#↳ ❝ [esper] ¡! ❞

[herenvibing]

a minor headcanon that I will die defending is that reigen initially assumed that mob’s supposed “psychic powers” were just how he rationalized his autism to himself. like here’s an obviously autistic kid, one reigen clocks immediately because he’s, well, reigen, and he’s talking about extra sensory perception and having powers he can’t control, powers that are scary. obviously, he assumes, this is something the kid picked up from his parents, a way for him to rationalize his alienation from other children— that no, you’re not “different”, you’re special (not even going into the parents who think their autistic children are like, aliens) and the other kids can see that you’re special and so they treat you like you’re weird and creepy and they don’t invite you to play and they whisper behind your back but it’s fine, because one day they’ll see how special you really are. and adult autistic reigen arataka, who was also probably-definitely bullied as a child, decides to nip that thought in the bud and gives the whole spiel, that no, “psychic powers” (autism) don’t make you special, and yes, they do make you different, and that’s fine because everyone’s different, and at the end of the day you have agency and you get to decide the kind of person you’ll be, so choose to be a kind one, and he sees this kid hanging off his every word as he tells him the kind of stuff he wishes someone had told him when he was so little and alone, and he mentally pats himself on the back and hypes himself up for another cigarette.

and then the kid makes a teacup float in front of him and he’s like oh. damn. can you kill ghosts

[smallnico]

"allegedly."

comic about wyll and the justice trial in the wyrmway! he's trying so hard. it's a trial about appropriately punishing a thief and i accidentally stacked the party with the three worst stealers (with esper being the absolute fucking worst of them, they literally ransacked the flaming fist armoury on the way here). frankly, stealing is the least of the crimes of the dubiously-redeemed torture enthusiast brigade over here, and it's definitely not the only reason they're evading justice, but it is the funniest one to receive a terrible death sentence for from the team's resident magistrate.

also i wanted an excuse to draw wyll's beautiful face. i think i finally got his horns down!!!

[sevinite]

a modern witch and their familiar

[nyctrilite]

ur love ❤️

[yukinohiko]

it’s a particularly cold day in the little town you’re passing through. the train isn’t for another hour, and you don’t favour your odds of waiting out on a park bench. with all this in mind, you find yourself entering a little shop down the corner street.

sakamoto’s — it’s warm.

that’s your first thought upon stepping indoors and hearing the soft bell chime. warm and well-lit, offering a semblance of peace in the otherwise frigid winter scene outdoors.

you rub your palms as you walk through the different aisles. you wonder what you could carouse; perhaps some crackers for the train ride? perhaps a little dessert? then again, you had an hour to kill before making your way to the station.

glancing out the frosted windows, you see the snow piling up along the asphalt. the lamplights shine like liquid gold over the black ice.

“excuse me?”

you nearly jolt at the abrupt voice. when you turn, you see someone — a clerk, judging by the apron — standing before you. he has a slight smile, vaguely apologetic. “yes?”

“is this what you were looking for?” he holds out a basket towards you.

you stare. first at the basket; at the assortment of goods stacked neatly within, including the rice crackers you’d eyed earlier, a ramen cup, and pudding; then, at the clerk. he tilts his head, pleasantly so, unassuming, you think.

but what you say contradicts the assumption. “were you following me?”

his eyes widen. “what? no —”

“how else would you know what I was looking for?”

his hand falters, and he withdraws the basket uncertainly. “well, I saw you when you had entered the shop — you walked through those aisles.”

“oh.” you relax marginally, somewhat placated by the rationality. “I’m sorry. yes, thank you.”

you accept the basket, feeling your fingers brush his. he withdraws swiftly, startling you, though he stutters an apology upon catching your reaction. it’s sweet, you think.

cute.

his cheeks bloom rosily — pink as though they were flushed from frostbite.

“cold?” you ask. the shop seemed warm, however. it only made you peer closer at him in concern.

