#A Rose Under the Moon

[angel-of-the-moons]

A Rose Under the Moon

A Soulmate!AU

Pairing: MCU Moon Knight System (Marc/Jake/Steven) x Fem!Reader

Summary:

You've waited your whole life to meet your soulmate. You just didn't know your soulmate was so close by, all this time.

But...

How the hell can you handle being thrown into a world full of gods and magic? You're just a shopkeeper! Why is your heart being tugged by three different threads?

Why do they all look alike?

How... how the hell can you handle three soulmates?

TW/CW: Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Drinking problems, Loneliness, Pain, Angst, Torture, Childhood trauma, mentions of child abuse, human trafficking, sex abuse, drug abuse, suicidal thoughts/mentions, fighting, violence, graphic violence, death, major character death, comfort, soulmates, fluff, healing, slow burn, eventual smut, NSFW

MINORS DNI: I AM MOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT YOU CONSUME

Taglist: @bad4amficideas @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @shirukitsune @lokisremainingsanity @mundivagantsoul @furblrwurblr @zoleea-exultant @latenightcravingz @daygirl26 @thelastemzy @leahnicole1219 @marsmallow433 @crazyunsexycool @oscarissac2099 @littlenosoul @animechick555 @capsiclesworldsblog @cloudroomblog @lov3vivian @princessakirika @fog-sama @cheshire-salvatore-mikaelson @badbishsblog @lillycore555 @stardream14 @meowmeowyoongles @kate-ohara @kittenlover614 @patchesofwork @enheduannasposts @stitchattacks @dis-plus-fanfic-reblog-writes

Chapter 1: The Scholar Link

Chapter 2: Inside Voices Link

Chapter 3: The Victims Link

Chapter 4: Old, Unhappy, Far-Off Things Link

Chapter 5: Old Friends Link

Chapter 6: Whiskey Rose Link

Chapter 7: Cats And Cradles Link

Chapter 8: Everybody Loves Cats! Link

Chapter 9: A House Divided Link

Chapter 10: On The Wings Of An Icarus Link

Chapter 11: Good Food And Cat Fuzz Link

Chapter 12: Helplessness Link

Chapter 13: A Rock, A River, And A Boy With A Soft Smile Link

Chapter 14: Chaos Link

Chapter 15: Sphinx of Black Quartz Link

Side Characters:

Puck the Cat

[ladyloveandjustice]

Yuri Manga for New (AND Not-So-New) Readers

I was talking on discord about some good yuri for beginners, and figured I'd repost here.

I get way more detailed some of these recommendations in this post, and there's great recs from another person too! Check it out!

I'm doing this accounting to various tones and tastes, so what works as a beginner yuri for one person might not for another, just read the info to figure out what your jam is.

I'll put a star by the ones about adults (which is the majority of them) since I've found that's always something people want.

Goodbye my Rose Garden (Victorian yuri w/ beautiful art, just beautiful all around)*

How Do We Relationship? (messy adult relationships and lots of actually realistic intimacy)*

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat- (A woman loves to cook but doesn’t have a huge appetite, only to find the woman next door to her does! She cooks for her and they really start to bond over food and the trials of being working adults. Yes, this is the one where the woman googles lesbian. It's really good)*

Bloom into You- a common go-to yuri for beginners for a reason, about a girl who believes she can't fall in love meeting a girl who wants to date her specifically BECAUSE she can't fall in love. Find out more about it and hear my thoughts here. It has a gorgeous anime that doesn't cover the complete story.

Doughnuts Under the Crescent Moon (sweet office lady romance, ace rep) *

Catch These Hands! (These two women were delinquents and rivals in high school, they meet up again, one reveals she was always into the other, she challenges her to a fight on the condition that if the other woman loses she'll date her. Lots of slapsticky fun and great for any lover of girl delinquents)*

Run away with me, Girl (there's some abuse shown in this one, but it's a story about healing, the premise is these girls dated in high school, but one of the pressured herself "normal" and marry a man, that man turns out to be abusive, so when the former lovers reunite, they decide to run away together. It's got beautiful art and a well done story)*

The Moon on a Rainy Night (absolutely spectacular, explores the relationship between a hard of hearing girl and her closeted classmate, the characters are complex and the writing is so good!)

