brain.

The vision glowed brightly in your hands, it's viridescent color taking up the whole dimly lit room, even the system kept quiet with the messages so that you could concentrate better on finally unlocking some skills.

And just that, in a short while the vision began to lose its light.

Fluttering your eyes open you took a look around your body to see any changes, to your dissapointment there wasn't any difference. "Did it work?" You wanted to know if you were finally able to throw plants or something.

Suddenly, you slightly jumped seeing confetti pop out of nowhere. The systems screen had massive words placed for you to see.

"CONGRATULATIONS ON UNLOCKING YOUR VISION !!

Reward:

+50,000 Mora

+Cake For The Player

+Personal Companion"

'Personal Companion?'

You were curious to see what it was but for now, you had to focus on breaking out of this hell hole. "System! So like uh, what can I do for now?" You rubbed the back of your head still pretty much a newbie to all this powers stuff.

"Throw out your companion. Call out it's name, 'Taube' and break the damn wall to escape"

"Taube?..." You mumbled it's name unsure at first but your doubts had quickly vanished as your eyes landed on a... Dove?

The Dove (Taube) was pure as a snow, it's wings flapping in the air gently with the inner layer of its feathers being a stunning (Color). Other than that, it looked like a pretty beautiful dove soaring in the sky.

"Wait so, what can it do?" You tilted your head at it questionably. "Make Taube attack the wall so you can see" The system answered your calling, you silently nodded your head at the systems words.

If the Dove was basically part of your power, then it could basically read through your mind! then.... 'Taube, I choose you!!'

Like a smooth cut of a knife, Taube had sliced through the wall with their wing, leading to the fresh and flourishing outside.

You were lying if you didn't say you were impressed and amazed by how easily Taube destroyed the wall. A wide smile appeared on your face as you didn't waste a single moment and ran out to the outside and away from that wretched room.

The air was clean and felt good as you inhaled as much as you can, the sweet scent of dandelions being all over the land was just a touch of freedom. The wind blew over your clothes and hair, wrinkling and messing it all up slightly.

"Man..." You muttered while straightening and fixing yourself up to look a slight bit more presentable. You looked around seeing Taube flying over to your vision, confusion hitted you but shock struck you harder for some quick seconds.

Your eyes widened, watching how Taubes body began to get absorbed by the vision, you panicked alot thinking your powerful animal companion is going to dissperse and never appear again but you quickly remembered that Taube is originally made from your vision anyway.

So you could summon them anytime! :D

A sigh of relief escaped through your lips, your eyes lingered on the body of Taube one last time, in impulse you softly stroked it's head before it faded away from your line of view.

Brushing those thoughts aside, you took a look around the vast land of Mondstadt. You weren't used to seeing how clean and green it was compared to earth where everything is in the brink of collapsing.

BUT! that wasnt your problem right now.

You didn't think twice to bolt your ass out of there and find a new hiding place, A cave? A abandoned house? Anything is fine! cause your gut kept telling you something bad will happen if you stay too long in there!

Wow. Who knew that you would be escaping from there when just a few chapters ago you were fangirling about living in mondstat?

Anyways...

'FREEDOM!!'

A/n: Short but active hehe

This is what the Dove kinda looks like btw, you could leave it to your imagination v

[keepingupwithpotters]

“Don’t look at me like that.” “Like what?” “Like you still love me.”

This is slightly longer than usual and it doesn't even have a happy ending, oops? I presume you knew what you were doing when you sent me an angsty prompt ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And a happy birthday to @mppmaraudergirl !!! Hope you'll enjoy this unrequited pining dumpster fire queen :) I only wish it was set in 6th year to complete the set 🔥🗑❤️‍🔥

The dim light from the embers was trying to illuminate the Heads’ Office as he feasted his eyes on her. He thought about rekindling the fire to see her more clearly. Would she believe him if he said he was cold in April?

Just the fact they needed more light to see —her face in his case and the parchment in front of her for Lily’s— was enough proof that they’d been here for hours now, paying the price for not doing this in the last two weeks.

He tried not to think about why they were unable to do so, the first weeks of April a black blur in his mind he’d rather not visit.

Lily’s silhouette was a good distraction from his unwanted thoughts, he turned his focus back to it. He was just about to suggest adding more logs to the fireplace, weather be damned, when he realized Lily had been talking to him for a while now.

“—tried putting her with Bones last month but he said he will land himself in the hospital wing on patrol days if we ever pair them again, so we need a new partner for her.”

“How about Selwyn?”

“No, she's a half-blood, we can’t risk it.

“Fenwick?”

Lily looked thoughtful for a moment. “Fenwick could work.”

Happy that he had thwarted the danger, he went back to his favorite pastime.

“You know, this would finish a lot faster if you were helping me instead of gawking at me from afar.”

“I’m sorry, am I disturbing you?”

“You’re disturbing my concentration, Potter. Either close your eyes or come here.”

Never one to reject an offer like this, he hurried beside her. She had another thing coming if she actually expected this to stop him from drinking her in though. He could see the shadows of her eyelashes now.

“I can help you with that performance anxiety, Evans. I heard imagining me naked should do the trick.” He swallowed the words not that you’d have any problem with it back, afraid even this was pushing the limits.

“Thank you for that mental image.”

They were still pretending nothing had happened then. Fine by him.

She did look a little flustered though, he just hoped it wasn’t in anger. He decided not to risk it anymore, taking advantage of his new proximity to the redheaded witch to follow the freckles on her cheeks. Even he couldn’t fuck this up if he never opened his mouth, could he?

Guess not.

“C’mon Potter, work with me here.”

He’d be worried if he couldn’t hear the smile in her voice. “I am. I came over here, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, to go over the patrol schedule with me,” the smile spread from her voice to her lips now, “not to continue your ogling beside my face now.”

He relented after that; still deathly afraid he could offend her unexpectedly. They went through the rest of the pairs slowly, easy laughter filling the air after a while. Lily was tapping the quill against her cheek, pondering about who to give Abbot as a partner, when he slipped up again.

It wasn’t his fault that the light hit her eyes just the right way when she was pursing her lips deep in thought. He was only human after all.

Still sprawled on her seat, it was proof of just how relaxed she was when she only laughed upon noticing, “Don’t look at me like that.”

A smart James, a James who wasn’t drunk on Lily’s laugh, would’ve never said what he said next.

“Like what?”

But he was far from that smart James now, the knowledge of what he probably looked like slipping through his foggy mind.

Her laughter hadn’t died fully yet when she said, “Like you still love me.”

Ah… Well, he brought that onto himself.

That was the hardest part about being friends with her probably. But it was okay, he had done worse things for Lily Evans than pretending he didn’t love her.

“You serenade your heart out to a girl one time…”

He didn’t bring up the other time the very same words were breathed tenderly in the dark. He wasn’t sure what was allowed yet, their newfound friendship still so fragile, so delicate.

When he realized he couldn’t have her in his life anymore unless he buried his feelings, that’s what he did, the opposite choice looking so unbearable that he hadn’t wasted a second thinking about it. So what if he sometimes felt like a tight fist was mangling his heart? He was listening to her laugh now, wasn’t he?

And he remembered what it was like, in that brief period, where he didn’t even have that in his life. Prefect meetings left abruptly, conversations ending quickly when he entered the room, gaze solely directed to people who could never appreciate them the way he would… He had been starved for her eyes, her voice, her touch. He thought he didn’t have her before, but there was never a time he didn’t have Lily Evans so completely than that damn week.

Which is why he fixed it, really, she left him no other choice. He promised her friendship, swore his feelings for her were gone, vowed to never try anything again. And as a reward, he got her back.

He kept all his promises so far, their past not-relationship (never a relationship) a taboo neither of them touched… until now. Once again Lily was steering the wheel and he was helpless but to follow her lead wherever she took him. Control had never been in his hands, and he was back to looking at her to figure out how he would be hurt next.

He wondered if this was a test when Lily looked satisfied with his answer. Was there a wrong answer to give here? Did he pass?

Lily stretched in her seat unaware of his musings, his wound still too fresh, he kept his eyes away from her this time. “I think we’re almost done here. Look it over one last time and we should be good to go.”

He took the parchment over from her distractedly, giving the schedule a lazy once-over when something caught his eye.

“You’ve put me with Remus.”

Her face stayed impassive but he could see she was fidgeting with her quill. “Uh, yes. Does that work for you?”

Suspicion arousing because of her skittish behavior, he turned his eyes to the schedule to locate her name.

There.

Lily Evans & Dirk Cresswell

“I thought you hated patrolling with Cresswell, isn’t that what you said before?”

She was unable to hide her apprehension now, her face flaming up rapidly before his eyes. “Not–not exactly.” She averted her eyes. “He asked to patrol with me at the last Slug meeting, said his current partner was causing some problems.”

He tried to relax his jaw, knowing it’d make everything worse for him if he proved her discomfort right.

“The schedule looks perfect, Evans. I think we can wrap it up for the night.”

Her relief choked up the room. “Yeah, let’s just close up the office and leave this bloody room at last.”

“Actually, you know what, why don’t you leave closing up to me?” He continued without paying attention to her halfhearted protests, “No, no, you earned it. Let me deal with the aftermath, it’s the least I can do.”

She gave him a relieved smile. “Thanks, Potter.” She was already halfway to the door when she said her goodnights.

He didn’t get up from his armchair right away, eyes stuck on the door she just left.

Pretending he didn’t love her may not be the worst thing he’d done for Lily Evans, but it was surely turning out to be the worst one for himself.

[elias-veturius-laia-of-serra]

Why Elias And Laia Mean So Much To Me

Okay so I’ve been wanting to write this for a while but knew it would be long and that I’d need some time to get my thoughts in order. So without a further ado here is my attempt:

Why is Elaia so important to me. Well to start off, Laia Of Serra in particular is very important and inspirational to me. She is not only a brown girl who is a hero but she is the most realistic hero I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. I’m so used to white female main characters that are badass warriors who are smart, beautiful, strong, special, that everyone is attracted to, and who fight for their people. I grew up on books like that. In which don’t get me wrong I still greatly enjoyed those stories and some of them are still my favorite to this day.

However I could never relate to those characters and it really solidified the belief that I most likely could never be a hero cause I could never fit that mold. And for the longest time I thought I was okay with that and I never really understood how much physical and emotional representation could mean to me until, Laia Of Serra.

Laia is a brown girl that is afraid, insecure, oppressed, sheltered, poor, weak, with no fighting experience, kind, emotional, girly, and self deprecating. She’s scared and second guesses herself all the time. It’s hard for her to phantom that she’s good enough to make the right choices or save anyone or anything. Which is exactly what I struggle with on the daily let alone in the middle of a war. I first read aeita when I was 17, the same age as Laia. So meeting a heroine that made mistakes, berated herself, cracked under pressure, had no clue what she was doing, let herself cry, understood that in a place filled with skilled deathly warriors she was weak, and let people trample over her. It was so relatable and heart wrenching. Especially when I’ve been wired to think girls like her are useless and typically the first to die or used as a stepping stool for the real hero.

Seeing her continue to fight with what she can and however she can made my heart soar. There were so many times she wanted to give up and feared death. However in time she grew and instead of fearing death she embraced the possibility of it in order to fight for what is right and for the people she loved. She stayed true to herself and became a badass without the need of having to kill people. Laia detested killing people especially after having to see how her people got killed all the time. She’s filled with understanding, love, forgiveness, sensitivity, kindness, and determination. No matter how many times she got knocked down she kept getting back up.

She gave and still gives me hope. Hope for who I am today and who I can grow into the future. She’s a symbol that you can be strong in other ways. That physical strength isn’t the only way to be a hero. Her bravery to face things head on, her compassion towards everyone, her determination to reach her goal, and her heart always willing to accept others is what makes her a hero. Even when it came to the final battle. It wasn’t her powers or weapons that got her to win the war. It was her kindness and understanding and love.

I understand people are disappointed that she wasn’t as “brutal” or stabby as other heroines. I love stabby women as well! But I think her depiction of strength and heroism is so important. It really shines a light on the meek and shy and scared and shows that it’s okay to feel like that. How that doesn’t automatically make you weak and how you can be just as important in the world.

I also love that Laia isn’t reduced or or shown as “not like other girls”. Laia loves to dress up, she likes to look pretty, she does think about boys, she is bossy, she is emotional, often has break downs, and she’s just so human. I find that a lot of the most badass heroines are always the ones that don’t like dressing up and finds it a waste of time, doesn’t fit in with other women, is stoic, cold, good with swords but not with words, and violent. Im not saying that these characters shouldn’t be allowed, but I feel like it reinforces the idea that the normal things a woman feels or behaves is considered weak. Not saying that all women are emotional, but we do feel. We do stress and some of us do love to put on make up and dresses. That shouldn’t be demonized or looked down upon.

That’s why I adore Laia. She’s a normal teenage girl that IS like most girls. And she gets praise and stronger because of it. Also people need to realize that at the start of the series Laia is a 17 year old girl with zero survival training skills. Elias and Helene have been training since they were literal children. Their whole lives revolves around fighting. Laia’s didn’t. So it makes sense and is realistic why she isn’t as “strong” or “skilled” as them.

To expect her to be at their level within the three year timeline between these books is impossible. I feel like people are so used to heroines that know how to fight or learn to become the most badass fighter through mere chapter montages that seeing a realistic depiction of a teenage girl that’s never fought in her life is displeasing. But I love that about her. She always becomes stronger in spirit, braver at heart, but at her core she is still Laia. A teenage girl trying her best.

Her needing help or needing a team to fulfill her goals shouldn’t be looked down on. It’s shown through even real history some of the best fighters or leaders needed a team. Needed support, right hand man, etc. Which is why I feel so connected to her and wish she wasn’t so underrated or looked down upon. Cause I feel like she’s a voice for girls like us that so desperately needed a way to be heard. She’s someone I can look up to and remember and find comfort in when times get stressful or dark.

Now as for why Elias and Laia’s relationship mean a lot to me. It’s simple. They’re a healthy brown couple and I love finally seeing a girl that looks and acts like me get praise and love. I love that Elias sees her strength and admires her for who she is. And how he actually finds comfort in a person like her. How he views her at times even stronger than him and everyone else.

Girls/characters like Laia are always reduced to a side character, the best friend, the second choice for the love interest, the death that motivates the main character, and or the character that pops in and out to give moral support. However under Elias’s eyes she IS the main character. She IS the only girl for him. He loves everything about her and was the first to believe she’s strong. He chooses her above all. Above anything and anyone else.

As a brown girl as shallow or dumb as it may sound it really does feel touching to see us described as not only just strong and desirable but loved and wanted by the warrior. The main love interest. That in his eyes this brown girl that others deem as weak, useless, boring, and a waste of time. To him she is everything. She is brave, smart, powerful, beautiful, admirable, and perfect. It means the world to me. Especially with how characters like her especially in fantasy is seen as never good enough or tossed aside.

I also love that Elias shows the struggles on what it means to be “strong”. How a lot of learning to be the best fighter happened through a lot of trauma, shame, and guilt. He does show how physical strength isn’t the only way to be strong. Which is why Laia is his balance. She is the peace and freedom he yearns for while Elias is the strength, power, and love she’s always yearned for. Where she falls in believing herself he is always the first to count his vote on her. They compliment each other perfectly. Countermelodies. True loves.

They show me a healthy version of love. One of the purest and sweetest kinds of love. Elias is always soft, kind, and patient with her. He’s proud of her even if she feels like it’s undeserved. She sees the good in him even if he feels like he’s a monster. They see each other for who they are and love that about each other. They love each other so much and I’d never seen two characters be as in love as these two are. They are utterly devoted to each other and constantly fought for their way back to each other. It’s been five years and rereading their scenes still makes me smile and feel butterflies, like it’s the first time all over again.

Even now seeing any content of them is like a shot of straight up serotonin. They are my comfort ship. Despite the stress these past five years of being with them and shipping them has brought me. They also bring me great happiness and excitement and I wish I never had to say goodbye.

Though here’s to hoping that maybe we can have an Elaia novella, at the least, in the future 👀🤞

♥️♥️♥️ Elaia Forever ♥️♥️♥️

[writingsfromhome]

Winner’s Choice

A/N: I only have series-type ideas in mind, so I’m trying to write out short one-shot type fics instead just to pump the breaks a little. Any ideas are welcome but here’s my go at this: you lost a drinking contest to Harry and winner decides a tattoo for the loser...

--------------

"3...2...1...GO!"

I lift the mug to my face and down the beer, ignoring how it splashes over the new top I had worn today. I should've know going out with Harry & Co meant I was getting messy.

Just a second apart, I slam my mug down.

"That was Harry!" The crowd shouts. "Harry's won!"

"It was tied!" I try to shout, ignoring Harry's smug face as his ego rises with the crowd's voice.

"I say rematch!" I shout.

"Don't be a sore loser, love!" Harry shouts at me. I stick my tongue out and hold my empty mug up, declaring louder I wanted a rematch. My swimming head tries to reason with me that it may not be a good idea but I needed to redeem myself.

Harry and I were good friends, I worked as an actor in the industry he dabbled in. And when he laughed at a stupid joke I made one day a few years ago, I'd latched onto him and we'd just become part of each other's lives since.

I moved across the pond from my childhood town in Maine when I turned 21 for an acting job, and have stayed since flitting from role to role. I missed my family and friends but moving here was also the best thing I did for myself. It did get lonely...which was why meeting Harry was also one of the best things to happen to me. Over the first year of knowing him, his friends became my friends and vice versa. I called them all Harry& Co. especially when I was drunk, all their faces blurred into each other and there were too many of them. Except for Harry. His face always stood out from a crowd. Being around him usually cured the ache I had for home.

"If I go again, you've got to put something on the table." Harry finally agrees. The crowd shouts out inappropriate things I could put down and I flip them off. I catch my friend's eye and she gives me a cautious look but I shake my head. I was having fun tonight.

"Loser gets a tattoo of the winner's choice. Tonight." Harry announces and the group goes crazier. My own mouth drops. I had to win this, knowing Harry he would do something ridiculous like his face on my ass. And this was the first time I lost to Harry, I could do this.

"Deal," I shake on it.

"Wait!" My friend tries to reason with us but we pull our mugs supplied by the crowd, closer to us.

"3...2...1...Go!"

I black out downing it but somehow, Harry's mug clashes down millisecond before mine does. A silence descends the room before Harry laughs. And suddenly everyone is shouting, cheering, throwing out tattoo ideas, and one voice is just shouting long live Harry over and over.

"I...." my mouth doesn't close on it's own, I lost. I rarely lost a drinking contest. But...Harry had me beat.

"Fair and square," Harry maneuvers around the table to sit beside me.

"I lost." I say, dumbstruck.

"It happens to the best of us, eventually." Harry kisses my cheek before jumping up and taking my hand. "Celebration dance."

I let him drag me to the dancefloor, trying to bring my mind back to reality. I was going to get a tattoo. My first. "Harry-Harry!" I try to get his attention. "Nothing ridiculous?"

"No promises," he winks. The alcohol sloshes in my brain as he pulls me into him and moves from side to side.

"Harry!" I shout out.

"You'll see," he grins, enjoying my torture way too much. "Just dance now."

His voice in my ear tickles, and I feel fluttery, far away. Some part of me knows that sober me was going to be pissed at drunk me.

I dance with Harry, following his lead, eventually drifting off to my friends, some strangers, and back to him.

"Should we get that tattoo now?" Harry says in my ear then.

"Maybe..." I try to put on my best convincing voice on. "We should wait for tomorrow."

"Nope!" Harry shouts gleefully. "Let's go now!"

"Nothing's open!" I shout but I was lying and he doesn't believe me for a second. I sigh, and find my friends to say goodbye. They try to tell me I didn't have to follow through but I know Harry would get this done one way or another. I may as well get it done while I was drunk and blame it on that.