“no, no. I’m fine. thank you.”

“that’s good —” you drop your gaze to his name tag, tasting the vowels and rhythm aloud, “— shin.”

cute name. it suits him.

his cheeks darken almost as soon as the thought populates your mind, and you watch curiously as he averts his gaze.

“is something wrong?” you press.

“not at all.” he clears his throat, scratching his nape as he turns away. “if you’ll follow me, I can ring up your things.”

you don’t see any reason to oppose, and find yourself trailing after him. it’s a subtle notion — one that nearly escapes you. as you pass the sweets section, you idly eye a lollipop — cherry, wine-red. before you can even consider adding it to your basket, shin’s hand is already plucking it off the shelf.

you stare. he didn’t even pause — not to ask you, nor to confirm. he only offers another polite smile, amiable in spite of the remnants of rose in his cheeks. “on the house,” he says.

you think it’s far-fetched, but again, on impulse, think of something else. how cold it is outside; how much you are not looking forward to a cold trek to the train station.

he doesn’t so much as blink as he rings up your items at the register. “it’s pretty chilly tonight, isn’t it?”

“it is. do you live far from here?”

“nope.” his eyes flicker to the ceiling, a tender pacific blue in the shop’s warm lights. “just a floor above, actually. but I imagine anyone trying to get around town tonight will be in for a snowfall.”

“mhm.”

he hands you the lollipop, and you tuck it between your lips. you say lightly, deliberately, “don’t know any spots I could hunker down in for an hour, do you?”

shin blinks. once, taking in the candy between your teeth, then another to meet your gaze. “well, ah, the shop won’t close for a while. you could stay here. the station is a while off, too, so if you need help getting there, I don’t mind walking you after my shift.”

you hum. “that’s really nice of you, shin. thank you.”

“of course. it’s no trouble —?”

you offer him your name, along with a hand. he shakes it well — and you can’t help but notice the callouses lining his palms and fingers. far more than you’d expect from a typical shop clerk.

he withdraws his hand quickly, and you only tilt your head questioningly.

“guess you’re wondering about these scars, huh?” he laughs lightly — nervously, you’d have thought.

but your mind is elsewhere. you take greater fascination, then, when you pop the candy into your cheek, grinning with cherry-stained lips, as you say, “not as much as I’m wondering why a stranger knows I need to head to the train station in the middle of a blizzard. but we’ve got time — care to let me in on the secret, shin?”

[hawnks]

Takami Keigo doesn't want to see you.

Of course, he's too well trained to say it in so many words, but when he 'forgets' his session this afternoon, you get the message.

Unfortunately for him, you're stubborn. You show up at his apartment in the dormitories, ring his bell until your fingers numb.

Only then does he crack open the door, just enough for you to catch his forbidding smile, a caustic gleam to his eyes. "What can I help you with, this fine evening?"

"You missed our appointment," you say pleasantly. "This is the third time."

"Oh, must have just slipped my mind," he says with a dismissive little wave. "I'll catch you next time."

The door slams in your face.

Being so curtly dismissed by a top ranking officer should probably send you into a panic, but the stats you pulled up for him after his no-show are even more concerning. This is quickly turning into an emergency, and unfortunately it's your job on the line if he succumbs to corruption.

Who would blame the second most powerful Sentinel alive, when there's a feckless guide as a scapegoat.

"I'm going to ring the bell again," you say, loudly.

After a moment of silence, you think he must not have heard you.

Then the door swings open. "Fine," he snaps.

You follow him to the living room, watch as he drops himself on the couch with a sigh, eyes squeezed shut.

You'd never known guiding to be this much of a chore for Sentinels. Most of your roster is rather clingy and covetous of your time. None of them has ever been late to an appointment with you.

"Well?" he prods. "Get on with it."

You hesitate. The tension he seems to be holding will make this a lot more difficult, strenuous for you both. "Do you maybe want to talk for a bit? Or I could put on some white noise."