Kase-san And...- Starting with Kase-san and the Morning Glories, this is a very fluffy and sweet high school romance. It also has a short movie. (as the manga goes on they become college students, too)

The Two of Them Are Pretty Much Like This (slice of life about a voice actress and anime screenwriter who live together as a couple. Unfortunately the ending is a bit abrupt (and likely premature) but I love their relationship)*

My fave Otherside Picnic is great for scifi and (mild) horror lovers. It's Scifi creepypasta adventure yuri. It's a slow burn but does truly spectacularly deliver on the gay. Has an anime, it's not great, you should start with the novels. Wrote an article here. https://www.animefeminist.com/how-otherside-picnic-masterfully-uses-horror-to-explore-abuse-and-show-healing-queer-love/ *(v young adults, college students)

The Guy She was Interested in Wasn't a Guy at All: (A web manga about a girl who works at a record shop. Her classmate , Aya, wanders in but doesn't recognize her because she has her hair hidden with a hat and is wearing a face mask, and Aya assumes she's a guy. They bond over music and slowly start to get closer...and Aya's finds her heart is fluttering not only over this mysterious boy, but her female classmate that seems a lot like him...) It's going to get a physical release soon.

I Married my Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up (girl and her friend get married simply so her parents will stop bugging her about being single. You can probably guess where it goes from there) *

I Married my Female Friend (similar premise, except no parents involved, it's a platonic marriage they both agreed to with the promise they'll divorce if one of them falls in love. But one woman has decidedly not platonic feeling for the other that she's hiding from her, so It will likely turn romantic, it hasn't all come out here yet so I haven't finished it)*

Monthly in the Garden with my Landlord* (it didn't really hit with me but I might give it a shot again, it's solid despite the terrible title, a woman moves into a house and finds she'll be cohabitating with an idol) (Some more titles I haven't fully read that could appeal: After Hours*, Still Sick*, Cheerful Amnesia*)

My Cute Little Kitten (two roommates adopt a cat...and maybe fall in love?)*

I think all of those work as solid intro- though it does depend on what flavor you're looking for!

This article also covers some of these recs and some manga I didn't mention due to not having completely read it. so check it out: The Beginners Guide to Yuri Manga.

Here's some titles to try when you're a little more familiar with yuri (or you can try them now! I'm not your boss!)

SHWD (action yuri that's taking forever to come out over here physically, featuring extremely muscular women fighting monsters. I think it was forced to end prematurely too)*

Kiss and White Lily for my Dearest Girl: (I'm only three volumes in, but it's really enjoyable. The main storyline is about two academic rivals, where one is determined to rank first in class, and the other is an effortless genius who becomes intrigued at the possibility of someone beating her. Honestly they have the kind of messy combative sexual tension I wish we'd see more often in yuri because it's so good. The story follows other couples too. However, big warning for some nonconsensual kisses in the first volume at least).

Sweet Blue Flowers/Aoi Hana- (This one is a little bit dated, and boy is the ending weirdly paced, but a lot still holds up imo. A painful and sweet coming of age tale, it also has an anime that's good but ends too soon.

One teenage characters backstory involves incestuous (older cousin) the perpetrator of which pulls the "oh no did I turn you gay? thing" but it's definitely framed as a bad thing. )

Yuri is My Job- a story about messy lesbians in a yuri-themed cafe, and how their real relationships differ from the personas they put on. Read more about it here. Big warning for sexual assault of a minor (by an adult villain) in volume 12. Has an anime covering early material.

[xabi0407]

everlasting trio redesign

check out my commissions

[nerdyrevelries]

Castles in the Air

I'm extremely excited to announce that the game I've been working on for the past 4 years is coming to Kickstarter! Castles in the Air (CitA) is a tabletop RPG inspired by the novels of Louisa May Alcott and L.M. Montgomery. Players start as children with boundless dreams who will change over the years based on the relationships they form and choices they make. I think it's a really special game, and I'm looking forward to being able to share it with everyone.

For more information or to sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter launches on May 14th, please check out the game's page on the Storybrewers Roleplaying website. If that name sounds familiar, Storybrewers is the company that created Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG. I feel very honored that they reached out to me about publishing Castles in the Air. While Castles in the Air is a standalone game, its mechanics are inspired by Good Society, and if you like Good Society, I think you'll like CitA too as it allows you to tell similarly compelling stories.

I will be creating some blog posts talking about the literary inspirations for different parts of the game in the weeks leading up to the Kickstarter and during its run. I will be using this as a master post to keep track of all of them, so make sure to check back here or follow my blog if you are interested.

Blog Posts

Meg March: The Nurturer

Jo March: The Pragmatist

[meganechan05]

"The soldier of opulence, Sailor Rose! In the name of Ishabana, prepare to be surgically dealt with!"

"The soldier of space-time. The one who guards the Space-Time Gate. Sailor Butterfly."

I forgot to post these here 😂

I do love this AU, though. The lore took time to make it work and these two are the ones who have to make sure Rita can get decent sleep bc they're going through a lot.

[teathattast]

Hold me close

And hold me fast

This magic spell you cast

This is la vie en rose

♡☆♡☆♡☆♡

When you kiss me

Heaven sighs

And though I close my eyes

I see la vie en rose

[girlinthetardis04]

Me: the MCs for otome games need to be more varied! Not everyone is a brown eyed brunette white girl with bangs!

