#(posting this now before I lose the nerve lmao)

[thelastspeecher]

I've long said that my The Mountain Goats song, the one that speaks to me and my lived experiences to such a deep level I can feel it in my DNA, is "Up the Wolves", but I think I need to add a second one. It's a live-only song that hasn't been released, but you can find recordings of it on YouTube.

Anyways go listen to "You Were Cool" by The Mountain Goats.

[porkcutletbowl44]

Pls post deleted scenes 🙇🏽‍♀️

Hi anon! I'm sorry this took so long, but I wanted to accumulate as much deleted scenes as I could until I started running out of the intrusive ideas for now 🤣

A lot of these won't make sense, hence why they are deleted because I have deleted a lot of scenes because I change my mind a lot, most are just funny replies, my notes to read for later, and just... Feral in general lmao.

So, yes, deleted for a reason! (I will be adding to it if I come across more out of pocket shit)

(probably riddled with spelling and Grammar mistakes)

Far From Perfect Deleted Scenes

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

(Spoiler free! at least one of these scenes is NSFW)

-----

That comment strikes a nerve, and for a fraction of a second, Keegan's composure falters.

But he quickly regains his composure, and a flicker of irritation shows in his eyes. "Twat?" he repeats, his voice just as cool as before. "That's a new one. I prefer handsome devil, personally."

"More like arrogant prick." Simon replied with distain.

-----

He knew that Simon was a strong guy, and he had no doubt that he could hold his own in a fight. But he also knew that strength wasn't everything.

He glanced at Simon struggling with the barbell, silently amused. He chuckled to himself and leaned over to Hesh, who was watching the scene unfold with a smirk on his face.

"Y'know, for a big tough guy, he's got some pretty small dick vibes," Keegan quipped, taking a drag from his cigarette.

Hesh snickered, trying to muffle his laughs.

"Yeah, he's overcompensating for something," he said, his eyes fixed on Simon.

"Probably said micro penis."

-----

Soap only shook his head with a scoff, muttering out, "Bloody hell..." under his breath, before leaning over and smacking Simon upside the back of the head.

He grumbled out in irritation, "Get yerself together, ya prick."

-----

Fawn looks up from her coloring book, looking over at her cow.

"Dad...you're a heifer. Just like my cow."

-----

Simon huffs in annoyance, you swear you saw his eye twitch to hold back his anger.

"You think you can just excuse your actions? Moving on like nothing mattered between us?"

"I swear to GOD I'm gonna invest in a meat hook next to make the other side of your ribs to match."

-----

[this shit is ass delete immediately, uncontinue, swap for 3rd]

"Do you remember when we first met?"

It was a dumb question, he knows you do. You’ve told him countless times that you’ll never forget.

You shake your head, confused, "Simon, what is this about?-"

His large hands moved from your arms to your thighs, pushing them apart so he could step even closer to you.

His warm hands gently grip your soft flesh, his fingers squeezing your thighs gently.

"Just answer me," he pleaded.

He wanted to get closer, but he’ll hold himself back.

"Do you remember when we first met?" He repeated.

"Yes," you whisper.

A small, halfhearted laugh escaped from him, but it lacked any humor.

"What was your first thought o' me?"

He knew the answer to this, again, it’s a dumb question, but he wanted to hear it from you. He needed to.

"It was dark, all I saw was your mask and I thought you were gonna kill me..." You nervously smiled, trying to suppress it.

He almost smiled— but he didn’t, not just yet.

Not when he was standing between your legs, his fingers digging into your thighs.

"An' when you saw m'face?"

His head tilted down towards yours, making sure you had no choice but to look up at him with those pleading eyes of yours.

"I...." You trailed off, taking in a breath. "I don't know how to answer that."

His hands on your thighs squeezed gently, as if trying to keep you there. He was losing his patience, fast. He had to keep it together. He can’t get angry, it would wreck everything.

"Say it," He urges. "What did y'think when you saw m'face for the first time?"

"I thought... Maybe you weren't such a asshole after all. You trusted me,"

His thumb moves to start rubbing small circles on your inner thigh, his mind remembering how it’d move between your legs.

"Y'were the only one I trusted with a lot o' things," he said hoarsely, his eyes scanning your face.

His touch was making you shiver, he knew. But he wasn’t going to do anything irrational, especially when he knows you're still hurt, mad at him.

"The only one I trusted with m'heart," he continued. "The only one that I trusted with my life... Y'know that."

-----

"You just said y'would. You'd consider it."

He steps closer to you again, the distance between your bodies almost nonexistent thanks to his fat chest. "You'd consider going out with another guy, just like that?"

"Well, it's a good thing I'm free to do that if I want to, huh? Considering YOURE THE ONE WHO LEFT ME FOR A FUCKING BIMBO!"

-----

"I’ll go pack up her stuff if y'wanna go pump."

"Im gonna use the electric one finally, see how it works." You brush off

He didn’t respond to your statement, simply nodding his head in acknowledgement.

Though, he made a mental note to buy you a better electric breast pump. He’d been meaning to, for sometime, but just didn’t get around to it.

He gave you a light pat on the hip, signaling that he would head over to the nursery to start packing Fawn’s overnight stuff.

You sat Fawn on her play blanket, and fished around for the pump.

You opened the box and read the instructions.

In the other room, Simon headed into the nursery and began to gather up the items he’d need to pack into a small overnight bag: a couple of onesies, a change of clothes, nappies, powder, wipes. The usual supplies for a baby.

It didn’t take him long to get everything together. He sat down on the bed near the nursery and began pulling things out of the bag, double checking he had everything. Simon checked his watch and glanced towards the door, curious how long it was taking you to set up the breast pump.

Normally, it didn’t take long, just a few minutes of getting everything ready. It should’ve been done by now. But you were taking a long time, a noticeably longer time. His curiosity was starting to get the better of him.

He quietly walked to the door, silently slipping into the hallway and going to the living room.

Simon continued to slowly walk down the hallway, looking down when he heard you mumbling to yourself. He saw you sat on the couch, holding the breast pump in one hand and the instructions in the other.

He stopped in front of the couch, crossing his arms over his chest, an amused look on his face.

"Everything alright, love?"

You huff silently, "It says to be placed with the opening at the top, but there's two openings..."

Simon stepped up to the couch, sitting down on the cushion next to you. He looked at the breast pump with you, seeing exactly what you were talking about.

"Y'don't say." He responded, unable to keep the smirk from playing at the corners of his lips.

"Maybe..." You capped the top one, and stuffed it down your shirt and held it in place.

You pressed the on button, and it started to work

He raised an eyebrow, looking at the sight of the pump resting against your chest. The way it sat, pushed against your chest, looked uncomfortable. He reached over to adjust it for you.

"It’s not uncomfortable?" Simon questioned, hand hovering in the air.

"No, it's just...cold." you shrug, letting him hold it in place.

His eyebrows furrowed in thought as you informed him that the pump was cold. Which made sense, considering it was sitting against your bare skin. He adjusted it slightly, trying to ensure it was secure.

"Right, right…" he responded, his voice a tad lower than usual.

Simon found his eyes drawn back to the sight of the breast pump, sitting against your chest.

"At least it's the right titty size."

You huff, deadpanning at him. By the time you were done, you were filling up the biggest mason jar you had with milk. Simon sat there, watching the jar you had the pump connected to fill up with an impressive amount of milk. He was… in awe, mildly shocked at the amount.

"Jesus… that’s a lot o' milk." He mumbled.

"Liquid gold," you smirk, circling the milk around the jar.

"Guess so," he hummed as he watched you circle the milk around the jar. His eyes were still fixated on your tits, particularly the area where the pump was sitting against.

He could feel his jeans growing tighter by the second, and quickly tried to find a distraction. He cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say. He knew that if he just sat there and stared at your breasts, he’d get distracted and things would escalate quickly.

"Y'know, this new pump works… efficiently." he commented, watching as you held the jar.

You nod along, holding up a finger for him to listen to the whirrr of the machine

He went quiet, listening intently to the sound the breast pump was making. He had to admit, the new one was faster, and much quieter than the one you were previously using.

Simon hummed in thought.

"Y'were right 'bout the new pump bein' better. Quiet too,"

-----

"No?" Simon repeated, his eyebrows raising in surprise at her reaction. "You don’t think they are nice?"

"No, because momma always says 'romance is dead', and 'men ain't shit', whatever that means..." She explained casually.

Simon sputters in shock and laughter, "Don't say bad words,"

"Sorry..."

-----

[black jack or crazy eights]

Hesh looks up from his cards with a pout.

"I'm not a sore loser, I just don't like cheaters," he retorts, his words laced with teasing humor.

"You're just a filthy cheater."

"Womp womp, L, ratio, get absolutely shit on—"

-------

[trashed for the better note]

Simon is home from his long day at HQ, locking the deadbolt behind him with a call of your name.

"In here, Si! I can't really walk fast..." you called out.

"'M comin'!" Simon shouted back, his voice a bit rougher than usual.

Simon eyes the kettle already cooling down from its boil, smiling appreciatively.

"Damn, look at ya... lil rascal getting ready to pop, huh?"

You smiled softly, leaning on the counter.

"Yeah, ready to pop my bladder. Been laying on it all day," you rubbed the back of your neck.

"I swear, you didn't have to piss so much before getting pregnant." Simon replied, turning the kettle off the eye.

"Then again, y'know how it is..." He shrugged. "Nothin' but a big ol' baby to the back of your bladder." he said, taking a couple of steps towards you, his hand reaching out to support your back.

You wrapped your arms around his neck, pressing a kiss to his masked cheek.

"I'm ready for this thing to get outta me... I miss having sushi." You whined pitifully.

"Jus' a couple more weeks." he replied, resting his hand on your swollen stomach.

Simon looked down at you, his fingers tracing a small circle.

"Sushi an' wine. Thas what ya missin' the most, eh?" he asked.

"I can deal without wine, but I'd kill for a snow crab roll." You replied with a playful seriousness.

Simon scoffed, though it held no genuine disdain as he laughed. "Yeah, thas you just 'bout. Kill for food, sleep, an' me. What else?" he teased.

He drums his fingers on your belly, "Jus' hold on, yeah? 'M sure we can get you some sushi after things settle down."

"yeah." You smiled up at him, moving out of the way for him.

Simon chuckled, starting to go about the task of making tea.

"Not to mention the little one will be out n' 'bout before we know it." he said, looking down at you.

"An' then we'll have to deal with that. We're gonna have t'get used to bein' tired all the damn time... or just ya, really."

You glared at him slightly, dipping your pretzels in peanut butter.

"'M just sayin', 'm already used to bein' tired." Simon said with a small, smug smile, leaning against the counter.

"An' you'll be the one that's gonna have t'get up in the middle o' the night... feed him an' all that. So 'm gonna have me a lil sleepin' buddy." Simon joked, chuckling again... before realizing what he was saying.

"That uh, that sounded better in my head."

"'him'?" You looked at him confused.

"He... He... It... It's..." Simon replied, his voice growing frustrated as he tried to explain himself. "Whatever it is."

Simon paused for a few seconds, taking a deep breath to try to gather his thoughts

"I mean... I'd be fine no matter what it is." he offered, "I just.. just want it t'be healthy, Y'know?"

"yeah, I know. You think it's a boy?" You asked curiously, munching away.

"I mean..." Simon muttered, his tone growing serious, "I hope it's a boy... I, just,"

Simon sighed, "Just wanna be able to do the things with 'em. Take him out an' about. Teach 'im the things that I think a Dad should teach 'is son."

Simon paused again, letting out a small sigh.

"Sorry... I-I," Simon's voice had gone quiet.

what are you complaining about? It should be enough to have a healthy and happy child... right?

Your eyes softened.

"I get it...you wanna be the dad you didn't have."

"Exactly." Simon muttered, "I don't wanna be... well, I don't wanna be him."

"God, this kid is gonna be glued to your side." You giggle.

"I hope he is." Simon muttered, chuckling softly as he realized how he sounded.

"But... I want 'em to not be afraid to speak up and tell me 'bout stuff. I want 'em to not be afraid to let me know how they're feeling. I want 'em to come to me when they're sad or excited or hurt. I never *got* all that.. and.. well.. I want to give him the childhood I never had, you know?"

"you're already a great dad." You murmured affectionately.

Simon scoffed, though it held no genuine malice as he let out a small, soft chuckle. "Nah... haven't been a Dad yet. Just a... an expectin' father who's gonna soon be a Dad."

He paused a moment, looking down at your stomach, his hand shifting to rub it.

"The baby's still cookin' in there... we still got a ways to go before we start doin' the Dad stuff."

"well...you practically raised your brother. I think you have most of the skills already," you murmured carefully.

Simon stiffened slightly, his fingers tightening a little on your stomach for a moment, before settling once again.

"Right... well... he wasn't my son. He was my brother."

Simon sighed as he continued to massage your stomach.

"It's different." he said shortly, the topic of his brother something that Simon had always been sensitive about, even if he rarely spoke of it.

"it is different, but its still the same necessities, y'know? Feeding, bathing, bedtime..." You trailed off.

"I suppose..." Simon grumbled, his tone quiet, and his grip on your stomach now loosened, his hand now resting gently.

"I just want to be a better father than mine was... better than his. I wanna make sure this kid gets raised proper, y'know?"

"Just wanna be the father that a kid deserves. Not the alcoholic, narcissistic prick that I got." Simon grumbled softly, his words holding no malice, just the facts of his own miserable childhood.

"you're gonna be such a a good father..." You sighed out tenderly, cupping his cheek.

"I sure as hell 'ope so." Simon muttered, nodding as he looked at your hands on his cheek.

"I couldn't bare for our kid to experience even half the trauma that I did. Can't let 'em go through that, y'know?"

"you will." You assured. "You're not your father's son anymore." You shook your head. "You are your own person, top of the Riley family tree."

"Hmm.." Simon muttered softly, nodding as he took a deep breath.

"I know, but I can't help but... I just get scared." he admitted, looking up at you and meeting your eyes.

"Just the idea of havin' to take care 'o somethin'... someone other'n myself... it's a big responsibility." he breathed in again and let out a shuddering sigh, looking back to your swollen stomach.

"we are in this together, okay?" You murmured, trying to wash away his worries.

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

[theambivalentagender]

Hello all! So if you follow me, you likely also follow my comic Valley Echoes as well as any of my other art drabbles. You may also know that I've been financially limping along for some time.

For context, my day job is dog grooming. It's a "career" I came into relatively recently and honestly love. However, my location has recently been incredibly dead. I haven't been able to make commission from lack of dogs and my hours have been cut drastically.

I'm currently looking into finding extra work where I can that will still fit with my technically full time schedule. This has been a big part of why the comic updates have slowed considerably in the last few months.

In the meantime, however, I did want to show that I am available for commissions at this time. This is the first time I'd be getting into commissions, so if folks do request I just ask for patience as I figure it all out, but I'd love to be able to draw your requests. I have a vgen account that's still being set up at the moment.

I also want to plug my Patreon again - honestly, the fact you all give this much for what I do now is incredible to me. I recently met the fun "milestone" of Patreon temporarily locking access to my withdrawals because I had made enough money this year to require filling out a tax form before my funds could be released, which I did. Maybe it's silly but it made me a little happy. I also have a Kofi though that's updated less.

This next part ended up being much longer and more personal than I expected so I'll put it under a cut.

Anything at this time would help immensely. Cost of living is insane, I just turned 30 and keep wondering how much longer I'll be able to keep renting, let alone ever saving to afford a home. I'm very, very lucky in that I have support from my dad, who has honestly been one of my strongest lifelines for years. But I obviously don't want to have to keep taking so much of that support from someone who should be enjoying retirement.

There are a lot of expenses I keep having, and things I'm putting off. The ipad I use for art has been cracked for months, but is still functional thank god. I recently finally bought myself clothes that aren't falling off my body after losing over 100 lbs in the last year. I have to buy and maintain my own tools for my grooming job, and I have to maintain my own health, both mentally and physically. My left hand/arm probably has nerve impingements and muscle strains science hasn't even named yet lmao. And of course there's taking care of my two terrible feline children who cause nothing but chaos in my home and who I love dearly.

Even if you don't give monetary support though, I so, so greatly appreciate every one of you who shares, likes, or comments on my work. I just recently got an anon who I mean to reply to soon gushing about they love Valley Echoes. Nothing makes my day more than waking up to see a million notifications that's just one person liking each of my comics as they read through it the first time.

Ever since I was 6 years old I wanted to be a storyteller in some way. I used to draw my own Dilbert and Far Side comics, and I constantly wrote wild fantasy stories. But after going through college, dealing with a huge amount of stress, burnout, and just one random person online telling me that I needed to hear the harsh "truth" that my writing skills were garbage, that spark was just gone. Excluding occasional stuttering starts, I didn't really write for years.

Doing this "silly" comic and getting the feedback I have is starting to rekindle that spark. I have so many stories of my own that I'm starting to make tentative plans on producing in some way. But even if I never become some official published recognized author, I feel like just putting out this comic is fulfilling that dream I had as a kid. So thank you again, as cheesy and long winded as this post has become.

[findafight]

Not me writing a prologue for a fic I'll maybe never write about Steve being on the Dream Team lmao. I saw a pro basketball player Steve post a while ago and couldn't stop thinking about it. Anyways-

At the end of March Madness in 1989, the scout for the Pacers has lunch with the head coach of a community college basketball team that somehow made it to the first round before being pulverized. They sit across from each other, the coach seemingly a bit overwhelmed but not outright surprised. That's good, it means Jerry, the scout, doesn't have to worry about him freaking out or babbling too much.

The team captain had caught his, and possibly others', eye. Good layups, a few three pointers, solid defence, and a helluva lot of potential add up to someone to keep an eye on, except they can't because the guy plays for a rinky-dink community college and only had one televised game. The only reason Jerry saw the kid is because the Roane County Community College Ospreys had put in a hell of a fight the past three seasons. Jerry wonders why the hell the kid hadn't been offered a scholarship somewhere...not Roane County. Doesn't matter though, because they're here now.

