#High Roller is really happy and excited for them

[wolfylch]

Answer the question, Benjamin.

[genoskissors]

Finally done! Thank you everyone for your patience!

Principal Monokuma’s Room Check!

Trigger Happy Havoc Boys

THH Girls Rooms

There are a few notes throughout to explain some things I thought most would not know (like Japanese traditions) or just to clarify things changed in localization.

Naegi-kun’s Room Edition

Sigh. It’s the private room where a high school boy spends his agonizing nights, even so, what’s with this plainness!? Why don’t you have something more shameful or embarrassing!? Naegi-kun, I’m disappointed in you!

Checkpoints: A: It’s the memo pad I prepared. It would be nice if it had Hope’s Peak Academy’s school emblem on it, to give it a rich feeling.

B: This is the key to the room. It has a key holder with the appropriate name on it. It cannot be bought and is very sophisticated, so improper usage is prohibited!

C: It’s a mock sword that was kept on the display shelf. Even though it was only decoration, it was carefully displayed, so an incident happened. Upupupu.

D: I heard that mysterious curly hair grows in boys’ rooms. An adhesive lint roller is useful for frequent cleaning! I’m so attentive! Note: Don't really know what this means, I think it might be referencing Junko's hair.

Ishimaru-kun’s Room Edition

It’s a room filled with study materials and is well organized, just as one would expect from a serious person like Ishimaru-kun’s room. Hmm~ If you spend all your energy on this, you won’t be able to focus on the killing game!

Checkpoints: A: Dictionaries and reference books are the most exciting when lined up neatly on your desk. Huh? Are you using them properly? Hee~...

B: He irons his uniform every day. Also, the armbands as well, so you know he really likes this things.

C: A New Year’s tradition, Kakizome. I suggest “In early spring, be careful of bears, as they can get ferocious!” Huh? Aren’t you going to start writing?

D: What kind of guy likes to swing around a bamboo sword even though he isn’t part of the kendo club? Do you stand on the ground, put your forehead on it, and spin around to split a watermelon? Note: This is a Japanese game called Suikawari.

Togami-kun’s Room Edition

Genuine rich people tend to seek a more modest sense of luxury rather than those who are nouveau riche. I have no clue how much Togami-kun’s room actually costs. Note: “Nouveau riche” refers to people who become rich themselves and “genuine rich people” refers to people who were born into a rich family, like Byakuya.

Checkpoints: A: It’s a violin or something. Famous ones can be worth billions. That’s more expensive than the famous Chinese medicine, bear bile, which is very pricey, roar! Note: Based on the phrase "violin or something" it's likely a viola. That's just my theory though.

B: There is nothing more difficult than determining the value of a painting. In many cases, collecting these masterpieces is not about appreciating art, but investing in it.

C: Ahaha! A red carpet laid out from the entrance, Togami-kun must be kidding me! That’s what the life of stardom is about!

D: The famous line “I will kill you, without fail!” is what makes Togami’s glasses indispensable! I can’t believe he has 10 of them, that’s quite a thorough preparation!

Oowada-kun’s Room Edition

I believe that biker gangs are a style and a fashion. That’s why it’s necessary for those who call themselves bikers to have an easy-to-understand logo or item that appeals to everyone. Upupu.

Checkpoints: A: These are the big flags put on the back of bikes, aren’t they? I always wonder if they are safe from being blown away by the wind.

B: These are all motorcycle magazines, right? I’m not going to go as far as suggesting philosophy books or economic magazines, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to open a textbook once in a while?

C: Are you really satisfied with the 5G “ Cypress Stick”? Isn’t the 1500G “Steel Broadsword” the catharsis? Note: I’m pretty sure this is a Dragon Quest reference.

D: This is the colorful banner of Oowada’s gang, “Crazy Diamonds”. Hmm, you’re only really good at difficult kanji.

Kuwata-kun’s Room Edition

Hey, Kuwata-kun, baseball doesn't even have a “ya” character! I know you don't like it, but now that you're at our school, maybe you could try to act like a baseball player, even if it's a front? Note: The Japanese word for baseball, Yakyuu (野球), has a “ya” in it, so I think Monokuma is just saying this to see if Leon will even care enough to react to his statement.

Checkpoints: A: Why do self-proclaimed punk fans like human skulls? A sea bream head has another sea bream inside, right? That's even more favorable! Note: I'm not gonna lie, I have no clue what that second sentence means. I think it relates to the saying “鯛の尾より鰯の頭”, but I still don't know how it correlates.

B: I want CDs and DVDs to come in splendid limited edition packaging, but they don’t fit neatly like this. How troubling.

C: Carrying your guitar case on your back and feeling tired as you walk around town is super cool. There was a time when I thought that way too.

D: In order to stand out and be popular, you need to have vocals. Kuwata-kun's purity is manly in a sense. I would like to hear his beautiful voice. Upupu.

Yamada-kun’s Room Edition

A utopia making the world’s geeks water at the mouth, the pink love nest of Buuko and Yamada-kun. As a despair maniac, I am driven by a desire for a room devoted solely to my hobby. Note: Buuko is Princess Piggles in the localization.

Checkpoints: A: Hey, I’m giving it everything I got to ask this question, is this what Yamada-kun is wearing? Isn’t it self-indulgent to wear it on his 170cm and 155kg body!?

B: “MARTIAL ARTS LADIES”, “This time, I’ll punish you on the mat!”.  I don’t understand why martial arts cosplay makes your heart pound.

C: Some people say these sheets and body pillow are perverted, but the desire for skin contact is neither two-dimensional nor three-dimensional.

D: Three-dimensional objects have a sense of unity because they are equipped with a three-dimensional concept. The shading of light and the convergence of existence are astonishing (The following is omitted). Note: “The following is omitted” is just a way of saying Monokuma kept rambling.

Yasuhiro-kun's Room Edition

Hagakure-kun’s love of fortune-telling is, quite honestly, shady, right? Even though he has all these tools, he still uses intuition to tell fortunes, doesn’t he? So, what in the world are these piles of junk for!?

Checkpoints: A: People with extremely dry skin tend to have a lot of wrinkles on their palms, which makes palm readers cry. It’s hard to even do fortune-telling these days.

B: Fortune-telling cards are great for mysteries and romance. If I sold "Monokuma’s Carefully Made Pure Gold Tarot", maybe I could make a profit. Upupupu.

C: If anything, Hagakure-kun has more of an oriental divination image. When I see tools like this, I want to display them in an alcove or something.

D: Come on! How many times do I have to say this!? When buying fortune-telling goods online, do not cash on delivery! This time, I was the one who paid for it too!

Fujisaki-kun’s Room Edition

Even though he’s the Super High School Level Programmer, Fujisaki-kun actually has a variety of hobbies. That’s good, science... a science student! I want to learn many things from him.

Checkpoints: A: Three monitors and a luxurious-looking executive chair. He looks like a young company president or day trader. A serious side profile would be wonderful!

B: I don’t know what this is, but it looks amazing anyway! It looks like an ancient map or some other geeky item.

C: After people learn how to interact with the romantic hyperspace of the universe, their outlook on life changes drastically. That’s what I thought just now.

D: Tada! There are hand grips on the bed! It makes me tear up to know he was secretly training.

[morganski-19]

Chills Right to the Marrow Part 13

part 1, prev part

There’s this feeling at the top of a roller coaster that is meant to excite, to look forward to. Where the exhilaration and adrenaline kicks in and everyone feels like the top of the world. Only for the calm to set in when the ride is over, and the line keeps growing to feel it all again.

If life were a rollercoaster, Dustin’s would be a fucked up one. Where just as the drop finishes, and everything seems to calm down, the machine starts to clink and bring you back up to the top again. Over. And Over. And Over again.

Dustin’s scared that this calm won’t be so calm tomorrow. Or in a year when life gets back to normal again, and the people in hospital are out and better, like it does. Just for it all to go to a burning pile of shitty hell. For Dustin to end up sitting in the hospital chairs again.

Never the bed.

It’s not that he’s upset that he’s healthy. It’s not that he’s upset that he’s never had to stay in the hospital for a night. It’s just the fact that while everyone else seems to get hurt, he stays perfectly fine. And he doesn’t know why.

He’s put himself in dangerous situations. Fights, tunnels, right in front of a fucking demogorgon. In all the scenarios, he should have gotten hurt. There wasn’t a book that he read where everyone walked away perfectly fine.

Frodo walked to Mordor and wasn’t fine. Neither was Samwise. Dustin’s not a Frodo or a Samwise, maybe he’s a Mary or Pippin. They didn’t walk away without a scratch either. His DnD character can’t even get out of a battle without dying.

Why is he so okay? Why have his dice always rolled so high?

And why does he seem to be more bothered that this than the people in the hospital beds?

Max is smiling and laughing right now. She’s almost like she was last summer. Making fun of them in a way that kinda stung sometimes but mostly was out of love. Not thinking about the fact that she might never ride a skateboard again. Not thinking about the fact that she won’t see the way their faces change as they grow. The way her own face will change as she grows.

Her life has changed in a way that can’t be changed back. How is she not having a bigger reaction to this?

“Hey,” Max calls out in Dustin’s direction. “Come here, I want to feel your face.”

“Huh?”

Mike groans from across the room. “She’s been doing it with everyone. It’s just an excuse to mess with you.”

Max rolls her clouded eyes. “The blind girl wants to make sure he friends are ok. There are no other ulterior motive here.”

“You’re just going to poke him in the eye or some shit.”

“My hands are my eyes now, Michael.”

Mike rolls his eyes, giving Dustin a look like “I warned you.”

Lucas gets up from the chair closest to Max to let Dustin get closer. He leans closer to the bed as Max reaches out her hands to find his face. She pokes around, finding the brim of his hat and pulls it down to his nose.

“Idiot,” Max snorts.

“Told you,” Mike says. Will smacks him in the arm.

Dustin makes a face while fixing his hat, switching seats with Lucas. And then again when El comes in. The room sounding anything like a hospital. Like Mike’s basement while they are watching movies or hanging out. Like the worst didn’t happen and just a week ago, where Max wasn’t just told she would be blind forever.

He walks out of the room and heads to Eddie’s. Eddie who’s awake, but not really. Who opens his eyes and it makes Dustin so happy. Just to see something that resembles him, but isn’t just quite it.

Happiness comes and goes so fast that Dustin almost misses it. Overshadowed by this feeling of knowing that nothing is going back to the way it was. He’ll never be the person he was before. None of them will.

That’s the worst part of this all. He’s seen the way that Will became quieter. Different in a way that none of them will really understand. Saw the way that Max shut down after Billy died. Overcome by her grief. How Steve pushes himself so hard he breaks, and Robin tries to forget it all even happened. Saw how pain can cause a person to die.

The doctors still don’t know what’s going to happen when Eddie finishes waking up. They won’t know how long he’ll still be here, or what damage is in his body. To his brain. His nerves. If he’ll be able to play guitar again. Dustin never even got to see him play a real concert. He wanted to see that.

Time keeps passing and Eddie’s missing it. Classes have restarted and he won’t catch up. Not when he’ll still be in recovery for months. He won’t be walking across that stage to get his diploma. He might not even get it at all.