Also me: *is in fact a brown eyed brunette white girl with bangs*

[harocat]

Would anyone be interested in a costume Cdrama zine? Xianxia, historical, wuxia, and xuanhuan.

Not something I’d think too hard about putting together until the mini bang is over, and I would need some other mods of course. However, I have headed up a successful zine before.

[sonysakura]

A sneak peek of my submission to @shadamyzine Under the Light of the Moon 🌙 I wrote a wlw!Shadamy fic Blooming in Your Sunshine feat. transfem!Shadow and also hanging out with Chao as is my trademark – you know how it is...

The zine has now been released, and you can find it right here 💜 Full text of the sneak peak under the cut:

Little paws stick out of their picnic basket making small fussy noises. As the black hedgehog stays stunned by the audacity of the cute Chao thief, her girlfriend sprints over and grabs them. The Chao turns out to be pink with a wide red stripe across their bottom half, making them look like they’re wearing shorts, and neat spikes somewhat resembling Amy’s style. She shakes them slightly. “Bad Chao! No stealing!” she tries to chide them, but the Chao only giggles mischievously. “They are so much like you.” “You think?” the pink hedgehog raises the Chao higher and then passes them to Shadow. “Yes. Just as cute.”

[the-silver-peahen-residence]

“Oh, I guess this is what we’re doing now. Welp, see ya!” Anon grabs a half-asleep Antony and drops him.

“Huh?” Antony chose at that moment to wake up and see that he was falling. “What the hell!? I was SLEEPING!”

Vantias was thinking for a moment but blinks hearing something. "Uhhh what the-"

"Anthony?!" Noe was shocked seeing Anthony free falling that he quickly rushes to hurry over and help him. Vantias was seeing Noe running over but when he jumps, he reaches to catch Anthony in his arms.

"I got you! Are you okay?" He asked worried.

[angel-of-the-moons]

A Rose Under The Moon

Moon Knight System (Marc, Steven, Jake) x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: Guilt, grief, angst, some self-harm tendencies

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger last chapter aslhdlshl enjoy this one to compensate for it! This one feels.... All over the place I'm so sorry if it doesn't make any sense, y'all! 😭😭😭

Taglist: @bad4amficideas @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction @shirukitsune @lokisremainingsanity @mundivagantsoul @furblrwurblr @zoleea-exultant @latenightcravingz @daygirl26 @thelastemzy @leahnicole1219 @marsmallow433 @crazyunsexycool @oscarissac2099 @littlenosoul @animechick555 @capsiclesworldsblog @cloudroomblog @lov3vivian @princessakirika @fog-sama @cheshire-salvatore-mikaelson @badbishsblog @lillycore555 @stardream14 @meowmeowyoongles @kate-ohara @kittenlover614 @patchesofwork @enheduannasposts

Chapter 14:

Chaos

You woke up that morning crying. A stone settled in place of your heart, thudding around your ribcage to the point you felt pain.

Did he reject you? What was it he was so afraid of? Who was this "He" the boy mentioned? Why was he so scared to let you be close to him?

What was going on?

You wanted to scream, you wanted to hit something. But all you could manage to do was sob into Puck's velvet fur.

The feline sensed your discomfort, licking you with her sandpaper tongue, rubbing her head on your cheek in her best efforts to soothe you. You were aching from a wound you couldn't place, an injury you couldn't bandage.

Puck's tongue scraped the inside of your wrist, right where your soulmark was. It was still there. So it wasn't a rejection... a... a warning, maybe?

You felt the stone lurch from your heart and lodge itself into your throat. He was trying to protect you. From whatever he was afraid of, you were certain, but...

You were soulmates. You should be there for him, to make him feel safe. You couldn't do that when you were children; you lived such vastly different lives... But god damn it all, you needed to be there for him, now.

Your heart throbbed as Puck purred and rubbed her head over your mark. The top moon was full, today; whatever that meant, you still had no idea.

You only wish you knew his name.

You heaved a sigh. It was a rather slow day today. You weren't surprised.... it was beginning to get colder out. Sleet had crusted over into ice, so navigating sidewalks had become tricky.

Puck purred happily, content to snuggle in your wadded up sweater on the table by the door as she groomed herself.

"It must be nice to not have to worry about stuff like soulmates, bills, taxes..." You sigh, chin resting in your hand as you watched her simply exist in feline bliss. "You just sit there and lick your tummy and your little butt, eat your dreamies..." The cat didn't seem to pay any mind to your one-sided conversation.

Puck would occasionally turn from you (and her grooming) to look out the window. If you didn't know any better, you'd swear she was waiting for someone. But sadly, it looked as if nobody was to come into your shop, today. Nobody was interested in trekking out in the frigid conditions to buy an old musty romance novel.