"so. You wanted to talk about Steve?" Says the coach, August Nearaly, a bit weary.

Jerry nods, sipping his coffee. "Yeah. Wanted to get a sense of him before I actually talked to him."

August sighs. "As a player or as a person?"

Raising his eyebrows. "Is he that different off the court?"

"no! No, not like how you probably think. Harrington's a sweet kid, but also incredibly...well, not weird, but. Peculiar? He's got quirks. Bit paranoid, but not in a conspiracy way. In a 'no one should walk home alone in the dark' or 'hey, where'd John go? He was right here and then I did a headcount and he's not?' kinda way. Y'know? Like, they're all adults, but he does headcounts and worries anyways."

"huh. Oookay?"

"it-- I'm not saying this to rag on him, to be clear. It just too a while to get used to. Honestly, it's been good for team building. Makes them think of each other not as individuals, but part of a unit that needs everyone healthy and whole to work."

"that's good. He's a team player."

"oh yeah. It's not surprising, really. He's from Hawkins." August says the name like Jerry should know what that means. It's a town, sure, but other than that... Jerry's at a loss. Maybe something a few years ago about a fire? "He has most assists in Osprey history. Some of the guys joke that he's allergic to the ball."

"He's good on the court?"

"Jerry. I know you're here because you saw the March Madness game. You know he's good. He'd be even better if he could afford those fancy prescription goggles Horace Grant wears."

"seriously? Why not contacts?"

"don't make them for his prescription. You didn't see his interview? Kid's got thick horn rimmed glasses. Too many concussions apparently. God knows how he tells players apart when the jersey colours are similar."

"shit. That's why he was squinting the whole time? I thought he was just stressed."

He shrugged. "eh. Probably a bit of both. He takes it seriously, but not too seriously. Y'know? Half the guys were shitting themselves from nerves and Harrington stands up in the locker room, hands on his hips, and gives a speech worthy of the most melodramatic underdog sports movie."

Jerry laughs. "No shit."

Waving his hands, August nods. "no shit! He says all this stuff like 'we worked hard...we deserve this...we may not win but let's do our damn best. The worst that could happen is we lose, and that isn't the end of the world. So let's go out there and play some basketball!' or something, his was better, and the boys cheer. Then they put in fifty points to one-thirty."

Jerry winces. "Must have hurt, huh?"

August grins. "No way. One of the best games they ever played. You saw it. You wouldn't be here if you hadn't. They played their goddamn hearts out." He leans forward. "My boys don't have the same facilities as the big universities, or the funding to offer scholarships. They're at Roane Community because they want a degree or certificate but have other responsibilities. Parents or siblings to stay close to, jobs to work, people to take care of. They joined my team because they like playing basketball, loved the game and wanted to spend some of their precious time playing it. They put the work in on the court and off it. And we made it to the NCAA tournament because of it. We put in fifty points against the goddamn Michigan Wolverines! The champs! And they knew that. I've never heard of a locker room after an 80 point defeat so happy."

"seriously?"

It's all pride when Coach Nearaly says "yep. They may not be the best basketball players in college, but my god, they're probably the best team."

"because of Harrington?"

"partly. They all contribute, make sure they do things right. It's not a one man show, that's the point. They rally around him, but they all are part of the team, and know it. That's what Steve makes sure. Why I made him captain."

"So, you think he'd be a good pick for the Pacers?" This is, after all, a business meeting.

August nods, picks at his pancakes. "I'll be honest with you Jerry. You're not the first scout to talk to me about Steve."

"really? Who?"

"you know I won't say. But, between me and you, Steve's Indiana born and bred. His wife's planning on getting some lib Arts degree in Chicago or Indy, and your offer might be the deciding factor for them."

Jerry blinks. "He's married? At, what? Twenty-one?"

August nods. "Just turned twenty-two. High school sweethearts or something. Obsessed with each other." He chuckled, a bit ruefully. "I'm a bit jaded but damn. You mention her name? He lights up like the fuckin Fourth of July."

Jerry whistles. "Honeymoon phase gets us all."

"for almost two years? Nah. It's just love." It sounds a little wistful, coming from August. "Anyways. I dunno if the other team is serious about him, and if they are, they'll probably be disappointed. Kid isn't moving out of the Midwest. He's got family here, and is getting a goddamn elementary education degree. He won't uproot his life for a chance at the NBA. But, if you offer. Well. He'd at least seriously consider it."

Humming, Jerry chews his eggs as he thinks. "You think he'd be up for the lifestyle? The road games out numbering home ones?"

There's an air of seriousness when August levels Jerry with a look. "If he doesn't want to, he'll tell you. You gotta give him time to talk to his family though. This offer? It'll come out of left field for him, even if I give him a heads up. You get that, yeah? You want to recruit a kindergarten teacher to the NBA without any build up. He needs time to process that and then see where the people in his life are at with it."

"I guess it is unusual."

"try being the community college basketball coach getting two goddamn calls from NBA scouts. Thought I was hallucinating."

Jerry laughs, counts some bills for the tip. "Thank you. For your time and insights. Let Steve know I'll call tomorrow?"

"will do. He'll still probably drob the phone on you, though."

"as long as he doesn't hang up!"

[sp0o0kylights]

Mimic Steve!!! at number Seven I see,,, was that, perchance, on purpose? :D

AYYYY you caught that! I'm so glad someone did lol.

I had to go hunt down what I already posted about the Mimic Steve AU lmao

It's honestly easier to read the first part here , but basically, it's an AU that centers around how the Steve we know isn't actually Steve Harrington; he's a replacement that his parents bought and paid Brenner/The Lab for.

What he actually is, is a being similar to humans with mimic-like abilities from another dimension. They kidnapped him at a young age and then later tortured him into being Steve when the real one passed away from cancer as a child.

There's a vast number of problems happening when the story starts but the biggest is that Robin and Nancy have accidentally discovered that the real Steve Harrington is dead and the house Steve lives in doesn't actually belong to the Harrington's.

In a panic-ridden attempt to prevent them from discovering he's a monster from an alternate dimension whose stuck, Steve taps Eddie for help on grounds that he has romantic feelings for Eddie and already thinks he doesn't deserve to be loved in return. I he loses Eddie as a friend over this then well-- chances were that was gonna happen anyways because he sucks at hiding that he's in love--but he can't lose Robin.

In his head, that means Robin can't learn that he's not human

Snippet:

“Sweetheart, you are Steve.”

He frantically shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’m a copy of Steve, one they forced so hard that it--it overwrote the real me. I don’t know who I actually am, Eddie.” 

Besides a fucking monster, from somewhere else. 

(At his lowest, in the dark of the house in the middle of the night, Steve turned himself back into his base form. 

The thing he was--or at least thought he was--before he’d been kidnapped. 

Stared at himself in the mirror and felt only terror, because he didn’t recognize himself. )

Eddie stepped up, gently took one of Steve’s hands. 

Threaded their fingers together. 

“Okay.” He said, eyes searching Steve’s own. “What can I do to help you find yourself?” 

Steve stared back. 

“I haven’t--I never…” He trailed off faintly, all thoughts of who he had been and who he was impersonating vanishing in the face of his reality. 

That Steve’s life had been so preoccupied with keeping himself safe by living within a lie, he never actually spent any time trying to figure out who he was. 

Eddie seemed to realize this, and nodded once as if Steve’s expression was an answer in and of itself. “It’s okay. I mean it. It’s a big thing, and it’ll take you some time, but I’ll be there with you if you want me to be.” 

Steve sniffed.

“Even if I turn into a car again?” 

Eddie laughed softly. ‘Yeah Sunlight. Even if you scare the shit out of me by turning into a car again.” 

“They’re emergency purposes only.” Steve said--and he meant it. 

(The fear of getting stuck as something non-human had terrified him so badly the car incident had left him puking up his guts for two days after, nerves shot.) 

“Now about changing into that courthouse clerk…”

[lavenderr-starrs]

I’m sorry to my mutuals who are watching me like disappear for a week or a month and then reappear reblog stuff and post stuff from fandoms you’ve probably don’t even know about (A lot shit on my plate that’s been burning me out lmao! I’m fine though just been busy dw!! It’s nothing bad I promise even though it probably sounds like smth bad XD)

but I’m gonna make this post before I literally lose my marbles

It’s about twisted wonderland and Madoka magica so strap in fellas this is gonna be hella targeted to probably me and me alone and maybe like one other person

Anyways HEAVY AND I MEAN HEAVY SPOILERS FOR BOTH FRANCHISES and A REALLY LONG RAMBLE UNDER THE CUT LMAO

So don’t click keep reading if you havent finished or started either (ESPECIALLY MADOKA MAGICA, Trust me the show and movies are so good walking into blind I’d kill a man to watch it blindly again) also warning for potentially shit grammar incoming lol

First things first-

HOW HAVE I NOT SEEN SOMEONE NOTICE THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN OVERBLOTS AND WITCHES?

The similarities is the over-use of magic and negative energy polluting the energy source they use to performing these magical abilities turning them into abominations that go on a rampage and effecting the lives of those around them.

The difference though is that for witches, it’s specifically middle school girls who become witches and them becoming witches have the chances of causing world ending atrocities- and in the world of puella magi most Natural disasters are due to the fact a witch is the cause of those disasters and only incubators and other unsuspecting naive magical girl know of

Whereas in twisted wonderland *So far* we’ve only seen Teen high school boys overblot and that didn’t(Besides chapter 6 and 7) have any world ending consequences in my opinion

Says alot huh? XD

Anyways that’s a point I wanna get to another time

You know what I’d love to see? a reader-insert or just a yuu from puella magi in the world of twisted wonderland!

Now this is when I start getting real self-indulgent with this XD but I wanna see like a Homura!Yuu! :)

basically a reader-insert who takes the role of Homura Akemi, right?

And the entirety of the first anime happens and Madoka goes from a 14 year old girl who made a wish to save a cat from dying by unknowingly trading her soul to become a magical girl as an energy source to a higher being

to end up becoming an omnipotent concept that saves magical girls when their gems over pollute and are about to become witches

But instead of the Rebellion Arc happening and Homura!Yuu becoming a witch and demon and all that pizazz! let’s say they “try” to keep going and just Bans themselves from going back in time again and trying to go forward for Madokamis sake and deals with those weird wraith things in the new universe

and maybe a little cherry on top they try to learn and expand the magic abilities Yuus other magical girl friends had.

Later on we move to let’s say, 17 Year old Homura!Yuu, and guess what? You’ve been isekaid bestie have fun!

During the prologue introduction, when Homura!Yuu wakes up into the coffin grim doesn’t get a moment to even open the coffin as you just kick it open ready to transform believing this is some form of a witches labyrinth and are ready to jump into a bunch of conclusions

Now, in comes a poor unsuspecting Grimm

And the first thing Homura!Yuu does upon notice of him? The same thing Homura did to Bebe in rebellion-

just one Quick grasp onto his neck and just instantly slamming him into the nearest wall before he could even say a word. Questions being shot left and right over this potential Witch-like being or a being that seems to be similar combination of a witches Familiar+ Kyubey. A thought you do not like the sound of.

Grim is quite fairly, terrified out of his mind (I’m sorry my son) But! Lucky for him in comes the headmaster to witness this display of aggression! And school hasn’t even begun yet! The nerve!

Now this can go from here in Multiple ways, but for now, how id see it going is Crowley using his whip to tie up Homura!Yuu and just yoinks up a scared grim similar to what Mami did in rebellion

you’re only reaction to this is “Ah shit, here we go again.”

Now I can see Crowley ends up kicking Grim away still since you’ll obviously deny any association with him and just questions Crowley like there’s no tomorrow and just like in canon those questions fall on deaf ears! Lol

Crowley believes that coming to night raven college has frazzled your young hormonal teenage mind into acting so aggressive and since he’s such a kind and generous headmaster does not hold you accountable for it, isn’t he so wonderful c:

Homura!Yuu ends up quietly playing along to whatever the hell is going on to get a better and proper assessment on the situation you’ve been put in. So everything continues on as normal while the students of NRC give you a strange look until it’s finally your turn to approach the mirror.

How I’d see the mirror react to a Homura!Yuu is once you give it your name, I feel like he’d go “their soul is..Missing?..” Because as you know your soul has been turned into your soul gem and the mirror has no knowledge of this so you’re not gonna be assigned any dorm, sorry not sorry c:

This, understandable, freaks everybody out.

This is when Canon plays out a usual in the story for the prologue with the headmaster taking you to Ramshackle and you’re Re-encounter with Grim.

When you do encounter grim again you transform again and start to chase after him to continue where you left off back in the mirror chamber. This leads to Homura!Yuu discovering grim to be innocent in your arrival here and just simply… wants to be able to grow stronger.. hmm why do you feel like you’ve heard that before

Upon Grim proving his innocence and quite frankly become official scared of Homura!Yuu in comes the ghosts to scare him some more! They watch you chase him down and wanted to join in on the fun.

Mind you, you aka Homura!Yuu are still on guard and still transformed so you obviously attack the ghost with grim ending believing you attacked them for his protection! You didn’t, but if it makes up for scaring the piss outta him sure 👍 well go with that.

Now we continue with canon from here with Crowley calling you a beast tamer and hiring you as a janitor yadda yadda, but Grim ends up referring to you as his Bodyguard instead of henchman in this one! Which if Homura!Yuu was going to be honest, Grim was 1,000 percent a bigger improvement then kyubey.

I totally wanna make a side writing blog and make more stuff like this if it gathers the attention of others lol, I already have it made I just need to edit it along with my other side account where I used to post art until I took them down due to tumblrs Ai update lol

Once I’m done fixing up those two I’ll make a master post with the users of all three of my blogs and my ao3 too lol

Anyways thanks for reading my weird ass ramble :) I have so many ideas I wanna talk about for this and so many story scenarios that probably no one’s gonna be interested in XDD

[stolitzsings]

💖, 🖋 and 👨‍👩‍👧 for the ask game! (I probably got at least one of the emojis wrong but hopefully they still make sense 😂) - @blitzwhore

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?

Can't believe you're gonna make me think of something nice to say about myself 🤣 I've been told I have a very "lyrical" style of writing, and sometimes I'll write a sentence or paragraph that flows really well and just Hits. I love those moments when I feel like I've really nailed it at a word-for-word level.

👨‍👩‍👦 Do you tell people in real life that you write fic?

Most people in my life know I do writing of some sort, but I'm pretty vague with the details lol. I only talk about writing fic with irl friends who also write/read fic (and I don't tell most of them that I write smut, just bc I know it isn't their jam). I told my therapist I write "character studies," because what is smut if not horny character analysis? 🤣

🖋 Post a snippet from a current WIP

Putting this one under the cut!

Ok I was a little nervous about sharing this because it's from a longer AU I've been toying around with, and historically I'm very bad at sticking to longer projects. But regardless of what I do with it I had a lot of fun writing this scene of M&M tormenting Blitz lmao

Blitz could feel his face heating up. “He isn’t— It’s not like—” Fuck, he was losing this one fast. “Okay, so maybe we’re boning or whatever, but it’s just a casual thing, you know? It’s not like we’re dating or anything.” Moxxie raised an eyebrow. It was almost impressive how smug he looked. “Who said anything about dating?” “I think he just did, babe.” Okay, now they were getting on his nerves. He could feel his spines starting to bristle.  “Look. It’s just a convenience thing, ‘kay? He gets to have his bad boy fantasy, and I get a reliable fuck who I know won’t steal my kidneys while I’m asleep.” It wasn’t like Stolas would ever really consider a relationship with someone like him. Disowned or not, he was still a royal. And that was fine! Blitz didn’t want anything complicated, anyway. Fucking was easy. It was comfortable. It was all either of them was looking for.  “If you say so, sir.” Moxxie had somehow dialed the smugness up to eleven.  Blitz rolled his eyes and walked towards the door. “I’m firing both of you. And I’m keeping your shares for today.” He was pretty sure Moxxie started to say something in response, but he was out the door before he heard it.  He let himself stew as he made his way down to the parking lot. “Looking for excuses,” for fuck's sake. They were hired killers! What did they expect? He was going to get injured sometimes. And it only made sense to go see Stolas, who knew more about this shit than any of them did. Besides, a quick fuck sesh was good for you, or something. Boosted your sero-whatever levels. Got your blood pumping. It was basically healthcare, anyway. Talk about a bedside manner, he thought to himself, grinning. He made a mental note to use that one with Stolas later. He'd think it was funny.

“C’mere, B, let me take a look at that scratch for you.” Millie had opened up their first-aid kit and had just finished bandaging a shallow cut on her thigh. Blitz looked down at the wounded arm that she’d gestured to. It wasn’t serious— an annoyance, more than anything. He shrugged. “Eh, that’s okay. I’ll just have my guy take a look at it.” Millie eyed him skeptically, like she was trying to catch him in a lie. “You know, you’ve been spending an awful lot of time with this mysterious “guy” of yours lately.” Moxxie looked up from his paperwork with a conspiratorial smile. “You’ve been seeing him for everything, even minor injuries. Almost like you’re looking for excuses to pay him a visit.” Oh great, the famous M&M tag team. “What? No, I haven’t.” Even he knew he sounded defensive. “Sure looks that way to me.” Millie crossed her arms and perched on the edge of the desk so that she and Moxxie could give him the double stare-down. Cute. “Are you sure that medical attention’s all he’s been giving you?”

Thank you for the ask @blitzwhore! I'm still answering these prompts if y'all are curious 😊

[alicepao13]

S06E10

For a golf episode, okay. For a filler, also okay. Not that much going on.

Let's get one thing out of the way first:

Episode title says caddy. They liked that pun, I guess. As the grammar website I checked explains it further, it's not considered a huge error.