The cold outside reminds me I left my coat inside, and when I come back out Harry's jumping up and down to keep warm. It makes me laugh but he quickly tugs on my arm. We run to stay warm towards wherever he decided this was going to happen.

It's a few blocks away, a sterile looking place with crazy colours on the walls that I realise are tattoo designs. The warmth inside the studio makes me shiver and Harry wraps his arm around me as we walk through.

"Harry nothing unprofessional please? I don't want to get fired from a job I don't even have." The cold air had sobered me up a bit and I was starting to regret this even more.

"Don't you trust me?" He asks with a glint to his eye that I didn't trust. "Wait here."

I sit down while he goes to talk to the artist, showing her his phone, pointing to various parts of his body.

"Y/N! Come on!"

I drag my feet over and glare at him as I settle in.

"You'll have to take your shirt off," Harry lets me know.

"You're picking where I get it too?" I ask.

"That's part of the deal!"

"I should've read the fine print," I grumble. Harry shows the artist the side of my rib cage-my shirt was still on but his finger traces a small curve up and down where he wants to place it. It sends butterflies to my stomach.

"Okay," I grab his hand so he could stop doing that. It wasn't helping my nerves. "Let's get this over with. But you can't stay."

"Yes I can," Harry insists. "I make up the rules."

"If I have to take my shirt off, he goes." I look at the girl giving me my tattoo and she shrugs, looking over at Harry. He sighs but agrees.

I take my shirt off and have to hike my bra strap higher, ready to settle into the torture.

"Please tell me it's nothing crude? His face included? Or a stupid message like Y/N hearts Harry?"

The artist laughs, "I'm not allowed to tell you anything apparently but from one girlfriend with a crazy boyfriend to another. It's not. Don't worry, just relax."

I try to tell her Harry wasn't my boyfriend but she turns away and I decide it wasn't worth it. I'd explained that a million times to my own mom who always asked if we'd gotten together yet. It was embarassing, my family back home was convinced we were having a secret affair. I stopped wasting my breath nowadays.

"So, do you get this kind of request often?" I try to make small talk.

"More than you think," the cold of whatever she spreads on my skin makes me shiver. I sort of wish Harry was here, to keep me distracted. I pull my phone out and text him.

"I'm back," his head pops in a few minutes later. The tattoo artist looks to me to make sure I was okay.

"Just talk your usual shit so I don't have to think about what I agreed to," I call out. He sits beside me but he falls silent. When I lift my head to look at him, he's staring at me. "Hey!"

"Sorry, I was thinking about the other tattoos I'm going to beat you into getting."

I roll my eyes, but my skin warms under his gaze. "I'm never agreeing to something like this ever again. You got me while I was weak."

"I'll convince you to get another tattoo again," Harry rolls closer to me. He rests his arms on my leg and leans his head on it.

"My leg's going to fall asleep," I warn him.

"Then we'll put another tattoo there," he smiles.

And back and forth we go, he keeps me distracted, and for the most part, the tattoo process is okay. I'm barely listening as she begins to tell me about its aftercare, she'd already said she would give me a pamphlet and Harry had plenty experience, I could ask him.

"Do you want to see it before I wrap it up?" She asks me. From what I felt, it was at least a few inches long and a bigger tattoo was too scary for me to think about.

"I need something to drink before I look at it," I say. "But I know if I don't like it it's his fault not yours."

"You'll love it," Harry pulls me to him and presses a wet kiss to my cheek. I push him away aggressively and agree to be bandaged. I tell Harry he owed me a few beers before I looked at it and he agrees. He purchases some on our way back to my place along with some food. The train ride home is mostly filled with him gloating but I suffer through it, imaging the worst case scenarios.

Back at my place, I stand in front of the full length mirror in my room, deathly afraid. I had waited nervously, threw back a couple of beers and shoved excessive pizza in my mouth. Harry seems more excited than me for the reveal and finally he joins me upstairs.

"So?" He asks, eyes on me in the mirror.

"Fine." I decide. I peel my shirt off slowly and Harry helps, I try to ignore the way my knees turn into jello at the sight of him doing that. "Fine."

My bra is crooked and I act as casual as possible that Harry is still standing behind me. I slowly peel the bandaging off, Harry comes around to help. I close my eyes as he finishes and count to three in my head. When I see it, my heart stops.

"Do you like it?" Harry asks like a kid on Christmas morning. He's buzzing with nervous excitement but all I can do is stare at the simple tattoo as my heart swells.

A few inches big, covering the side of my ribcage, is a twig of wild blueberries: a symbol of home.

"How did you..." I'm at a loss for words. My first tattoo. I just got my first tattoo, and it was...perfect.

"Well, you're always taking about how you miss home. And you rarely get to go back because of your schedule. And I looked up the official things for Maine, didn't think you wanted a moose so I-"

I shut him up by kissing him; that was the only possible response to this. He'd tricked me into getting the most perfect tattoo and if I was ever unsure before I was sure now that I loved Harry Styles. He knew me. His choice of tattoo made that clear. And I loved him.

"Woah," Harry steadies my shoulders when we part.

"It's perfect," I say, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "I don't know what else to say."

"I should've got you a tattoo a long time ago," he says before kissing me again. I could do this forever, I think, as I bury my hands in his hair.

His hand brushes the open tattoo and I flinch. It didn't hurt, but it was slightly sore.

"Sorry," he apologises against my lips. "We should probably take care of that."

"Ugh, wait." I kiss him one last time. "Where's that info sheet-"

"It's okay, c'mon." He leads me into the bathroom and sits me down on the countertop. I watch as he carefully washes his hands and washes the area. He knows where everything is. His face is scrunched in concetration as he washes and dries it. I marvel at how the evening started with his chaotic public personality to this gentle version here.

"This is gonna be cold," he warns before applying jelly over the whole thing. "Don't sleep on this side."

"I won't. I don't really plan on sleeping at all," I grab his shirt and pull him back up to me. I feel him smile as I kiss him, and he pushes me as far back as I can go before I hit the mirror behind me. I can tell he wanted this as bad as I did, and if it weren't for the tattoo we would be a roughened jumble on my bed right now.

"Bad night for a tattoo," he rests his forehead on mine.

"A tattoo can't stop me," I say. "Let's go." I lead him back to my bed and unclasp my bra. "I probably shouldn't be wearing this anyway."

"Fuck," Harry's mouth hangs open but before I can grow self conscious, he strides over and crashes into me. He doesn't bother with holding back, although he avoids my right side. But it doesn't even matter as I simultaneously forget every sense I have and feel every single nerve in my body at the same time as he takes me to bed.

After, when we lay facing each other on the bed, Harry uses his finger to trace my face. When he reaches my mouth, I kiss his finger. "Thanks. Tonight was...great."

"If you think tonight was great, wait until your tattoo heals." He swipes down my nose.

"I was only talking about the tattoo," I tease. "The rest of the night was...okay."

"Okay?" He immediately perches up.

"Yeah. Like...a 6 out of 10?"

He turns on his back and laughs, "You're in so much trouble. You better watch what you say next!"

"I'm not afraid of you--you had your chance with the tattoo and you chose something lovely."

He turns back to me, pressing a kiss to my lips. "You have to trust me."

"I do...usually." I smile. Harry rests his hand on my hip and zones out, his mind elsewhere. The silence stretched out and I can't help but ask.

"So...tonight isn't like, a one time thing right?" I was going to wait to ask but my nerves needed to be soothed. I also didn't want things between Harry and I to be in a gray area. He meant too much to me.

"No, unless...you want it to be?"

"No!" I nearly shout. "Only the tattoo part. Everything else, I'd like again."

"Okay, good." He slides closer to me under the duvet. "Because I wouldn't mind putting a label on this and-"

"Done." I say, not caring how eager I sounded because the grin that splits his face shows the same eagerness.

I mentally apologise to all the people I scolded who asked when Harry and I would get together. As I nuzzle my head into his chest, and he drapes his arm around me, I just think about how right it feels and why I didn't do it sooner. Tonight was a crazy night of bad decisions but every single outcome was perfect.

"I love you Y/N," Harry says after a while, I thought he'd already fallen asleep. I peek out from my position and his eyes are closed. I wait a moment but they remain closed.

I snuggle back in and suppress the urge to squeal. This night felt too good to be real, like I would wake up tomorrow morning and realise it was all a drunk-hallucination. And on the off chance that might be true, I wrap myself tighter against him and whisper the words back, hoping that he was awake enough to hear them.

When his arms tighten around me, I fall asleep happy, knowing he knows too. Maybe tomorrow morning, I would say it again.

[yandere-ac]

I noticed in the recent update that there was a net to keep the MC from swimming too far *cough escaping cough*. It got me thinking about what if the MC- in guise of trying to find more creatures- finds an opening big enough for them to squeeze through and almost escapes. I'm not really sure which villager/character would fit best in this situation though.

Okay so like anon, not to be like that but I would dIE FOR YOU! THIS IDEA IS SO GOOD!!! YOUR MIND! ITS TO POWERFUL ANON! But yeah this was really fun to write and I choose my two favorite bitter ex boys both wanted the same poor representative. You guessed it, it’s out boys!

Yandere Tom Nook X Reader X Yandere Redd

Hole

Sneaking. You were sneaking. It was a beautiful summer day, kids were outside playing, some were out fishing or catching bugs. But where were you? You were sneaking like a teenager trying to get past their overprotective parents. You didn’t want to sneak but you had no choice. Ever since Redd first showed up on the island Tom had been more protective than ever. He didn’t want you to wander off without him, he wouldn’t let you go outside without his permission and sometimes he would want you to sleep in his house. You used to love Tom but nowadays he was just too overbearing for your comfort. You and Tom never really said out loud that you loved each other and you never did any couple-stuff. But both of you knew, you both were in love. Or, that’s how it used to be at least. Any and all feelings for Tom that you had gone right out the door once you lost control of your life.

“Y/N? Where are you going, dear?” Shit. He had found you, he had heard you. And now he was gonna stop you. “I-umm...I was just gonna go outside and search for some sea creatures for blathers” you said, trying and failing to mask the fear and worry in your voice. “Oh? Is that right...hmm...well do you need to do that? I mean, what if you drowned? What if you got attacked by a shark or octopus? Or worse! What if Redd showed up!? You remember what happened last time right? Do you want that to happen again?!” Tom asked you, you knew very much what had occurred between you and Redd, in fact just thinking of it sent shivers down your spine and formed a pit in your stomach. But at the same time, you didn’t want to stay with Tom, you’d be lying if you said that he didn’t scare you at times. Sometimes at night, you’d hear him mumbling things in his sleep, things that made every part of your brain scream to run away and never return, yet your body refused to listen. You worried about his well-being and especially now since he seemed almost obsessed with you. “Tom, listen...I haven’t been out of the house without you for some time now and I was just hoping to have some privacy. You know I’d never wander too far off” you grabbed one of his hands, taking your other hand to gently stroke his cheek. You felt him lean into your touch as he closed his eyes. These were the moments you missed, the tender, loving gestures that you and he would exchange. But now, these moments were just a way of getting you out of his intoxicatingly strong grasp. You didn’t want to stay with Tom, not in the slightest, that Tom whom you once loved died when he started limiting your freedom.

“Mmm...oh well...I guess if you know what you’re doing. Then sure, you can go out for a while yes, yes?” He said, this brought an actual smile to your face as you gave him a hug to which he giggled in reply. “Alright! I’ll see you later Tom!” “Be careful!”

And so, you were off. You ran straight to the shop to buy a wet suit, and then you ran straight to the water to do a cannonball. You laid in the water for about twenty minutes before rising up and swimming around. You didn’t bother trying to climb over the net, you knew it was useless as any major disturbance on the net sent a notification to Tom and inform him of your apparent escape. You learned that the hard way. So instead you just tried to relax for now. Later you might visit some of your residents and maybe go talk to sable, it has been a while since the two of you talked. But for now, you were trying to find sea creatures to give to Blathers. That was until you saw something that made your eyes squint before going completely wide once you realized what it was. It was a hole! A big hole in the net! Big enough for you to fit through without alerting Tom! You could escape! You could finally leave this hell!...but...what would happen to Tom if you left, you worried what he might do to himself or the others if you leave...no...you can’t think like that! The reason Tom is unwell is because of you. The only way he can heal is if you stayed away from him, if you didn’t, his obsession would only get worse.

You swim closer to the edge of the net and Closer to the hole. Looking at it you could indeed conclude that It was big enough for you to fit through. Hastily yet carefully you went through it. Making sure not to touch anything on the way out. If you did, it would be game over. Tom would see that something, you, were trying to get through and he would lose it. That’s what made you afraid. But you just couldn’t care right now, you were done sacrificing your life for other's happiness! It’s your time to be a little selfish. To look out for yourself! Carefully navigating your legs out of the hole your whole body was now out, you were out. You could barely believe it! But you wouldn’t stick around to see if Tom saw it or not. You had a plan. There was an island a bit away from yours, which would normally take about five minutes with a plane so it would maybe take about twenty minutes to swim. If you could hold out and keep out of dangerous water, you could make it. You would either make it or drown. Either way, there was no turning back now.

As you were swimming briskly, you started to rethink your decision a little. I mean, abandoning all your friends? And what would happen with Tom? Would he become unfit to take care of Timmy and Tommy? You didn’t want to consider that scenario, you wanted to believe that he would get help. But it was hard when you had experienced how deep his possession over you had gotten. After about halfway there you realized how far away the other island truly was, your arms got very tired and you had swallowed what felt like a ton of seawater accidentally as you had swum. You’re honestly starting to give up hope of reaching the island in time. You were gonna drown. You were gonna drown. You were never gonna see your friends again, never gonna find a significant other, never get married, settle down, get a pet fish with said significant other. Never gonna- Wait...is that a...boat? A little boat, sailing off in the distance caught your attention. Maybe there was still hope! Maybe there was a chance of survival! You had to do something, anything, you had to get its attention.

“HELLO!!! IM HERE!!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!” You shouted at the boat. And as if on cue, it turned around and went over to you. Yes! You had done it! You were gonna survive- Wait a minute...you recognized that boat...was that...oh god, it was! That was no other than Jolly Redd's boat. He was even worse than Tom! You had no time to think before the boat arrived in front of you. “Well well well...if it isn’t my favorite human! What are you doing all the way out here cousin?” He asked you, his voice full of glee, knowing you would need his help. “Get away from me Redd!” You said you didn’t want anything got to do with him. “Oh really? What was 'please help me' about then? I just wanna help Y/N, I don’t know why you’re getting so defensive about this. Now tell me, why are you all the way out here in the middle of the Ocean?” He asked you. Tilting his head while resting his chin above his hand, huge grin present on his face. “...ᴵ ʷᵃˢ ᵗʳʸᶦⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ᵉˢᶜᵃᵖᵉ ᶠʳᵒᵐ ᵀᵒᵐ” “huh? A little louder cuz, I couldn’t hear ya?” “I WAS TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM TOM OKAY!!! HE PRETTY MUCH LOCKED ME INSIDE OF HIS HOUSE BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID!” Everything became deathly quiet as you said this. Out of all the answers, Redd had NOT expected that one. After quickly regaining his normal posture, he mustered up another smile on his lips. “Well, do ya need a ride, or would you like to swim for another forty minutes, hm?” Forty minutes? You had grossly underestimated the time that it would take for you to swim. “Get away from me Redd, I don’t want your help after what you did...” you told him, refusing to look at the smug bastard. “Oh Y/N. I don’t think you’ve comprehended this situation...you can either come with me or drown. Now I’d understand if you’d want to drown yourself, I would if I had to spend so much time with Nookie. But ask yourself, is this really the way you’d want to go out? By drowning? That’s lame!” He was right, god damn it! You hated that he was right. You were completely and utterly helpless right now and the only way to get out of this would be to accept his help.

You swallowed all of your pride and looked at him. He still had that shit-eating grin plastered across his face. “Alright, you win. I’ll come up on the ship...but as soon as we get to the island, that’ll be all okay!” As you said this, Redd's grin only got wider. He walked away for a few seconds before throwing a ladder down on the side of his boat closest to you. You could practically feel his joy as you climbed up the ladder. Once you were up, Redd immediately came up to you. Holding his hands together as he looked at you like a giddy kid to open up their presents. “Ohohohooo~ trust me Y/N, you won’t regret this!” He giggled as his movements got more jittery, almost as if he’s restraining himself. “Yeah yeah, whatever Redd,” you told him sternly. You didn’t want to be in his presence for any longer than you had to. Stepping in front of you, the fox pulled the curtain to the entrance open for you. You let out a loud sigh as you saw his dumb gesture. “God, shut up Redd,” you said as you walked inside, you knew he was joking. But jokes were supposed to be funny. And you hated him. “Ah come on Y/N you know I’m just yanking your chain here! I know you can fend for yourself! I’m not like good old nookie-“ “stop!” “Stop what?” Redd looked at you in confusion. “Stop trying to make yourself look better by comparing yourself to Tom! You have no right considering you’re the reason he’s like that! I know what your doing Redd! I’m never gonna join you! So quit trying, let’s just get a move on” you said aggressively, only to be met by the deep chuckles of the fox behind you. Blocking the exit. “What are you laughing at!?” You fidgeted with your hands as you backed up slightly. But it was no use since Redd blocked your exit. “Oh, cousin...you haven’t seemed to have gotten what’s happening right now...I don’t CARE If you want to come with me! You’re coming with whether you like it or not! We’re not stopping at some island. You have nowhere else to go, besides into my arms! So why don’t you make this easy for the both of us and just comply would ya?” Oh...oh no...oh god! He was being serious! “Wha...i...”

As soon as he approached you, you bolted off onto the deck. You knew you couldn't get away but you would rather drown than let yourself become some toy to this maniac. But before you could jump off the boat, Redd ran up behind you and hastily scooped you up by your arms. You thrashed and struggled but it was no use. He was so much stronger than you. “Ah Ah ahhh~ you wouldn’t want to do any myths rational now, would you cousin?” He said in a teasing manner. It made you even more irritated than you were scared. And so, you elbowed him right in his face. He instinctively dropped you as you did this but he quickly grabbed your leg and threw you back onto the deck before Anything could happen. There you laid, on the floor with a rage full fox above you. He was still mumbling curse words under his breath as his face still hurt. But he didn’t care, he just grabbed you roughly by the hand as he dragged you inside. You were being pulled to the furniture part of his boat, all while trying to punch, scratch or halt Redd. But nothing worked. Soon it dawned on you where exactly he was taking you. He was taking you to the big iron door at the back of his boat. The one looming door that had a giant padlock on it. “I wanted to do this the easy way Y/N! Trust me, I did! But if you’re gonna act like this then I’ll simply have to do it the hard way!” He yelled as he threw you up against the wall. The impact made you fall down and lose part of your consciousness for a few seconds. While you were trying to regain yourself, Redd opened the padlock with a key. As he turned around he saw what you were trying to do, you were trying to crawl away. You were failing, of course, the meek attempt made him chortle as he now calmed down a little. “Oh Y/N...” he said softly as he picked you up, looking right into your eyes as he continued. “You can’t escape, and no one is coming for you. Better make yourself comfortable because the ride home is long” while he told you this, he walked in the room. It looked like a bedroom. In the middle of it was a mattress, did...did he plan to do this? How long had he planned to kidnap you!? He placed you on the bed and kissed you on your forehead. You tried to protest but only weak movements and a small groan came out. Redd walked to the door but just before he closed it he turned to you, eyes gentle and seemed very genuine. “Sleep well...”

That was a couple of hours ago. Redd was now steering the boat and was whistling to himself in glee. He got you, he finally got you! And he didn’t even have to do anything, you were just served to him on a silver platter. But before he could think of anything else he felt a powerful wave hit the entire ship. It sent him falling down to his knees. Some madman had crashed into them! Walking outside with violent steps Redd was getting ready to curse out whoever had driven into them. “HEY! WHAT'S WRONG WITH-“ he quickly shut up once he saw who was in the boat. In the boat that had driven into his side sat a very angry tanooki. It was Tom, as he looked at Redd the glare he gave sent shivers down Redd's spine. Let’s just say, if looks could kill, Redd would be dead where he stood.