Layla mentioned that she had some sort of important business to attend to here in London, so you knew that whatever it was was very likely more important than coming to hang around your shop and chat over tea or coffee.

You hadn't seen Jake in a while, Marc and Steven for longer. You were beginning to miss all three of them, they were the most interesting people you'd ever met; and you missed the enthusiastic conversations between you and Steven, the reserved talks with Marc over some stupid shows on the telly, even the silly conversations you'd have with Jake, asking what he was knitting or working on next...

Your routine had become droll, tiring... where it had been previously a joy to do, it has now become a tedious thing you wished you could pass to someone else for a little while. You looked down at your wrist after pulling up your sleeve, at your mark.

The top moon was full. The bottom right was a quarter full, and the one on the bottom left was practically a sliver. You wondered what that meant. Was it an emotional gauge? Was he upset? Happy? Sad?

God, all you wanted was to hold him, let him scream and cry his feelings out, let him just feel... safe and vulnerable, for once in his life without feeling like he was going to be abused for it afterwards. You wanted him to trust you, to know that you were never going to hurt him, but... He had been so abused that you weren't sure if he even knew how to trust anymore. At least not entirely.

And who was this "He" that he was talking about? Whoever it was, how could he possibly assume this "person" was sending you to torment him? How was that possible? Why was he so scared of him? Was he his current abuser or--

You almost jumped when the bell dinged, your hands slapping onto your counter as the chilly air washed in, drowning out the heating for a moment as it swung back closed.

Your eyebrows rose when you see...

"Marc?"

He spun, turning to face you, his eyes sunken, glassy, his hair not as styled as he usually kept it. He cleared his throat and straightened up, running a hand through the rebellious curls to smooth them out. (Yeah, that was not happening.)

"Uh--yeah. Hey." He said a little too quickly, rubbing his hands together; he looked at Puck, his eyes widening as the black little creature stood up, meowing loudly at him, hopping to balance herself on the back of the booth before nudging her head against his elbow. "I, uh..."

Your brows furrowed as you took in his rather... "wet poodle" state. His hair was messy not because he hadn't styled it, but because it was positively soaked. In fact... He was soaked. You could see the dark wet patches in his jacket and pants and shirt as he fumbled about nervously.

"Oh, my god! Marc!" You gasped, almost tripping yourself as you rushed over to him, a tea towel in hand as you began to pat his shoulders, "You're going to catch your death!"

"Oh, if only." He muttered, not looking you in the eyes. That statement caught you completely off-guard.

Something was... off. He didn't seem like himself, despondent--scatter-brained, even.

"Marc, that's not..." You shook your head, wiping some frigid droplets from his cheekbones. "Look, what were you doing? You're soaking wet, it's almost the dead of winter. You could get frostbite."

"I'm fine, uh--coffee." He babbled, his eyes finally tracking yours; the umber depths uneasy.

"Huh?"

"Oh, I mean... Can I please have some coffee? I--don't want to go to one of the cafes, today. Too crowded, to loud, too..."

"Overwhelming?" You supplied.

"Yeah, uh..." He watched as you laid the towel on his shoulder, walking around him to the front door of your shop. You flipped the sign in the door to "closed" and locked the door, "What are you doing?"

"Come on, I'm taking you up to my flat." You say, tugging his wet sleeve, "I know I have some sleep clothes that should fit you; you're going to get sick if you don't get out of those clothes! We can have coffee while your clothes are in the wash."

"But, I--but--" He stuttered as you closed the register, locking it as well and turning off the coffee pots off, too. You could live with it if you had to toss them; but you certainly didn't want to have to scour the pots because you let the coffee scorch when you walked away to tend to your friend.

"Oh, please." You snort at him, untying your apron and setting it on the counter. "Jake couldn't talk me out of dragging him up there, you sure won't."

Marc's head rocked back as you smiled, hands on hips. "Wait, what? Jake went to your... when did he--?"

"Couple weeks ago. Caught the dork trying to eat some pre-packaged meal for dinner." You shrug, "Dragged him back here and made him a proper meal."

"I... he, uh... he didn't mention that." Marc replied, mumbling as he rubbed at his arm, looking over at Puck, whom still continued to rub up against Marc.

He seemed... weirded out by the little cat. Puck liked him already, which made you happy. You'd hoped she would get along with Marc and Steven as well as she had with Jake; especially after that day where she attacked that poor student and clawed up your arms.

Marc squirmed, feeling like a bug under a microscope. He had been restless, ever since that last dream he'd had with... her. Something inside of him had been rubbed raw--painful. It always had him on a livewire; jumpy at a moment's notice.

As he opened his mouth, Puck leapt at him. Marc instinctively flailed at first, but then went to cradle her as she scrambled to nest in his arms. "I, uh... think she likes me."