CityTV has such a nerve to put their logo in there after all their scheduling changes and general lack of interest for this show (I have no beef with that interview man, I forgot his name, but his interview with Diesel and John Reardon before the season premiere was actually fun).

I absolutely had no idea that women's golf was so lucrative.

"All I heard is sandwich" Thank god for Sarah. I only like Sarah from now on. Not even Rex, he seems too into golf, although there are too many balls involved for a dog to stay indifferent.

Joe joined the golf club when Camilla was born? Didn't he, like, adopt her after he married her mother? Or is my recollection false?

Charlie had worked as a caddie. Well, certainly some backstory there. And of course he's like, the best of them at it even if he doesn't want to join the club.

Seriously, we can't take them anywhere. Especially Rex, whose nose doesn't take a single day off. Boom, one more day off ruined.

I tuned out in every single golf talk, which is unfortunate because it was mixed with the plot (still found the culprit as soon as they appeared on screen). It's just really hard to follow when I don't care about it at all. Since I like almost all sports, I consider those I don't like as non-sports. Mainly golf and formula car racing.

They cut the chase scene? What?

That scene where Charlie drives a golf cart and Rex runs alongside him does not deserve a cool music lmao

Charlie playing golf as he's interviewing a (at the time) person of interest. I can't decide if this is unprofessional or I just don't like golf.

Ah, please someone tell me how many shots they did for that uninterrupted shot of Charlie's short putt that went pretty close to the hole. I know that the guys actually golf in real life but this had to be close but also not go in the hole for Rex to grab it.

Amazon! How the hell can you put an ad about fast delivery in this show, when you consistently fail to deliver the actual show on time in your streaming service? Am I the only one seeing the irony here? Last season it was too early, this season too late.

Also, Jesse, don't you dare wear that. Charlie's orange jumpsuit was actually a better shade of orange than this one.

Okay, maybe there were a bunch of chase scenes in this episode so they felt they could lose one. Acceptable.

Poor Rex's head. I'd have liked more of Charlie's worry please, although it seems like we might get this in a future episode.

This might be the first time we see Rex's teeth as Charlie checks for god knows what. Come on, show, let Rex bare his teeth just once while growling at a bad guy!

*gasps* Skeletal remains! On a family show!

They shouldn't have spoiled Jesse's shirt in the end scene on their promotional pictures. Not that it's such a big thing, but they should actually stop uploading promotional pictures from the final scenes altogether, or post them after the show has aired.

I liked the teamwork in this one. I believe the golf episode had been brewing since S2, where they had to scrap the idea due to a heavy snowfall, which turned the golf field into a ski slope. There is no avoiding golf, apparently!

Promo: What the actual fuck. Charlie and Rex combined whump? Charlie thrown out of a moving truck? Rex missing? Charlie having temporary amnesia? Hospital? Is it my birthday? (Well, it's actually pretty close to my name day instead.) Please squeeze a scene in there with a worried Sarah, and I take back every single bad thing I said about this season (the show only, I don't take back anything about CityTV). Yes, even the whales.

Of course this would be the episode that they'd take a break on. Oh, well. After that terrible hiatus, I can stand to wait a few days. A day had passed already as I was looking for the episode (turns out that they knew what they were doing lol).

[the-cult-of-russo]

Endorphins (Part 1)

Pairing: Reader/Billy Russo

Warnings: cursing, angst, pain, the usual dark shit. I don't wanna tag it too like specifically to keep the suspense alive lmao the usual Punisher type of bullshit. It’s nothing you haven’t read before if you’ve read my other angsty shit.

A/N: Soooo this was a request but it turned into multiple parts because I got carried away. And I don't wanna put the request on here like I usually do because of spoilers lmaooo Also, I’ll just be posting these one after the other ‘cause I just wanna get this out there.

But to answer the rest of your ask anon, I know, I was away awhile. Life hasn’t been kind to me and then I ended up knee-deep in another fandom lmao But I’m back babeeeyyyy!! ;)

Also, the name of this series is from a Don Broco song with the same name. If you don’t know who they are, check them out. They’re my fav band and I love them. 

Endorphins are running through my veins and it's pathetic

Endorphins are rushing out my brain and it's pathetic

Mighty morphing into a piece of shit, it's so pathetic

I'm so pathetic

I'm so pathetic

—--------------------

Your leg bobbed nervously, eyes darting around at the other people sitting around in the hallway. You were interviewing for a job at a company called Anvil. It was a secretary/PA position. You'd done this kind of work before but the company you'd been working for had to close down, so now you were broke and out of work. You knew Anvil was doing well. The company had gained a reputation for itself and working here would mean good pay and opportunities. But the company wasn't the only thing that had a reputation. You'd heard many things about the man sitting on the throne. A serial womanizer. Rumor was, his last PA was fired after he fucked her. And she wasn’t the first. But maybe that's all it was. A rumor. But still, as you looked at the other people here, you couldn't help but feel like a sack of potatoes. All the leggy pretty women that looked like they should be on a catwalk and not interviewing for a job like this. If he really was as shallow as you'd heard, you'd have no chance. You'd not had to be interviewed in so long, being at your last job for as long as you did, and the nerves were chipping at you. You were just considering bolting out of the door when your name was called by a blonde woman with a kind face. 

She'd introduced herself to all of the interviewees as Karen Page. She'd told you all that while she didn't technically work here, she helped out from time to time. Her partner was Frank, the head trainer and Billy Russo's best friend. You blinked at her for a long moment, eyes wide as your heart hammered in your chest. She gave you a warm and encouraging smile as you stood. Your legs felt like jello, ready to give out at a moment's notice. You hadn't expected to be so nervous here. But you were on the verge of losing your apartment and you needed this job. But you weren't like all the others here. Calm and composed, seemingly not fussed in the least about the interview. You stuck out like a sore thumb and you were sure that's why Karen decided to give your arm a reassuring squeeze when you stood next to her outside of Mr Russo's office.

"You've got this," she smiled warmly. You wondered if she felt bad for you. You knew you must have looked ridiculous with how nervous you were. You blew out a shaky breath with a nod.

"I've got this," you repeated, not too convincingly as your voice wobbled. After one more smile, Karen opened the door for you. You stepped in, almost flinching at the sound of the door shutting behind you. 

The office was large yet simple. A minimalist look to it. Only one painting hung on the wall. Some scenic oil painting that looked legit and like it cost a shit tonne of money. You swallowed thickly as your eyes landed on the man behind the desk. His suit looked like it was made just for him and his hair was perfectly styled. And now you had to impress him or you'd be living in a cardboard box on the streets.

"Mr Russo," you greeted meekly, a polite yet shy smile on your face.

"Ms Y/L/N, please take a seat," he said cordially, gesturing to the chair on the other side of his desk. You walked over, sitting down before your eyes flit around anxiously. There was no way in hell you'd be able to impress this man given your competition. Your heart thudded away dully in your chest. When your eyes landed back on him, he was already watching you. His eyes were dark, darker than you’d ever seen before. They felt like they saw right through you and sucked you in all at the same time. His lips quirked up slightly and you realized you'd just been sitting there looking at him like a deer in the headlights. You felt your cheeks burn.

"I'm sorry. I swear I'm not usually this… nervous. It's just been a long time since I've had to sit for an interview," you admitted with a self-deprecating chuckle. You figured if you couldn't win him over with looks, you might as well just be honest with him.

He smiled at you, glancing at the paper on his desk.

"I noticed. Your resume is quite impressive. A loyal employee. You worked at Johnson and Sons for…-" he trailed off as he glanced to the paper again.."-8 years. He must have thought you were a good employee to keep you on that long," he mused, his dark eyes going back to you. You felt your face heat up a little at the compliment as you looked down at your hands clasped in your lap.

"I guess so," You shrugged with a wry smile.

"Mr Johnson was a good man. Was a shame what happened to him," he murmured thoughtfully. A small frown creased your brow as you felt a pinch in your chest. Mr Johnson had worked his whole life to get his business to where it ended up. And then a month ago he had a heart attack in the middle of a meeting. You'd witnessed it. Now he was dead and instead of his sons carrying on the business as they were supposed to, they closed it down.

"He was a good man. He always looked after me," you replied sadly. He gave you a sympathetic look, His finger tapping on the desk a little.

"So… why do you think you'd be a good fit here at Anvil?" He asked you, eyes boring into you. You licked your lower lip, mouth suddenly feeling dry like all the moisture had evaporated.

"I'm a hard worker. I always go above and beyond what's expected of me. If you need me to do something, then I’ll do it. Whether it's staying here late to help you prep for a big meeting or just running down the street to get you a bagel and coffee,” you tried to sound confident but you weren’t sure if you succeeded or not. He nodded, leaning back in his chair a little like he didn’t have a care in the world. 

“I gotta be honest, when I saw the name on your resume, I already knew who you were before I read it,” he said, lips tugging into a wry smirk as you blinked at him.

“You did?” you asked, slightly confused. He chuckled, raking his teeth over his lower lip as he looked at you.

“I did a lot of business with Mr Johnson. He never shut up about you, how good his PA was. Made me pretty jealous about it. I don’t know if you remember, but we met two years ago, at the Charity ball for homeless people your company ran,” he murmured, a note of amusement in his voice. Your brows furrowed a little as you tried to remember the night. You’d planned all of it and Mr Johnson insisted you attend it to at least enjoy the fruits of your labors. He’d even bought you a swanky dress that was still sitting in your closet despite the fact you'd never use it again. You couldn't just chuck something away that you knew cost so much. You tried to quickly flip through the memories of the night. You’d met so many people then, so many business contacts. And then you remembered briefly being introduced to Mr Russo but you hadn't done more than say a polite hello with a smile. Mr Johnson liked to call you a workaholic. Even at the event you were working and making sure things were in order, taking notes when important people were around. 

“I completely forgot about that,” you muttered, feeling a little sheepish. You weren't quite sure how you could forget someone like Mr Russo. He shot you another amused grin as he shrugged lazily. 

“I’m not surprised. Mr Johnson said you’d work yourself to death. You were supposed to be enjoyin’ the party and instead you were workin’ your ass off,” he teased. You bit your lip with a smile, feeling a little more at ease with him the more he spoke. He was intimidating yet calming at the same time and it was strange.

“Yep, sounds about right,” you snorted. He moved to sit forward again, hands clasped on his desk in front of him. 

“Look… I’ll be real transparent with you, Y/N. Your resume is one of many I’ve had to go through, but as soon as I saw your name, I already knew who I was gonna pick. If you got Mr Johnson's stamp of approval then you already got mine. I know he didn’t keep anyone on his team that wasn’t capable of workin’ hard and keepin’ cool under pressure. I knew you’d be perfect for the job. I’d be stupid to hire anyone else out there over you,” he admitted, his face deadly serious as his dark gaze cut into you. You blinked dumbly at him for a moment. You weren’t really expecting this. You’d been sure you didn't have a chance. And you felt flattered that Mr Johnson had been so impressed with you that he’d spoken about you so much. 

“Really?” you asked, feeling stupid as soon as the words left your mouth. His serious face changed then as his lips quirked up at you.

“Really. If you want the job, it's yours,” he offered with a warm smile. All the nerves that had gripped you tightly since you’d walked in seemed to melt from you, your body sagging a little in relief after being held so tightly for so long.

“I really do want the job,” you nodded eagerly. His grin widened then, reaching a hand out for you to shake. You took it, shaking it with a smile.

“Welcome to the family, Y/N. I think you’ll love it here,” he grinned. 

—-

You pulled your coat tighter around yourself to stave off the bite of chilly wind as you walked briskly home. Your heels sounded like the only noise in the street, clicking on the pavement at your hurried steps. You’d been working with Anvil for exactly a week. It was Monday and you’d quickly gathered Monday was a busy day. There would always be tonnes of messages for you to sift through that had come through at the weekend. You didn’t mind it though. It was pretty much the same as it had been back at your other job. You’d met mostly everyone there and everyone seemed nice. Frank had been polite and sweet to you, which hadn't been expected with his grumpy face. You'd even gotten to know Karen a little better. She’d come in sometimes to see Frank and wind up speaking to you for a bit too. Mr Russo was a really good boss too. Not the hard ass like you thought he might be. He’d even shown you the ropes himself and made a point of showing you around and introducing you to people there. Overall, you were enjoying the job. But as you walked home, you were feeling an unsettling feeling and it wasn't the first time you'd felt it since you started working there. It started on your second day. You’d been walking home when you felt uneasy. That feeling you get when you know someone’s watching you. You knew you were being paranoid, you hadn't seen anyone when you’d glanced around. But the hairs on the back of your neck were prickling up and it made your stomach churn. You’d convinced yourself you were being silly. It was an overactive imagination or something. But it happened every night when you walked home from work. You’d never felt this way when working at your old job and you couldn't shake it. And so, as it happened once again, you hurried home feeling your chest constrict like you were on the verge of a panic. You’d never been an overly anxious person walking around, even at night. You knew what New York could be like but it didn't really bother you. So you weren’t quite sure just why you were feeling this way. You always felt like you were ready to get snatched into an alleyway or something. You hated it. You wished it wasn’t winter. It wouldn't be dark on your way home in the summer.

As you were almost at your apartment, you heard a crash from the other side of the street. Your head whipped around quickly, your heart stuttering for a moment. On the other side of the street, there was a figure all in black, a hood pulled over their head and obscuring their face. It looked like they’d knocked over a trash can. There was something really ominous feeling about the person, especially since he hadn't been there when you’d looked over your shoulder a few minutes before. You turned around quickly and ran the rest of the way, almost ripping the door to your apartment building off the hinges once you let yourself in. You stood in the hallway, chest heaving a little as you told yourself to get it together. You were being stupid. It wasn't like you were the only person allowed out at night. It was probably just some guy minding his own business. You walked back over to the door, peeping through the long window curiously. You felt your stomach drop when you saw the hooded figure across the road standing there unmoving. Looking right at your building. You backed away slowly, trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling settling in the pit of your stomach as you rushed up the stairs. It was only once you were in your apartment you felt a little safe. When you chanced a glance out of your window, the figure was gone and you felt yourself unwind a little. It was weird and you didn't like it. You wondered if you should mention it to Mr Russo. He did own a security firm after all. Maybe he could give you some tips to keep yourself safe. You weren't quite sure why it had only just started but maybe Anvil came with some cons as well as pros. You weren't sure but you found it hard to go to sleep that night. 

—--

You stood outside of Mr Russo’s office anxiously, gnawing at your lower lip. It was lunchtime and you’d already given him his lunch. But you’d been on the fence about speaking to him about your nightly scares or not. Once the morning came, you weren't sure if you’d been imagining it or not. You felt a little bit silly going to him about it. But you’d be a liar if you said you weren't already dreading the walk home. It wasn't far which is why you never bothered with a cab. You were starting to wonder if maybe you should start. After heaving a large breath, you knocked on his door firmly. Once he told you to come in, you opened the door and hovered inside uncertainly.

“Mr Russo… could I speak to you a moment?” you asked tentatively. 

“I keep tellin’ you, call me Billy. Come and sit down,” he gestured to the seat, giving you a smile as he balled up his sandwich wrapper and tossed it into the trash can. His casual demeanor put you at ease instantly. He’d been telling you to call him Billy since your first day but for some reason your brain was having a hard time with it. To be fair to you, you’d never done it with Mr Johnson despite his insistence to call him by his first name. 

“Billy, sorry,” you murmured wryly as you moved to sit down. 

“What's worrying you?” he asked pointedly, raising a brow at you.

“How do you know I’m worried?” you countered, giving him an amused smirk. Despite being cordial and professional with him, he had a way of always putting you at ease and making you feel comfortable. It had been easy to talk to him in your short time here and he’d even joke with you sometimes. You’d admit it was refreshing working with someone closer to your own age. He gave you a look that you’d quickly learnt meant ‘cut the bullshit’ and you sighed. 

“It’s… It’s gonna sound stupid. I think I’m just being paranoid or something,” you muttered, feeling your cheeks burning a little at your words. You felt silly in front of him now. 

“Paranoid or not, somethin’s got you worried. You know you can talk to me. What happened?” he asked seriously. You chewed on your lower lip again, fiddling with your hands on the desk as your eyes landed on anything other than him. Suddenly his large and warm hand settled over yours, stilling their restless motions and your eyes snapped to his. That was another thing you weren’t quite used to. Mr Johnson never put his hands on you, no matter how gentle. Billy had done it a few times. Just little touches like a squeeze to the arm, his hand on your back for the briefest of moments. You didn't mind it though really. 

“I think… I think someone’s been following me home,” you admitted quietly. A deep frown graced his face then and you idly thought about how he hadn't removed his hand.

“And you’re sure?” he asked after a moment. He didn't sound happy at the notion and you were slightly touched he cared.

“I mean… I don’t know. It started my second day here. You know you can just… sense when someone’s watching you? And it's been every night when I go home. And then last night, there was a guy all in black. I wasn’t sure he was following me at first but once I got inside my building, he just… stood there watching me,” you swallowed thickly, getting a chill down your spine just remembering how weird it had been. Billy was quiet for a moment before he squeezed your hand and stood up. He walked over to a cupboard across his office, rooting around in there before he came back over to you with something in his hand. It was pepper spray. You took it gratefully, feeling at least like you had something to protect yourself with.

“Use it if you feel threatened. Even if some poor innocent bastard gets sprayed. If they're close enough to make you scared they deserve it anyway,” he mused as he sat back in his chair. 

“Thank you,” you breathed with a smile.

“Look, I know you don’t live too far but I think maybe walkin’ isn’t too safe out there at night,” he frowned thoughtfully. You looked from the pepper spray in your hands to him, tilting your head a little.

“I’m thinking of taking cabs from now on, just to be safe,” you admitted.

“Good. You ever taken self-defense classes?” he asked seriously. You felt small under his gaze and you knew your answer wouldn't please him given his line of work.