“Redd! Where is Y/N!” Tom asked, well it was more of a demand. “How did...how did you find me” Redd was completely and utterly baffled. He was out in the middle of the ocean, yet Tom had managed to get to him. “Where is Y/N. I know they’re here so quit acting stupid and tell me where they are!” Tom was raising his voice more and more as he got madder and madder. Redd has taken everything from him once, he wasn’t gonna let him take it again. “No chance nookie! Don’t you think there’s a reason they’re out here? Maybe it’s because they hate you! Maybe it’s because they hate that you act like a restrictive psycho! Have you ever thought of that Tom! Huh? Huh?!” Redd was now leaning over the railing of his boat. He was almost face to face with his bitter rival. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP REDD! I HATE YOU! I-“ Tom grabbed ahold of Redd's shoulders and pulled him down, into the water. “HATE YOU!!!!”

You were peacefully sleeping as the now slightly wet tanooki walked up to your tranquil form. He kneeled down and stroked your cheek, as he smiled to himself. Poor Y/N. Such a sweet individual didn’t deserve to be touched by someone as sleazy and dishonest as Redd. Thus he picked you up and walked over to his motorboat. You were going home.

“Helloooo....wakey wakey...Y/N dear? Can you open your eyes?” You could hear a distant voice say but it was very blurry. Lifting your eyelids open felt like lifting iron weights, but as soon as you caught a glimpse of who was next to you your eyes went wide open with fear. “TOM!?” You threw your body away from him. Backing up until your back was up against the wall. “Ah your awake now, good...you’ve been sleeping for quite some time now. I’ll be honest, for a minute there I thought you were dead” he laughed a little to himself as he said this, a laugh which at one point you thought was adorable but now struck terror right into your chest. “Silly me...oh! Now that you’re awake, are the chains too tight? Do you want Me to loosen them for you?” He asked you. What? You had been so preoccupied with the fear that you hadn’t realized that you did indeed have chains and chuckles attached to your wrists. They were very long so you weren’t exactly chained up to the wall, but they were just short enough so you wouldn’t be able to move around too much. This is when you started hyperventilating. Why were you here? Where was Redd? How did Tom find you?!

“Oh! No no shhh, don’t worry, I’m here, I’m here...Redd won’t ever get you...I made sure of that...” what the hell did he mean by that!? “H-how did you find me?” You asked him, voice quivering just like you were. “Oh Y/N, did you think that the net notifications were the only way for me to see if you escaped?” He said as he petted your head. He hadn’t been so certain whether it was necessary to implant that chip in you, he thought that he could trust you enough but it would seem that he really couldn’t. “By the way, thanks for bringing that up. I’m sure by now you’ve figured out your punishment for trying to leave me. Don’t think just because I’m happy I got you back that I’m not angry, that I’m not sad, that I’m not heartbroken that you would ever think to escape from me! I just want you to be safe and this is how you repay me!” His tone got a little angrier towards the end but he quickly gathered himself in front of you. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “You hurt me Y/N...but I’m happy you’re alright...and your safety is the only thing that matters right now,” he said as he snuggled up to you. The tanooki was madly in love with you. He wanted you to be with him for the rest of his life. He had tried to do it with you being free. But it had seemed like he couldn’t trust you with that freedom. So, he would have to lock you in, cage you up, keep you with him. Whether you liked it or not. He was gonna be with you. By this point tears had started to well up in your eyes, your whimpers getting stronger once Tom started cooing you, stroking your hair.

“Don’t cry Y/N....I...I love you...”

He said it. He had said it. The three words that you had dreaded him saying. Up until now. You could have just pretended that Tom was just a very protective friend. But now...now? He had admitted to loving you. You couldn’t back out now. You couldn’t keep that level of comfort in that Tom wouldn’t do anything to engage a relationship, but now it was only a question of when he would actually start proposing ideas of dates and stuff. You were doomed. Doomed forever with this possessive, lovesick man. You couldn’t handle it.

You started sobbing. Tears that had threatened to spill started pouring out. The only thing you could do was bury your head in Toms's neck, closing your eyes and hoping this was all just a nightmare. That you would wake up and all of this would’ve just been a dream. But it wouldn’t, this was your life now. And you wished you would have just chosen to drown instead of joining Redd.

[aidanchaser]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Everyone Lives AU

Table of Contents beta’d by @ageofzero @magic713m @ccboomer @aubsenroute @somebodyswatson

Chapter Sixteen Harry Alone

The lake was freezing — well, that was an exaggeration because the lake was not frozen over yet — but Harry was colder than he’d ever been in his life. Azkaban had to be warmer than this.

He didn’t have a choice other than to bathe at night, and he worried about what he would do when the lake did freeze over. Staying clean was crucial to his survival. As helpful as the Invisibility Cloak was at hiding him, it did not obscure his scent.

Two weeks ago, Harry had nearly been caught by Snatchers who had been certain that someone was hiding nearby. He’d managed to Confund them, but it had been a close call. He had been careful to wash daily since then, no matter how cold it got.

Harry pulled himself back onto land and used his wand to dry off and remove any mud before dressing again. He couldn’t help but wish he had Hermione’s exceptional Flame Charms for warmth, even though wishing for that hurt.

In these last few weeks, Harry had grown unfortunately familiar with loneliness in a way he had never truly understood before. Even the times he had once felt alone, like during the Triwizard tournament, or in detention with Umbridge, or when he had learned about the prophecy, paled in comparison to this.

He had no parents to turn to, no friends to lean on, not even a professor to at least listen to him. He was well and truly alone.

He supposed he could talk to Ginny, but he had been afraid to reach out to her. He was still unsure how to explain to her that he had left Ron and Hermione. At least, he didn’t know how to explain it in a way that she would understand.

Harry pulled the Cloak over him, for both protection and the small bit of warmth it provided, and ducked into the shelter of a willow tree that hung over the edge of the small lake.

Soon it would be dawn, and the streets of London would come to life. He had learned to be ready for his day before the sun rose.

By the light of his wand, Harry dug into his tightly packed rucksack and pulled out parchment, ink, and the thickest book in his small library: A Compendium of Codes of Conduct for the Career Auror.

It was also the least interesting book in Harry’s collection, so he didn’t feel terrible about using it as a surface to scribble out a quick letter:

Cedric —

This is the last time I’ll try to reach you. Just tell me everything’s okay. Meet me at the small cottage on the lake tonight.

— Harry

Harry didn’t know if Cedric would find a way to reply, but he was growing desperate and running out of options.

These last few weeks Harry had been on the hunt for two things: information about where the cup might be hidden, and a source of cockatrice blood or basilisk venom to destroy the diadem. Cedric was still key in his plan to find the cup, though Harry was beginning to lose hope that he would ever get a reply. As for destroying the diadem, he would get his mother’s help with that.

Harry muttered his half of the incantation to Obscure his note to Cedric and folded it into the shape of a Ministry memo. He missed Hedwig, but it wouldn’t do for her to deliver this note to Cedric in front of the entire Ministry on his way to work. She was probably much safer and happier with Ginny at Hogwarts.

The stab of loneliness that came with missing both Hedwig and Ginny hurt worse than remembering Hermione’s adept flame charms, but he was growing used to brushing the pain off. He shoved the thick tome back into his bag and double-checked that he had left no evidence of his presence in his hiding spot.

He never cooked food, lest the smell attract attention. He never even bothered to set up shelter or even a bedroll. It was one thing to use spells to hide a campsite in the country; it was another to hide a tent in a city, especially on the doorstep of the Ministry of Magic. The Invisibility Cloak covered him while he slept, and his own Non-Flammable Flames provided just enough warmth to keep him alive, and that had to be enough. Besides, he had tucked the diadem into his bedroll back at the campsite with Hermione and Ron, and Harry had no interest in pulling it out until he was ready to destroy it.

The only clue that someone had been here was the depression in the earth where he had slept. He did his best to kick around the mud and vegetation to obscure it. It at least looked less like the impression of a person when he was done.

The Cloak served as perfect protection as long as Harry avoided large crowds. That was harder to do during the usual commuting hours of the morning, but if he could get to a hidden spot or vantage point before the hustle and bustle began, he could pass the morning undetected.

He left the park he had taken to sleeping in, jumped out of the way of an early morning cyclist, and crossed the street to the white stone buildings. He had gotten quite good at keeping the Cloak around him as he climbed railings, buildings, and trees, but it wasn’t a perfect practice. He checked to make sure that no one was paying much attention and hoisted himself into his chosen lookout then double-checked that the Cloak completely covered him.

Today, Harry had settled on a window ledge that gave him a decent view of the Ministry entrance. It was not the most comfortable of his hiding places, but it was out of the way of the crowds and it would provide him a good opportunity to see members of the Order as they came and went.

Harry had been watching the Ministry ever since he’d left Ron and Hermione. It hadn’t been all of his plan, exactly, when he’d left. He certainly hadn’t included in his goodbye-note that he would be spending his time in London, but they had to have guessed it was where he would be. The only reason they hadn’t come to the Ministry together was because it was too great of a risk. Harry understood that, and had no desire to put Hermione, Ron, or the Weasley family at risk, but if the risk was all on him? That wasn’t so bad.

Not that his risk had gotten him very far. In his month of observation, he had seen the Prewetts, the Longbottoms, Arthur Weasley, and Cedric Diggory, all coming into work. He had hoped that he could find a way to contact someone the Order for information about his parents or about Bellatrix Lestrange and Pyrites, but so far, he hadn’t had any success.

Harry had, a few times, slipped notes into Cedric’s pockets. He had started as subtly as he could, with Switching Spells to get them into Cedric’s bag, but when he received no reply, it occurred to Harry that blank parchment in a bag wasn’t terribly unusual. So Harry had tried slipping notes into Cedric’s pockets. He had used his wand at first, but when he still received no reply, he was more direct. He had used the very limited supply of Polyjuice Potion that he had on hand to transform his appearance. Then he had bumped into Cedric and made sure that he dropped the notes directly into Cedric’s pockets.

Still, Harry had received no reply. Today, Harry was going to make sure that Cedric not only received the note, but he was going to watch Cedric open it. Maybe it was an unnecessary risk, and he should probably have cut his losses and tried for the Longbottoms after leaving notes in Cedric’s pockets had failed, but he was desperate.

He wasn’t just desperate for information on Bellatrix Lestrange and Pyrites. Even if the notes to other members of the Order might not be as protected as his code with Cedric was, it was an option he ought to have explored sooner. Harry wanted information to help him find the cup, but more than that, he wanted to prove to himself that Dumbledore had been wrong about Cedric. He needed to know that Cedric had not abandoned him.

Harry shifted uncomfortably on the small stone ledge. One of the things he had hoped to find by striking out on his own was peace of mind. Being alone meant that would not be putting his friends at risk, and that he would not have to argue in circles with Ron and Hermione. He had discovered, however, that it was just as easy to argue in circles with himself, and that was a far more futile exercise.

Harry had reviewed the facts so frequently that he could recite them in his sleep: Dumbledore had not approved of Harry writing letters to Cedric, Dumbledore had warned Harry about trusting someone so close to the Ministry, and Dumbledore had left Cedric out of the will. Harry wanted to believe those decisions were wrong, but, as far as Harry could tell, Cedric had abandoned the Horcrux hunt.

The counter arguments, though smaller in number, were more powerful to Harry. He always reminded himself of the evening he and Cedric had spent in the grove of Styncon Garden, picking mulberries. Cedric had made him promise that he would not face Voldemort alone, and Harry could not believe that Cedric had not meant it.

The more Harry recited this argument with himself, the more Harry found that he actually missed Hermione telling him to forget about Cedric and to focus on the Horcruxes. She would have, at the very least, broken up the monotony of his own thoughts.

As the morning traffic rush began to fill the streets of London, Harry sat up straighter. He watched the people going up and down the street and paid close attention to those headed towards the Ministry’s hidden entrance. It wasn’t long before he saw Cedric and, unfortunately, Cedric wasn’t alone.

Cedric and Christian did not always arrive at the Ministry together nor always leave together, which Harry was grateful for. He had not yet taken the risk of trying to plant a note on Cedric while Cedric was with Christian, and Harry second-guessed his plan. He could always try again in the evening, and hope to catch Cedric alone.

His hand tightened around the parchment. No, he knew that, despite the risk, he couldn’t wait. It had been weeks of trying to make progress in the Horcrux hunt, and he had nothing to show for it. Desperation was overwhelmingly powerful motivation.

“Locomotor Note,” Harry whispered, and the memo slipped out from under his Cloak. It fluttered a few feet down and caught Cedric in the shoulder just as he and Christian passed beneath Harry’s ledge.

Cedric turned to see what had tapped against him and watched the parchment fall to the pavement.

“What is it?” Christian stopped as Cedric picked up the note and unfolded it.

He looked over the blank parchment, checked the back, then looked around for where it might have come from. He made a point of checking behind the columns at the building’s entrance, but there was no way for him to notice Harry, sitting in plain sight beneath the Cloak.

Cedric frowned and looked down at the parchment again. “It’s another one of those blank sheets.”

Christian raised an eyebrow. “I told you that you should let Anne take a look at them. She’s got nothing else to do all day.”

“Oh, she’d love to know you said that.” Cedric laughed. “Besides, I’m sure I can figure out what they are.”

“You said that last week. And the week before.”

“Obviously whoever’s sending them thinks I can figure it out, or it wouldn’t have been sent to me.” Cedric looked over the parchment one more time before folding it up and tucking it into his cloak. “Would you believe me if I said that I think it has something to do with Quidditch?”

Christian shook his head, and they moved too far off for Harry to hear the rest of their conversation.

Harry resisted the urge to bang his head against the window, which would certainly startle whoever was in the office behind his hiding spot.

At least now he knew that Cedric had been getting the notes, even if he hadn’t read them. But Harry didn’t understand why. If he had stumbled across a very obvious blank note, his first though would be to test the incantation that he and Cedric used to conceal their ink. Perhaps Cedric had tried their couplet on the other notes, but the spell had worn off somehow?

But that was a rubbish thought. Harry had checked the ink just yesterday. He’d recited both halves of the incantation, and the ink in the bottle had disappeared and reappeared, just as it was supposed to.

It seemed, short of revealing himself to Cedric directly, Harry would have to find another way to get the information he needed from the Ministry. That could be tomorrow’s task. Today, he was determined to destroy the diadem.

But until the morning rush died down, it was impossible to leave his ledge, so he closed his eyes and waited.

Harry didn’t sleep properly anymore; every part of him was constantly on alert — for Snatchers, Death Eaters, or even Muggle police. The Cloak could not protect him if he moved and it slipped off of him. He missed the safety of the tent with Ron and Hermione, their protective charms that had served them well out in the countryside, and the safety of numbers, of knowing someone you trusted could watch your back while you slept.

And, perched here on this ledge, it was hard to doze off much at all with Big Ben chiming every quarter of an hour.

So he didn’t sleep, but he rested as best as he could until the commuter crowds had thinned out enough that he could safely hop down. He had a small window before the tourist crowds really picked up to move to a new spot, or he really would be stuck on that ledge all day. It had happened once before, and he had had to spend an entire day sitting on the podium of a statue of some important Muggle until well after the evening commute had died down, when he’d finally been able to climb down without bumping against any Muggles. At least if the Cloak slipped while he moved, the Muggles never gave his hiding spots more than a puzzled second glance before returning to their business.

Despite the Invisibility Cloak draped around his shoulders, Harry still pressed himself up against the wall as two wizards dressed in deep burgundy hurried up the street towards the Ministry. He’d learned to recognise the weak Muggle disguises of those in the Muggle-born Registration Commission as easily as the Muggle police uniforms. It helped that they always wore burgundy in the same shade as their cloaks, as if it were a source of pride that they refused to shed. He had seen more than one witch or wizard dragged into the Ministry even as they had insisted that they had a magical ancestor in their family tree. Harry had tripped up the M.R.C. wizards when he could, to give those witches and wizards time to run, but he had been afraid to do much more and risk his own capture.

Once the red-clad wizards had disappeared into the Ministry entrance, Harry hurried up the street and towards the Leaky Cauldron. It wasn’t a long walk, though Harry often took circuitous routes, turning a half-mile trip into one or two miles, just in case. It was the sort of paranoia he thought Mad-Eye would be proud of.

The Leaky Cauldron, though, was not Harry’s real destination. He only used it to get into Diagon Alley, and, when he could, get some food.

More often than not, he could swipe a scone or a piece of toast from a table as he passed. He felt guilty about stealing, but there were few places to get free food in London, and his supply of Galleons was already growing thin.

Besides food, however, the Leaky Cauldron had one other important feature: newspaper stands. Harry not only pocketed unwatched food, but he had also gotten into the habit of snatching the paper each day as well. He felt less bad about stealing that. It wasn’t as if the Prophet deserved any of his gold.

After slipping through the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley, Harry’s pockets were filled with two bread rolls, a scone, and a rare prize: a hot buttery potato. It leaked into his jeans uncomfortably, but it was nothing a spell couldn’t clean up.

Once Harry had crossed into Diagon Alley, he usually took one of two paths: either find a hidden corner in Knockturn Alley or see if there was a reserved table at Rosa Lee’s. Reserved tables were nice, because they often sat empty for twenty minutes to an hour, giving him plenty of time to eat and browse the paper.

After facing both the risk of reaching out to Cedric and the pain of how badly it had failed, however, Harry did not feel brave enough to slip into a tea shop and seat himself at an empty table. He headed, instead, for Knockturn Alley. It was where he needed to end up, anyway.

Knockturn Alley was full of hidden nooks and crannies, perfect places for wizards who did not want to be found. It was also ideal for Snatchers, but Harry had found that as long as he stayed clean and didn’t snore, Snatchers weren’t bright enough to look for much else. In their defence, they probably didn’t come across many runaway Muggle-borns with Invisibility Cloaks.

Harry found an empty space between The Spiny Serpent and Moribund’s and settled in with the Prophet and his breakfast. He would still have to keep alert and make sure that no one else also looked in and thought this empty spot would make a nice hideaway, but for now he was as safe as he could be.

He had grown unfortunately familiar with seeing his own face on the cover of the Daily Prophet. If he was lucky, some other headline might take priority, like last week, when they had announced the cancellation of the Quidditch World Cup. Though upon reading the article, Harry had learned that the real story was only that some league administrations were discussing the possibility of canceling the World Cup, in light of the sudden rise of tragedies occurring throughout the magical community of Europe.

Today, though, his face was front and center. The article did nothing but speculate about what Harry Potter might be up to next, and offered some rumours that he had been spotted in Cardiff. Harry always read the articles closely, in hopes that sightings of him might actually be sightings of his father. But he never knew how much to believe of the Prophet, nor how much to hope that his father had escaped the Death Eaters.

He had not had any more dreams of Voldemort torturing his father, which Harry trusted was a good sign. Instead, his dreams were filled with the thief who had stolen something from Gregorovitch. Harry was terrified to think too heavily on these dreams, lest his knowledge of the thief’s true identity bleed into Voldemort’s mind, but he was no closer to knowing what Voldemort truly wanted than he was to finding Hufflepuff’s cup.

At least, even if he didn’t have the cup, he had a plan to destroy the diadem. Harry shoved the Daily Prophet into his bag and exchanged it for the hand-written book his parents had gifted him for his sixteenth birthday, which happened to be his favourite book from his small library.

He opened to the section on Potions and flipped through his mother’s recipes and notes until he reached the recipe he had pored over the most since receiving this gift: the Wolfsbane Potion.

It was the one recipe he was most interested in, not only because it was exceptionally detailed, but it was the one potion he had wanted to brew since childhood. He still hadn’t done it himself yet, only helped his mother a few times last year, but he’d studied it frequently. And, even while he was on the run, he had found himself returning to it, especially in the days leading up to the full moon. It helped him feel connected to his family.