Dustin takes his seat next to Wayne and just looks at Eddie. Can’t bring himself to take the book out of his bag and read. Wanting to find any sign that this was all worth it. That the painful hope that Dustin is clinging to isn’t dragging him to the bottom. That Eddie will continue to wake up tomorrow.

“You ok, Dustin?”

“Every day I come in here and wish he would say something. Anything.”

Wayne nods, as solemn as he always is. “Me too.”

“You’re back in school now, right? How’s that going?”

School is a completely different battle. The Hellfire shirt that he wore with pride is now an endless target. The insults that would already be slung his way amplified. Walking through the halls feels like shooting range. Another reminder that he knows a truth that none of them will.

“As good as you’d expect it to.”

Another nod. It’s nice to have someone listen to him without trying to fix it. Just let him talk at his own pace without trying to make it better. Make him feel any differently than he does. It brings a comfort to Dustin that he never really knew, or understands.

“Where’s that book of yours, I was starting to get invested.”

“I’m not sure I’m up for reading it today.”

Wayne shrugs. “Why don’t I then? I can’t do the voices like you or Ed do, but I can read.”

It’s like Wayne knows the real reason why Dustin’s reading the book. Makes him feel weirdly seen. Like for a moment, someone understood him more than he wanted them too.

Still, he takes the book out of his bag and hands it to Wayne. Watches as he turns to the page and messes up the character names. Take a breath each time one of the weirder ones comes up and sounds it out. Trying his best to get it all right, even though he’s still doing it a little wrong.

Next part

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[biteghost]

So I just reread BACKLASH after seeing new stuff on the cast page, and I wanted to drop by and say how much I frickin LOVE your comic!! Your characters have been scratching an itch in my brain since high school. I love how expressive your writing and your art is- both in the snark and sass and funny moments, and the serious and impactful ones. Your dialogue especially feels very natural to me- in every interaction, every character feels like a Person with a complex personality and a much deeper life than what we get to see on the page, even the side characters. And your planting for future events is so well done! I love the way you drop hints about future characters and show off the connections between existing ones. It's especially cool to reread after becoming more familiar with your other work and listening to those episodes of Blueshift you had up a while back- there are so many little background cameos to catch and so many small details about the world that make it feel real and fleshed out when you know what to look for. Your writing and characters and art were a huge inspiration to me when I first came across your work, and they remain so to this day. It's cool seeing some of your work again, especially after you've gone so quiet here on tumblr. I'm really looking forward to reading more Backlash someday, whenever that may be.

This is such a kind and thoughtful ask that I can't really put together the words for how it hit me, but I'll try to stream something along here.

At the end of the day all my stories, characters and comics are made for myself. I make them because I love to make them, and because I have fun doing it. But if that were purely the case, I wouldn't have an online gallery at all. I share my work online for the potential enjoyment of others, too. The two truths are 1) I make what I want to as ways of expressing myself, sorting through my own life, feelings and experiences 2) I think that perhaps my own experiences, though unique to me, might have a relatable core that could help others like me feel seen.

My creative energy and artistic output fluctuate with the highs and lows of my life. The amount that personal tragedy (no matter how large or small) effects the mind, body and spirit always surprises me, even as it proves true again and again with the passing of the years. The older I get, the more road traveled I have to look back on. A lot of times I am really upset by what that road looks like to me.

Frankly, I've had a pretty hard couple of years and 2025 is shaping up to be a roller coaster too. Despite therapy and working on myself, I've felt a very strong disappointment. It feels like I've missed the opportunity to tell my stories effectively because of how long I've taken to make them. Surely anyone who was interested in the stories I weave have long hit the road for other stories with more consistent updates.

I'm not really cut out for an internet that 'requires' constant posting anymore. I either have things to share, or I don't. I'm either on, or I'm off. I'm so burnt out and unable to function at times that it's a miracle I get out of bed (shout out to my partner for flipping me out of bed like a pancake when it's that dire lol).

So all that to say that, it really does cheer me up to hear that you've gone out of your way to re-read my comic that hasn't updated since mid 2023. It makes me excited that upon a re-read you've been able to pick up on the little details I've sprinkled throughout earlier chapters. (I looove the feeling of "IT'S BEEN THERE THE WHOLE TIME" when I revisit a work, so I wanted to try making a series with that aspect to it, too. Really happy it's started paying off even if we're not even finished yet!) A lot of the specifics here are things I've purposefully tried to accomplish in my work, and it's very heartening to hear someone praise those things unprompted. It's like, woah! Someone noticed the effort! Yippee!

Thank you for your support and for taking the time to express that to me in ask-form. It lifts my spirits and encourages me to keep working through the low days! I'm not going to let BACKLASH go until the story is finished, even if it takes until I'm 70 years old, haha. (Hopefully it won't - it's only supposed to be 20 chapters long, but you get my point haha).

Long response is long - thank you again for your kindness and for reading!

[ysaefinn]

Your brain is amazing, and your works are delectable (its like going to a very nice buffet) I loving it here 💕 also, reading the reaction of Satoru and Suguru to the "going back to work" was hilarious, but just because I love chaos and making their blood pressure high like a roller coaster, imagine like their darling went on with the job hunting, failing various time (It's difficult out there) and these two are like "I'm so sorry baby, you will get it" "don't worry, there must be various places who love to have you" while hugging your wet cat self who is sad that no one is hiring you while partying in their heads that you have to surrender this idea of working (they have to be supportive, well, at least on the outside) but their fears came true when you get back, happily hopping like a bunny with a new piece of lettuce, delivering the horrendous words of "I got hired !!!!" and they are like "that's amazing honey" with tight smiles in their faces, maybe this won't be that bad? Thought Suguru, maybe it's just a part-time job in a store, thought Satoru. But then they ask, "Where is your new working place?" and you answer with such a joy in your voice, "In a nightclub, there's a new place in a "very not so safe part of the city" that needed people. I passed by, saw the "hiring waitress," got in, and the manager hired me! The hours may be from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. but is only on weekends, and the pay is good!"

THIS IS ACTUALLY A NIGHTMARE SITUATION FOR THEM ANON PLEEEASEEEE 😭😭😭😭

ok i just had to let that out but first of all TYSM IM SO HAPPY UR ENJOYINH MY SILLY LITTLE THOUGHTS AND EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF TYPOS (they're a free gift lmao) plz stay for as long as you like you're always welcome here 🫶🫶🫶🫶

SO BACK TO YOUR DEMONIC MENACE BEHAVIOR, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ANON???? TOT THEY WILL ACTUALLY DROP FUCKING DEAD RIGHT THEN AND THERE.

Look i know, you know, they know that it's selfish but they actually have to hide their disappointment and anxiety when you come home all jolly with a little pep in your steps all smiles and giggles excited to tell them about your new position TAT suguru is naturally gonna have a harder time keeping himself together and not collapsing on their expensive marble floors bcuz...come on....you're his little baby cat ...you shouldn't be working at all.,,, while dilftoru is excited for you, he's very fond of the youth (in canon that is) and while he does prefer you relaxed on their couch catching some Z's, at the end of the day he really admires your stubborn little ass and ultimately would support u getting a job.

,,,,,,just not at a nightclub TAT LOOK AT THOSE HOURS, in a sketchy part of town AND SOMEWHERE WHERE PEOPLE THINK STAFF ARE FREE GAME, they're not gonna try sugar coating this they're telling you point blank that this is a horrible idea, dilftoru just stares into the distance, completely loses his sweet goofy smile while dilfguru isn't trying to be sly anymore he isn't trying to gently coax you into his lap and tracing circles on your hips while whispering sweet little promises of always keeping you safe and happy, and how proud they are of you for landing this position, but how you don't really have to follow through, that maybe you should just keep relaxing now that you know you can get there, isn't that enough?

No, he's skipping the whole song and dance abs holding you by the shoulders, looking you dead in the eye, and telling you that you're not leaving this house for the foreseeable future TOT you'd usually look at satoru for help when suguru loses the plot a little but he's not helping you either LMFAO there's actually no chance in hell where you're going through with this they genuinely believe you'll never make it home to them and the thought alone is turning the rest of their hair gray (does satoru's hair go black?) They just get so serious really quick it's really scary you don't want this anon ;v;

They monitor you a lot closer for the next few weeks, I really mean this, they are mortified losing sleep and everything 😭😭 they typically rather talk things out but again, they are very prone to desperation and if you're still sticking to your guns, they will resort to scooping u up and dropping u on the bed to have you completely immobile by the next morning. Listen this is an outcome they would gladly choose over potentially never having you cuddle between them again TAT

[oorangesoda]

Hey oorange ! Just saw the OC ask game and I'm dying to know more about Cal! 💛💛💛 can you answer either 3, 25 or 33 ?

Love your art btw 💛🤧

Ryliith, my beloved mutual, for you I will answer all three! 💚💚 (I love your art too pookie!!! I gotta re-draw atlas PRONTO!)

[3] What emotion is the hardest for them to deal with?

Callum struggles the most with excitement/passion, not that he doesn’t like being excited or passionate, he absolutely does! It’s the idea of someone seeing how he shows his excitement that weirds him out. To him it’s extremely personal and intimate to see him truly excited about something. It’s one of those things he’s oddly dysphoric about, as in he feels he looks childish/girly. Unfortunately its kept him from really letting himself enjoy or talk about his hobbies around others, even friends.

[25] Do they have fears and phobias, and if they do, do they usually keep it to themselves or talk about it openly?

He is NOT a fan of heights. He’s got a good centre of balance so if he HAD to be somewhere high up realistically he’d be fine, but he’d be out of breath and shaking by the time whatever activity you’re doing is done. He would hold his breath the ENTIRE time. Something about looking down and knowing he could fall just gives him the most crippling anxiety he’s ever felt. Even ladders are pushing it for him, but he’ll do it. If you ask him to go on a roller coaster he’ll just… walk away and do something else. Mans NOT risking his life thank you very much

[33] What are one of their fondest and most treasured memories?

When Cal was around 15, a year before his Pop fell ill, he had mustered the courage to finally come out to him. Callum in preparation, had been passively bringing the topic up in conversation a few months leading up to it, testing the waters on how his Pop felt about gay, trans, and queer people in general. Which to Callum's surprise was quite positive. For his Pops age, he would have assumed he'd be quite adverse to the idea, but in his Pops words: "If it makes a person happy, who am I to tell them they can't?" (Continued under cut bc I got carried away but its the rest of his coming out to Pop :3)

It was all Callum needed to hear. So, on a warm summer day, just after they had both finished the daily farm chores and settled on the porch with fresh made iced tea, Callum - without looking to his Pop - asked if he could tell him something. "Of course chickadee." His Pop nodded, looking to him with a interested smile. "You have to promise you won't hate me..." Callum stated, his voice was warbling with anxiety and shoulders tensed, tears already forming in the corners of his eyes. Of course, his Pop could never hate him, and assured him of that, noticing just how distraught his grandchild seemed over it. Like a kettle ready to blow steam, Callum told him he felt like he was a boy, that he was trans, that he understood if his Pop hated him or wanted to disown him, that he didn't know what was wrong with him, that he felt different ever since he was a little kid - amongst many other things. His Pop was quiet for a moment, letting Callum get all of it out. Eyes puffy and nose runny Callum anticipated the worst, waiting for his Pop to tell him to pack his bags and call his Mom, but that didn't happen. Callum felt his Pop's arms wrap around him, holding him close to his chest as a calloused hand brushed through his unkempt hair, and feeling the comforting thrum of his Pops low and gentle voice. "I always knew... I was just waiting for you to tell me." It was all tears after that. Callum clung to his Pop and cried for what felt like an eternity, and after they both calmed down Pop helped Callum pick out his name, arranged to have his hair cut, and made it a point to tell anyone and everyone in Pelican Town his grandsons new name and pronouns. Pop didn't tolerate anyone misgendering or discriminating against him, not while he had anything to say about it. It was the most loved and cared for Callum had ever felt, with his Pop in his corner he felt like he could do anything.