“No,” you gave him a sheepish smile as he rolled his eyes goodnaturedly at you.

“Frank’s been teachin’ Karen in the private training room in the back. Does it most days after work. You up for it?” he asked expectantly. 

“Yeah, that sounds good,” you smiled. You’d always wanted to learn but you’d always been so busy that it would slip your mind. But given how you were feeling lately, you knew it would make you feel even safer. He shot you a grin with a pleased nod.

“Alright, tomorrow after work. Bring something comfortable to change into,” he instructed. 

“Thank you, Mr- … uh Billy. I really appreciate all this,” you said softly, a grateful smile on your face as you stood. You figured you’d taken up enough of his time as it was. You knew just how busy he was. He stood too, walking you to the door.

“Anytime. You know you can come to me about anything. No matter how small you think it might be. What kinda boss would I be if I let somethin’ bad happen to my favorite PA?” he asked with a mischievous smile. You snorted, feeling your cheeks burn at his praise. You felt like a cat getting a head rub and you almost smacked yourself for your own reaction.

“I’ve only been here for a week,” you replied amused. He gave you a cheeky grin and shrugged.

“And you’re still my favorite PA,” he countered. You left his office feeling a little better about the whole thing. You’d take cabs and you now had pepper spray if you needed it. And soon, Frank would have you trained up so you’d be able to defend yourself. 

—---

You made your way to the training room in the back slowly. You were in a tank top and some leggings with some sneakers on. Your work clothes now in the bag you were holding. You’d changed in the bathroom. The night before, you’d taken a cab home. But as you were going inside of your apartment, you’d felt that feeling again. This time you couldn't see anyone, but you’d hurried inside anyway. You’d barely seen Billy that day. He’d been swamped with meetings but when you had briefly seen him as you gave him his lunch, he’d asked you if you were still up for training and of course you told him yes. You felt a little strange though in crashing the couples time training together, like you were intruding almost. But you knew Frank was head trainer here so he’d be good. You also hoped Billy had mentioned you’d be dropping in. But as you walked into the training room, it wasn't just the couple there. Billy was there too. For some reason, that thought hadn't even crossed your mind but it did make you feel a little better. Karen was standing off to one side as Billy and Frank wrestled with each other. It looked like they didn’t even notice you come in. You wandered over to Karen, plonking your bag down on the floor.

“Boys, am I right?” she asked with a wry smirk, making you snort as you watched them. They were scrambling on the floor looking like a pair of kids play fighting and it amused you. Billy ended up behind Frank, getting him in a chokehold.

“How’dya like that?” He asked gleefully, making Frank huff and throw his elbow back. It connected with Billy’s side and he let him go with a grunt.

“Afraid I’m gonna make you look bad in front of your girl, Bill?” Frank asked teasingly. It was at that moment that Billy’s eyes shot up and connected with yours. And the same moment Frank decided to pounce on him and tackle him to the floor, pinning him down. You tried to ignore the weird feeling in the pit of your stomach at Frank’s words. They were just talking shit to each other.

“You’re an asshole, Frankie,” Billy wheezed, looking disgruntled yet amused. Frank grinned, tapping him on the cheek before standing up and offering Billy his hand. He took it, letting Frank pull him up before they hugged it out in a manly way. You smirked to yourself. Karen made a beeline to Frank as Billy waltzed over to you, swiping a bottle of water from a bench near where you stood. 

“Having fun?” you asked knowingly. He’d told you before how he loved sparring with Frank. He wasn't afraid to really lay into him and give him a good challenge like his recruits were. 

“What d’you think?” he answered cheekily. He looked like he was glowing. A radiant smile on his face. That one that made his eyes crinkle. It made you smile at him. Your eyes drifted to Frank and Karen then. They were adorable together. Frank could seem mean on the outside, an intimidating aura about him. But with Karen, he was all soft and squishy and you loved it.

“You’re gonna be with me. You ready?” Billy asked, breaking you out of your thoughts.

“I hope so,” you murmured wryly, making him shoot you a smirk.

The training went really well. Frank and Karen were doing their own training as Billy focused on you. You’d felt self-conscious at first, never having done anything like this before. But Billy was a really good teacher and would praise you every time you did something good. He never made you feel stupid for getting things mixed up or wrong. He’d gently correct you and make sure to compliment your technique on something. You appreciated it. He’d taught you how to disarm someone and various self-defense moves. And then he had you spar with him a little bit to practice the moves out on a moving target. After almost two hours, you were tired. He went to grab you and you stumbled backwards, grabbing his wrist as you started to fall, bringing him with you. You weren't sure just how his reflexes were so fast because you didn't hit the floor. You landed on Billy instead who had somehow maneuvered you both to swap places. You were sprawled on top of him and blinked at him in shock for a moment. 

“You two wanna get a room?” Frank called over mischievously, making Karen giggle a little. Your cheeks felt like they were on fire as you scrambled off Billy, waiting for him to look disgusted by the comment. Instead, he tilted his head to look at Frank from where he was lying with an amused smirk before giving him the finger. He had the grace of a cat as he hopped to his feet and he held his hand out to you to help you up. You gave him a sheepish smile before taking it and letting him pull you to your feet.

“I think I’m wiped out,” you murmured with a yawn. He grinned at you as you both walked over to your bottles of water. 

“You did good today. Pushed yourself hard. We do this a couple of times a week, you won’t have anything to worry about,” he said softly. You shot him a grateful smile before taking a long pull of your drink.

“Want me to drive you home?” he asked, wiping his forehead with his t-shirt. You tried not to look at his abs. He looked good like this in basketball shorts and a tee. You’d never seen him look anything other than pristine. 

“You don't have to,” you shook your head. It would be even later now with staying behind for training and you didn't want to walk home. But even though cabs were a safer option, you couldn't help but worry about the cab driver too. It wouldn't take much to lock the doors and drive off somewhere and murder you. Why did working here make you so paranoid?

“I know I don’t. I want to,” he countered, giving you a look that was a mix of amusement and determination. 

“Only if you don’t mind,” you shrugged. He playfully rolled his eyes at your unwillingness to just say yes.

“I don’t,” he said firmly, signaling the end of it. You slipped your jacket on before you and Billy said your goodbyes to Frank and Karen and then you were in his car on your way home. His very fancy car.

“I bet this car cost the same as a year's worth of my rent,” you snorted, glancing at him as he drove. You really didn't live far so you knew it would be a short drive. He smirked to himself for a moment before his face softened into a more earnest look.

“It’s alright, I guess,” he murmured. You blinked at him for a moment and he didn't take his eyes off the road.

“You don't like it?” you questioned. He had the money to buy something else if he wanted. You weren't sure why he was still driving it if he didn't like it.

“I do, it’s just… I used to think I wanted money more than anything. Money is power, right?” he asked, glancing at you briefly before back at the road. “But the past few years… I’ve been thinkin’ about how it ain’t everything. There’s more to life than money. Than power. It’s not what makes you happy,” he mused softly. You weren't really sure what to say to that if you were honest.

“Didn’t realize you were so philosophical,” you grinned teasingly, making him snort and shoot you a look. 

“Maybe I’m just finally growin’ up,” he shrugged. With that, he pulled to a stop outside of your apartment. 

“Thank you. For the training and the ride… just everything,” you murmured, glancing to him. He looked at you properly then with a soft smile.

“You don’t gotta thank me,” he shook his head.

“Well I did, so deal with it,” you smirked. He let out a surprised laugh at you and it made you smile to yourself. You preferred the carefree happy Billy to the overworked stressed one. He watched you for a long moment and it made you feel all funny as you just blinked at him.

“I’m really glad you took that job,” he admitted, a small smile playing on his lips. You bit your lower lip with a shy smile as you nodded.

“I’m glad too,” you replied. You felt a little weird now. You knew you needed to get out of the car and go home, but this was such a strangely soft moment between the pair of you and you felt weird breaking it. But then you reminded yourself that he was your boss and that you were reading far too much into everything. It was easy getting sucked in by him and his charm but all he saw was his PA that maybe he was becoming friends with. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said with a smile, opening the car door.

“See you tomorrow,” he replied quietly, watching as you got out. As you went inside, you gave yourself a good telling-off. You were acting like a schoolgirl with a crush and it needed to stop before it got you fired. Whether that was from Billy finding out and being grossed out or by ending up in bed with him. Because you knew his track record and how that always went. 

[gregoftom]

"and hey they’ve been basically getting each other hard by proxy of dirty talking about women and probably saying what they’d do, mostly tom bc greg doesn’t know shit about it, and getting off on it so… that’s Kinda fucking lol"

oh god now you're making me think about -- and I can't believe I haven't thought about it before -- them having phone sex. like still in the era where it's like. just talking dirty about what they've done or would do with women. like 4x1. but with the barrier of the phone and being in different places (but the intimacy of having their voice right at their ear) they could and would actually touch themselves about it. and I don't think they'd let on they knew that was happening even if they did pick up on the other doing it, the hitched breaths, the breathy words, the loss of coherent sentences, the 'yeah's and 'mhm's and silences but staying on the line because they're getting off. (and maybe tom would call greg a dirty boy, say 'did you just get off on that, gregory?' ...maybe he would play into it in person. the little horny power trip that it is. but maybe he'd be too scared to if he got off on it as well, and just leave it unsaid, like so much of their sexual attraction is unsaid and done through proxy. another line crossed that can't be mentioned. that just adds to the frustration.)

anyway they could really learn a thing or two from roman and gerri lmao. or just exchange notes

SHAJDHAJSH omg yesss god listen. i'm not Wildly into phone sex in general but oh my God it works for them soooo well in multiple circumstances. they absolutely Would do that and technicaaaalllly that's stiiiiill not reaaaaally doing it, bc they're not touching each other. so the post first time sleeping together would still be in play. in fact it would make it all the more intense, the desperation and pure want for one another, to be so close yet so far. and we know tom feels safer to be more honest on the phone with greg, like when after logan died. so he would. do that. i think. hhhhhh. and they would. play it out i think and then act like nothing's happened. they would just... yeah exactly. greg would definitely get off, clinging the phone tightly with a trembling hand to his ear, and tom might palm himself, but lose the nerve or the feeling of wanting to go for it, because of the shame. but maybe once. or twice. or more. times. he would, and greg would be so awkward but that just turns tom on all the more.

like, they could dance around it so easily. "did you just get off on that gregory?" "y.. yeah hah, the um, the situation, like with a girl that you were saying, man that'd be so hot... and like what if, you know, you were there too, and you took a turn right after me?" "don't be disgusting. you think i'm putting my dick anywhere you've had yours?" "mmh. oh, yeah that's, that's pretty nasty huh? but like, that's us right? we're nasty aren't we? you're disgusting with me, aren't you, tommy?" "fuck."

LITERALLY. AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasalsklsdksldklskdlskds hate they ass.

[amiscreations]

Seeing Def Leppard and Motley Crue at the Stadium Tour in Bramall Lane, Sheffield - 22/05/2023✨

Ok I’ll try and keep this as brief as possible, but I also want to include as many fun details as possible! also how has it been eXACTLY ONE WEEK since this happened aAAAH??? (from when I'm posting this at least)

Before the Show

So we started queuing at 8:30am, and we weren’t even the first people there! There was a group who had been queuing since 4am!

We immediately clicked with this group and we ended up becoming great friends, and they made the experience much more enjoyable!

I also had a few issues with my ticket, as I needed to print it but never got the chance (story for another day)  so I had to go down to the ticket office like three times😅

Just before we went in the nerves suddenly hit me: I HAD to get my spot that I’d queued 7 hours for.

As soon as I was let in I got the biggest adrenaline rush of my entire life, and although the staff were telling me not to run, I ran, and they didn’t stop me.

And I got a spot at the barrier with my friends! 

it was at this point that reality started to set in...

after 7 months of waiting for this very moment I was HERE 

Vivas came on after about 45 mins and they were AMAZING???

I was just looking at Tyler the entire time tbh bc he looks sO MUCH LIKE SAV ITS AAAAAA

also the lead singer was absolutely losing his mind at how big of a gig this was for them and I felt so happy! His joy was honestly infectious and I think they’re gonna do great things!

Mötley Crüe

After Vivas it was about a 30 min wait until Crüe, and every time we thought they had finished setting up the stage they added one more thing lmao

also Ryan was hanging around in the photo pit and he took our photo AWWW

I saw him the next day and he actually sent it to me, so now I have the very photo that Ryan Sebastyan himself took!

anyways the stage set up for Crue was just a little over the top imo perhaps to compensate whaaaat

they also had this extremely long opera(?) intro which just went on for way too long

and then they had that fuckin aLARM THING WHICH WAS SO LOUD

when the guys eventually did come on I will admit it was incredibly surreal... like tHAT is Nikki Sixx RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME??

Nikki was wearing the coolest jacket at first I want 23 of my own

Vince was uuuh Vince

like he wasn't terrible in person but listening back it is... not great

aNYWAY John 5 was actually so cool and fits in with them really well but he’s just not Mick Mars soz John

he also did this thing where he just drooled over the side of the podium?? like bro that was just so unnecessary JHGFGJK

also the music was just sO LOUD I found it hard to tell which some was which at first aND I WAS WEARING HEARING PROTECTION

at one point Nikki threw a bottle of Fiji Water and it landed right behind the security guard in front of me... I didn't want it😂

about midway through the set Nikki addressed the crowd and actually brought a kid up on stage and took a selfie with him which I thought was really cool!

Aaaand then Tommy addressed the crowd and asked women to show their tits🙃 and of course some did. oh Tommy 

then they played Home Sweet Home and let me tell you Tommy can sHRED on a piano

tbh the strippers (yes for those that dont know they have *female dancers* dancing on stage to some of the songs) were probably putting in the most effort out of anyone up there 

I think my favourite part was when they did the medley of covers, so Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room, Blitzkrieg Bop and Anarchy in the UK

they ended with Kickstart my Heart which was a lot of fun!

Def Leppard

it is TIMEEEE

there wasn't a long wait at all until leppard bc I think the show was a little behind schedule

but then when the countdown came on the screen it was the longest 6 mins of my life

and then Joe’s cover of Heroes came on and AAAAAAAH

THEN IT WAS THE INTRO TO TAKE WHAT YOU WANT

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

THERE THEY ARE DOING WHAT THEY DO BEST

it wasn't so much of a shock seeing them in person as I had seen them at the signing two days ago, BUT STILLL THATS THEMMMM

And Joe was wearing this soon to be ICONIC Union Jack blazer

Sav was wearing a polka-dot gradient suit (you know the one)

Phil and Viv were wearing THEE most gorgeous suits

Tho I'm kinda disappointed that Phil wasn't shirtless����(jk)

And Rick in his sparkly tie dye shirt which I another thing I want 245 of

honestly the rest was a bit of a blur but in a good way!

I started losing my mind whenever they would come out onto the catwalk bc tHEY WERE SO CLOSE AND LOOKED ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL

aLSO they're recording the performance for a DVD (I think) so hopefully we will be able to watch back the pro shot version at some point!

also I hope I'm in it bc at one point they were in the photo pit pointing a camera directly at me BBFJKBFJK

oh also Ross Halfin was there I forgot to mention that LMAO

I think during Armageddon It something happened in the crowd behind me bc the security guards were standing on the barrier basically leaning tf on me as if to get a closer look at what was happening 

so yeah I missed the majority of that song LOL and I never did find out exactly what happened, although I did hear that someone got escorted out 

also just before Love Bites my phone died so I spent the first half of that song faffing about with my portable charger which thankfully charged your phone super fast

they also played Promises which for some reason caught me right off guard? it was so good tho and I didn't realise how hard it went until I heard it live!

and then it was the acoustic section which I was looking forward to the most (tho I honestly think it got cut short bc they only played like two songs and the show was behind schedule) bUT IT WAS STILL ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL

This Guitar is my fave off of DSH and hearing it live was just incredible

I love how you can just hear all their voices so well

aLSO IT WAS DEDICATED TO STEVE😭

Joe also said that Steve’s mum was in the audience and I think everyone in the stadium started to cry

and then it was Joe and Sav’s lil duet in When Love and Hate Collide which was so awwww

I can’t believe I actually got to hear Sav sing irl sOMEONE RESUSCITATE ME

anyways moving on, hearing a stadium sing “ROCKET, YEAHH!” is a religious experience I stg and its just something that cannot be replicated in a video

OMG HEARTBREAK AND SWITCH WENT SO HARD

the power that Phil and Viv held while walking out together onto the catwalk playing mf Switch 625

and then they started playing Hysteria and everyone started crying again

also they did the new alternate ending and if you weren't crying before you were then sorry I dont make the rules

The last song was Photograph ofc and thy put a bunch of photos from the leppard archives onto the screens🥺

they also put a bunch of photos that Ryan took of the crowd and tHE ONE WITH ME AND MY FRIENDS WAS UP THERE AAAAH

and just like that, Kings of the World started to play

I felt like my entire life had been leading up to those 90 mins 

it broke my heart to walk away from the spot I had queued 7+ hours for, but my head was now full of incredible memories

bring on Wembley!

[dnangelic]

LN 2 (snow queen) summary. same disclaimers as before, google translate is wheelchairing me bigtime, none of this is in perfect order or detail, it's a gist for the desperate (tm) who might otherwise never ever lay eyes or hands on the books themselves, and it's 200 pages more or less directly transcribed, (+ novel illustrations) so beware of enormous huge gimongous post length under the cut. open in a new tab and treat it like the book it is 👊 links contain novel illustrations LET'S GO

prologue opens up with dark exploding from the window of a museum into outside after just stealing the snow queen. he holds it up where its 'dazzling brilliance creates the illusion that a new constellation has been added to the starry sky above,' then complains that he wasn't able to show off since there weren't any guards or security systems. daisuke tells him that nothing can be done about it, to which dark further complains that hiwatari is 'such a cold guy that he didn't want to play' with him, to which daisuke tries to argue against. cue hiwatari showing up apologizing for being late (and mentioning that since everything was so sudden, he had to take time to 'prepare',) to which dark says that only cute girls have the privilege of being late for a meeting (lmao.) even hiwatari laughs a little and says that he intends to make up for it; hiwatari lunges for him and dark runs off towards the forest that surrounds the museum.