You laughed, clapping your hands as you giggled, "Oh, yeah... I think she's got a little crush on you!"

Marc pursed his lips tightly, squirming once more as you tugged his sleeve, pulling him behind you to the back of your shop, through the winding labyrinth of bookshelves and to the door that led upstairs to your flat.

You smiled at him over your shoulder, "Relax, Marc. I'm not gonna kill you or anything."

He wasn't sure how it happened, why it happened, or even... Shit, where was he going with this?

All he knew was, that one minute he was walking--just... walking through the parks and streets of London, not bothering with an umbrella. The icy sleet had chilled and numbed him, as it often did when he ran away from home as a boy.

The icy weather of Chicago would soothe the burns, the cuts, the bruises--would numb the injuries so he didn't have to worry about them for the time being. His feet carried him, not knowing where he was going, or what awaited him when he finally stopped.

He hadn't even expected to wind up at your shop, but when he finally felt the pain creep into his fingertips; the frigid sensation of his hands beginning to lock up snapping him out of the spell of guilt he was drowning himself in. He was cold; and, well... he knew you had one of his favorite coffee flavors stocked, and would likely welcome some form of company on a slow and dreary day like today.

He didn't want to go back to the flat; the air in the place felt stifling. And with Layla taking the shift of daylight crime-fighting with Taweret for Khonshu, he didn't want to be alone.

Steven was just barely aware of what was going on, hardly even a fly on the wall at the moment. And he hadn't heard from Jake since that night he woke up with his hands wrapped around Layla's throat.

Marc was practically alone, today. And he didn't like that, not when he's been so upset. Steven was aware of the dreams he'd been having, and how Marc had scared off the woman in his dreams, forcing her out, pushing her away.

Steven had chewed him out majorly over it when he found out; lecturing Marc. That the poor woman didn't deserve to be rebutted without a reason, that she was likely confused and hurt... And Marc had to agree. They just couldn't risk that poor kind soul being swallowed into the darkness that had almost claimed him forever.

But he didn't want her to be drawn into this magical, gods-involved bullshit, too. He'd suffered enough when he let Layla get mired in this mess, he didn't want someone innocent and normal to suffer, too. Even if it hurt them.

And now, somehow... he was here. In your flat. That Jake had been in your home, too. A part of him wondered when exactly it happened, too. And what exactly transpired between you two.

A part of him was worried that you and Jake had slept together, and the thought almost enraged Marc. He wasn't sure why, but imagining Jake doing that to you, was... well. Let's just say he was happy to have his mind preoccupied with the small black cat in his lap, kneading his thighs through the fuzzy pajama pants he now wore.

The clothes you'd supplied him were pajamas you had bought on a whim at a thrift store. You hadn't had a chance to wear them after you bought them, so they sat in a drawer in your bedroom for the past month-and-a-half. They fit Marc almost perfectly, and he was grateful for that. He didn't exactly want to wear hot pink short-shorts with unicorn heads on them and a spaghetti strap.

He would have rather kept his soaked clothes, if you had insisted he wear something like that. He wanted to keep his dignity, thank you very much.

You set a fresh mug of coffee down on the table in front of him, grinning as you dropped onto the cushions next to him, "Your clothes are almost done in the wash. Then I can pop them into the dryer and you're all set."

"Thanks." Marc replied on a mutter, carefully leaning over to grab the mug and not displace little Puck. He'd already gotten a little attached to her. He wasn't allowed pets as boy; a rule of his father's because they might destroy the furniture. Sure, he had Gus n co., but he couldn't exactly pick up one of the pudgy goldfish and give them a pet, now could he?

"So," You said, sipping at your own mug and hoping to lighten the mood. "How was your trip?"

"My... trip?" Marc asked, sipping the bitter brew. He was thankful you'd left it black, with only a few lumps of sugar; especially since that was how he liked it.

"Yeah, Jake said you and Steven took a trip to the States. To show him around where you grew up? He mentioned that Steven had been curious about it for some time." You said, your brow quirking upwards curiously. "He said he and Layla stayed behind to... feed your fish?"

"Oh! Oh, right! That trip, uh..." He swallowed nervously. Of course Jake had to come up with an excuse as to why he and Steven had been "absent" the past few weeks. He couldn't exactly tell you that he needed to give his headmates a mental vacation from all their stress, hmm?

"It was... fine. Showed Steven some, uh--some baseball games, and some parks. He uhh... had fun in the museums."

"Of course he did," You chuckled with a shake of your head, "How was it for you? Did you two and... see your parents?"

Marc's jaw tensed, and for a moment you thought you'd overstepped your boundaries, pushed a button you shouldn't have as his hand shook slightly, the coffee sloshing bit by bit. Did something happen?

However, as quick as that shift in his demeanor appeared, if washed away like the sand being beaten back by the tide, and Marc was back to his previous self.