This is by far Callum's most treasured memory. He thinks about it often, on top of how supportive his Pop had been through/about everything in his life. He misses him dearly, but knows that somewhere, somehow, his Pop still looks over him.

[b4b3tte]

date headcanons for reader and ken at an amusement park?? (it’s ken’s first time there)

Ken's Memorable Amusement Park Date With You

꒰ ⊹ ˚ Summary — it’s your day off so you decide to take Ken on a date going somewhere he hasn’t been before. An Amusement Park!

contains of — Ken being extremely excited, you guys having a date, exploring different rides together, etc

Pairing — Ryan!Goslings Ken x Reader

Note — I really love this idea and I hope you enjoy it!! Im sorry if it’s too long!!! I try to make theses head-canons/fanfics really good and feed into your ideas so I hope you still love them!’

Sorry for any misspellings

It’s Saturday morning and you wake up with the sun beaming in your eye, you instantly close your eyes at the sudden brightness, you cuss Ken out in your head because he forget to close the curtains because you guys went to bed, but you shook it off and went to the bathroom,

You brush your teeth, brush your hair, wash your face and do your skincare. You walk out and shut the door loudly accidentally forgetting Ken is still sleeping, luckily he was still asleep, you put your hair up in a bun and take your phone with you while you go to the kitchen, you freeze for a moment looking at the kitchen

“ I’m too lazy to cook why do I even bother “

You make your way to the living room couch and open up your phone deciding to scroll on instagram, you saw one of your mutals upload a picture of a flashbacks of last year going to the amusement park and that just lit up a bulb in your head. Taking.Ken.To.The.Amusement.Park.🤯.

You’ve never actually thought if he has went before but you doubt it because he has talked about not being able to do much outside of doing beach stuff in Barbie land so you thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take him for his first time!! You buy the tickets online on the amusement parks website and decide to wake up Ken

Hours have passed by and it’s 2:00 pm, you and Ken went out for breakfast then stayed in and watched comedy movies together, it was fun and all but you were just too excited about the amusement park you guys were going too, but it’s finally time to tell Ken about it!!

“ hey Ken!! So I planned something for us, I figured since we aren’t doing anything today I thought I would plan a date for the both of us! “

Ken is off the roof bursted with joy and excitement, he was really excited for a date even at the thought of it, he was like a five year old getting to go get candy, he was throwing questions back to back to you about it, You simply has to tell him it was a surprise

You guys arrive at the park and Ken's excitement bubbled within him like a shaken soda can while you two were walking up to the gateway of the park, Ken marveled at the towering roller coasters and the swirling carousel horses, eagerly joining the endless stream of joyous visitors.

Ken is an emotional guy and at the sight of this really wanted to make him cry, he never saw this side of humans before, he observed all the smiles,laughter, food, and just the bright vibrant atmosphere of everything, he never wanted to leave and he hasn’t even seen the best part!

The first stop was the Ferris wheel, a magnificent yet romantic ride that soared into the sky, you noticed kens nervousness about getting on something so high up so you squeeze Ken's hand, assuring him that everything would be alright. As the gondola ascended, his anticipation turned into awe, the stunning view stretching out before you guys like an immense tapestry of colors and laughter.

With each attraction you two encountered, Ken's confidence grew, He bravely got off his fears, trying the heart-pounding roller coasters, the dizzying spinning teacups, and even the swings that challenged the limits of gravity he was loving it all, and seeing you happy about it and seeing your smile just brighten his mood even more.

Here is probably his favorite, the trippy funhouse, a labyrinth of distortion and merriment, Ken's reflection in the carnival mirrors made him laugh at the exaggerated versions of himself, his tall figure becoming short and stout, then elongated like a stretched figurine,It was here that Ken's adventurous spirit found its match, unveiling the childlike whimsy that lay dormant within him for so long.

As the sun began to set, casting a golden glow upon the park, Ken spotted an enormous ice cream stand, seeing the bright and so many flavors of ice cream it just was calling his name and begged you if you guys can get one and of course you guys did.

Ken savored the sight of happy families, happy couples,laughter echoing like music and the occasional burst of fireworks illuminating the sky and admiring the cheerful symphony of amusement park delights, Ken couldn't help but feel grateful for his companion, you. who made this extraordinary adventure possible.

After it started hitting night time, it was time you guys left, Ken carried memories etched in his heart, forever treasuring the laughter, courage, and bond you guys had shared. He realized that an amusement park was so much more than just exhilarating rides and sugary treats – it was a realm where dreams, both big and small, came alive and can change people in many ways

That night, you and ken cuddle warmly on the couch,just relooking back at your guys favorite moments from today, kens amusement park adventure had opened his eyes to the wonders of the world, reminding him that sometimes, stepping outside one's comfort zone could lead to the most extraordinary and fulfilling experiences

And so, with a heart full of gratitude and a desire to embrace every opportunity, Ken vowed to welcome each new adventure with an open mind and a smile on his face, forever grateful for his partner, You. ❤️

RAHHHH!! I hoped you guys enjoyed this and it satisfied you, give me more ideas and prompts to write about Ken! I might take long with requests because I want to make them long and good reading quality for your guys so that’s why I might take 3 days to a week<3 I love you and remember mental health comes first 🫶

[rudnitskaia]

Hi! I read your stories about Rocky and Maura on AO3 and they’re very good! Do you plan to write fics about Maura working with Rocky at Lackadaisy? Please write more! 🙏

Hi, anon ✨😭✨ I'm truly sorry for the late reply and hope you're doing well and will see my reply even after so much time passed 🥺💖

I'm very, VERY happy you like RoMaunce dynamics! 💖🥹💖 As for your question: the truth is that Maura working at Lackadaisy is a possible scenario, and a very interesting one, but it's not the only one. In any case, Rocky's and Maura's story isn't sweet and easy, but, if Mau starts to work at Lackadaisy, it triggers too many angsty outcomes not only for these two, but for many people around them.

Anyway, I wrote a ficlet about one of these personal outcomes for Rocky and Mau (though it came out to be more of a Zib & Mitzi's story). Hope you'll enjoy it. <3

A Better Life

Rocky didn't want to look, but he couldn't stop. His body felt numb, refusing to budge, and his glassy gaze was fixed on just one spot in the main hall of the Lackadaisy.

On Mau.

There she was, letting out another mischievous laugh and shifting the cue to her other hand. Even from such distance, from the backstage, he could clearly see the eyes of the bar patrons roaming over her figure as she bent over to make a hit. Their stares made him sick to the stomach.

The grip on the violin bow grew even tighter. Mozzie was finishing up to play some unassuming piano tune that meant to fill the silence before the beginning of the main concert. Soon the whole band must get on stage, but music was the last thing Rocky could think about at this moment.

“Come on, honey, spin around,” Mitzi encouraged Maura, clearly pleased with how the white, gold-embroidered dress fit her. “Isn't that nice? And it would finally stop gathering dust in the closet.”

Apparently, Miss M, who gave Maura one of her own evening dresses, really had high hopes for the girl. Rocky had already been over the moon when Miss M finally agreed to his entreaties to talk to Mau about working at Lackadaisy, and even more so when she decided to give Mau's talent a chance by bringing back gambling as an illegal activity in her establishment. And Mitzi's expectations paid off in spades. The resumption of liquor deliveries from the Arbogast Funeral Home, coupled with a new twist in the form of an “invincible female pool player”, has lured quite a few customers to Lackadaisy. For the first time since the days of Atlas May, the bar was running at some kind of profit rather than a loss. In every sense, it was a victory.

But right now, Rocky would have given anything to go back in time and knock the very idea of bringing Maura to Lackadaisy out of his own mind.

“It's a play, Rocky. Just a role. Otherwise these drunken high rollers wouldn't have the excitement, the desire to bet more and more, to keep competing with me. They like to think they can win not the game, but me, you know? Like a trophy. That's my job, to pretend it's really possible when it's not. Everything will be fine,” Mau assured him, furtively hugging him in the back room. He understood. After all, they needed money, needed desperately. Besides, how could he be upset about something so trivial? It would be ridiculous. After all, she still fell asleep beside him every morning. But the more time passed, the more unbearable he found the sight at the pool table, which he was forced to watch from the stage every damn night.

When Rocky felt a touch on his shoulder, he shuddered and hastily released the fabric of the curtain.

“Spit it out, kid,” Zib took a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it. “Or you're gonna get hot steam coming out of your ears.”

Rocky hesitated. Then cracked a strained smile.

“I was just admiring the place, that's all… it's been a long time since we've had this much noise, hasn't it? Miss Pepper finally has someone to dance with when Freckle runs out of breath. Last time they—”

Zib hummed and leaned against the opposite wall. His grin alone made it clear that he wasn't buying this ridiculous attempt to change the subject. Pulling back the curtain a little, he stared out into the main hall for a while, listening more to the cheerful chatter of the crowd than to Rocky's continuing monologue.

“Don't tell her you're jealous. It'll make things worse.”

Zib's words caught Rocky by surprise, and it took him a lot of effort not to show his astonishment. He didn't know what had given him away, since he'd never been explicit about his relationship with Mau. Out of everyone, Freckle was the only one who knew for sure, and it seemed, according to her overly mischievous tone, that Miss Pepper had suspected something, too. And yet Zib had hit right on target — even without looking at Rocky, he knew he had. But though the poisonous feelings that had been overwhelming Rocky for a month now had eaten him almost to the core in the enforced silence, and though the opportunity to finally discuss it with someone seemed too tempting — he couldn't allow himself to open up. He just couldn't.

“Begorra, why would you even think that? To whom and who could I…”

“Zib,” Mitzi interrupted them, suddenly entering the backstage area. “One of the visitors wants to hear this,” she held out a double folded sheet of paper. “Tell the others. He paid well.”

When she left, Zib reluctantly unfolded the paper and then slipped it carelessly into his pocket. Despite the need to walk on the stage soon, he took his time, favoring an unfinished cigarette. With his fingertips he pulled the curtain aside again, revealing a thin golden strip of carefree revelry from their faded, half-empty backstage.

“You know, it's natural,” he took a puff, “To want the best for the ones you love,” the smoldering cigarette outlined the room. “But just consider it. Any of these men could give her everything that the likes of us, mired on the margins, could never give her. The freedom not to think about what to eat, where to sleep, and how to survive while the pockets are empty, not to choose between, let’s say, a new coat for the winter and a month's rent for some hellhole. And if someone can give the person you love freedom beyond your reach, it would be dirty to demand them to drop that chance for a better life, don't you think?”