'if you've prepared a present for me, i'll have to accept it.'

dark's goal is to meet up through the forest to meet wiz who now has the crown at the other side so he can fly away, but hiwatari's laced the woods with hard to see piano strings, which dark has dodged solely through intuition and their sound. one step away from properly meeting wiz, wiz gets caught in the strings, dropping the crown. a tiny piece of it gets into one of dark's eyes, and he loses his footing, stumbling because of it, falling down into a valley.

waking up to a 'pure white world' covered in ice, dark starts to experience a series of daisuke's memories alongside a bad chill. when a white shadow in the shape of a woman appears behind daisuke, she says that she 'finally found it' in a 'chillingly gentle whisper,' and dark decides that this is what was setting off his nerves. despite shouting his name and telling daisuke not to go, daisuke can't hear dark's voice, and the world shatters and hails down ice as daisuke's embraced by the woman from behind, dark chasing after him.

1.

my encounter with the "snow queen" was a coincidence.

daisuke's class has gone on a three hour train ride trip for a school camping-barbeque tournament trip. there's an optional field trip to the local museum, which is described as a 'cute western-style building, contrary to the students' expectations of an imposing building. although it's small, it has white walls, decorative windows, an elegant staircase, handmade carvings of angels, animals and plants adoring the hallways, and antique table decorations. everyone was surprised to see the beautiful hand-knitted lace.' in here riku moves next to daisuke, whose heart starts to pound when she puts her hair behind her ear a little and gets him to question whether or not her hair's 'grown a little since summer,' and he starts worrying that he'll transform right inside of the museum.

no matter how hard i try to suppress it, this pounding won't stop. when did i start to care about riku so much?

in the middle of this saehara shows up and leans directly onto daisuke's shoulder, ignoring dai's complaints over him being heavy to read the snow queen's explanatory plaque out loud.

the snow queen. artist unknown. creation date unknown. it's said that starting from when a bride wearing this tiara mysteriously disappeared, it's caused a series of tragedies as its changed hands. apparently, it drifted along and ended up at this local museum. the tiara is wrapped in a lonely glow that doesn't match the gorgeous structure, and there's some truth to the rumor it was bringing about.

saehara calls the tiara cursed and scary while squeezing daisuke's neck, exasperating dai and causing risa to say that she hates curses, asking if he 'can't say it in a more romantic way.' all of the students start generating all sorts of stories regarding the tiara's history, but daisuke grows more and more unhappy listening to their ideas of tragic love, while riku and daisuke both sympathize with the artwork did it ever have to truly survive or witness that sort of thing.

actually, it may have been a tiara as proof of love, but it was left in a place like this just for fun.

the two of them fluster, riku remarks to herself that 'even though daisuke's a boy, he still looks at things with kind eyes,' and they laugh over the absurdity of a curse, saying that 'even if the curse were true, it seems like it'd tear two people who love each other apart.' hiwatari surprises them by agreeing, then tells daisuke that 'magic is a troublesome thing. at the slightest trigger, it turns into a terrifying curse. and from that curse... you can't escape forever.' his eyes flicker as if he's seeing something invisible, far away, and the setting changes to the class's camping preparation endeavors.

daisuke's parents have massively overpacked for him. meanwhile, the key for risa's bag won't work, so daisuke unlocks it for her with a twig, then lies to cover up the fact he picked it. he muses over his own and his family's history of being thieves, as well as riku: she hates dark, and yet, even though she's the one who daisuke doesn't want to know of his true identity the most, she's still the one who brings out dark the most, leaving daisuke to smile 'bitterly in his heart.' daisuke also confronts his feelings over risa.

for some reason, daisuke's heart aches for dark's inability to reciprocate her feelings, as if they are collectively responsible. i know my heart would be lighter if there was even one person who understood me. ...i can understand the pain of having worries that you can't tell anyone about .

daisuke continues rummaging around his massive pack for gloves only to see wiz wrapped up in dark's clothes. dark remarks on the fact with joy and surprise, to which daisuke immediately says that it wasn't him, and that his mom had put everything inside without telling him-no wonder the backpack was so big. daisuke can't get the snow queen out of his head, either.

however, the feeling that filled my heart when i saw that small crown in the local museum, which had a collection of valuable works of art, remained with me forever . [...] is there anything i can do? if it were me...i wonder if i could save the snow queen from there... dark responded to the words that came out almost unconsciously. ---'if it were us, it would definitely happen.' words filled with confidence, not doubting themselves or daisuke in the slightest. in the past, daisuke would have been repulsed or subservient to dark, but now it's different. those words, like wings, pushed daisuke's back. 'that's right... let's try it.'

daisuke writes up his own calling card ('if mom put in dark's costume, there's no way she forgot to put the cards in,) and hands it off to wiz to be delivered. (fun note is wiz, after transforming into his black/wings form, is likened to a 'carnivore.') some rustling scares daisuke and he worries that he's been spotted, but it's only riku who bring shim back to the barbeque/campsite. saehara is cooking like a pro, while daisuke gets this little scene.

ah, it's starting to boil over. the girls in the group watched with wide eyes as daisuke deftly pulled out the firewood and set it to a low flame. niwa-kun, who was always in a daze, suddenly looked cool... ah! as daisuke stood up, he tripped over the residue of someone's failed stove.

riku rushes over saying she'll do everything as the other girls sigh and say that daisuke's no good after all. saehara says there aren't enough vegetables, so hiwatari starts chopping some --- to which all the girls start admiring him for. not about to be outdone, saehara picks up his own cutting pace to no avail. daisuke's attention stays focused on riku as they try to cook rice together, but the hot bowl slips until daisuke catches it with a foot with a soccer technique. he turns it upside down, and when riku asks why, explains that it'll be more delicious that way.

hmm, niwa-kun, you know a lot about strange things. even though it was strange, she sounded impressed. daisuke secretly thanked his grandfather. no, it might have been my father. i remember him often carrying a large backpack on his back, as if he were going mountain climbing. also, unlike my mom, i feel like my dad, who's not descended from the niwa family of thieves, taught me the mundane things. those were also important things. he didn't talk much, but his voice was low and slow, like dark's.

riku and daisuke finish cooking, wiz showed up with a stick being cute, which gets riku and daisuke laughing and dark sulking. 'don't just have fun with riku!' dark points out the fact that daisuke can't properly confess to her, to which daisuke retorts that it has 'nothing to do with dark.' the feeling he's having with riku is different from when he fell in love with risa, and he can't explain the difference, but...

--you just can't say it because you're afraid of being rejected again. that's not it. really i don't know how to say it...

daisuke impresses riku with the quality of his rice, happy to see her having fun. although he 'doesn't know what feelings he's experiencing, it's nothing dramatic, but a calm, warm, and comfortable space that he wanted to share.'

later riku gets caught in a confession competition- the rules are to answer with who your crush is, or if you don't have one, who your first was. hiwatari's naturally popular, and there are plenty of rumors over who secretly danced the last dance at the school festival. riku turns red thinking of daisuke while risa reminisces over dancing with dark- however, risa only danced after the after-party. dark had stolen an old player and records after a fake notice issued by risa, and risa had no idea that riku and daisuke were the ones who danced the real last dance.

at the niwa family's house, emiko paces in front of the phone while daiki tries to calm her down. finally it rings, and daisuke gets bombarded by... general mom questions and nagging reminders. by the time daiki has picked up the phone, daisuke's run out of pocket change to feed the line. exhausted and disappointed, he didn't get the chance to say anything to his mother about the notice he had issued without permission. saehara shows up and teases daisuke for missing his mom before calling his dad and telling him what to eat- 'saehara, who lives with his father, seems to fulfill his duty of cooking even when he's away.'

daisuke moves over to hiwatari to ask if he's fine, after which saehara suddenly turns loudly surprised. daisuke immediately worries over being suspected or his notice being conveniently discovered, and as expected, saehara runs off shouting that dark had sent out a notice, and his scoop was waiting for him. daisuke can only sigh with sekimoto (another one of his friends,) noticing that hiwatari had also disappeared.

---the battle has begun. dark's deep, relaxed voice resonated in his heart. daisuke didn't make a sound, but he nodded firmly. just for today, you can't say that you don't want to turn into dark or that you don't want to work. because it was daisuke, not dark, who wanted to steal this treasure.

daisuke tells sekimoto to cover and cheat on roll call for him while running at an unstoppable speed, thinking of the snow queen 'who was supposed to be shining white and pure. called a cursed tiara, it is a light that was lost as it was passed from darkness to darkness.' he tells himself that if everyone knew what it really was, they wouldn't be able to help but love it, and remembers riku's smile and sympathy, positive it was directed towards 'her', the snow queen herself.

for the first time, daisuke was about to steal a work of art, feeling as if he was in love with it.

run while feeling excited. eventually, when he couldn't even see his own shadow, he stopped in a dark forest where even the moonlight couldn't penetrate. as if surrendering himself to the darkness, daisuke slowly closed his eyes. for a moment, he was enveloped in a strange sensation, as if he were suddenly flying up into the sky. the visions he had while he was roaming the night sky as the phantom thief dark come to life. and then, many memories that only the moon and stars know apart from daisuke and dark pass vividly before his eyes. the first time i saw riku from the top of the clock tower. being looked at by riku's straight gaze. the two of us huddled and danced. ...i kissed her. my heart pounded at that moment. this feeling will not only never fade, but only become even stronger. i can't do anything. a hot sensation overflows from the center of daisuke's body and fills every corner. the consciousness of the great movement was completely released from the vessel called the body. the sky goes on forever. countless sparkling stars shine as if they are surrounding you. you can ride the wind and fly anywhere! as far as 'her.' when he opened his eyes again, they were not gentle eyes that made him look timid, but strong and sharp.

daisuke transforms like so and dark heads off to the museum 'as if he were going to a party.' he flies out from the forest as sekimoto asks whether or not daisuke came by, riku recognizing dark in an instant. 'you can't mistake it even from a distance. that man with black wings and all black clothes has a nice face and figure, but he is a total pervert.' (girl that pervert is your BOYFRIEND!!!!) she almost puts one plus one together (dark leaving the forest that daisuke entered) but willfully ignores it with a muttered 'that's not true.'

at the museum, dark calls the story regarding the tiara stupid while standing right in front of it.

there was nothing here that could be called security. due to the curse, the academic value, artistic value, and value of this piece as a piece of jewelry, or as a work imbued with lost magic, was all erased. there are some families who sell cursed items, such as blood-sucking swords for money, but they do not how to handle items with magical powers and end up causing tragedy, often strengthening the curse. then it's out of anyone's hands as the items are thrown away or passed around from time to time, until they end up disappearing. they're only casually displayed here for the sake of their novelty, or because of their value as precious metals such as diamond and platinum. it's just a perfunctory decoration.

dark takes the crown and immediately starts acting creepily enamored enough with it (telling it not to worry, promising it'd become only more and more beautiful, kissing it like the hand of a lady,) that daisuke gets a chill- 'i've seen him seduce random women many times, but it never goes this far.' hiwatari shows up and also gets to be creepy, looking 'genuinely happy,' with a smile that was terrifying 'because it's finite. his eyes glare like a beast that's found its prey.' hiwatari apologizes for being late, cue the piano wires, which hiwatari himself is also wielding in an attempt to 'hunt and capture' dark. the prologue sequence would have occurred from here; hiwatari notices that dark behaves as if 'he had been shot,' and later retrieving the snow queen, inspects it - 'no matter how much it's protected from dark, if even a single piece were to fall, it would be a big deal.'

hiwatari mutters that the snow queen seemed to have protected herself by herself before telling saehara to handle the crown appropriately. saehara relents but also brings up the fact that he's positive dark will come after it again for the sake of his pride, and that they should be fully prepared to 'arrest that bastard.' wandering away, hiwatari moves over to the river in the valley, where daisuke lays unconscious, clutching wiz tightly to his chest. wiz wakes up and 'spreads its four short legs as best as it could, trying to protect daisuke,' to which hiwatari says not to worry.

hiwatari checks his pulse and breathing (it's steady) before lifting him out of the river and trying to bring him out of it. unfortunately, 'no matter how small daisuke is, hiwatari doesn't have a sturdy physique either,' and the slippery stones leave him staggering until he finally falls. wiz worries when hiwatari's face contorts with pain and his face turns pale, 'as if he had no blood in him.'

damn... at a time like this...! i tried to stand up, but i couldn't find the strength. 'kyuu, kyuu, kyuu!' wiz was running around the area not knowing what to do, but suddenly seemed to think of something and started running, bouncing up and down. hiwatari couldn't watch where it went to in the end. his vision is spinning dizzy. he exhales deeply, trying to calm his shallow and labored breathing. even that requires a lot of concentration and pain. as if he had given up, hiwatari sat down and leaned against a large stone, letting daisuke sit next to him. '...i don't have any time anymore...'

the two of them black out together (wow besties) as wiz brings back help.

2. in the meantime, daisuke starts to have a dream, waking to a cold sensation and a 'pure white world' he had never seen before, the same that dark in the prologue had witnessed. beginning with remembering his heartbreak over risa, he watches a number of memories pass him by, until he's met with a romantic scene of riku and dark together clinging to each other. daisuke can't believe it and succumbs to heartbreak, punctured suddenly by a sharp, freezing pain that prevents him from moving. a slender white hand reaches out from behind and covers his eyes as the snow queen says 'i feel sorry for you, but this is your future.'

a hand that protects daisuke from the falling needle-like white particles. her hands wrapped around daisuke from behind and gently hugged him. shining white, silver-like hair falls smoothly over daisuke's face. daisuke saw the woman's face for the first time. lonely eyes with light pigmentation. transparent white skin. her beautiful face was full of sadness, as if it would disappear at any moment but only her lips were red. 'come on, come here.' the white woman blew cold breath from her blood-red lips. daisuke's eyes slowly fell. ...yes, if you do that, you won't have to look at anything anymore. you won't have to feel bad anymore. perhaps the cold numbs the senses, and the pain begins to recede. it felt as if someone was calling daisuke, but daisuke's consciousness gradually lost its outline and melted into this white space. blending into the white mist, many figures that he hadn't seen before come into view. there are lovers walking together holding hands. men and women who pick fights, abuse each other, and are connected only through hatred. there are two people who appear to be a married couple who do not interact at all, just because they are in the same space. passing by one after another, there isn't a single familiar face among them. some people are foreigners and wearing old-fashioned clothing. a white space filled with sadness. the tears of many people are creating this ice. he protects me so i don't feel the same way. ........but i........ just as i was thinking that, i heard a voice again. 'dai-chan, you'll catch a cold if you sleep in a place like that!' shut up, shut up! dark doesn't just steal art and jewelry. don't forget he also steals time. daisuke is becoming increasingly dizzy, but a voice still speaks to him. 'daisuke...'

a deep voice like dark's. however, this voice spoke to me calmly and warmly... i haven't seen father in a while, and even when he does come back, we don't talk much compared to my mother and grandfather, who are always so lively, but i'll never forget the voices of my family. 'old things are filled not only with the feelings that went into making them, but also the memories of the people who spent time with them.' guided by this familiar voice, daisuke realized the identities of the people he had seen earlier. then, he tried to open his eyes again. 'don't go, daisuke!' ....that's right, i haven't said anything yet..... daisuke snapped his eyes open.

the snow queen jumps confused as to why daisuke won't completely freeze, and dark appears to say that it's because 'they're not normal.' he says that although he 'took the opportunity to invite a beautiful woman,' he has to let her go because she was a little too forceful - before angrily smashing the ice daisuke's in, freeing him. the two immediately squabble over daisuke's being hit (why did you hit me!!!!) (because i don't hit women.) before dark cuts the conversation- 'i don't care, it doesn't matter, we can get out of here.' as the world fades the snow queen stares at dark.

you were the one who said you would take me out of here... the woman was staring at dark. it's like daisuke was forgotten. 'yeah, but if you do something like this, i won't be able to ask you out on a date anymore.' although it was a light and playful tone, this is how dark clearly rejected the woman. it was the first time daisuke had seen him do that. however, the white woman didn't seem fazed at all. 'i'm sorry. i wonder why i made a mistake...' as the white world disappears as if melting into the air, the woman's white shadow-like figure also fades. 'goodbye, snow queen.' the red lips that were still clearly visible moved at dark's words. no. you will definitely come to me... definitely.

daisuke wakes up confused and wondering if everything was just a dream before remembering his failed heist. he freaks out worrying that saehara, in front of him, might have already seen him turn back from dark, if not taken the 'decisive scoop.' riku helps to take care of him as he's feverish, working through her own feelings of flustered relief. 'he disappeared silently, and when i found him, he was sleeping like he was dead... i worried about him a lot, and now he's healthy and eating well, it's really...!' slamming the door so hard that the whole building shakes, daisuke hugs his backpack, left behind. 'sorry, riku-san. if i hadn't failed the theft, i wouldn't have made you feel that way.' though, he's also still happy that riku cared so much for him. later once everyone starts going home, riku offers to help daisuke with his luggage, but daisuke declines, feeling that just the sensation of concern was enough to give him energy.

back at the entrance of the niwa household, it's already become the afternoon.

