#-answers as examples to them. i remember she called me randomly one day in class and i was a very timid kid but i tried and gave an answer-

[sleepless-crows]

i saw my science teacher from 5th grade omg i never thought id see her again

[vemuabhi]

Disney Romance - Cinderella’s Bird - 200 followers special

@littlesniggy​ said : Hey you! Now it's my turn to request something! Kida sad you don't write for Akainu but I can understand 😂 He's an asshole! If it hasn't been requested yet, would you do Mulan/Cinderella with Kid x female reader? I'm super excited which one you choose/ if you choose it at all! Thank you!

A/N : Omg thankyou so much for sending an ask @littlesniggy​ san!!! I am so excited to answer this for you! I loved writing for the grumpy boy. This was really a beautiful experience writing this for Eustass KIdd. Please don’t have high expectations for this.

Warning : A big fic written by me. But has a happy ending.

Word count : 2.7K

I hope you like it!

XOXOXOXO

“Why the hell should I get married now?”, you complained to your Robin who always was beside you, she was a maid but you always admired her and always treated her like a friend not like a maid.

Robin sighed and patted your head as she took the place beside you on the bed. “I should have the choice when I want to get married. Not some jerk who is randomly selected by my parents”, you scoffed and plopped back on the soft burgundy-coloured bedsheets. Robin gave you a sad smile and said, “That’s true. I too believe that marriage should be for Love”

Being a princess isn’t easy. Every girl dream to be a princess but its not as beautiful like the fairy tales are. You are a live example for that. Not once you could decide for yourself. Even the big puffy yellow gown you were wearing was not of your choice. The corset was killing you inside. You wanted to rip it off and throw it out of your window. With language classes, you always had dance classes, tea sessions, music classes. Everything that was chosen by your parents, was practically forced upon you.

‘What kind of lunatic needs to learn how to drink tea?’, you cursed the tea sessions when ever you were being called to it. All you did was brew tea and drink during the whole time. The music classes were always a hectic. You wanted to learn an instrument but when you were given another. Your wishes were denied because who cares about your dreams? In the beginning even dance classes were troublesome, But you tried to put up with all those demands of your parents. In return they are now trying to get you married as soon as possible.

“I’m done with this Robin”, you spoke and got up. “I’ll do whatever I want”, your voice was stern and Robin was curious on what you were about to do.

“Cancel todays classes, I’ll be going to visit the town to relieve my stress”, you announced briskly walking towards the closet.

“Are you sure your highness? But how can you go alone? You must have someone wit-”

“Robin! Its fine. I can take care of myself”, you didn’t let her finish her sentence. Throwing your corset on the floor and dressing up like a maid didn’t take long enough. You made your way towards the secret passage in the palace and exited the palace. Even though Robin was worried, she had to stay back in the castle to make sure no one notices your leaving.

The town and the market were as lively as ever and you walked around the place. As you kept walking, you saw a couple who looked very much in love. You felt a bit envious of them. At least the commoners had the freedom to do what they like. As you were walking aimlessly in the market, you bumped into a tall buff guy.

“Oh I’m sorry”, after apologising you thought of leaving but it didn’t go well.

“Hey! How can you go away like that?” the man started to fight with you. As you felt the very heavy scent of alcohol hit your nostrils, you knew that this man was heavily drunk.

“What? I apologised so what’s your problem now?” you questioned as your dominant hand slowly reached for the sword hidden in your skirt.

“You bitch how dare you speak back to me?” he raised his hand to land a hit on you but just when you were about to take out the sword, his had was stopped mid-air. You then saw a man who had red hair. As soon as the jerk saw that man, it seemed like his senses came back to him again.

“Asshole! Didn’t I tell you this is my shop and never make a scene in front of it”, the man shouted at the rogue twisting his arm. He winced in pain as he apologised and ran away.

The red haired man went into a shop, what seemed like a shop of vegetables and fruits. ‘Was he a farmer?’, you thought and followed him. Looking inside, there were so many fresh vegetables and also fruits in the shop.

“What do you want?”, a sharp voice questioned making you turn towards the owner of the voice. It was the same red head from before.

“Uh, I… I’m here to buy”, you said and looked around again trying to seem convincing. He huffed and sat on a chair fiddling with something which seemed like a machine. Your interest perked up and you asked him, “What are you making?”, moving closer to take a peek at the machine.

“Why should I tell you?”, he spat but as he looked at your face, he noticed that your eyes were sparkling with curiosity and interest.

“Tsk”, he clicked his tongue and explained about the way he wanted to make a machine bird as you listened to him carefully. He kept telling you how helpful machines would be if used in the correct way.

“But, don’t you think, this material you are using to make this bird is kinda… cheap and looks like its gonna break soon?”, you questioned for which he frowned and replied, “Don’t you think I already know that? I… I just don’t have the money”, mumbling the last part.

“Oh! I got an idea. Listen to me, uhh..”

“Eustass Kidd”

“So, Kidd As this bird is still in the beginning process, I’ll bring you the material tomorrow. Till then don’t touch this. Okay now I need to leave. I’ll be taking this basket here”, you said and took a basket of strawberries and tossed a coin to him.

“HEY WAIT!! YOU DIDN’T EVE- and she’s gone”, still with that grumpy look Kidd took his screw driver to continue working on the bird. But he remembered you telling him to wait till tomorrow. So he sat back in his chair and exhaled.

“Its not because she told me to wait. I… I want to continue this tomorrow”, he huffed and folded his hands. Then he remembered about the coin you threw.

He opened his palm and his eyes widened as he looked at the coin. It was a gold coin. A freaking gold coin for a basket of strawberries.

��No way. What the heck is she thinking?”, he carefully placed it back in the locker and thought to give it back to you tomorrow.

At the castle you came back and continued with your remaining day. You should leave tomorrow. So you need to make plans.

“Robin I need you to do something for me”, you explained how you needed high quality metal and also the timings of classes to be shifted. So, it did happen and you had continuous morning classes without breaks but, you were a free after them and it made you to take material Kidd wanted to make the bird. Changing out from your attire of a princess you went to the same shop as yesterday. There you found the man coming towards you as if he was waiting for you all along.

“I got the material you need”, you said as you placed it beside his table where the bird was supposed to be made.

“Were you waiting for me? Sorry I was late”, you said and he instantly replied, “Wha- Who was waiting for you?”

“Ah ok”, you muttered as you saw him instantly looking and taking the material with a faint pink shade on his cheeks. He looked just like a child exited to play with his toys.

“Where the hell did you even get these? These are clearly expensive?”, his sudden questions made your thoughts to break.

“Ah… I got it from the Kings dumpster”, you made the blankest expression trying to hide your lie.

“Kings Dumpster?! The King threw away this metal when it’s like this?”, he asked as his brows raised when you just nodded.

“Tsk… and here I am, trying to get re-rid of rust from metal. Using them for the 100th time”, he huffed.

You both sat opposite to each other and he worked on the bird as you learned about the work he was doing. Helping him with giving the appropriate tool at times, you had more fun than you ever had in your life. He tried to return the gold coin but you didn’t take it and made a deal to take vegetables or fruits in return, for which he agreed. You both fist bumped as an agreement of the deal.

From that day, you made your way out of the castle to meet Kidd. Surprisingly, he always waited for you to come to work on the bird. Meanwhile he somewhere started to call you little lady and you actually liked it. It became a routine for you to take a basket of veggies or fruits every time you left the shop. Sometimes he’d you’d tag along with him to his small farm. He was totally proud of his farm. His eyes showed it. Where you knew you never felt that feeling that he was feeling. Never once in your life you felt you were proud of something you did. He was living a complete different life than yours. You found your heart skip a beat every time Kidd smiled. You liked him.

Kidd was unique. He was terrible in showing his emotions but he was a good person. Every time you left the castle for him, seemed right. You actually felt happy seeing him and working with him. But of course, this happiness didn’t last long. Your parents wanted you to get married soon and told you to pick a groom for yourself in the ball that is going to be hosted next week. Bloody next week.

Because of the ball, you had to take even more classes for walking like a princess and also more fashionistas coming to find the perfect gown for you. Due to those, you couldn’t meet Kidd for 4 days.

Meanwhile, Kidd waited for you staring at the front door of his shop. Whenever the door opened, he met with disappointment because it wasn’t you. He couldn’t even continue on his bird. He had doubts on his feelings for you but now, it was clear for him that he liked you. Your thoughts haunted him. His heart earned for you. Only for you to return.

After a long hard day of work, you sneaked out of the castle in the evening and went to Kidd’s shop. You opened the door and your eyes met with Kidds. You both stared at eachother for a few seconds before he spoke.

“Come in”, you obliged and walked into the shop towards the desk where you both made bird. It was just like it was 3 days ago. “You didn’t continue to make the bird?”, you inquired as he just turned away and shook his head as he scratched the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact.

“Kidd, its late and I have to leave soon so listen to me”, his vision shifted to you as he gulped.

“But you just came, why do you have to leave?” he asked as he approached you and placed his hands on your shoulder.

“Aww did you miss me?” you tried to tease him but this time, he neither denied nor looked away from you blushing. He stayed silent for a while before he said, “I did”

You didn’t even expect that from Kidd. His hands travelled down from your shoulders to your hands. “I did miss you. So much that I couldn’t even touch that bird”, He looked serious. He placed one hand on your chin and looked into your eyes.

“I didn’t… I didn’t think your thoughts would haunt me that much when you didn’t come. I… I didn’t know when, why or how. But I know that, I have feelings for you little lady”, his voice trembled as he spoke the last bit.

“Kidd are you serious?” you asked placing a hand on his cheek. He leaned into your touch and nodded. His eyes looked desperate for your answer. Pulling him towards you, you connected your lips with his. The kiss was gentle and with so much of emotion.

Both pulled away to look into each other’s eyes. “I have feelings for you too Kidd”, you smiled and Kidd’s face lit up making you smile in return. He leaned and touched your forehead with yours and exhaled with relief. “Can I request you something Kidd?”, you asked and he nodded.

“Can you come to the castle this coming Wednesday?”

“To the castle? Why?”

“There is a ball going to be held and I want you to come”, you said and stepped back, away from his touch. “Now it’s my turn to wait for you, I should tell you something. So please come”, the last part sounded more like a pleading and with that you left the shop.

Kidd didn’t knew why you had to leave so early. His heart was beating so fast. Confused whether whatever happened now was real or not. He sat on his chair unable to remove your pleading face from earlier. Kidd looked at the bird which was unfinished and took the screw driver to continue working on it. Its been a while since he alone worked on something. It wasn’t a new feeling for him but still, he preferred to talk and have you around while he made it.

The day of the ball arrived. You wore your outfit and looked out the window at the crowd of people came to the castle. Men and women from so many places arrived there. With the help of Robin you made sure that when Kidd comes, he wouldn’t be stopped by any of the guards. The time was almost running out. The first dance was supposed to be started soon but you couldn’t find Kidd anywhere.

Your parents were urging you to find a partner and start the first dance. ‘So Kidd isn’t coming’, you thought and tilted your head up to prevent the tears falling out from your eyes. You pinched your skin trying to distract the pain away. Stepping on the ball room in your burgundy coloured dress, you walked with a straight face. Then suddenly your eyes fell on a person, who was trying to not be visible in the crowd but, his hair was definitely saying otherwise. You swiftly made your way towards that person.

People cleared way for you and it didn’t take long for you to meet the person with the red hair. He was wearing golden coloured suit and his hair was combed back neatly. He looked different but it was him. His cheeks turned the same colour of his hair. You chuckled and took his hand, pulling him towards the middle of the ball room. You placed your hands on his shoulder and pulled him closer to you. His hand trembled before he placed it on your waist. With that the music played and you both danced, with other people also dancing.

“Why didn’t you come to me?”

“How could I? You are a princess and why didn’t you tell me you were a princess?”

“Would you even talk to me like you did if you knew I were a princess?”

“That’s… true but… now here I am, with the princess Y/N in my arms”, he said pulling you closer. You giggled and pushed back the strand of hair which was on his forehead. You both smiled at each other and continued dancing. After the first dance, he pulled you away from the ball room and you followed. He walked towards the garden where no one was and took out something from under the bench.

“What did you bring?”, you asked. He turned and showed it to you. Your eyes went wide looking at the bird that he brought.

“You made her at last!” you exclaimed as he looked down shyly. “Yeah kind of made it. I wanted to show it to you today”

“I love it so much”, you said as you took it in your hands. It was your memory. The time you spent making it with Kidd. It was precious to you two.

“Keep it. It’s yours now”, he said as he smiled.

“Really?! I will take care of it so well”, you replied and jumped on him making him catch you quickly. You looked at him and leaned in for kissing him again. Now, it was passionate. No one to intrude as you were alone. Smiling you pulled back and leaned your forehead with his.

You now found a grumpy man, who would understand you and would really be the reason for you to smile.

Made with picrew

XOXOXOXO

I hope you liked it. Thankyou for reading.

A comment, Like/Vote, Reblog/Share would be appreciated!!

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[sleepysnk]

the chapter you've all been waiting for.

Team Player: Chapter Six

Pairings: Eren Jaeger x Fem!Reader

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3.0k

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Masterlist

The sound of Eren's alarm woke him out of the deep sleep he was in. 

He groaned as he reached over to grab his phone which was still blaring the annoying sound of his alarm. It was morning already? He felt so exhausted and he just wanted to roll over, and sleep the rest of the day away. 

But sadly he couldn't. 

Eren's eyes squinted as he looked at the screen which read the time, it was 8:55 a.m. He sat up in his bed and rubbed his temples, his hair was messy from sleeping, and his ankle slightly ached from the pain he was in. 

Sighing, he sat up and grabbed some clothes. His body felt tired as he yawned and stretched his muscles, feeling a few joints pop as he moved around. Boy did that feel good. 

Eren tied his hair into a bun and threw on a sweater and sweatpants. His usual. Eren didn't really care to get dressed, who was he impressing? Plus it was a pretty chilly morning, the temperatures were dropping as fall began to become more known. He just wanted to be comfortable. 

Eren wrapped his ankle with the wrap given to him by the nurse, and popped a few medications into his mouth before heading out of his dorm to the main campus for class. The exhaustion going through him was enough to make him walk slower to class, plus with his limp, it made him slower than usual. 

He was never usually this early to class, most of the time Eren was with Jean or Reiner talking about the game or simply goofing off. Unfortunately, most of his teammates avoided him or just gave him dry responses. It was difficult for him and in a way, it kind of hurt a bit. Seeing your own teammates being so against you that they have to avoid you really sucked. 

"You're here early Eren… that's a surprise." Professor Ackerman said, opening the door to his room. 

Eren rubbed the back of his neck and walked into the empty class. A few students trailed behind him and went to their own seats, Eren stared into space waiting for class to begin. 

Within a few minutes, Professor Ackerman stood at the front of the class. "Good morning, I hope you all are doing fine or whatever. Let's talk about what you're going to be doing today," he explained, grabbing his papers. 

Eren sighed with boredom and tapped his pencil on the counter. What was he going to do this time? 

"Today you're all going to be starting a brand new project. It's based on the unit we've been covering for the last two weeks, so I hope you've been taking notes and paying attention. To save some time, I decided to partner you up with someone else in the class," Professor Ackerman said, leaning against his desk. 

A few small groans and eye rolls came from students hearing the words "project" and "partners". 

"Enough of the groaning, I know it's not ideal but it's better than going through 20 different presentations." he said and crossed his arms. "I'll be pairing you with someone randomly, this project must be done as a pair. If I see that one person did more than the other it will deduct points off your grade," he added. 

Eren leaned back in his chair and looked around the class. He pondered as to who his partner could be. 

"Listen for your names and once I call it raise your hands," Professor Ackerman said, looking around the class. 

Different names began to be called, some people groaned at the realization of who their partners were, others just shrugged and seemed unfazed by it all. 

"Eren Jaeger and (Y/N) (L/N)." 

Eren's eyes went as wide as saucers hearing that name again. (Y/N) and Eren hadn't talked in years, especially after the embarrassment that went down their freshmen year. He knew she was in his class, but he never really paid much attention to her. 

"Get started on this immediately, the project will be due next week. No funny business either," Professor Ackerman said and turned to sit at his desk. 

Eren shifted in his chair and watched as (Y/N) made her way towards him, she seemed totally unfazed and sort of annoyed by the situation she was in. 

She had changed quite a bit. It had been about 3 years since they last talked with one another. 

"H-Hey.." Eren said as she plopped down in the chair next to him. 

(Y/N) looked blankly at him and opened her laptop. "Here.. put your email in," she said, avoiding his gaze. 

Eren put his email in and pushed her laptop back towards her. The atmosphere felt awkward and thick between them. 

"Do you want to go to the library? When you have the time," she asked and averted her eyes towards him. 

Eren nodded, looking up from his phone. "Yeah.. that's fine," he replied. 

The two sort of silently worked with each other, no words were spoken between them. Eren felt the tension and so did (Y/N). Who could blame them? It had been 3 whole years since they last had an encounter like this. Of course he'd see her sometimes in the hallways, or getting some coffee, but they never spoke verbally to one another. 

"Alright you're all dismissed, remember to work on this project as much as you can." Professor Ackerman said. 

Eren and (Y/N) stood up. "I'll see you later," she said, walking away from him. 

This was going to be just great. 

-

Most of Eren's classes seemed to fly by as it was now the end of the day. He was supposed to meet with (Y/N) in the library later, of course it was awkward. She didn't seem too interested in what he had to say, nor did she seem talkative. 

(Y/N) sat in the library patiently waiting on her phone. Curse Professor Ackerman for putting them together. Her view on Eren Jaeger did not change one bit. His actions caused a lot of embarrassment for her, a lot of people saw the video of her that day in biology, and they made fun of her. 

It wasn't an overstatement to say she hated Eren Jaeger. 

She stared at her laptop screen as she heard the library doors open. Her eyes averted to see Eren making his way towards her, she noticed his limp which made her brows furrow. 

"Hey, sorry for being a bit late. I got caught up with my friend," Eren said, throwing an apologetic look her way. "So uh.. I have some ideas for the project," he added. 

(Y/N) nodded. "What are the ideas?" she asked, raising a brow. 

"So.. we could add some different examples of the different bacteria. You know? Shorten it down a bit, because if we make it longer than we should he'll take points off." Eren explained. "Let's do it that way," he added.

(Y/N) wasn't exactly amused with the idea. She felt like shortening it would also give them points off. 

"I don't think we should do that. If we make it too short then we get points off too," she replied. 

Eren stared at her confused. "Then we just make it medium. I'll do the easier slides," he said, shrugging. "It'll be a good grade for the both of us. You're smart so," he added. 

(Y/N) furrowed her brows and felt irritation going through her. "Dude that's not fair to me at all. We should just do every other slide, that gives me all the hard work. It isn't fair," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

"Look, it's easier for the both of us. It is fair, let's just do it my way," he said, looking at her. 

(Y/N) rolled her eyes. "We did it your way last time and you fucked it up," she replied. 

Eren looked at her and furrowed his brows. "You're still mad about that?! Come on (Y/N), get over it. You're being overdramatic," he said, crossing his arms. 

That's when she had enough and grabbed her stuff, pushing it into her backpack. 

"Where are you going?" he asked as he watched her sling her backpack over her shoulder. 

(Y/N) scoffed. "You know… your teamwork skills are absolutely shitty. You're selfish and you always think for yourself. That's why our project went to shit freshmen year, I'm tired of biting my tongue with you. Fuck off Eren," she said standing up. "Maybe for once.. take a look at the shit you do from other people's point of view," she added, exiting the library. 

That's when it hit him. 

He did have shitty teamwork skills. (Y/N) even said it herself. 

Everyone was right about Eren, he was a selfish person. The answer was clear in front of him. Guilt washed over him as he realized what he had done, not just to his team, but to (Y/N) too. 

He had to find (Y/N), maybe she could help him. 

-

(Y/N) stared at the ceiling as frustration ran through her. 

Eren Jaeger really didn't change huh? 

"Why are you sulking? You seem pissed," her roommate Sasha asked while plopping down on her bed. 

(Y/N) laughed a bit and sat up. "Eren Jaeger… that's why," she replied, leaning her body against the wall. "He's so stupid," she added, looking at her roommate. 

Sasha nodded. "Oh! I remember him, he's such an asshole. Did you see his giant fail?! It was so funny," she said, beginning to laugh at the thought of the video. 

(Y/N) looked at her and shook her head. "No? I personally don't care what he does. I'm probably gonna email Professor Ackerman… I can't stand working with Eren. He wants everything done his way! He never listens," she replied, rolling her eyes in annoyance. 

Sasha's phone began to vibrate. She grabbed it and grinned. "Oop! Connie texted me, I gotta go (Y/N). I'll see you later," she said, standing up to get her shoes. "I hope you feel better! I'll kick Eren in the nuts for you," she said giggling. 

(Y/N)'s lips drew to a smile. "Alright.. have fun with Connie. Not too much fun though," she replied, winking at her. 

Sasha opened the door to their dorm. "No promises!" she replied, exiting the room. 

The door shut with a click and (Y/N) was now alone in her dorm. It was a usual night with Sasha leaving to go see her boyfriend Connie. (Y/N) wished she could have that luxury with someone else, but she wasn't exactly interested in anybody. Her dreams were just too much for love. 

A sudden knock came from the door. 

Confused, (Y/N) stood up. Sasha probably forgot a condom or something, the girl was always so forgetful. 

She opened the door expecting Sasha to be there. "Forget a condom-" her eyes averted to see Eren standing there with his backpack. 

"Can I talk to you, please?" he asked with desperation in his voice. "I won't be here long," he added, looking down at her. 

(Y/N) fell silent and opened the door wider so he could enter. "How do you know where my dorm is?" she asked, furrowing her brows. 

Eren looked back at her. "We did the project in your dorm, plus I never really forget what dorms I go to." he replied, looking around her dorm.

"So why are you here? If you're here to work on the project, I don't want to hear it." (Y/N) asked, crossing her arms. 

Eren sighed, placing his backpack down. "Look… (Y/N), I realized what I did to you earlier was wrong. You're right.. it isn't fair to you, and I realize that now. I'd like to also apologize for embarrassing you freshmen year, I was childish and I feel guilty for doing it." he said. 

(Y/N) was surprised hearing Eren sound so apologetic. She's never once heard him speak that way towards anyone. 

"I appreciate the apology… but it still doesn't change what you did. I can forgive you Eren, but I can't forget," she replied, looking down at the floor. 

He nodded. "That's understandable," he said. 

The two fell silent as the tension took over. (Y/N) decided to ease the tension a bit. 

"What happened to your ankle?" she asked, pointing down at his ankle which was wrapped. 

He chuckled. "Oh, you concerned for me now princess?" he asked, smirking. 

She rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Get out," she said, pointing at the outside of the door. 

Eren put his hands up in defense. "Wait wait! I'm messing with you, I'm sorry. That was too soon," he replied, smacking his head. "Let me explain," he added, sitting down in the chair next to her bed. 

(Y/N) closed the door, crossing her arms as she watched him take out his phone. Her brows furrowed as Eren seemed to be looking for something on it. 

He held it out to her. "Here.. this is what happened," he said, looking up at her. 

(Y/N) took his phone from his fingers and played the video which was from Twitter, specifically a sports account. She watched as Eren caught the ball and was tackled to the ground, she could see the way his ankle bent. She cringed as she saw the replay of it. 

"Ouch… that looks like it hurt," she said, tossing his phone back towards him. "But why are you still here?" she asked, nodding her head in confusion. 

Eren pushed his phone into his sweater pocket. "I got kicked off the team.." he replied, looking at the floor. 

Her (e/c) eyes widened hearing the news. She heard people talk a lot about Eren, he was popular considering he was on the football team. She knew he was at D1 level. That's why he was here. 

"Um.. if you don't mind me asking, why?" she asked, sitting down on Sasha's bed. 

Eren ran his fingers through his messy bun. "It's uh.. kind of a long story in a way." he replied. "I can explain it to you if you'd like," he added, giving a weak smile. 

She nodded and looked towards the floor. "Sure… I guess," she said, crossing her legs on the bed. 

Eren sighed. "Basically at the most recent rival game, I ended up playing while I was hurt. My coach told me many times that if I was in pain I should come off the field, but I was fine the day before. I just thought it was nothing," he explained, shrugging his shoulders. "Then during the last play, which we were in the lead by the way, I ran for Jean's ball and we ended up hitting each other. The ball bounced off of us and it intercepted, so they won by a touchdown." he added. 

(Y/N) nodded and started to process what he said. Sounds like a selfish move in a way, to her at least. 

"So wait… that doesn't explain how you got kicked off," she said. 

He chuckled a bit. "I'm getting to that," he said, adjusting his body in the chair. "Basically my coach told me the other day that I was benched, or you know kicked off, because I have shitty teamwork skills and apparently I'm selfish. I guess my other teammates have said it too," he added. 

She nodded her head again while listening to more of what he said. She could see why his coach did it, sometimes you have to do things for the best possible outcome. Considering it was Eren Jaeger out of all people, he probably didn't see why. 

"That is crazy.. I'm sorry," she said and rubbed the back of her neck. "I know things will get better," she added, laughing a bit. Eren stared at her as she sat there awkwardly. "Uh.." she said, looking around the room. 

Eren shook his head. "Sorry.. um, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." he said. "If you want to listen," he added. 

(Y/N) furrowed her brows. "Okay.. go ahead," she replied, adjusting herself on Sasha's bed. 

Eren leaned back in the chair. "I need help," he said. "And you are the only person I know that can help me. Please, help me fix my teamwork skills." he said with a pleading tone. "You don't have to of course, but I need this (Y/N). I need this season majorly for my career," he added, looking at her with desperation circling in his eyes. 

She stayed silent as her gaze dropped to the floor. Would helping him be beneficial at all? Doesn't he have other friends? 

"Um.. Eren-"

"Please. I need your help," he said, cutting her off. 

She sighed. "What's in it for me huh? I'm not doing it unless I get something in return," she replied, crossing her arms. 

He looked around the room for a moment. "You can do the project your way, I won't interfere or tell you what to do." he said, raising his brows a bit. 

She thought for a moment. She'll get a good grade and if it leads to him just shutting up, then fine. 