He opens his eyes just enough to give you a cutting look. "No."

You surrender with a sigh, coming to sit next to him on the couch. Every Sentinel prefers contact a different way; some want you to hug them, pet their hair, a few have even asked you to kiss them, fuck them, though you've never fulfilled that type of request, your boundaries in this job too firm for it.

You want to ask him what would make this easier for him, but you're sure waiting any longer will only set him off. So, delicately, you take his hand.

The first draw is always the hardest, the corrupt energy being nullified by your own. Some outside force reaching in, invasive despite the relief.

Takami flinches.

You go slower, a soft steady ebb, pulling the poison from him in silken thread.

His hand relaxes in yours.

You reach deeper, welcoming the full flood between you, warmth and light suffusing you both. And it feels how it's supposed to -- natural.

When your watch chimes, signaling the sessions end, Takami blinks out of his stupor. He'd melted during the thirty minutes you worked on him, body curled toward yours, face falling onto your shoulder.

He pulls away swiftly, shocked by his own willingness to lean on you.

You rise, marking off the details of your appointment on your tablet. "I can come back tomorrow, to finish up. You haven't been guided in a long time, so I couldn't get it all in one session. Does 2pm work for you?"

He's not prepared for the question. "Um. Yeah?"

You mark that down as well, then see yourself out.

It takes three more sessions for you to fully clear the corrupted energy from his body. In his haze he admits to you the reason he's so standoffish to Guides, why he dodges his sessions with such fervor.

"It's never felt good. Always felt like I'm being held down, trapped. Made me feel antsy, nervous." He buries his face against your throat, inhaling deeply. You'd started off just holding his hand again, but now he hugs your entire arm against his chest, your fingers twined. "It's not like that with you."

"I'm glad, Mr. Takami," you return. "Please don't ignore my emails from now on."

As you make your notes, you ask him his availability for next month.

He blinks at you. "You're not coming back tomorrow?"

You check your calendar. You'd had to push back several of your regular appointments to make room for the past few days. "I'm booked solid for the next two weeks, at least."

You glance at him, taking in his appearance, his general well being. You reach a hand out to cup his cheek, urging him to meet your eyes. He startles, first, before leaning into your touch.

"You seem fine," you decide, pulling away, already heading for the door. "I'll contact you later about our next session."

He trails after you, linger at the precipice as you take the elevator back down to your floor.

...

He never ignores you emails, after that.

In fact, he sends many of his own. He gets your phone number, somehow. Some days he shows up with coffee, or snacks, sits with you on the couch while you eat.

He's always touching you during those times, brushing hair behind your ears or straightening your shirt collar. Mostly he just holds your hand, playing with your fingers or clutching it in his own lap.

You don't guide him during any of these impromptu visits, too weary from the rest of your overfull schedule -- but you've heard of this type of attachment from other Guides.

Sentinels tend to imprint on guides they have a decent connection with. Part survival instinct, part status seeking. A Sentinel without a guide is doomed. A Sentinel with a high match-rate is likely to be stronger than their peers.

But that's the thing about un-bonded Sentinels, they're always on the lookout for a better Guide, their perfect mate.

Takami is overly attached to you now, but it will pass.

...

Or so you thought.

You're sent out into the aftermath of a battle that rocks the city. Dozens of Sentinels pushed themselves to the breaking point, on the brink of corruption, about to turn into the very monsters they fight to suppress.

You spot Takami in the midst of the wreckage. Exhausted, but giving you a shakey smile when your eyes meet. He limps toward you, so glad to see you, so ready for the safety and warmth of your arms--

Someone calls your name. Urgent, an emergency. Another Sentinel with no one to take care of them.

You turn away from Takami, and you go.

He'd fought hard, but his body has grown used to the abuse over the years. He's in bad shape, but it's not life-threatening like some of the others you help today.

It's hours before you can see him.