He shook his head, "Our, uh--my mom died a while ago. Had a bit of a falling out with my dad after that, so..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to..." You cringed, "I'm sorry."

Marc rolled his shoulder stiffly, a little perturbed when you called him "honey". He wasn't sure why it made him lightly uncomfortable, or made a tickle creep around in his belly like a spider frantically crawling around its web when prey was trapped within.

"It's fine. We're adults, and... Steven, Jake and I all respect each other's space, now." He sighed.

"I'm sorry you guys didn't get to grow up together."

Marc looked up at you from his mug to see you frowning into your own. Your eyes looked... tired. Exhausted. Was work getting that tiring for you? Had another rude bastard barged into your shop when he wasn't aware? If somebody laid a hand on you...

"It's fine." He said once again. "As long as... you know. We're together now, that's what really counts, right?"

"Yeah, you're family, right? It's good to keep them close." You say, locking eyes with him and smiling. He found himself smiling back, your energy infectious, and nodded.

"Yeah... Yeah."

You heard the phone by the door ring, and you groaned. Marc found the childish reaction a little endearing, and snorted softly when you apologized to go and answer it.

He sighed, setting his mug down and going to stroke Puck's fur. She stared past your open bedroom door, her fur standing on end. "Hey, hey, sweetie, what's wrong?" Marc asked the little cat. Something had her upset, and it had him wanting to coo to the animal, to stroke her chin and soothe her.

Until... he looked up. And saw exactly what was upsetting her.

There, perched at the edge of your bed, was Khonshu.

He tipped his head to the side, huffing in amusement. "I thought I'd find you here. I am not surprised. You are drawn to any sense of normality like water is to a sponge."

The dim light in your bedroom made him look spooky--the dreary daylight barely filtering into the room past the cracks in your curtains to cast rays across his body. His massive staff lay across his shoulder, his arm hanging on it casually. As if he had been her a number of times before.

Maybe he had. Marc had to wonder just how many times.

Marc chewed his bottom lip, looking at you. You had your back turned to him, chattering into the receiver at whomever was on the other end. His heart beat faster and faster.

When he looked back, Khonshu was standing over him, and Puck had her back arched, growling very lowly in her tiny throat.

No. No, no, no, no. Not here.

"I have been curious about her for some time, I must admit. Curious as to why you three seem to gravitate towards her."

No.

Not you.

"This fallacy is pathetic. You cannot have a normal life. Anyone you get close to is doomed to suffer." He stomped his staff on the floor, scaring Puck away to hide under the coffee table. "Leave this woman be, Marc."

"Go. Away." Marc hissed softly, standing up from the couch, his hand trembling and his jaw clenching. He wanted to shout, wanted to punch, wanted to knock his stupidly large beak askew. But he couldn't risk blowing it all out of the water in front of you...

His eyes kept flitting over to you, blissfully ignorant of the terrifying entity within your home. A place you should have been safe.

A place... that they--that he--had brought Khonshu into.

His fists clenched at each other, shaking as he tried to keep his rage in check. No. No, no, no. No!

"You cannot swat me aside like the fly you wish I was, Marc Spector." Khonshu leaned back, his head just barely brushing the ceiling. "You cannot lock me out of anywhere you do not wish me to be."

Puck hissed, yowling as she skittered out from her hiding place, to run over to you. She turned, facing Khonshu, her back arched and tail puffed out as she spit and hissed, swatting towards him.

"Pesky little creatures. I cannot stand them, sometimes. Must she always harass me when it suits her?" Khonshu growled, stomping over to where you were.

Marc immediately moved, his eyes wide and frantic as you turned around.

You couldn't see Khonshu, that much was obvious. But Puck could. You set the phone down and hung up, looking at your feline companion with confusion. Spotting Marc standing, his hands outstretched as if he were about grab something. You tilted your head to the side, smiling awkwardly as you reach down to pet Puck, but she spits and hissed, swatting at something that didn't seem to be there.

It couldn't be Marc, even if she was facing him. She had just been coiled up and snuggled in his lap for the past half hour! What on Earth could have triggered this?

"I... I'm sorry. The phone was, uh... A shipment I put a bid on, recently, and..." You say bashfully, rubbing the back of your neck, watching Puck. "I'm beginning to think my place might be haunted, ha ha... she's been staring off into space and growling at nothing, lately. Don't, uh, please don't take it personally?"

You began to babble, feeling a cold sweat erupt in your palms, rubbing them together. You weren't sure why there was so much tension in the air, the aura of it weighing down on your shoulders like a lead blanket.

"I, uh... ehm. I feel like maybe I should call a priest, right? Ha ha..."

You were completely unaware of the god looming down; so close to you that he would touch you if he reached out. And Marc knew he didn't want Khonshu's rotting, horrible hands to touch you. His robes flowed around you, curling and undulating on the floor like papery tentacles. One of his hands began to lift, almost gently curious as he reached for your hands.