'....i wonder if i'll be able to go home safely.' now that i'm not feeling well, it'd be suicidal to enter my house carrying a large bag on my back. my mother always told me that not avoiding avoidable risks isn't courageous, it's recklessness. the less handicap you have, the better. daisuke dropped his baggage on the doorstep, then made up his mind and put his hand on the door. a faint clicking sound is heard. the trap m ust have activated at the same time. traps hidden throughout the house are baring their fangs and waiting for daisuke... with all of his nerves in place, daisuke took his first step. from there, he didn't have time to think about anything unnecessary, and with his well-honed reflexes, he hit traps one after another.

when he finally makes it to the living room safely, he panics backwards hearing something burst from behind the door. thinking it's explosives (and regarding the 'unconventional enthusiasm' of his mom) he's astonished until confetti lands on his head. turns out his mother and grandfather just wanted to welcome him home, but daisuke isn't in the mood- he still has to confess to committing his first theft without permission. 'i forgot to say it yesterday, but i made the mistake of issuing dark's notice and stealing the snow queen.'

daiki and emiko are stunned and have no idea why he's apologizing. in fact, the confetti and party poppers was because they were celebrating his very first personal heist. although daisuke has no clue how his family figured it out, it's impossible to put anything past his mother- she was listening in onto the police radio.

'we come from a family of thieves with a long history. we have many other tricks up our sleeves!' my mother laughed like a little girl. it's cute, as if she was talking about gardening or lace knitting. also, the lack of discomfort is frightening. so, if you don't need me to tell you anymore..... daisuke hung his head. it seemed that he still had some moral issues to overcome.

daiki is about to lecture daisuke in regards to his failure over preparation- 'no matter how lax the security or whether or not there's no security equipment, you can't let your guard down,' but emiko cuts him off and daisuke heads off to take a bath. daisuke asks about his dad, thinking about how the words of his mother and father had saved him from his dream's ice and its 'overwhelming sadness,' to which emiko brings him a second scoop of rice. 'dai-chan is lonely, isn't he? but papa.. koji-san is doing his best for me and dai-chan. so let's be patient.'

later after dinner daisuke attempts to speak with dark, but something's wrong. chalking dark's sudden depressed silence and intense mood shift to him sulking over the botched heist or jealousy over riku, he starts talking about his feelings and how he didn't know someone could be willing to work so hard for the person they loved. 'i would do anything to see her smile.' while expressing a desire to become stronger, wishing he could be as relaxed as dark, dark finally answers- apologizing, saying it was bad and own his fault.

dark apologized to me!! it was a surprise, as if heaven and earth had turned upside down. that dark....?!?! i wonder if the shock of failure was too great. daisuke suddenly felt a smile on his face as dark felt so close to him. he thought of teasing him, but when he saw dark's figure on the other side of the window reflecting the pitch-black night, daisuke was shocked and speechless. his chest tightened. dark's eyes looked at him from between his long hair. the image of a young man daisuke didn't know, who is filled with sadness and who seems like he might disappear at any moment. he's very confident and youthful , and doesn't care about other people's opinions, and he's the kind of guy who laughs and looks down on daisuke at the checkpoint while he's desperately struggling... his confidence is just right. it's so unwavering. at that time, when i decided to steal the snow queen, i might not have been able to issue the notice without dark's words. dark is like that. he must have always been one step ahead of daisuke, laughing. this can't be dark...! daisuke thought he was just like himself when he lost confidence and was worrying. he shook his head and the man disappeared. reflected in the window is an unreliable boy. but i can't remain unreliable forever. daisuke speaks flatly. 'after all, phantom thief dark has to do what the notice says.' ---daisuke.....? dark asked curiously. 'the legendary phantom thief dark failed to steal a small artwork from a place like that with no security equipment and almost no security guards. hiwatari-kun was the only one who stopped him. ---you're starting to say that, too. dark took a breath in surrender. 'that's why,' daisuke said especially brightly, 'i'm going to steal the snow queen.' ---the snow queen? it's probably impossible. a quiet voice. hearing that resigned sound, daisuke was once again struck by a sense of discomfort. the word 'impossible' never came out of dark's mouth, other than when he was teasing and bullying daisuke. even though it was indeed, as a result of dark's aim, the value of the snow queen had been reaffirmed, and her existence has been widely acknowledged by the world. it would no doubt be moved to a larger, better-equipped art gallery or museum, and this time it would be placed on strict alert, with hiwatari and saehara's father at the lead. nevertheless, 'dark and i will definitely be able to steal the snow queen this time.' dark answered daisuke's confident words as if he had no choice. ---then, give it a try. daisuke thought that he had finally returned to being the usual dark. it was strange to him how relieved he felt at that. this is how it is. i'm sure if the theft is successful, dark will be back to normal.

daisuke then immediately Yells trying to hype himself and dark up, and his eavesdropping mother and grandpa spill into the room to let daisuke happily know that they've already researched the destination, prepped a note, while daisuke gets left behind in the storm of it all, even wiz having fun at his feet.

the most daisuke could do was curse dark in his mind. ...you fooled me by pretending to be depressed!! ---what are you talking about? there's no way i'm going to fool you. dark answered quietly, but daisuke thought it was just pretend. 'that's a lie, you coward!' dark's voice was drowned out by daisuke's frustrated scream as he fluffed his pillow on the bed. ---i always say, i'm just another you. i've never lied to you. that's why... can you do it alone? those words didn't reach daisuke. they were such a small whisper. where is dark? his voice was low, as if he had traveled far away. daisuke was caught up in the commotion of his mother and grandfather, and was unaware of it. no, he'd already overlooked a number of discomforts. he still didn't understand the meaning of dark's change. daisuke didn't notice the white light that was creeping up close to him, trying to swallow up the shadows.

daisuke dreams of the snow queen's white space again, only this time dark is absolutely gotdamn Zonked out of his Mind. his eyes are described as empty and lifeless, yet he still kisses her hand and she's satisfied with his obedience, his shape 'swallowed up by the white light' of the distinct contrast between them. the queen promises him that he'd 'get one during the day' and that she'd 'get rid of any intruders right away' in an 'extremely gentle but endlessly cold voice.' daisuke awakes with a freezing cold pain in his chest.

3.

it was the morning after the barbecue tournament ended.

the school's girls are huddling around photos from events and festivals, along with 'rows of photos of saehara's masterpieces,' not only taken for the shared class (2B) but from 'around the entire school as much as possible.' students are allowed to purchase photographs not just for themselves but for a glimpse of anyone they might like, but riku's already decided she has nothing to do with the excitement and remains in her seat until saehara shows up to pester her about number 45: a photograph of herself and daisuke happily sharing their moment with the camp rice.

daisuke and hiwatari eat their lunches together and likewise aren't privy to any of the conversation, nor is riku eager to purchase the photography still convinced that daisuke liked risa rather than herself at all. meanwhile, risa's mind is focused on her own relationship with dark: 'in love and yearning for him, she chases after him... even when she tries to hit him with her body, dark easily dodges. he never rejects her, but he never gives her the words she really wants.' she's depressed that she doesn't know him despite every effort and attempt to get closer, but he doesn't respond; how nice it would have been if i could have loved someone who loved me...

in the midst of this, risa notices riku putting a purchase mark on the photo numbered 45.

away from the girls' commotion, hiwatari and daisuke have their own talk. he thanks hiwatari for 'yesterday' and is relieved when the boy's expression is the same as always - 'whether dark fails or succeeds in his theft is irrelevant at school.' saehara bounds up with the photography of daisuke himself and riku, saying that daisuke's grown - after being dumped by risa he was always depressed and absent-minded, but recently he had become more lively, and the photo was proof of that. 'riku, who always looked angry, and daisuke, who always looked troubled, were together, having a lot of fun and laughing.' however, something's changed - daisuke has no reaction to the photography, to the extent that the sort of poker face and apparent confusion at the photograph of himself and riku should be impossible for someone like him.

hiwatari asks to make sure if daisuke is okay, and daisuke only looks confusedly back. taking his leave, saehara's left to talk about dark's failed heist, to which daisuke adds inside of his mind that he'd properly steal the snow queen this time. afterwards, hiwatari has returned to the snow queen. after being carefully polished and allowed to regain its shine, it was now befitting of its original name, 'snow tiara.' 'however, it seemed to hiwatari that he was unable to remove the ominousness and sadness that were ingrained somewhere.'

he had been collecting data on the snow queen since his lunch break. in conclusion, the curse of the snow queen was real. however, the method to break the curse is based on the origin. he couldn't figure out how it was turned into a curse. this isn't his job. it's not even a role assigned to him. but hiwatari had something on his mind. what happened to that small piece that was dropped into dark? what's the reason for daisuke's change that most of his friends don't notice? there was only one answer. 'did you put a curse on dark....?'

hiwatari, touching the snow queen, also ends up in her world- figures he recognizes flash him by. daisuke, riku, risa, then classmates, then elmroot/his 'father in law', and the 'vague silhouette of a woman. she's young and beautiful... even though i've never met her, that look in her eyes is somehow nostalgic... who is she?' (AUGH RIO CAMEO!!!!!!)

hiwatari merely observes these figures. 'those associated with 'ice hunting' (the hikari) told him about his fate,' and he looks over everything with no change in his expression.

'is it fun to dig up other people's memories?' hiwatari declared, sharp enough to cut through the ice that made up this world. 'unfortunately i don't have the scars you would inflict.' as if they had been cut by those words, the people around him slowly broke their outlines and turned to him. the appearance changed to hiwatari himself since childhood. even in the house where he was born and raised, even after he was adopted by the hiwatari family, he spent most of his time alone. that life is repeated before his eyes. then, my father-in-law told me this with a stern look on his face. 'i didn't adopt you just to play tag with you.' '...that's stupid.' hiwatari slowly turned around, took off his glasses, and peered into the white shadow. he had been aware of the shadow that had been hovering behind him for some time, watching his reaction. 'i have never felt sorry for my circumstances or my fate.' there are many cross-sections to things. it could be good or bad depending on how you think about it, but those who are showing this illusion only brought out information that can be manipulated to their advantage, and only memories that have a great impact on their minds. that's what hiwatari thought. 'it's pointless.' the young hiwatari's form once again becomes like a white mist, wavering as he tries to find another form. 'what i'm afraid of losing... i can't find.' hiwatari spoke calmly. capturing dark and ending the clan's eternal battle. other things to worry about, there's nothing like that.

(HIWATARI AUGH!!! OOGH!!! WAUGHHH.) the snow queen finally appears before hiwatari, and behind her is dark's figure trapped in ice. when he asks if she's the snow queen and if she wants to get dark, she only laughs before saying 'all that's left to do is to get rid of the nuisance. that child's heart will soon freeze. that he'll be mine. ' hiwatari also laughs saying 'i see. but will it be that easy? it's a self-deprecating laugh, as he's let dark escape many times at the last minute.' the snow queen says that she will, this time, and with her voice turning into a sad blizzard, hiwatari's ejected from the snow queen's world. he contemplates the nature of loss and hesitation, 'if there's something you don't want to lose, if you still don't hesitate, isn't that what true strength is?' before the image of a 'red haired boy who's always timidly smiling' comes to his mind. what did he see in that white world, and how did he escape? deciding there must be a hint to the snow queen's desire for dark and daisuke's own heart getting in the way, he checks his data again until the moonlight filling the museum is blocked- a black shadow flies across the sk, and hiwatari mutters to dark not to forget that he's the one who's going to catch him.

the next morning, daisuke's staring blankly at the sky. 'even though that aspect hasn't changed at all from before, it felt like something was different from usual.' he murmurs a search for a certain word, while riku grows uncomfortable at his sudden loss of personality and increasingly blunt and apathetic attitude towards her. as friction builds between the two, daisuke returns to the same mirror from LN1 that he had once transformed into dark in front of. previously, it had been the face of someone with impressive, strong eyes and a fearless smile- 'dark....' but now, there was only a boy with lonely eyes. with a gaping hole in his chest, daisuke searches for dark's familiar figure to no avail. 'even if i call out to him, that disgustingly full-bodied voice no longer answers.' ever since he had returned from the campsite and right after he vowed to steal the snow queen again, dark's voice had gone silent.

hiwatari appears and asks what exactly happened during the last night. filled with doubts and his own loss of dark, daisuke blaisely responds 'nothing really,' to which hiwatari easily backs down. when his friends burst in and daisuke seems to return to being the same as always, his smile disappears as soon as he sees riku, and hiwatari understands why nobody has seemed to notice anything - it's only his attitude towards riku that had changed.

at the harada household, riku and risa start to discuss their troubles. riku expresses her troubles and confusion over the way daisuke's been acting and refusing to smile around her, despite everything that happened during their camping trip. as the older sister, riku's always been strong, bright and reliable, but this time, it's her who bursts into tears and accepts comfort from risa, who has her own conflicted feelings over seeing riku and daisuke happy together despite riku's attempts and kindness and consideration for her- above all, 'riku was the first to get what she wanted and couldn't get.'

are you okay?

[...]he doesn't even look at me anymore. at the campsite, daisuke looked at riku with kind eyes. a warm smile, different from his usual gentle and timid smile. with a sweet voice when calling out riku's name, the hand held out to her hadn't been unreliable at all --- it looked a little like the person risa liked.

risa wonders why she's the one working so hard to try to meet and catch up with dark- dressing herself up as eye candy, sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night to aimlessly search, and even sending out fake notices, having seen risa and daisuke surrounded by such a happy light, she had been starting to feel jealous especially after swearing that she would get a better boyfriend before riku - but why was there a need to do that? although risa was normally the one talking and grumbling and riku's role was to comfort her, things were now switched. risa was already used to being pampered, while riku was just like before, but she wasn't uncomfortable in the opposite position. after crying a lot, riku starts to feel better, considering the fact that maybe her true self, the one that loved daisuke, was just finally emerging- and that herself and risa, despite having nothing in common with her and everything in common with her, both had each other in the world.

at the niwa household, daisuke's come back home like an empty shell. he has no appetite at all to the extent that even emiko questions whether he's in a rebellious phase, until she finally convinces him to sit down to eat. his grandfather lectures to not hurt people and to never let the police take care of him - as a member of the niwa family, it was unacceptable. while daisuke absentmindedly picks at a side dish, his mother encourages him for becoming more enthusiastic, but warns him to take care and not catch sick. daisuke, confused, answers honestly that he hasn't been transforming or going anywhere- only for his mother and grandfather to retort 'a liar is the begining of a thief!'

after realizing that with every dream dark could have taken over his body and talked to the snow queen at night, he rushes to his room to find a message left behind by dark in shaky letters: 'find a certain word! it's important!' with the family's notice stating the snow queen's theft scheduled for 10pm tomorrow, and despite the snow queen's own stealthy theft of dark and daisuke's hearts, daisuke regains his confidence to thieve the crown. there was only one thing left for him to do: enter the snow queen's world and reclaim dark. patting wiz, he asks the rabbit to listen to him, and not dark, for the sake of saving dark.

the next time daisuke comes to, he's back in the snow queen's world.

dark was trapped in the ice. his eyes were looking kindly at the white woman standing in front of him. white skin, white clothes, and silver looking hair. her eyes are pale in color, an donly her lips are clearly red. her lips opened with satifsaction. 'soon, his heart will be frozen and it will all be yours.'

although dark smiles, it's a soft, empty smile that 'doesn't look like dark's.' the back of one of his eyes is shining coldly, and daisuke wonders why he hadn't realized it until now that ever since the piece of the snow queen fell into his eye, dark had been influenced by her little by little. cursing his own carelessness and rushing towards him, he remembers how he had been the first to be grabbed by the snow queen, and was able to escape thanks to dark shattering the ice before he froze. shocked and frightened to see him, the snow queen asks why daisuke's here before he responds that he's here to get dark back. however, unlike dark, who was able to shatter the ice in one blow, daisuke's unable to make a single dent, the ice's surface like diamond.

even though dark crushed it in one blow that time, did this mean daisuke was still weaker? feelilng frustrated, daisuke continued to pound away at the ice. seeing this, the woman in white seemed to have regained her composure and solemly told daisuke: 'there's no use in trying to break it. after all, your heart is starting to freeze, too.' when he raised his hand, a piece of ice abut the size of his fist appeared. daisuke gasped, clearly feeling there was something very important there. ' is that... my heart?' 'yes. if you freeze completely, your heart will be trapped inside this ice. ' she laughed as she fondly stroked the ice. ' then, that body becomes an empty shell.' daisuke trembled as a white finger pointed at his chest. 'he says he wants to be the same person as you. he wants to replace you, right? that's why i'll sow that wish.' ' something like that --- ' i tried to argue, but my words wouldn't last. it's true that dark told him to become one with him, and there was a time where daisuke wondered if he would be taken over by dark. but now... we share one body, experience the same feelings, and get along even if we fight. in general, it's too un-dark-like to rely on other people's help to do something. 'dark doesn't want that!' daisuke said flatly. then, he called out to dark inside of the ice. 'that's right, dark! even though you're a phantom thief, what would you do if you were stolen?' there was no reaction. his blank eyes only stared at the white woman. 'i bet he's flying around freely in your body now .' a triumphant smile spreads across the white woman's face. daisuke had gone beyond anger and became sad. 'why are you doing this...? 'because i don't have what i want here.'

when numerous white figures appear, daisuke wonders if they were all stolen and locked hearts of other people. pained by the sorrowful memories, daisuke tells himself that the curse must be broken as soon as possible before staring straight at the snow queen herself.

i will definitely break the curse.

despite the quiet of his words, the queen retreats somewhat, pushed back by his determination. although she tells him it's already too late and that his heart would be completely frozen by tomorrow night, daisuke calls for wiz to wake up dark, against the snow queen's own begging scream not to take him. outside of the snow queen's world in an instant, daisuke realizes he's falling- until he shouts for dark, who immediately transforms their body and saves them from a nasty crash. 'although it's only been two days, dark's voice sounds incredibly nostalgic.' daisuke asks if dark is back to normal, but dark can only decline in pain, daisuke sensing that his heart was fighting against some invisible force. unless the snow queen's curse was broken, dark's consciousness would only be dragged back inwards, and it would be impossible to escape her world.

