#Chapter two!

[exhuastedpigeon]

there ain't no turning back

Buddie || Mature || 2/9 || 2.5/5.1k

They both woke early the next morning and decided to try to catch the sunrise over Niagara Falls. They missed the actual sunrise by a few minutes, but the pastel pinks and yellows of the morning sky over the Falls was still beautiful. Eddie and Buck stood shoulder to shoulder, the mist of the Falls leaving both of them a little damp as they walked back to the car. 

A couple in their early 20s had asked them to take a picture for them and when they were done they offered to take one of Buck and Eddie for them. Buck had handed his phone over before the girl had finished talking, his arm wrapped around Eddie’s waist holding him tight as she took the photo. Eddie was pretty sure he looked a little lovesick in the picture, but that was nothing new. Not in pictures with Buck. 

“Okay, where to next, copilot?” Eddie asked when they were back in the rental car and driving west. 

“There’s a cool old market in Cleveland. I figured we could stop there and get an early lunch before trying to make it through to Chicago tonight,” Buck said, eyes on his phone as he spoke. 

Eddie had a feeling Buck had planned an entire route for them with alternate options if Eddie didn’t sound into one and he loved him. He loved him and he was really tired of not loving him out loud. It was like Christopher leaving had opened the floodgates for Eddie’s other emotions, like his son growing up and being happy was a silent cue to the rest of him that it was time for Eddie to let himself be something besides just a father. 

Continue on Ao3

[sugarlesswriting]

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Total Drama (Cartoon) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Courtney/Duncan (Total Drama), Gwen/Trent (Total Drama), Bridgette/Geoff (Total Drama) Characters: Courtney (Total Drama), Duncan (Total Drama), Gwen (Total Drama), Trent (Total Drama), Devon "DJ" Joseph Additional Tags: cryptid, Mystery, Paranormal, Murder Mystery Summary:

It's October 31, 1986 and Courtney Flores thought she would have a fun Halloween night, but things turn creepy when she and her friends stumble upon a mysterious shack. A creature known as Chimera that was thought as a myth in the town of Shadowcreek turns out to be real. After ten years the old group of friends are brought back to the town just in time for the Chimera Festival. Some wanted to leave it in the past but strange stories and a suspicious murder force them to face down the monster that changed their life all those years ago.

[thebrandywine]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Piers Nivans Characters: Leon S. Kennedy, Piers Nivans Additional Tags: Piers Nivans Lives, Established Relationship, Kidnapping, Torture, Blood and Violence Series: Part 18 of Dappercat's Whumptober 2023 Summary:

No singing. Not today.

Whumptober 2023 Day Eighteen: blindfolded & tortured for information

[raedear]

Chapters: 2/5 Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova Additional Tags: Arranged Marriage, Curses, Canon-Typical Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Alternate Universe - Royalty Summary:

Yusuf’s handsome new husband spends his wedding night on the chaise in Yusuf’s receiving room, and Yusuf stares at the moon for half the night, wondering exactly what he did, in that nebulous time between existing and not, to deserve a curse such as this.

Some curses can only be broken in death.

But what if death doesn't stick?

[o-wise-corvid]

Chapter Two

The warbling alert chime drew the Zabrak out of his slumber and he leveled a disgruntled scowl at the comm on the flight console in front of him. His pilot seat was more often than not his bed, and to be disturbed was beyond aggravating. He unfolded himself from the chair, which wasn’t that hard as he wasn’t a very tall man, spine and joints popping as he stirred.

Maul leveled a glare at his chrono. Only two hours.

That figures.

But then he quietly scolded himself. What if it was Mace? Or Depa? Those two, he never minded being awoken by.

And as if making a point to display his very thoughts, the universe conspired to have Depa Billaba’s face bloom to life from his holo-projector. “Maul! I’m so glad you’re in range…. where are you?”

Maul grinned. Depa was one of two favorite people in the galaxy that Maul allowed himself to drop his callous, aloof mask for. She’d been there since the beginning, after all. He missed, sometimes, the early days of just him, Mace and Depa. Quite tea tastings by the fire, crawling into Depa’s bed when the nightmares came. Jedi weren’t supposed to be family. But they were his.

Or as close to it as someone like Maul could have.

“I am near Tatooine. I picked up a distress signal after that last mission to Savareen and hauled a derelict transport into port at a ring station.” Then he realized through his sleep haze… Depa had been trying to reach him. “Why have you been trying to reach me?” he yawned, stretching to help wake himself up faster.