Slumped on a curb, hands folded neatly in his lap. Like he's been waiting so patiently for you this whole time.

You come to your knees before him, letting him take your hands, draw you closer. "Why didn't you go to another Guide?"

Surely he could have found someone else, despite the chaos of the scene. If not you, one of the high ranking Guides, slotted exclusively for S-rank Sentinels.

He looks at you, trembling, confused. "I don't want another Guide."

When he asks if you'll hold him, you do. You take him in your arms, let his weight settle on you. Feel his warmth all around you, his breath against your shoulder.

"And I don't want you to guide anyone else," he murmurs.

You stroke his nape. "I know. I'm sorry. You'll find your Guide soon enough, and then you can have each other all to yourselves."

His grip tightens. He braces you against him -- instead of a heady tightness, you're constricted.

"I already found my Guide," he whispers into your throat.

Then he bites.

[allisonmckenzieart]

I am absolutely thrilled to witness the breakout success of Final Fantasy Union's Summon Encyclopedia on Kickstarter! To be apart of this project is wild!

Here's my piece of Carbuncle! I really wanted it to resemble a fox, set against an old watercolor storybook forest.

We'll also have a foreword by Ben Starr, Ifrit, himself!

Secure your copy of our book here! There are three various covers and merch bundles to choose from!

[nathalievllg]

reigen arataka being an emergency contact for 4 children at 3 different schools

[brofightiscancelled]

request from @hanaybuns to translate these pages from i believe "Matsuno Family Dependents Gallery"? sorry i didnt know how to approach the typesetting for this lol

all the quotes the boys are saying are from s1 episodes (right -> left):

oso 1 2 3

karamatsu 1 2 3

choromatsu 1 2 3

ichimatsu 1 2 3 (warning: ichimatsu incident)

jyushimatsu 1 2 3

todomatsu 1 2 3

[almondpiglet]

woaw cant believe at the end of the reigen spinoff they flash fowarded to seri and reigen becoming new parents... *squished by a mallet*

anywho her name is reigen kae (霊幻 圭恵) she was born around 2017 (4-ish years post canon) and may or may not have psychic powers... (or perhaps her fathers just dont know yet?)

[smallnico]

why did he say it like that.

(my personal headcanon is that he said it as an inside joke for durge to enjoy. you know how sometimes you say things to mimic your friends just so they know you listen to them and support them? like that. bad timing, though, wyll -- i though you were orin for a second there.)

will i ever learn how to draw his horns? jury's still out

[hivemindscape]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOU!!!

Fluff for the occasion!!! set in 2015; in the current day and age he's turning 25 which is crazy, hope mans nailing adulthood

bonus air kiss to my fellow queers and especially aspecs:

[calcichel]

Stormclouds above Madison

[travelmanposts]

Lake Hillier, Western Australia: Lake Hillier is a saline lake on the edge of Middle Island, the largest of the islands and islets that make up the Recherche Archipelago in the Goldfields-Esperance region, off the south coast of Western Australia. It is particularly notable for its pink colour. A long and thin shore divides the Southern Ocean from the lake. Lake Hillier is about 600 metres in length by about 250 m in width. The lake is surrounded by a rim of sand and a dense woodland of paperbark and eucalyptus trees with a narrow strip of sand dunes covered by vegetation separating its northern edge from the northern coast of Middle Island. Wikipedia

[espers-n-espurrs]

hi hi hi, im about to be dragged away again but i found some pretty good photos of equirexian breed of rapidash, ponyta, mudsdale, and mudbray!!

i cant go in-depth about them right now on this post because i am being dragged away but ill try to answer questions about them later if anyone has any!!

[esper-game]

Demo Update

Part 1 of Chapter 2 is out!!! Finally!!! It's ~17k words without code, bringing the demo's total count up to 42k!

Buy some cereal

Think about your laptop

Get kidnapped

Meet all the agents

Enjoyyy :) -> HERE