Shaking the ashes to the floor, Zib again pulled out the now crumpled note that Mitzi had handed him and fell silent for a short while. He didn't open it this time, just studied the blank side of the note for a few seconds with a thoughtful, detached look. A look in which, for just a moment, flickered a glimpse of longing. His husky voice sounded almost otherworldly when he spoke:

“You're lucky if she chooses you anyway. Cherish it while you can.”

Completely stunned, Rocky remained silent. A thousand questions flashed through his mind, but he didn’t dare to voice any of them. Zib didn't just empathize with him, no — he knew. Knew like no other. The man, meanwhile, put out the cigarette butt and headed toward the back room where the band members usually had their rest.

“Get on stage. It's time to start.”

[da-rulah]

Headcannon or drabble….

For if you ever feel like entertaining it.

The WAGS of the Papas scheme every Halloween together to see which of them can get their Papa in the best/most outrageous/most out of character outfit.

Okay so I'm FINALLY back from Amsterdam and can give this the thought it deserves. And so, here's my thoughts on Papa halloween costumes. Some are humiliating, some I think just work for the Papa in question...

Coming to you in head canon format, because I think that works better...

Every year the Ministry holds it's annual Halloween ball. And every year, everyone is expected to dress up. And usually, the Papas and their partners dress in couple's costumes. This year, their partners make it a game - funniest, most apt or most humiliating Papa costume wins.

Primo

In his older age, Primo doesn't mind letting you organise Halloween. It's never a big struggle to get him to wear what you want him to. He knows you'll only win anyway...

So when you came out from the bathroom dressed as Olive Oyl and handed him a sailor's outfit... he sighed, and took it from you without argument.

Complete with can of Spinach for those hidden muscles of his and old tobacco pipe to lodge between his teeth, he made the most adorable Popeye the Sailor Man you'd even seen.

To give him his credit, he even got the laugh down to a 'T'...

"Aaaah-gug-gug-gug-gug-gug..."

Secondo

Every year you would place a bet before Halloween. And most years, you won. Including this year.

And of course, the loser has to wear the costume of choice of the winner.

But when you showed him what he'd be wearing this year, he outright REFUSED.

"Dolcezza, I insist that you stop trying to humiliate me at every turn..."

"You have to. Thems the rules." He was NOT happy.

The colours were offensive, the tan was ludicrous and the wig... He hated it all. But he did it, because dishonouring the bet that the entire ministry knew you had every year was more humiliating than wearing the damn costume.

It's roller Barbie & Ken.

The scowl on his face through the entire Halloween ball... If looks could kill.

Terzo

When you'd told him you were going as a Powerpuff girl, he got over excited.

"You mean to tell me you'll be in a short little dress and pigtails, tesoro?"

What you didn't tell him, was that you'd got him a matching couple's costume. But not one of the girls...

When he walked out of the bathroom, painted red, tiny little pink fluffy skirt and headpiece, lobster claws and latex thigh high boots, you'd collapsed in a heap of laughter.

Of course, you got him to dress up as HIM, your arch nemesis.

"I'll damn you to the deepest depths of hell for this."

But it suited him so well... King of the underworld, flamboyant - pure evil.

And he got so into character...

Copia

When you mention a couple's costume, he's all for it. Anything together is a win in his book.

When trying to think of one, two things about him stood out to you that you could run with.

He often wears a scarf neck tie, and he's a bit of a himbo...

And so, Fred from Scooby Doo has entered the chat. With Daphne right by his side...

Because you cannot tell me Copia isn't basically just a goth Fred

"Amore, please don't make me blonde..." he whines, but the coloured hair spray you'd bought for his growing locks was already taking shape.

He decided he likes you as a redhead. He makes a mental note of you this way.

Turns out, The Ghost Project music really can sound like Scooby Do chase scene music - because it became the backdrop when Swiss, who dressed as a sheet ghost this year, thought it was funny to chase him through the Ministry corridors...

Wondering which Partner won? Well, send me an ask and tell me who YOU think would win this contest...

[agingnerd]

CME Episode 8 My thoughts (spoilers)

For me there were no big surprises in this episode. Everything seems to go as I expected (for the most part). This episode is full of some great acting by the entire cast (as always).

There are a number of moments that have stuck with me. First is the opening scene of Tara 'waking up' and telling Rebecca she had a nightmare and asking for cuddles. I thought it was done so well. Tara has her guard down she's being soft and vulnerable, a part of herself she usually hides from the world.

Another moment that stood out to me was Emily's speech to the team. When she says " ...I 'll say it. I'm tired." I felt it. The exhaustion, the weariness and frustration. By the end ("Now lets do our fucking jobs.") I also felt her anger, determination and resolve. In that moment she was determined to get it done and she was bringing the whole team with her. Powerful stuff.

Although I anticipated/expected the proposal I thought is was a great way to end the episode. Especially given the way last week's ended. The moment Tara asks/lets Rossi to help her stand up she's being open in ways that hasn't always come easy to her. By her declaring her love and commitment to Rebecca infront of "chosen family" she is letting all of them behind the wall she has built. And, after Rebecca says yes, the unbridled joy and happiness shown by Tara and the whole team really is beautiful. I don't think I have ever seen the team smile so much.

Also, you just know JJ is going through all the emotions this episode. Wondering about whether Tara was going to survive and knowing exactly how it will feel if she doesn't; and not just for herself but Rebecca (& the team) as well. To go from that low to the high of the proposal what a roller-coaster ride. she is so genuinely happy/excited for Tara and Rebecca.

I can't forget Rossi growing his family having a proud papa moment.

Looking forward to see what happens next week..

[lepidjester]

tadc sona time babey

meet ample!! they’re a silly lil guoy who likes to make people smile :)

concept sketches:

they’re besties <3

ref text under cut:

name: Ample (generated by name wheel)

they/them - 21 y/o - ace - panro - enby

rainbows [on socks and sweater] shift with movement of character model

third longest resident (after kinger & ragatha)

fact list:

only takes full form when happy/excited!! otherwise, moves through shadows

full form (pictured left) requires high rendering power (due to glow); causes minor glitches when maintained for extended periods

shadow form can only see and hear, no other senses

gives either really good or REALLY bad advice

God’s favorite Caine’s bestie

helps Caine come up with adventures (sometimes gets to make their own!!)

occasionally disappears for several digital months, then reappears as if nothing happened (Caine, upon being asked about it, changes the subject immediately)

likes to tell stories (uses shadow form to shapeshift for visual aids)

likes:

caine

adventure

roller coasters

honesty

singing

drawing

storytelling

dislikes:

jax

pessimism

censor bars

glitches

violence

arguing

holding still

[noseboopsanddandelionwishes]

There's a scene near the end of the first season of Only Murders in the Building and there are so many details in it, it completely stole my heart.

Charles Haden-Savage is texting someone (I won't say who so this can remain relatively unspoilery) that he hasn't spoken to for a while.

Having been on a lot texting lows and highs the last couple years, I am amazed by how they depicted the roller coasters of emotion that happens in milliseconds. I am also relieved to see someone else live these mini emotions that I feel but cannot tell if I am taking things too seriously.

Details I appreciate:

At first, he drafts the text and signs off. Then he deletes the sign off, having learned a different way of texting from someone else. I also have picked up on changes to my communication style

He then puts the phone down, waits a couple seconds, then hits send while the phone stays on the table. Such a great detail.

He sits back. Obviously they aren't going to text back. BUT if they did. Right? If they did you wouldn't want to be doing something else. But they aren't. But they could?

Then, before the screen goes black he sees the ... of someone typing, he is surprised - excited and hopeful, but mostly surprised.

When the dots disappear, he immediately deflates. That little slump! Just over the dots disappearing! I've done that.

He is sad, but there is a sort of "oh well" to the sadness that is like "well, that's their choice it's okay" acceptance. So good. Love seeing this healthy behavior depicted.

He puts the phone down. Then he gets a text. The little scramble to get the phone?? Moving so quick that it's almost a flinch! Oh my gosh I have done that so many times and laughed at myself every time.

Then he sees the text, and his smile. !! That little "there is so much to process, but I am happy and going to try my best!" scrunch of the face

And then he texts back, just something short and simple and you know, you know he did that because of the confidence and new ways of speaking he picked up on through his association with his friends. It also me

The text back carries almost none of the weight of the emotions he carried. But it doesn't have to.

And then he breaks into a smile after he sends the "i received your reach out" text, and looks back at the phone anew, and it's like he is now taking in "oh my gosh! they talked to me!!" and the smile is of fully embracing the new beginning, even though it's just a start; that's all it needs to be

AHHH It's so good. I really appreciate them showing this and letting this moment live on screen

[zappedbyzabka]

i don’t know why but that last picture you posted makes me think of ex!pageant johnny who did beauty pageants when he was a kid/teenager (maybe because of his mom? or because of sid?) and now is super disillusioned with them and kind of doesn’t want to talk about them UNTIL he has to because (maybe) sam? gets into the idea of winning the valley pageant (probably to maybe make a statement about it and johnny kind of is into that idea too) and he starts training her for it and anyway this is my long way of saying i think daniel should witness johnny doing pageant training and lose his mind

- landslided

So, I don’t know if any of you have seen Insatiable but that is what popped up in my mind

It’s about a girl (Debby Ryan) who used to be a big girl and lost weight after surgery (I think) and becomes “hot”. Her lawyer was an ex pageant coach who shows her how to do everything.

(Spoiler) he was lifelong rivals with this one dude for in the show before it was revealed the rival had secretly been in love with him the whole time and they make out in a bathroom BUT I do not care for an AU of this because I much prefer Johnny being an ex pageant queen beauty who helps his non-blood daughter and they bond (instead of everything Patty does to her coach YIKES.)

Johnny shows her everything he can remember—including the tips he got from the beauty queens around him despite not having the opportunity to use most of said tips.

Dark lipstick makes your teeth look whiter. Double sided tape and safety pins are your best friend. Don’t forget your rollers. The higher the heel the longer the leg but the harder it is to have the perfect walk.

One foot in front of the other, good posture, delicate hands, big smile for the judges.

It’s all a performance that you have to be great at or you have no chance at winning.

He usually wore suits as what was expected of him, sometimes themed outfits depending. He would have liked to get to wear all the pretty dresses the girls wore to see if he’d win that competition too. He is, after all, extremely competitive.

He put on some high heels to be silly once when he was cozying up to the judges before the pageant began and got told it was a shame he wasn’t a girl because otherwise he would have been snatched up by a big agency with those perfect visuals.

It pissed him off that he couldn’t do everything.

The creeps that ran the pageants and the annoyance of guys at school teasing him for his forced girly hobby had him bitter and over all of it. The sashes and dainty trophies fit beautifully next to his All-Valley trophy, but had to go. (he couldn’t bring himself to throw them away. It’d be like throwing away his accomplishments. They’re somewhere buried in a box.)

But when Sam brought it up, Johnny jumped to offer his help—cutting off Daniel’s pondering over where they’d find a coach.

Sure, Johnny had to explain to about 4 adults and 12 or so kids that he was in beauty pageants but it only dampened his excitement a little.

Daniel was…really interested in watching him demonstrate for Sam. Really interested—enamored.