"I'm not so sure Eren.. I doubt I can help you," she said, shrugging a bit. 

"(Y/N). Please. I'm literally begging you at this point, you have great teamwork skills! I remember your presentation in biology and how you got the best grade in the class with your partner, please help." he pleaded. 

She sighed, blowing air out of her nose. "Fine.. but we do it my way. We'll meet up again in a few days to get started," she said, standing up. 

Eren's eyes were wide. "Wait really!? Thank you (Y/N)! You're fucking awesome," he said, grinning widely at her. 

Heat rushed to her cheeks hearing what he said. "U-Uh, yeah whatever. Text me and we'll talk about it," she replied, grabbing her phone and handing it to him. 

Eren put his number in and handed her phone back. "Say less, I'll see you in class." he said, giving her a toothy smile. 

"Yeah whatever," she said, opening the door so he could leave. 

She watched as he limped down the hall and exited the front doors of the residence hall, she closed the door to her dorm and leaned against it with a sigh. 

What was she getting herself into?

tagging: @ererokii @eremiie @moomii-hime @thicmitten @callmepromise @katsuhera @basket-flower-chick @flam3bird @kc-braun @just-a-little-sad @daughter-of-the-stars11 @chayauwu @lunamoonawatcher @sof-yeager @ryan249057

[ghostlywritten]

If Only I Had Stayed In The Shadows - Chapter Seven

James Potter x OC

Words: 6k

Prologue  Chapter One   Chapter Two  Chapter Three  Chapter Four  Chapter Five  Chapter Six

"Where have you been last night?" Alice asked as I sat down at the breakfast table the next day.

"Eh...with James," I mumbled, stuffing my face with cinnamon rolls as hers, Marlene's and Lily's eyes bulged in shock.

"What?" Marlene exclaimed, dropping her cup, "Already?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Yeah?"

She smirked widely, "You little...who would have thought you to be so quick?"

"Quick with what?"

"Letting him pop your cherry of course!" Alice giggled along with Marlene whilst Lily and I went beet red.

"We did not do that!" I protested, shaking my head vehemently.

"Aww, why not?" Marlene pouted into her cup.

"Because I ain't that easy," I retaliated, shooting her a look.

"What? You think I'm easy?" she asked, peeved.

"Well, you do get along with boys very fast," Alice pointed out matter-of-factly whilst Lily nodded next to her. Marlene grumbled under her breath, "Can you blame me when they basically throw themselves on me?" She flipped her hair and I smiled at Alice's giggling.

"How was your dinner with Potter then?" Lily asked suddenly, keeping her eyes on her porridge with intent.

"Quite nice, actually," I replied, my smile widening as I remembered last night, "We talked about a lot of things until it got way too late."

"Boring!" Marlene commented, causing the red head next to her to snicker. "Is that everything?" Lily asked amused and I raised my eyebrows in confusion, "Have you at least kissed or something?"

"Well, no. I didn't want to," I defended myself.

"Oh please, who doesn't want to snog him or the Marauders in general?" Marlene rolled her eyes, "Except for Lily perhaps." Said person's smile dropped an inch before she composed herself. "Exactly. Seems like he is not that into you, after all." I tried not to frown at her words but that stung quite a lot. So what if we hadn't kissed? Was that even normal on a first date? In fact, I hadn't even known it was a date until the end. I couldn't help but feel insecure now, keeping quiet as Lily awaited my answer. Guilt slowly spread on her face when she noted the hurt I was trying to hide.

"When is your second date then?" Alice asked, breaking the sudden silence between us after she shot a knowing look at her green-eyed friend.

"Not sure," I shrugged, rolling my breakfast around on my plate. I didn't feel like talking about it anymore so I changed the topic, "Marlene, what's up with you and my worst enemy?"

"Oh Adrian!" Marlene immediately perked up and started chatting about her shenanigens, successfully giving me a reason to not talk anymore until breakfast was over and we left for class.

"...and he can be surprisingly sweet. Like that one time we were alone and I was so frustrated because McGonagall scolded me again for not getting a spell right...," Marlene kept blabbering whilst we sat down for History of Magic and I almost regretted opening that Pandora Box of a mouth - just kidding - as she gushed about the boy I resented deeply...on the Quidditch pitch. Outside of it we simply ignored each other, really. I sighed, thinking about how I actually had to get along with him after Christmas when he became a part of Team A.

"Alright there, Cec?" James plopped down on the free seat next to me and I blinked. Glancing back, I noticed Sirius settling next to Remus and Peter sitting beside some Ravenclaw bloke. Weird.

"You're not sitting with Sirius?" I asked in surprise.

"Now, why would I want that when I could sit next to you?" he asked with a grin but raised his eyebrows at the squeals emitting from Marlene and Alice in front of us.

"Cheesy," I commented, trying to regain control of my racing heart.

"Only for you," he winked. What a liar. I knew for a fact that he had always been cheesy. Especially when it came to a certain red head, who right now kept glimpsing over her shoulder at us. Her words from breakfast earlier caught up to me and I wondered once again about our 'boring' first date. I had not even for a second thought about our night that way but what if he did?

Shooting a look at the handsome boy next to me mindlessly chatting about some prank he was preparing whilst taking out his stuff I tried to detect any sign of boredom on his features. He was gesturing animatedly with his hands, which caused him to take longer than necessary to get his books out. It appeared like he was having fun. His brown eyes were sparkling even in the dim light of Professor Binn's classroom and I noticed the golden undertones in his rich-coloured irises. In fact, there were a lot of things I was suddenly noticing in that moment; How his glasses kept slipping due to his excited movements, forcing him to nudge them back up on the bridge of his slightly pointed nose, how his dimples popped up from time to time, accentuating his boyish features in an adorable way and how he ran a hand through his thick hair...every five seconds.

"Oi, Cec. Are you even listening?" the boy in my thoughts complained as he flicked my forehead.

"Ouch, yes I am," I said, rubbing the sore spot. Thank Merlin, he snapped me out of it though, I was getting near obsessed with the analysis of his features.

"Seems more like you were obsessed with my looks," James said with a wolfish grin and I did everything in my power to keep myself from turning into a tomato.

"What? I wasn't!" I almost shrieked, busying myself with my stuff erratically, "You just have a booger on your face, that's all."

"Sure, Cec," he replied offhandedly but I grinned as he tried to inconspiculously rub his nose. "So, I was thinking that the Hogsmeade trip next weekend could be our second date," James suggested and by now I was a master in controlling my spit to stop myself from choking on it whenever he randomly decided to make my heart burst.

'But that meant that he did enjoy our first date, right?' I thought, feeling slightly hopeful as I opened my mouth to agree.

"Hell no," Marlene made a sliding tackle, turning around in her seat, "She can't." I shot her an incredulous look whilst Alice kicked her under table.

"Why not?" James asked, as clueless as we all. Though he looked so cute being clue- Merlin, I was whipped.

"Hogsmeade is a traditional girls' trip," Marlene said matter-of-factly, "You don't want to break a three-year long tradition, James. Trust me."

"I guess not...," he trailed off, probably weirded off by the threatening looks Alice and I were shooting at the brown-haired beauty, "Well, some other time then, Cec."

"Sure," Marlene answered for me again and I was almost speechless.

"What the hell was that?" I immediately bombared her as soon as class ended and I saw the last of James' and his mates' heads leaving for lunch.

"Yeah, what did you do that for?" Alice wondered, "Why would you prevent a second date?"

"Yes, why?!" I asked almost hysterically, "That's probably the only boy in this school, who would be interested in a second date with me," I started slapping her arm with each word, " and...you...rejected...him...because...of...a...tradition-"

"Ouch! Merlin, stop!" Marlene backed away from me, hiding behind Alice.

"-that doesn't even exist!"

"Excuse me, the Hogsmeade trips were always our thing," Marlene pointed out.

"Yeah, as long as you didn't have a date!"

"Irrelevant details," she waved off and I wished I could say her blatant disregard of her hypocrisy would be a new thing, "Besides, I was doing you a favour."

"A favour?" I furrowed my eyebrows, "How does scaring an interested boy away doing me a favour?"

"You are being too easy on him," Marlene said and I could feel the beginning of one of her dating lectures, "You have to make a boy work for you, Cec. Make him prove he is worth your time before you give in. That's what keeps them interested in you. They like a good chase but you were just going to hand yourself in for the next date at the first try."

"You have a great way of making me feel like a slut," I commented dryly.

"You are welcome," she grinned back.

"I wasn't being sirius," I almost groaned, resisting the urge to slap her again. I was being unusually violent these days, "So what if they like a good chase? I've been chasing boys in my dreams for years and quite frankly I'm just glad someone as nice as James wants to go out with me again."

"Nice? James?" Lily snorted, speaking up for the first time since class, "He's rude. And mean. Just look at all the pranks he pesters people with."

"He's just joking," I said, though it was only half-heartedly. I knew he was just joking but even I had to admit through my 'lovesick' eyes that his pranks could be quite cruel. Lily just scoffed, probably having read my mind. With her skills I wouldn't put it past her if she had already managed Legilimency.

"James is the textbook example of boys chasing girls," Marlene continued as if our side-conversation didn't even happen, "Look at how long he chased Lily for without rest-"

"Yeah, and then he gave up," I pointed out, watching the red head shift inbetween her steps.

"-I know, but the point is. He chased her for years! He likes this game." Marlene placed a hand on my shoulder, "I'm telling you; let him chase you a little. Not for too long obviously, but enough to keep him on his toes."

I tried to dismiss her words as crazy but in some kind of twisted way it made sense. And she was more experienced and especially more successful in terms of boys than I ever would. Who was I to argue against her?

"That's the most ridiculous-" Alice started but I cut her off.

"What do I do?" she gave me a shocked look whilst Marlene grinned thriumphantly. Throwing an arm over my shoulder, she started leading me towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"Alright, the first step is called 'Ignoring Him'," Marlene started, walking into the Hall, where the students were busy shoveling their mouths with food and chatting about nonesense, "You don't want to appear as desperate as you have this whole time-"

"I wasn't being desperate," I said indignantly.

"But you were easy," she countered, "Always immediately responding to him. Going on a first date without even a little resistance. Staring at him like a puppy-"

"Okay, okay," I relented before throwing her a look, "I should probably feel creeped out with your stalking."

"But you don't because everyone does a little bit of stalking," Marlene remarked and I had to agree...internally, "Luckily for you, I planted the first step by preventing that second date you wanted to immediately agree on," she gave me a reprimanding look my mother would be proud of, "Now, what you have to do is this: Whenever he tries to initiate any kind of contact, you give him your most disinterested glance that lasts precisely 1,5 seconds and give him the shortest amount of words in only one sentence that you can manage."

I let her words sink in, "Siriusly? 1,5 seconds?"

"I've never been more sirius in my life," Marlene said siriusly and I was strangely convinced.

"Trust me, it works," she said as we walked along the Gryffindor table and I noticed we were nearing the Marauders.

"If you say so...," I muttered, wondering how to do that as James looked up with a grin, turning slightly in his seat.

"Hey, Cec. Do you want to sit-" he started.

"What's up, James?" I waved at him without looking as we passed by to settle a few seats away.

"Oi, that was not bad for a beginner," Marlene praised impressed as we sat down and I almost didn't feel ashamed at the pride that filled me at her words. "Now, don't even dare glance at him once. I will count how many times he looks over."

"Alright." To say, lunch was torture was an understatement. Who knew it could be so hard to not look at someone when you were precisely forbidden to. Human nature; always craving the forbidden. It was natural to say I heaved a huge sigh of relief after it was over.

"Fifteen times!" Marlene squealed as we left, heading towards Herbology, "He was staring almost constantly."

"It actually worked?" I asked in surprise and even Alice nodded.

"Yeah, he seemed pretty confused," she commented and his adorably clueless face from earlier flashed through my mind. I sighed blissfully.

"Of course it worked!" Marlened boasted, tugging my arm into hers, "Girl, I'm gonna make you irresistable."

"Where have you been my whole life?" I asked and we giggled, causing Alice and Lily to shake their heads at us with small smiles.

December came and the first half of the month passed by in a blur of Quidditch, Hogsmeade, avoiding James for fun and dreading the upcoming break. I had yet not received a single letter from my parents as expected but now that the day of my doom was heading closer, I was starting to regret the Gryffindor bravery in me that had decided to write them in the first place, happy that the school would be protecting me from their wrath for at least a few weeks.

"Come on, they can't be too angry," Lily reassured, watching me pace around the dorm. Marlene had started packing a bit of her stuff before bed, which once again reminded me of the school break and I had started to walk around nervously, "It's not like it's your fault that Madam Pomfrey won't take any interns."

"You don't know my parents, Lils," I replied, my voice wavering, "They will find some way to blame me for it." She gave me a pitying look over the book she was reading on her bed.

"But you know that you are not at fault," Alice tried this time as she braided her hair, "That's what counts."

"I don't know, maybe I should have tried harder," I mumbled even though it would have been pointless anyways.

"You bribed her with Honeydukes," Marlene pointed out as a row of clothes were magically folded into her bag. I always wondered why she needed that many clothes if she probably had ten times more at home. "If that didn't work, nothing will."

"I guess, you are right," I sighed, plopping down on my bed and burying my face in my pillow, "I wish I could just stay at Hogwarts."

"Don't say that," Lily reprimanded me, "You should be happy, you have a family to go home to." Her voice softened slightly, "Not everyone does anymore." It went silent as we all let her words sink in. We knew what she was hinting at; people were missing, the newspapers were filled with deaths and strange marks on the night sky. The world outside of school was becoming darker and gloomier, our hearts growing heavy each time the owls flew down from the ceiling of the sky and a student once again ran out of the hall in tears.

No one wanted to talk about it, refusing to let it take over our minds but...we were all scared. Deep down, the fear for our family and loved ones was planted in us ever since we were old enough to know that the word 'War' was not just something you read in books and in past tense. It had been in our presence before we had even started school, a Dark Lord rising up from the shadows.

"I think, I'm gonna head out for a bit," I broke silence, the room suddenly stuffy and lacking air.

"Where are you going? It's past curfew," Lily wondered softly, still in her own mind. She had a lot to worry about, her parents being part of the main targets; Muggles. My heart squeezed harshly at the fear that she couldn't quite mask in her green eyes as she usually did and I wished I knew what to say to help her.

Smiling faintly, I picked up a book, "Just to the Common Room for some reading. You girls go to sleep." They bid me 'good nights' and I waited for them to settle in their sheets before I waved my wand to dim the candles.

The Common Room was empty as usual around this time and I settled down in front of the fireplace, opening the book on my lap. Sighing quietly, I tried to ignore the heavy feeling in my chest as I dove into the story, letting my mind focus solely on it to escape reality for at least a little while.

An hour must have passed before the portrait of the Fat Lady swung to the side, light shedding from the hole. But no one came in. Puzzled, I stared at the hole until I heard the slight padding of several feet, causing my eyes to widen in panic. 'What the hell?'

Suddenly James' head appeared out of thin air and I bit my lip just in time to prevent an ear-piercing scream. "J-James? Wha-"

"Hey Cec," he greeted me sheepishly, Sirius head popping up from behind him and this time I did yelp a little.

"You alright there, Grant?" he asked with a grin as if it was normal to stand around with just a head and the rest of his body missing.

"Can we get out now?" Peter's muffled voice reached my ears.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." James threw off what seemed to be a cloak, revealing three of the four Marauders.

"Uff, finally," Peter breathed out a sigh of relief, "I swear it gets more and more stuffy every time we get under it."

"It's because, your stomach gets wider and wider," Sirius teased, prodding his belly, "Relationships make you lazy, Wormtail."

"Do not," he pouted, causing the taller one to ruffle his hair.

"Come on, let's head to bed," the dark-haired handsome boy announced with a yawn, stretching around comfortably as if it nothing out of ordinary had happened.

"Right, good night, Grant." Peter waved at me, Sirius echoing him as they passed by.

"You guys go ahead," James called after them, his friends waving him off as if they had already known.

"Care to tell me what just happened?" I asked, momentarily forgetting that I was supposed to ignore him.

"Oh, Cec. You should know of our nightly adventures by now," James said off-handedly.

"Not that," I rolled my eyes, pointing at the shimmering cloth in his hand, "I mean that."

"Oh this?" He held the cloth up, light reflecting from it slightly. I wouldn't know how to explain it but that cloth practically oozed magic, "This is an Invisibility Cloak."

"You...have an Invisibility Cloak?" I asked incredulously, eyes shining wide.

"Sure, I do," he said proudly as he came closer, plopping down on the couch next to me. He raised his arm, "You wanna try?"

"Hell yes!" I immediately snatched the cloak from his hands, standing up to dive under it, "Can you see me? Can you see me?"

"Obviously not," James chuckled, squinting in the direction he presumed me to be. I was glad I was only wearing socks as I slowly moved to his other side. "Boo!"

"Woah!" he yelped, jumping an inch as he whirled his head around, a hand on his heart, "Bloody hell, woman!"

I snickered, letting the cloak fall from my head. "This is so crazy!" I remarked as I looked down at my nonexistent body, "No wonder, it's so easy for you to sneak away from any trouble."

"Hey now," James said offended, "It takes a lot of skill to keep quiet under that cloak. Especially if three others are under it with you."

"How does that even work?" I wondered, spreading my arms to test the length of the piece of cloth, "It looks too small for you alone, already."

"Yeah, to be honest our growth spurt has been an issue for a while now," James stated, puffing his chest as he felt his biceps, "Can't help the muscles."

I rolled my eyes. "Sure."

James giggled, his manliness dissovling into nothing and I grinned at his cuteness. "It still works for now." He lifted the hem of the cloak and draped it over himself. My breath hitched at the sudden proximity, his chest only inches away from my face. I had to crane my neck to look up at his only to see him stare down at me with his hazelnut brown eyes, the cloak dimming the lights outside. Sweat was forming in my palms and I hoped he couldn't hear my pounding heart.

"See, you and I fit in here, too," he said softly and I imagined his hand brushing against mine ever so slightly, "We could go anywhere we want now..."

"To the kitchens," I suggested, slightly breathless.

He chuckled quietly and my heart sang in joy at the sound, "Or the Quidditch Pitch."

My eyes lightened up at the suggestion. I had never flown around the pitch in the night. Or over the Black Sea or around the towers of Hogwarts. Just imagining the cool air and the darkness of the night with merely the moon illuminating the world made me sigh blissfully.

"Or Hogsmeade if we need to go to Honeydukes," I thought out loud before I gasped in realisation, "That's how you always got the sweets before the first trip!"

"Busted," James grinned, feeling a sense of pride at the admiring look on my face.

"That's so exciting...," I commented quietly, a smile on my face as I grasped the cloak between my thumb and index finger, feeling the satin touch, "All the awesome things you can do with this."

"You haven't even heard half of it," James remarked with a sly grin before his features softened, the warmth pooling from his eyes, "...We can do all of that together...if you want."

It took me second to detect the slight hint of insecurity in his face as he nervously awaited my answer. Biting my lip to keep myself from grinning too wide I squealed internally. This was probably the first time he kind of asked me out for real instead of just swiping me off to a date as if it were obvious I would say yes.

I wondered if I should decline this time as well like my inner-Marlene was screaming at me to do but one glance at his hopeful eyes made me nod almost eagerly. He rewarded me with a wide smile, his eyes crinkling slightly in excitement. "Shall we go catch up on our Hogsmeade date, then?"

My eyebrows rose, feeling slightly unsure. It was in the middle of the night after all and I had never snuck out of the castle before. "Eh...should we, really? It's late and-"

"Come on, Cec," James soothed and this time I knew I wasn't imagining the brush of our hands as he slightly cupped his around mine, his thumb stroking the back of my hand, "I've done this a thousand times already and never got caught. You can trust me."

I gave in, figuring we wouldn't get caught as long as we stayed under the cloak. "Where could we even go? Everything should be closed by now."

"The Three Broomsticks are always open," James responded as he led me out of the Common Room. I shivered slightly in my pyjamas but welcomed the fresh air in the hallways, the wide open windows letting in a cool breeze from time to time. My heart skipped a beat once again as James draped his arm around me, keeping me close for some warmth.

"Have you forgotten you are a wizard again?" I asked teasingly, pointing at his wand. I knew he could easily cast a Heating Charm. I would have done it myself but my wand was on my nightstand. Come to think of it, it was probably not so smart to walk around without a wand but in my defense I had no idea I would wander around the castle at this time.

"I haven't," James replied easily as he led us down a set of staircases, "But maybe I just want to get closer to you." I blushed deeply. "Especially after it's been so long since you were this accepting of me."

"I do not know what you speak of," I said ignorantly, though I felt nervousness built up in me. Marlene had not told me yet what I should answer if I were to be directly confronted about me playing hard-to-get.

"You've been ignoring me," James stated indifferently but I noticed his jaw clenching as he fiddled around with his wand.

"Not true," I mumbled, quickly changing the subject, "What are we doing on the fourth floor?"

James narrowed his eyes slightly and I knew he would only let me off the hook for now, "There is a mirror at the end of the hallway."

"So?" I pressed as we reached said object, startled slightly that I couldn't see myself in it due to the cloak. 'And here I was hoping to check my appearance,' I thought to myself, brushing a hand through my tangled hair strands, 'Marlene would kill me if she saw me right now.'

"This little mirror hides a way that has led us to a lot of adventures already," James announced gravely as he flicked his wand, causing the mirror to swing to the side and reveal a dark hole in the wall. I raised my eyebrows in surprise, "Does this-"

"Lead us to Hogsmeade? Yes," James confirmed, ducking out of the cloak and casting a silent 'Lumos'. He squinted in my direction before he pulled off the piece of cloth from my head, smiling. "Keep it on, it's gonna keep you warm." And with that he climbed up the secret passageway.

"You could still cast a Heating Charm," I said into the hole before I climbed it up as well, slightly weirded out by my visible hands with my invisible arms. James waited for me, already a couple of feet ahead. I looked back at the mirror. "What about the entrance? One of the Prefects might se- nevermind," I mumbled as he shut it with a swish of his wand.

"When did you learn to cast nonverbal spells?" I asked in wonder as we trudged through the way.

"What can I say? I'm just naturally talented at everything," James boasted unashamedly and I rolled my eyes at the over-confidence oozing from his every pore.

"Alright, Mr. Superwizard," I relented, "Where is this passage leading to exactly?"

"We are underground right now. The passageway will lead us out through a gully near the Three Broomsticks."

"We are going through a sewer tunnel?" I asked, looking down at my socks, "You do realise I don't even have shoes on."

"You do realise I'm a wizard, right?" James retaliated with a grin over his shoulder.

"That's questionable sometimes," I muttered, glad it was dark in the tunnel as my cheeks felt on fire. Finally, after about ten minutes of walking and occasionally dipping into the wastewater (disgusting) James directed the light of his wand towards a ladder. Climbing it up, I was greeted by the sight of snow, wind and the small huts in Hogsmeade.

"Wicked," I breathed, taking James' outstretched hand as he helped me up and took the cloak from me to reveal the rest of myself. I immediately started shivering violently, realising how warm the cloak must have kept me. James took off his robe this time, draping it around my shoulders. "You gonna look dumb to people when you walk around here in pyjamas," he explained before casting a Heating Charm.

I shot him a look, "Who was the one suggesting this out of nowhere?"

"Who was the one agreeing on this?" he asked back as he rolled his Invisibility Cloak into a ball and tugged it under his arm, "Now, come on. Let's get some Butterbeer."

I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as we entered the pub, the wind finally ceasing to smash my hair into my face every five seconds. One glance around showed me how empty this place could be in comparison to Hogsmeade weekends where you could hardly find one empty chair.

"James Potter," Madam Rosmerta, the owner of the pub, greeted us from behind the bar where she was doing some cleaning, "What on Merlin's grave are you doing here again at this time?"

"Madam Rosmerta," James greeted chivalrously as he led us over to her, "Just taking out my future girlfriend for the best Butterbeer worldwide."

"Future girlfriend?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow, trying not to blush at his wink.

"Best Butterbeer worldwide? Well, aren't you a charmer?" Madam Rosmerta commented, shooting a grin towards me as well, "Almost as bad as your other friend. Black, was it?"

"Sirius, yes," James laughed.

The woman shook her head as she took out two pewter tankards to fill them with her infamous butterbeer, "Over-confident, little boy. Too handsome for his own good."

"Sounds like him," I remarked, causing her lips to twitch in amusement.

"Oi that's my best friend you are talking about," James complained as he paid - to my embarrassment - for both of us since I had no money on me. He took the tankards with a thanks before turning to me again, "But you are right." I giggled at his statement before we went to take a seat at the windows, Madam Rosmerta shouting a "If you get caught, I had no idea you were here!" after us.

Settling down, I cupped my tankard with my hands as I glanced at the boy in front of me, suddenly nervous. It had been a while since we had been alone, I was almost not used to it anymore. But James being James knew exactly how to break the silence as he started chatting about how he found out about this passageway and the way he had managed to convince Madam Rosmerta to let them occasionally take a drink here with his friends.

He had begged.

"So, enough about that," he eventually ended though despite his constant talking I had a feeling I could listen to him forever. He had a way with his words and the excitement in his voice that could keep anyone interested in what he had to say. It was an admiring trait actually. I probably sounded like Professor Binn's whenever I talked. "Tell me what's been keeping you so busy that you actually dared to ignore me for so long?" he asked with a teasing tilt in his voice to indicate he wasn't being sirius.

I had a feeling he would confront me about it again, but I had hoped he wouldn't tonight. "Eh, you know. School stuff," I muttered, taking a sip of my drink to prolong my answer. When he still waited for more, I got a little defensive of my lie, "You know, some people have to actually study for their grades."

"Oh please," he waved me off, "You could pass every class with your eyes closed. You are just too scared."

"What makes you say that?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

James gave me a look, "Everyone knows you are smart, Cec. Everyone but you," he poked my forehead with a soft smile, "You just get crazy about exams. Like Evans."

I thought back on all the study sessions Lily and I had at the library or the Common Room right before the exams, frantically trying to get everything into our heads. "I guess..."

"It's not like you need to start this early. So, will you just stop studying too much and spend time with me again?" James asked, giving me his puppy look. I resisted the urge to immediately say yes, thinking back on what Marlene had taught me.