He was familiar with what went into the Wolfsbane Potion — everything from aconite to powdered silver — and had never paid much attention to the ingredients part. Mostly, Harry worked to memorise every detail of the instructions. But the other night, he had noticed an odd annotation to the ingredients list. Lily had written, beside each ingredient, special preparation instructions. Next to powdered silver, she’d written the incantation for efficiently turning sickles into powder. She’d marked that Jobberknoll feathers needed to be shed at the full moon. She’d also noted that it was best to pick Wolfsbane at the new moon, and she had instructions for properly preserving the flowers and roots. Next to those instructions, however, was a note that Harry hadn’t understood. She’d written “Kn-14A.”

It wasn’t a measurement that Harry was aware of. It wasn’t an ingredient that went in with the Wolfsbane, or some variant strain of it, as far as he knew from watching Lily and James make the potion at each full moon. And though his mother had gone through the recipe with him when they had brewed it last summer, she hadn’t mentioned anything about Kn-14A.

Yesterday, however, when he had ducked into the alley near Borgin and Burkes to avoid a Snatcher, he had noticed the shop number: 13B.

Kn-14A wasn’t a set of instructions related to brewing the Wolfsbane Potion; it was where to find ingredients.

Harry finished the potato, but decided to save the bread and scone. Food was no easier to come by in the city than it had been in the countryside, so he had maintained the rationing strategies he had gotten used to while traveling with Ron and Hermione.

He squeezed the bread into his very full pack and, not for the first time, wished that he had asked Hermione to show him how to use the Undetectable Extension. He reached into the side-pocket for the flask of Polyjuice Potion and shook it. He had maybe one use left. Was this worth it?

If Harry was going to get more information on Bellatrix Lestrange or Pyrites, he might need to get into the Ministry. The Invisibility Cloak wouldn’t protect him from Secrecy Sensors. His best bet would be Polyjuice Potion.

He reached back into his bag and pulled out the Daily Prophet.

How much did he still look like himself, really? His scar was hidden behind his hair, which had grown out considerably, and his face was partially obscured by the beard that had slowly grown in over this last month. Shaving had not been on Harry’s priority list. He could Transfigure his hair colour, but even then, the glasses would be a dead give away.

He took off his specs and squinted into Diagon Alley. Without them, He wouldn’t be able to read any bottle labels. He looked down at the blurry frames in his hands and had an idea. It was either the stupidest thing he had ever thought of or the most genius. He supposed he wouldn’t know until it was done.

He tapped his wand against his glasses and muttered the incantation for a Disillusionment Charm. He focused on the frames and not the glass, since he still needed to be able to see through the glass. The thick, dark frames dissolved away, though he could still feel them in his hand. He put the newly obscured frames back on and used his reflection in the two-way mirror to help him turn his hair dark red. Finally, he held the Prophet up beside the mirror. It wasn’t as good as a Polyjuice Potion, but it was better than nothing.

Reluctantly, and with his heart thudding against his chest, he removed the Invisibility Cloak.

He half-expected Voldemort to appear out of thin air and attack him, or a Snatcher or Ministry employee to point him out. But no one paid him any mind. No one seemed interested in the lanky, disheveled young man tucked away in a corner of Knockturn Alley. He supposed there were different kinds of ways to be invisible.

He took in a deep breath, and headed up the street. He kept his hand on his wand and his head down. Fortunately, Knockturn Alley wasn’t a place known for its friendly patrons, and no one gave him a second glance. Still, he felt overwhelming relief when he arrived, unaccosted, at Shyverwretch’s Venoms and Poisons.

There were no windows looking into Shyverwretch’s. Whether that was to protect the patrons or the products, Harry couldn’t say. But he had come this far, so he might as well see this plan through. He placed a hand on the door and pushed.

The shop bell made him jump, and he closed the door hastily behind him.

The room was dimly lit, which Harry was grateful for. It wasn’t much bigger than a cupboard, though, and if Harry wasn’t certain he had just entered from Knockturn Alley, he might have worried that he’d stumbled into someone’s private pantry. Shelves lined the wall from floor to ceiling, stocked with small bottles of dark glass. None of the bottles were labeled, but each of the shelves were marked with a series of numbers and letters. Harry supposed that people who bought poisons did not want to advertise their purchases, but that meant he would have to ask the shopkeeper for help.

Not two feet from the door was a small shop counter with a glass case that contained some of the more opulent bottles. Behind the case stood an elderly wizard holding a mortar and pestle. He had no hair, but did have a long, wispy beard that brushed against the glass. His sharp eyes were focused on Harry.

Harry swallowed. “Er — morning.”

The elderly man said nothing.

Harry cleared his throat and lowered the pitch of his voice, hoping he would sound older. “A friend told me you sell poisons.”

He let out a wheezy laugh and set the mortar and pestle aside. “I imagine my sign did as well.”

Harry’s ears burned and his heart raced. “Yeah, it helped. She said you have — er — aconite?” Harry wasn’t sure which name was most appropriate or least suspicious.

“What date of harvest do you need?”

“Oh — no, actually I’m looking for something a bit harder to come by.”

“You’re interested in the seeds? I’ve sold them before, but it’s a special order —”

“No — er — you don’t happen to have any cockatrice blood do you?”

The elderly man stared at Harry, and when Harry did not elaborate, he wheezed again and doubled over in laughter. The laughter rapidly turned into a horrible cough and Harry was afraid he had accidentally killed the shopkeeper.

It took the man some time and several loud, wheezing breaths to regain his composure.

“Pardon me, boy,” he finally said, “but do you have any real business to conduct?”

Harry hesitated. “Do you know where I could find some?”

“Of course. You can travel to Egypt, find a cockatrice, and pray you kill it before it kills you.”

Harry’s hand went to his hair out of habit before he realised he was about to accidentally reveal his scar. He scratched his chin instead. “What about basilisk venom?”

“You’ve certainly got a taste for rare poisons. Bit young to be filling out such an expensive collection.”

“Look, do you have any or —”

Harry was interrupted by a soft jingle as the shop door opened. He held his breath, afraid to turn around and see who had entered. The shop was small for a duel, with no cover besides the shopkeeper’s counter. He just had to hope he could leave before he was recognised. He gripped his wand tightly.

“Hey,” a low voice seemed to growl, “Shyverwretch, do you have what we discussed?”

Harry’s stomach dropped and he fought off the panic that rose in his chest. He knew that voice far better than he would have liked.

Shyverwretch didn’t look anymore fond of the man than Harry felt. His beady eyes had gone wide and he swallowed slowly before speaking. “Greyback, I told you, I don’t take the names of my customers —”

“But I’m not asking about customers.” The bell jingled again as Greyback closed the door. He did not try to move past Harry to Shyverwrtech, and Harry could not help but think Greyback was intentionally blocking the only exit.

“I’m asking about cowards.”

“I can’t help you — I don’t have what you’re asking for.”

“Oh, but I know you do. I also know you have a granddaughter in South Harrow. Your great-granddaughter just turned three, didn’t she?”

Shyverwretch paled. His whole body trembled and his gaze slid from Greyback to Harry. Slowly, he lifted a shaking hand and pointed it at Harry.

Harry turned, but he wasn’t fast enough. Greyback grabbed his wrist before he could draw his wand. The werewolf’s claw-like fingers dug into Harry’s skin.

“No need for wands between us. It’s lucky I found you when I did. So, you’re here for wolfsbane?”

Harry kept his eyes down, both to hide how much pain he was in and to hide his face. No one had said his name yet. If he could just get to the door, if he could get out of this small shop…

He tried to jerk his arm away from Greyback. Blood trickled down his wrist and into his clenched fist.

“Why are you trying to run? I’m here as a friend, to show you a way other than wolfsbane.” Greyback leaned in close and Harry’s heart raced. “Spend the next three days with me. That’s all we’ll need. Three days, and if you don’t enjoy hunting with a pack, I’ll let you —” Greyback paused. He took in a deep breath. “I know your scent.”

Harry tore his arm away, not caring that he lost his grip on his wand as Greyback’s claws shredded the tendons in his arm. He could heal it later, or he would duel left-handed if he needed to, but he had to get out of here first if he was going to live.

As his uninjured hand yanked on the shop door, Greyback snarled, “Potter!”

Harry ran. He ran faster than he had ever run in his life. Faster than when he had chased Bellatrix Lestrange through the Department of Mysteries, faster than when he had run after Snape. He didn’t dare stop to fish his wand out of his pocket with his working hand. He ran out of Knockturn Alley and through the Leaky Cauldron back to Charing Cross.

Automobiles screeched and honked as he ran into the Muggle road, but Harry paid them no attention. He didn’t know if it was in his head or if he could actually hear Greyback’s snarls behind him. He wasn’t going to turn to check.

He made it through the busy junction without getting hit by any drivers, and he didn’t hear anyone run over Greyback, either. He clutched his bleeding hand to his chest as he ducked around Muggle shoppers and scanned the Muggle shops he passed in search of a place to hide or at least get enough cover to draw his wand.

He wondered if Greyback cared enough about the Statute of Secrecy to not rip his throat out right in front of all these Muggles. Or, more likely, Greyback would want to take him back to Voldemort. He supposed the Ministry would have a grand time Obliviating all the witnesses, and Greyback wouldn’t spare them a thought.

He still did not dare slow his stride, but he did glance across the road to the tinted shop windows, where he could see his warped reflection intermittently between motorists. He certainly looked absurd, but that wasn’t what he was concerned with. He could see Greyback’s reflection, too, still on his heels.

The man was larger than Harry recalled from that night on the Astronomy Tower. He seemed to be made of sheer power, and Harry was certain that Greyback was gaining on him. Harry forced himself to increase his speed, and his legs burned in protest, but obeyed as much as they could.

He couldn’t outrun Greyback. He needed to get somewhere safe.

On the corner up ahead, Harry saw the red and blue logo of the London Underground. He had only ridden it a few times, but if anything was faster than Greyback, it would be the Tube.

He pushed his way past the Muggles and practically jumped down the stairs. A few people called out in protest, but their weak shouts turned into proper cries of outrage as Greyback threw them aside in pursuit of Harry.

Harry could see the ticketing gates up ahead and knew Greyback wasn’t going to wait around for him to fish any Muggle money he might have out of his pack. He leaped over the barrier, but when his trainers hit the smooth tile, he sprawled out onto the ground. A Muggle in a bright red shirt and blue tie ran towards him.

“Hey! You can’t jump the —”

Harry scrambled to his feet and kept running, ignoring the taste of blood in his mouth from where his teeth had punctured his tongue. He was pretty sure he’d cut open his chin on the tile, too, but those problems were secondary to getting away from Greyback.

He heard more shouts, assumed Greyback, too, had jumped the barrier, but he kept his eyes ahead in search of a way out. The last thing he needed was to get in a carriage with Greyback and put more Muggles at risk. He passed the information center and half-ran half-slid down the ramp to the platform. He didn’t care which line he got on, as long as it was going fast and he could get in just before the doors closed.

The rumble and squeak of a train coming in echoed around him, and he fought the burning in his chest and the stitch in his side to try to catch it. He skidded out onto the platform and bolted for the first carriage he saw. A woman with a pram protested sharply as he pushed her aside to get through the doors just before they snapped shut behind him.

Greyback slammed into the doors at full speed, and the entire carriage rocked from his momentum. The passengers gasped, but the train lurched forward onto the next station without care as Greyback banged his fist into it again.

Harry fell into the nearest open seat and looked down at his clothes, soaked in blood. He started to reach for his wand, but there was a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

Harry looked up at a man in a suit, who was probably about his father’s age, with dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard. Harry’s first thought was to run, that this man could be a Hit Wizard or a Snatcher, but reason settled in and reminded him that no self-respecting blood purist would be caught dead on the Muggle Underground. Perhaps Harry should have been riding the trains more often during his time in London.

“M’alright,” he said, and wished he didn’t notice the way his speech slurred. He knew what he needed to do, he just needed there to be less Muggles paying attention to him.

“Here, keep this pressed there.” The helpful Muggle put something against Harry’s arm, and Harry didn’t look to see what it was, but he listened. “My name’s Nigel. I’m going to help you get to a hospital.”

“Thank you,” Harry put effort into pronouncing each word, “but I’ll be okay.”

“That’s a nasty scrape on your chin, too. Did that man who was chasing you hurt you?”

Harry didn’t bother to answer. He had no idea how to explain why Greyback had hurt him, let alone why the man had left claw-marks in his wrist.

He pulled his wounded arm to his chest and, as surreptitiously as possible, slipped his wand from his pocket. He used the makeshift compress the man had given him to hide his wand as he pressed it to his injury and muttered the incantation to seal the cuts closed. He could feel not only his veins, but the muscles and tendons knit themselves back together. He’d never had to perform a spell like this on himself, but he was familiar with the feeling. Sirius had closed up similar wounds from Greyback last summer.

When it was done, he flexed his hand and closed it into a fist. It was a bit stiff, but he would be able to duel just fine.

The train slowed to a stop and Harry stood, but Nigel pushed him back down.

“Not yet, son. We’ll get off at the next one.”

The Death Eaters may not use Muggle transport, but they weren’t stupid, not even Greyback. It wouldn’t be hard for them to patrol the stops on this line to try to find him. He needed to change trains before they filled up each station. He needed to get out of London.

“I promise, I’m fine —”

“It’s a short walk from there to St Thomas’. They’ll be able to help you.”

Harry shook his head. He didn’t know if he was weary from his intense sprint, the fading adrenaline, or the loss of blood, but just the effort of it made him dizzy.

“I don’t need a hospital.”

“One more stop,” the man promised. “If you’re worried that man will be waiting for you, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Nigel had no idea what he was promising, but the carriage doors had already closed.

Harry pulled the compress off of his arm. “I’m fine, see? It looked bad, but it really wasn’t.”

Nigel stared at Harry’s arm in astonishment. “But there was so much blood —”

“Guess I hit my chin hard. Listen, I just need to get out of London, okay? So can you point me to a train that can do that?”

“You can get just about anywhere from Waterloo.” The man sighed. “I still think you should go to the hospital. You might be hurt more than you —”

“No, thank you.”

Nigel pursed his lips as the train slowed to a stop. Harry hurried out of the doors the moment they opened, and he didn’t like that the nice Muggle man followed him.

“You’re sure I can’t convince you to go to a hospital?”

Harry tightened his hand around his wand, but did his best to keep it hidden in his sleeve. He searched the platform for any sign of Death Eaters or the Ministry.

“I’m sure,” he said.

“Then let me help you out of London. Where would you like to go?”

Harry had no idea.

“Do you have family or friends you can connect with?”

Harry swallowed down a lump in his throat. “I don’t… have anyone. You don’t need to worry about me — I’ll be alright on my own.”

Nigel gave Harry a long look and seemed to resign himself to Harry’s stubbornness. “Well, how does Kent or Brighton sound?”

It was hard to think through the fuzz in his head, but an idea sparked. It wasn’t a perfect idea, and it was certainly risky, but it was an idea, and he was short on those at the moment.

“Could I get to Surrey from here?” he asked.

“You have friends at the University that way?”

“I have an aunt and uncle out there.” He didn’t know where Vernon and Petunia were, exactly, but he knew they weren’t at home, which meant that the house was probably empty. He couldn’t imagine the Death Eaters would think it important enough to keep a consistent watch on.

Nigel looked relieved to hear that Harry did indeed have family he could get to. He helped Harry find the right train and even paid for Harry’s ticket.

Harry protested — he had some Muggle money — but Nigel insisted.

“It’s not right to stand by when someone is in need,” Nigel said. “I’m just glad someone was able to help you today.”

Harry didn’t have too much experience with Muggles as a whole, but he was grateful that he could add Nigel to that experience.

They shook hands, and Nigel took the opportunity to once again examine Harry’s wrist. He marveled that there was no sign of a wound, but without a way to explain it, he let the matter drop and waved Harry off.

Harry thanked him again, and found a seat on his train as far away from any Muggles as he could get. It was easy enough to clean up without anyone looking at him, and with the help of the mirror was even able to fix the cut on his chin.

Once he had finished Healing everything and removing blood-stains, he sank back into his seat and considered how fruitless his day had been. He hadn’t been able to make contact with Cedric, he might as well have announced his presence to Voldemort directly, and he didn’t even get what he needed to destroy the diadem.

He wouldn’t be able to come back to London.

With a sigh, Harry dug into his pack for the bit of food he had left. Under normal circumstances, he would have waited a few more hours before eating again, to let his food last as long as possible, but between his sprint and Healing his wounds, his body needed to refuel. The scone had slid down the side of his pack and was nothing but crumbs beneath his books. The bread rolls were squished into his bedding.

Carefully, Harry extricated his bedroll from his pack. He unrolled it on the seat beside him and as he stuffed one of the flattened bread rolls in his face, he felt through the bedroll for the second roll, and for the diadem. He only found the bread.

In a panic, he dumped his bag out onto the seat beside him. His canteen tumbled out, along with a change of clothes, the crumbs of the scone, the Daily Prophet, the Snitch from Dumbledore, his books — the Auror code, his parents’ gift, and two Defense books — but there was no Horcrux.

Panic rose in his throat. He had no idea when, or where, or how, but somehow he had lost Rowena Ravenclaw’s diadem.

[yuriprince]

i stumbled across a bunch of old hinata fe hcs i had back in the day and i am compiling them here on the new blog cuz theyre cute and i miss my puppy man

(i’ve also adjusted them a little bit to align more with my current hcs for him)

- hinata is an only child and likes to think of takumi as his little brother

- disaster bi with a slight preference for women, as well as a sex-favorable ace

- i also can’t get the t4t hinata/oboro hc out of my head. it’s so good. honestly the entire ponytail squad is t4t. t4t4t

- kinda sorta had a crush on oboro when he first met her. he got over it real quick when she began showing interest in takumi

- he has, at one point or another, had some sort of crush on every girl in the army. plus subaki, cuz who doesn’t have a crush on subaki?

- actually a pretty good cook. his favorite thing to make is onigiri because it’s easy and takumi loves it

- really, really, really wants a dog

- is deathly afraid of heights. he hides this fact to seem cooler

- *wants to appear manly and cool, loves sunflowers anyway*

- his parents had him not long after they got married, and on the day before their wedding day, his father gave his mother a sunflower. this was the initial inspiration for his name

- they actually thought they were having a girl and planned on naming her himawari, which literally means sunflower. when they had a boy instead, they decided on the name hinata, which has a similar translation

- the reason he wants to travel so badly is his mother used to be a traveling merchant before settling down to start a family. she told hinata all kinds of stories about all kinds of places

- their home is filled with odds and ends his mother picked up on her travels and couldn’t sell

- hina’s mom had kind of a rough life, and he wishes he could undo all of it because she deserves the world in his eyes

- and the reason he loves wide open fields so much is his father used to do his samurai training there (he liked the solitude), and sometimes he’d bring hinata along. hinata strongly associates meadows and fields with his father and all the memories spent sparring and getting stronger there

- the scar under his eye he got from his father while they were training. he still feels bad about it years later

- when i designed hinata’s parents all those years ago i based his dad off of hanzo from overwatch, and now i have a very special place in my heart for hanzo :)

- thanks to all the small injuries and scars he has accumulated over his career, hinata’s pain tolerance is quite high. i mean, have you seen his defense stat?