'find a certain word!' dark choked out. 'that's the name of something important in your heart that was taken away by that woman. and in order to break the curse... that woman's true wish...' that was all. 'dark!!' it was daisuke who shouted in dark's voice. dark's consciousness was once again drawn back to the white world. daisuke was left alone.

returning to his room, daisuke considers the moon and its resemblance to the snow queen back when it was in a corner of the old museum, 'looking dull and lacking in confidence.' he considers that perhaps because of her unfortunate reputation, a strong magical power was nevertheless hidden within her- but dark's hints aren't enough for daisuke to figure out on his own. he considers that the first thing the snow queen showed were his memories, then the future he was afraid of, the air filled with memories of the snow queen. at the time daisuke felt as if he understood something, and that's why he had been able to escape, but now he didn't know anymore. contemplating the different parties he could go to and ask for help, he ends his thoughts on the way that dark was the only one he could ever freely speak to, though it's not as if he always wanted to talk- it just couldn't be helped when they could read each other's thoughts.

daisuke thought of his other self, the one who was always smiling freely. 'tomorrow, i'll be dark. i'll try my best, even if i'm alone.'

picking up wiz and looking him in the eye, daisuke asks for wiz's help once more.

4. saga's eating kitsune udon and calls for funabashi as the news goes crazy for dark as usual. at the niwa's household, emiko finishes laundering dark's outfit, blushing at the thought of how her transformed son's appearance somehow resembled her husband when he was young. asking wiz to take good care of daisuke, she contemplates how this is all that she can do for her son- even if a girl is born into the niwa family, she can't be dark, so she doesn't understand how difficult a heist is. but that's why she's been training daisuke so strictly so that he'd be okay no matter what happens; as a mother, she can't help but feel worried when she thinks of the harsh ordeals put onto a child that's only fourteen.

although daisuke hadn't been feeling well recently, and emiko had no clue what he's been thinking, since he didn't want to talk about it and has been trying to figure it out on his own, the only thing left for emiko to do was to believe in her child; nothing more than that. kosuke also arrives home, caught in one of the family house's traps and looking very troubled over it. although emiko mistakes him for daisuke at first and addresses him sternly at first, her face soon turns into a smile- 'the friendly, or rather timid, smile looking up at her from inside the pit looked a lot like daisuke's!' emiko jumps down to greet kosuke without hesitation, and they hug before daiki somewhat awkwardly tosses down a rope.

at school, riku's eyes follow daisuke everywhere until they finally begin to have a conversation. daisuke expresses his current struggle, while riku apologizes for getting angry, confessing to how happy she was that daisuke had woken up after falling into the river.

'"because i thought niwa-kun was going to disappear like this..." i didn't even say that..' haven't said anything yet. these words pierced daisuke's heart. i know. the meaning... the feeling. the pain in my chest increased, throbbing, like it was being torn apart. daisuke's frozen heart seemed to be screaming.

the two look at each other and both realize they share something in common with each other: at that time, i couldn't put it into words. it was a certain feeling. while daisuke's about to learn it, riku misunderrstands his stunned expression and apologizes, running out of the classroom before daisuke calls out to her. it's no use, despite wanting to chase after her, he's stopped by a pain in his chest. something was wrong, and he wonders just what the snow queen stole- he didn't understand anything. could he really steal the snow queen all by himself? could he break the curse? could he bring back dark? overcome with dizziness, he puts his hands on his desk, causing a sketchbook to fall out to a certain page. on it is a certain painting that he had been working on ever since he had returned from the camping trip full of excitement, though he had lost track of the motive by now.

a girl standing by a white window looking at a maple tree. a white curtain flutters behind her like a veil. the part of the beautiful transparent white curtain that was gently blowing in the wind was now just plain white. pure white. a flat surface with no depth or anything. it reminded daisuke of that pure white world. a space that stretches on without limit, yet is empty and filled with sadess. it's so bright that it's blinding, but what exactly is that emptiness? ' it's a shadow.' suddenly, the shadow of the person who said that fell over the sketchbook. it was hiwatari. he was silently staring at daisuke's half-finished picture.

hiwatari explains that the shape of things can become clearer by adding shadows, setting an example by drawing a beautiful perfect circle that becomes a sphere with a shadow inside it, or a hole with a shadow behind it.

'if there's no shadow, it's as if nothing... no one exists.' daisuke silently watched as hiwatari declared this.

'for example, people recognize their existence through their relationships with others.' daisuke felt as if he were being told about his current self. he teased me, made fun of me, provoked me... i twas inspired by dark and finally realized my true feelings. i've taken action. not only about the work of a phantom thief, but also love... daisuke let out a deep sigh, wondering if he could do anything by himself. he once wondered if hiwatari was always alone in the classroom and lonely, but he felt like that might have just been his own conceit. hiwatari can stand firm even by himself. seeing daisuke's depressed face, hiwatari added: 'however, it is also self-evident that if there is a main body, a shadow will natrally appear.' 'um ...' daisuke scratched his head, not understanding what it meant. 'if there is a guidepost, even one person won't get lost.'

daisuke muses over how talkative hiwatari is before hiwatari chuckles to himself that his guideposts are always within him, and as an example, he's always thinking about a certain person. with this, daisuke finally understands - hiwatari was encouraging him and telling him that if he stayed strong, he'd be able to get dark back. saehara bursts in to shout that the curse is real, giving daisuke an epiphany that saehara promptly continues to talk over.

first of all, she seems to be the lover of the guy who created the snow queen. well, the story about the bride mysteriously disappearing seems to be a made-up story, but even though the crown was made for her, she got married to someone else, and the guy who made it for her right after that died of heartbreak. it's like that.

saehara makes a pun that nobody laughs at then leaves as fast as he had arrived after daisuke sarcastically sends him off. hiwatari extends the favor of correcting errors in the information : the creator knew his days were numbered. at the niwa household, everyone cheers over kosuke's return, and dinner is even more lively than usual. apparently, kosuke got held up an extra day from his expected arrival because a drug dog had started barking at his backpack, and security/customs had suspected him of being a smuggler because of the art inside. he managed to get by saying that he was a researcher, and explained that what he was carrying was a cursed item, like a hope diamond.

the hope diamond is a legendary gemstone said to bring a series of misfortune to its owner. from the moment it was discovered, blood was shed by those who tried to obtain it. although it was originally just a stone, it was exposed to the distorted minds of humans possessed by desire, and as a result it acquired magical powers. [...] this is one of those things, so what happens when it's exposed to negative feelings for a long time?

daisuke's mother is impressed by kosuke's intelligence, while daisuke questions whether or not it would be dangerous to keep it in the house. in a low, friendly and kindly voice, kosuke replies that yes, it might be dangerous, but he couldn't just leave it alone. both his father's voice and words cause him to remember the way he had been saved from the snow queen. likewise, 'no one knows how to break the curse, as the technique of applying magic itself has been lost for a long time, but there has to be a way.' the answer had to be hidden in the snow queen's memory. daisuke, coming to his conclusions, shakes his head at the rest of his worried family and firmly says that everything was okay now - the mystery only lied within himself. kosuke remarks that even though he hasnt seen daisuke in a while, he felt he could rely on him, while daiki and emiko send daisuke off to his heist.

at the museum, a massive crowd has gathered thanks to saga, and the museum's on high alert. the police have mobilized more personnel than ever to try to protect their prestige; there are helicopters, relay vans, cameras, and an incomparable crowd of people compared to before. however, according to hiwatari's instructions, hiwatari and the snow queen are left by themselves. he states that 'it's time to get dark back,' because dark is his own prey, while, even a far distance away from the museum daisuke can sense the severity of its security, and can't help but feel a little nervous going alone. it's different from before; dark wouldn't be stealing it, it's not like dark can help, when in order to help dark, daisuke wold be the one stealing it. although he still hadn't figured out the snow queen's word and answer, riku shows up at the very last instant to tell him that she's been looking for him in order to say that she's figured out the answer: the one word the snow queen wanted to find was 'eternity.'

riku, turning teary-eyed, considers the way that there had been times she wished she had just stopped, and yet:

'they may hate you, you may be a nuisance, but you still love them. "i want to do something.' that thought alone is what drove me this far.

riku blushes and adds that she wants to be with the person that she likes(loves), which causes something hot to well up in daisuke's chest and remind him that he found something important to him. after thanking her, riku feels that a light had been shined on him, and that he had 'returned to the daisuke he was before.'

5.

the bells of the clock tower ring as if announcing the arrival of an angel. a solemn and powerful sound descends over the noise surrounding the museum.

daisuke, with dark's body/appearance and alongside wiz, flies in and starts his solo heist. although the crowd cheers, they can't hear him quietly whisper to himself that's he's on his way for dark. inside, inspector saehara curses dark as he helplessly watches all of his prevention measures fail one by one.

the trajectory showed that dark was headed straight for the snow queen. it's always like that. no matter how much manpower or cutting-edge equipment you put in front of dark, it's as if it's completely meaningless, easily and freely invaded. moreover, tonight in a different sense, dark was getting on inspector saehara's nerves. normally, just before a monitor scereen cuts out, dark would purposefully show his face, wink and show off. but dark didn't do that tonight. 'as expected, you're being serious...' dark was seriously challenging the snow queen that he once failed to steal. in other words, up until now, dark had been playing around with the police just for fun.

daisuke (henceforth interchangeably [and adorably to me tbh] referred to as "dark---- daisuke," or "daisuke---dark,")makes it to the snow queen's room and hiwatari reveals himself, with a voice full of 'indifference and sadness' when he agrees with daisuke's sentiment to 'not mess with' the snow queen. instead of answering to anything, 'dark' only smiles, full of confidence, before grabbing the artwork and smashing through the window. 'dark's' look invites hiwatari to a chase, to which hiwatari calls interesting- attempting to make a path for himself, (cause... he can't parkour on the roof like the thieves,) he's stopped by wiz!dark, who grabs him and says clearly: your opponent is me. as 'dark' makes off with the crown, daisuke quietly mutters to himself asking/hoping that wiz is alright.

daisuke gets brought into the snow queen's world again. 'i found it, the name of the important thing you stole from me, and your true wish.' the snow queen is willing to give him the opportunity to tell her what word she was looking for, thinking it's a bluff.

'then let me hear it.' 'you are, after all, the heart that existed in the snow queen. you were born with the thoughts of someone who worked hard to make a tiara to give to someone they love.' although it wasn't a direct answer, 'certain words' were clearly included in it. the white woman let out a sigh, as if she had given up. daisuke found the 'key,' and just listened. 'that's right... that's why i loved him as much as that woman... for the first time, she twisted her face in pain. sadness and hatred mixed together! her eyes flicker. 'but that wman changed her mind. and then he... died of sorrow...' 'no, that's not it!' daisuke took a step towards the white woman. 'he knew he didn't have long to live. that's why he prayed for the happiness of the person that he loved.' the lady didn't say anything. behind her, the ice that was encasing dark cracked. 'i entrusted my heart to you so that we could always be together...' daisuke felt as if he had come in contact with the true feelings of the snow queen. she was both the heart of the person who created it, and the alter ego of the woman who received it. however, suddenly, a violent blizzard breaks out, and daisuke's unable to speak any further. just standing is the best he can do. 'that's it! i won't forgive you!!' the white woman is ravaged by hatred for a person who is no longer with her. no... daisuke knew that feeling. i can't believe that i've changed my mind, i can't forgive myself, and i feel like i'm blaming myself... 'but if you can change, good things will happen.' daisuke's words were bounced off by the blizzard and don't reach her. i've noticed something because i've had a love that didn't work out. i realized something for hte first time when i fell in love with someone different. the feeling of being in love will remain in my memory forever, and the many kinds of 'likes' i've had with various people always surrounds me. i came in contact with many people, got hurt a lot, and through those wounds, i was able to see a little bit of my own truths. yeah, i feel like that. light flooded from the center of the raging white storm, and daisuke reflexively closed his eyes.

when daisuke opens his eyes again he's standing inside dark, who thanks him before getting flashbanged and struck by something that feels like an electrical current, causing him to drop the snow queen. daisuke asks what the heck he's doing and dark tells him to shut up, it just meansthe curse hasn't been lifted yet. the snow queen rolls all the way into the forest, where riku picks it up. when she looks back in the direction it came from, dark/daisuke's heart starts to pound, and dark starts turning back into daisuke. they run away before riku can see, though riku later brings the crown to daisuke. as they touch it, the snow queen's cries can also be heard from the inside: i thought i finally got it, so why?

cut to wiz!dark and hiwatari. wiz repeats his poor 'your opponent is me' line at a sighing hiwatari who tells him that he 'already understands that.' contrary to dark's usual confident look, wiz is desperately trying to pass by until he turns back into his rabbit form and runs off. hiwatari stays where he is before saying: 'finally... you got caught?' and ruminates over his research: the curse wasn't just a rumor, and the snow queen really had been involved in the lives of many couples that were all captured by the snow queen; he didn't want to catch dark/daisuke like this.

in the night sky, the figure of the man his family had been chasing appearned. and my petite classmate's face... appeared then disappeared.

within the snow queen's world riku desperately searches for daisuke. she stuffs her hands into her pockets and pulls out a black feather she had taken from far earlier, and follows its guidance to the snow queen herself, daisuke lying on the ground beside her.

'do you believe in him? i see fear, hope... hesitation.' huh?!? why are you saying something so crazy at a time like this?! even though riku vented her anger, there was no change in the woman's white face. 'i'll show you his true form.' as the woman spoke, a crackling sound was heard and a wall of ice formed to cover daisuke's body. 'wait, what are you doing?!' riku, who shook off the woman's hand and ran towards daisuke, gasped. '....what?!' inside the wall of ice, daisuke's appearance changed. that man riku was afraid of--- dark. 'niwa-kun...!! is it really niwa-kun?! ' riku looked down at the block of ice in which dark was trapped. she wasn't sure why, but she definitely felt like daisuke was within it. this is a bad dream, riku said to herself. the witch is showing me a bad dream. even though it's just a dream, my heart still feels like it's going to burst.

riku expresses her frustrations and confusions as she bangs on the ice; just when she thought he was kind, he'd suddenly pull away, and she didn't know what he thought of her, the next moment she was happy they could talk a lot, he'd get carried away and say something harsh. she doesn't understand it well herself, and she doesn't care if people hate her, and daisuke only had a cold and scary expression on his face but that was it.

even if this was his true form. there are words i haven't said yet. 'i... i haven't told you properly yet. even though i told you to wait...' a single tear fell from riku. drip, drip. daisuke felt his heart tremble. he could see riku crying. beyond the wall, where he couldn't reach even if he extended his hand.

incapable of breaking the queen's ice, daisuke can't move. hiwatari's and his father's words flash in his mind, however: if there are guideposts, nobody will get lost. in this world, magic is something created by the human heart, so it can be definitely broken. he shouts for riku not to cry and desperately confesses that he loves her, the ice surrounding him dissolving and his frozen heart in the snow queen's hand thawing and vanishing, the snow queen with it. niwa and riku hug, only daisuke realizes she's nestled into his arms in a way that's 'extremely comfortable to hold,' leading to his surprise over still having dark's body. riku, not caring, clings to him (dark!) and cries--- and wasn't this one of the first scenes the snow queen had showed him?

'it looks like an evil witch had cast a spell on me.' 'magic....? but, no matter what happens to niwa-kun, i'll still love him.'

this triggers daisuke's genes and he transforms back into himself.

'riku-san... it seems like the spell has been broken thanks to you.'

they laugh a little and daisuke gratefully thanks her- thanks to her, he was able to get back something important; both his and dark's heart, who love riku.

from a distance, dark and the snow queen chat: dark asks if she really wanted daisuke as if he's known the answer all along, because the snow queen was reacting to the feelings of thinking directly about one person in search of her creator, who was no longer there. her feelings went out of control because she understood the feelings of her creator than anyone else, and dark remarks that there might have been a misunderstanding somewhere --- but he has no idea what else she might be feeling, and that's it scary, to which she bows her head. he adds on that it might not be bad to be that single-minded sometimes and laughs - not in a condescending way, but cheerfully.

dark tells her to close her eyes and embraces her, who likewise embraces him back. when she tries to apologize, he tells her that at times like these, a word of thanks from a good girl is enough before smiling gently at her- 'for the first time.'

she realized that there was no one else who could make her wishes come true. however, the wishes of her loved ones... how long will her heart continue to live, wishing for the happiness of her loved ones? she undestood. '...thank you.'

outside the snow queen's world, snow begins to fall and hiwatari smiles at it while risa angrily asks if she thinks that everyone believes it's impossible to catch dark - which earns her a round of laughter from her friends. hiwatari is the only one to agree with her, while daisuke and riku are transported back into the forest. riku says that she had a weird dream to a passive daisuke. she talks about the snow queen and how she thought it was cute, but in her dream, the snow queen was relieved of her sadness and smiling - so she's kind of happy too. everythig was for the sake of a smile; daisuke smiles, and riku wonders just how everything could have been a dream- ever since daisuke seemed cold, or all the way since the first time she had seen him instead of dark? either's fine, she thinks to herself. 'daisuke's right here next to and makes me laugh.'

riku musters up her courage 'for the umpteenth time': 'maybe.. we had the same dream? it would be nice if...' she blushes and looks away, which is enough to get daisuke's heart beating. he wants to avoid turning into dark in a situation like this and so he looks for a distraction - finding one in the snow falling onto riku's head like an angel's halo; a small white tiara.

daisuke called out the snow queen by her real name. then he remembered something important. i have to tell you this properly --- this is all i want to say... so dark, don't come out yet. praying so, daisuke suppressed his pounding heart and opened his mouth. 'riku-san, maybe i heard it in a dream, but...' daisuke whispered into her ear, and the only others that could hear him was the falling snow.

epilogue.

saehara bursts out of nowhere and interrupts riku and daisuke's cute moment, telling them to get lost and that he's waiting for dark. daisuke hesitates because he can't decide what's less embarassing to say to riku, despite the way that the only way he feels he can express himself is by calling her precious to him. saga and funabashi chat over a recording of dark's(daisuke's) heist and descent: although the image isn't clear, the sense of presence is undeniable.