"Well..."

"Exams aren't due until a few months. Why would you need to study already?" he almost whined and I cringed at my own lie. Too be honest, I hadn't started studying outside of class besides the assignements we had to do. I was surprised he had actually believed that but then again, I had been spending a lot of time snoozing in the library to escape the onslaught of rumours.

"I guess, I can skip a few study sessions," I feigned a thoughtful look and he beamed, "Or you could just study with me." He deflated.

"Studying is boring though."

I was just glad he thought so, too.

"Not if we make it fun," I pointed out and he gave me a sour look, "You sound like Professor Flitwick," he stated, causing both of us to laugh. We spent the rest of the night talking and catching up on each other's life. We talked about the most irrelevant nonesense but also what had been going on outside of Hogwarts. He stated that his parents were both purebloods but he was still worried they were in danger because they refused to support the Dark Lord. My parents were both magical as well but my mother was Muggleborn, which made me worry for her safety even though she was mostly at work and St. Mungo's could be considered almost as safe as Hogwarts. We ended up trying to reassure the other and I was surprised how good he was at it, filling my heart with ease during the time we spent together as he switched back to a more lighter topic.

I realised how much I had missed these casual nights together and him...I had especially missed him. A lot. It was crazy how much a few months with him made me want to be around him all the time. I had been able to stay away the few weeks due to the exciting imagination of him chasing after me but now that I noticed what I had been missing this whole time I could curse myself for declining him everytime he suggested to hang out or do something together. In a way, what Marlene had taught me had worked against me; now, I was craving his presence more than ever.

"This was great," James sighed, stretching his arms over his head in content as we walked down a hallway to the entrance of the Gryffindor Tower, daringly without a cloak. It was almost 7 am, the others would be starting to wake up. I couldn't believe we had managed to stay up a whole night simply talking.

"Yeah," I agreed, smiling at him as we went through the portrait hole and stopping in front of it. The Common Room was still empty, the fireplace burning with new vigor. The woods must have been replaced sometime over night. I wondered briefly if the Elves were also responsible for that.

"I missed this. Let's do this again...sooner?" James asked almost insecurely and I nodded immediately this time, not wanting to play Marlene's way again. This night showed me that I had just been miserable the past weeks without him.

Looking up at him I opened my mouth to bid him goodnight but his intent gaze made me shut it back tonelessly. His eyes were burning with new vigor just like the fireplace, hazel eyes flickering with gold as he glanced slightly over my shoulder before he drew close, closer than under the Invisibilty Cloak and took my hands in his. I stook stockstill as he leaned down, his forehead grazing mine. "Can I kiss you?" he whispered and hadn't I been so close I probably wouldn't have heard him.

My throat went dry and I barely managed a nod before he placed his lips on mine, blissfully unaware of a pair of green eyes.

Chapter Eight

[lavenderslemonade]

Playing Animal Crossing While in Quarantine HC

Requests: Open!

Warnings: Pure fluff

Midoriya, Bakugou, Todoroki, Kirishima, Tamaki and Aizawa: Playing Animal Crossing With Their S/O While in Quarantine

I’ve been obsessed with animal crossing these past few days! If you want to visit my island some time or just chill, DM me and I’ll send you my switch friend code!

Also, if there’s another My Hero Academia peep you want me to do that isn’t on this list, leave me a message in my inbox and I’ll do them next! Also, please feel free to leave a comment!

Midoriya

- The two of you had the game pre-ordered and once you got it the two of you became hooked. You refuse to let Midoriya onto your island till you have everything set up how you want. However, Midoriya lets you visit his island frequently. He has a little park area on his island, a little picnic area where the two of you can have little dates since he can’t take you out on real ones.

- He won’t let you in his house. You don’t know why, but he won’t. Before you can get near it you see where he’s dug holes or blocked the entrance off with large items so you can’t get through. “Midoriya, I wanna see your house.” You state one day over the phone as you keep hitting the large fish tank he’s put in front of the door with your net.

- You finally get in one day when he accidentally takes the fish tank away when he hit the wrong button, and you just bolt inside. You hear him freaking out on the other end of the phone begging you to please not look at his house. However, it’s too late. It’s...actually not that bad. He has normal rooms much to your surprise.

- Midoriya starts chasing you around his house as you scope out what he’s done with the place. Bathroom, Kitchen, Bedroom, Living room, it’s all pretty normal. Then you get to the basement. You knew it was too good to be true. His basement is nothing but All Might. Midoriyas avatar is behind you sweating and freaking out. However, you reassure him that it’s okay, you’ve seen worse. No really, you went to Minetas island to be nice, and like I said, you’ve seen worse on that island.

- If there’s something in the Nook shop that he thinks you’d like he’ll buy it for you and surprise you with it the next time you come over. If there’s a fossil you can’t find, or one or two bugs you need for Blathers then he’ll try his hardest to find them on different islands and give them to you. If your anniversary or birthday was coming up and couldn’t spend it together during quarantine, he’ll try to come up with a surprise for you.

- You leave your switch for a few minutes to open a few gifts that your relatives had sent you through the mail, and get a piece of cake that your parent(s) got for you. You keep your switch on so Midoriya can run around your island and do as he pleases. While you’re away he begins planting flowers all around your house that he’s collected. Has a little picnic set and places it in the middle of the flowers. Luckily the flowers start to attract butterflys and different insects.

- When you come back your heart is warm from the display, and the two of you spend several hours just talking and doing little things together like collecting the bugs the flowers brought in or fishing.

Bakugou

- He has a switch, but he didn’t buy the game when it first came out. Why would he? It was too cute looking for his taste and he remembers some of the girls playing that stupid background music to help them concentrate while they studied back at UA. It drove him up a damn wall then, so why would he put himself through that torture now?

- It wasn’t till he became annoyed with you that he decided to get the game. You were one of the people that had the game pre-ordered and ever since you got it, plus went under quarantine, you’ve hardly paid Bakugou a lick of attention. He was on the phone with you trying to have a conversation, but whenever it was your turn to talk or answer a question your line was just dead. He’d call out your name snapping you out of your trance, and apologize to him due to you trying to catch a butterfly.

- It was okay the first few times it happened, but then it became annoying. How your line would be quiet then randomly “If I can’t one more fucking sea bass!” blares from your end causing Bakugou to nearly drop his phone in surprise. “Are you still playing that stupid fucking game!” He’d growl into his phone. Goes onto Amazon once the two of you get off the phone and order the game. He won’t pick up whenever you try to call him, which honestly makes you feel pretty guilty.

- However, your guilt flies out the door when you see the banner come across your screen stating a visitor was arriving. You rush to the docks to see who it is and you’re surprised to see a mini Bakugou avatar walk out of the little airport. Quickly, you grab your phone and call him. You had hit the joy emote as you waited for him to pick up, and as soon as he did you couldn’t help but squeal in excitement. “I can’t believe you got the game!” You’d state excitedly as you watch your screen.

- Then an ax appeared in his hand, making the color drain from your face. “Please don’t...” You whimper. Honestly you expected him to chop down all your tree’s, however he simply chased you for about five minutes. Once he’s cooled down he listens to you gush about all the little dates the two of you can go on, giving him a tour of your island, and even showing off the big fish you’ve caught. He’s a little irked because he’s just started the game and hasn’t caught fish as big as yours yet.

- He complains about his hate for Tom Nook. You watched as he tries to hit Toms tent with an ax to no luck. He goes around your island and shakes all the fruit out of your trees much to your displeasure though he drops his own fruit from his island in front of you stating he wants you to plant them.

- Bakugou has a shirt that looks like his hero outfit that he wears most of the time. If he’s not wearing that shirt then he has a regular black shirt with a skull on it. The Bakusquad usually visits each others island, though they don’t visit Denki’s as much since it’s about just as bad as Minetas. It’s not perverted like Minetas, but it’s not really put together well and he wears the dress that looks like it’s a bikini...

- Bakugou is known to uproot Mina’s flowers when she’s not looking to give to you later, and easily gets irritated if one of the bakusquad catches a fish he was trying to get.

- He tried to name his island Hell, but that’s not allowed. So he followed Jacksepticeyes example and named it Hel

- He has a large bed in his house so that whenever you come over you can crawl in with him and pretend that the two of you are cuddling. He has Moose on his island AND HE WANTS HIM GONE!

Todoroki

- He didn’t pre-order the game before it came out, in fact he didn’t even own a switch. He’s never really been that interested in video games, and has mostly been spending his free time reading and spending time with his siblings. You keep sending him images of fish you’ve caught, the small garden you’ve set up beside your house, and when you spotted a Wisp across the water. He could tell you were having a lot of fun, and was surprised to find out that Midoriya and the rest of Class 1-A was playing the game.

- Thus, he ordered a switch and the game so he could play with everyone. He sends a picture of his avatar once he’s gotten everything set up. Though, you’re not surprised that his character has white hair instead of red. You call him and answer any questions he has, helping him learn the ropes of the game. once he’s got a good bit of things done, and Timmy and Tommys shop has been set up, you allow him to visit your island. However, he won’t let you visit his yet.

- The two of you mostly goof around collecting bugs and fish. When the sun sets you have a bench near the edge of the water that the two of you sit on together. Todoroki starts a garden on your island just for you. Yeah, you have one that you started, but he wanted to start one where it’s just flowers he’s brought you. If he’s visiting a fellow classmates island and sees a flower he thinks you’d like or would look good in the garden, he’ll take a few thousand bells and drop it at the island owners feet before typing “I want the flower.”

- They’re not complaining because they got a dept to pay. Will go straight to your island and plant the flower.

- He has Marshal AND Raymond on his island, and honestly you feel a bit jealous. He’s converted pictures of you and the two of you together from his phone to the nintendo app so he can hang up pictures of y’all in his house. His house is honestly pretty simple, just like his dorm room. He even has a bamboo noodle slide beside his house. Actually a good chunk of his island has bamboo on it now, which doesn’t surprise you.

- The two of you actually dress up your characters to go on mini dates together. It grosses Bakugou out. “Why the fuck are y’all dressed like you’re about to go someplace fancy?!” Bakugou would type out while hitting Todoroki with a net much to his annoyance. When he’s bored Todoroki would make little outfits for you and send you the QR code. You mostly wear only what Todoroki makes now.

- He insist’s on helping you pay off your debt to Tom Nook, but you won’t let him.

Kirishima

- Like Midoriya he and you both pre-ordered the game. Surprisingly he’s played the past Animal Crossings as well. Before quarantine the two of you would actually listen to soothing animal crossing music when you study or were taking a nap. Your island is more developed than his since he doesn’t want to do the time jump cheat.

- The first room he has added onto his house is turned into a gym. He gets along so well with Tank, and usually can see his character running with Tank. Sucks at designing clothes so you designed him a Red Riot costume and emailed him the QR code. He lets you design different outfits for him and will put on little fashion shows for you. The two of you usually visit Sero and Minas island together, and sometimes Bakugou when he’s on (which is rare), and Denki’s.

- Everyone clicked the surprise emote when Denki appeared in the bikini dress. The two of you will go on fishing dates together, and if he catches a cute insect or a hard to catch fish, he’ll give it to you. One of the only things he’ll try is trying to grow a money tree, which surprisingly works.

- You logged on one day for one of your dates and he stated he had a gift for you. He’d hop off the bench y’all were sitting on and give you a huge stuffed bear from the Nook store. After that he’d take you to the town square where some of his villagers were singing Bubblegum KK.

- Has a large bed so the two of you can ‘snuggle’. His house is pretty ordinary, he keeps all his workout stuff in the back room. He’s the type that uses half his island to store the fish he’s collected to he an turn them in all at once. He’ll spend two-three days collecting fish nonstop, and then selling them to Timmy and Tommy. He see’s it as just a bit of revenge for the insane dept Tom Nook has put everyone in.

- He surprisingly pays close attention to the decor of your home. If there’s something he thinks you’ll like, he’ll build it and then change it’s color so it can fit with your homes aesthetic. Both of you download the nintendo switch app and convert photos of yourselves to put in your homes. He wants to go visit Tamaki, but you try to convince him not to since you know he’ll probably cause the older boy to have an anxiety attack with how hyper he is on the game.

- The two of you decided to be nice and visit Mineta’s island a.k.a “Hentai Island”. As soon at the two of you read the title you knew you were in trouble. His avatar frequently wears a shirt that has abs on it, and somehow it’s more disturbing than Denki’s Bikini dress. He tries to flirt with you in the game “Do I look manly enough for you now (y/n)?” you can basically hear him salivating from the other side of the screen.

- After that you and Kirishima vow never to go back. He’s not allowed on either of your islands either. Kirishima allowed him over once and he just kept staring at one of the pixel images of you Kirishima has on his wall. Luckily, while he was over Kirishima accidentally shook some wasps from a tree, and while he was running away they attacked Mineta.

Tamaki

- Both of you were too busy to pre-order the game, but Fatgum knew how much both you and Tamaki enjoyed Animal Crossing. He had actually caught the two of you playing on your break on your 3DS’s. He knew that some much was going on in your lives due to it being your final school year, plus the ordeal with saving Eri. Thus, he pre-ordered two of the games as a surprise for the two of you.

- However, due to not knowing when you’d get quarantined, once the games arrived he personally mailed them out to the both of you along with a little letter. When the two of you got your copies, you were surprised and ecstatic. Both of you sent a thank you text to Fatgum and began playing right away. Both of you spent a few days to yourselves, wanting to get your island organized and to surprise each other. You tried catching all the butterflies you could to give to Blathers and make the museum’s butterfly garden as nice as it could be!

- Neither you or Tamaki time jump since you want to experience the full calming effect of Animal Crossing. Tamaki honestly feels a bit intimidated by  Bam, but he loves Fuchsia. When the two of you finally visit he each other, you insist on going to his island first. He has flowers all around Fuchsia’s home and you could see a few buds sprouting around the new homes that were being built, his way of welcoming his new villagers.

- He’s made a large garden for you at the top of his island, where none of the villagers can really disturb the two of you. Because there’s nothing more awkward than Tamaki spending time with his S/O in a romantic setting and then trying to take them to the secret spot he set up just for Dom to be sitting on the bench meant for the two of you. He doesn’t want to be mean to the villager, however, watches from the side as you pull out your net and start thwacking Dom with it till he moves.

- Tamaki watched Dom leave, before joining you on the bench, and deciding to send the sheep some flowers as an apology for making him move. But like, it was a mini date for the two of you and he really wanted to watch the meteor shower with you from that said spot. And the end of the night you give him the outdoor picnic set you needed cherry blossom petals to make.

- On your island you tried your best to collect as many butterflies as you could along with a few other insects and koi for aesthetics to surprise Tamaki with. He’s honestly shocked with home many butterflies you had caught. With the time frame of some of them it means you’ve probably been up early in the morning to late at night trying to catch specific ones. Blathers probably has nightmares now about butterflies.

- Both of you aren’t really big fans of Tom Nook, but Tamaki loves Isabelle, Timmy and Tommy. Whenever Mirio and Nejire visit, it’s chaotic. The two of you will be chilling in the town square watching Marina sing into the mic that Tamaki set up for her, meanwhile Mirio and Nejire are chasing each other with nets and beating each other over the head. Mirio accidentally plucked one of Tamaki’s flower hybrids and Tamaki quickly clicked the distressed emote.

- Tamaki takes very good care of his plant life, literally going around and watering them everyday. So you were able to replicate the hybrid and planted it in the spot where Mirio had accidentally plucked the other one.

Aizawa

- Due to your busy schedules, Aizawa has a switch lite that he plays on when he’s taking breaks at school or when he’s just resting at home. Meanwhile you have a full on switch. Both of you pre-ordered the game and play it side by side at home. Aizawa is pretty resourceful with his materials, keeping things in his storage as to not waste room and going out to collect more stuff.

- His first two villagers were Rudy and Pashmina. You watched as his eye lit up at Rudy, knowing your boyfriend was crazy for cats. He tries to follow things step by step, collecting items to sell and pay off Tom Nook and steadily becoming frustrated with the more dept the damn raccoon put him in. Meanwhile, you’re using the time jump cheat to get things done quicker and make your island look like legit paradise.

- You’ve went to his island to find him catching fish and trying to give it to Rudy. He doesn’t really use emotes. A good bit of the time you see that he’s online, thus when you go to visit his island you’re surprised to see he’s not greeting you at the docks. You go to his house and you’re not surprised to find his avatar asleep on the bed. You go to the living room to see your boyfriend passed out on the couch, his switch resting against his chest as he snoozes away.

- You frequently bop him in the head with your net when you want attention, because he’s usually focused on completing tasks for Tom Nook and selling items to Timmy and Tommy. You finally stop when he pulls out an ax and just stares at you. You peek up from your switch in your chair in the living room and just see Aizawa glaring at you from the couch. “...I love you.” You’d state with the most innocent look you can muster.

- Barold moves onto Aizawa’s island and AIZAWA WANTS HIM GONE. You’d noticed online how the character had been getting a fair amount of disapproval, but it couldn’t be that bad. Well, Aizawa led you to Barolds house and you were amazed to see the surveillance stuff he has up, and you agree with Aizawa. Boi gotta go.  

- You decide to mess with him one day so you send all his students his switch friendship code, and Momo helps you design the schools uniform for the students. Some even make their hero costumes. When he gets on one evening he’s horrified to see all his students sitting in classroom chairs in the center of his island. Some of the villagers are passing by trying to talk to them, and you’re chilling on a bench. You walk over to your boyfriend and pull out a party popper and spray confetti over him yelling “Surprise! They wouldn’t pay attention on Zoom, so I thought they’d pay attention on here!”

- He just stares you down from his side of the bed. You refuse to look up from your switch to meet his irritated gaze.

- You’re not allowed on his island for a week.

[a-cat001]

The Coolest Lion in Daikanyama

“Huuuuuhhhh, I’ll never get through all this paperwork at this rate, aaaahhhh”, Arsalan rolled over onto his side on his desk in exhaustion as he had been hours at  work filling out paperwork for the abbey as per requested by Maria. “There has to be something to do other than this” he whined, no sooner than he had spoken, an angel came by his desk with another stack of paperwork causing Arsalan to bury his face into his arms in defeat. “I wish a certain cub would come by, I bet they could make this mundane work more exciting.” he said to himself, his face still planted in his arms. A sudden loud noise made him lift his head back up to see its source, “Come on Maria!”, “No Gabriel, you have responsibilities to attend to here, you can’t go to the party.”. It was Gabriel and Maria with Gabriel trailing behind Maria clinging to her clothes in a pleading fashion “But I got to put on a hit performance at such a party, even MC is going to be there!” Gabriel cried, this caused Arsalan’s ears to perk up at the mention of your name and a party, “What’s this about a party Maria?” the lion asked. “Shinjuku Academy is hosting a large party to celebrate their recent academic success schoolwide” replied Maria, “Yeah and the one thing that a party needs is a show and you know what's even better? A duet collab, it’s just what the people are waiting for!” Gabriel exclaimed indicating she wanted you to perform with her. “Again Gabriel, you have responsibilities to take care of on top of the fact you nearly gave them a heart attack last time you decided to randomly pull them on stage” said Maria, quickly cutting down Gabriel’s hope of performing, “Plus I believe that the party is only for Shinjuku students” she added. Gabriel continued to cling to Maria as she walked off, still whining about attending the party, leaving Arsalan to himself. He soon begin to think to himself about the party, staring at the stacks of paperwork on his desk, feeling more exhausted as he thought about the hours he would spend filling them out, “I’m sure that one break couldn’t hurt, it’ll boost my moral and I’ll be able to finish this paperwork in no time, plus I bet my young cub could use some company at such a rowdy event.” he thought to himself, stroking his chin as a smile came to his face.

It was the night of the party and you meet up with the rest of the summoners before heading down to the main reception “Ooooh I can’t wait to hit the buffet line, I heard Choji prepared all kinds of delicious stuff for the party!” Ryota said as he bounced along, “Hold your horses there bud, you may have to compete with Behemoth on that one” Kengo remarked. “Don’t take me lightly Kengo! All is fair in food and war and I don’t intend to lose, not even to Behemoth!”, Ryota said, “Woah where'd all this seriousness come from?!” Kengo replied. “Isn’t it all is fair in love and war?” Shiro quipped looking puzzled at Ryota’s earlier statement, “Same thing” Ryota replied which made you laugh, “looks like no ones changed” you remark. “Remember we are here to enjoy ourselves, my friends not to fight.” Moritaka said, “There will be plenty of food and games to enjoy for everyone, speaking of which I think I may enjoy myself in a game of frisbee toss while we’re there.” he added his tail wagging at the thought of frisbee. After you arrive at the party some of your friends break off to go enjoy different parts of the party while you go with Ryota to enjoy the buffet table, sampling the delicious array of food that is present until a sudden noise from the crowd in the distance catches your attention. You and Ryota move in to find out what the noise was about, running into Kengo in the process and asking what the was causing the commotion but Kengo simply stared forward with his mouth agape before answering “Uh, who is that?”. You turn in the direction he motions to and your jaw quickly hits the floor at the sight of a large lion transient wearing shades, white high top sneakers, shorts, an unzipped leather hoodie with the sleeves ripped off and a white t-shirt with the words “Lion Pride” written on it. “Hey yo cubs! The coolest lion in Dai- Shinjuku has arrived!” Arsalan roared as he pumped his fist into the air, “That Kengo, is a cry for attention” you sigh. Perhaps you spoke too loud as Arsalan quickly turns to your direction before his face lights up and he runs over to you picking you up off the ground into a massive hug, “greetings young cu- I mean, how’s my main cub!” he shouts, earning you more than a few stares. By the time Arsalan puts you down your face is beet red and you grab Arsalan’s paw to lead him to a less crowded area where you can talk to him, “What are you doing here?”, “What, I’m just here to enjoy the party and see my favorite cub.” he responds. You cross your arms and raise an eyebrow at him to which he breaks his facade ,”Awwww come now, don’t look at me with that face, you know I don’t do well with paperwork.” he whines, you give him a quick boop on the nose before reminding him he can’t just ditch his responsibilities. “This will be a one time instance, besides Maria will have my tail if I return now”, You give a defeated sigh and uncross your arms, “Fine, just try to blend in ok?”, you ask, “Gotcha” he replies, flashing you a smile and a pair of finger guns, “Huuh, ok, also what’s with the outfit?”, “Hmm, I thought this is what the youth of this world normally wear is it not?” he replies. Looking him up and down you chuckle before heading back to the party, you spend most of the party hanging around Arsalan, partially to keep him company and part to watch over him. You and Arsalan play mostly sports games and mingle with the crowd, meeting up with several of your friends and students from your class, with Arsalan “trying” to keep inconspicuous. HIs methods are however, drawing more attention to the two of you, “Hey yo! Nice to meet ya, how’s it hangin”, he would shout or he would shout into crowds, “Come on cubs raise your hands in the air!” and while it definitely got you some puzzled looks you couldn’t help but enjoy his enthusiasm. This continued for a while so you decided to take a break and grab a drink, but as you do a pair of students from another class come up to you with smug grins on their face. “You always tend to attract the freak show don’t you” one of them said, the other behind him chuckling, you give them a glare “What’s it to you what my friends are like” you retort. “Oh it's nothing it just makes sense that someone as weird as your friend would be following you around considering just how weird you are yourself.”, “What’s that supposed to mean?” you reply, now getting tired of the pair's attitude. “Oh come on, you may be the big talk around school but don’t think I haven’t seen the way you really are, crying to yourself, freaking out for no reason, hanging around a bunch of weird transients all the time, you're just like your friend, nothing but hot air.” he says, “I-” you begin but hang your head down at the realization that someone was calling you out on your problems. The pair laugh at your defeat and turn around to leave but are stopped as the first one collides into a large figure that had been listening in on the conversation. “Would you care to repeat yourselves little cubs?” Arsalan says, his face contorted in anger, “Who are you to judge others, especially MC. They have done nothing but devote themselves to others in need, which is why I and many others follow them. They have done more for this Arsalan and many others throughout Tokyo than you two could ever hope to as you are!”. They pairs grinning faces quickly turned to scowls “Why don’t you mind your own business you old poser geezer.” The first one says as they both unseath their sacred artifacts, Arsalan grins through his serious face as he pulls out his own sacred artifact, plunging it into the ground causing oil to spew up.

Back at the abbey, Maria had just received a phone call from the police that an incident had occurred at Shinjuku Academy involving one of their guild members. Upon arriving with Zabaniyya they are shocked to find Arsalan cuffed hand and foot, his head hung low, learning later he had been apprehended after he knocked two of the students unconscious. He was later released to the two after multiple witnesses testified that the students had instigated the fight but was still warned about starting fights especially considering the amount of oil everywhere after the fight. “I can’t believe you snuck out to go to a party Arsalan, you need to be setting an example!” Maria cried, “I know Maria, I deeply apologize for my actions and accept my punishment.”. Maria continued to huff for a minute before she left to talk with the police again about the incident and to apologize to staff, so you decided now would be your chance to talk to the lion. “H-hey thanks for standing up for me back there” you start, the lion perking up at the sight of you, “It was the least this Arsalan could do for you considering all you have done for me.”. You motion for him to lean down to your level to which you plant a quick kiss on his cheek, causing his face to blush deeply as he places his paw on his face where your lips had just been. “You know if you're getting bored at the abbey I could always drop by more often to hang out.” you say, the lion giving a wide smile before replying “Thank you my precious cub, I will be excitedly awaiting your arrival -Owowowow!”, Maria had returned and began to drag Arsalan away by his ear. As he was dragged away he waved at you still smiling wide. Zabaniyya approached you to express his thanks for watching over Arsalan before he leaned down to whisper to you, “I thank you for giving lord Arsalan the quality of time, he truly misses you back at the abbey and enjoys your company,... as do I, we both await your company”. You give Zabaniyya a smile before you decide to tease him a bit “maybe next time we can take you out with us.”, Zabaniyya begins to get flustered for a minute before he settles down to respond “Perhaps we could try something simple, I do not believe I am ready for such an occasion, and if I may request that I not be forced to wear such an attire, please?”.

[vampire03]

Diabolik lovers x Danganronpa AU (part 1)

Hi guys! I watched Danganronpa for the first time two weeks ago and I really liked it! I hope I got the conception right, because I think Diabolik lovers x Danganronpa will be a cool combination. Hope you enjoy it! TW for these shole series. They are reaaaaaly bloody!