- getting hurt that often does have its drawbacks, however, and he has a hard time understanding that. he tends to be reckless in battle, especially when takumi’s life is on the line, and gets himself hurt unnecessarily a lot. but he says he’s fine with it because at least takumi is okay

- he initially didn’t want to be takumi’s retainer. he really didn’t have a choice thanks to his lineage and his family’s reputation as protectors of the royal family. he was expected to follow along with that tradition. although he had other plans for himself, (i.e. to travel and just do whatever the hell he wanted) he felt like he couldn’t say no

- takumi had a large inferiority complex even when he was young, and hinata knew that better than anyone. even if he didn’t want to at first, he still cared about him. he had to. takumi’s wellbeing was his wellbeing, whether he liked it or not

- so hinata stuck as close as possible to takumi and tried everything in his power to keep him as happy as possible. soon enough it became second nature and he started acting that way with everyone he met

- despite being really cute and nice and all around an amazing person, he’s afraid nobody actually wants him around because he’s annoying them :(

- god i have so many faves that fall into that “really bubbly and energetic but are afraid of being too annoying and not having any friends” trope. what does that say about me

[popculturebuffet]

Ducktales Treasure of the Golden Suns Reviews: Wronguay in Ronguay (Paid for by Patreons)

Hello all you happy people and welcome back to the genesis of magillicutty   Ducktales with the second part of my months long look at Treasure of the Golden Suns, the mini series that kicked off the series. These reviews are a result of me hitting my first patreon stretch goal. I just did a LONGGG post outlining those here on tumblr so hit that up and help join my patreon so I can reach them and make some more moolah to help keep this my primary job. 

So speaking of that job we’re back to The Treasure of the Golden Suns and the first chapter, while not bad, was a tad disappointing, especially since I really liked it on first viewing. So will the second chapter fair just as bad or be a massive improvement? The only way to find out is under the cut. 

Previously on Ducktales: Donald shoved off with the navy leaving the boys with Scrooge, with both growing to care about one another... both out of nowhere

The boys ended up embroiled int he Beagle Boys theft of a wooden ship for a mysterious gentleman named El Capitan whose preferedd method of dealing with enterlopers.. was to use a chair like a lion tamer. After being falsely blamed for the theft, the boys ended up chasing the beagles to Scrooge’s candy factory, were vindicated and fought them off with Scrooge’s help , ending with the boys getting covered in choclate.  while El Capitan escaped vowing to find the gold. Now knowing the wooden ship was a map, the family prepared to set off

And that’s where we pick up. The reporter from last episode comments on the beagle bust and while the Beagles are hauled off, with Burger asking if they have any milk after eating his chocolate prison. Because his only  character trait is that...

The camera does linger on an impression the ship made in the chocolate... hmmmmmm.

Meanwhile we meet FLINTHEART GLOMGOLD. As I said with Catch as Cash Can, he’s not BAD, just not NEARLY as memorable as the triumphantly insane 2017 version. He’s sitll a good villian and we’ll see why soon, he just has the unenviable task of competiting with a far more iconic versoin made decades later whose far more my type of bad guy. El Captian calls him and offers to make him the richest duck in the world, which he naturally is happy to hear him out on. El Captian as a character i’ll get into more.. but for now let’s talk about his weird fucking voice. For some reason, Jim is doing a Dr. Claw impression, to the point I thought this was Frank Welker. I will grant it’s better than a horrible latinx sterotype, and given the grand kishke and a minor character in this very episode, they were NOT above those, but its’ still just.. weird. He just sounds like he’s possesed with about 80 or 90 demons for no explained reason. 

Back at the mansion, Scrooge and the Boys are both preparing to go after the treasure on the boat map: Scrooge is practicing vacuming it up using the pool and a sea safe vacum likely invented by Gyro, while the boys find the right coordinates to the treasure. Scrooge naturally.. is a bit of a dick about it, refusing to take them along despite them having found it, and saying they can stay with Duckworth. Duckworth’s response is about what you’d expect:

However before they can argue about this, there’s a bang at the door: It’s Flinty and here’s where the parts of this Glomgold I DO like, that do make him standout, if not as much sa his succesor shine: He plays scrooge, offering him 2 million for the Candy Factory. Naturally not realizing what Flinty’s getting out of the deal, Scrooge jumps at a quick and easy 2 million, since he knows it’ll cost MORE than that just to fix up the place. Flinty then proposes a contest: the two of them try to make as much money as possible from scratch in two days. No rules, no barriers, just whoever dosen’t have more money than the other by the end has to eat Flinty’s hat. Scrooge accepts.. but then realizes he has to eat crow and allow the boys along. With Scrooge sufficently blackmailed, the boys reveal where the treasure is: Ronguay, a made up south american county. Why they did so.. well just wait a second. And no it’s not just for the tile... but your close. 

No we find out why as they take the cheapest flight avaliable to Ronguay, only for the boys their going the Wrong way to Ronguay. 

Yeah I love a good pun but I draw the line at desinging an ENTIRE COUNTRY for a really obvious one. I have standards on this blog! Standards that include thirsting after Keith David , DBZA refrences up the whazoo and posting this gif of David Byrne at every given opportunity. 

Look my standards are weird, but their still standards. I draw the line at making a stupid pun when there’s a rich number of countries in South America. I’m not saying Carl Barks was ever against making up a country, he probably did, could be wrong, but more often than not he did his homework instead, as did his succesor Don Rosa. It feels lazy to just make up a country when you really don’t have to and could’ve just found one with a massive rainy season for your children’s cartoon. It’s not hard. I mean it’s harder than now: now I could just google “what south american countries have torrental rains”.. but it’s not like you guys could’n’t just go to a bookstore and buy a refrence book or a library and rent one. I mean if they ran out of time to do anyresearch fine, but even for the 1980′s it wasn’t that difficult to at least TRY. 

Regardless it turns out the pilot is a robot pilot.. who looks amazing but  as it’s a flintheart glomgold company joint is purposfuly tring to keep them off path. Look they didn’t have to unplug the poor guy. I know what he wants. 

So now on the right way to Ronguay our heroes lan only to find the locals all fleeing in terror of something. Scrooge heads in for suplies anyway and finds... a VERY racist sounding clerk. Seriously just to picture this.. picture say .. Michael Scott trying to do an mexican accent. You good and cringing? If not, adapt that to your doofus sitcom character or republican senator of choice There you go. You see my point. It’s not the WORST i’ve seen.. but only because I sat through the Rediculous 6 with my best friend, one of three, Cory, for a podcast we tried doing a year or two ago. I’ve seen Rob Schinder do  this for an entire movie. In 2015 no less. So my threshold for HORRIFCALLY offensive is vast and deep. But this is still garden variety racist and should not have been okay then or now. 

And it really SHOULD have the warning label on it. I’m fully in favor of the content warnings Disney started using, and it’s why I got so fucking annoyed during all the talk about it when it happend to the Muppet Show, ESPECIALLY when the republicans got a hold of it and accused them of “Canceling the muppets”. This is NOT fucking cancelation, this is a way to have the past there for posterity, while acknolding it sucked and was NEVER okay. It’s the best way to do this in my opinon, and it bothers me a LOT that a bunch of jagoffs coopted it and threw a hissy fit about Disney trying to do the right goddamn thing. And i’m also okay with leaving some media out. Disney + is a family platform. While keeping classic movies and shows on there with a proper warning is one thing, it’s another to not put song of the south or that episode of the muppets where the host later turned out ot be a pedophile on there. Some things just don’t have nearly enough worth to outpace the harm they can do. And it’s up to companies and consumers to figure out what fits where. 

Anyways our heroes find a llama for transport and that the map is seemingly a dead end to the desert. But Scrooge is determined to press on... and while he does El Capitan and Glomgold are following him, though the two clearly don’t agree on whose in charge, or if El Captian sounds like dr claw or not. They followed with their own copy of the map taken from the chocolate. 

As things progress the rain starts.. and our heroes find out via the JWG that this is what the citzens were all running from. They loose the llama, though are able to salvage some of their suplies it was carrying, and Scrooge nearly gives up to dispair. It’s a good, if sudden, character moment: Scrooge genuinely laments that he was worried one day he’d loose his step.. and stop being one step ahead of everyone. It shows some much needed vunerablity.. that beneath his boisterious and cantankerious usual personality he’s deathly afraid his age will eventualy mean he’ll have to stop..and having to stop adventuring and stop working and stop doing eveyrthing that makes him Scrooge McDuck is a fate worse than death. 

Thankfully he dosen’t as via a figure on the ship, Huey, Dewey or Louie figures out, in a REALLY amazing twist, that the desert itself was the ocean: the ship that has the treasure simply sailed here and hid it. So while our heroes reflect, Glomgold decides to take them out NOW while he has the chance over El Captian’s protests, as the good captain only cares about the gold. But Glomgold is right.. from a villianous point of view at least. leaving them alive is a waste.. granted he does so.. in a way that makes my brain cry out in pain and want to run. He lights a stick of dynamite. In a torrential rainstorm. 

I mean i’d expect 2017 Glomgold to try it and have it fail.. not to have the actually clever 87 version not only try something this stupid BUT HAVE IT WORK. THE FUSE LIGHTS. IT’S READY TO GO OFF. HE ONLY STOPS IT BECAUSE HIS MAP GETS EATEN AND THEY NEED SCROOGE’S IN TACT. JUST HOW DO YOU WHY DO YOU AUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-

Okay i’m.. i’m good now. So after that bit of nonsense and some taking my medication, our heroes take shelter in a cave. The grusome twosome try to sneak in while their asleep.. only to trigger the alarms the boys set up using their pots and pans, a “junior woodchuck alarm”. Clever little bastards. 

The tables quickly turn though as Thing one and Thing Two trap our heroes in the cave.. as i’ts flooding. Scrooge has them press on in hopes of finding a way out, and it rises further and furthe ran excenelty tense scene. But eventually our heroes manage to find somewhere safe in time: the shipwrecked boat with all the gold. Scrooge even puts on a nifty golden conquestador’s helmet. 

Naturally since we have minutes left in the episode the bad guys show up and have a gun... they never had before. 

Regardless our heroes are lowered into the lifeboat at gunpoint as the ship goes out to sea and i’ts revealed el captain worked on teh ship as he knows the full manifest.

However both villians personal flaws end up doing them in: Glomgold’s need to gloat means he gives Scrooge a golden coin as he mocks him about winning the bet... only for El Captain to fly into an insane rage demanding he swim out and get it despite just how LITTLE he really needs the coin. He and Glomgold struggle over the ships canon, both no longer needing the other and eventually fire off a ball that capsizes the ship. El Captian seemingly drowns while Glomgold is forced onto the life boat with the McDucks.. and finds out he lost as while he and Scrooge both lost the treasure the coin he tossed scrooge means Scrooge still has made more money. So Glomgold prepares to eat his hat and El Captian prepares for vengance and to get his gold back. 

Final Thoughts on Wronguay in Ronguay: The iffy bit with the store clerk aside.. this episdoe is easily the best 87 Episode i’ve seen.  It captures the spirit of barks perfectly with plenty of intresting twists that kept me engaged the whole time, some great jokes, and two great villians who are done in soley by their own greed and neurosusi> it’s really great stuff and what I expected more and remember more from the 87 Series: top notch adventure in the barks style but wiht it’s own unique touches. While the pilot was a bit rough due to all the ground it tried to cover, this episode, now having the basic formula of the series pretty much set, is allowed to just be a fun, daring adventure story that brilliantly builds off the last episode but can be wholly enjoyed on it’s own. Hopefully this momentum keeps because I don’t remember being the fondest of the next two episodes.. and given that content warning I think we’re in for a rough time next month. 

If you liked htis join my patreon, etc etc, I went into that mor eup top. Till All Are One, See you at the next Rainbow. 

[straycat-writes]

don’t ever come back (mafia!dazai osamu)

summary: When it comes to Mori, Dazai can just never seem to win.

warning(s): guns, manipulation, (slight) intimidation, Ougai Mori being the sadistic fuck that he is

Dazai had always hated this place, this room that Mori called his office. It always felt too much like a hospttal, too much like death, too much like Mori. Even the walls felt saturated with his cold and deathly calm presence, and that was the most terrifying thing of all. Even now, as he stood in front of the desk, Mori’s steely eyes digging into his skin like icicles, Dazai felt suffocated. He wanted to bolt, to turn and run away and never come back, or better yet, just disappear altogether. But he knew he could do neither of those things.

Dazai had been careless. He had made a mistake, a gross miscalculation, and now he was going to pay the price for it. He simultaneously cursed and laughed at his own recklessness, at how he had allowed himself to relax, to think that Mori wouldn’t find out. It sounded ridiculous to him in hindsight, because Mori always found out. That’s just how it had always been. Dazai would find the smallest, slightest flicker of hope buried somewhere in his world of grey, and Mori would immediately snuff it out. Dazai was his best weapon after all, and he needed to keep his best weapon sharp and…uncompromised.

Everything Dazai had ever loved, Mori had burnt to the ground with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face. Over time, he had stopped trying at all, because what’s the point if whatever excuse for happiness he had scraped together was just going to be ripped from his hands anyway? And yet…

And yet, he had gone ahead and deluded himself that for once, just this once, he was allowed to take the love, the care and affection being given to him without feeling guilty or apprehensive. As if everything didn’t come at a price. Spoiler alert: it does, and now they were both going to pay for it.

Dazai clenched his jaw, nails digging painfully into his palms. Mori was saying something to him, but amidst the chaos in his mind, he could only make out a few fragments. Lying…don’t need…get rid…weakness. Even though his voice sent shudders of cold discomfort through his spine, Dazai knew him well enough to get the gist of what he was saying. It’s not fair, he wanted to scream, except when had anything ever been fair when it came to Mori? You can’t do this were the next words that came to mind, but that was a lie too. Mori could do whatever he wanted.

“Well?” his voice felt like a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped on Dazai’s head, breaking him out of his reverie, “Can you?”

Dazai scowled to himself. That’s right, Mori had asked him a question. No…that’s not it. Question would imply that he actually had a choice, and Dazai was much too clever to believe that. Mori had a way of framing his orders in a manner that gave people the illusion of choice where none existed. It was a dirty trick, but one Dazai was too familiar with to fall for.

He leaned back in his chair with a sigh, narrowing his eyes and steepling his fingers below his chin, “It’s a simple enough question, Dazai. You say you don’t care about her, so you shouldn’t have any trouble going through with this…right?”

Dazai’s mind was racing, so fast that he was almost having trouble keeping up with it. His head hurt. There’s really no way out of this, is there? If he says no, Mori would simply get someone else to do it. If he says yes, well…At this point, he wasn’t sure which option was worse.

And then, something flipped inside his head like a switch, and his eyes widened. What had he been thinking? How could he think there was ever another way? …I should it. He’s right, he’s right, he’s always right and I’m always wrong and there’s no other way and –

Mori smiled as he watched Dazai turn and walk away wordlessly, a dazed and empty expression on his face. And even though he had never got around to actually answering the question, Mori knew he had won.

Dazai found her just where he had expected to: on a bar stool at Lupin, trying to get drunk after a long day. With Chuuya, of all people. Dazai frowned when he spotted the short redhead sitting beside her, deep in conversation. She laughed when he said something particularly amusing, and took a sip of her drink. Her cheeks were rosy, whether from the alcohol or from the cold, he couldn’t tell. It suited her, though, and – no, this wouldn’t do. He was getting distracted.

He made his way over to where the two of them were sitting and lightly touched her shoulder.

“Oh, Dazai!” she smiled, “I didn’t know you would be here tonight.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chuuya scowl at him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to particularly care. He returned his gaze to the girl sitting in front of him, looking at him with a questioning gaze.

“Can we…can we talk for a while?”

She blinked unsurely, “Uh, yeah, alright.”

Mumbling an apology to Chuuya, she got up to follow Dazai. Together, they stepped out of the safety of the bar and into the cold winter night. The biting wind was unforgiving, and he watched her shrink into herself a little as she pulled her coat tighter around her shoulders. His chest ached a little, to see her so trusting and unassuming of him. He could lead her down to hell, and she’d probably follow him there too.

It was late at night, late enough so that the streets were completely deserted. Dazai didn’t stop until they reached the docks. She had told him once that she liked the sea at night, when the moon’s reflection rippled in the waves like silver. There was no moon tonight. He was faintly aware of her asking him something, probably about where they were going, but he couldn’t make out much over the screeching in his head that just won’t stop, like nails on chalkboard.

When he finally did turn to face her, she stopped mid-sentence and the questioning expression on her face immediately turned to that of surprise, then to fear.

That might have had something to do with the gun Dazai was pointing at her now, the barrel inches from her forehead.

“D-Dazai?”

She sounded scared and confused, and why wouldn’t she be? Here she was in the middle of nowhere, with her lover pointing a gun at her head. He hadn’t said anything to her the whole way, and he wanted to say something now, anything at all, if only to break the silence. But what exactly? You can’t exactly apologize to the person whose head you’re pointing a gun at.

And maybe Dazai wasn’t as stone-faced as he believed himself to be, after all. Because she was staring up at him now with wide eyes, and Dazai could see her piecing things together in her head. He faltered a little at that thought. He didn’t want her to know just how weak he really was behind the façade he had put up. Am I really that easy to read? He found himself thinking as he took an unconscious step back. But she had seen enough.

“So that’s how it is.” She whispered, head hung low.

With her shoulders slumped, she looked up and gave him a defeated smile. Then she took a step forward. Whatever Dazai had been expecting her to do, it wasn’t this, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to do. She stepped forward further, and soon enough, her forehead was pressed right against the barrel.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. Dazai could read her well enough to figure out on his own what she wanted him to know.

Do it. Do it if you have to.

He unlocked the safety, the click sounding unnaturally loud in the silent surroundings, as if sealing both of their fates once and for all. For a moment, his thoughts got so loud that her image started to blur in front of his eyes. I should do it. He’s right, he’s right, he’s always right, this is the only way.

Only way for what, though? What exactly am I trying to achieve?

There were tears streaming down her face now, but she didn’t back off, nor did the smile of resignation leave her face. Dazai knew it was meant to reassure him, to let him know it was okay. Except it wasn’t. Mori had figured out where Dazai’s heart lived, and had found the perfect way to plunge his hand inside and rip it out. Worst of all, he made it seem like a favour, like a gift to him, and he knew it wasn’t but what did he know?

Dazai didn’t remember actually pulling the trigger. He could see his hand tightening around it, pulling it slowly backwards, but it felt like it wasn’t really him doing it, like he was outside his body, watching like a mute spectator. The shot resounded throughout the docks, loud enough to silence everything else, including his mind.

He only realized he had screwed his eyes shut when he tried to open them again. The barrel of the gun was fuming with smoke, the smell of burnt rubber permeating the air. It took him a while to realize he had failed. The bullet had missed its mark.

The gun fell from his hand, and barely a second later, he fell to his knees too. Clutching his head with both hands, he found himself mumbling two words over and over again, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…”

If Mori were here, Dazai would’ve gone up to him and screamed, “There’s your answer!”

“Sshh, it’s okay, Dazai, It’s fine…” It was only then that he realized that she was kneeling down beside him, whispering softly to him as he shook in her arms.

“I…I almost killed you.” He said in a barely audible voice, a tear sliding down from between his fingers that were still clutching at his face.

She touched his wrist, gently prying his hands away from his head, and even though her hands were cold, it was enough to reassure him. Almost. It’s okay, she’s alive…The relief that flooded through him at that thought almost made him melt. Then came the fear. He had failed. He had failed, and there was no telling what Mori might do now. He wasn’t scared for himself, because what could Mori possibly do to him? The answer to that was a lot, but he didn’t particularly care. No, he was afraid for her, and what would become of her now that he had failed.

Maybe she noticed the shift in his expression, because she softly touched his cheek and made him look at her. That seemed to snap him back to his senses.

He stumbled backwards and immediately got up, swaying a little on his feet. “You need to go.”

“What?” She gave him a confused look as she got to her feet too.

Dazai shook his head vehemently, “There’s no time. You need to go, you need to - ”

“You’re not making any sense, Dazai!” she pleaded, “Go where? Why!?”

“It doesn’t matter. Just leave, go, disappear somewhere.” His voice was frantic, and he had to make an active effort not to yell.

She was silent for a while, before finally saying, “What about you?”

He gave her a watery smile, “Does it really matter?”