"No! Get the hell away from her!" Marc shouted, rushing forwards to push you back, his bare feet slapping on the polished wood as he used his body to shield you, thrusting his hand out to ward off whatever it was he apparently saw.

Puck hissed, launching herself at Khonshu, hopping on her little paws to spit and hiss, making the deity growl and step back, looking down at Marc with what he could feel was a sense of superciliousness, superiority. "She will inevitably become wise to this, Marc. Do not try and keep her from me. It will end badly for you."

"Shut up, shut up!" Marc shouted, curling in on himself, slapping his head over and over. "No! No, no, no, no, no! Fuck you! You won't hurt her, too! She's our friend!"

You grasped Marc by the sleeve, disturbed by the scene unfolding in front of you, forcing him to turn towards you. "Marc! Marc, who are you talking to? What's wrong?"

"No! Stop..." Marc whimpered, watching out of the corners of his eyes as Puck continued to thrash at Khonshu, only serving to irritate the god into vanishing in a puff of mist. Puck growled lowly, walking in a little circle; checking to see if he was still hanging around.

"Marc? Marc, it's okay! What--"

"No, I can't stay here. This was a mistake." He choked, turning to make a dash for your front door, his hand wrapping around the knob, not even caring about his clothes still in your washer.

"I'm sorry..."

How could he be so stupid? Of course Khonshu would stalk him! Of course the old bastard would try to use you, the one normal thing in their lives against them! He should have known!

He did know, and still he made the stupid decision to get close to you; Jake, too, damn it! And now you were on his radar, now he would inevitably interfere with your life, put you in danger!

Why.

Why was the man known as Marc Spector such a curse on those around him?

Ever since he was a boy, he was a plague. He hurt people, even if he didn't intend to.

"Marc, stop!"

Your voice was drowned out by the pounding in his ears, his blood rushing like a waterfall.

(Marc, no!)

But before he could stop himself, halfway out of your flat, Steven surged within him, trying to project his gentle and calming influence into the frantic and fearful Marc.

It wasn't working.

"Marc!" You gasped as you watched him suddenly tense, jerk his head back a little, and seize, beginning to fall forwards with his eyes rolled back; towards your stairs. Instinctively, you reached out and gripped the back of his sleep shirt you'd let him wear, clinging to him with all your might as his body went limp and he began to stumble.

You were fast enough that you were able to haul him back, tumbling with a loud thump! to your floor, your tailbone now aching as you cradled an unconscious Marc.

Your chest ached; pain radiating through you. Half of you wanted to run and call 999; the other half demanded--no, screamed--that you check on your friend. Hefting him up a little to rest his head on your lap, Puck was right there, sitting on Marc's chest and staring at him with wide eyes, her ears flattened back and her tail tucked.

You grab his face, ignoring how your heart felt like it was about to explode. "Marc? Marc, talk to me!" You pleaded.

"Oh, please, please, please, please don't tell me you had a seizure and be dead!" You begged, beginning to tremble with hysteria as your eyes watered and burned. What happened? What had caused this outburst? Did he really have a seizure?

And thankfully, much to your relief, his eyes opened and he made a loud gasp, his back arching as he sat up straight, Puck fleeing to sit on the floor to stare at the both of you.

"Oh, thank god!" You cried, wrapping your arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Oh, uh... oh, bollocks." An unmistakably accented voice blabbered out; heavy hands gently patting your back. "I, uh--eh--s-sorry, luv... Oh... Oh, this is a mite awkward, innit?"

You pulled away from him, then--your eyes wide as you grip his shoulders, staring into his eyes. Much softer than Marc's, sweeter... almost innocent. You felt like the floor had opened up beneath you.

"Steven?"

Chapter 15: Link

[dailyasiandramas]

[saph-yells-into-the-void]

finally bought a shelf for all my manga and loved how it turned out <33

[magicalshopping]

♡ Glass Planets Charms by Moonlume ♡

♡ Glass Heart ♡

♡ Glass Moon ♡

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Followup from my other one. This time, I’d like to plug nine more obscure or underappreciated series that I very much enjoy. Some of these are only in manga form, and some might require one to sail the high seas so to speak. But like...this is a niche Tumblr blog and I feel like my vibe was pretty indie already so have fun with it!