“Mace doesn’t want me to discuss across space.” She glances aside. “Will you come… come home?”

Maul resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Coruscant was not home. Not for him. And despite his affection for them, Depa and Mace weren’t either.

But now wasn’t the time to argue that. Or remind Depa why. She knew why. And it pained her.

“It will be a day or so of travel. But yes. I will come… is Mace alright?”

Depa tilted her head and then waved a hand. “Oh, yes, he’s fine. I’m sorry. That sounded more reactionary than I meant it to.” She smiled warmly at him. “It will be good to see you again.”

“And you.”

That was truthful.

“I will comm you when I arrive. You will need to collect me.”

“Naturally.”

“He’s been at it for an hour.”

Plo Koon watches the tiny Zabrak, clean now but not wearing a stitch, run in circles around his protective enclosure. There was a bed. A place to relieve himself privately. A container of toys. A holo projector. But the boy, Maul just ran. He ran all day, every day. Until he couldn’t. After the Zabrak youngling collapsed and slowly regained enough strength, he did push ups. Crunches. Stood on his head. Anything to burn energy. Any food or water brought to him, little Maul devoured. And then, usually, full and exhausted, the boy lost consciousness for a few hours. Sleep was the only peace the boy knew. The only peace he allowed himself to know.

“This behavior is conditioned. Must be.” Ki-Adi-Mundi stroked his beard, twirling the new length below his chin around a finger. “It is a wonder the boy has not expired just today due to his own relentlessness.”

They watched as the red feet stumbled and the boy fell, hard, landing so that his chin cracked against the floor. Even with the carpet, the bump was enough to send a bright splash of oxygen-rich blood across the floor. Little Maul gave a pained groan and then jumped up, eyeing them with naked terror on his face.

He didn’t speak though. Not a word. He just watched. And waited. The two Jedi hurried to grab the standard med kit that nearly every room in the Temple possessed.

The Zabrak gave a startled gasp as the light walls of his enclosure hissed out and then he was cringing back from them, teeth bared in defiance as they both tried to coax him over to tend his busted chin.

“Li… little one. Come now. You trusted me on Mustafar, come now. I will not hurt you,” Koon tutted.

Maul’s chest heaved in rapid, terrified gasps. “N-not hurt? You not…” He winced, curling in on himself as if bracing to be struck. “How do I know you will not hurt me?” the boy asked, his diction crisp and proper despite his obvious fear. “The Man hurts me.”

“The Man isn’t here, Maul. We just want to fix your chin.” Mundi smiled, hoping his assurances would sink in.

“Deenine fixed me. It hurt.” The boy was shaking now. So hard his knees made bony thumps as they knocked against one another.

“It might burn a little. But it will fade. Better that than bleeding all over yourself. Maybe we can get you into something warm? Can… can you dress yourself, Maul?”

The little Zabrak’s eyes glanced down at himself, at the tattoos clawing over his chest and stomach, down to his toes. “Never… I-I only wore what you took from me.”

“Alright. Well. We can teach you. For now,” Plo Koon shrugged out of his robe and draped it carefully around Maul. This seemed to calm him. Then Plo remembered he’d done this on Mustafar. Ah. A positive memory. Perhaps the only positive memory.

He reached out with the Force, not wanting to frighten, but brushed gently against the Zabrak’s mind. Maul shuddered, his eyes getting bright. “What is that?” he asked quietly, touching a bloody hand to his temple.

“That is the Force, little one. It is your friend. Learn to trust it.” Ki-Adi-Mundi poured some astringent onto a sterile pad and handed it to Koon. The Zabrak’s sharp little hands clutched into fists while the Jedi bathed away the blood and Maul’s tears slipped out, sliding down his sunken cheeks.

“Brave little one,” Koon encouraged gently, pressing a bacta patch to the wound. “Brave, brave. You did so well. See? It is over. All done.”

And that was exactly when the little Zabrak shoved out with his hands. A powerful blast of Force energy struck both Jedi solidly in the chest, sending Koon hurtling back against the wall, and Ki-Adi-Mundi was flung into the container of toys inside the enclosure.