"Hope's peak Academy" - a place where the best of the best study. Only ultimate students are accepted here - such who are better than anyone in something, whether it is dancing, maths, games, sports or something else, they were ultimate.

And then there was Y/N - an ordinary girl who always thought she had no special talent and just blended with the crowd. But one day she got a letter from "Hope's Peak academy" which said that she has been randomly choosen and accepted in the academy as the "Ultimate lucky student". Seriously, she couldn't believe her luck.

And this is how it started.

Y/N was standing in front of the academy, admiring how beautiful the building looked. She entered inside, waiting for her new classmates from class 79-B to gather up in the main hall for the first day at school.

While waiting, she was getting more and more anxious - she was going to be in a class with amazing people who were talented in sports, arts, studies etc. And she had no talent at all. Would she be able to fit?

Suddenly, she got dizzy and everything became dark.

When Y/N woke up, she was lying on a desk in a classroom. A classroom... with baricaded windows? With iron plates? What on Earth?!

Y/N looked around and saw a note, that was adressed to her, saying that she has to be in the school gymnasium at 8 o'clock. When she looked at the clock on the wall, it was exactly 8 o'clock.

"Uuuuu, I gotta hurry!" Rushed Y/N and as if by intinct she knew hwere to go and reached the gymnasium, where she saw 15 people waiting for her.

"I-I'm sorry I'm late! I somehow fainted and just woke up a minute ago!"

"Do not worry, you are just on time!" said a short girl with long brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hello, I am Luna Sakamaki! The Ultimate artist here!"

"H-hi!" cheerfully answered Y/N.

"Fufufu, another Bitch-chan! Things get better and better!" playfully said a tall boy with red hair and stunning green eyes. He was wearing a fedora and had a mole on his chin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, nfu! I am Laito Sakamaki! The Ultimate male model! You have probably seen me on tons of magazins, haven't you?"

"S-sure..." Y/N nodded. He had somehow a different aura in real life...

"Why are we still here? Teddy and I are already bored!" Said a short boy with purple hair and eyes, in a really irritated tone.

"Hello, what's your na-

"WHO ALLOWED YOU TO SPEAK TO ME AND TEDDY?!?" The boy snapped. He looked kinda... psychic... He had that... weird look... combined with those bags under his eyes... Y/N decided it would be better if she didn't interact with him that much...

"Please forgive for the foolishness of my brother. His name is Kanato Sakamaki and he is the Ultimate doll-maker. As for me, I am Reiji Sakamaki, the Ultimate scientist." Calmly said a tall young man with black hair and red eyes. He was wearing glasses and looked very, very formal.

"Oi, oi, oi, OI! Oresama should introduce himself first!" A boy with red hair and green eyes approached. His clothes were a little messy.

"I am Ayato Sakamaki. But it's Oresama or Yours Truly for you!"

"Shut up already! I want to go home already!" An albino boy shouted angrily as he punched the wall, leaving a hole in it.

"Subaru-kun... You don't have to break t-the wall!" Squealed a blonde girl with pink eyes.

"And you two are...?"

"Oh, I am Yui Komori, the Ultimate assistant, and this is Subaru Sakamaki, the Ultimate fighter" answered the girl.

"I suppose we will have to introduce ourselves as as well, we are the Mukami brothers - I, Ruki, the Ultimate butler, Kou the Ultimate idol, Yuma, the Ultimate gardener and Azusa, the Ultimate doctor." A boy with dark grey hair and blue eyes said as he gestured towards his brothers - one blond boy (Kou) , one very tall boy (Yuma) and one very thin and unhealthy looking boy (Azusa).

"Hi!" They said together.

"You worthless vampires, you should have let us introduse ourselves first!" Said in a deep voice a young man with golden eyes and long white hair. He looked like a royal. "I am Carla Tsukinami, the Ultimate leader, you better remember that, woman."

"Yeah! And I am his brother, Shin Tsukinami!" Shouted a boy with golden eyes and peach hair. "And also, I am the Ultimate animal-trainer!"

"Yo, little princess! You should know that I am the Great Kino-Sama! Stop talking to these guys!" Demanded a boy with black hair and red eyes. He was holding a videogame in his hand. Yep. The Ultimate gamer.

"Ha... Bothersome..." Lazily said a tall blonde guy, who was lying on the floor in the corner.

"And this eyesore is Shu Sakamaki - the Ultimate violinist" said Reiji with annoyance.

"So you guys, uhhmm-

Y/N started, but was interrupted by a weird echoing voice:

"Pufufufu! Welcome, dear students, I am Monokuma, the Principal of this school! Congratulations for being accepted here! You already got to know each other, now it is time for the rules!" Said a tiny robotic bear - half white and half black. He had one normal and one red eye. And he. Was. Talking.

"I said quit this crap already! Who is pulling off this prank! First we lose conciousness, then we are locked here, and now a bear is talking and saying that he is the Principal!" Raged Subaru.

"I am not just a bear! I am a masterpiece! Now. Listen to the rules, children... Because you are going to follow them for the rest of your lives here, pufufu!" Mockingly said the bear.

"For the rest of our lives here?" asked Luna.

"That's right! This school is your new home forever! None of you will be getting out in this awful hopeless world again and you will live in harmony, following the rules!" Explained the bear.

"Is this why there are iron plates on all if the windows?" asked Yui.

"That's right! No peeking outside!" Laughed Monokuma.

"Oi, I said stop with this bullshit and let's get ove with this!" Shouted Subaru, as he ran towards Monokuma and punched him.

"OWWW, VIOLATIONS OF THE SCHOOL RULES, AGRESSION TOWARDS THE PRINCIPAL, YOU WILL BE THE FIRST PUNISHED!" Cried the bear. His red eye started glowing in a creepy way.

"Subaru, trow the bear far away, quickly!" Suddenly said Reiji.

In a rush Subaru trew the bear and it exploded in the air.

"Dude, these guys ain't joking!" Hissed Yuma.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Subaru shouted.

"Pfuffufufu!" Monokuma's voice was head again, as he appeared out of nowhere again, without a single scratch.

"You see? This was an example of what happens to those who break the rules here, fufufu! Now let me introduce you to the rules, so you can follow them without a problem from now on!"

"So you are saying that you will keep us locked here forever and we will have to live according to your rules, otherwise you will kill us?" Asked Ruki.

"Bullseye!"

"It can't be, this thing is actually real, at the same time it is not... What is it then...? auietly asked himelf Kou, as he held his hand on his eyes.

"That iss up to you to find out! Now finally, the rules. As you already know, you are going to live here forever. In peace and harmony, with endless food and water supplies. You willhave your own separate rooms with bathrooms inside! Girls' bathrooms have a bonus - they have locks! Each one of you has a special E-Handbook, which shows you your student profile and allows you access to different areas! These will be your student ID cards so do not lose them and do not try to destroy them! Also, the time between 10pm and 7am is called "Night hours". During that time it is forbidden to sleep somewhere else, but your room! I will make sure to inform you when Night hours begin and end!" Happily explained Monokuma.

"So you are saying that we are just going to get up, eat, walk around this place all day and then go to bed again? For the rest of our lives? There is gotta be a way outta here!" Said Ayato.

"Puhuhu... There actually is! In order to keep the harmony, students who dissrupt it, have to leave the school, right? We call it "graduation". And is there a better way to ruin the harmony than killing someone? Of course not! If one of you kills someone else withhout the others finding out who the murderer is, the murderer successfully graduates and is free to go and the others are punished for their wrong assumptions!" Monokuma said.

"P-punished? How?" Asked Y/N

"How, you ask? By being executed, of course!" The bear answered.

"EXECUTED?!" Everyone asked in horror.

"Puhuhu, yes. However, if the murderer is exposed by the other students, they get to live and the murderer is the only one to be executed, failing to graduate. Interesting, right?" Mocked Monokuma.

"No, this has to be a joke!" Y/N said, shivering.

"But it isn't! Now you are free to go and look around your new home! Remember that soon the Night hours will begin. Have fuuun!" Happily said Monokuma and suddenly dissapeared the way he appeared.

"Man..." Yuma said, scratching the back of his neck. "This is sick! And my phone is missing."

"Ours too..." replied everyone in unison.

"And not only that... Seems we are being watched 24/7..." said Kou, pointing at a camera in the corner. And another one near the door. And another one in the hallway...

"Well, since we have nothing to say to each other, let's all go around and look for a way out of the school". demanded Carla.

"Good" agreed Reiji. "Let's meet here again after an hour."

Everyone went their own way around the school.

Y/N reached the cafeteria where she saw that there really are tons of food and drinks, enough for everyone. She also found the Infirmary where there were a few nice beds, some medications and blood supplies. Then she found herself in a hallway with a lot of doors. The had locks and labels with different names. Yes, these were the students' rooms! So Y/N's room had to be somewhere here as well! In the end of the hallway, she indeed found a room with her name written on the door and a picture of her on ut as well. She found ther E-Handbook in her pocket and a pair of keys as well.

"One for the room and one for the bathroom, I assume." mumbled Y/N to herself as she indeed unlocked the room with one of the keys.

It was a nice spacious room. Of course, the windows had iron plates on them. A camera in the corner as well. There was a nice bed, a table and a chair, a wardrobe and the bathroom as well. Y/N remembered that she had to meet with the others soon, so she headed back to the gymnasium.

Everyone was gathering there again, looking dissapointed.

"We found no way out if here..." proclaimed Reiji. Ayato, Kanato, Laito and Subaru nodded, agreeing with their brother.

"Same for us. We circled around the whole area and found no other way out, but a starcase to a secound floor I persume. However, there was a barrier, so we could not reach it" Ruki said. Yuma, Kou and Azusa beside him.

"We also did not discover something to help us out." said Carla in a dissapointed voice. Shin nodded, mumbling to himself.

"Pain in the ass..." huffed Subaru.

Yui, Luna, and Y/N did not say a word. The only ones who were missing here were Shu and Kino. Where were they?

"Attention, students! It is 10pm! Night hours begin!" Monokuma's voice could be heard from everywhere.

"So soon?" Yui asked.

"Well, I guess we will have to go in our own rooms for now, see you guys tomorrow! Maybe the next day we will have a fresh start and will be more successful in finding a way out! Goodnight!" wave Luna at everyone as she left. The others left as well.

Y/N got back to her room. As she was about to get in bed, she found a note on the table which said:

"There are little gifts for you all under your beds! Sewing kits for the girls and tool kits for the boys! Use them creatively!

- Monokuma"

Y/N ripped the note to pieces and trew it in the trash bin. She checked under the the bed and indeed found a sewing kit there. There were diferent needles and scissors inside. And a little piece of paper with a plan of a human body, with all of it's weak spots marked on it. Y/N felt sick.

"I better go to bed... It will be troublesome if I am all sleepy yomorrow morning...I hope we will find a way out of here.." saind Y/N to herslef and she got under the blanket and turned her back to the camera. There was no way someone could sleep normaly while there is a camera at their face, right?

Phew! This is one of the longest things I have written! I hope you guys liked it and there are no mistakes. I wonder, when the bloody scenes come, should I try making pictures of them with the Diaboys, the way it is in Danganronpa? It will be cool, but it will take some time! You decide!

♡♡♡

[liaincursives]

These feelings I got /Lucas’ season

/ all parts together on ao3

It feels like ten decades since I wrote anything that wasn’t for school, but I really wanted to give Lucas his own story and I had a few ideas, so why shouldn’t I share them with  you guys? But  enough talking, enjoy. 

Saturday 9:37

Lucas eyelids felt heavy and numb as hew tried to open them. One small strike of sunlight made his left eye feel like it was burning. He squinted, trying to grab a clear thought. His head weighted him down and the world around him seemed to stop for a second.

It was the day. Yesterday had been the last party in his old life. This was probably the last time he would wake up on the floor in Jaydens room, with Kes slightly snoring next to him and Jayden throwing his bedsheets down on him. He filled his lungs, taking a deep breath as the tears were climbing up his throat. He wasn’t ready to move away, he wasn’t ready to leave Utrecht, he just wasn’t ready for this. 

Until six weeks ago, everything seemed so perfect. Yes, taking care of his mother wasn’t a thing that a 17-year old boy should do, but besides that, Lucas was truly happy. He would go skating with the boys, pay more or less attention to his teachers in class and get high and drunk on a variety of parties in Utrecht. Yes, there had been the whole drama with Kes and Isa, but Lucas released that there were things that were way more important than the feelings he had for his best friend and that he had had struggles handling them in the beginning. He was just happy that he had a stable life, with amazing friends and the freedom that he needed. 

But six weeks ago, the things started to get out of control. His moms episodes got worse, one minute, she was laying on the. kitchen floor and crying for Lucas’ father and in the next, she would throw anything close to her at Lucas, screaming that he destroyed her life and that he was the reason that his father left both of them. Lucas started to build up a wall against the things his moms was saying, he took every opportunity to take care of her and to calm her down, however he wasn’t a professional, so things just kept getting more and more miserable. With taking care of his mom, he started to loose sleep at night, so he used the time he would normally use to go out with his friends to catch up sleep and to at least try to take his best shot in school, as he was graduating soon. 

For about two weeks, all of this worked out okay. Kes was starting to ask questions, but he still still respected when Lucas didn’t want to talk about it, until the day his mom threw a stapler at him. It was an unlucky moment, he was coming home from school and as if she was waiting for the perfect moment, his mom was standing in the hallway, totally out of her mind, with a  big stapler in her hand. She threw and reached her goal. It hit Lucas right over his left eyebrow, but for him, it was nothing to worry about, after all it was just a small cut over his eyebrow. 

The first class he had the next day was P.E. and the young and way too over engaged teacher had just started basketball as a new topic and as the class was running sprints over the court as Lucas vision started to get blurry. He couldn’t remember much of that day, but Kes told him that he passed out on the court and the teacher got furious as she was trying to handle the situation. Lucas woke up on the gym floor, with everyone staring at him. The teacher told him to leave to get a check-up since he didn’t know the reason for him randomly loosing conciseness in class and after two hours sitting in the E.R., a student doctor in a teal scrub told him that the small cut over his eyebrow needed to get stitches and that he was lucky for only having a concussion and nothing worse. 

After left the hospital to get back to school, the guidance counsellor called him to her office. Lucas still din’t know what had possessed him, but in a moment of weakness, he told the old lady with the yellow flower dresses and grey dutch braids about. everything. He told her about the nights he sacrificed for his mom, how he couldn’t see his friends anymore because of that and how afraid he was about not making it in class anymore because he was too tired to concentrate. After the old lady talked to his mom about everything, luckily when she was at least sort of sane, they agreed that it would be the best for everyone if Mrs Van der Heijden admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital. 

The following weeks were horrible. Even though Lucas was almost grown-up, his mom was not okay with letting him liven his own for the next three months. Three months. That was the time a normal stay at the hospital would take, but depending on the patient, it could always. Be longer or shorter. Lucas tried convince his mom that he was independent enough to survive on his own, but she didn’t want to hear anything about it, so she contacted his father. 

Lucas barely even knew him. The only contact they had were the way too expensive birthday- and Christmas presents he got twice a year. His dad probably thought that two, not even personal, presents each year would be enough excuse for leaving them. According to his mum, the decided that it was to best for 4-year old Lucas to stay with his mom, since she was totally okay back then and his friends were in Utrecht, but his father never really got over loosing his only child. 

The whole situation seemed to be the perfect moment to get his lost son back and even though Lucas tried everything to stay in the Netherlands, there was no way in winning a discussion with his father, so he would be moving to Antwerp, where his father worked as a manager for some important company. 

In the past two weeks, Lucas was commuting between Utrecht and Antwerp to bring the most important things over there, but he still was living with his mother, for the reason that she needed to wait for a free space in the hospital. During those weeks, Lucas had learned an important thing: His dad was barely even home, considering he needed to travel a lot to keep up the international connections of his company. On the previous Wednesday, the call came. There was a free spot for his mom, so she moved on Thursday. Everyone agreed that it was seemed the best for Lucas if he would move over the weekend to have time to get acclimatised before starting school, so he spent the last two nights in his city sleeping on a hard air mattress on the floor of Jaydens room. 

Lucas’s gaze wandered over his friends. He still remembered their faces when he told them about everything. The sadness and the tiny disappointment in their eyes. He could still hear Kes asking:”Why didn’t you tell us anything?”. Honestly, Lucas wasn’t even able to answer that question to himself. It just didn’t feel right, whining about his life problems and dragging everything down. He knew that his friend would try everything just so he could stay. Jayden and Liv offered him the empty little room in the flat share, Isas mom even talked to his father, trying to set an example for a child that was living alone, but nothing worked out. Lucas would leave his home. His life. He was about to take the train to Antwerp in less than two hours. 

The door carefully opened and Lucas could spot Livs curly hair peaking through the door. “Are you guys up? I made pancakes and Ralph and Isa are already waiting” The dark rings under her eyes made her look exactly like Lucas felt. The last evening had been a lot. It would have been okay for Lucas to just hang out with his closest friends, but Jayden and Kes were convinced that Lucas deserved a bigger farewell, so they threw a huge party on the rooftop of the flat share. Lucas barely knew the people that came, but spending that last evening with with such a normal thing felt really good. 

The kitchen would have been too small for all six of them, so everyone took a plate and they sat down in the living room, talking about the last evening, but no one really talked about what they were actually thinking. Lucas was going to leave. 

The next time Lucas checked theme on his phone, a feeling of dizziness hit him rightist his stomach. 10:27. They would need to leave to get his train soon.

But Lucas just wasn’t ready to leave yet. For sure, Antwerp was less than two hours away but needing to take the train to see his friends just wasn’t the same. His whole life took stage in Utrecht and now, he was supposed to leave, to live with his dad, who didn’t even know him anymore. Utrecht created him. This city influenced his whole life. This city and the people here…

He could feel Kes’ stare on him. “What? Sorry I got bit lost, it’s just not feeling right to go”, Lucas was a bit confused, but then he realised that his phone was ringing and if he read Kes’ stare the right. way,It hade been ringing for a while now. “Oh damnit, it’s my dad”, he realised as he took his phone and walked over into Jayden’s room. It really wasn’t necessary to fight with his dad. in front of his friends. 

“Yes?” “Listen, Lucas I am really sorry but I can’t pick you up at the station, there is a problem with one of the customers in London, so we need to get there. I would have cancelled it but it’s the most important customer and they would take it really personal if I would send a deputy. And we obviously can’t do it. Believe me, if it wasn’t this company, I would pick you up”, his dad said, stress in his voice like all of his plans got destroyed in the last minute, but it if Lucas was honest with himself, he had expected something like this. “Well, why do you want me to live with you  anyways? It not that you put much effort in the relationship with your son.” “Lucas, we discussed this way too much.  It’s better if you stay with me. Your mom agreed on this too, so please stop trying to change things now. I’ll try to get someone that can help you get the rest of your stuff to the apartment. I need to leave now, but we will go out and catch up when I am back, okay?” Lucas rolled his eyes, “Thanks for nothing”, he said and left the call, then he went back to his friends in the licking room, with a heavy and bitter stone in his stomach. It seemed like his life iin Belgium was already meant to fail. On the other hand, he didn’t want see his father anyways, so having the apartment for himself wasn’t that bad. 

****

They were standing at the train station. The enormous backpack on Lucas’ shoulders felt like an anchor, dragging down his weight and not letting him leave Utrecht. Isa, Jayden and Kes were standing in front of him. “Call me, okay?”, Kes said. “I still can’t Believe you are leaving me. How am I going to control Kes without you?”  “Shut up, Jayden”. A sad grin stole its way into Lucas’ face. He was really going to miss these dorks. 

 The train entered the station. Lucas took the skateboard next to his feet. Isa pulled him into  a hug and the next second, three pairs of arms were pressing all the air out of his lungs. “I am going to miss you guys. I will just take the next train back as soon as I’m there,” he said while stepping through the door. His thoughts were going wild. He had thought about telling Kes everything. About his feelings, how he destroyed the relationship between Isa and him, but since yesterday evening, there hadn’t been any moment without Jayden around them, so he missed the opportunity again.

Sitting down on a place next to the window, Lucas watched his train leave the station and within moments, the world he was used to turned into a drifting mess of colours, made out of fields of tulips and meadows with sheep on them. 

Next part

[chemicalmagecraft]

The Gamer Hero, Deku Chapter 10

A/N: By the way, I'm in college now, so updates might be delayed a bit. Sorry in advance.

AWeirdChick: That's pretty hilarious. Unfortunately, Fuckery Detection's a little on the expensive side mana-wise, so unfortunately that kinda won't happen... Bakugou would only really use the spell enough to sense a teleporter if he knew that there was fuckery afoot.

jgjemmett: In that order: Yeah, that's my regret too... Thank you! And finally, Swablu, Ponyta, Hippopotos, Froakie, and Larvesta. Have fun figuring out which one's which!

Zerak: True, but in addition to Bakugou being a genius with everything that isn't people skills as in canon, he had several months to screw around with magic and had started trying to figure out specifically how to subvert Illusion Barrier shortly after Midoriya told him about it, giving him however long there was between the day after getting his acception letter to the first day of class to puzzle out a spell for the detection of distortion to the fabric of reality. The real magical natural, believe it or not, is Hagakure.

xoxoxo

After our review was over and I answered a few questions about my elementals, All Might announced that the next matchup would have, for the hero team, Shoji Mezo, the tall guy with six arms, and Todoroki Shōto, a boy with white-and-red hair who had some sort of weird, flexible ice-like armor over the entire half of his body that had the red hair, covering a rather bad burn scar on the left side of his face as well. For the villains, there was Hagakure, who I noticed had leveled up twice, and a guy named Ojiro Mashirao, whose costume looked a lot like a karate gi.

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

LV 29

Ojiro Mashirao

It looked like he was a martial artist, so I was a little excited to see how that worked with his tail Quirk, or magic in general for that matter. I watched the screen showing the villains getting ready. Just as I thought, Hagakure's title completely disappeared when she took her gloves and shoes off. When the villains' prep time was up, Shoji spread out his arms, turning the hands on all but the bottom pair into ears, which I assumed was him using some sort of echolocation to find the villains. After a few seconds, one of the ears on his arms turned into a mouth and said something to Todoroki. Todoroki touched the wall with his right hand, causing frost to form all over it and Shoji to move out of the building.

The Path to Isolation

LV 35

Todoroki Shōto

Ice spread from Todoroki's right hand and leg, but I noted that it was only his right hand and leg, with his left side doing nothing. That seemed to be the nature of his Quirk, Half-Cold Half-Hot. Interestingly enough, Observe told me that his Quirk was actually having two separate Quirks on the two halves of his body, Cold on his right and Hot on his left, which was interesting. The ice generated by his Quirk spread to cover the entire building, with enough control that the bomb was barely frozen and Hagakure and Ojiro only had their feet frozen to the ground. With the ice from Cold like that, I couldn't wait to see him use Hot in battle. "Holy crap that guy's powerful," Kacchan muttered as he warmed us up from the cold we could feel even from that far away. I blinked at that. Kacchan would never have said that a year ago.

I pointed at the part of the screen that showed the villain team, which was showing a lot more light than it had before. "I don't think Hagakure's done yet!" I said. I was only barely able to make out a humanoid shape standing where Hagakure was, glowing like the sun. And like the light of the sun, she seemed to be heating up her surroundings, creating massive amounts of steam and melting the ice around her. The ice melt was enough to free Ojiro. However, it seemed that using that spell drained her, because after she stopped, I saw the outline of her hands and knees in one of the puddles she'd made from the melted ice. 

Ojiro walked over to her and said something to her, probably asking her if she was okay. While I couldn't tell if Hagakure said anything due to the lack of audio, I assume she told him the pick her up or something, because Ojiro started awkwardly groping the air roughly where Hagakure was, then grabbed on to something invisible and pulled it up. When he was done, he blushed and appeared to apologize profusely, likely responding to something Hagakure said. Hagakure recovered enough to not have to lean on Ojiro, just in time to vanish before Todoroki showed up. Todoroki blinked when he saw the mostly-thawed and waterlogged room, then said something to Ojiro. After a small conversation, they both entered fighting stances.

"Midoriya, are you the one making that noise?" Asui asked me.

I noticed that, in my excitement to see my classmates use their Quirks on each other, I was making a bit of an "eeeeeeee" noise. "Ummm. No?" I made a conscious effort to not make that noise anymore. "L-let's watch the fight."

Todoroki swiped his right hand at Ojiro, causing a series of icicles to freeze in a line approaching him. Ojiro spun, slapping the ice with a glowing tail. The ice was stopped, either from Ojiro hitting the ice or, more likely, the magic he used in the attack. Todoroki shot off another ice wall at Ojiro, causing him to jump into the air and land on the first wall of ice, then jump along it to drop kick him. Todoroki grabbed Ojiro's foot with the armor on his left arm, then point-blank froze Ojiro in a pillar of ice. I winced in sympathy. That looked unpleasant. 

Of course, in the confusion, Todoroki didn't seem to notice a roll of the capture tape All Might gave to both teams "float" out of a hidden pocket on one of Hagakure's gloves and approach him. When Todoroki froze Ojiro, his arms were close together enough that Hagakure was able to quickly tape his arms together, capturing him. "Young Todoroki has been captured!" All Might announced on his microphone. He flipped a few switches on the microphone and said, "Clever thinking, young Hagakure! Now, I would prefer young Mashirao to not be frozen for too much longer, so if you cannot free him again, I will be forced to disqualify him and have young Todoroki use the other half of his Quirk to warm him up. Can you recreate what you did earlier?"

Todoroki backed up a bit, letting Hagakure work her magic. Heh. A hand-shaped red glow appeared on the ice Mashirao was in, causing it to melt faster than I would have thought she'd be able to. Once Mashirao was free, he thanked Hagakure and started talking to her about something while doing some exercises to warm up. Hagakure shook off the water that had melted onto her feet and hid her tape in some ice so she could hide invisibly. After a couple moments, an eye and ear on Shoji's arms discretely poked out from behind a corner, surveying the room. An extending third arm with an eye on it snaked up to the ceiling, slowly inching its way over to the bomb. When he was about halfway to the bomb, Mashirao looked up and used his tail to launch himself toward Shoji, careful of the ice, and Shoji's arm to speed up. 