He can’t believe Johnny knows nothing about makeup! No wonder his hair was always styled.

Poor Sam had to learn to strut in a room filled with tension between her dad and coach so thick you could cook it in the microwave

Johnny was all “Impress Daniel. Impress Daniel. Impress Daniel” in his mind and Sam rolled her eyes so many times they hurt.

Watching Sam thrive and use her beauty to her advantage was a gift for Johnny. He knows she’s had trouble with people not taking her seriously for it and it genuinely made his heart ache with understanding -he’s also had issues his looks. ‘Pretty boy’ always seemed to be a way of pushing him down.

They don’t let her karate skills go to waste. There are so many things she could do as a talent that it was hard to pick, but they settled for the ice chopping that she knew would make her father happy as a surprise. (idk if they would actually allow that, but that would never stop Johnny or her lol.)

cough cough catch Daniel smitten with the man that helped his daughter and kissing him in the dressing rooms after she wins. Anyone that makes his little girl that proud of herself is a goodie in his book. And MAYBE Johnny had been feeding Sam advice on how to get the angry blond girl so very similar to him and Sam’s ALSO kissed silly in a dressing room until Tory’s face is stained with all her makeup.

[innytoes]

For the AU combos: roadtrip/amusement park

-Flynn and Julie decide to do a road trip before they go away for college, because Flynn's going to New York and Julie's staying in LA and they need Bestie Time.

-They take Flynn's Mom's Minivan, because it is the safest vehicle, will fit all of their souvenirs, and they can sleep in it if they can't find somewhere to stay the night. (Don't tell Tía.)

-They decide to split their time into three big categories: must see landmarks, epic amusement parks (Flynn's a sucker for roller coasters) and We'll Know It When We See It.

-Among We'll Know It When We See It: Creepy haunted clown motel (no they did NOT spend the night, don't you worry, Tía), a fun small town festival with ten million fried things on a stick, a cool concert by some band nobody had ever heard of but Julie just knew her mom would have loved, and a carnival.

-Because Flynn didn't just want to ride big, cool, safe rollercoasters. No, she had to drag Julie onto ones that were set up in an hour and would be torn down in even less time.

-That's where they meet Reggie. He's really cute and really excited when he hears they're from LA ("You're going around to cool amusement parks? Have you been to Star Wars World??? Is the ride as cool as the internet makes it seem????"). He makes sure to show them around, shows them which pies are the best and what food stalls to avoid. Delights in taking them to the fortune teller, because 'it's really just Mrs Meyerson in a weird costume. She's a total gossip and knows everyone's business, that's why she's so good. I want to know what she'll say to two outsiders.'

-They have lunch together, and dinner, and ride all the rides, and Reggie wins them both a stuffed animal (a unicorn for Flynn, a red panda for Julie) by shooting tiny little moving ducks down.

-Julie wins Reggie a dalmatian by heaving a giant mallet over her head and bringing it down so hard on the high striker the bell dings loud enough people turn their heads to stare.

-Reggie looks a little bit in love with her in that moment, and Julie can't help but feel a little in love with him too.

-They're loathe to say goodbye, even as midnight approaches and there are announcements the carnival is closing soon. Reggie promises to show them a cool water tower where you can see the stars, and Julie agrees even before Flynn can weigh the options of 'he seems harmless enough' and 'following some white boy into the woods after he showed us what a good shot he is is the start of a horror movie'.

-Yes Flynn has her taser in her pocket just in case.

-But Reggie stays true to his word and the sight is amazing. The town is just twinkling lights from up here, and he says he used to come here as a kid and pretend he was an astronaut, looking down on earth, away from all his problems.

-Their conversation turns deep, and Reggie admits he has plans to run away from his little town, as soon as he can save up enough money to buy a truck. His parents spend all their time fighting, and ever since he turned eighteen a few weeks ago, with him. As if now that he's of age, they don't have to hold back their hatred anymore.

-Surprisingly, it's Flynn that offers to take him with them.

-Insert movie montage of Flynn, Julie, and Reggie having Adventures. Julie is just happy someone will go on the really terrifying rollercoasters with Flynn so she doesn't have to. Reggie is seeing the world for the first time and is excited about everything. ("A real Rainforest Cafe??? Can we go???"). Julie is slowly falling in love with this golden retriever of a boy.

-Yes they carefully edit out Reggie in any pictures they send to Julie's aunt.

-They end up back in LA, finishing the trip with a visit to Star Wars World.

-Just Julie showing up home like: hi Dad so this is Reggie he's my boyfriend and also he needs a place to stay. If he can't stay here, he's probably going to get adopted by the Taylors and live in Flynn's room and be murdered by Flynn's little sister who had dibs on that room when she moved out and then I'll be sad my boyfriend is dead sooooo...

-Yes, Reggie can stay.

-Flynn leaves for New York knowing her girl will be well looked after. Especially because she did use the taser on Reggie... but only to wave it around threateningly to give him the shovel talk somewhere around St Louis.

[pr1ncessava]

Chapter Lady: What’s Really At Steak

word count: 8096

“Ahahaha…”

Laughter rang out in the square of Ginma District. It was fast, high pitched, seeming to pierce through the white noise Kanai Ward’s constant rain created.

“Ahahahaha…”

There it is again. It sounded so cheerful, so happy, so…nuts.

“Ahahahahahahahaha!”

And it only seemed to grow more and more frenzied as it continued to ring out into Ginma District’s square.

“Ahahahahahaha!”

That laughter belonged to only one person, the detective known as Lady Soot.

“Ahahaha! Again, again!” Lady began to bounce in place as she held her pretty pink umbrella over herself. She was standing in front of another person who seemed to be in their mid-20s, an electronic keyboard with Amaterasu’s logo on it right in front of them. They smiled at the woman before them, seeming grateful she stuck around for their act, “This is the first time someone’s liked my songs so much…thank you!” Lady smiled back as she happily responded, “Are you kidding? It’s like being in a candy store, I can’t get enough of it!” “Haha, a kid in a candy store?” They laughed at her sugary sweet words. “Absolutely! It’s good to enjoy the little things every now and then, y’know? Even if it’s a small, itty bitty little gumdrop!” Lady giggled at her own words, her sugary laughter filling the ears of the street performer. “You really are an interesting one, miss…?” They asked for her name. “Lady.” Lady introduced herself, shaking the performer’s hand in one rapid motion, giving them the biggest smile she could muster. “Just Lady…?” The performer giggled, “Anyway, my name’s Teru. It’s nice to meet you.” “Pleasure to meet you too!” Lady smiled once more, “Say, are you here all day?” “No, I’m here from noon to 9PM.” Teru responded with a smile on their face. “Noon to nine…” Lady softly murmured to herself before looking back up at them, “Okay! That’s very good to know!” Her bright pink eyes sparkled as she continued to smile so brightly. It was amazing how friendly Lady naturally was, making friends with even the most quiet and furtive of people.

An energetic and kind person such as herself surely would leave a tip for the performer, right? Seeing as she made no moves to do so, Teru had to ask. “Um…if you want to leave a tip, you can.” They flashed a shy smile at Lady’s way, who was met with a rather shocked expression from the master detective. Lady nervously chuckled, “About that…I don’t really have any money…” She gave a nervous smile in return. And hearing that made Teru’s once shy smile turn into a rather sour frown. “But, there is one way I can pay! Do you like desserts?” Lady leaned in closer to Teru as she made her offer, watching as they went silent. Desserts? Who the hell offers someone desserts as a way to pay someone?! Lady Soot, apparently. It was the only thing she could offer anyway, as she came to Kanai Ward with nothing but the clothes on her back and her umbrella. It took Teru a moment to respond, but they eventually did. “…No, not really. But, I have been craving something sweet lately.” Hearing that alone was enough for Lady’s energy levels to multiply by ten, if that was even possible. “Great! Tell me what you’re craving most, I can make it for you! It’ll take no more than a half hour tops!” As her words were rapidly fired in Teru’s direction, her smile seemed to grow even bigger. This girl really likes desserts as well as baking them, doesn’t she? Teru softly giggled before answering her, “Well, I have been craving some fresh matcha cake!” Lady’s smile grew even bigger as she leaned in even closer to them, bouncing in place once again as she got excited at the mere idea of baking something for someone. “I can definitely do that for you! Follow me!” And with that, Lady clicked her heels twice, activating the roller skates her Ruby red mary-jane shoes had installed into them. She began leisurely skating her way through Ginma district, leaving Teru a bit flabbergasted at the sight of her shoes. A soft sigh escaped their lips before they followed Lady.

Soon enough, the two stood outside the submarine known as the Nocturnal Detective Agency. As Teru caught up with Lady, they were a bit out of breath, and also rather confused as to why they stood right outside of the submarine that rested in the riverbank. They gave Lady a confused look, which was met with her signature sugary sweet smile. “Come with me!” She happily reassured them as she climbed up the ramp that connected the submarine to the dock, smiling at them expectantly. After a small moment of hesitation, they followed Lady into the submarine, with the two of them eventually making their way to the agency’s office. Inside the office was the agency’s chief, Yakou Furio, relaxing in his chair, reading the most recent newspaper from the Amaterasu Times. His eyes wandered over to Lady as she brought her new friend to the agency, seeming a bit confused as to why they were even there to begin with. Maybe it was someone who was here to give them a case? “Oh, Lady! Who’s your friend?” He asked, wondering who that was right next to his detective. Lady’s attention turned to the fuzzy, blue-haired chief, “Chiefy Weefy!” She gave him a frantic wave, seeming really ecstatic to have someone to share her baked goods with. However, her words left Chief Yakou a bit confused, his blue eyes widening a bit in bewilderment. “C-Chiefy Weefy…?” “This is my friend, Teru! They’re a street performer!” The detective, dressed in pink, happily showed off her friend to the chief, to which Teru gave a small bow. “It’s nice to meet you, Chief.” They smiled. “Oh, I almost forgot! I’ll get started on that matcha cake for you now, Teru!” Lady then darted off to the submarine’s kitchen at a lightning speed, leaving the street performer alone with the chief. An awkward silence began to fill the room, but it was eventually broken by Teru’s voice. “...Is she always this happy to see people?” They asked Chief Yakou, seeming a bit confused by Lady’s behavior. Chief Yakou couldn’t help but chuckle, “She is. As much as she’s high energy, she’s a good detective. And a good person too.” He turned his head to the doorway where the kitchen was, hearing Lady hum a tune to herself as she baked in there. “It’s hard to understand what goes on in that head of hers. As her boss, I can definitely attest to that. But despite it, she has a real heart of gold. She’s always making sweet treats for the other detectives.” He spoke with a smile, taking a moment before turning back to Teru. “She said she was making a matcha cake for you, how come?” Yakou tilted his head slightly as his curiosity piqued. Upon hearing his question, Teru let out a timid laugh, “Ah, she said she didn’t have any money to tip me, so she offered me desserts instead…” Yakou chuckled at their words, “Ah, haha…sounds about right. When she first came here, she had nothing but her umbrella and the clothes on her back.”