Maul tore away from them, feet blurring as he called on the power of his fear to propel him forward. He wanted out. Out out out out out. This place felt so strange. It wasn’t dark or cold or quiet. There was light everywhere and noise from outside and he wasn’t… he didn’t know. Was he supposed to do something here that would make The Man pleased? Was he watching him? Was he looking for him?

That thought filled Maul with a terror beyond coherent thought. He had to get out. Get far away. Hide. Hide hide hide hide.

Maul’s feet slipped out from under him, tangling in the huge robe still swaddled about him, as he turned a corner. A tall… person with towering head tails and long montrals gasped, shocked by his sudden appearance. Their face was red and white and the growths on their head were blue and white. Pretty, Maul might’ve thought, had he not been so scared. He scrambled to his feet, darting between the person’s legs.

A long corridor stretched before him, with incredibly tall pillars and soft carpets. And a light, the outside, at the end. Maul made a beeline for it. He ran harder than he ever had; he’d never been able to just run like this in an open space before. His hearts flew, free and wild, and the little boy’s face split into a wide grin at the feeling.

Until an arm appeared out of nowhere and hauled the boy clean off the ground. He thrashed wildly, kicking and hissing fiercely as large hands repositioned him. And then Maul found himself being observed by two steady, black eyes.

He froze. He was supposed to stop. Maul knew that look. No nonsense. No trifling. Be still.

Maul obeyed, breath caught in his throat.

But then a warm, soft feeling seemed to rise up over him, gentle but persistent. It was the man holding him, Maul knew that, somehow. He wouldn’t hurt Maul. He just wanted Maul to be alright. Be safe. Rest. No hurt. It was going to be alright.

All these things, Maul suddenly knew like he knew his hearts were beating.

“Hello Maul. I’ve heard about you,” the dark-skinned man said with a little smile. “My name is Mace. You look really tired, little man. Have you had something to eat today?”

Maul gaped at him. He’d never seen this man but the way he talked to Maul… Maul didn’t want him to stop. “No. No sir.”

“Why were you running just now?”

“Because I was scared.”

Mace nodded. He was bald. Like Maul. Maul’s curiosity got the better of him and he reached up, putting a hand on top of Mace’s scalp. “No horns…”

There was a depth to the laugh that Mace had that rumbled from his chest to Maul’s. Warm. Warm. Everything about this man was warm. Maul had lived on a planet constantly burning, and yet inside, he’d always been cold. So alone and cold. But right now, his hands resting on the Jedi’s chest, safe in strong arms… the cold was barely there.

“I’m a human, Maul. You are a Zabrak. My species doesn't have horns.” He reached up with one finger and tapped the tip of it to Maul’s nose. He giggled, swiping his hand over his nose and then covering his mouth. “No, you can laugh. It’s good to laugh, Maul. Shall we get some breakfast? Just you and me?”

“Food? We can eat?”

Mace grinned; his teeth were very white. “Yes. I will make something for you to eat. And you can meet my Padawan. She slept in today. We can wake her up.”

“Yes. Pl-please.”

[avis-and-panda]

To Be or Not to Be-Chapter two

Chapter two 

The Calm After the Storm… Kinda 

Sunday, July 2nd. 

During the drive to the hospital, Aizawa called Recovery Girl; for good reason seeing as he needed to keep three kids from dying before they got there. 

The brunette’s face was flushed and whined at every loud noise. Considering the bloody wound on the back of his head, he definitely had a concussion. The red-head, who fell unconscious at some point, had a knife lodged in his side. Although they were able to stop the bleeding, that knife was a huge problem if it wasn’t taken care of soon, especially if it hit any organs. The girl was in the most danger. Although all the bleeding from her wounds had stopped, she was frightfully pale. She must have lost a lot of blood beforehand. Aizawa periodically checked her pulse. 

When Aizawa and Yamada arrived at the hospital with the injured kids, Recovery Girl was already there. All three children were sent to the ER, the old woman following close behind. Aizawa left the hospital while Yamada stayed behind to meet up with Detective Tsukauchi at the police station. 

  

- 

  

Monday, July 3rd. 

“They’re names are Elena Bell, Arlo Keen, and Nikolaus Brandt.” Aizawa looked through the evidence as Tsukauchi relayed out loud what he found out, “They go to Kuran Private High School. They’re in their second year and attend the same class.” 

“That’s all you’ve found out? Just information from their school ID?” Aizawa asked. 

“That, and information such as their birthday and blood type from their regular ID’s. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much else.” 