Before either of them could reach their destination, however, Shoji randomly recoiled as if he was punched in the stomach by an invisible fist, causing his extended arm to retract. Mashirao tossed his tape at Shoji, rightly guessing that Hagakure was there and able to capture Shoji. "Villain team wins!" All Might announced.

xoxoxo

"Now! Who can tell me the MVP of this round!?" All Might asked after they came back.

I raised a hand, almost done from healing Mashirao from thae minor hypothermia from Todoroki and sunburn from Hagakure. Luckily, however, Hagakure seemed to have warmed him up slowly enough that he didn't have shock. "Is it Hagakure?" I asked.

"Exactly right, young Midoriya!" All Might confirmed. "Now, at the beginning, it looked like Todoroki would be the MVP with how he would have incapacitated both villains with no fight had young Hagakure not utilized such an impressive special move!"

"Yeah, that was a pretty cool trick!" a blonde guy named Kaminari who had an electricity-based Quirk said. "Todoroki was all like, 'Oh, let's see how you like all this ice,' and you were all like, 'Screw that, eat a solar flare!'"

Hagakure pumped her fists. "Yeah, it was awesome! I was trying to figure out what to do, so then I remembered that sunlight melts ice, and I have light magic, so I figured I could melt the ice. Hey, do you mind if I call that move 'Solar Flare?'"

Kaminari grinned. "Yeah, that's awesome!"

All Might cleared his throat. "As I was saying, young Hagakure's Solar Flare seemed to be an example of either great improvisational skill or excellent planning! In addition, she were able to incapacitate both of the members of the hero team by taking advantage of her Quirk and her teammate's distractions! Therefore, the MVP of this round is most definitely young Hagakure! Now, unless there's anything else any of you wish to discuss, we shall continue on to the next round!"

xoxoxo

The rest of the matches were... honestly not quite as exciting as the first two. Don't get me wrong, it was great seeing the rest of my classmate's Quirks in action, but... I guess I was just spoiled by Todoroki's ice and Hagakure's Solar Flare and invisible sneak attacks. Yaoyorozu looked like she was going to give an interesting fight at first, especially with the surprisingly advanced level of magic she showed despite having only a day to work on it, but she was unfortunately hampered by having Mineta as a partner, who spent most of the time ogling her revealing costume. It was a shame; their Quirks put together seemed like they could be very useful. 

After every match was finished, All Might congratulated everyone on how we didn't have any major injuries and the fact that I was able to heal off the minor injuries before rushing off, which only I and Kacchan knew was because of his time limit. After he was done, I reminded Mashirao to talk to Recovery Girl just in case I missed something before walking to her office with him. On the way, we chatted about what little I knew about martial arts compared to him and what I knew about magic. We gave each other some pointers before we reached the nurse's office. After Recovery Girl gave Mashirao a small checkup and a clean bill of health, I gave her the paperwork she'd given me the day before for my medical training, accepted a bit of homework for me to start out on, then shooed me back off to class. When I exited, I saw that Mashirao was waiting for me. "Why are you still here?" I asked.

He gave me a small smile. "We're going to the same place anyway. So what was it you were saying about sensory enhancement?"

xoxoxo

"Kacchan it's literally called Fuckery Detection," I said while we walked home after school. "You invented a new spell that involves infusing unaspected magic into the fabric of reality itself and called it Fuckery Detection."

"Jealous?" Kacchan gave me a shit-eating grin.

"I'd honestly be lying if I said I wasn't," I admitted, "but my point is that you called it Fuckery Detection! And my Quirk recognizes it as being named Fuckery Detection!"

"Cool. So what else does your Quirk say about it?"

I sighed. "It says that while there are forms of unaspected magic that can be... dimensional fuckery... it's more likely to be something called 'tertiary elements,' which I suppose confirms my theory about esoteric elements. It also says that it can detect 'natural' distortions in reality, which I guess might be that... Bullshitland... that you told me about... It's actually pretty interesting, though unfortunately I doubt I'll be able to test out those tertiary elements for a while."

"Why's that?"

"Assuming the four elements I have are considered primary elements and I get a skill that grants me new elements every WIS benchmark, then I'd need one-fifty WIS for tertiary elements," I explained. "Sure, I'm almost to one hundred, but my progress slows down the higher my stats get..."

Kacchan's head whipped around to stare at me. "Back the fuck up. You already have stats near one hundred?"

"Only WIS, unfortunately. I've been focusing on WIS a bit more than the other stats because I want to know if I do get secondary elements for getting it over one hundred."

"Meh," Kacchan said. "So what do you want to do with Fuckery Detection?"

"Actually, I want to see what the difference between you and me using Illusion Barrier is," I said. "Not here, obviously, but when we get to your house."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know how to do that now. Why do you want to see me do it?"

"I think that my Illusion Barrier might have a few modifications from my Quirk. Obviously, you don't have my Quirk, so now that you can use it too we can find out! Plus, now that I have Fuckery Detection I can sense how Illusion Barrier works!"

"You just wanna see someone use Illusion Barrier, don'cha?" Kacchan asked.

"Maybe."

He shrugged. "Not judging." When we reached Kacchan's house, we greeted his mom and moved to his room, which had at some point in the last few months turned into something of a magic laboratory, or at least a small testing ground. It'd already been explosion-proofed, fire-proofed, and sound-proofed from how he occasionally activated his Quirk in his sleep, so we didn't even have to do too much work to get it ready. While Illusion Barrier wasn't dangerous or anything, it was pretty much tradition at this point that any time we came together to work on magic, it was either on the beach or in Kacchan's room. "I'm ready," I said as I watched him with Fuckery Detection active.

"Usin' it," he said, before reaching out to... Bullshitland... with his magic, creating a spatial distortion that I could feel centered around his body. He disappeared into his own Illusion Barrier, and a few moments of trying later I managed to learn a skill called Space Invader that took me into the barrier with Kacchan. "Sup, Deku. What now?"

"Now that we know you can use Illusion Barrier, the next step is to see if you can add the skeletons to the barrier," I said. "Assuming you can, I'd like to know if yours will spawn a boss if we kill enough of them."

"Right, turning it off." I felt Kacchan let go of the barrier, ejecting us back into reality. Almost instantly, he cast the new barrier, making the necessary alterations to the spell to theoretically enable the skeletons. As with before, I didn't accompany Kacchan but instead used Space Invader to give it more EXP. "-ctual fuck!?" I caught the latter half of Kacchan's curse, then followed his gaze out the window to see what he was looking out. The sky had turned red with clouds of black smoke and the trees and grass looked like they'd been set on fire. Rayne told me that there was no water nearby, while Dune made note of molten lava where the water used to be. As we watched, small, yet angry-looking wisps of fire drifted off of the ground.

Jump in the Fire

LV 11

Fire Wisp

"I think you might not be able to make skeletons, Kacchan," I said.

"Oh, you fucking think, Deku!?" Kacchan asked. "No, I thought these were bullshit fucking fire fairy bones!"

"So maybe the monster type changes from person to person..." I hypothesized. "By the way, they're called fire wisps and the lowest-leveled ones are eleven. Maybe we should try killing a few now to see what boss spawns?"

Kacchan sighed. "Fucking fine. Now how the fuck do you suggest I do that? I don't think punching'll work and fire's probably an even dumber idea."

I shrugged. "Try non-elemental magic?" We left Kacchan's house and confirmed that the wisps were susceptible to magic, then we split up to kill more wisps. I remembered how useful Tornado Bomb was on my skeletons, so I decided to try it out on the wisps. Thankfully, they were snuffed out instead of lighting my bomb on fire, giving me a level up. After I used a second Tornado Bomb, the last embers of the wisps stayed in the air before streaking off in Kacchan's direction. I internally cursed and rushed toward Kacchan as fast as I could. I just managed to make it in time to see a massive wisp floating in front of Kacchan.

Fight Fire With Fire

LV 40

Inferno Wisp

"Kacchan!" I shouted as I activated Water Aura and shot a Water Gun at the Inferno Wisp to push it back, which seemed to deal bonus damage from the elemental weakness.

Kacchan took the hint and exploded himself back to me. "That's a fucking giant wisp," he said.

"It's called Inferno Wisp and it's level forty."

The Inferno Wisp charged us and we rolled out of the way of the massive fire monster. The ground was seared from its touch. "How the fuck do we fight something that's level fucking forty!?"

I shrugged. "You're almost forty and my stats are probably around that range. Its title says Fight Fire With Fire, though, so maybe you should hit it with some explosions?"

"Yeah, but what what if I'm the Fire and not the Fire?"

"Can you at least hold it off for a bit?" I asked.

Kacchan scoffed. "Can I?" He made a lash out of mana and started whipping the wisp with it while I started charging up a water version of Spiral Mana Bomb. I watched with bated breath as Kacchan whipped the fireball and dodged out of the way whenever it rammed or shot at him, ready to intervene if it looked like he needed it. My newly-christened Whirlpool Bomb reached minimum charge, so I shouted, "NOW!" 

Kacchan shot straight up with his Quirk to give me a straight shot. I let it charge just a bit more before taking a few steps forward and threw the bomb at the Inferno Wisp. A whirlpool condensed from my water magic, thrashing the boss monster around. Unfortunately, the Inferno Wisp just barely survived my attack. I shot a few more Water Guns at it while Kacchan fired off Mana Bolts from where he'd landed. Between the two of us, we managed to kill the boss before it managed to attack us.

"That was fucking stressful," Kacchan griped as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. He walked over to where the wisp had died and picked up a scroll that had appeared when it died. "I can't fucking read this," he said after opening it. "Didn't you say you learned a spell from yours?"

"Actually, I think that it might have been a part of my Quirk," I said.

"So we still don't know what happens when your Quirk doesn't fuck up the Illusion Barrier," he said as he held the scroll out to me.

"I guess so." I took the scroll from him. "Yeah, I can use my Quirk on this. Is it okay with you if I do it?"

"Sure, but I want to know whatever you get from it if it's any good."

"I would have done that anyway, Kacchan," I answered, then used my Quirk on the scroll, absorbing it like the last skill book. "Fire Dash." I demonstrated the skill, coating myself in fire magic that propelled me away from him. "Just what it sounds like, a fire spell that coats you in fire and propels you in whatever direction you want. It'd probably work well with your Quirk."

"Cool. You gonna write that down for me?"

"Sure, let's just get back to your..." I looked around. All of the buildings were scorched enough that I couldn't tell exactly where we were. "Kacchan, where's your house?" I asked.

"Shhhhhit."

[today-only-happens-once]

Break

Title: Break

Summary: Logan, a high school science teacher, gets a text from his high school-counselor husband on his day off. Active shooter. I love you so much, Logan. Human AU. Logicality, Familial LAMP.

Warnings: Active shooter situation observed from the outside, death mention, angst, crying, cursing, violence.

A/N:  Because I’m tired and angry and scared. They say write what scares you? Here you go. I needed to put my thoughts and emotions somewhere, and this is what happened. Don’t feel obligated to read it, please. I know many of you are probably exhausted from this subject matter, and that’s more than okay. But I sat down to write it and I got emotional over the subject matter while writing and it’s almost 3k words so just…. I thought maybe it’d be worth putting up on here? I dunno.

I wrote this all in one sitting... It’s mostly a vent fic, if I’m going to be very honest with you all. Just... sorry, I guess.... 

Tags: @helloisthisusernametaken, @ren-allen, @lizaelsparrow, @princelogical, @random-pianist, @erlenmeyertrash, @milomeepit, @at-least-seven-pretty-potatoes, @rileyfirstname, @pinkeasteregg, @sassy-in-glasses, @vigilantvirgil, @generalfandomfabulousness, @lacrimosathedark, @monikastec, @heir-of-the-founders, @yourworstnightmare999, @artistictaurean, @kanejandkruge, @cdragontogacotar, @candiukas, @damienswifeolicitydallysgirl

Logan is standing in the kitchen when he gets the text.

His phone buzzes on the corner of the table and he sees the ID as Patton’s name. He sets the mug of coffee down on the countertop beside him with a quiet click as he reaches for the phone.

It wasn’t entirely unusual that his husband would text him randomly throughout the day. The contents of such texts varied: sometimes they were reminders about eating and sleeping, sometimes they were quick affirmations, sometimes they were dog pictures or random science jokes that Patton thought Logan would appreciate. And he always did, the corner of his lips curling in a smile when he’d quickly check his phone between classes. Every once in a while, Patton would send him an “I miss you” and Logan would affectionately roll his eyes and reply, “you realize my classroom is right down the hall from your office?”

Logan, however, had taken the day off. He had been at a conference for K-12 STEM educators and had got the red-eye flight back. He hated not being in school, but he couldn’t stress the importance of physical and mental health to his students and not lead by example. Besides, he had never taken a day off before in his life until now.

Logan quickly swipes in the code to open the phone and pulls up messages. He stares at the message even as his stomach drops.

P: Active shooter. I love you so much, Logan.

Logan’s jaw jumps before he types out a reply. Stay calm. RHF. He pauses and swallows hard. I love you too.

He grabs his keys and tears out of the house so fast he almost forgets to put on shoes.

…

He speeds the entire way. He very nearly runs a red light, slamming hard on the brakes at the last second. His hands are wrapped around the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip. The radio is turned to the news. He can’t bear to listen to it. He can’t bear not to.

Why did he have to have taken today, of all damn days, off?

Logan can’t help the tightness in his stomach. The faint feeling that he might throw up. That same feeling making him slam a hand against the steering wheel. He checks his phone. Nothing.

The light turns green.

Logan’s fingers twitch as he hits the gas again. He thinks of Virgil—his son, in his junior year at the high school. He wonders if he should text him. A second later, Logan shakes his head quickly. Texting him could put him in danger. The alert, if not silenced, could give away his location. Did Virgil make it out? Did Patton?

Why had none of them texted him yet? Logan glances at the clock on the dashboard. He had received Patton’s initial text three minutes ago.

Had it only been three minutes?

Logan drives in a distant haze. He parks on a street in the neighborhood surrounding the school. He’s barely slammed the gear shift into park and yanked his keys out of the ignition before he’s out of the car and running towards the school. He can see police cars lining the streets, areas roped off.

“Mr. Sanders!” The sound of his name grabs his attention. Logan stumbles to a halt, looking around for the source of it.

He sees her a second later. Valerie. Senior. She was in your AP Chemistry class last year, Logan reminds himself. She had always been one of the sweetest, smartest, and hardest working kids he’d ever had the pleasure of working with. She’s sprinting towards him, her cheeks streaked with dark mascara. Her eyes are wide in terror, red from tears. Logan catches her by the arms as she sags with a sob.

“Valerie,” Logan says. “Valerie, look at me.”

She hiccups and blinks hard. Logan can feel her shaking. “Mr. Sanders,” she says, taking in a few breaths. Logan can feel his heart in his throat. “Have you seen my mom? I need—I...”

Logan takes in a breath of his own, closing his eyes for just a moment. Pull it together, he tells himself. These kids need you. He doesn’t know if Virgil has made it out of the school yet. He doesn’t know about Patton. But he cant stand here and do nothing but worry. Not when these kids—these children—need him.

“I haven’t seen her,” Logan answers her. “Did you call her?”

Valerie nods. “Y-yeah. I—yeah.”

Suddenly, a soft feminine voice interrupts them from behind. “Valerie?”

Logan hears Valerie gasp. “Mom?”

The teacher releases a faint breath and lets go of the girl in front of him. “Oh, mi amor, I’m so happy you’re safe,” her mother says through tears, wrapping her daughter up in her arms. She locks eyes with Logan for a brief moment. Thank you, she mouths. Logan can’t manage a smile, even a polite one, but he nods.

Part of the job, he thinks, and realizes with a faintly nauseous feeling in his stomach how messed up it was that it was true.

“Valerie,” Logan says, his voice tight, “did… did you, by any chance, see Virgil? Or my husband?”

Valerie shakes her head, brushing at her eyes again. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Sanders. I just… I just ran. I don’t remember seeing either of them.”

Logan swallows thickly but waves a hand. “Don’t apologize. Please. Your safety should absolutely have been your number one concern. You did the right thing.”

“I’m sure they’re okay, though,” Valerie says as Logan starts to walk away.

Perhaps it is rude of him, but Logan keeps walking. Every part of him wants to believe her with a desperation that scares him. Logan feels his eyes burn and he picks up his pace as he walks closer to the school.

He checks his phone. Nothing.

…

The police stop him before he gets much closer. Logan wants to yell at them. He doesn’t. They’re just doing their job, he reminds himself.

It’s just… his entire life is inside that building.

He thinks of Patton’s bright smile through the video camera the night before when they’d FaceTimed while Logan was in the airport. He thinks of the warm giggle he’d let out when he’d made an airplane pun and Logan had groaned and bit back a smile. He thinks about how Patton had made him biscuits and bought a new jar of Crofters for when he returned from his red-eye with a small note reminding him to sleep today.

Logan twists his wedding band around his finger and wonders if he’ll ever sleep again.

He thinks about Virgil, too. How much better their house and family was once they’d adopted him. Virgil meant the world to him. He thought about Virgil’s witty, snarky quips. He thought of that faint smile he’d let out once in a while that showed he felt loved and safe and accepted. He thinks about all the times he’d helped Virgil through a panic attack. Virgil was the bravest, most wonderful kid Logan had ever met. Adopting him had been the best decision of his life.

Losing either one of them would be to lose everything.

“Logan?”

The voice startles him out of his thoughts. Logan stops twisting his ring around his finger and tears his gaze away from the swarm of police cars in the distance to look at the man beside him. A colleague, this time.

“Emile.” Dr. Picani. Another school counselor alongside his husband. Logan’s left thumb brushes the smooth metal of his ring again, fighting down the rising hope. “I’m glad to see you’re safe.”

The counselor’s eyes—usually warm and sympathetic—have something else behind them. Something darker. Guilt, maybe, and a bit of anger as well. Logan isn’t sure. Patton’s the better one at identifying emotions. “Wish I could say the same. Unfortunately, I can’t honestly say that I’m glad about much of anything right now.”

Logan shoves his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans. He understood all too well. He swallows. “I hate to ask this, Emile, but you didn’t… my husband…?” Logan hates how he can’t get the words to form.

Something softens in Picani’s expression. “I’m afraid I don’t know,” he says. “I was walking through the hallway when the first gunshot went off. Patton was already in his office. I think he was working with someone.”

Logan presses his lips together in a thin line. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t trust himself to speak. He feels Emile squeeze his shoulder before he steps away.

Logan checks his phone. Nothing.

…

Logan doesn’t know how long it lasts. He wanders through the streets, running into students and faculty alike. None of them had seen Patton or Virgil. He checks Twitter for news updates.

It won’t be reliable information, he tells himself, and he knows that but at least it’s something. At least it’s something.

He helps a student (Andrew Reinfeild, Logan remembers him from CP2 Chemistry last year) find his brother in the growing crowd, swallowing the lump in his throat at the desperation of their embrace. A student—Brayden Chase, a senior that Logan was convinced hated him for getting an F last year in his Astronomy class—sobbed against his chest until his girlfriend found him. Another student (Harmony Gibbins, Logan reminds himself, an incredibly bright freshman that was on the robotics team) stared numbly at the school until Logan approached her and said her name, told her that she was safe now. She burst into tears.

Logan waits with her until her friend appears and then he quietly dissolves back into the crowd. He keeps looking for son. He keeps looking for his husband. He feels like he’s moving in slow-motion.

He’s never felt so damn helpless in his life.

He listens to the murmurs and rumors in the crowd. One person says they heard four gunshots. Another says seven. A girl sobs that she heard there were casualties. The local news tweets out that there have been no confirmed deaths.

A student still in the building tweets a love note to her dad and her baby sister.

Logan checks his phone. Nothing.

…

“Suspect is in custody,” the police officer is saying with a bullhorn to the crowd that had been collecting in the streets of the neighborhood, far enough away that they could barely see the school. “I repeat, we have the shooter in custody. We are evacuating the rest of the building right now. Please be patient and calm—“

Logan is stiff and tense. He feels a bitter taste flood his mouth at the words.

“—as we continue to investigate.”

Someone shouts over the crowd as the officer starts to lower the bullhorn. “How many people died?”

The crowd falls silent. Logan watches, his gaze narrowed, as the officer hesitates and glances around the crowd. Finally, he turns the bullhorn back on and says quickly, “We are still evacuating the building.”

Logan pales. He can hear what the officer isn’t saying. People had died. Patton. Virgil.

“Mr. Sanders?”

Logan whirls around at the familiar voice. He stops short at the kid in front of him. “Roman.”

Roman Prince. A junior, and rising theatre star. Also Virgil’s best friend since freshman year. Logan practically considered him to be another son (only spurred further by the fact that he knew Roman’s parents were frequently absent from his life). Professionalism be damned, Logan says to himself. He shouldn’t, and it’s not like him, but his nerves are frayed. So he grabs Roman and pulls him in. The teen doesn’t need much encouragement before he’s hugging Logan back fiercely.

A moment later, Logan can feel his shirt by his shoulder getting damp and he realizes Roman is shaking like a leaf. The science teacher just runs a hand up and down his back slowly a few times. He doesn’t know what to say. In the corner of his eye, he sees a news camera pointed at the interaction and a part of him wants to march over and break it in half.

Roman pulls back and Logan relaxes his grip. The teen sniffles and wipes quickly at his eyes. “Have you heard from Virge?” he asks hopefully, and Logan’s heart somehow sinks even further. He’d been about to ask the same question.

Quietly, Logan shakes his head. “I’m afraid not.” And he is. He is so afraid.

“What about Mister Mr. Sanders?” Roman asks, the rawness in his voice overshadowing the lame attempt at humor. Roman had always referred to Patton as “Mister Mr. Sanders”. Usually, it made Logan smirk.

But all he can think about is Patton’s bright laugh when he’d hear Roman call him that the first time. Virgil’s eye roll and quiet snort of amusement. Wordlessly, Logan shakes his head again.

Roman frowns. “Mr. Sanders, you don’t look so good. Maybe you should sit down.”

“I’m fine,” he says hollowly.

“Pardon the language, but that’s bullshit,” Roman says. “Nothing is fine. Least of all us.”

The teacher doesn’t argue with that.

Logan checks his phone. Nothing.

…

The minutes—the hours? Logan can’t keep track—tick by. Logan does, eventually, sit down on the grass. He puts his head in his hands. Roman sits beside him and, for perhaps the first time since Logan met him three years ago, is silent.

At some point, the officer announces that they’ve cleared the building. He sends a text to both Patton and Virgil the second he says it. Where are you?

The death count is somewhere in the double-digits. Logan only half-listens. Every time the screen on his phone dims out, he presses the button to light it up again. After a while, Roman quietly takes his phone and makes an adjustment in settings so that it won’t go to sleep. The teen’s own phone sits in front of him. Every time it lights up with a message, Logan glances at the ID to see if it might be Virgil.

It never is.

People around him are sobbing. Others are silent.

Logan can’t feel anything except an overwhelming, aching emptiness. The crowd grows thinner as parents arrive to take their shaken, terrified children home. Every reunion twists a sharp, hot pain in Logan’s chest as he thinks of Virgil.

“C’mon you two,” says a voice behind him. Logan lifts his head out of his hands. It’s Dr. Picani. “Let me drive ya home.”

“You don’t have to do that, Emile,” Logan says, his voice distant. “I can take Roman home.”

“Nonsense,” Emile replies firmly. “I’m not letting you drive in the state you’re in, Logan.”

Logan doesn’t have it in him to argue. He doesn’t have it in him to do anything. Numbly, he nods and stands up, motioning for Roman to do the same.

“Hey,” Dr. Picani says softly to him after a moment. “Don’t give up hope. They evacuated people in all directions. And they might’ve gotten out earlier. They’ll call.”

Logan checks his phone. Nothing.

…

The ride is silent. Roman mutters an empty thanks when he’s dropped off. Logan snaps out of his haze long enough to make Roman promise that if he needs someone, he’ll reach out. You have my number, Logan reminds him. Roman just nods and slams the door closed.

When they get to Logan’s house, the high school science teacher stares at the drive way. His eyes burn. Part of him feels, not for the first time today, like he might be sick. Because there in the drive way is Patton’s car. Logan blinks hard a few times, and he expects it to disappear. His mind is playing tricks on him.

But the car stays there in the driveway. Logan’s hands are shaking. Dr. Picani gives a soft, relieved smile. “Well look at that.”

Logan is still staring at it.

Emile chuckles. “Logan, you can gape at the car all you want but you should probably go inside. I have a feeling there’s someone there who wants to see you.”

His edges of his vision blur and he blinks again, shaking his head. “Y-yes. Yes, of course.”

He fumbles with the seat belt and practically falls out of the car. He breaks into a run for the front door, trying the handle and cursing under his breath when he finds it locked. Logan pats his pockets for his keys, digging them out of his front left pocket. He drops them in the process and curses again.

When he finally gets the door open, he calls out tentatively. “Patton?”

The first person he sees isn’t Patton. A young, familiar face stands in the entryway to the kitchen in that signature black and purple hoodie. The hood is pulled up over his long bangs but his eyes are wide and familiar beneath them. A second later, a flop of brown hair, thick black glasses, and a bright blue polo appears behind him.

“Dad?” Virgil asks at the same time Patton says, “Logan, honey…” 

Logan breaks.

…

[futureteacher]

Putting the 'Fin' in Finished

27 April, 2021

Practicum Final Blog

Today’s blog is the final one. I have done my 45+ hours of observation and will be graduating with my associates degree in just a couple weeks. That being said, this blog will be a little different than the last ones. We are going to do a review of my Intro to Ed class and see if I actually learned anything. Let’s all hope so.

Basically, I have this big long list of the things I should have learned about this semester. I have gone through and picked the ones I think are the most important. I would like to note that all of the things we have learned are important in some way, or we wouldn’t have learned about them. Right? Anyway, I chose ten (or fourteen and then deleted four randomly) I thought all teachers needed to know about. For each one, I will give you a description, an example, and what I think about the concept. Simple enough. I struggled to put these in any sort of ranking, so they’ll just be in alphabetical order.