'it's like the best jewel that can't be damaged no matter what. i wonder what it is...' 'isn't it worth polishing?' 'even something as simple as that is enough. saga tried to come up with the right words. the more you hurt him, the more he'll gain ground. i want someone with that kind of strength.'

daisuke, on the roof of his house, continues to look up at the moon, recognizing hiwatari's words regarding shaddows as correct. dark butts in to ask what daisuke was secretly doing with riku, to which daisuke says it's none of his business. dark says that he came back because daisuke 'cried and begged' him to be with him, to which daisuke shouts that he didn't say any of that. although it was his chance to get rid of dark, he didn't think of it. dark, meanwhile, was only laughing at daisuke's reaction, enjoying watching the boy scratch his head until daisuke also bursts into laughter.

in the back of his mind, daisuke felt strangely nostalgic about interactions like this. the feeling of despair he felt when he was alone looking up a the moon suddenly comes back to him. then, when he landed on the roof of the museum alone, he was uneasy. when he thought of riku waiting for him to come back, he felt a surge a courage. when he came to pick up dark, he felt scared. he won't tell dark because it's frustrating, but dark understands. if you have someone you love, then you won't be alone - that's what daisuke thinks as he looks up at the moon.

inside daisuke's room, emiko pulls kosuke along to show him a picture from daisuke's sketchbook.

there was a girl there. 'this is daisuke's favorite girl. her name is riku harada.' white lace curtains flow like a veil, bright enough to withstand the red wind. the profile of a girl with a simple smile. the girl's head was adorned with a tiara that emmited a pure white shine. her smile seemed to cast light in the dimly lit room.

[kirby-dalziel]

May I know some of your foul legacy headcannons? Cool art btw I always love seeing a more body horror spin on the idea

Wow oops I have no idea when I got this ask I’m sorry ;; finishing chapter one kind of Ate my brain

Thank u much I do love monstery foul legacy a lot a lot

Uhhhhhh headcanons. Idk what all I’ve posted about before and this is in no particular order or along any particular line of thought. Keep in mind I’ve constructed a LOT of world building behind the scenes lmao

* Nesting. Started out feeling weird about doing it, one of the first things he felt unable to control himself doing. came to accept it and embrace it, friends would gift pillows and blankets to add

*tongue(s) are deceptively long and coil in a pouch just underneath his chin when not fully extended. Rubbing the pouch feels good and nice and he’ll stick his tongue out slowly until it’s like, totally hanging outside the side of his face and he sneezes a bunch

* scared by loud noises. Partially innate fight or flight instinct, partially trauma from being struck by lightning when he was lost in the liyue woods not long after permanently transforming

* Caterwauls outside to declare territory. One of those instinctual things he just Does now and realizes after the fact that he did it

* Flicking and wiggling wings to ward others away/express excitement. Wings aren’t super capable of flight, more of a communication thing, but can glide

* Hiding in blankets when he wants to be alone

* Always has to be bundled up when it’s even slightly cold. This is mostly due to damage done to nerves from abusing transformative powers prior to turning

* Loafing when wants to conserve body heat or defensive

* Cravings for raw meat, flowers, sunsettias. Abyssal beast species is technically a pollinator of megaflora as well as an omnivorous hunter-gatherer species

* Intolerance for dairy, complex carbs (not allergic, just prone to indigestion)

* Fresh snow drives him nuts, it feels weird and awesome on his face so the first time he felt well enough to go outside in the winter he shoved his face in the snow and ran around rolling and giggling

*his face plating and bone spurs are covered by thick vascularized flesh and he can definitely feel things touching those parts, it just feels Different. Feels leathery but soft to the touch. He loves having his cheek plating stroked.

*face plating and darker patches of skin get flushed very easily when flustered, overexerted, or in heat

*he’s actually pretty small for an adult of the abyss species he’s turned into, due to abuse of transformative powers prior to turning, and his body struggling to simultaneously process two incongruous species’ puberty periods growing up. As a result his joints are a little weak now and his heat cycles SUCK. like REALLY BAD.

*even though turning and losing abyssal magic powers to numb his body to all of This kind of fucked him up really bad and he’s nowhere near as capable as he was when he was a Harbinger, he’s stubborn as hell and will overwork himself trying to regain proficiency in weapons with this newly permanent form

[bettyfrommars]

Okay sooooo I’m just gonna do this before I lose my nerve…

A few days ago when you mentioned you were looking for some fic recs you said you wouldn’t mind if we sent in our own fics…so here’s a (shameful/embarrassing) self promo…(I would have sent it in that day but it wasn’t done yet)

If you’re interested in,

-Eddie and reader being crazy cat ladies together

-Going on an adventure to find a missing cat

-A naughty kitty who enjoys making his owners life harder

-A (sorta, not really) spooky trek through the woods at night

Then you might like Finding Ziggy it’s the first (and only) fic I’ve ever finished/posted on here.

(okay I’m gonna go crawl in a hole now plz feel free to ignore this, thanks)

I ended up going to check this out last night and FELL IN LOVE I literally could not stop reading it. It was just a breath of fresh air, and it's been a while since a fic made me smile all the way through like that. I'm going to re-read it again today 🧡

When I was asking for fic recs that day, I was really hoping people would recommend some of their own, because I know how hard it is to get seen and noticed on this app, unless you get lucky and some big blogs share your stuff (I am the furthest thing from a big blog, but anyway, lmao)

I'm so happy you sent it to me, and I can't wait to read whatever else you write! xoxoxo

[solradguy]

I have a headache and today's been stressful so I'm going to say something true and beautiful.

Kinnie meme. Template at the end since the source blog deleted. This is a long post.

1). What is your fictotype? Are you a specific character, a nonhuman species, or both?

You know.

2). Do you experience dysphoria? How so?

Not really. Sometimes I get embarrassed about being 'kin but I just suck it up and deal with it like I am right now.

3). Who are you open about it with?

Anyone that looks at my blog header and pinned post FAQ. I only really get open about it with a handful of very close friends though. And I guess anyone that reads this the whole way through.

4). Do you participate in the fandom of your source? How do you do so?

Damn, should've saved the "you know" for this one lol. I translate and scan books and have written a little fanfiction. Among other things...

5). Do you fictionflicker?

Had to search this so here's the definition for others: A Kintype that isn't permanent. It seems to "flicker" in and out of existence if you lose interest in that fandom.

Before Guilty Gear I probably did, but I had a hard time in general figuring myself out until relatively recently.

6). When did you realise you were fictionkin? How long have you been in the community.

It'll have been a year in late August. Some of my friends are fictionkin but I wouldn't say I really interact with the wider community at all.

7). What was your introduction to fictionkin?

Lmao... Probably seeing kids talk about it on DeviantArt back in '05 or '06. I've known about it for a long time. Though... I have to admit my views towards it back then used to be negative.... My second "introduction" was in the end of last year when I finally sat down and looked stuff up about it.

8). Are you similar to your fictotype in personality? How so?

That's how this all started. Friends kept making jokes about me being a Sol kinnie even though I was like this BEFORE Guilty Gear and eventually I just went and researched it and, well, here we are. People on sites I'm not open about this on have compared me to Sol before too and I just laugh about it. They don't know, but they know.

9). Are you similar to your fictotype in appearance? How so?

Not really. I guess we both have brown hair that wants to be vertical real bad and I've got a crazy shoulder/waist/hips ratio but that's about it. Oh, default expression like this -> T_T

10). Link to/tag your favourite fictionkin Tumblr.

No.

11). Have you ever met other fictionkin? In real life or online?

I've met therians and non-fiction otherkin in real life but have only seen other fictionkin online.

12). Have you ever met canonmates? In real life or online?

No.

13). Have you ever met doubles? In real life or online? How did it go?

Yeah, there are a few other Sols out there. It's gone fine, I don't really care about doubles and all that jazz and it didn't seem like they cared either. It'd be fun getting all the Sols together for a BBQ and shitty beer. We can play cornhole.

14). What are shifts like?

Bad. Makes me stay up late reblogging Jack-O' images :/

Jk lmao I ended up searching this term to make sure I was understanding it right because I was going to say "no" to this question but I guess I "dream shift" often and get "phantom shifts" (phantom limb sensations for non-human appendages) sometimes. For the phantom shifts it seems to be for wings the most frequently with claws and meat-tearing teeth less frequently.

The wing feeling is weird, I don't like it. It doesn't feel like the whole wing, just sort of where they would connect to my back but either the rest of the wing never existed or was never formed in a way that had nerve endings, or my brain forgot what the rest of the wing would be like. Usually I only get this feeling right after I wake up and it goes away quickly but sometimes it happens when I'm fully awake. The claws/teeth happen whenever.

I often wonder how related these feelings are to having synesthesia and being trans.

15). How do you deal with kin for fun?

I don't. It can be a little annoying sometimes when trying to find people or studies/essays that are serious about otherkinity, but more often than not the KFF people are just teens goofin off. I don't care. They are, as the name suggests, just doing it for fun and exploring their identities through characters they relate to. Introspection is always good.

16). What are your thoughts on symbols, flags, etc.?

Indifferent. The 7-pointed star's pretty neat though.

17). Does fictionkinity connect to spirituality for you?

No.

18). Does fictionkinity connect to neurodivergence for you?

It seems so. Like I said in one of the above questions, I used to have a hard time figuring myself out and when I was young I'd try to see things through the lens of a character that I related to. This likely wasn't otherkinity, but I think it maybe evolved into it. There weren't many masculine 6'5" women for me to relate to as a kid, I didn't know how I was supposed to be and gender didn't make any sense. There's definitely a relationship between being trans and otherkin for me.

19). Do other people notice your similarity to a character or species?

It seems so.

20). How do you express your fictotype? Clothes, merch, cosplay, maybe even name?

21). What's something about the fictionkind community you wish was different?

Don't see many essays and stuff from fictionkin as I do from other kinds of 'kin, which is a shame. It's probably because the rest of the otherkin community and the internet in general are unkind towards fictionkin.

22). What's something about the fictionkind community that you appreciate?

Someone's gonna laugh and say I'm just not seeing it, but if there's drama in the GG fictionkind community it never makes its way onto my feed. Hope it stays that way. Leave me out of it.

23). How do you approach consuming your source? Analytically, obsessively, casually, reluctantly, etc...

I bite a hole in the bottom of it and chug the whole thing like a beer can.

24). What's the worst anti-fickin take you've seen?

The most common one because it's annoying: "You're not actually a fictional character." No shit.

25). What's the best anti-fickin take you've seen? Respond to it.

That even if it really is only a passing phase, or that it turns out someone actually isn't 'kin of what they thought they were, that they still learned something about themselves.

26). What are some songs that remind you of your fictotype or source?

I've been working on a playlist that I wanna copy onto cassette but it's still 30 minutes short (needs to be 90 to fill the tape). Here are three songs from it:

I Will Find You - Whitechapel

Summit of Dragons - Sold Soul

Imaginary Fire - Carpenter Brut

27). What are some other characters/species that remind you of your fictotype?

The other day I compared Sol to an Italian mastiff. Dragons, obviously. Ifrit from FFXVI and Dante's Sin Devil Trigger from DMC5 share a vibe with his Dragon Install too.

28). Do you have a favourite piece of fanart?

Every Sol that Ume, Sutegoro, Hungry Clicker, and Nainsoo draw is golden.

29). Do you have activities that connect you to your source? (Food, hobbies, interests, etc.)

I spent 6 months working on a 3D printer to make a 1:1 scale Outrage MK.II, code, and have six Queen records. What else is there.

30). Talk about what it's like to be your fictotype.

I don't know. Some things make more sense, some things don't. It doesn't bother me as much as it did at first but finally having an explanation for what my brain is doing—and that it happens to other adults too—has been comforting. Though, I suppose it's on-theme for Sol to have complex identity feelings and a struggle to accept them.

---

1). What is your fictotype? Are you a specific character, a nonhuman species, or both?

2). Do you experience dysphoria? How so?

3). Who are you open about it with?

4). Do you participate in the fandom of your source? How do you do so?

5). Do you fictionflicker?

6). When did you realise you were fictionkin? How long have you been in the community.

7). What was your introduction to fictionkin?

8). Are you similar to your fictotype in personality? How so?

9). Are you similar to your fictotype in appearance? How so?

10). Link to/tag your favourite fictionkin Tumblr.

11). Have you ever met other fictionkin? In real life or online?

12). Have you ever met canonmates? In real life or online?

13). Have you ever met doubles? In real life or online? How did it go?

14). What are shifts like?

15). How do you deal with kin for fun?

16). What are your thoughts on symbols, flags, etc.?

17). Does fictionkinity connect to spirituality for you?

18). Does fictionkinity connect to neurodivergence for you?

19). Do other people notice your similarity to a character or species?

20). How do you express your fictotype? Clothes, merch, cosplay, maybe even name?

21). What's something about the fictionkind community you wish was different?

22). What's something about the fictionkind community that you appreciate?

23). How do you approach consuming your source? Analytically, obsessively, casually, reluctantly, etc...

24). What's the worst anti-fickin take you've seen?

25). What's the best anti-fickin take you've seen? Respond to it.

26). What are some songs that remind you of your fictotype or source?

27). What are some other characters/species that remind you of your fictotype?

28). Do you have a favourite piece of fanart?

29). Do you have activities that connect you to your source? (Food, hobbies, interests, etc.)

30). Talk about what it's like to be your fictotype.

[firespirited]

So I have a bunch of 'war stories' about my long long time with violent gallbladder attacks trying to magically lose weight

(I'd already cut out all fat down to the gram) to get to an arbitrary surgery number except dun dun: hunger triggers bile.

The diy nonsense and prep you get up to when the pain is that intense, the moment when my body reacted post op with the biggest attack yet, crazy chaotic stupid stuff like at the hospital, i got unplugged from my IV and spurted blood everywhere...

All tiny compared to what was to come. During the post op attack, they gave me a painkiller that lasted 5 hours and locked me in my body unable to move or speak. It was relief and was nice and fine until

1/ I discovered my mother had terrible sleep apnea where she'd stop breathing for what felt like forever

2/ a power cut reset my heart monitor machine to a solid beep for 30 seconds and mum thought I had coded.

In those 5 hours and singular moments, 18 months of random blinding pain that makes you moan, rock uncontrollably and sweat enough to fill towels, elaborate precision scalding under the ribs with burns you treat later, the anti nausea/vagal nerve/fainting remedies, the post op pain: It was all trivial.

She went home next day because she was wiped. But they hadn't kept up my meds and I went into combo ssri and benzo withdrawal. I had a psychotic episode, made a very angry phone call to a very confused and distressed mum, called a taxi and had the guy sneak me out of hospital convinced my loved ones had abandoned me and wouldn't allow me home. So that there was my third withdrawal psychotic break and let's just say there's a very clear pattern, it's not entirely irrational and there's nothing I fear except THAT when it kicks in. Not too painful a memory as I've apologised profusely and know it was fake and know my deep faultline. Just a cherry on top of the mess sundae. Funny isn't it?

Mum's on a CPAP now and it's wonderful. I couldn't do a thing while that machine beeped and that moment was more potently awful than all of it.

—-------–-----

When I was 16 a doctor did botched local anesthesia surgery on my toe to remove my toenail and scrape the bone, the anaesthetic syringe didn't work. I was alone and the doctor thought I was just afraid of pain and hysterical (ask me about the surgeries and disinfections i'd done on myself someday lmao) I passed out multiple times. The syringe needle shifted right into a nerve and i spasmed and begged out. But the whole afternoon was fuzzy, I had dissociated on my way home from school after a rape threat and attempting groping by the local drunkard about an hour before my appointment so the whole very bloody gory and extremely painful moments are fractured like a broken mirror or a badly downloaded movie. It took me about a week to properly piece together the sequence of events and explain why I'd left the doctors and walked home with a shoe full of blood. I don't know if it would have been worse to be fully present.

—————

I had a series of daily treatments with the generic version of an intravenous antibiotic with a crap formula that crystalizes and burns. The brand name was too expensive for me to switch. It was very high pain both in the moment and the next hour. I have lumps of scar tissue that get in the way of my daily injections, large lumps of chemically burned lower hip/upper glute muscle. Those injections gave me back the ability to walk more than 10 yards, more spoons, less exhaustion agony so I kept submitting to it for as long as treatment was available. I resent that big pharma doesn't care if the generic has bad side effects. I only curse the scars when the needle jams and it hurts. I'd do it again.

–––––––

Pain is a constant but it's so varied. Bowel spasms, migraines, shooting pains, dull aches, burning sensations, muscle cramps, pain that itches your teeth, skin like a sausage ready to pop, the fibro zappy zaps. How do you choose a worst one without taking other things into account? Which part of the orchestra is giving you a headache?

=======

I have some really funny gory stories about the ingrowing toenails though. Oh and sis removed a large sebaceous cyst from my back with a disinfected exacto knife - we were sober but high on sleep deprivation.

I got pink eye last week and thought I'd put alcohol into some sterile water, i'd just got drips down the side and got 70% rubbing alcohol in my eye, sis nearly cried laughing when I said I'm fine with a high pitched wobble. It worked though.

I cracked my shoulder bone when I stood up to a bully age 10 and he pushed me so hard I hit the ground with no way to brace. Had to wear an elastic potato sack for 3 months and learn to write with my left hand. But I'm very proud of that one.

Others I'm too sore to talk about at least tonight. Toxic friendships, institutional neglect. Stuff I tried to ignore or didn't care to care for myself.

Eh. What matters is now and now I'm doing slow rehab and off to get some sleep.