“Of course fucking it does!” she yelled, and the sheer anger on her face almost caused Dazai to back off, “We can…we can both leave! Let’s run away!”

Dazai laughed bitterly, “I can’t leave. There’s no place in the world where he won’t find me.” And if he finds me, he finds you.

The look on her face was one of pure distress, “Dazai, please…Don’t do this.”

He sighed, and knew he was going to hate himself for the rest of his life for what he was about to do next. He had picked up the gun that had fallen from his hands earlier, and now he cocked it once again at her head, “Leave. Now. Go somewhere far away where no one can find you.”

Mori always said Dazai didn’t have a heart. But if that was true, what was it that he could feel breaking inside his chest right now, as he looked at her? Her shoulders were slumped downwards, and she was looking at him with eyes that seemed almost liquid. But she knew she had lost.

As she finally turned her back to him, Dazai felt his stomach drop. She was leaving. She was really leaving. He would never see her again, and he’s the only one to blame. For the first time in his life, Dazai’s hand shook while holding a gun. He swallowed hard.

“(Y/n)?”

She turned around to look at him, eyes wary and tinged with the slightest bit of hope. That hope was immediately killed when Dazai gave her a blank stare.

“Don’t ever come back.”

[enavance]

hi i’m here to once again start a discussion / meta about a song that i relate to cherry.  on this episode,  we’re pulling apart falling in reverse’s popular monster.  some of the lyrics are hit or miss because you know obviously this is based on ronnie’s own experiences,  but some of the lyrics are really suited to cherry and i’ll bold the relevant lines as i go or omit things as needed.

also holy shit this is like over 1600 words,  not including the lyrics of course,  and  . . .  congratulations if u read this jkbdfbkvd

i wake up every morning with my head up in a daze i'm not sure if i should say this,  fuck,  i'll say it anyway everybody tries to tell me that i'm goin' through a phase i don't know if it's a phase,  i just wanna feel okay, yeah i battle with depression,  but the question still remains is this post-traumatic stressin' or am i suppressin' rage? and my doctor tries to tell me that i'm going through a phase yeah, it's not a fuckin' phase, i just wanna feel okay

okay,  yeah,  i struggle with this bullshit every day and it's probably 'cause my demons simultaneously rage it obliterates me,  disintegrates me,  annihilates me

cherry has always been hot  -  tempered since she was younger,  but now as she’s grown and grown into her role as the warrior of light and coupled with all of the things she has endured from the beginning of her journey to where she is now.  she lived a relatively peaceful life until imperial garlean forces invaded her village and uprooted her life and destroyed everything she once knew and forced her to make anew.  cherry struggles with severe depression and ptsd,  and much of that contributes to her trauma response and why she’s so quick to lash out in a form of a defense mechanism.

'cause i'm about to break down i'm searchin' for a way out i'm a liar,  i'm a cheater,  i'm a non-believer i'm a popular,  popular monster i break down falling into love now with falling apart i'm a popular,  popular monster

with everything cherry goes through,  it’s a wonder she hasn’t snapped completely yet,  but she has come so,  so,  so close so many times.  she is self  -  destructive in her coping methods,  whether intentionally or not.  sometimes she realizes and notices her harmful coping methods,  sometimes she doesn’t,  but her mindset is that if she’s not hurting anyone else,  it’s fine.

however,  what she doesn’t realize is that her distance and cold shouldering and keeping people at arms length is hurtful because people are just trying to be there for her,  but she won’t allow them to due to her debilitating fear of allowing anyone to come near her,  physically or emotionally,  and risk them forming an attachment to her and vice versa.

she doesn’t want someone to feel hurt or pain in losing her and having to mourn her.  cherry is a serial escapist in that she will disappear for months at a time and wander off looking for the most dangerous jobs,  not only because she needs the money and thrives off of the adrenaline and that she has an inherently reckless nature,  but it’s that deep  -  rooted self  -  destructiveness.

i think i'm going nowhere like a rat trapped in a maze every wall that i knock down is just a wall that i'll replace i'm in a race against myself,  i try to keep a steady pace how the fuck will i escape if i never close my case? oh my god,  i keep on stressin',  every second that i waste is another second sooner to a blessing i won't take

cherry doesn’t see herself as a hero.  to a degree,  she understands that it’s not her choice whether or not she is seen as a hero.  other people will call her one regardless based on her accomplishments and achievements and decorated contributions to the preservation of eorzea and the shard as a whole.  as vain as she is,  and as much as she boasts of her strength as a warrior,  which she takes quite a bit of pride in,  she’s surprisingly somewhat humble when it comes to being seen as a hero that people look to for light in the darkness and idolize.  she just sees nothing special in it because of how many people still die,  how many things are still lost and destroyed.  her own pessimism stops her from feeling positively towards any association with being a hero.  she doesn’t want to be celebrated or praised,  but she won’t be mad if someone compliments her skills and says she’s strong.

cherry is an extremely guarded person and this is something i discuss at length with her keeping extremely tall and thick walls up to protect herself and the people around her due to her life experiences and the trauma she has been through from before ARR to where she is now post  -  SHB.  she’s afraid of letting anyone in.  she’s afraid of caring about people,  despite the fact that she does because deep down she is caring and kind and soft and she just can’t help herself.  she tries to convince herself that she’s not as close to some people as she thinks,  but she is and it would kill her to lose anyone else.  and deep down,  cherry knows that it’s much the same for her friends as well,  that it’s too late,  that they do care about her and someone will be there to mourn and grieve her and she hates that.  this is why she flinches at softness,  any soft gesture or touch or kindness,  even more so when it comes to romantic avenues.  she will run and run and run until she’s sure you’ve given up on pursuing her.  much of this is also tied into the fact that caring about someone is a weakness to a fault because an enemy can sniff that out and use that against her.  they could take someone that she cares about and use them as leverage or kill them or hurt them to get to her and she is so deeply afraid of that most of all.

cherry refuses help constantly.  she shoulders everything and is the first to volunteer to do anything dangerous.  she makes her own recklessly stupid and dangerous plans and rushes in headfirst without much thought.  she is stubborn and will insist on doing everything herself,  even the most menial tasks.  she doesn’t want to look weak,  not that she is or that anyone even thinks that of her,  but she doesn’t want it to appear to anyone that she has any weaknesses because she doesn’t want them to be turned against her.  she refuses help that would otherwise be blessings to make her life easier.

okay,  motherfucker,  now you got my attention i need to change a couple things 'cause somethin' is missing and what if i were to lie?  tell you everything is fine every single fucking day i get closer to the grave i am terrified,  i fell asleep at the wheel again crashed my car just to feel again it obliterates me,  disintegrates me,  annihilates me

cherry is as honest as they come.  perhaps too honest,  sometimes.  however,  when it comes to her own wellbeing,  she will lie to fool others into thinking that she’s fine so that they don’t worry about her.  she doesn’t want to be worried or fussed over,  and most of all,  she doesn’t want to add to anyone else’s stress or make them waste their time with her.  cherry doesn’t take very good care of herself,  physically or emotionally or mentally.  she barrels into danger without thought,  is impulsive,  extremely reckless,  and she doesn’t talk about her feelings to anyone or discuss the traumatic events that happened to her with anyone.  i think the only people she may have opened up to are haurchefant,  maybe thancred on occasion,  ardbert because she’s fine talking to him because her logic is  “  who is he going to tell  ?  no one else can see him,  ”  maybe aymeric but never wholly in detail,  and maybe estinien.  cherry is terrified of opening up to people.  she doesn’t care if people see her as being awful or anything,  but she’s afraid of being seen as vulnerable and having all of those parts of her open and raw.

she’s not actively suicidal or anything or ever thinking about dying.  in fact,  she’s deathly afraid of dying because of the people who care about her and because the fate of the world rests on her shoulders.  she doesn’t want anyone to ever feel the pain she did losing her loved ones.  she doesn’t want them to mourn her.  she doesn’t want to risk the dying of this star just because there’s so much at stake and so many people and the world depending on her success and her being alive.

still,  despite that,  despite knowing that and that being an enormous fear of hers,  that doesn’t stop her from being reckless.  she is extremely self  -  destructive and impulsive and doesn’t think too much,  if at all,  before committing to something,  even if it’s an extremely bad idea.  she does do harmful and self  -  destructive things just to feel things,  hence her being somewhat of an adrenaline addict and chasing danger and diving headfirst into fights or battles and facing off with dangerous people,  even if outnumbered.  she revels in danger and the feeling of adrenaline rushes and actively being battered and bruised in a fight.  she probably would crash a car,  honestly,  just to feel something that is beyond the despondence and depression that she’s come to know post  -  shb.

yeah,  here we go again,  motherfucker,  oh we're sick and tired of wondering praying to a god that you don't believe you're searching for the truth in the lost and found so the question i ask is,  yeah,  where the fuck is your god now? 

and by the end of shb,  knowing the things that she knows of hydaelyn and zodiark,  she’s extremely jaded and even more pessimistic than she was to begin with.  in the beginning,  she didn’t know what she was coming into,  when joining the fray with the scions and learning of her own abilities with the echo and hydaelyn’s will and her involvement.  as time passes and hydaelyn’s absence becomes more noticeable,  she begins to feel abandoned,  and she wonders if hydaelyn is simply content to allow the shard to die and with it,  its people. 

even upon learning of the mother crystal’s weakness in strength,  learning the truth of everything,  the forming of the worlds and hydaelyn and zodiark being primals,  she begins to heavily distrust hydaelyn and wonders if everything had been a lie.  what else had hydaelyn hidden from her  ?  what else was a lie  ?  cherry has never been religious,  not really,  and she wonders if the gods are really out there.  hydaelyn certainly isn’t the god they all thought she was     —     she is a primal.  they have placed their faith and worship in a primal who disappeared and left them in darkness and silence.

cherry is left in a pretty fragile state come the end of shb.  she has lost so much more,  and she feels as though she managed to accomplish nothing despite everything that she has had a hand in doing.  there is always something else,  always something more,  and she feels as though it’s never going to end and she is exhausted.  she will never tire of helping people,  not truly,  but she feels such an emptiness within her and i really think that losing anyone else important to her,  specifically people like thancred,  the twins,  estinien,  aymeric,  she is really going to spiral harder than ever before and i really don’t know how cherry would come out of it in one piece.

[astro-break]

Thoughts on the 12th ep of Hypmic Rhyme Anima. Spoilers beware

Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 & 5 | Ep. 6 | Ep. 7 | Ep. 8 | Ep. 9 | Ep. 10 | Ep. 11

I am the definition of Fear.jpg rn please help

MTR are so cute, just celebrating their win. Look at how happy they are!

... Oh well thats new. I like how Ichijauku has a tiny bit more agency in throwing out ideas (it really shows how close her and otome trust each other) but it also completely retcons a part of hypmic lore that was established with the Drama tracks. If you’ve heard “” then you know what I’m talking about

SMILING DOPPO HOLY SHIT DOPPO

ahaha doppo i love you so much youre so adorable you deserve to be happy

MTR as a family is just soo good. Both as familial or 

Hmm.... yes Samatoki has the right to be angry but that flattens him to a good for nothing thinks first asks questions later type of thug which is absolutely not what his character is. Especially with how the anime portrays him, it seems like there's only one emotion that he feels at any moment and that is anger. Which, fair he is an angry boy, but thats just one facet of his character. He’s also logical and not that sore of a loser, seeing that he still has room to grow (if you want an anime example, refer to the previous episode where he genuinely wonders what he could have done to treat Nemu better)

I think my biggest gripe with the adaptation is the flattening of all the characters TBH. I only really see it in Samatoki since I understand his character the most but I also see hints of it with Rio, Hifumi, and Gentaro. Most of the characters are just flattened into 2D tropes and made to act those tropes out. Which, y’know is the basis of each character but the series has built upon each character so well that its kinda jarring seeing them all so flat

I’m not sayin that I hate what the Anime has done with MTC but I hate what the anime has done with MTC

I expected a “Brocon” “Siscon” fight not this. What the fuck

☆ミ＋。゜H A C K I N G ゜。＋ミ☆

ahaha Ichiro you’re too trusting and pure for your own good

Okay why does all the animation budget go to making Samatoki look hot as fuck?

Ahaha they really do get along like cats and dogs. Jyuto being the voice of reason is kinda weird tho but oh well I can live with it

Tom saying “hai warat~e!” is so cute wtf?????? Lemme pet your head please

GENTARO PICKING UP HIS HAKAMA TO RUN IS ADOARBLE HELP ME

Im getting second hand embarrassment from Ramuda lmao

Slightly suspicious about how these group of reporters know the underground layout of Chuuoku so well

Oh well see I was right to be suspicious

That Unit name is really funny considering the whole Galatic Federation thing ahahaha

Oh that english! that was super clean and enunciated really well

Good intentions, bad execution. His reasoning is a bit flawed but its at least sound

hmmm usually I’d be happy about Doppo giving Hifumi his jacket but in this context not so much. See, Doppo gave it to Hifumi mostly because they had to fight, not because there were woman (which let me remind you Hifumi is deathly afraid of and the jacket acts as a wall between him and his gynophobia)

...... uh Interesting choices of microphones for Secret Aliens. Tom’s is a recording studio mic which makes some??? but not much sense. like Tom is a street photographer, not a radio host. Iris’s mic is.... I’m sorry what is that? Some sort of keyboard and.... something. idk what it is on her finger. And T. Rex just ripped out a purple dinosaur spine, stuck a mic onto the neck and called it a day. Nice

At least their speakers are somewhat better. Iris has Iris plants which. hilarious, but also very modern looking and sleek fitting of her more tech savvy nature as a hacker Theres also phone cameras which makes sense but the butterfly imagery which is present .... Fear.jpg. Rex again just went with a T. Rex Speaker which. Thank you rex for being very predictable, we love you so much. That soundwave looks like DNA too which is cool as hell. Tom.... Idk man Tom are you okay? What exactly is your speaker? are they those aperture umbrella things that photographers use? Im so confused, photographers in the fandom please help

YOOOOOOOOO THAT RAP THOUGH IRIS SOUNDS SO PRETTY?!?!?!? Can she please sing me to sleep? its so smooth and rolling. If I had to describe it, I would say that its the type of voice that I would hope would sing the ballads that I compose, the voice of a mother who still holds on to something after loosing everything she has fought for. 

Too bad Iris doesn’t get a verse to Rap in but holy shit what? Secret Aliens just might become one of my fave divisions based off song alone

Ah theres the cancellers. Thats fun, nice to see that there isn’t an adaptation induced plot hole in this One instance. Lets see if they can patch up the other plot holes created because the anime and source material went into different places

Dice, bad. no cheating. Bad dice

Ahaha there the flash bomb. That high pitch wailing was awful though. please never do that again

Hah, typical Ichijaku. We love it

Oh look at them. Working together. How cute. I really like Rio and Saburo interactions mostly because theres so much potential

Oh noooo i worry for FP

That growl from Ichijaku though. That did things to my heart oh my god

Aww I do like that enthusiasm from Ramuda. I do hope that things turn out at least somewhat okay for him. He’ll probably suffer 

Wait why is Saburo’s left eye purple? Is it the lighting or something else? I hope its just the lighting bc if anything happens to Saburo i will be very very sad (I rewatched the episode and Saburo’s eye is blue all the way up till he gets hit by Secret Alien’s attack. Even in a brightly lit area, it looks purple... i hope it isn’t forshadowing but then again Saburo’s eye has always been a darker shade of blue so it could just be the yellowish lighting since Ichiro’s red eye looks fuchsia)

Ichijaku with an angry face is kinda hot ahaha. Her deep rolling voice of anger just. Ugh very very good. Major props to her VA for pulling it off

IM FUCKING SORRY WHAT

YOU CAN”T LEAVE US ON THAT CLIFF HANGER?!

WHAT THE FUCK

IM GOING TO GO INSANE

THAT WASN’T EVEN SATISFYING?!?!?!

WHAT THE FUCK

KING RECORDS E X P L A I N

I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION

oh there’s a 13th ep

well thank fuck for a 13th ep bc if they ended the season like that i think id actually cry lol

Ugh so I guess that next week will be the last episode. I was so prepared for today to be the last episode but its kinda surprising that they have 13, slightly different from the normal season

[uwuwriting]

My OCs

Okay okay so these are my OCs, I’m sorry if their names aren’t really Japanese I googled most of their names back when I started creating them. I hope you enjoy them and well let's get started. I didn’t include Sky aka Shirakumos daughter even though technically she is one of my OCs, I felt that since I have introduced her in my fics *by name* I’ll leave her a rather blank slate for yall *I can describe her as well if yall want that though*. Hope you like them and yes some of the quirks were inspired by Avatar. Love ya💖💖💖

Kenushima Akane

 Akane is in her mid 20s, her birthday is on 30th of December making her a Capricorn and is part of our favorite villain group, the LoV. She was the eldest child of two pro heroes who married because it would satisfy the media and boost their careers. She had two younger siblings, the twins Annya and Arakan. She is around 5’7 (170cm) with fairly long auburn hair which are always braided so they don’t get in her way, amber eyes and a burn mark on her right shoulder from a small scuffle with our favorite fire user. Her hair and eyes become a dark red when she uses her quirk making her even more menacing. She wears a black mask over her eyes, keeping that way her identity a secret and a rather tight uniform consisting of black leather overall-shorts matched with a black-red plaid shirt and thigh highs with black military boots. Her weapon of choice is anything you can swing. Her quirk is a powerful blood bending type which she inherited from her mothers’ side. She can control the blood in someones’ system to the point of a heart attack or a stroke. Once the blood is out of the persons’ system she can still wield it, sharpening it into a blade like shape and cut through both flesh and bone, the new blood adding to the power of her makeshift blade. Her limits begin when she gets a nose bleed followed by either her eyes or ears starting to bleed as well; the final stage is giving herself a heart attack but she has never reached that point thankfully. It’s a self-destructive quirk since she pushes her body’s boundaries everytime she activates it, making her vulnerable to diseases after a particularly hard fight. She is a master of many forms of martial arts, kicking anyone's ass without even having to use her quirk.  Her family is wreck *lmao*. Since her parents married out of convenience the kids were results of moments of weakness between the two adults. Her household wasn’t very affectionate, partnered with her fathers’ constant absence and negligence and her mothers overly obsessive quirk demands, her relationships soon turned abusive. Excessive training and brutal punishments were her mothers’ tactics to ensure a picture perfect quirk state which she could boast about in the media. Her father was a decent figure during the sparse moments when he was actually in the house. He treated his kids with some trace of humanity and not like objects but he too didn’t really care. Everything went downhill when rumours of affairs surfaced and her mother lost her senses, killing their father on the kitchen floor before getting to the children. Akane tried to protect her siblings but was easily tossed aside by her mother and she doesn’t remember what actually happened that night. The only thing she knows for sure is that she was now an orphan and one sibling short, losing both her home and her brother that night. She didn’t stay in foster care for long since she dipped, joining a group of castaways called the Deck. Due to her quirk she was named the Queen of Hearts and became one of the most feared and powerful villains in Japan. Soon she joined the LoV after Shiggy approached her, officially meeting Dabi *who is her s/o btw lol*. She’s still close with her little sister Annya and owns a bookstore so she won’t have to steal. She has morals *shocker*, killing only those who have comitted crimes varying from abuse to murder or fraud. She is against useless killing and would prefer to clear the streets from scum rather than litter it with herself. She’s kinda like an anti-hero. She joined the LoV so she could have easier access to the insights of the hero industry and slowly help take out those hero frauds. She likes cooking Mexican food, her favorite animal is the fox and she is deathly afraid of spiders to the point she once burned her table using a lighter and hairspray because she had seen a spider on it. All in all she is a lovely person *I think*.