TOP LEFT - Attack no.1: This one is probably the hardest sell which is a damn shame. It’s a series from the 60s, there are pretty good fansubs out there but the manga has never been translated to my knowledge. Attack no.1 is one of the most important anime of all time, a volleyball shoujo made in the wake of the Japan Women’s team bringing home the gold in the 1964 Olympics. That sounds pretty mundane now, and a lot of it would feel that way on casual glance today too. But...it was the first. First shoujo sports series and really one of the earliest that wasn’t a kiddie magical girl show. Big, big deal that aired in primetime. Completely unafraid to touch on misogyny, racism, cold war tensions, and being one of the only anime I have ever seen call out Japan’s erasure of the disabled point blank. You’d also see the birth of so many sports anime tropes, but they make perfect sense couched in this epic that ties Kozue’s journey from middle school superstar to Olympian together with this saga of Japan undergoing massive social change. Can’t say enough good things about this one, it’s dated but still amazing. It also has this like, oddly hardcore edge to it. Kozue ain’t called “oyabun” for nothing.

TOP MIDDLE - Glass Mask: One of the bestselling shoujo series of all time. Still need to finish this one but as a former theatre kid I love it. Same format as so many others, rivals and challenges and meeting true companions...but the theatrical nature makes it feel so classy. Melodrama in the best way possible.

TOP RIGHT - Rose of Versailles: Yeah, it’s another one of the most legendary shoujo of all time. Lady Oscar, raised as a man and this captain of the guard added into the backdrop of the French Revolution. Is it entirely historically accurate? No, but still uses enough legit detail you’ll walk away with something. Beautiful, timeless. Oddly enough one of the first anime I got into outside of what I could find on TV. The one that kicked off a fascination with the history of anime and manga. A lot like Glass Mask, you’re getting a big, sweeping romantic epic. Both in the lovey-dovey and literary sense. Bara wa bara wa...

MIDDLE LEFT - Kanojo ni, Naru Hi: Or literally “The Day He Became She.” Figured fans of a blog that ostensibly started about Okiku might like some other good stories that use trans themes. Short but has good scans for it and the sequel series. Starts off a little weird but opens up a few chapters in and makes sense. Set in a world where physically transitioning can just...happen to some boys in order to keep balance. That’s just an excuse to handwave away the stupid points people get hung up on, which leads to the real strength of the series. Said this about Kiku, this is one of the few times I’ve seen a trans narrative that deals with “what comes next” so to speak. Also an amazing romance story in its own right that follows the Kare Kano tradition of getting the couple together early and letting them face hurdles as a pair.

CENTER - Kyou Kara Yonshimai: “Four Sisters, Starting Today.” Short series that executes a simple premise. Starts off as a family of three sisters buzzing with excitement to see their sole brother for the first time in two years. You can guess from the title what change makes for the inciting incident. What I like about this one is how well it executes; all four sisters shift believably around this new revelation. While it doesn’t sugarcoat friction it may cause in families, it’s always from a place of love. At the start, they’re all in proper “roles” for their family order. By the end, they’ve all followed their new sister’s example and ended up finding out where they fit in the best.

MIDDLE RIGHT - Full Moon wo Sagashite: This was like, the seasonal flash in the pan of 2004. Almost immediately forgotten when it ended but well liked at the time. It was the first series I pirated off of BitTorrent...over dialup internet. Patient process of letting it run overnight, took about two weeks for a 4 episode batch. Worth it, cute magical girl idol series. Not an uncommon blend. Centered around the hook of its young protagonist Mitsuki having cancer. Not afraid to be tragic underneath the sugary exterior. Songs are fun too. 

BOTTOM LEFT - You’re Under Arrest!: This one is deceptively good, think of it as a precursor to the “cute girls doing cute things��� genre from the early 90s. But it’s about adults which is incredibly refreshing. Focuses on a pair of traffic cops, so its like a really petty police procedural. One of the major supporting characters Aoi happens to be that classy trans girl archetype a certain samurai we like here fits to boot! Comfy hand-drawn animation that sticks to the episodic format. A fluffy sitcom that can spruce it up with a little action when it wants to. 

BOTTOM MIDDLE - Paradise Kiss: Kinda forgot until I was writing this that it’s another one with a good incidental trans character in the main group. Unique series about haute coture fashion design. Ended up doing the same thing as Yu Yu Hakusho where it trying to be modern when it came out ended up making it a great period piece for the 00s. Fun cast, lots of pretty visuals, the fashion world is enough to keep things interesting given it’s a short series. Love the ending theme for the anime, funky animatic to a Franz Ferdinand song.

BOTTOM RIGHT - Lupin III: Does this count as obscure in the West? Even when it was on Adult Swim it was always late in the block. Never hear people talk about it but I’ve always loved the tales of the gentleman thief. Lupin, Jigen, Goemon, Fujiko, and Zenigata. You only need five main characters for such a massive franchise. The James Bond parody Austin Powers wishes it could be. Funny as hell and has delivered so many good emotional stories hidden in there to boot. A true classic. “Rose & Pistol,” or “Shot Through the Heart” in the English dub, is absolutely burned into my brain.

[dreamsofyexiao]

does anyone want to reenact blood moon with me