Aizawa narrowed his eyes, “And why not?” 

Tsukauchi sighed, “Well, first, I tried going through their emergency contacts, thinking I might reach their parents. Instead, I got this.” 

Tsukauchi placed a phone before Aizawa, set to call one of the kids’ mother. Tsukauchi pressed “call” and folded his hands back in his lap. After three rings, someone picked up, but instead of hearing them on the other side, a high-pitched ringing sound came from the phone, causing Aizawa to flinch. The screen started glitching and the ringing got more and more high-pitched until Tsukauchi ended the call. 

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. 

“…That is certainly weird.” Aizawa said, still trying to figure out why it happened, “Are you sure it isn’t broken?” 

“I already called tech support; the phones are perfectly fine.” 

“Have you tried the other two?” 

“Yes. Same thing happened.” 

Aizawa bustled in thought, “Have you tried looking up the school and getting their phone number?” 

“That’s another thing.” Tsukauchi sighed tiredly and ran a hand down his face, “It doesn’t exist.” 

Aizawa blinked at him. 

“What?” He asked incredulously. 

“Well, as far as I know. There is no record of there being or ever being a Kuran Private High School in Japan. We haven’t done an international search yet, but it doesn’t even come up with a simple online search.” 

Aizawa narrowed his eyes again, “Are you suggesting that these heavily injured kids are fake students at a fake school wearing fake uniforms and carrying fake IDs?” 

Tsukauchi sighed, “It’s too early to make any conclusions right now, but I’ve also found that none of them are registered citizens in Japan. That, and the souvenirs from Kyoto that I found in their bags make it seem like they’re from a foreign school and came to Japan on a school trip or something.” 

“So, they’re either students from an overseas school and were attacked right in Japan for some reason or they’re part of some elaborate lie?” 

“With the information we have right now, those are the most valid conclusions, yes.” 

“And what about their attackers?” 

Tsukauchi pulled a knife in an evidence bag from the evidence pile on his desk. 

“This is the knife that was lodged in Brandt’s right flank. Luckily it wasn’t a fatal wound. The only fingerprints on it are his own, meaning the attacker was wearing gloves. We were also able to discern that it was the same knife used to injure Bell.” 

“I see. Anything else?” 

“Both Brandt and Keen had head injuries, however, Brandt looked more like he was hit by a blunt object while Keen looked like he was thrown back into a wall. His spine was cracked, and his head injury was in the back of his head while Brandt’s was on his right temple.” Tsukauchi paused and frowned. 

“This is another weird thing. Keen’s concussion was severe. If he was thrown back so hard, he should have more than just a slightly fractured spine.” 

“Maybe one of them has a healing quirk.” Aizawa suggested. 

“Possible but improbable. Healing quirks are quite rare...” 

He was right. Recovery Girl’s quirk is so rare she travels from hospital to hospital to help, despite her primary vocation being UA’s school nurse. 

Aizawa’s phone suddenly rang. “Aizawa Shouta.” 

“YO!! Eraserhead!!” Aizawa abruptly moved the phone away from him, checking the caller ID this time. And, assuredly, there said “Yamada” in all its glory. Aizawa groaned. 

“Mic, what have I said about shouting into the phone? You’re going to burst someone’s eardrums.” 

“Sorry, Eraserhead!” Yamada responded loudly. Aizawa made an annoyed noise and shook his head in disapproval. 

“Why are you calling?” 

“Recovery Girl wants to talk to you. One of the kids woke up!” 

Aizawa met eyes with Tsukauchi, whom he’s sure heard everything. The detective nodded resolutely. 

“Let’s get the police chief.” 

- 

By the time Aizawa and Tsukauchi arrived at Arlo Keen’s hospital room, with Tsuragamae Kenji, the chief of police, it was already evening. Recovery Girl was waiting for them outside of Arlo’s room. 

“How is he?” Tsuragamae asked. 

“Better than he could have been. He suffered a lot of head trauma, but it seemed like his injuries were already partially healed before I got to him.” Recovery Girl responded. 

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, “Someone got to him before you?” 

Recovery Girl shook her head, “None of the other doctors tending to him had a healing quirk. However, it does seem like someone healed him beforehand.” 

“Is he awake right now?” Tsukauchi asked. 

“Yes, he’s been awake for several hours. He’s been given some ibuprofen, so he should be okay for questioning.” 