Kenushima Annya

Annya is 15 and part of class 1-A, her birthday is on the 3rd of January *like me heh* making her a Capricorn. She is the youngest of a twin set and has an older sister, while her parents were pros. She is around 5’7 (170cm) with shoulder length dark brown hair, amber eyes and faint lightning like scars scaling down both of her arms. Dark lavender streaks appear in her hair when she over uses her quirk and her scars shine the same color many times pulsating along with the surges of her blasts. Her uniform consists of a tight black crop top with azure and magenta details alongside black pants, black boots which are specially designed to give her extreme jumping power helping her also levitate for a short period so she can unleash her attacks and lastly gloves that cover almost all of her scars *also black with the same patterns as the top*. Has basic combat skills but she mostly prefers to rely on her quirk. Speaking of her quirk, she has a combo of a water and a lightning quirk making her able to easily electrocute others without short circuiting like Kami. She can control any form of water, making her easily overpowered in seaside missions but she can also control any liquid which has some water in it. However she cannot create water from thin air, like Shoto can make ice, and she can’t freeze it. Much like her sister she uses water mostly as a whip or a blade. Lightning is used mainly as one of her ultimate moves since she doesn’t have full control over it and it tends to hurt her scars when she does use it. She can let the purple strings of light course through her and hit her target with incredible force making her excellent for range attacks. Just like her sister she reaches her limits when her nose starts to bleed and she can pass out from dehydration  due to her quirk using up some of the water inside of her body with each attack. Now for her family life. She was a late bloomer and that was unacceptable according to her mother. She didn’t showcase signs of having a quirk until the age of 9 when her mother attacked her and her siblings. In a fit of rage and despair her mother tried killing her for ruining the familys’ image with her quirklessness. Her twin brother tried to save her from her mother *just like Akane did* only to be tossed aside as well, hitting the back of his head on a nearby table. Seeing both of her siblings on the ground *and almost being choked to death by her abuser* Annya activated her quirk, losing complete control over her powers resulting in her scars and the death of her mother. Arakan was pronounced dead on arrival leaving the two girls the only surviving members of the Kenushima family. After Akane’s disappearance, Annya was moved from home to home for about a year before being adopted by a couple and living as much of a normal life as she could. Her mental health isn’t the best as one can imagine, suffering from PTSD from the incident and having self hating tendencies. Becoming a hero is her way of proving to herself that she’s not a monster and that she can indeed help others. In class 1-A she tends to hang out with the Dekusquad and two other girls who I’ll introduce down the line. Her hero name is Electra and her s/o is Shoto *lol siblings are dating siblings tf*. She likes Autumn and Winter, loves going ice skating, has many plants in her room and loves watching horror movies with her friends.

Aizawa Kaiya

Kaiya is 15 and part of class 1-A despite her father being the homeroom teacher. Her birthday is on the 19th of June making her a Gemini. She sports the legendary jet black hair, her hair is also pretty long so she always has to braid it or put it up in a ponytail and she has egirl bangs *I don’t know how else to describe them*. Her eyes are a striking azure and she has dyed the tips of her hair the same color. Ya girl is shorter than the Kenushimas, barely reaching 5’2 (160cm). Her hero costume consists of black cargo pants with multiple pockets, a black turtleneck and chest straps(?) around her waist and collarbone finishing the look with black military boots. Sometimes she might wear a gas mask which helps her control her breathing.  Now for her quirk. It’s some type of psychic power, she can hear people’s thoughts making it easy for her to know what they are about to do, giving her the upper hand almost every time, but she can aslo channel her own and others thoughts and make dark shards out of them. These shards can be thrown with amazing speed or create a protective wall in front and above her. Her quirk ,though drains her very easily, making it hard to breath and walk in a straight line. She gets light headed while the voices inside her head get overly loud. Through practice she can push her boundaries and use more of her quirks’ power. Lastly in order for her to hear your thoughts she needs to see you. Once she sees you for even a quarter of a second, she can see into your head even long after you have left her line of sight. Her family life is very calm compared to the Kenushimas. She is the daughter of Aizawa’s sister who vanished when Kaiya was five. Having no one else to care for her since her real father wasn’t in the picture, Aizawa took his niece in and raised her as his own. She was too little to remember her mother and for years she believed that Shouta was her actual dad but Dadzawa did tell her the truth. Nothing really changed, she still calls him dad and they have a lovely father-daughter relationship. She loves Eri and loves being her older sister, playing with her, doing her hair and taking her to the dorms to meet her friends. She has a pet cat named Majesty who she uses to bribe Aizawa to buy snacks. She likes rainy days, beating Shinsou’s ass during training, being pinned by Shinsou while training, Halloween, cats and fluffy blankets. She is friends with mostly Annya, Shinsou and Sky but she doesn’t mind hanging out with the Deku or the Baku squads. Her hero name is Calypso. Her s/o is Shinsou much to Aizawa’s dismay. He is salty because this happened right under his nose, Dadzawa was too busy looking out for the 1-A boys that he completely ignored his trainee pinning his daughter down during training *he is really glad that she likes Shinsou bc he knows that he is a good kid*.

TAG TEAM AY: 

@the-arcana-fan-fic @angelwritings @axerrri @reinyrei @bemorefiction @dnarez @dark-thoughts-and-red-roses @threeamwriting @ezoyscorner @letscheereachotheron @wolfkid22

[stan-denbrough]

I’ve seen so many coming out videos of people telling their friends and family that their gay, and some of the people’s responses are “we know” or “we already guessed it” for the losers that you Hc as gay, how do you think their parents would react? I’m going to be honest I feel like Richies parents would somehow already know, but that’s just me.

Richie’s parents already suspect, but they don’t say anything. This concept is called homo suspicion. In all but the most hippy of parents, it’s a mechanism of guilt. Even parents who are accepting will turn it into “How could you hide it from us, thinking we wouldn’t accept you.”

Homo suspicion doesn’t include the knowing parents who smile to each other as their flaming homo fag child dances out of the room. It doesn’t need to be said, but when he does come out, they usually don’t say “Oh we always knew,” they just say encouraging or supporting things. I don’t think that applies to any of the Losers.

So Richie’s parents are definitely a little “Why won’t he tell us, it’s obvious :( does he think we won’t love him, are we not good parents? :(((” making it largely about themselves. But! They hide that part of themselves. When Richie comes out, they’re nothing but smiles and hugs.

Sonia has homo suspicion for Eddie, but it’s not the generally harmless kind. She’s deathly afraid that Eddie is gay, and actively tries to disprove that nagging thought in the back of her head. She’ll see Eddie do something clockable and she’ll bite her fist, her wormy eyes widening, she’s seeping sweat. “My baby! Not my baby! He’ll die of aids!!” That’s what goes through her head. So when Eddie comes out, it’s trying to cut through a lot of denial and gaslighting. “I knew there was something wrong with you but I tried to protect you! I tried to save you from this disease!! And this is how you repay me! I’m not having it, don’t you ever say something like that to me again, your poor mother!!!” 

And then we get to Bill’s parents, oof. They don’t believe him when he comes out. They think he’s doing it for attention, or to be trendy. “You read about being- being bisexual (said like it’s poison) on the internet and you’re confused.” Actually probably not that disgusted. I think Bill’s parents just brush it off. Like, “You’re straight son lol,” and Bill’s like “I’m telling you I’m not,” and they’re like “Okay sure lol,” and I mean...

Bill definitely employs the ironic closet strategy. If he acts faggy but makes it a joke, he can slowly poke his toes out of the closet. He often jokes about fucking men, playfully flirts with his friends, always “sarcastically” wants to kiss Stan. But the downside is that when you do genuinely come out, some people won’t believe you. Bill’s parents are like “Haha very funny Bill,” and then they get mad when Bill insinuates that they’re really deep down reluctant to accept him. “We’re not homophobic Bill! How dare you accuse us of being hateful!”

I think Stan’s parents would be more taken aback by it. They’d just straight up tell him he’s confused. We don’t know a lot about Andrea, but I think she’d have a little bit of a conflict within herself. I think she suspected from a very early age but Donald was just a clueless bitch. So both of them will confront Stan and scold him for trying to come out to them but Andrea will come to Stan’s room later and be like “Your dad is a fuckhead, I still love you.” But even then... I don’t know, to Stan it still feels like conditional love. Like she’s saying “If you want to choose this lifestyle that’s your choice and I respect your decision.” Andrea will eventually end up holding a sign at Pride but it’ll take her a hot second to get there. 

Ben’s straight, moving on! 

Bev’s parents are not involved, and just the implications of her mom and dad reacting to her being bi or a lesbian... I don’t really want to touch it? So let’s just say, they’re probably not model parents for a child attempting to come out.

Mike’s parents don’t suspect anything, but the minute he tells them they’re excited. They love that they get to discover this new aspect of their son, they’re proud of him for being himself and being brave enough to tell people. They maybe get a little too uncomfortable like William fully asks Mike if he’s a top or bottom at one point and Mike is like “Dad!” And you may ask why I’m taking Mike’s parents from the books, but leaving in the rest of the parents from the movies. And the answer is fuck you! Because it’s what Mike deserves, and it’s what I deserve!

[st-crylo]

Rebound

Part 12

A/N: Thanks so much for your patience in waiting on this! I really appreciate that a lot of you guys have stuck out through my hiatus, but hopefully from here on out, I’ll get parts out more consistently!!

Warnings: minor swearing

Word Count: 4.7K

Tagging: @haylaansmi @kingdomofwrath @maybe-your-left

Masterlist

Kylo was silent, the only sound coming from him was the tapping of his fingers on the steering wheel. You weren’t really sure what to say either. After seeing Pat with Shawn and Stella, the two of you didn’t stay any longer, sneaking away to the car, where you were now sitting in silence. 

You wanted to say something, but no matter what, you came up short, soaking in the silence as you tried to think of something, anything to say. However, after a while of thinking up nothing, you pulled out your phone and texted Sami, telling her about the whole situation. You felt she was the only person who could provide anything within reason to say. 

Excuse me, what the fuck? Was her response. You quickly typed away at your phone.

I know, it’s hard to believe, and I wouldn’t if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, you responded, letting out a sigh as you turned off your screen.

“Kylo?” you asked, finally breaking the silence. 

“Hold on, I’m thinking,” was all he said before pulling his own phone from his jacket, bringing up Milo’s name in his contacts. The phone rang for a few seconds before you could faintly here Milo’s voice through the receiver, deepened by the microphone in his own phone.

“Hey man, what’s up?”

“Is there any reason that you know of that Pat would be hanging with both mine and (y/n)’s exes?” Kylo said, trying to keep his cool. You held onto his hand and he gave you a grateful look before continuing to stare out the window. 

“Yo, what the fuck? I knew something was off about that kid, I told you,” was Milo’s response.

“Yeah, yeah, you told me, I know, but I didn’t think he’d be talking to my ex and my girlfriend’s ex, who conveniently hates me,” Kylo said with a huff.

“Yeah no fuck that- wait a minute, did you call her your girlfriend? You finally told her?”

“That’s neither here nor there, Milo, I’ll tell you later.”

“Yeah, no, I get it man. Yeah, fuck Pat, let me handle him.”

“You sure? I can handle him myself man, and honestly I’d like to fuck him up,” Kylo responded, his knuckles turning white from the way he was clenching his fist. 

“You don’t need to fuck him up, he’s friends with Hux, whose piggy daddy would love throwing you in jail for aggravated assault. No, let me handle Pat, that’ll be best for everyone,” Milo said with finality. Kylo was silent for a moment before letting out his own sigh, slackening his fist and closing his eyes. 

“You’re right. Just make sure he knows not to fuck with any of us anymore. I don’t want that poser anywhere near me,” Kylo said, his voice calming down. 

“Don’t worry about it man, when I’m done with him, he won’t even look your way,” Milo assured Kylo.

“Alright, well, I’m trusting you with this, man. I’ll talk to you later,” Kylo said with another sigh.

“Talk to you later, man,” Milo said before the line went dead. Kylo groaned, running a hand through his messy black hair before turning to look at you. Your eyes locked with his brown ones, and you tried to give him a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. Kylo let out a chuckle before shaking his head. 

“C’mon, let’s head to my grandparents place. Granpa won’t snitch on us for skipping,” he said before letting out a sigh. You simply nodded as he turned the key in the ignition, the car roaring to life on his command. 

Within the hour, the two of you were pulling up to the driveway at the Skywalker house. You quickly stole a glance over to your own driveway before letting out a sigh of relief. Your driveway was empty, so there was no way that your parents would catch you in the act of skipping.

You climbed out of Kylo’s car, opting to leave your backpack and stuff inside as you followed behind him into the house. You were surprised that no one seemed to be home, and honestly, you were relieved. As much as you liked Mr. Skywalker, you didn’t really want to deal with any questions right now. 

As Kylo opened the door to the empty house, you let a sigh escape from your chest. What a day it had been. You and Kylo confessed your feelings for each other, and now you both had to worry about your exes hanging around each other, and with Pat as well. You couldn’t help but feel some deep foreboding in the pit of your stomach. They were definitely planning something, and you wanted to know what. 

“C’mon, I’m gonna take a nap, I think,” Kylo said, pulling you out of your thoughts as you watched him head for the stairs. Without hesitation, you followed him up the stairs, examining the pictures hanging on the walls going up the stairs. You smiled as you looked at the different memories of the Skywalker family, forever captured on these photos. 

The upper floor of the Skywalker home was not very large, but you couldn’t say you were surprised. This was a quaint little neighborhood, not at all like the Solo house in the richer part of town. Though the grandeur of a house like that was always impressive, you preferred this more modest home. It felt more cozy, and easier to live in. 

Kylo led you to his bedroom, which was very similar to the one at his parents house, though considerably smaller. The walls were painted a dark blue, but were covered by various posters across the wall. Accompanying the posters, on the wall above the desk, was a corkboard. As you walked closer, you took a look at all the pictures and things pinned onto it. There were lots of pictures of the Knights of Ren. One was clearly from homecoming the year before, as Milo and Jordan were both in the picture as well, their smiling faces matching those of everyone else. As you looked at the photo longer, though, you tried not to frown as you noticed that there was a part of the picture that had been cut off on the end. At the edge of the picture, you could only see a portion of a shoulder, which you assumed belonged to Kylo, as he was the only person missing in the picture.

“Stella’s in that photo. That’s why it’s cut like that,” was all Kylo said as he plopped onto the bed, pulling out his phone and typing away on it as he lay on his back. You walked over to the bed, covered in a black duvet, and set yourself down beside Kylo, who moved closer to the wall so that you’d have room to lay down as well. You hesitated for a moment, your heart pumping a little faster as you considered laying down. Then, with a silent but shaky breath, you laid down next to Kylo. His body was warm, which you should have expected as much, but it still made your cheeks flush. You stared up at the ceiling, unsure of what to do with yourself as Kylo continued to scroll on his phone. After a few moments, he let out a sigh before laying the phone on the bed next to him, and turning to face you.

“We can’t really catch a break, can we?” Kylo mumbled as he looked into your eyes. Adjusting yourself to face him, you simply sighed.

“Seems that way, doesn’t it? But hey, they’re not gonna fuck with what we have, okay?” you said to him, taking his hand in yours. Kylo hummed his response and then closed his eyes, intertwining his fingers in yours. 

“I just need a nap. I’ll set an alarm,” he said as he opened his eyes again, letting go of your hand to grab his phone and set an alarm. After setting his phone back down, Kylo scooted closer to you, pulling you into him and wrapping his arms around you. It made you feel so safe, to be tucked away in his arms, and you couldn’t help yourself as you scooted even closer to him, resting your cheek against his chest. It didn’t take long for the two of you to fall into a blissful and peaceful slumber.

***

A few weeks had passed and you still couldn’t quite get over the euphoria of being in an official relationship with Kylo. Being with Kylo felt as simple as breathing, and every moment you spent together felt effortless. You didn’t have to try so hard for Kylo, because he already wanted you the way you truly were, and not some facade that you’d created in order to fit everyone’s ideas of who you should be.

Unfortunately, the joy and happiness of being with Kylo couldn’t erase everything else going on. Three weeks had passed, but you couldn’t help but feel the pit in your stomach that Pat was up to something, and that Shawn and Stella were involved. 

Milo’s conversation with Pat had not gone well, which was also evident in the fact that Pat had sent a long, rather crude voicemail to Kylo. From what Milo said, Pat had all but threatened everyone in the group, but especially you and Kylo. He’d said some choice words in his voicemail that almost made Kylo drive to Pat’s house and deal with him personally. Fortunately, you were there to keep Kylo in check. 

Apart from that, you were still receiving the deathly looks from Shawn in physics. Every day you could feel his glare burning into the back of your head, but you never looked back. You wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of bothering you, but you were also afraid to see the look in his eyes. You couldn’t rationalize the fear, all you knew was that it was there. 

As the last of September’s heat faded and welcomed in the chilly winds of October, you found yourself adorning your new leather jacket that Sami had embroidered. As you walked down the hall in the late October afternoon, you kept stealing glances of both the KOR stitched onto the front pocket, and Kylo’s hand in yours. They were both sights you knew you would never be tired of. As the two of you settled into the lunch table, you pulled out your lunch, letting go of Kylo’s hand and already missing its warmth.

“Alright guys, I’m gonna do it,” Sami stated with finality.

“Do what?” Alan asked from beside her, biting into the banana he was eating. 

“Apply to Hosnian State’s art program! I’ve talked a lot to Mr. Jones, and he thinks my portfolio should be good enough to earn me some scholarship,” Sami said, beaming up at everyone at the table.

“Sami, that’s amazing! I’m sure you’ll get in, and get a scholarship,” you said as you smiled back at her, her excitement infectious. 

“You can also probably cut costs by living with Milo. The two of you could find a nice little apartment, but make sure it has space for all of us to come visit,” Kylo added with a smirk. Sami simply shook her head at him. 

“You know what, Kylo, that’s a grand idea. What about all of you, you know that most of the colleges nearby have their applications due by the end of December,” Sami pointed out, causing a groan to come from you, Kylo, and Phasma.

“I don’t even know what I want to major in, let alone where I want to go,” you said, putting your face in your hands. 

“I think I’ve settled on a major, but I still don’t know about location either. Part of me wants to go to HSU just to get the fuck away from Mos Eisley,” Kylo commented, resting his elbows on the table.

“I think I’m gonna go to Coruscant Central. The only problem is I have no idea what to major in,” Phasma added, running a hand through her blonde hair. 

“Well, we’ve at least got time to figure that out. As long as we figure out where to go, we should be fine,” you added before taking a bite out of a muffin. 

Thinking about college was definitely a source of stress for you. While there were plenty of things you were good at, you weren’t sure if you had passion enough for a subject to actually pursue a degree in it. Admittedly, though, you couldn’t deny that you shared Kylo’s sentiment about going to HSU. It would be nice to get away from Mos Eisley for once, and actually experience life outside of the prying eyes of your mother. You had the grades to get into HSU, maybe you would just start undecided.

You shook college from your mind after lunch, though. As you walked down the hall, your hand in Kylo’s, you couldn’t help but get the feeling that you were being watched. You looked around the hallway, trying to pinpoint the feeling when you spotted him. 

Leaning against one of the lockers ahead of you was Pat. You had expected the look on his face to be angry, one of contempt, but instead, he was smiling at you with an almost evil grin. You felt a chill run up your spine as the two of you made eye contact. You quickly turned away from him, but it didn’t stop you from noticing him turning away as well, walking towards the end of the hall. Whatever he had planned, you didn’t like it. 

As the two of you stepped into the Physics lab, you tried to keep your eyes away from Shawn’s spot in the classroom. You had a sinking feeling that if Pat was planning something, Shawn would be involved. After all, they looked pretty chummy when you and Kylo caught them together. The thought of them conspiring together was terrifying, and it chilled you to the bone.

Throughout class, you couldn’t help but feel dread, even though you were constantly trying your hardest to ignore it. Everything should be perfect now, after all, you and Kylo were dating for real this time, and even though your relationship with Rey had yet to be repaired, you were still friends with Poe and Finn, and you had all your new friends. By any stretch of the imagination, your senior year was going great, especially considering how it had started. You really had nothing to worry about, and yet here you were, stewing in your anxiety. 