Before they knew it, Lady came back into the room, fresh matcha cake in hand. “Aaand, it’s done!” Teru looked at the cake in shock, it looked so delicious. It was that perfect matcha green color, even the frosting looked to be matcha flavored. And the fact that it was decorated with strawberries… Looking at it alone was enough to make anyone’s mouth water! “Wow… That looks amazing, Lady!” Teru beamed at the cake, their eyes seemed to sparkle the more they looked at the cake. “Wanna take it for the road? Go on, don’t be afraid! I don’t bite!” Lady smiled at Teru as she brought the cake closer to them. “You mean it? A-Are you sure?” Teru began to stutter, “C-Can I try a little bit of it here?” Lady quickly nodded as she continued to smile, “Sure! I’ll be right back!” Lady then darted back to the kitchen, the sound of silverware being shuffled filling in the silence of the agency. Eventually, she trotted back into the room, holding a cake server, a fork, and a small plate in her hands, and she began to cut a slice of the cake for Teru, putting it on the small plate for them. As soon as they took the plate, Lady began to put the rest of the cake in a leftover takeout box. Teru took a bite of the cake, and at that moment…it was heaven. The matcha cake was just the perfect amount of sweetness, and the strawberry on top added just the right amount of tang! And the earthy notes from the matcha itself was nothing short of amazing, it really hit the spot! Lady could see the smile on Teru’s face as they ate it, “Do we have a hit?” “Oh, absolutely! Have you thought about opening your own café?” Teru asked as soon as they finished eating. Hearing that question only made Lady giggle, “Funny you mention it, I used to live in one before I became a detective!” Hearing this made Chief Yakou take a moment to think, one of his Master Detectives used to bake at a café? Then again, it was Lady, so it seemed to make sense. “...I would say I’m shocked, but I’d kinda be lying.” He said. Lady’s head craned towards Chief Yakou, her pretty, caramel brown hair fluttering gently as she made eye contact with him, “You didn’t know? Huh, weird. I could’ve sworn I told you.” “What? You never told me that…!” Chief Yakou smiled in a puzzled manner, which was met with a rather quick response from Lady, “It was the first thing I mentioned when I came here.” Lady’s speedy sentence made Chief Yakou nervously laugh. She was right, she did say that when she first came to Kanai Ward, “Oh, right…” After they finished eating the slice of matcha cake, Teru took the takeout box with a smile on their face. “Well, I better get going. Thanks again for the cake, Lady. It really means a lot to me.” They waved to the detectives with their free hand before taking their leave. “Take care!” Lady happily chimed as she waved back to her new friend. Once they left, Chief Yakou softly chuckled as he shook his head, “You and your sweet nature, Lady… You make it look so easy to make friends!” “That’s because it is easy, silly!” Lady giggled before she clicked her shoes and activated their roller skate mode once again, leisurely skating figure eights around the office. “I’d do anything to make sure people smile. Heck, that’s kinda the reason why I became a detective in the first place!” Lady’s words confused Yakou a bit… ‘Kinda the reason?’ What the heck was the rest of the reasons Lady had for becoming a detective?! After being stupefied by her statement and casual roller skating, he had to ask, “Uh… What was the rest of the reason?” “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” Her words were quick and casual, as if she knew exactly what the chief was going to ask.

Lady was certainly a weird one…she roller skated everywhere, she was always baking sweets, she was always consuming sweets too. She’d only tease about her life and then completely distract you by meowing and knocking something over, and when she did say anything, her words were fired at the speed of light, making it difficult to even hear what she was saying. All the master detectives were rather eccentric individuals, but Lady definitely takes the cake when it comes to being on the weirder, even crazier side. Chief Yakou attempted to wipe the weird grimace from his face by checking the time. Upon realizing how late it was, he stood up from his chair, his eyes on Lady as she continued to skate inside the office, “Hey, it’s getting late. You might want to go back to the hotel and get some sleep.”

“I don’t sleep.”

“Y-You…what?”

“Besides, you never know what’ll happen when your eyes are closed.” Lady flashed her signature smile at the chief as she stopped skating. Those bright pink eyes of hers…they seemed to sparkle, but at the same time, there was something else behind them. As if she was constantly hiding something about herself and she wouldn’t let up on it around even the closest of friends. Looking into her eyes for too long made it seem like those pretty pink irises were spiraling…further and further into madness. Was she really on the brink of losing it? After a moment, Chief Yakou snapped out of it, shaking his head with his eyes closed before scratching his fuzzy blue hair. “U-Um, anyway… Try to get some rest tonight, will you? Staying up all hours of the day isn’t any good.” “Says the bloke who sleeps in ‘till noon.” Lady replied with a smug smirk on her face. “Hey, I forget to turn on my alarm sometimes!” Chief Yakou replied in a rather flustered manner, which made Lady chuckle. “Well, just make sure you’re up in time before we all meet here!” She happily replied as she grabbed her umbrella from the coat hanger, placing the hook handle onto her forearm before skating out of the office. Chief Yakou softly smiled as he watched Lady make her way out of the submarine, “Good night, Lady. Stay safe out there!” “Oh you know me, I’ll be fine! Somehow, someway, I get out of the trouble I find myself in! That’s how it always is!” She yelled back in response before leaving the submarine and making her way to Kamasaki District.

After another sleepless night in the Sun & Moon Hotel, Lady merrily roller skated her way over to the riverbank, holding her pretty pink umbrella over herself as she hummed a little chipper tune to herself. As soon as she entered the submarine, she made her presence known, “Chief, you better be up!” Her voice rang out as she spoke in a sing-song tone, the first thing she heard in response was the shuffling of the chief’s newspaper. “Oh, Lady! There you are! Listen, I…have some news for you.” “News?” Lady’s head tilted to the side before she approached the chief’s desk, leaning over it as she continued to smile, “What is it, boss?” The look on Chief Yakou’s face seemed to be that of apprehension, like he had just learned about something that troubled him. “So, uh…you know your friend, Teru?” “Yeah, why?” Lady paused for a moment, taking in the silence. That alone was enough for her to realize what had happened. “...Is Teru dead?” Yakou nodded, “Yeah… They were…killed.” The silence that followed was enough to asphyxiate Lady. Why is it that the people that Lady managed to bond with managed to end up dead in such horrific ways? First, it was her grandmother, who sadly passed due to her home going up in flames, now her newest friend gets killed the day after she met them? Who the hell even has that kind of luck?! It took Lady a moment before her face showed a look of determination, “Let me take on the case.” She even sounded serious compared to how silly and goofy she normally was. Her determination alone was enough to shock Chief Yakou, “Jeez, you want to take on the case already…?!” “It’s the very least I can do,” Lady softly nodded, “I owe them.” “Owe them…? You barely knew them!” Chief Yakou blurted out in response, still stunned by the fact that Lady didn’t even want to grieve her new friend. Was she really that quick to just move onto solving the case? “Hey, just because I barely knew them doesn’t mean I don’t care. Don’t you ever get that twisted!” She lightly struck the chief’s desk as she spoke, “They could’ve had a family, a family that loved and cared for them. And so help me, I will see through that their family gets the justice they so rightfully deserve! They deserve real justice, not that bland ass slop those slower than molasses Peacekeepers are gonna try and feed them. So let me do my job, and bring it to them!” “Um…” A soft, innocent sounding voice rang out in the agency, causing both the chief and Lady to crane their heads towards the source of it. It was a little girl, who seemed to be no older than the age of eight.

Lady’s surprised expression turned into a sweet smile as she began to approach the child. “Hi there! How did you find us, sugarcube?” She smiled as she gently got down on her knees, smiling up at the little girl as she spoke with such a sweet, kind voice. “M-My sibling told me about a friend they made yesterday, and they said they stopped by here…” The soft, little voice seemed to be shaky, the child’s eyes starting to fill with tears, “Are you Lady…?” She meekly asked, her eyes meeting Lady’s bright pink ones. “Yep, that’s me! I’m Lady Soot, nice to meet you, sweetheart! What’s your name?” She asked the child with a smile. “A-Airi…” The little girl choked out, still seeming rather distraught. “What a sweet name, Airi! I can tell it fits someone who seems like they’re made of sugar.” Lady tenderly responded to Airi, an attempt to try and help the little girl relax, even just a little bit. “Th-Thank you…” Airi seemed to get a bit more choked up, sniffling softly as little tears streamed down her face. “Teru named me…” She softly whimpered, causing Lady’s eyes to go wide. “Wait… You’re Teru’s sister?” That information seemed to awe Lady, her eyes locked onto Airi as she softly responded. “Y-Yes…” With that, poor Airi started to cry, her little body shaking. Chief Yakou couldn’t believe his eyes and his ears, this was Teru’s little sister, and she was the one asking the detectives for help?! He sat there in pure dismay, “Oh, this is bad… What do we do?!” After seeing the chief panic, Lady knew exactly how to handle this. Her head turned back onto Airi, giving her a smile as she spoke to the kid, “Airi, did Teru tell you what I do?” “Well…” sniff, “…they said you made a really yummy matcha cake…” Airi’s response made Lady giggle, “Yes, I did do that! But do you know what else I do? I’m a detective.” Lady gently held onto the little girl’s hands as she continued to speak, “Do you know what detectives do? We’re here to help you out!” Airi’s little voice was shaky as she whimpered, “Y-You are…?” Lady gave the child a soft nod as she smiled, “I’m really sorry to hear about what happened to Teru, Airi. Losing someone who was part of your family is always really hard, and I want to let you know you did a really brave thing today by coming over to ask us for help.” Airi sniffled once more, “…R-Really?” “Of course!” Lady giggled, “You did a really great thing coming over to us. Now, we can help you figure out what happened to your sibling!” “You will…?” Airi’s eyes seemed to sparkle as she heard those words. Lady wanted to help figure out what happened to her sibling? Not to mention, she was significantly nicer than any Peacekeepers she encountered! “Absolutely! You can count on me!” Lady smiled as she gave Airi the sweetest smile she could possibly muster, the sight getting the little girl to smile before hugging the detective. “Thank you, Lady…” The little girl softly spoke. Lady couldn’t help but chuckle lightly as she hugged Airi back, “Anytime! Now,” she pulled back before speaking, “What’s something you like to do? Maybe, I can ask you some questions while we do something you like together!” “Um…” Airi thought to herself before answering Lady’s question, “…I like to draw!” “Drawing, it is! Hey Chief, get us a couple pens and paper!” Lady turned her head to the chief, giving him an enthusiastic smile. Chief Yakou sat there, absolutely flabbergasted. “U-Uh…sure! Let me get those…” He then searched his drawers, eventually getting exactly what Lady requested. She then happily trotted her way over to the chief, grabbing the pens and paper, “Thanks, Chief!” She showed Airi to the coffee table, sitting next to the child as she handed her the paper and a pen. “Ready to get creative?” She asked, giving Airi a sugary sweet smile. “Yeah!” Airi replied with such enthusiasm before she began to scribble on the paper, causing a small giggle to escape from Lady.

“So, Airi,” Lady watched as the child continued to scribble, “Do you know your sibling’s routine at all? What do they normally do everyday?” “Well…” Airi began to speak as she continued moving the pen along the paper, “We wake up, and we have meat buns for breakfast. It’s Teru’s favorite!” She smiled as she began to walk Lady through a normal day in Teru’s life. “Then, I hear them practicing their music in their room! Sometimes, I’ll go in and watch them. They like it when I clap!” Airi giggled as she continued to doodle. “Okay, great!” Lady nodded, “How long do they practice for, do you know?” Her question made Airi think, “We usually finish up breakfast around 9…and I remember them telling me they were gonna be late yesterday if I didn’t leave their room.”