Tsukauchi gave her an appreciative smile and nodded. The four of them move to enter the room. 

“Where’s Mic?” Aizawa asked, suddenly realizing the sound hero was notably absent based on the lack of noise. 

“I kicked him out. The poor boy kept covering his ears and even asked for a pair of muffs the last time that man talked to him.” 

Aizawa smirked under his scarf. Of course. Yamada couldn’t shut up to save his life. 

Recovery Girl frowned as she reached to open Arlo’s room, “The child has sensitive hearing, and I highly doubt his concussion is helping.” she warned, “If he weren’t tended to as soon as he was, he would have been in critical condition.” 

The other three adults nodded as she opened the door. They were greeted by Arlo Keen turning his head, which had bandages wrapped around it, to see the adults entering the room. He smiled brightly and looked like he was going to say something when his eyes landed on the police chief and he froze. 

The adults looked at him questioningly as Arlo’s eyes roamed over Tsuragamae’s dog-like form, seemingly in shock. 

“Good evening! I am Tsuragamae Kenji, the chief of police! Ruff!” Greeted Tsuragamae brightly. Arlo startled, smile slowly dropping, before taking a deep breath. 

“I’m dreaming.” 

The adults blinked in surprise. Tsukauchi stepped forward in a placating manner, “I can assure you, you’re not dre—” Tsukauchi was cut off by Arlo pinching his cheek, followed by a loud “OW!” 

“Are you trying to cause more problems for yourself? Stop that!” Recovery Girl pointed her cane at him in warning. 

Arlo winced and turned to her with an apologetic expression, “Sorry! I was just testing something.” He sharply turned his head back to Tsuragamae. The adults watched him curiously. 

“So… I’m not dreaming.” 

“I’m afraid not, young man. Why would you assume so, ruff?” Tsuragamae asked. 

“Well…” Arlo scratched the back of his head as he tried to find the right words, “Um, t-this is gonna sound… obscenely rude but… A-are you a dog?” 

“That is correct. My appearance is part of a mutation quirk.”  Tsuragamae replied. 

“A… a ‘mutation quirk’?” Arlo’s brow furrowed in confusion. 

Tsukauchi frowned, concerned. Aizawa watched in interest as the former stepped forward and offered a kind smile. 

“Hi, I’m detective Tsukauchi Naomasa. We’re going to be asking you some questions regarding yesterday afternoon, is that alright?” 

Arlo blinked and turned to Tsukauchi, seemingly snapped out of his confusion for the moment, “Yeah, I don’t mind. I don’t know how much I can tell you though. I blacked out at some point.” He furrowed his brow, in thought this time, “I honestly don’t know how I got here.” 

“Where do you think ‘here’ is?” 

“Kyoto?” 

“I’m afraid not.” Tsukauchi gave him a kind smile, “You’re currently in Musutafu, Japan. You arrived here in some sort of portal yesterday.” 

“A por— Wait, where did you say I am?” 

“Musutafu, a major city in Japan. You’re currently in the Musutafu hospital.” 

Arlo brought his hand to his chin in a thinking manner and tilted his head, “Musutafu? That’s—Hmm… I don’t recall there being such a city in Japan.” 

“Really?” All four adults reared back in surprise. Musutafu was a large city, plus the home of UA, one of the best hero schools around. Every kid his age, even foreigners, would know where the home of UA is.  

Aizawa narrowed his eyes in thought. This kid had been acting quite strange. First, he acted as if he’d never seen a mutation quirk before, which was impossible considering one sees them left and right, and then he’s never heard about a primary Japanese city? He’d understand the latter to a degree if the kid was from another country, which was likely considering he wasn’t a registered citizen, but the first one just didn’t make any sense. It was almost as if...  

Aizawa's eyes widened and stepped directly in front of Arlo. 

“I have a very important question that I need you to answer honestly for me, okay?” 

Arlo nodded meekly, anxious at the sudden change of mood, “O-okay.” 

“Do you know what a quirk is?” 

“Uh…” Arlo’s eyes darted between the adults nervously, landing on Tsuragamae before returning to Aizawa’s piercing stare. 

“Well, I know the definition of the word ‘quirk’, but in this uh—” he gestured to Tsuragamae, “—context, I don’t believe I’m familiar with the term?” 