1. Academic Engaged Time

· Academic engaged time is when the students are spending time being academically engaged. “The time a student spends on academically relevant activities or materials while experiencing a high rate of success.”

· In my experience, a lot of teachers use academically engaged time for review. For example, in high school, I had an English teacher that would play a team version of Jeopardy to review for any of our tests. We were all engaged, having fun, and wanting to be a part of the experience. He was evaluating if there was anything we should go over in more detail before the test.

· I love the idea of academically engaged time. The students are having fun. For some activities, they can be up and out of their seats. When the students are having fun, teaching is more fun. Plus, the students really absorb the information so much better when they are engaged, and not being lectured to.

2. Bloom’s Taxonomy

· Bloom’s Taxonomy is a chart that helps teachers with their lesson plans. Basically, it is broken into six different steps of learning, and for each there are a bunch of verbs to build your lesson plan with. For example, if your students are just starting to learn a subject, you want them to first remember the information (knowledge). You would want them to define terms, memorize a passage, or label a diagram. However, if they are more advanced in the subject, maybe just about to move on to a new subject, they should be at the create stage. They can collaborate with others on a project, compile information for a research project, or test their hypothesis.

· Bloom’s taxonomy is important and definitely something every teacher needs to understand and utilize. Mrs. E.’s exact words were: “Every teacher should use Bloom's Taxonomy. At the college we have to write our objectives (they call them course outcomes) for the syllabus using action verbs from Bloom's… Some teachers may not understand Bloom's or utilize the idea that students need to progress from lower order to higher order thinking, but they SHOULD understand it and be able to take almost any concept and write an objective at each level for it.”

· I used Bloom’s taxonomy for each of the lesson plans that I built. For me, it really did help to understand where my students should be in their understanding of a subject, and what sort of activities they may be able to do at that point.

3. Differentiated Instruction/ Scaffolding

· This is actually technically two different things, but they work so well together I couldn’t not include one of them. Differentiated instruction is “a variety of techniques used to adapt instruction to the individual ability levels and learning styles of each student in the classroom.” Scaffolding is one of these techniques. “Providing assistance-some structure, clues, help with remembering certain steps or procedures, or encouragement to try-when a learner is on the verge of solving a problem but cannot complete it independently.”

· I recently attended an online symposium/ caucus thing for KNEA in which there were two guest speakers, both of whom were special education instructors, who talked about how they implement differentiated instruction and scaffolding in their classrooms. One of them spoke about giving their students a ‘Love Language’ test at the beginning of the semester, keeping that info on file, and using it whenever the students need that help. This means the students who are Words of Affirmation need to hear “great job” and “I can tell you’re really working hard and I appreciate that”. Students who are Receiving Gifts may need gold stars and an award system. Either way, differentiated instruction and scaffolding are about getting to know your students as individuals and building a learning plan tailored to them.

· This one seems like one of those things that will begin as hard work but will turn into a “Why didn’t I do this sooner” kind of thing. Does that make sense? Students of all ages can tell when their teacher cares and when they are just collecting a paycheck. This one does take some effort, but will be worth it.

4. Diversity (In general and specific issues)/ Inclusion

· Having diversity in the classroom means to include students from all ethnic and demographic backgrounds. Basically, everyone has the right to an education and that means all kinds of students are going to mix together to learn and to teach. Inclusion, on the other hand, is often associated with students with disabilities (physical or learning). I have put them together on the list because I don’t think you can talk about one without talking about the other.

· When I was first assigned my practicum teachers, I noticed that two of them were English teachers with inclusion classrooms and the other was an English Special Education class. I was honestly a little nervous because Special Education is not something I had ever considered teaching. However, I loved the way the students in AA’s class. They felt more open to having discussions with each other and with AA. They were the only students who actually talked to me. AA does a great job tailoring her class lessons to include time to answer questions, she is patient in reviewing the information, and the students were excited to learn.

· Here’s the thing: I grew up in a mostly white town. Diversity (of any sort of demographic) wasn’t really discussed or something I ever really thought about until I moved into a larger city and worked with a wider range of people. Being able to meet these people and be exposed to these different cultures has really been a learning experience for me, one I wouldn’t trade. I love learning about the different places in the world and the different people out there. I really think exposing children to this kind of melting pot learning experience is important and shouldn’t be a novel idea. The world includes all kinds of humans, so many ethnicities, backgrounds, or even disabilities. Shouldn’t we be teaching our kids as soon as possible that all humans have value and should be included?

5. Lesson Planning

· To be honest with you, lesson planning may possibly be the most boring part of teaching. It is important, obviously, but it is kind of time consuming and monotonous as well. Lesson planning is sitting down with your curriculum, breaking it down to a day-to-day plan, and then breaking that down into daily activities and objectives. A lesson plan should include: a title, subject, rationale/goal, lesson’s learning objective (which needs to be written in a certain format), assessment/evaluation, introduction, teaching and learning activities, a check for understanding, closure/ conclusion, and your list of materials needed. It is how you, as a teacher, can be as prepared as possible for the day. Or, heaven forbid, you get sick and need a substitute, the lesson plan should be detailed enough for them to use.

· I haven’t actually seen a lot of examples of this in my practicum or in my student career. Because my practicum was online, I wasn’t able to see all of the materials the teachers used. I can tell which teachers used more detailed versions of them though. RG always knew how much time she could use on each task, was great with transitions, and had good classroom management skills. If I had to guess, she was the one who had the most detailed lesson plan. AA and I spoke briefly about her lesson plan. She told me she mostly uses the same ones she has used in previous years, just tweaking them as needed. Her lessons are structured a little more loosely, and you can tell sometimes one group will not be at the same point another group will be at. I know when you are making sure all of your students understand the lesson, each group may be a little different, but I can tell her lesson planning is a little more loosely structured.

· Lesson planning is boring and monotonous, but it must be done. It is important to know how one lesson is going to tie into the next, at what stage of learning your students are at, and what would happen if you needed a substitute. I am going to spend the next couple of years figuring out a way to make it fun, or at least more entertaining. Challenge accepted!

6. Philosophies of Educations

· A philosophy of education is basically a teacher’s letter to their future employers about what kind of teacher they will be. How they think, learn, instruct, and their values. A philosophy of education can be broken down into four basic schools of philosophy: Perennialism, essentialism, romanticism, and progressivism. There is technically also eclecticism, but that one means to systematically take pieces from the other philosophies until you are satisfied with your own style.

· I asked WG about her own philosophy of education, after we wrote ours in class. She told me she hadn’t written one since she got hired at her current job, a couple decades ago.

· From talking to WG, writing my own philosophy of education, and observing my practicum teachers, I believe each teacher’s philosophy is always changing. It is like the Constitution: a living, breathing document. It changes as needed. Teachers are constantly learning from their students, colleagues, and administration. They see the world in new ways with each new experience. Their philosophy of how to teach their students will change with their students. I don’t necessarily believe it will be easy to keep up on writing out a new philosophy every year, but maybe every couple of years evaluating yourself would be a good idea.

7. Planning/ Implementing/ Evaluating Decisions

· As we discussed, having a plan is important. Being able to implement it, and evaluate how well it works is a whole other beast. You need to be able to look at what you are doing, how well the students are doing, what administration sees, and then shift whatever isn’t working. It can be difficult to look at the plan you worked so hard on and then change it, but if it isn’t working for your students, then it isn’t working.

· WG and I had a great discussion about this a couple months ago. I asked her how she feels about evaluations from herself, administration, and her students. She told me that she loves what she does, has a mutual trust with the administration, and believes they will make the right decision for her students. The administration will give her constructive feedback that she can improve on and help her students. She also told me she isn’t great at purposeful reflection and tends to just change her plan in the moment instead of reflecting on it. Her students usually evaluate her pretty favorably, but sometimes it is hard for them to see the big picture of what she is teaching and why.

· I know that each teacher must be evaluated by their administration, and self-evaluation is something I do pretty regularly. However, the idea of having my students evaluate me intrigues me. Of course, I want them to like me, but whether or not they are learning is what I need to know. I think having my students fill out an anonymous survey, maybe once a month or so, to give general evaluations would be an interesting idea. Not necessarily a good idea, but we will see. Knowing how to critically, but kindly, evaluate others and themselves is a good skill to learn, right?

8. Relationship with Students

· A relationship with students is exactly what it sounds like. You need to have a relationship with your students. Now, every teacher takes a different approach to this, but the goal is to be friendly enough that they trust you, but not too friendly that they do not see you as an authority figure. You are their teacher, after all.

· AA has a great relationship with her students. They are very good at communicating openly with her during discussions, she can always tell when one of them is having an off day, and she knows which ones need special attention.

· I had some great teachers, and some not-so-great teachers, when I was younger, so I have some examples of what things to do and not to do. Be kind. Do not be overly friendly. Be respectful. Do not be their friend. Get to know them. Do not be condescending. Be the teacher you needed when you were their age.

9. Subject Matter

· Teachers need to understand the subject they are teaching well enough to analyze and convey their elements, logic, possible uses, and social biases. Teachers need to be able to understand the content of the school curriculum that pupils are expected to follow. Effective teachers must show pedagogical content knowledge, the knowledge that bridges content knowledge and the pedagogical.

· I think WG is a great example of this. I have made it pretty clear in the last several blogs how much I enjoy Oedipus and Julius Caesar. They are both great plays with the weirdest nonsense. I love them, but it was really clear WG does too. She is able to link the plays with an overall theme for her semester, and make it clear to her students what they mean. For Julius Caesar, she had a constant dialogue about the ethos, logos, pathos, and Kairos. That isn’t easy, but she has a thorough understanding of her subject material, so she is able to make these connections in a way her students understand.

· As I stated earlier, I am just about to graduate with my associates. This means I have two more years before I get to be a real teacher. Over the next couple of years, I will have to take all of the English courses. I have three just next semester. It will be my job to know what I am talking about. How can I expect my students to want to learn something if I didn’t take the time to learn it?

10. Teacher’s Attitude Toward Self, Students, Peers, Parents, and Subject Matter

· This one is a little complicated because there are so many parts to it. Despite that, they all break down to the basic treat others how you would want to be treated. That sounds cheesy, but it works. A teacher having the expectation that all of their students can and will succeed makes a difference in the students’ achievement. Reflection, study, and evaluation can determine the attitude you have with yourself. Using collaboration and open communication can determine the attitude you have with colleagues and parents. Your attitude toward subject matter, as we discussed, should be passionate and enthusiastic. Your positive can-do, not yet attitude will be contagious to your students and set high expectations for them.

· I have a mixed bag of examples for this one. All of the teachers I observed treated their students with respect. AA was great about joking with her class or setting the tone when they needed to be serious. You can tell her students respect her as well and want to succeed. In contrast, WG told me about the struggle she has had this year with communicating with parents. Especially since so many students have had to learn remotely, many of them are not paying attention in class or keeping up with their work. She sends out emails once a week to the students and the parents about missing assignments, but has a hard time getting back any replies with substance. I think this just goes to show that sometimes communication is difficult. WG is doing what she can to get the information to her students and their guardians, and they should show the same kind of respect by communicating with her as well.

· Both of these teachers are good examples of trying your best to have a good attitude, in and out of class, even when it is difficult. The pandemic has been difficult on students and teacher. Period. Everyone has had to work harder and learn differently. Being understanding of others’ circumstances, having mutual respect, and open communication are all vital to having a positive attitude with everyone you will be working with.

Those are my top ten most important things I have learned this semester. This is not a career that just anyone would be good at. I do not agree that ‘those who can’t, teach.’ I believe teaching is hard work. It is a labor of love, though.

[endestprana]

Weekend

“Umi, Yoshiko, and Setsuna…”

Sunday morning. A night after Yoshiko visited Tokyo to participate in Comiket. It was still 6 o’clock. There was barely any sleep Yoshiko got after she spent her time helping Setsuna with her costume yesterday. The details that the younger one wanted was something Yoshiko surely appreciated, while on the other hand, making them into reality is a pain in the ass. Stomach grumbling as she remembered she didn’t ate last night, Yoshiko tried to wake up, but to no avail. So, the purple-eyed girl took her phone nearby, three message in her LINE, one name, Riko. “Ah, I forgot to reply…”

Kitchen. A place that Umi really loved in the morning when there’s somebody else beside her and Maki who spend the night at their house. Being almost never got the chance to prepare Maki a fine breakfast since their schedule usually didn’t fare well with each other, she sought replacement from her cousins who visited like Yoshiko. Breakfast, bath, cleaning the house, are normal routines that Umi really loves. They made her felt like a proper housewife. Well, sometimes, seeing Maki getting jealous over Yoshiko and Setsuna because of her treatment to the youngsters also something that she loves, too.

Mirror. The way to her perfect world. Setsuna is a girl who wanted to do things perfectly. Doing things wholeheartedly is one of her strong point. Also, protecting her perfect school idol image. Being an idol who’s so full of mysteries gave her a sense of accomplishment they made her felt that it was something she needed to maintain, thus her fellow school idols never really knew her who’s without ‘costumes’. “Yeah, except Ayumu…”

Yoshiko loves being pampered. Mainly because Umi always doted her in the past, she never got past that tendency. Luckily, her girlfriend is someone who loves pampering her, so it doesn’t really become something she needed to fix at all. Being patted on the head, hugged when she’s sleeping, having someone prepared her breakfast in the morning, these are three main things she loves from people who’s really close to her. However, nowadays, she also enjoyed being pushed onto the wall and kissed by Riko during their ‘plays’.

Umi loves taking care of others. Well, mainly her family, Umi never got tired of helping those close to her. Her reasoning was if her surrounding is happy, then she does, too. Maki was someone that makes this tendency got stronger. In the first two years of them living together, Umi found out that taking care of her girlfriend was really hard. And it didn’t really make her felt hopeless, instead she was riled up and felt that if she managed to do it then her relationship sure would be alike to her and Yoshiko (the clingy is her target, though Maki rarely does that to her).

Setsuna loves being capable. Having two sisters who’s really dependable (Umi) and filled with confidence (Yoshiko) made Setsuna aimed for it. Having the ability to do almost everything is a dream that needed to be true, after all. Thus, every day she would always challenges herself with things she’s not capable of, or doing things she’s not good at (like cooking), so that one day she would be great and capable at it. Ayumu, was the existence that she sought because of her hardworking trait never failed to amaze her. Ayumu is her living example of people who dreamed and did her best, thus surely succeeded in the end.

-----

“Sometimes I wonder why did I managed to be together with a girl like Riko…” randomly by Yoshiko as the three of cousins sat together having breakfast

“She’s the only one who’s appropriate for you, Yoshiko. She’s not being a worrywart because she wanted to make you hate her. It’s because you’re always make her worried.” Almost flatly by the oldest one, Umi

“I also wondered if she was just pitying me and thus took me as girlfriend…?” a little bit stupid by Yoshiko

“No way, Yoshiko-nee!! Riko-san is a great person and she’s a perfect fit for you! I know it because whenever she talked with me, it’s always about you…! She’s always thinking about you!” Setsuna joined in as she’d just finished her glass of juice

“And sometimes it got creepy, Setsuna…” Yoshiko nonchalantly

“Don’t talk like that about Riko, Yoshiko! What’s wrong with her asking about your well-being, anyway?” asked Umi back to the reason behind Yoshiko’s inquiry there

“It’s not like asking about my well-being was bad…, it’s just…, it’s just she…, sometimes she’s just like living in cloud nine and I could never guess what she’s thinking… I was just with her yesterday morning. Both of us were fine and I also already said to her that I might got busy helping Setsuna later on…, but she…, she got mad saying I was neglecting her by not replying her messages…”

“Of course she would be mad. You should’ve treat her more precious than a mere friend, Yoshiko.” Umi lectured the middle-cousin

“But…” protested Yoshiko

“No buts! Now, finish your breakfast and get ready. You’re going to her home this morning, right?”

“Can I bring you along with me, Umi-nee? I’m afraid she would got really angry when I came later…? A little bit frightened Yoshiko

“No. It’s your personal business and Nee-san doesn’t want to be involved in it.” Firmly by Umi

“Then, can I take Setsuna…? You will accompany me, right, Setsuna?” begged the purple eyes

“Okay, I will, Yoshiko-nee!” instant answer by Setsuna

‘No, you’re not Setsuna!” Umi interjected

“Eh? Why, Umi-nee?” discouraged Setsuna

“Let Yoshiko solve her problem alone. If you help her then she’s not going to learn from her mistake, right?” Umi persuaded the youngest

“Hmmmm…, well, if Umi-nee says so…, sorry, Yoshiko-nee…”

“Umi-nee!!” Yoshiko wanted to voice another protest

“No can do, Yoshiko. Now, go to bath.” Said Umi as she finished cleaning the dining table

Yoshiko got up and went ahead to her room, taking her change and forward to bathroom while Setsuna stayed with Umi…

“So, how’s your college, Setsuna?”

“It’s great, Umi-nee! In college, I can adjust my schedule to be always in the same class as Ayumu!” grinning Setsuna

“You’re not troubling her by doing that, right? A little bit worried

“Of course not! We’re soulmates, after all!” wholehearted declaration

“Well, if she’s not then it’s all fine, but you do your study seriously, right? Nee-san had already promised your mom to take care of you and your study or you will get send back home.” Remembrance for Setsuna

“Don’t worry about it, Umi-nee! I always managed to get A, after all!” smiling youngest

“Heh~ that’s great, Setsuna!” Umi patted Setsuna’s head before the oldest remembered about something which Maki forgot before she left to work “So, what time are you going to go to Ayumu’s house today?”

“Hmmmm…, I think around 10…”

“Are you going to bring her here?”

“No, we planned to go watch movies today…”

“Okay. Nee-san will also go out today. Maki forgot her phone and her unfinished document she worked on last night. If you went back home earlier, please be sure to lock the door because Nee-san might be accompanying Maki in the hospital until tomorrow and Yoshiko would likely to spend the night at Riko’s. Can Nee-san depend on you?”

“Yes, Umi-nee!” instant answer

As Umi had already made sure there’s someone who would watch their house today, she went back to her room and prepared her things and also Maki’s for their stay at hospital tonight…

-----

The steps were heavier than usual for Yoshiko. Facing an angry Riko is one thing she never got used to. The older girl is like a pool emotion that’s impossible to predict, and the only time Yoshiko could guess what she’s thinking is when the golden eyes in heat. In about five meters from where she stood, Riko’s house is visible, complete with the daughter who seemed to be fidgeting over the phone in her right hand. “She’s really worried, huh?”

Yoshiko waved her hand as she called out to the girl on the terrace “Riko...”

Surprised, Riko looked down and saw the one she’s completely worried about was there, smiling at her. Didn’t believe what she saw, she asked “Yocchan…?”

Yoshiko nodded

Riko saw the nod, down she went into her house and headed down to open the door and meet her girlfriend. She shouted “Yocchan!!!!” she hugged the younger girl

“Good morning, Riko. I’m sorry I didn’t reply your message last night. I was busy with helping Setsuna I fell asleep in the process. When I woke up, I was in my room with my phone. Seemed like Setsuna carried me to my room…” explanation as simple as needed

“You meanie! I was worried sick about you!”

“C’mon, I said sorry already…”

“Not enough…”

“Eh…, then? What should I do to make up for it?”

“Take me to a date. Also, spend the night with me today.”

“Spend the night, too? Didn’t we just spend the night together at mine two days ago…?”

“If you didn’t want to then I’m not forgiving you!” Riko made her point clear

“Fine, fine… Okay, I will take you to that fishing area I told you before, is that good enough?”

“Of course. Anywhere is fine if I’m with you!!” Riko hugged the younger girl tighter

And Yoshiko would just wondered whether it was her or Riko who’s like a pampered little kid…

-----

The traffic is beginning to make Umi got irritated. If only she was taking train then she might be already arrived at the hospital. Luckily, when she was about to spout some curse words, the traffic light went green and so she smiled as she back on track reaching for Nishikino’s hospital. When she arrived there, Maki was outside near the vending machine, seemingly grumbling about something…

“Maki.”

Surprised Maki “Umi…?” and then her eyes arrived at the source of her problem today “I-I-Is that the document I left at home? Also, my phone?” Relief started to fill her heart

Umi smiled and nodded as she stood there, maybe wanting the red hair to approach her and give her a hug? Well, Maki did the exact Umi wanted it to be. Umi happily hugged her back and pecked a kiss on the younger girl’s forehead “You should’ve listened to me this morning…”

“I’m sorry…” said Maki as she remembered how stubborn she was this morning at refusing Umi’s help in taking care of her documents

“It is fine, Maki. I’m not coming here to scold you. So, will the surgery took longer than you’d expected, after all?”

“I think so… By the way, what’s that luggage? Don’t tell me…?”

“Hehe~ I can’t just leave you here alone, right? Besides, Yoshiko is spending the night at Riko’s tonight, and Setsuna might be bringing Ayumu home, after all. I don’t want to be a third wheel alone for them…” and Maki grinned at that last sentence from Umi

“You said that as if they ever treated you as one before…” Maki pointed out

“Well, I’m avoiding to be one, okay?” Umi countered

“You and your scheme. With this, you have the perfect reasoning to make me didn’t send you home, huh?” Maki hugged the blue haired girl

“Of course. That was the main reason, after all.” Umi smiled at Maki

“Fine, my queen. By the way, the surgery will begin shortly. Let’s go inside, Umi.” Maki released her hug, however... “Umi…?” Maki’s hand was being held by Umi

“Kiss me first.”

“C’mon, don’t play at time like this.”

“I’m not moving before you give me one kiss.”

Didn’t even felt troubled by the request, Maki went out and kissed the older girl even though her surrounding looked at the act. Well, Umi seemed happy and that’s enough for Maki. As for Umi, not long afterwards, she got embarrassed as Maki laughed at her.

-----

In the dressing room, Ayumu was busy putting on the clothes Setsuna picked out for her while the latter was filled with excitement as she couldn’t wait anymore to see Ayumu with her pick. Soon enough, Ayumu is visible in Setsuna’s eyes…

“Ayumu…” Setsuna eyed the girl from head to toe while her sparkling eyes didn’t leave even a spot to miss “You look so beautiful!!”

Setsuna’s frontal praise was something like Ayumu’s weak point. “D-Do you think so…?”

“Of course!” glittering eyes of Setsuna

“T-Then, I will take this one…” Ayumu smiled at Setsuna, which earned a great smile, too, from the latter

After the movie, Setsuna and Ayumu was having parfaits before they went shopping clothes, and thus they arrived at this point. It seemed that after this, both the girls planned to go to Setsuna’s place and take Ayumu to look at the costume Setsuna and Yoshiko worked on last night. From the looks of it, it seemed that Ayumu would spend the night like the other day.

Surely, not even thirty minutes after Setsuna was having thought regarding the matter, Ayumu suggested for her to spend the night together. Well, Ayumu said that she couldn’t leave Setsuna alone watching the house while both of her cousins went out. Setsuna complied happily.

“So, what’s happening to Yoshiko-san this time?” Ayumu asked

“Ayumu, stop calling Yoshiko-nee with –san. If she heard that, she might scold you later, you know?” Warned by the youngest cousin

“Ah, I forgot. Sorry, Secchan. So, is Yoshiko-chan having another fight with Riko-chan?”

“I don’t think so. Yoshiko-nee was busy helping me last night, and when we finished the costume, she fell asleep in my room. I took her back to her room and then told Riko-san that Yoshiko-nee was already asleep. If there’s even a fight, it might be one-sided since Yoshiko-nee felt guilty because she didn’t reply the message.” Setsuna explained

“And Secchan just tricked Yoshiko-chan falling into Riko-chan’s hand, too.” Ayumu teased the black haired girl

“But I was being told by Riko-san to keep it a secret from Yoshiko-nee…?”

“Secchan doesn’t need to be that worried. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Ayumu assured her soulmate

“Yeah.” Setsuna nodded

-----

Another leisure day of the trio with their partners…

[agentnico]

Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018) Review

The last big YA franchise still going, and its only cause Dylan O’Brian thought he was Tom Cruise and risked a stunt when he didn’t have to so he ended up in a hospital and so the film was pushed back whilst the YA film movement slowly died out and now ‘The Death Cure’ is finally here, but is there any interest left in the franchise? I thought not, and then I went to the cinema to see it, and the screening I was in was full. So well done world, you still surprise me!

Plot: In the epic finale to The Maze Runner Saga, Thomas leads his group of escaped Gladers on their final and most dangerous mission yet. To save their friends, they must break into the legendary last city, a WCKD controlled labyrinth that may turn out to be the deadliest maze of all. Anyone who makes it out alive will get the answers to the questions the Gladers have been asking since they first arrived in the maze. Will Thomas and the crew make it out alive? Or will Ava Paige get her way?

The ‘Maze Runner’ films were never anything special in my eyes. I don’t even really find them particularly good as films, but they are enjoyable for what they are. These are the types of films you can watch on a Saturday night when you just want to relax and you don’t want to watch something that requires a lot of brain work. But one thing I admire about the ‘Maze Runner’ franchise and more-so about this new entry is that you got to give props to director Wes Ball for making his trilogy. He directed all the films in the series and he was able to tell this story from beginning to end, and that is admirable. And I also appreciate Wes Ball for having the gut to refuse that extra paycheck and not split the final book in the series into two films, unlike franchises like ‘Harry Potter’, ‘The Twilight Saga’ and ‘Divergent’, the latter of which didn’t even succeed in its ambitions. And don’t even get me started on the short ‘The Hobbit’ book being turned into a massive trilogy the size of ‘Lord of the Rings’. So yes, I do admire Wes Ball for keeping the final book as one film, and not splitting it into multiple films, however at the same time with having only one movie for the final book, the movie is too long. ‘The Death Cure’ goes on for about 2 hours 30 minutes or something along those lines, and I get why, since Wes Ball wanted to cram as much into the film as he could, however by doing so the movie inevitably hits pacing issues, with many scenes dragged out to the extent of becoming boring, and many side-plot points which the film easily could have done without. That brings me to the next issue, being that there are way too many characters in the film which the plot doesn’t manage to balance well, and so many characters end up being under-used. The main victim in this is Patricia Clarkson’s villain Ava Paige, who throughout the series has been doing sweet FA and gets the same treatment in this film too, especially in the end where she kind of loses the ‘villain’ title in order for another character to get his moment to shine, which is fair play to that character, but not to Patricia Clarkson. To add to this, ‘The Death Cure’ finds the need to introduce more new characters with the likes of Walton Goggins’ mysterious business man Lawrence, who appears in the film, says a bunch of monologues and then just goes away. Goggins doesn’t do a bad job at portraying the character, but you are just left there wondering what the real purpose of his character was. And there are quite a few questionable plot choices throughout the movie, then again for the kind of movie this is trying to delve deep into the logical side of things isn’t really the right call. 