“Do you remember what time it was?”

“11:30. I remember them saying that.” Airi responded, continuing to draw. “11:30…” Lady muttered to herself, taking a moment before she looked back up at Airi. “What about when Teru came home that night? Did you see them last night?” She asked. “Yeah,” Airi nodded, “They told me about you and how you made the yummy matcha cake for them. They even let me have a slice!” She smiled up at the detective. “Do you remember anything else?” Lady smiled as she asked. “After I ate it, Teru tucked me into bed, and then I went to sleep.” The child responded, continuing to scribble. “So after that, you fell asleep?” Lady asked, watching as Airi gave her a small nod. As soon as her testimony was finished, Lady smiled, “Great! You did a really good job at answering my questions, Airi!” It was at that point where Lady got a glimpse of the doodle Airi had been working on. The child’s drawing consisted of three figures; one was a big man, one was a medium sized person, and one was a small girl. Upon further inspection, the person in the middle looked like…Teru? And the little girl seemed to resemble Airi! “What’re you drawing, Airi? Is it your family?” She asked, continuing to look closer at the drawing. Airi nodded, giving the detective a small hum in response. The big question now was the person all the way on the left… That big man, who was that? No stone could be left unturned, Lady had to ask. “Can I ask you something? That person looks like Teru…” Lady pointed at the person in the middle, “And that’s you…” her finger moved to the little girl, “But…who’s that?” Lady pointed to the big man in the drawing. “Oh, that’s Jiro.” Airi seemed to speak nonchalant as she responded to Lady’s question. Jiro…? Lady never heard of Jiro before, was it their father? “He’s our big brother.” Airi’s word’s snapped Lady out of her thoughts, they had an older brother? That just sparked the formation of many other questions in the detective’s brain. In an attempt to try and keep her thoughts all organized, Lady shot one of the questions at the child, “Was Jiro there?” “During breakfast, he was…” Airi responded.

“What about last night?”

“He said goodnight to me too before Teru tucked me in.” Hearing the little girl’s response got the gears in Lady’s head to start turning. “Mmhm…” Lady slowly nodded, “What does Jiro do during the day? Do you know?” Airi looked over at Lady, “Hmm? Oh, he works at a butcher shop!” Lady’s eyes began to sparkle, maybe talking to Jiro could get a lead! “A butcher shop? Do you know where it is?” She leaned in a bit closer as she asked. “Um…” Airi began to think a bit more, “I think it’s in Ginma District… He left right after breakfast.” “Ginma District, got it!” Lady nodded as she seemed to grow more enthusiastic, “Thank you so much, Airi!” “Well Chief, hopefully babysitting is on your resume!” The detective chimed as her head turned to the fuzzy haired chief. “What?!” He gasped, “Y-You’re not leaving me alone with a kid, are you…?!” He seemed so distraught at the thought of watching a little kid. “Yeah! You’ve had one before, right?” Lady responded, seeming a bit confused as to why the chief was panicking. “No! No I haven’t!” Chief Yakou cried out in response. Seeing this made Lady giggle as she approached the chief, “Oh relax, you’ll be fine. Surprised you’re not a dad already, what with dealing with us and all!” “Yeah, but this is different!” Chief Yakou nervously hissed, “I’ve never had to watch over a little kid before!” Lady couldn’t help but chuckle, “Oh stop crying, the milk isn’t spilled. You just have to make sure to not tip it over!”

“W…What?”

“You’ll figure it out, be back soon!” Lady chimed before grabbing her umbrella, leaving the submarine. Chief Yakou’s eyes widened as the detective simply left him in the agency with the kid like that.

“Ginma District, Ginma District…” Lady hummed to herself as she roller skated underground, making her way through Kanai Ward, “Why is everything happening in Ginma District? Am I the only one that noticed this?” She continued to skate through Kamasaki District, the sound of the wheels on her shoes splashing through the puddles littered throughout the roads and sidewalks joining the pitter patter of the rain. She rolled her way through Kamasaki District, which led to her entering her destination. She finally made it to Ginma District once again, now it was time to search for that butcher shop Airi mentioned. Low and behold, there it was! It was the only butcher shop within the district, and it seemed to be rather high-end, too. “Fitting of Ginma District to have a fancy meat shop like this.” Lady shrugged before she entered the store, causing the bell on the door to ring and signal that she entered. “Welcome to The Cut Above! How can we help you today?” The man at the front desk greeted Lady. “Hi, there!” Lady happily addressed the worker, “Say, I’ve got a question.” She smiled as she leaned over the counter, “Does a big man named Jiro work here?” “Oh, Jiro? Yeah, he does. Despite what happened, he decided to show up to work today.” The worker responded, seeming a bit saddened by the thought of what happened to Jiro’s younger sibling. “Would he be able to talk with me for a bit? I was a friend of Teru’s, and I’d be happy to extend my condolences to him.” Lady’s smile was sweet and genuine as she said this. As much as she didn’t even know about Teru’s family until now, she really did want to express her sympathy to them. “Yes, I‘ll go get him for you.” The worker nodded before heading into the back and calling out, “Jiro!” The door slammed behind the worker, leaving Lady alone for a bit. Maybe she could use this time to look around! But wait… That smell, why is it so pungent? Lady sniffed the air, and it became obvious what that smell was. Cleaning products. “That's a cleaning product smell if I’ve ever smelt it before…! Why is it so strong? Do they use bleach or something?” Lady muttered quietly to herself. That led Lady to wander around a bit, seeming to stop at the trash can. “Old habits die hard…” She softly spoke to herself before opening the lid. Inside seemed to be rubber gloves, most of which were drenched in blood. However, there was a pair that seemed to stand out to the detective. Instead of blood, they seemed to be drenched with water. “Water…? Who the hell washes their hands with rubber gloves on?!” She thought out loud, seeming to grimace at her own words in confusion. Lady stepped back from the trash can, taking in the two new clues she had just found. Her eyes continued to scan the area, “Doesn’t seem like there’s anything else I can find here…” And just like that, a big man stepped out of the back door, stepping up to the counter, “Hi there, can I help you?” His grumbly, yet happy voice rang out, “I’m Jiro, you said you were a friend of Teru?” “Yes I am!” Lady happily spoke as she approached the counter, “I’m Lady, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Jiro smiled at Lady, “It’s nice to meet you too. Hey, aren’t you the girl who made that cake for them?” “Sure was!” Lady giggled, “I’m so glad they liked it! Did you try it at all?” Jiro shook his head, “Nah, I didn’t get the chance to. But it looked amazing… Do you own a bakery or something?” “No, but I used to live in a café!” Lady’s laugh rang out through the shop, “I hate to change the subject so soon, but… I’d like to ask you a few questions, if that’s alright with you.” “Sure, I don’t mind. Is it about my sibling?” Jiro asked, watching as Lady nodded in response. “Where were you last night around 10 PM?” She asked. “I was home. I told my little sister good night as she went to bed.” Jiro answered.

“What about after that?”

“I threw on the TV and I watched the nightly news.”

“Hmm, okay.” Lady slowly nodded, taking Jiro’s alibi into account, “How long were you watching the news for?” “I watch it until I fall asleep. Not the best habit, but I could always count on Teru to turn the TV off when they woke up.” Jiro’s response was filled with a gloomy tone, seeming to be taking the loss of his sibling rather hard. “So, this would be a common occurrence?” Lady tilted her head as she asked, her caramel brown hair gently fluttering behind her as she did so. “Yeah,” Jiro shrugged, “This happened all the time.” His responses got Lady thinking again, they seemed to fit in the timeline… “When did you fall asleep, if you don’t mind me asking?” She looked up at him as she asked. “Around 12:30…that’s when I normally start feeling myself drift.” Jiro answered with a little sigh escaping his big frame. “Alright…” Lady nodded again, digesting that information, “What time do you guys normally clean the place?” That question seemed to surprise Jiro, “We usually clean the place at 6:30, right before the place opens for the day. We also clean at night, before the place closes.” “Ah, that explains it!” Lady’s smile seemed to brighten, “I could smell the detergent, that’s why I asked!” And with that, Lady looked to be satisfied with the information Jiro provided. “Well, I think that’s all I need! Thank you so much, Jiro!” She giggled. “Anytime, Lady.” The butcher smiled at Lady as his eyes were on her. “I’m so sorry about what happened to them, but mark my words, I will make sure you get the closure you so rightfully deserve.” She continued to smile up at the man, it was very easy to tell her words were heartfelt. “I’ve gotta go, I bet the boss is wondering what’s taking me so long.” She spoke, clicking her heels twice to activate the roller skates mode on her shoes, “Catch you later!” Lady waved as she began to roll her way out the door. Her thoughts were running wild. Was he truly watching TV from 10 to 12:30? What about the overpowering stench of cleaning products? But then, there was also the fact that there was a pair of gloves that were covered in water? It all made sense. But then, As Lady decided to cut through Kanai Ward using one of its many alleyways, everything went black.

Eventually, Lady came to, the bright fluorescent lights of the room blinding the detective as her eyes fluttered open. She let out a soft groan as she began to sit up, taking in her surroundings. What the hell were all those fleshy colored things? Her eyesight was still too fuzzy to recognize anything around her, so she rubbed her eyes before blinking. Her eyes widened at what was before her. Animal carcasses. “Ah!” Lady cried out before shuffling away from the gutted animals that were hung up. Just as soon as she thought she was far away enough, the detective felt something cold brush up against her back, freezing in place for a couple seconds. She slowly craned her head to see what it was, and the sight was horrible. It was Teru, dead. Their body was hung up just like the animal carcasses, hanging by their feet. Blood was dripping from their head, the sound of it trickling in a rhythmic pattern breaking the silence. A soft scream escaped the master detective, squirming away from the corpse, “Holy shit…!” Lady took a moment before catching her breath, “What are the odds?” She continued to breathe heavily as her eyes darted around the room, realizing she was in a meat locker. “Guess I was right…” pant, “We know the who…” pant, “What about the how…?” A soft sigh escaped Lady as she began to rise to her feet, “No time to waste, let’s roll.” The master detective stepped closer to Teru’s corpse, getting on her knees as she gently felt Teru’s head, checking the wound on the back of their head. “Is that…” She paused, continuing to check the wound, “...is that blunt force trauma?” She gently let go of their head, seeing that her hands were now stained pink, “Oh, great.” Lady sighed, “Luckily, I’m alone!” She let out a soft laugh before catching a glimpse at Teru’s arms, seeing that their arms were covered in all sorts of gashes, even their sleeves were ripped. Lady stood up as she began to investigate the arm wounds. “They’ve got all sorts of gashes. Jeez, they must’ve put up a fight…” After stepping away from the corpse, Lady began to think aloud once more, “Their body was pretty cold too, but it wasn't freezing.” The detective scanned the meat locker once more, noticing that she was the only thing that was alive in there. Her gaze then fell onto her hands, stained pink from Teru’s blood. “Okay, keep it ice cold, Lady…” She felt her breath get a bit shallow the more she looked at the blood, “You’re the only person in here, no one else is around. It’s all gonna be fine if you use your Forte just this once…” The sound of her breath becoming more jagged filled the cold silence of the meat locker. “Alright…” breath, “On the count of three…” After another rugged breath, Lady spoke once more. “Three!” Right after encouraging herself, the detective licked her hands clean, consuming any last drop of blood that painted her hands. Her eyes were closed tightly as she began to taste it.