Arlo averted his eyes, nervously rubbing his neck as the adults stared at him in disbelief. Tsukauchi was the first to break the silence. 

“…He’s not lying.” 

This kid genuinely didn’t know what a quirk is. 

- 

Arlo thought about it. 

And thought about it. 

And yet none of it made sense. 

Sure, it was ‘possible’ to change a person’s anatomy with magic and make them look like animals. The thing was, it was not only super illegal, but it was also super dangerous. 

So, he had stared, unabashedly, trying to figure out why a dog that looked like a cop was standing before him. 

And then the dog introduced himself as the chief of police, which just complicated things more, because why would the chief of police be part of a practice of illegal magic? Unless it was forced upon him which was entirely possible considering what Frederick’s experienced and—Did he just say “ruff”? 

…Okay. He was definitely dreaming. 

Because if he wasn’t then either this person, Tsuragamae, was super into his role as a dog or he was fused with a dog. And if changing a living thing’s anatomy was super dangerous and illegal, then fusing two living things was straight up inhumane and a warrant for life in prison. That was how werewolves were made. 

The only logical explanation was that he was dreaming. 

Except he wasn’t if the hard pinch he gave himself was anything to go from. 

When Tsuragamae explained that his appearance was part of his quirk, it only confused Arlo further. 

Sure, he may have not been all that well versed in Japan’s laws so it’s possible that they had released a new law recently legalizing the practice of magic fusing, even though he thinks he would have heard of it anyways ‘cause that’s a big thing to just legalize, but he’d never heard anyone use the term “quirk” in this context. 

And then they told him he was in Musutafu, a city in Japan that he had also never heard of. 

As he expressed his confusion, the adults started to get confused as well. That’s when the weirdly dressed man asked him in a low, almost bored, but serious voice, “Do you know what a quirk is?” 

Arlo answered honestly. 

But he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, because then all the adults were staring at him openly, clearly shocked, until the detective said in disbelief, “He’s not lying.” 

Arlo looked away, a little embarrassed from all the staring. He peeked at the black-haired man from under his bangs. The man wore black, baggy clothes, his hair was long and unruly, and he wore some type of white cloth around his neck. He’d say it was a scarf, but it was the beginning of July, and it was way too thin to bring any warmth. But then again, his clothes looked warm too, and he seemed to have an abundance of the cloth, so maybe he was wrong. He also had an eyepatch, one that reminded him of the one Youko made for Nikolaus. 

All in all, the man didn’t look like a cop. Arlo was about to ask who he was when a voice interrupted him. 

“Well, isn’t this an interesting development? A child without knowledge of quirks, in this day and age!” 

Arlo faced the adults fully again trying to place where the voice came from. It sounded like it came from the man, but it was way too high pitched. 

“Wha—” He was about to ask, when a small creature popped out of the man’s scarf. 

“Good evening! I am principal Nedzu of—" 

“HAHHH?!” 

Arlo jumped back, almost falling over the edge of the bed, which he would have if it wasn’t for the white cloth that suddenly wrapped around him. He stared in slight shock as the man maneuvered the cloth with expert ability, his hair then blown from his face, giving Arlo a clear view of his scars, and his one eye glowing red. 

“Aizawa!” Oh, so that’s his name, “Be careful with the patient. He’s still injured! And you—” 

Recovery Girl pointed her cane at Arlo, “—What did I say about injuring yourself?” 

Arlo waved his hands placatingly as he situated himself back on the bed, “Sorry! I didn’t mean to this time! And…” he rubbed his neck, embarrassed, “I’m sorry for screaming too. I was just… surprised.” 

Understatement of the year. 

“No, no, it’s my fault for frightening you.” Nedzu jumped off Aizawa’s shoulder and landed on a chair beside Arlo’s bed, “Let’s start over! I am the Principal Nedzu of UA high school!” 

Arlo reached over and hesitantly shook Nedzu’s paw, “Arlo Keen.” He tilted his head in confusion, “Why is the principal of a high school here?” 

“You and your friends fell in UA’s dorm building. It’s only natural that we’d come and take the case!” 

Take the case? What kind of school took an official police case? 

“We?” Arlo said instead, turning his head to look at Aizawa. 

“That’s right! This is Aizawa Shouta, pro hero, and homeroom teacher at UA high school.” Nedzu relayed cheerfully. 

Arlo’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Pro hero? What’s that?” 