Occasionally, you’d steal glances over at Kylo, trying to read his expression, but you never caught on that he might be feeling the same as you, or that he even suspected that you were feeling a certain way. No, he was just looking up at the board, taking notes, and then occasionally would draw on your notes, which were currently just a blank page with Kylo’s doodles all over them. 

You were thankful when the bell rang, and you began to gather your stuff to get ready to go to English. As you were packing up, your eyes scanned the room, and for a brief second, they made contact with Shawn’s. Much to your surprise, though, they didn’t have that cold, plotting look that Pat’s had earlier. Instead, it was the same angry expression he always gave you when he looked at you. It felt weird to say it, but you were relieved that it was only his anger you were looking into. With a sigh, you stood from your chair, waiting for Kylo to finish packing up before the two of you headed off for your last class of the day. 

Walking into English was always a little comforting, especially seeing Phasma and Sami waiting for the two of you. As you looked across the room, you also made eye contact with Poe and Finn, who both smiled and waved at you. You waved back, and made a mental note that you would need to hang out with them sometime soon. 

As you sat down, you let out a sigh, and Sami and Phasma both turned around in their desks to face the two of you.

“So, how was physics?” Phasma asked.

“The usual. Mr. Windu is having us do a take home lab with our respective partners, and it’s due next week,” Kylo said with nonchalance as he pulled out his copy of Hard Times. You tried not to look shell-shocked when he said it, as you’d spent your entire time in physics hanging on the edges of panic.

“Can’t wait for this semester to be over. What’s the plan for Halloween this year?” Sami said, leaning her elbow against your desk as she looked between the three of you. 

“Haven’t really thought that far ahead. I know I don’t wanna do another party, and also we have no place to do a party,” Kylo said as he brought his hand to his chin in thought. 

“How about we just come to my place and watch some movies or something? My mom’s gonna be gone on a business trip, so I’ll have the whole house to myself,” Sami offered.

“That sounds great actually. Should we still dress up, or should we just be normal?” you asked, kind of excited about the idea of spending the night with your new friends. In the past, you had spent Halloween in a very similar manner with your old friends, but you had a feeling that your new friends would probably want to watch more macabre movies than your old friends would. While you loved the fun Halloween classics, a scary movie did you good every once in a while. 

“Obviously you’ll come dressed up. I’ll be really disappointed if the two of you don’t come in a couple’s costume. Be Frankenstein and his bride or something,” Sami suggested, causing you to laugh, and for Kylo to let out a dramatic sigh.

“Wow Sami, I can’t believe you understand me so well, a being who did not ask to be created and is thus suffering in this corporeal form,” Kylo said wistfully, causing you and Phasma to laugh.

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Kylo,” Sami said as Mr. Skywalker stood up, drawing the attention of the class.

Your inability to focus followed you into English. It probably didn’t help that you found Hard Times incredibly dull, it just made it all the easier to shift your focus from the lesson, and onto your worries. 

Chill, take a deep breath, you thought to yourself as you inhaled deeply, and then exhaled. You needed to stop letting your worry consume you, especially now that you had something to look forward to. Halloween with your friends would be fun.

Then, without warning, an idea hit you. You pulled out your phone and started typing away.

Hey, do you wanna hang out tonight?

It didn’t take long for Poe to answer back.

Yeah! My place or yours? He responded.

Mine is good! I think my mom will appreciate me having some of my other friends over. 

Lol ok. After school work alright with you?

Yeah. See ya then!!

Now you had something else to look forward to, hanging out with an older friend. 

At the end of the day, you packed away your copy of Hard Times and let out a sigh. Once you were done packing up your bag, you leaned back, being greeted by the warmth of Kylo’s arm, which was resting on the back of your chair. 

“You two are gross,” Sami said, sticking out her tongue at the two of you. You laughed as Kylo shook his head.

“I don’t wanna hear shit from you, Sami. You and Milo are all over each other whenever you have the opportunity,” Kylo quipped back, causing Sami to frown, and Phasma to laugh. 

“Whatever,” Sami responded with a pout just as the bell rang. The four of you stood from your seats and headed out the classroom, ready to be away from the school for the rest of the day. 

“Do you wanna have dinner with my grandparents tonight?” Kylo asked as the two of you followed behind Phasma and Sami, who were chatting away.

“I can’t. I asked Poe if he wanted to come over, and he said yeah,” you responded. Kylo frowned for a moment, his bottom lip sticking out slightly in the most adorable way, but his frown soon turned to a smile. 

“Good. I’m glad you’re hanging out with him, seeing as it’s been a while,” he responded. “Just because you have new friends doesn’t mean you should forget about your old ones.”

“I think some of my old ones would rather eat dirt than talk to me right now,” you said with a sigh. You hadn’t so much as made eye contact with Rey ever since you had dinner at the Solo house, and even if the two of you were open to talking, you weren’t sure what to say. You definitely felt you were owed an apology, but that didn’t mean you were completely innocent in the situation, or its outcomes. If you’d been smart, you would have just sat her down and explained firmly that she wasn’t losing your friendship simply because you were dating her cousin. 

“Rey will come around eventually. I mean, I doubt she’ll ever be happy with the fact that we’re dating, but I think if she values your friendship enough, she’ll be able to overlook it for you,” Kylo said, helping to reassure that anxious part of you that feared your friendship would never recover. 

You grabbed Kylo’s hand and laced your fingers between his, smiling up at him. He gave you a half-smile back before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on your cheek. 

When Kylo pulled into the driveway of his grandparents home, you already saw Poe’s car parked on the curb between your driveway and the Skywalker driveway. With a final quick kiss from Kylo, you grabbed your stuff and walked over to Poe’s car, where he was sitting in the driver’s seat, staring at his phone.

As you approached, you tapped on the window, causing him to jump before looking over at you, his brows furrowed in feigned anger. You couldn’t help but laugh as you stepped back so that Poe could climb out of his car. Poe gave you a hug before the two of you walked towards your house. You looked back at Kylo one last time, who gave a wave to the two of you. To your surprise, Poe waved back to him.

Once inside your house, you passed by your parents talking in the living room, who gave you a shocked look when they saw Poe.

“Hey, Mr. and Mrs. (y/l/n)! How you guys been?” Poe said as your parents approached. 

“Really well, thank you! It’s been a while since we’ve seen you, Poe,” your mom said, giving you a look that made you wanna groan. 

“I’ve been kinda busy recently, but I had a free afternoon today! Just came to hang out with (y/n) for a bit,” he responded, as quick as ever with coming up for a reason for his absence that didn’t give your parents any hints to the argument you’d had, or your own neglect of your old friends. 

After your parents were satisfied, the two of you retreated to your room. With a sigh, you threw your stuff on the ground and threw yourself on your bed. Poe plopped himself onto your desk chair and let out his own sigh.

“So, what has been going on with you?” Poe asked, leaning back in the chair as he turned to face you.

“Don’t even get me started. Life has been so crazy recently, I feel like I’m getting whiplash from it all,” you said from your bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“I mean, they all seem like they live crazy lives,” Poe commented as he watched you.

“I guess. I mean, it’s mostly been crazy because of the drama. I never thought Kylo would have so much drama surrounding him, but I guess I was wrong,” you said. Poe perked up with curiosity, a grin forming on his face. This was a part of the reason you loved Poe. He was easy to tell anything to, especially since you knew he’d take your secrets to the grave. 

However, there were a lot of things involved in the drama that revolved around your former plan with Kylo, and you weren’t sure what Poe’s reaction to that would be. For a moment, you thought on it, trying not to look into Poe’s eyes as you weighed the pros and cons of telling him everything.

“Okay, so a lot of what’s happened might not make sense if you don’t know something very important, I just need you to promise me you won’t get mad when I tell you,” you said, twiddling your fingers and looking down at your lap as you waited for a response. 

“Sure, what is it?” Poe asked, leaning forward.

“I uh….mayhavebeenpretendingtodateKyloupuntilrecentlytogetbackatShawn,” you said very quickly. For a moment, Poe’s face was confused, but after he was able to discern what you said, his face shifted into one of realization.

“Oh my god, (y/n)! Wait, what do you mean up until recently?”

“Well, a few weeks ago, Kylo and I decided to become ‘official’ official, so now we’re actually dating. We just weren’t in the beginning.” You were still avoiding eye contact with Poe, but you could tell that the look on his face was incredulous.

“You should have just told me in the beginning! I get why you didn’t tell Rey, she would have shot the idea down immediately, but me? I would have supported you,” Poe said, causing you to look up at him.

“You would have?”

“Yeah. What better way to get back at Shawn than to date the person he hates the most.”

“But you’re not upset that me and Kylo are actually dating now?”

You waited as Poe thought for a moment, his fingers rubbing at his chin, and nose slightly scrunched as he thought about what to say. 

“No. When we talked that one day, I could tell that you really liked him, and I trust that you know how to pick a good partner, especially after Shawn. I was worried that you were maybe dating Kylo because he was the opposite of Shawn, and that you didn’t really feel anything for him. Also, I wasn’t really sure about Kylo’s intentions either. When I realized you genuinely liked him, that was enough for me,” he explained. Without warning, you pulled him in for a hug, squeezing tight as Poe laughed.

“Now, tell me all the drama,” he said once you let go.

And so you did, ready to share the craziness of the past couple of months with someone who hadn’t experienced it for themselves. It felt so good to explain to someone everything that had happened, and to get so many of your opinions off your chest. Poe was an amazing listener as well, engaging in the conversation and asking questions along the way each of which you provided answers. 

It felt good to tell one of your old friends about all the things that had happened with your new friends.

When you finished talking, you watched as Poe absorbed all the information you’d given him.

“So you’re worried Pat is gonna plan something?” he asked after a moment of silence. 

“Exactly. I don’t know why, but the way he looked at me today was so unnerving. He’s definitely got something up his sleeve,” you responded back.

“Well, I have a couple of classes with Pat. I can try to see if I can get him to talk?” Poe offered.

“No, I doubt he’d tell you anything. It looks like I’m just gonna have to wait and see what it is,” you said with a sigh. 

Though you were worried about Pat, and whatever it was he had planned, you still felt tremendously lighter than you had before telling Poe everything. Now, if you could only get Rey to be so compliant, maybe you could work your way with everyone else as well. 

[ourownsideimagines]

Here We Go Again (Crowley x short!Fem!Reader)

Characters: Crowley, Fem!Reader, Hastur, Aziraphale.

Requested: Yes

Requested by: @throw-some-music-my-way

Point of View:  Second Person

Warnings: None?

Words: 2060

A/N: Okay tbh I’m not very confident in this one? I feel like it may stray a bit too far from the prompt but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

---

The towering wall of flames that surrounded the while of London were preventing your previous plan of escape. Something fishy had been going on for a while, you knew that, and your gut told you that leaving today would be the best idea.

You guessed you just weren’t fast enough.

You had just been starting to get onto the M25 when you saw the flames in the distance starting. It was a miracle you were able to get out of your car before the flames overtook, devouring it and other cars (and people) whole. The only thing you had was your phone, which had miraculously made home in your back pocket before you’d got into your car.

Other people near you had begun to abandon their cars, the fear that maybe the flames would expand. But you stood there, alone in the rain, watching it with… wonder.

It was only a few minutes later, or so it seemed, that a vaguely familiar vintage black car pulled up beside you, and a very familiar red-headed man stepped out. Your eyes widened upon recognition, but before you could say anything be started.

“Who the hell are you?” He says. “Why is it, at every turn, you’re there, huh? Why do I keep running into you!” He throws his hands up, in anger and frustration. Under normal circumstances you would have run away. But there were two things keeping you there. One, even if you were to try to you, you were certain this man would be able to catch you, what with his damn long legs. Second, there was something odd itching in the back of your mind. Something that told you, that despite the way things seemed, you were perfectly safe with this man.

You’d run into him on many occasions now - typically, he was accompanied by a blond man in a tan coat and tartan bow tie. And on each occasion, they had saved your life - more accurately, this angry ginger man had saved your life.

The first time had been rather tame, in your opinion. You’d been bird watching, from your usual tree at the park, out of view of the cops, since they’d warned you against your tree-climbing many times. Usually you would have listened. It wasn’t in your nature to go against a higher authority, but bird watching was one of the few pleasures in life you had, as it required little to no human interaction and could be done from a lot of places.

Your favorite spot, though, was the park. Specifically, the one with the dinosaurs. You couldn’t remember the name for the life of you - you didn’t need to know it. All you needed to know was that someone didn’t cut down your usual tree, and that there were no cops around. Otherwise an afternoon of bird watching would be ruined before it even started.

You were scribbling something down in your journal when the pencil fumbled from your hand, and in the heat of the moment you had fumbled backwards to try and catch it, only to fall from the tree yourself.

It hadn’t been the first time, and you were certain it wouldn’t be the last, but it was the first time you were actually caught. You’d been rather surprised. It seemed as if the person had been expecting your fall. You thought, for a moment, that it might have been Officer Harrison, whom had warned you against tree-climbing on many occasions. But you didn’t recognize the man at all. It was the red-headed man. He’d set you down rather roughly, handed you your pencil before stomping off with a blond gentlemen, who gave you a nervous smile before following his companion.

It only got more extreme from there.

The next time you saw the man, you were making a visit to your Aunt Mary Hodges.

You weren’t related to your Aunt Mary by blood. Your mum had known her as a child, and they’d been rather close, practically sisters. They’d fallen out of contact when you were younger, and in that time Mary had become a nun, then after the order was dissolved, had become a successful business woman. It was around that time she got back in contact with your mom, and by default, back in contact with you.

You loved your Aunt Mary. She was a bit odd, you would admit. Sometimes she would forget she was no longer a part of the chattering order, and would tell you everything on her mind. Some things were questionable, others were just plain silly. You’d learned not to take everything she said to heart.

Was she a bit scatterbrained? Yes

Did you still love her? Absolutely.

Which is why you decided to visit her at her place of work. You’d forgotten to call ahead, which you quickly realized was a mistake. There were a good dozen cars parked out front, including a quite beautiful vintage Bentley.

That meant that another paintball session was happening. Usually when you came to visit during one of those, Mary would leave the back door unlocked for you. Now you were staring to wish you’d called her. You knew she didn’t answer her cell during work hours, especially not when there was a session happening. You would have to risk getting pelted with paint balls if you really wanted to get inside.

So, you tossed off your jacket, sighing in contempt before you began to walk. It was silent. Deadly silent. You were certain some must have spotted you already, and were bracing yourself for impact.

You heard the pop of the trigger being pulled, and your eyes widened as a real, metal bullet whizzed past your head.

Not safe. Definitely not safe. You lurched forward with a short scream, dashing towards the entryway of the building.

More gunfire rang through the air, and to your luck none of them came close to you. You didn’t bother to slow down, your feet carrying you in the direction of Mary’s office.

“Aunt Mary!” You shouted. “Aunt Mary!”

As you were about to turn the corner, you came face to face with a man - the same man, from the park. You froze, eyes wide. You opened your mouth to say something but he lurched forward, grabbing your arm and pulling you towards him as a few stray bullets flew through the window, shattering the glass and impacting the wall beside where you once stood.

You opened your mouth to say something, but it all became blank. The man stood before you a few moments longer before retreating, leaving you confused and alone. You didn’t know why you didn’t follow him, or why you didn’t say anything. A part of you wanted to, but something else was telling you to just… forget about it. And you did. Even when the police arrived to investigate, you could hardly say much about the interaction. It somehow just felt unimportant.

And you kept bumping into him. And he kept saving you, sometimes from himself and his own antics.

You couldn’t find the words to express your confusion, or your upset. You just stood there, in the rain as this man shouted at you. A part of you wanted to break down and cry, but all you did was stand there. He calmed down slowly, and turned to you. You blood ran cold as he removed his glasses, revealing a pair of golden snake eyes. But you weren’t afraid.

“Who are you.” He demanded again. You quickly stuttered out your name. “Why the hell do I keep meeting you, (name)?”

“I don’t know!” You cried out, arms wrapped around yourself to try and save your warmth. “I don’t even know who you are.”

“I find that hard to believe.” He glanced over your shoulder and his eyes widened in surprise. You braced yourself. Anything could happen.

“Get in the car.” He said suddenly.

“E-excuse me?”

“Get in the car. Now.” He didn’t look away from whatever might be behind you. He lifted his hand, and with a snap of his fingers the passenger side door flew open.

“I, uh, I don’t think that’s a very good, uh, idea-” You went to turn around, but the man stopped you.

“You have to trust me.” He said suddenly. “Please.” You did. You against your better judgement, you trusted him. Despite this you stood there, staring him down.

“I don’t even know you.” You repeated.

“What? You want a name? Will that make you feel better?” You said nothing. “Crowley. The name is Crowley, now please get in the car.”

Feeling as if you didn’t have a choice, you entered the vintage car. Crowley followed quickly after, getting in the driver's seat. He hands you a singed book. “Open that, see if there’s anything.” He instructed.

You did as you were told. There were many, small, numbered paragraphs littered on the pages. You read the first one that caught your eye.

“3334. Drive. Hold her close, demon. For the fire will burn but yee can protect her.” You looked up at the towering flames. “What the fuck does this even mean?”

“It means we’re going for a drive, (name).”

“Are you crazy!”

“He must be.” You wanted to scream, the sudden appearance of a man in the back seat sending you into a panic. He was deathly pale, with warts covering his cheeks, and a slimy frog fused to the top of his head. He was horrifying, but he paid you no mind. His dark, murky eyes were turned to Crowley.

“Ah, Hastur, how was your time in voicemail?” Crowley grinned to himself. You yelped as he pulled you into his side, arm thrown over your shoulder.

“Funny ha-ha, joke all you like, Crowley.” The man, Hastur, grumbled. “There’s nowhere to run.”

“Aren’t you to be lining up, ready for battle around now?” All you could do was stare forward into the fire. Was he really going to drive you into that?

You didn’t doubt it.

“Hell will not forget.” Hastur sneered from behind you. “Hell will not forgive. You know where the real Antichrist is, don’t you.” Antichrist? Hell? What the fuck was going on with these men, you wondered. They couldn’t really be… demons. Right? “You’ll never reach him. You’re done Crowley. You think you’re going to get the both of you across that?” The flames before the car seemed to grow at the demons words. It took you a moment to realize Crowley was busy selecting a CD to play. “There’s nowhere to go.”

“Let’s find out.” Crowley slipped the CD into the player. The car began to roll forward, and your heart started to race.

“What- wh- why are you driving.” Hastur demanded.

“What the hell are you doing,” You said. “You’re mad!”

“Trust me on this,” He muttered, pulling you closer. Everything told you to pull away, but instead you squished closer, clutching his coat tightly as the fire came closer, and closer.

“That’s- what- Stop this thing!” Hastur demanded, and you wanted to agree. There was no way you’d make it across, you were certain of it.

“You know the thing I like best about time?” Crowley drawled. “It’s that every day it takes us further away from the 14th century.” Crowley kept an arm around you, and one hand firmly on the wheel. You began to shake. “I really didn’t like the 14th century. You’d have loved it then, Hastur. They didn’t have any cars back in the 14th century.” As Crowley spoke, you sped closer and closer to the flames. You let out a small scream as the car plunged into the fire, and Crowley gave you a tight squeeze.

You’re surprised to find that, you’re barely even warm. It was like a soft blanket was wrapped around you, protecting you from the flames that licked at the outside of the vehicle. Behind you, Hastur howled in pain. These howls dies out with one last ‘I hate you’ before all you could hear was the music on the radio and Crowley’s shouts at his car telling it that it ‘will not burn’.

Despite everything, despite the fear coursing through your veins, despite the voices in your head telling you that this is it, you found yourself snuggling just a bit closer to Crowley.

For protection, of course.