‘Maze Runner’ and ‘The Scorch Trials’ both were films that were enjoyable on their own, but it always felt like we were missing something, with that feeling that those two films were building up to something big. So ‘The Death Cure’ has the job of giving us the pay-off as the final chapter in the series, and to be honest it does a swell enough job with basically a non-stop action romp with our heroes going on endless missions and looking bad-ass whilst doing them. And the action is actually fairly decent, with the opening sequence involving a cargo train having a very ‘Mad Max’ feel to it, and then later in the more final moments of the film there are some cool close combat moments which were in all fairness to Wes Ball not badly directed at all. Moving on, the performances from cast members in this film were not bad at all, but generally everyone was fairly mediocre, and it didn’t help that many cast members the likes of the already mentioned Patricia Clarkson and Walton Goggins, and then also Giancarlo Esposito, Dexter Darden and many others being strongly under-used. But there are stand-outs, with Dylan O’Brian being one as our lead hero Thomas, and if there’s one thing that the ‘Maze Runner’ franchise succeeded in, it was that it made a rising star out of O’Brien, who is a talent to be watched. He just needs to be willing to step away from the comfort of his action films and be willing to tread into new territory like indie, drama, comedy or coming-of-age films, as I think that he has the talent for it. I mean, it was a nice change of pace when I saw him in the film ‘Deepwater Horizon’, and if he continues down that route he might end up being something bigger. Thomas Brodie-Sangster was also really good as Newt, and it was really nice to see that at the root of this film was the friendship between Thomas and Newt, and their relationship was the closest thing this movie got to emotional resonance. Rosa Salazar has a few strong scenes, which makes me really look forward to the upcoming ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ in which she will be able to show her full action star power by having to handle a lead role. And I was quite surprised by Aidan Gillen, who takes his weaselly factor from ‘Game of Thrones’ but also adds the sort of cool villainous stance to himself, and I was actually genuinely appreciative of his role in this film. Also a certain character makes a surprising return which was very welcome, that is all I’ll say on that matter.

Last few points to mention is that I feel like the film could have done a better job at tying into the previous two films, since because of the two year gap since the last film, a lot of people most likely forgot what has happened in the series thus far, as this is not a franchise which you can class as particularly memorable. For example, 30 minutes into the film and a zombie appears, and for a couple minutes I was confused as to why a zombie randomly appeared in this movie, and then I remembered that this series has the whole zombie virus plot-line which the film didn’t really remind us about until that helpful hungry zombie showed up. I’m just saying that because of the delay in production I think ‘The Death Cure’ should have had at least some kind of small reintroduction to the series for those of us who are not that dedicated to the fandom as some out there. Also, another point, I admired this film for not being scared of killing off its characters, which is a notable issue in many blockbuster films these days, especially those that are budgeted by a certain small company that goes by the name Disney. However with 20th Century Fox I always appreciated their films more, as it seems that the execs of that company generally give a lot of creative freedom to the directors and producers of their films, which is only more the shame that 20th Century Fox is now merging with Disney. Well, at least its nice to see that ‘The Death Cure’ still stayed true to its plans, with director by the end of the film hitting the point of “f*** it” and simply killing off everyone left and right. I actually was surprised as to how many characters died, but I appreciated Wes Ball having the guts to do so, and also from what I understand he stayed fairly true to the original novels, so good job to him on that also! Generally speaking even though this is a fairly dumb and not particularly brain-challenging franchise, all of these films have been fairly enjoyable, including ‘The Death Cure’, and even though I doubt I’ll remember much of these films, if they ever come up in my mind, I will look back at them fondly. 

Overall score: 6/10

TOP MOVIE QUOTE: “Three years we’ve spent behind walls trying to breakout, and now we want to break back in.” “Hilarious, isn’t it?”

[deathlyhogwarts]

DRACO X SLYTHERIN!READER (HABIT)

i saw this idea on instagram a while ago, so credits to the person who had this idea i guess?

word count: 1717

masterlist

Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Prince, the oh-so-called bad boy. He always gets what he wants, he always believes he is ahead of others and he never misses the chance to mock you, doesn’t matter if you’re a muggleborn or a pureblood. It doesn’t even matter if you’re a professor, actually. He just doesn’t care. Or so he makes everyone think.

Y/N was the exact opposite; she was a kind and sweet Slytherin. She always helps others and doesn’t hesitate to compliment you just so she can make your day better. But she had a crush on Draco, something she never understood, frankly. He was a horrible person, someone Y/N wouldn’t normally want to spend time with, but she saw something good in him. She saw that a drop of  decency was still left in him.

However, he knew. He knew that Y/N had feelings for him, but how he found out she never knew. Actually, Y/N always questioned if he ever acknowledged her existence, because she was the only person he didn’t mock or harass. And even after he found out about her crush on him, he still kind of left her alone.

Kind of, you may ask? Well, he started doing this thing… Y/N never knew if he was doing it to embarrass or mock her, but he started to randomly put his arm around her shoulders. For example, in the Great Hall at breakfast, lunch, or dinnerーhe, as they were in the same house, would sit next to her, talking to his friends (who were also horrible persons, quite frankly) and slowly slide his arm around her fragile shoulders; he never said anything and always took his arm off when he was done eating. His friends would sometimes laugh about the situation, so that was that made Y/N think that this was his way of making fun of her: messing with her feelings. Y/N didn’t like the thought of him playing with her like that, but he never went further and that was the closest she could get to him, so she never said anything.

Today, Y/N was at breakfast, waiting for the food, but also helping a friend of hers with their Potions homework.

“The smell of Amortentia should be what your significat other-”

“Smells like?” asked her friend.

“Yeah, exactly!” said Y/N. “But you can’t really write what you want on your parchment, you really need to smell the potion-” Y/N was interrupted when she felt a light wight on her shoulders; she knew exactly what it wasーDraco’s arm. Her friend also noticed it and was looking rather confused. Y/N took a deep breath and continued. “You can ask Snape to give you some to smell so you can finish your essay,” she said, feeling more tense than before.

“Thank you so much, Y/N.”

“No problem. Good luck with your homework,” she said as she got up from the table.

“Hey, aren’t you going to eat?”

“Huh? Oh, no, I’m not really hungry.”

And she took Draco’s arm off and went to her first class, not daring to look back at the Slytherin table, knowing perfectly that Draco’s friends were laughing or making harsh remarks, and she was not keen to find out what they had to say.

She went alone to her first class, which was History of Magic, then she had Transfiguration and then Potions, and then finally lunch. Y/N woke up in a not so cheerful mood, but she tried to fight against it and remain as kind to everyone as she could. She didn’t want this change of mood to take over her. History of Magic was a rather boring class, as everyone thought, Professor Binns always talking to his students as he was talking to himself, not even looking at them and barely stopping. As a ghost, he didn’t need to breath, blink or drink a glass of water after talking too much, that meant he was literally talking nonstop. Y/N (and most of the students) took that in their advantage to sleep, not that the Professor would notice. In Transfiguration, however, things were way more strictly, as McGonagall would make sure no one blinked more than three seconds or she would certainly take five points from their house and that woke up almost everyone from their constant sleep from Professot Binns’ class.

However, Potions was the worst. Snape always bullied students that weren’t part of his house, he didn’t care who you were or what you were doing, whether you did a good job in class or notーif he didn’t have you at heart, he would always find something you did wrong and call on you for the whole class to hear. The only person he bullied from his house was Y/N, and she never understood why; she was from his house, then why wouldn’t he leave her alone? She didn’t remember that she ever did something to him that would cause his constat remarks towards her.

“Miss Y/L/N, can you read?” he asked as louder as possible, a sly smile covering his long and pointed face.

“Yes,” Y/N said through gritted teeth, already hearing laughter from her fellow colleagues, Slytherins.

“Then why didn’t you include the last two ingredients in your potion… if I can call it a potion?”

By now, all the attention was on her and she tried very hard not to look at anyone and to wipe that smirk off Snape’s face with a rock.

“I didn’t see them,” she mumbled, anger boiling inside her.

“Well, maybe you need glasses,” he said and almost everyone laughed. “As punishment, I want an essay about the effects of a moonstone and another about the potion you ought to made and why you did not manage to do it. Due tomorrow.” And, with a wave of his wand, the potion from her cauldron disappeared.

“That’s not fair! I didn’t see the last two ingredients!” Y/N yelled angrily, her fists clenched and she was already on her feet.

“Class dismissed.”

With a loud snort, Y/N stormed out of the classroom, making her way towards the girls’ bathroom. Once there, she locked the door (although it was pointless, no one ever came in here because of Moaning Myrtle) and anger tears that were burning her eyes crawled down her cheeks. Why did he enjoy to embarrass and make fun of people like that?

The rethorical question flew in to the air and remaining there, as Y/N exited the bathroom and went in the Great Hall for lunch, not wanting to give the Slytherins the satisfaction that she is hurt; she wasn’t hurt, she was angry. She sat at the table, not even looking who she sat next to, but when she felt an arm around her shoulders, she knew exactly who was next to herーDraco Malfoy.

Y/N sighed and clenched her jaw. “Cut it off, Malfoy,” she said and got up from the table. Suddenly, she didn’t feel hungry anymore, but she felt tears starting to sting her eyes again.

But on her way to the Slytherin tower, her wrist was grabbed and she felt herself turn around and hit a hard chest. She looked up and saw Draco put an arm around her shoulders again. “Hi, Y/N.” He gave her a small smile, which could be easily confused with a smirk.

She took his arm off again. “I said cut it off! I don’t want to play your games today, or any other day! I’m sick of you and your friends making fun of me,” she said angrily and shaking.

Draco looked taken aback for a few seconds and rather confused. “Who said I was playing?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

“I-what?” she frowned her eyebrows. The anger slowly dissolved out of her and confusion took place instead.

“Who said I was ever playing, Y/N?” he took a step closer, taking your hand in his. “All this time, haven’t you noticed?”

“Notice what? That you and your friends were mocking me?” Y/N snapped and ignored the tingling feeling she got as their hands intertwined.

He merely laughed. “Love, they were laughing at me. I knew for a couple of months that you had feelings for me and they knew I had for you, so since I started… putting my arms around your shoulders, I always got shy and that rubbish,” he blushed as he said that, “so they laughed at my vulnerable state. I just didn’t know how to tell you…” he trailed off.

Y/N didn’t know what to say, she just looked at him with wide eyes. All this time… she thought she was just another pawn in his game, that he was making fun of her as he was doing with everybody else? How did she not notice this? Truth to be told, she never paid attention, as she was too embarrassed to look up at them.

Draco kept his hand held by hers and used his other to cup her cheek. He leaned in and slowly placed his lips onto Y/N’s. She didn’t take too long until she answered the kiss, their lips moving in sync, as she moved her hands in his hair, messing it more than it already was. His hands moved to her waist, pulling her as close as possible and enjoying her touch more than anything else. How I waited for this to happen, he thought, only Merlin knows.

They pulled away, their lips swollen and rosy, but a big smile was planted on both their faces. “Merlin, all this time… I’m such a fool,” Y/N said, her smile fading away.

“No, love,” he cupped her face with his hands. “You couldn’t’ve known, I’m quite good at hiding my feelings,” he laughed. “And, well… now that you know, er,” he stuttered, a slight blush appearing on his pointed cheeks. “Would you like to go out with me, Y/N?”

“I’d love to, Draco,” she said, full of happiness.

[izurukamucutie]

1001 Plot Holes: Results

While I don’t personally agree with all the points added, I believe that if it was poorly explained enough that people didn’t understand or it made them unhappy, it counts for something. So, if you disagree with a point talk to the credited person - not me.

Some of these are also similar but talk about different problems with the same part so they were also included. (For example, there are several discussing Ai!Chiaki’s backstory/making, the masterminds plan not making sense, and the brainwashing)

There are some bullets with no credit. That means the person made several points in a row or one post with several points, so I put the credit to the last one in their sequence.

Some small grammar/spelling edits have been made. Some have also been cut/trimmed for length.

I also added ones that weren’t submitted to the game but were posted on tumblr. Some were submitted to people randomly (if people wanted to be anon, they couldn’t really participate here.) Other were ones brought up by several people and were known, but just didn’t ever get posted to the game.

They didn’t tell us who the 13th Branch Leader was ~ aeroflyingsky

The 77th class woke up like nothing happened at all. It invalidates SDR2′s story and even Despair arc. If there are no consequences after waking up, what’s the point of having them be ultimate despair in the first place? ~ i-just-want-naegi-to-be-ok

How did Seiko have any time at all to make the freaking cure for the poison,

How did Kirigiri get the cure and know what it was for?

How did Mikan even revive Kirigiri? She had, like, a giant syringe and that was it ~ danganronpashsltrash

Seiko could NOT have made an antidote [for Kirigiri]. Making antidotes can take months or more if you don't know the exact chemical compound of the poison. I also doubt it was a common one. Even if you do know the poison well and how to make the antidote it also takes time to 'cook' the antidote (like boiling, letting it sit, straining, etc) and that takes hours or days and it needs to be done in proper, sterile conditions or it could become contaminated. It also needs to be given in the right dosage for the amount of poison and factored for body weight/type or some antidotes can be just as dangerous as the poison. The amount for Kirirgi =/= Seiko’s amount. AND antidotes (despite what movies say) are not 100% effective. There will always be some damage even if the antidote is used before poisoning. Kirirgi still should have been critical for days with serious damage. ~Med student @dr3discourse

Junko used Mitarai’s anime in zetsubou-hen to brainwash the 77th class even though zetsubou-hen takes place during the dr:0 timeline, meaning that she could have used a SHSL NEUROLOGIST who is her RIGHT-HAND MAN and would DO ANYTHING FOR HER and was even DIRECTLY RELATED to the FIRST MUTUAL KILLING and IZURU KAMUKURA. ~ ycshiya

 It was said that they destroyed their own bodies but Komeada was the only one shown with a physical injury ~ dapplemii

Why was Monaca even in the killing game? All she did was go to space and had no further involvement. There was literally no reason for Monaca, Fukawa and Komaru other than to throw us off into thinking the traitor was Monaca ~ duckzono /  shutupaboutthetentacles

The Warriors of Hope were only shown for a minute with no explanation to how they survived dr:ae (especially Nagisa). They also weren’t shown in Kibou-hen. They need a happy ending too! ~ weirdly-obsessed-fangirl

Why no one in Future Foundation, especially Munakata, noticed the sudden lack of money caused by, you know, BUILDING AN ENTIRE UNDERWATER FACILITY WITH FUCKLOAD OF MONITORS UNDER THEIR OWN HEADQUARTERS? ~ viedzma

What was the purpose of the Yukizome torture scene and having her brain played with by Ikusaba, if we were later shown how simply seeing the Despair Video was enough to turn everyone into despair? There were many explanations they could have given, but it was never addressed and it was shrugged aside. ~ coquetteblossom

by extension to the point above, if Yukizome needed her brain to be played with the first time why did the suicide video work? Why did it work on Naegi? ~ wimallidge

 Naegi said that without Enoshima the 77th class would have been normal, an ironic statement the episode before Twilight Syndrome where three of the characters committed or were complicit in murder, but then in the finale Mitarai said that before his actions they would have led peaceful lives. ~ blackflirtlarping

What happened to Makoto’s parents? In DR:AE they’re shown “dead” in a monitor by the kids and yet when they go to the location in question there’s no one there. Komaru tells Makoto it’s still a mystery what happened to them and that they’d find them. I was hoping since DR3 would be wrapping up the Hope’s Peak Timeline, we would find out what happened to them for real. ~ unnoticedkohai

DR3 contradicts all of the other games and DR0 when it comes to how Junko recruited the ultimate despairs... (Explanation and DR1 screenshots here) ~ alexa-rynay

The gap of 6 months during komaeda’s suspension. He suddenly comes back with more knowledge than even his classmates. Kodaka may fix that 6 month gap during SDR2.5 but I doubt it since it’s 2.5 and not DR3.5 but who knows? ~ carry-me-senpai

 The pacing between episodes of the despair arc was really bad. Sometimes it was supposed to be months and then some episodes its only been a few days. Its hard to follow. &

Did dr0 even happen? They completely skipped over it even though they kept showing the characters from it. ~ crazypietalk

Why did Ryota not want people to see his NG code? Full analysis. ~ komaesa

Fact that they introduced all those lovely characters in dr3 just to kill them off for literally no reason. Tengan was a shitty villain and mitarai didn’t even upload the hope video.  ~ theguyontheleft

Juzo saved Naegi from committing suicide, but wouldn’t the video affect him too? 

How did all of the victims get to their positions when they die? Ruruka and Yukizome work, since Ruruka’s just on the ground and Yukizome could use the table and what’s in the room to climb up to the chandelier. But how did Gozu string himself up like that, smash his helmet, AND manage to stab himself? And how did Seiko embed herself in the wall?!

Why did Yukizome’s chandelier only break at the time that everyone looked up? No other weight other than her body was on it, so either something else had to be added to make it heavy enough to break the chain, when there wasn’t, or it would have snapped when Yukizome first got on the chandelier, which it didn’t.   ~ backstreetbassoonist

Why did Cure W work on Kirigiri hours after she ‘died,’ but it didn’t work on Bandai only moments after he died?   ~  korekiyothefolklorist

Mukuro calls naegi a loser when it’s said that she was in love with him and she canonically betrayed Junko for him.  (also explained here) ~ thewitchoforigins

What was the point of all those shown deaths in the opening? I mean, some of them make sense, but most don’t tbh.   ~ panta-overlord

The 77th class was never actually shown bonding with chiaki besides episode 2. It felt like the friendship was forced rather then genuine due to the time skip. this also makes their brainwashing seem less believable and forced.   ~ galaomegas

Enoshima shows concern for naegi possibly fucking up her mutual killing when in reality she didn’t show any concern ?? at all ?? it was kirigiri who she was worried about which is why she went the extra mile and erased her memory of being shsl detective.   ~  naegiapologist

 Togami survived a building collapsing on top of him,

Hagakure did nothing,

Komaru’s message to Makoto didn’t have any purpose   ~ non-suspiciousname

Enoshima had her random personalities from the end of DR1, when it was explained in the game that she went crazy being alone in the school that “she didn’t know who she was anymore”.

The police couldn’t trace her blowing up a Taxi car when she even left her rare designer bag as a bomb.   ~ bananarangcumberdongisonmydash

 How did Junko get into Hope’s Peak Academy in the first place? It said in Zetsubou-Hen that she was placed there by the board of directors. WHY? WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE PLAN FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO GO AROUND THE SCOUTING SYSTEM’S BACK AND BRING JUNKO ENOSHIMA TO THE SCHOOL?

How did Mitarai learn all those brainwashing skills in the first place?

Oh, and my favorite so far: WHY WAS THERE A BEAR IN THE CLASSROOM?   ~ ananimefanforever

 How THE FUCK DOES DESPAIR STILL HAVE WORKING PHONES AND TVS AFTER, WHAT? MONTHS?? YEARS??? OF DESPAIR AND VIOLENCE??   ~  drborderline

Most of the DR2 cast (and Mukuro) disappeared into the background for episodes at a time due to the cluttered nature of despair arc, which while probably one of the better options available still kinda stings.   ~ thedang25

Makoto said that Monokuma was recorded in advance. knowing that Tengan was participating in game and couldn’t operate Monokuma without suspicion, it was probably true. Then how exactly Monokuma was able to talk with Monomi? as far as i’m concerned, talking with other people would require, like, coming up with answers in very short span on time…   ~ viedzma

If Yukizome had been despair since Zetsubou-hen, why would she commit suicide from the despair video in mirai-hen? The only reason the other victims committed suicide after seeing the video was because they were forced into despair by it.

How is Komaeda alive and healthy at the end of DR3 when he, had cancer and dementia , his comatose body went through the mental trauma of dying, really violently, miraculously managed to awake from said coma despite his illness predetermining an early death for him ... (more here, linked for length)   ~shaiapitou

How did they get out of the NW program and remember Hajime? If their memories of the NW program were erased, then they shouldn’t know him. But if they weren’t, then they continue to live on with the fact that they killed each other. )   ~ atramentousashes

Tengan’s Motive Makes No Sense; an analysis.   ~ komaesa

The plot ’twists‘ were extremely predictable. Kirigiri surviving, who murdered Izayoi, and Monaka being related/being Gekkogahara, and more were all called by fans episodes in advance (In Monaka’s case, as soon as the character designs were released before the anime even began)       ~ izurukamucutie

 If Mikan got her memories back while in the video game, which drove her to kill Ibuki and Hiyoko, how was she still not despair when she got back into reality?       ~nagitoesdoritos

In SDR2, Sato was said to be in the main course and friend with Ibuki, Hiyoko and Mikan. In Dr3, she is in the reserve course, taking away a lot of the impact on the class (Fuyuhiko is sad because of his sister but for the rest, they just lost a random girl) and a lot of the potential impact in the segregationist system of Hope’s Peak (an Ultimate murdering a Reserve Course student without facing ‘official’ punishment)

The brainwashing technique is super inconsistent, sometimes it leads to despairgasm (Mikan), sometimes you can act 100% like normal and being Evil (Chisa), sometimes you almost seems psychotic and unaware of your surrounding (the SDR2 kids), sometimes your body isn’t controlled by your brain anymore (the reserve course student who killed himself)

AI!Chiaki’s origin story is a pile of bullcrap. We never see her meet Chihiro, Izuru talks like if HE was his creator at some point, but it’s eventually revealed then she was re-created from everyone’s memories (why was she so different from real!Chiaki then?)       ~ all-my-lovely-fics

 I never understood how Tengan asks Chisa "Oh, did you watch the Despair video?" and shes like "No" and he believes her. Like, how would she know what's on the two disks unless she's seen them?       ~ Anon at dr3discourse

How in the hell does Kirigiri not have a scar from the poison. Everyone saw that she was bleeding from her eye and her skin was purple.

With that knowledge, why didn’t Seiko save anyone with her medicine if she had that with her the entire time?       ~ doodlede88

How fucking long Juzo survived after having a spear impaled through his arm

 ...then being stabbed with a flaming sword through the middle of his chest (yea it would've cauterized the wound but he definitely would’ve died from shock)

...then CHOPPING OFF HIS FUCKING HAND like how the fuck did he even do that Munakata had both of the swordnd a you can’t damage the bracelet so beating his hand off wouldn’t have worked and finally

....then walking at least three city blocks from one side of the building all the way to the breaker room while bleeding profusely and like also wandering around looking for Naegi and the “can’t die, won’t die” squad? (counting as 3 points since each alone should have killed him)

Did we ever find out is Asahina was actually okay after getting shot in the leg?

Also, how did [Asahina] get out of the building?     ~ ding-dang-ronpa

What ability did Izuru exactly use to wake up all of class 77?

How is Hajime able to be both himself and Izuru at the same time?     ~ noxiatoxia

 (For episode 8 of Z arc) Where the hell Komaeda’s umbrella went

What Komaeda saw when he followed Tsumiki into the passage

How he knew about the human experimentation

Why Komaeda knew about Junko and Mukuro

Why Komaeda knew that Junko was a threat that needed to be eliminated

Why he knew that Mukuro would be there, be a threat, and would need to be distracted by Pekoyama

 What Komaeda was doing on a plane

How Komaeda returned to the school after apparently being stranded

 Where he obtained the gun and why he had it on him at school

Why the scene with Kamukura occurred at all     ~ flagfighter (click text for more in-depth analysis)

 Mikan stated that Junko was her beloved because she treated her with love, but the interactions between them in dr3 depict anything but     ~ trashy-hope

 Since the despairs were shown to have the ability to make complicated machinery and Hajime obtained the highest Mary Sue status, there was literally no reason they couldn’t have built a robotic body and uploaded AI Chiaki into it, therefore saving the entire cast of DR2     ~ kozikitty

Ater falling into despair, Mikan’s personality radically changed. How come no one else’s did?   ~ babygangstas

 Also, why did the countdown in the mirai-hen opening always include an extra person?    ~ awkwardlaunch

Izayoi’s death was pointless and probably could’ve been avoided if he and Ruruka had actually checked the secret doorway first.     ~ allhailthesupernaturalbooty

Yukizome can help Chiaki make friends, but god forbid helping Mikan with bullying.

How does Hajime having heterochromia make any sense? It’s cool but-

DR:Zero is almost completely missing. Timeline?

Sato doesn’t have a last name.

What’s up with Bandai? Like A+ character development with him. What’s with that voice?     ~ knavishkitsunekasami

 How did NG Codes even fucking work? like we know Tengan died for good, plus he never had a chance to monitor things. how did they work. how did they just sense that stuff was happening. some might be understandable, like maybe a high-tech bangle near your hand can tell when its opened, or when a punch is thrown, or when its) opening a door. but how is it supposed to sense that your fucking shadow was stepped on? that you saw violence? that you moved to the right? (In DR1 and SDR2 nearly every mechanic of main plot points was explained please don’t write this off as “anime logic lol” ~ chabashira-tenko

 Are we really supposed to believe that Ruruka didn’t know how to make candy with alternate sweeteners that wouldn’t harm Seiko, even though she is the Ultimate Confectioner?

And that Seiko was able to make a drug that turns dogs giant and an antidote for a poison that she had only seen active once or twice with a set of drugs from her bag in less than 3 days, but she didn’t know how to make a sweetener that didn’t mix badly with her medicine?