The adults shared glances among each other, “Professional hero. As in, I was professionally trained and hired to be a hero,” answered Aizawa. 

Arlo tilted his head thoughtfully, “Hero? As in, the police?” 

“Not quite.” Tsuragamae answered this time, “On the field, the police force is not allowed to use their quirks before, during, or after fighting a villain, or criminals in general, unless explicitly ordered to. Heroes, or other individuals such as Recovery Girl, are permitted to use their quirks as a part of their job. Heroes specifically, are permitted to use their quirks to fight villains or rescue civilians.” 

“I see…” Arlo placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully, “And, this is little late but, what exactly are quirks?” 

Tsuragamae shared a look with Tsukauchi before stepping back. In turn, Tsukauchi stepped forward, apparently taking the reins. 

“Before that, I need to ask you some more questions, okay?” 

“Oh, okay.” Arlo straightened, a little disappointed he wasn’t being given answers at that moment, but he didn’t complain and prepared himself to answer any questions. 

“Based on your accent and appearance, I can assume you’re not from Japan?” 

“Yeah! I’m from the UK. My class went to Kyoto for a school trip, which is where I’m supposed to be.” 

“Do you remember the events that led to you blacking out?” 

“Uh… Yeah, but it’s a little fuzzy.” 

Tsukauchi nodded in understanding and gave him a kind smile, “Can you relay them for us?” 

Arlo returned his smile, “I’ll try my best.” 

If Arlo was being honest, he wasn’t sure if he would be able to recall the events all that well. The hit he took was hard, but he said he’d try, so try he would. 

They had just arrived in Kyoto the day earlier. Everyone woke up early so they could frolic and look around as much as they could without falling behind schedule. The teachers took them to the National Museum of Modern Art and he remembered being amazed by the paintings. Early on, Arlo and his group, Elena and Nikolaus, broke off from the rest of the class to do some of their own exploring. At some point, they realized it was around the time the teachers made the class agree to meet back up for lunch, so they hurried to the meeting point. 

They didn’t see how empty the museum had gotten. 

They didn’t see the attack coming. 

Not until Nikolaus had blood pouring from his head, knees buckled and leaning on the wall for support. 

Two figures emerged from hiding then, both wearing a black hoodie, pants, a mask, and sunglasses. One was holding a knife while the other appeared unarmed. The one with the knife, a girl based on her voice, said their names as if asking if they had the right people. Elena responded aggressively, asking why they attacked if they weren’t even sure they had the right people. 

The girl lunged for Elena without answering while the other lunged for Arlo and Nikolaus. While the latter straightened himself out, Arlo blocked the punch the person sent him and punched their stomach in a counterattack. The person stumbled back, clutching his gut before lifting his head and abruptly brought his arms out in front of him, moving his hands in such a way that made it seem like he was manipulating something invisible. 

Arlo was confused before realizing he was being lifted off the ground. 

Nikolaus tried to grab at him but was too slow and Arlo was slammed against the ceiling before he was dropped back to the floor, effectively knocking him out. 

[kitsunefaux]

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Bakura Ryou & Thief King Bakura, Bakura Ryou/Thief King Bakura Characters: Bakura Ryou, Thief King Bakura Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, (FaeU), Gemshipping, Queerplatonic relationship, Wingfic, fae!Ryou, human!TKB, at least at first, Kidnapping, Magical Compulsion/Mind Control, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Power Imbalance, Possessive Behavior, Creative License: European Folklore, Fae & Fairies, Swan Maiden, Reverse Swan Maiden Story, as in a fae kidnaps a guy and turns him into a swan, Ryou is just a weird little fellow, with a bit of trauma, Oops, a bit of psychological horror (this tag may be upgraded in the future) Summary:

Bakura meets a strange man in the forest who transforms his world. Literally.

[schtroumpfcurieux]

Chapters: 2/5 Fandom: Les Schtroumpfs | The Smurfs Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Schtroumpf Grognon│Grouchy Smurf & La Schtroumpfette│Smurfette, Schtroumpf Grognon│Grouchy Smurf & Bébé Schtroumpf│Baby Smurf, Schtroumpf Grognon│Grouchy Smurf & Everyone Characters: Schtroumpf Grognon | Grouchy Smurf, La Schtroumpfette | Smurfette, Bébé Schtroumpf | Baby Smurf, Schtroumpf Paresseux | Lazy Smurf, Impatient Smurf (OC) Additional Tags: Fluff and Angst, Magic, Fairies, there are more characters but i try to concentrate on the ones who have recurring importance, grouchy is the main character Series: Part 1 of Caretaker Smurf, Part 2 of Parties and good times can't fix everything Summary:

There used to be a smurf like any other. He had friends, hobbies, things he liked and disliked, ... then, he was bitten by the Bzz Fly, starting what one could call a zombie apocalypse. The day was saved, everyone went back to normal, except that one smurf, who remained forever changed. Everyone moved on, and he was finally given a name, fitting of this new personality.

That is how the story went for Grouchy Smurf. Not that he cares. It's been like this for a long time now, and nothing will ever change it.

 That's it, until the morning that Grouchy finds much smurfier than usual.

[terrence-silver]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Cobra Kai (TV), Karate Kid (Movies) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: John Kreese/Terry Silver Characters: Terry Silver, John Kreese Additional Tags: Cannibalism, Cannibalistic Thoughts, Eating Disorders, Extreme diet, Vegetarians & Vegans, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Vietnam, Military Training, Military Jargon, Survival Horror, Blood Drinking, Blood and Torture, Blood and Gore, Army, Magical Realism, Psychological Trauma, Trauma, Hazing, Chronic Pain, Literary References & Allusions, Vampirism, Human Sacrifice, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Mental Anguish, Therapy, References to Drugs, Fetish, Food Kink, Consensual Kink, Dark Fantasy, One Shot, Toxic Masculinity, Rituals, Cobra Husbands, Non-Chronological Summary:

---

 Terry Silver's been starving himself so long and blood and tofu just don't mix.

[sputnikan]

Chapters: 2/10 Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker | Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Bail Organa, Tala Durith Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Inspired by Richard Siken, Force Dyad (Star Wars), POV Multiple, Fix-It of Sorts, The World Between Worlds (Star Wars), Time Travel, Jedi & Sith (Star Wars), Obi-Wan Kenobi's River Stone Summary:

"Pero eres mi nómada y te amo oblicuamente todos los días. Oblicuo porque tengo que lanzar mi amor en todas las direcciones, con la esperanza de que rebote en algo y, eventualmente, te encuentre."

En Mustafar, Obi-Wan apaga su sable y le toma la palabra a su aprendiz caído. Se va y no vuelve a mirar atrás. Quince años después, Darth Vader lo busca y él, Ben Kenobi, debe enfrentarse a la verdad que le impidió matar a Anakin Skywalker ese fatídico día. Y quizá, entre los dos, puedan salvarse y salvar a la Galaxia. O, una historia que va y que viene.

[atissi]

i don't really like when people say dungeon meshi is accidentally good autistic representation, because while i understand not wanting to make conclusions without explicit confirmation from the author, there's always the weird assumption that non-western authors somehow don't know about things like neurodivergency/queerness/etc. (on top of the assumptions that east asian authors are somehow more naive or oblivious to "western" social issues).

given that dungeon meshi started being published in 2014, it's not really a "work belonging to its times"—it's as contemporary as any other media we discuss on this site, which means it should be fair to assume it engages with contemporary topics (and at the very least, you shouldn't say that the representation is accidental with so much confidence)

but anyways, the chapter "perfect communication" in ryoko kui's "terrarium in a drawer" is some of the most straightforward autistic representation I've seen, and from now on I'm going to assume that laios's character writing is absolutely intentional in that regard:

[shining-just-4-u]

u ever read a fanfic so good that you want. fanfic of the fanfic

[thebrandywine]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leon S. Kennedy/Chris Redfield Characters: Chris Redfield (Resident Evil), Leon S. Kennedy, Piers Nivans, Original Characters Additional Tags: Piers Nivans Lives, Blood and Injury, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Mouth-to-Mouth Series: Part 16 of Dappercat's Whumptober 2023 Summary:

There’s no Chris without Leon, not anymore.

Whumptober 2023 Day Sixteen: flatline & "Don't go where I can't follow."

[cryptocism]

It would have taken another immortal to keep up with him.

so i haven't read the books but i did read the Devil's Minion chapter and this part made me laugh out loud:

[egophiliac]

crossing my fingers and wishing upon every star that chapter 10 finally brings us the tweel cards 🤞🤞

[nekoo3001]

Heavy topic.

They look so exhausted in the last chapters