And even if we accept that, how exactly is it that neither of them noticed that the whole “betrayal” thing was a misunderstanding? given that they both saw the giant dog and the boy who just so happened to be looking for a laxative? ~ lemonscentedpages (more in post)

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH TOWA CITY IN GENERALwhat happened to the captives? to the kids with monokuma helmets? ~ dottymemequeen

I know everybody hates him but where’s haiji in all of this. we know he’s alive. and he was a prominent part of DR:AE, so don’t just pretend he’s not here. ~ kokichi-ohma (more in post)

Out of all the things that happened in dr3, I'm still confused as to how they surgically implanted luck into Izuru. ~ Anon at dr3discourse

I'm confused how did Kamukura/Chihiro/whoever tf created AI Nanami know that she had a mole on her right titt  ~ Anon at dr3discourse

Why was asahina the only survivor in a separate branch?

Why was asahina sent to naegi’s trial as a proxy? Sure she’s his friend but why not send a professional?

 What happens when monaca runs out of air in space? How is she even surviving up there?

What happened to Leon’s cousin? 

WHY WAS FUYUHIKO HURT MORE FROM THE DEATH OF CHIAKI THAN HE WAS BY HIS OWN SISTER?   ~ shslaoiasahina

so ya’ll know in future arc episode 2 when naegi wakes up and find asahina’s ‘dead’ body right? and ya’ll know that the ‘blood’ on her was actually *megumi ogata voice* ‘t0mato sAUce?’, which naegi woke up to find all over his hand? can someone please explain to me how the fUCK naegi smelled his hand like that, which was like…covered in tomato sauce, and not think ‘hmmmm this blood smells an awful lot like tomatoes lol’ like i call bullshit on the idea that any brand of tomato sauce can even vaguely resemble blood even for a second, but naegi literally lifts his ‘bloody’ hand to his face and doesn’t realise that he is fucking covered with fuckin tomato puree like what in the actual fUck ~mediati0nal-field

 (In refrence to the above) NOT ONLY THAT: THE BLOOD ON HIS HAND IS GONE NEXT EPISODE ~shslaoiasahina

Why didn’t we get to see their special relationships with junko?

What happened to the junko land idea did she just drop that entirely?

How did asahina deal with yuta? Like sure it’s implied she knows what happened but naegi was the only one to say anything about it and then the topic is dropped.

 In episode 6 or something naegi and asahina make a plan to just escape the building and they never get back to that plan or mention it again so its like they just wasted a good 3 minutes explaining something that wasn’t even relevant.

No one thanked asahina for how much she risked for naegi’s safety.

 Why wasn’t asahina more concerned about the fake ketchup death? If i was her I’d be questioning that constantly.

How were the other 4 twilight syndrome girls even involved with twilight syndrome?

Why did mahiru fall into despair when chiaki died but not when sato died? They were so much closer to then than they were to chiaki like wtf.

Why did munakata think that killing everyone was going to stop the mutual killing?   ~ pkpeachbomber

The bracelets need a sixteenth person to be set off in a way that makes sense,

Monokuma’s first appearance needs a sixteenth person to make sense,

Tengan’s motivations and plan make no sense when put together.   ~ theleavesshaveeyes (Further explanation for each in the link)

What about the creators of New world program? We barely got anything at all about that!! It didn’t even show how Fujisaki, Matsuda and Gekkogahara created New world program or even how they met!!

 In the end we’ve learned NOTHING about the real Gekkogahara!   ~ xenonkunai (Further explanation in link)

When did Ryouta meet his classmates? In Kibou Hen everyone was so friendly with him and supportive but Impostor, Komaeda, Izuru and Mikan were the only ones who knew about him.   ~greedy-doppelganger

How Ruruka got that hexagonal explosion in the floor

How everyone can be so okay with the FSHSL therapist TALKING THROUGH A COMPUTER???

How did Monika get that ketchup and gag knife into the building

 WHERE DOES THE FOOD KEEP SPAWNING FROM??? MAGIC??

 How Munakata got around the building without opening a door ~ goth-albino-ange

What was the reason for wanting to reopen Hope’s Peak Academy? Is that really more important when the whole world is still a complete mess and needs to be fixed? Especially now that a majority of the main heads leading Future Foundation are all dead.   ~ princeasimdiya12

Even if we accept the fact that the rest of the 77th fell into despair by watching Nanami die,Komaeda falling into despair should not have been a thing??? cause like, he didnt even get a chance to know Nanami like the others did and yes, she and Chisa were the only ones who were nice to him but that doesnt change the fact that it feels very forced to make him fall into despair too.

HOW WAS HE ON A PLANE WHEN HE IS SCARED OF PLANES?????????????   ~ komaeda-nagito-hope (trimmed for length)

 In Hope Side, the 77th class are wearing their pre-Hope’s Peak clothes and it makes them look younger than Naegi.

Also, it feels like there’s a whole episode we missed between Future arc Episode 12 and Hope Arc.

Then, Despair Arc was more focused on Chisa, and Junko than the 77th class. PLUS it’s just to tell us: actually they were brainwashed, lol. Which contradicts SDR2! Because if they were brainwashed and Naegi saved them, it’s a fucking miracle! If they were actually manipulated and Naegi decided to save them anyway, that’s heroic treason!

Kirigiri was hinted to be alive since her ‘death’ but while she could have had a good role in Hope Arc and before, she just appears in the end like a flower and in perfect shape. ~ baka2niisan

They could’ve done so many things with Matsuda but just give him a pointless 5 second cameo to remind people about Danganronpa zero and what point we are on the timeline. So we have to assume that after Chiaki died, the events of Danganronpa Zero took place but that kind of doesn’t make sense. The class 77 students and Chisa weren’t doing anything for the past few days or weeks? Nothing happened a few weeks after the overseas location shut down? Junko was still able to get away with stuff for a few more weeks? ~ kaminagirl

We saw the SDR2 kids in despair in the first few episodes. Most of them had visual changes. Most were taller and were visibly older and most of them had changes like Gundam's face tattoos, Peko, Saionji, and Souda had new haircuts/longer hair, and other had whole new outfits like Teruteru, Nekomaru, and Owari. These were how they looked around the time the were captured by the FF. So how come in Hope arc when they came back the not only do they look like they did in high school they have the very same outfits they had on the first day of freshman year (which was 3-6 years ago)? ~ izurukamucutie

  WHERE WILL MUNAKATA GO? Still a mystery…. ~ danganhonhonhooonn

 According to junko (and syo i believe) the tragedy happened 1 year after the 78th class was inducted... but in dr3, it happened like right after they arrived?? um?           ~ Anon @ dr3discourse      

And when the hell did mukuro get close to naegi [in that time?]           ~ cheinsaw @ dr3discourse    

in sdr2 ch6 Hinata finds out from various emails that the future foundation saved the 77th class WITHOUT knowing they were the remnants of despair. in fact its stated that FF has no leads on the remnants.so whats that fight scene between Peko and Kuzuryuu etc. and Munakata and co.? they couldn't have fought the remnants because they were in their custody, and why would they fight the 77th class? they took them in! ~ cy-an

Nanami being a human contradicts several parts of SDR2. Read here! ~ mawgito

The type of brainwashing DR3 had would not have had the effect that the anime/games have shown. Read here! ~  nantendogamegirl

junko walks around with a bunch of brainwashed reserve course students and no one but munakata is suspicious

[Junko] builds an entire underground murder maze that is implied to be right around where Kamukura is held and no one notices

dr0 makes it clear jin was suspicious of mukuro but we hardly see her do anything compared to what junko does  ! ~ theleavesshaveeyes

 When Tengan told Munakata about who the traitor was, why did Munakata pretty much not bat an eye at that? I mean, yeah, he went all out and killed him and things but… did it ever occur to him that he was mastermind? How else would he have known about that?! Why didn’t he tell anyone about that?! I guess, it’s all because he’s edgy… ~ hajim8

 Nagito has to bribe hanamura with lascivious pics of an underage idol to get access to the shsl chemist, without whose help he cannot possibly figure out how to drug some talent researchers? This guy can set up a bomb without help but finding some drugs is that complicated? why did he need to drug them in the first place? I understand that he fucked up at school, this has been established, but why send him to fuck off for most of the series? ~ mawgito (trimmed)

My fav plot hole in DR3 is when they tried to explain why Komaeda and Kamukura didn't recognize each other through memory wiping, because, by the logic they used, Kamukura would've wiped his memories of Nanami, which would negate pretty much the entire plot of Despair Arc. ~ Anon@firefly20ffm

the big thing about Kamukura's motivation in DR3 that bothers me, apart from the entire thing, is like? If he wanted to see hope vs despair, why did he go inside the program, knowing he would be erased? He could have just watched from the outside; I haven't seen episode 11 so correct me if I'm wrong and this was explained but like, he went in there willingly knowing he'd be erased, he couldn't even 'see' what was happening, so how could he see whether hope or despair was more interesting? ~ shsluckymushroom@dottymemequeen

 They don't even explain how the SDR2 cast learned about the DR3 killing game. Literally all of Hope Arc is impossible since it relies on characters having info they couldn't possibly have. ~ Anon@firefly20ffm

 Tanaka fights the devil dog after entering school. (you know, the fearsome pomeranian he references in dr2 ch1? the one he has an earring named after? the one he shouldn’t be able to remember if it happened after entering school? my personal explanation is that the incident he described in dr2 was unrelated to the Expand Pom one in despair arc episode 4. I mean, there were wanted posters written by him plastered around the classroom in that episode - my assumption is that he adopted the fluffy little fucker. but you might want to make that really clear since I know people were confused.) ~ mawgito (more in post, much of it is things already put here)

The scene where Hinata meets Nanami in the New world program wasn't even close to what they showed in the game. Link to screenshot compairisons.

-The tragedy only began because Junko ran into an anime nerd at the right place and time. Ignoring how stupid that is, Junko seemed to already have a plan out for the tragedy before entering the school. So was she just banking on finding someone to help her make brainwashing technology?

And speaking of Junko and her effortless brainwashing scheme that’s EXTREMELY out of characters for her. Despair was the one thing she WOULD put effort into. Her whole deal as a villain was to prove anyone can and will fall into despair, through their own weaknesses so it’s useless having hope. But now, she doesn’t care, she just wants instant despair, ten minutes in the microwave, add a dead kid and presto! You’re in despair. She would HATE that! She didn’t stick the DR1 kids in the room and brainwash them to kill each other did she? Hell why not add them to her army, she would be perfectly capable of it. In fact, she had the power to broadcast over the entire world, why not instead of the mutual killing, she just showed everyone her despair video? Now everyone’s in despair. Oh wait she didn’t do that. She would find it excessively boring, and thus would not do it. During the killing games she set up motives to exploit people and make them fall into despair enough to murder. Sure she’s impatient, but she is NOT lazy. There is a difference.

What was the point of the 74th class investigation plot point? For something that they spent so much time on, it went nowhere. The only information they actually used was suspecting Junko, which (although that in itself is a plot hole. Munakata can find out what Junko’s doing but Kirirgiri the Ultimate Detective can’t?) even taking away from the fact Juzo was blackmailed and had to attest to innocence, he could’ve figured it out by seeing her MARCHING AROUND WITH HER ARMY OF BRAINWASHED MIND SLAVES HOW HAS SHE NOT BEEN CAUGHT YET?

Ruruka and Seiko’s conflict is hard to care about when Ruruka is so blatantly in the wrong, and Seiko didn’t even actually betray her. It’s so one-sided-Izuru in chapter 0 didn’t care about Hope or Despair and was more concerned with “Using Junko like she used him.” He wasn’t trying to test the unpredictability of anything, in fact, he said he already had predicted everything. And of that everything neither hope OR despair won it was the creation of future.

Everyone hated Nagito in Despair Arc where (to their knowledge) he hadn’t done anything wrong right? So why in Hope Arc after all the stunts that he pulled in the simulation everyone’s now on good terms with him? Yeah, it’s cool to see him be forgiven but not out of the blue without explanation. I’d hope for the OVA to fix it but looking at the trailer, it’s not likely.

Speaking of things I wanted to happen but not out of nowhere, the waking up of the SDR2 kids. So apparently Hajime’s cool new talents that he has woke up everyone (I guess now having talent IS incredibly important, and all that talking about how it isn’t was for nothing) how? What specific talents did he use? Or are we just supposed to assume TALENT and boom everyone’s fine and well?

Who’s Chiakis dad? In SDR2 it made sense that Chihiro programmed her, but now we know Chihiro DIDN’T program her, it was memory bullshit so… Who was the dad she was reffering to in her free time events? Also speaking of free time events there’s a scene where she states she’s never tripped in her life. It makes sense if she’s an AI who recently came into existence but actually she’s a human who got well into her teenage years without tripping. Once. Then there’s Hajimes scenes in chapter 6 where he’s angsting about the possibility of Chiaki being remembered by no one. But now she has plenty of people to be remembered by so those scenes were pointless. I can’t be the only person out there who sees how much of a dump the concept of Human!Nanami takes on the character from SDR2 can I?

Since when does Hajime give a fuck about video games? He seemed disinterested in SDR2-Hell the fact they play video games is counter intuitive to the relationship they had in SDR2. Hajime pulled her away from video games to show her the world. But now video games are everything. Hell its the reason everyone in the class worships her in the first place.

What is the message of SDR2 now? Hell what were the struggles of all the characters to come to grips with themselves? Nothing was of their own will anymore. I guess the message is now “don’t own up to your mistakes because you didn’t actually make them but were brainwashed into making them. Now who wants a boat?”

Ryota had no redemption arc but was the only one of the new cast who got a happy ending. Look I get that he was remorseful but he still was taking help from someone he watched beat her sister, made what caused the end of the world and attempted to brainwash everyone with hope. Couldn’t you at least do something to make him deserve a happily ever after? Sorry kid, but crying doesn’t make up for anything !  ~ notkaedekaramatsu

The mastermind’s plan in future arc makes no fucking sense. [...] All of this could of been avoided if he just fucking ask Ryota or just do it himself. Like,why forcing him to upload the video in an extreme way? Not only it’s stupid as fuck but also very hypocritical! Erasing despair by causing even more despair with all of the members trying to kill each other, yes,that’ll definitely erase despair alright… This RUINS the whole future arc for me,because I thought Yukizome made MUCH more sense as a mastermind than this sad excuse of a villain… ~ raeraebow (trimmed for repeated point)

  In Side:Despair Episode 4, it's shown that exams at HPA are basically talent shows, with students demonstrating their talents. While this makes sense for some, questions start to arise on how this applies to talents that are either far more abstract, like Good Luck, or just titles, like Student Council  ~ mutiple sources

Yasuke Matsuda is the one of the three creators of the Neo World Program and also created the memory-erasing technology Junko used on herself to test it to make sure it would work in the first killing game she set up. Matsuda has played a role in almost every Dangan Ronpa game and (counting SDR2.5) he only had two cameos, both of them happen to be still images of him. His only major role was in Danganronpa Zero, which was the novel he was introduced in. Also The Steering Committee, Isshiki, Ryouko, Yuuto, and basically every character from DR0 are all major players here and they didn’t do anything aside from a few cameos.    ~goneintothevoid

Chiaki has the same birthday as Chihiro and that always made perfect sense since Chihiro apparently created her until DR3like…Asahina and Mahiru have the same birthday but they have no connection, so in their world it’s just a coincidence. But Chiaki was supposed to be Chihiro’s creation, which is why they shared the same birthday, but DR3 changes that? so now it just…feels weird to call that a coincidence too?mmmm this probably makes no sense.   ~ kitucan

Isn't Naegi still going to be executed? Since at the end of the DR3 anime, the Future Foundation is made to believe the 77th class were behind the FF killing game, the same group Naegi technically conspired with. ~Bakabread@jinjojess  

[hysteric-for-sterek]

It’s Destiny

 After seeing the Dylan-less trailer for 6B and hearing the rumor of Colton Haynes coming back for 6B but not Tyler Hoechlin, my mind starts up with my now-perfected coping mechanism of inventing happy-fanon reasoning to explain away all the bad thoughts.

For example, Stiles is too busy kicking ass in college, training up to be an amazing FBI agent one day to get tangled up in the goings-on in Beacon Hills nowadays. He’s left the town in the capable (*cough* positive thinking Stiles *cough*) hands of Scott and Liam, who only call him like, once a week now to use and abuse his superior brain and laptop full of supernatural knowledge.

Plus, Lydia’s still in Beacon Hills for another few months too before she starts at MIT, and lets be honest, Lydia’s brain has always been the most superior, she’s just never been as much of a sucker as Stiles to spend all her free time voluntarily jumping into the thick of the drama to save Scott all the time like Stiles was. From what Stiles can gather from all the calls and texts from back home, Lydia’s getting much more involved in the pack lately, much as she always claimed she wouldn’t.

They talk every day, Stiles and Lydia. Ever since that rom-com worthy love confession and movie-star kiss before he’d left for college, Stiles constantly has to keep pinching himself that this is his real life now. He may even have researched all the possible supernatural elements that could have potentially taken over Stiles’ brain and meant this was all a supernatural long-con of his sanity. Because evil curses, magical pixie dust or alternate realities all seem more plausible than Stiles actually leaving his Dad and Scott behind to attend an amazing college in another whole state on a full scholarship, with the goal of one day becoming a legitimate bad-ass FBI agent, while somehow also keeping a long-distance (but totally not imaginary) relationship with the Lydia Martin. These things do not happen to Stiles Stilinski. His life can never be this good.

Which is also probably why he’s constantly battling the niggling feeling inside him that something isn’t quite right. Before he’d left, Scott had asked him how he was going to be able to leave Lydia behind now that he finally had her after all the pining. Stiles had simply responded with “I was willing to wait ten years for my Get-Lydia-Martin plan to work Scott, but I managed to whittle it down to just 4. I think I can manage the long-distance thing for a while.” Scott had given him a look that said he just could not believe Stiles right now, but Stiles hadn’t taken it too seriously because he knew how Scott could be. Just because Scott develops a severe case of tunnel-vision and infatuated obsession as soon as he gets a girlfriend, doesn’t mean Stiles is the same. It didn’t happen with Malia, and it isn’t happening with Lydia. That is fine, it doesn’t mean anything. Right? Of course not. Sure he’d been infatuated with Lydia for years, but he is still able to function as a human being without spending every minute of every day in her presence. He’s pretty sure that’s normal. Unlike Scott who completely ignored everything and everyone else as soon as Allison or Kira were within heartbeat-listening distance, or their names were even mentioned. He’s pretty sure that’s more of a Scott downfall than a Stiles downfall.

Anyway, this is why Stiles didn’t immediately start panicking when he started getting less texts from Lydia throughout the week. She was still sending them regularly enough that Stiles didn’t need to worry that she’d been abducted by goblins or anything, but they just weren’t coming as frequently as they had been when he’d first left. And then yesterday she hadn’t called him at 7. It’s not like they’d specifically made plans to talk at 7, but it had become habit. Lydia always called at 7. Sure, Stiles initiated the majority of their text message conversations, randomly sending her things as they popped into his head throughout the day - when he overheard someone say something funny, when one of his professors said something interesting, when he saw a cute dog - but they both knew his brain was too scattered and easily-distracted to remember to call every evening. Plus, he was often up studying until the wee hours of the morning and had no clue what time it even was. Lydia did NOT appreciate calls at 2am because that’s when Stiles had finally finished his assignment and decided to call her before bed.

So, following this logic, it’s 1am before Stiles looks up from his computer screen and registers the time and the fact that Lydia hadn’t called. He sits there frowning at his computer screen for a few minutes, debating calling her at this hour or waiting until tomorrow and finally decides on going to sleep and waiting until morning. If anything was wrong, he’d have heard about it through one of the others by now. And he doesn’t really want to admit to Lydia that it’s taken him this long to realise she’d never called and to start worrying. I mean, it doesn’t really sound too good, does it?

When Stiles wakes the next morning it’s to way too much sunlight streaming through his window and his eyes blink blearily open to see his roommate sprawled out on his bed on the opposite side of the room. Stiles is confused because his roommate is practically nocturnal. Stiles NEVER sees him in the mornings. Stiles normally leaves for class before the other guy even makes it back to the dorm. And that’s when Stiles realises he’s slept through his alarm and he is late. Very late. So he jumps up, rushes around to get dressed and runs out the door as fast as he can, completely forgetting about checking in with Lydia. Momentarily forgetting about Lydia completely to be honest.

He remembers again around lunchtime and shoots her a hurried message between classes as he shoves a sandwich down his throat and rushes across campus. All it says is a simple “Do I need to send a search party? Missed hearing from you last night.” and there’s a reply by the time he’s sliding into his seat in his next class. “Search party not necessary.”

The weird thing is that when Lydia calls at 7 that evening, they don’t even address it. Stiles feels too guilty about not even realising she hadn’t called to be the one to bring it up and Lydia just starts into a thought about string theory, which leads to 25 minutes of debating various physics laws before Lydia starts yawning and Stiles says goodnight.

It’s 5 days later when Stiles is sprawled out on his bed with his phone pressed to his ear, listening to Scott complaining about Liam not listening to him in favour of making googly eyes at Hayden and Stiles is holding in the call of hypocritical foul, when Stiles gets slammed with a harsh slap of reality. Because Scott just said… what?

“Wait, hold up. What did you just say?”

“That Liam-”

“No after that, about Jackson.”

“Uh, that Jackson actually sided with me and thought we should start training 3 days a week instead of 1.”

“Jackson’s… back… in Beacon Hills…”

“Um, yeah… You didn’t know that? He flew back about a week ago. Something about selling his parents property or something? Didn’t Lydia tell you?” Stiles doesn’t answer and Scott clears his throat awkwardly before continuing. “Must have slipped her mind. I don’t think he’ll be in town for long. Once the houses sell, he’ll be off back to London…”

“Uh huh. Right.”

“Stiles.”

“No, it’s all good dude. It’s fine. I do have to go though. I have a paper to finish,” he lies.

After Stiles hangs up, he lays there staring at the ceiling for a long time. Lydia had missed calling him again two nights ago and neither of them mentioned it again. And the conversations they had had were mostly about classes and assignments and politics. The text messages had been getting few and far between too. Normally, when uncomfortable and unpleasant thoughts like these started infiltrating his brain, Stiles shut-down, dived headfirst into something else to keep his mind occupied and refused to think about it. But tonight he’s letting himself really hash this out in his head. He’s looking at it like he would a particularly difficult math problem. And it’s another hour before he realizes that that itself is a giant clue. He should be feeling more things about this right? Not intellectually debating it like a brain-puzzle to solve. And all their interactions since he started college had been like this too, hadn’t they? Stiles had always been in love with Lydia Martins brain but there… there was nothing romantic about his relationship with Lydia right now, was there? And there hadn’t been in weeks… months even. Stiles had forgotten to call Lydia. Lydia. His girlfriend Lydia.

Jesus Christ. He’s completely lost it, hasn’t he? He’s lost his damn mind. Being with Lydia has been his ultimate endgame plan for longer than he can even remember. And he had her for all of a few months before completely screwing it up. And he doesn’t know how to fix it.

He doesn’t even know if he wants to fix it.

What the hell?!

After another hour of consideration, Stiles proves even more that he’s lost his damn mind and calls Jackson.

“Stilinski?”

“Jackson.” There’s an awkward pause of silence before Stiles starts up again. “Have you changed at all since leaving?”

“Excuse me?”

“All bullshit aside Jackson, I’m not trying to start shit, I’m just- I just want to have an honest conversation with you, OK? All honesty, 5 minutes of your time, then you don’t have to speak to me again.”

Stiles takes Jackson’s silence as an acceptance.

“Do you realize what you did wrong the first time around? Can you admit you were a total asshole and that you’ve changed now?”

“I- Yeah. Yes. I had a lot of… stuff… on my plate. I wasn’t in a good place and moving has helped me sort through things and get… better.”

Stiles figures the fact that Jackson admitted that at all makes the statement believable.

“Did you… do you…” Stiles clears his throat, annoyed that he’s struggling to say what he wants to say.

“I’ve always loved her Stiles. I miss her every day.”

Stiles nods to himself and blinks back the sudden tears in his eyes.

“OK,” he finally manages.

Time seems to move quickly after that. Stiles has what he knows is going to go down as one of the hardest conversations of his entire life with Lydia the day after calling Jackson. He tells her he’s always loved her and always will love her, but that he thinks the kind of love changed over time as he grew up and he just hadn’t seen it happen. She sobs into the phone and tells him she’s so sorry for not telling him about Jackson being back in town and that she wanted to be that person for Stiles but that she couldn’t help still being in love with Jackson even though she still didn’t think he deserved it or that they could ever even make it work.

It took a long few hours of crying and laughing and talking and listening, but eventually both Stiles and Lydia were able to reach the agreement of being the best of friends and Stiles knew it would be a true and life-long friendship with every fibre of his being. He’s lucky. So god-damn lucky. For so many things in his life.

His new-found clarity on this subject has him spontaneously taking a couple of days off school to fly home for the weekend and see his Dad and his pack and give himself a bit of a wake-up call to make sure he remembers to truly appreciate these people in his life. They have a bonfire on the beach with everyone and Stiles has never felt more like he belonged to a big family. When he’s packing his bags back up on Sunday afternoon and getting ready to leave, his heart is filled with gratitude and happiness and he can’t remember feeling this healthy in a long time.

His Dad drops him off at the airport in the cruiser and Stiles is brimming with positivism as he lounges in an uncomfortable airport chair, waiting to board. He has a crossword magazine open on his lap, and he’s humming along to a random song while he chews on his pen and considers a 7 letter word for “Unavoidable End”. And that’s the moment someone who smells quite nice sinks down in the chair right next to him. Stiles frowns slightly because he’s pretty sure the last time he looked up the airport lounge was relatively empty and there were rows and rows of empty chairs that weren’t right next to Stiles so this dude is being pretty creepy, but he doesn’t look up for fear of engaging the creeper in a creepy conversation. Still, Stiles tries his best to ignore the stranger and keeps his head down, focused on his crossword until the man speaks.

“Destiny,” says a very familiar voice and Stiles is startled, snapping his gaze up immediately, finding himself face-to-face with Derek. Stiles’ eyes are wide and his mouth hangs open, his pen falling to his lap. He doesn’t need werewolf hearing to know his heart is beating dub-step right now. Derek just smirks at him and Stiles feels it in his bones. It’s like someone just disconnected a signal-jammer in his body and Stiles’ veins are suddenly pulsing with ‘I MISSED HIM, I MISSED HIM, I MISSED HIM’.

“The answer to 21 down,” Derek continues. “It’s ‘destiny’.”