All of a sudden, her bright pink eyes shot open, inspecting the area around her. So far, so good. Everything seems to be normal. A soft, relieved sigh escaped Lady’s system as she turned around, being met with a truly terrifying sight. Teru was standing there right in front of her, bleeding out of their head. Their lips were blue, and the shine in their eyes was no longer there. The corpse was standing right in front of her. “Ahh!” Lady softly screamed as she fell to the floor, scooting further and further away from the corpse. Teru’s body slowly approached her. Step…step…step. Their steps were slowly drawn out, which only made Lady squirm away even quicker as soft, terrified whimpers escaped the detective. Her chest was rapidly moving up and down as she found herself hyperventilating, her ivory skin turning pale as she watched Teru’s cadaver inch closer and closer to her. She couldn’t look away. She couldn’t look away. She desperately wanted to. She wanted to just force her eyelids closed, maybe even drive her eyeballs into their sockets with her thumbs. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t, she didn’t, and all she really could do was stare. Stare in fear. Stare in silence. No matter what, her eyes couldn’t be peeled away from the sight of the corpse that stood before her. The sight made her eyes shake, her breath hitching in her throat as she felt her eyes stay open as wide as they possibly could. Her breath became more shallow. More, and more, and more shallow and she couldn’t look away. She wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to. But she couldn’t. “It isn’t real…” Lady rapidly whispered to herself, continuing to hyperventilate as she made her poor attempts to self soothe. “It isn’t real, it isn’t real, it isn’t real…” Her hands traveled to her head as she attempted to calm herself down more. “It isn’t real, it isn’t real, it isn’t real, it isn’t real… It isn’t real…!” Her words grew shakier and shakier as she said them. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t bring herself to believe a single word out of her mouth right now. “Get it together, Lady…” Lady’s voice grew shaky, her eyes began to fill with tears as she attempted to plaster a smile on her face. “You’re just making the screws in your head even more loose than they already are! Y-Yeah…!” A nervous laugh escaped her as she softly sniffled, wiping the tears away. She sniffled, ���It’ll be over soon. This horrible nightmare of a Forte will be over soon…a-and you’ll get the info that you need!” She rubbed her eyes once more, taking a moment before looking up where the body once stood before her. It was gone. Was it over? Lady nervously giggled, beginning to believe that it was finally over. But it wasn’t over. She let out a soft hiss as the back of her head began to hurt. Bad. Her hand traveled to the source of the throbbing pain, rubbing her head gently before pulling her hand away, only to be greeted with another horrific sight. Blood. It covered her entire hand. “What the hell?!” Lady screamed out, the feeling of the pain only seemed to grow worse and worse. Her eyes closed tightly as she continued to hiss out in pain, the sound of her skull slowly cracking was deafening to her. As soon as her eyes opened once more, it stopped. The pain was gone. She looked down at her hands. The blood was gone. Her chest was still rapidly moving up and down as she took in her surroundings. Everything was the same as it was before she used Carnivorous Autopsy. Even Teru’s body was in the same spot, still strung up like a gutted animal. Lady felt her breath begin to slow down, “Alright…” pant, “So it really was blunt force trauma…” pant, “Those gashes came after…” Lady took a deep breath before she began to stand up once more. “Right, now I need to find a way out.”

Just like that, Lady began to wander around the meat locker, making sure to triple check the entire room as she worked quickly and diligently to find a way to get the hell out of there. However, Lady made a discovery. “Huh, weird… Why is there no murder weapon?” That information only made Lady scan the area a good few times over, checking every possible spot where a potential murder weapon could be hidden. “There’s no way it was that easily disposed of, right?” The detective placed her hands on her hips as she crossed her legs while standing. “I can taste the fact that the weapon was no bigger than 9 kilograms…but how or where do you store a weapon that heavy?” Right after she said those words, Lady’s eyes widened, “Unless… I need to get out of here, I’ve got to tell the chief!” With that, Lady began searching for a way out once again. After roughly ten minutes, Lady’s eyes caught a glimpse of a lock on the door. “That’s it!” Lady exclaimed, sprinting towards the door, attempting to undo the lock, “Jeez, it’s colder than sherbet ice cream!” Her hands flinched away from the door as she felt how freezing it was, taking a moment to rub her hands together just to keep them warm. “Right, let me try that again.” A smile formed on Lady’s face as she got ready to mess with the lock as fast as she could. Once she felt ready, she placed her hands on the freezing door, doing her best to work the lock as quickly as she could. “Just a little bit more, and…” Click! “Done! Ahaha, easy as pie with an ice cream garnish!” With that, Lady swung open the door, being greeted by Chief Yakou and Airi at the counter, standing before the surprised worker as he saw Lady exit the back room. “Oh, there’s Chief Yakou! Hi, Chief!” Lady giddily waved to the chief and the child as she made her way towards them, “You won’t believe what I found out. I know exactly who the culprit is, it’s-“

“Airi?”

A familiar voice rang out. Shit, it’s Jiro! Lady turned her head to meet the big man, giving him her signature goofy grin. “…Oh! Hey there, Lady.” Jiro seemed rather surprised to see her, “How goes it?” “Oh good, good!” Lady crossed her legs as she placed her hands on her hips, “I think I know what happened to your sibling!” The way Lady smiled…she knew something, and she seemed more than happy to share it. “Oh, you do?” Jiro seemed surprised, “I take it they were murdered, just like the Peacekeepers said?” “Oh yeah, they definitely were,” Lady nodded, “I take it that luring your sibling out to hit them from behind with a full leg of ham, creating fake self-defense wounds in order to obfuscate what really happened, and taking the body into the meat locker before opening so you could dispose of everything so conveniently is a normal day of work for you, hmm?” “Huh? A leg of ham…? W-Wait, are you saying the brother did it…?!” Chief Yakou seemed utterly astonished by the deduction Lady had come to. “Now that you mention it…” the worker began to think, “Jiro did seem a bit eager to sell a leg of ham today. It was the first thing we sold.” Jiro’s face contorted into a look of displeasure as he looked over at his coworker. “Uh-huh!” Lady nodded again, “Oh by the way, you don’t use bleach to clean a place where food is handled. You’d have a huge possibility of contaminating the meat you’re trying to sell! But you already knew that, didn’t you? Since the smell of bleach was coming from the store itself rather than the meat locker.” Jiro’s expression turned to that of rage, a low growl emitting from him as he heard the detective reveal the truth. “What?” Airi’s soft, innocent voice rang out, tears filling the child’s eyes as she looked at her older brother. “But, Jiro…why?” The little girl began to choke up as tears streamed down her little face. Jiro sighed as he felt his big, beefy body begin to tremble. “Street performing is useless. You’re gonna starve and get nowhere if you go down that path…” His voice was low as he grumbled his words. “That’s why I kept telling them to get a job here… They never listened. They were adamant on doing something stupid like street performing!” He yelled out, causing his little sister to cry. “I-I thought you liked it…” Airi softly whimpered. “Are you kidding? I hated it. I’ve hated it since day one. I wanted them to inherit the business from me!” Jiro’s harsh words only made the little girl cry even more. Lady’s head turned to the other worker, “You might wanna call the Peacekeepers and tell them everything. I’d be happy to answer any questions for them!” “You’re gonna pay for this…you’ll pay with your blood, Lady!” Jiro shouted at the detective, spit flying out of his mouth. “Uh-huh, sure. You couldn’t keep me quiet by shoving me in a meat locker, what makes you think I’ll keep quiet now?” She smugly smirked at the butcher before turning to Airi, getting down on her knees as she attempted to comfort the crying child. “I’m so sorry you had to see all of that, sweetheart…” She softly cooed, her hand gently wiping away the tears that formed in her little eyes. Airi’s wet eyes fell onto Lady as she felt the detective wipe her tears away, little sniffles escaping her. “Do you have anyone you can stay with, Airi?” Lady softly asked, giving Airi a heartfelt smile. “M-My auntie lives close to us…” She whimpered out. “Oh, good!” Lady’s eyes sparkled, “Why don’t we go look for her?” “O-Okay…” Airi whimpered once more, thus causing her, Lady, and Chief Yakou to make their way over to where the little girl’s aunt lived, dropping her off to live there.

“So,” Chief Yakou sighed as he and Lady made their way back to the agency, “You were really trapped in that meat locker?” “Sure was!” Lady responded with a smile, “Right after I finished questioning him, Jiro knocked me out from behind. I’m just lucky I didn’t die from it, ahaha!” Her statement caused Chief Yakou to nervously laugh, “Yeah, I guess…” The chief’s eyes were locked onto Lady, watching as she briskly roller skated right next to him. “Hey, Lady…” His words got Lady to meet his gaze, “Are you…doing okay?” “Huh? Oh, yeah! Things may have gotten a little nutty, but it’s nothing I can’t handle!” Lady smiled, “I may or may not be putting my sanity at stake every time I use my Forte, but it’s a small price to pay if it means getting closure!” Lady continued to match Chief Yakou’s walking speed as they continued to stroll through Kanai Ward. Hearing Lady got him thinking, ‘putting her sanity at stake every time she uses her Forte?’ What does she mean by that? A small moment of silence passed before the chief pressed on, “Wait, what do you mean by that? Are the side effects bad?” “Oh, they’re awful,” Lady responded immediately, “That’s why I try and guess it all, first!” “Guess it all?!” Chief Yakou was stunned, “You can’t be serious, right…?” He asked. Lady quickly replied, “Oh, I’m dead serious. The side effects are so bad that they push me further and further to the brink of insanity… I’m starting to think my brain is rotting away every time I use it! But sometimes, I have to. And if it means giving someone the closure they deserve, I’m prepared to make that sacrifice.” She ended her sentence with a small shrug. “Jeez…” Chief Yakou mumbled before looking over at Lady once more, “That explains a thing or two, Lady.” Lady couldn’t help but laugh at the chief’s response, “Sure does! Say, what’s something you’re craving sugar wise? Maybe I can whip it up for you!” Chief Yakou watched as Lady smiled, unable to help but be appreciative of the detective’s offer, “Really?” His blue eyes seemed to sparkle, “Uh…ube cake rolls sound good right now! What about that? Would that work?” Lady nodded, “Sure would! But, I’m taking a bite. Sugar overpowers the bitterness of blood, after all!” “Th-The bitterness of blood?!” Chief Yakou yelped in shock, which only got Lady to laugh. “Ahahahaha!” Her laughter began to fill the streets of Kanai Ward once more as they made it to the agency.

[bearsanpancakes]

Mitsuki Izumi White Special Day! Rabbit Chat - Part 4: Memories of the amusement park

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

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Tsumugi: Thank you for your hard work, Mitsuki-san!

Mitsuki: Thank you for your hard work, Manager!

Mitsuki: I’m currently practicing the dance moves for the performance!

Tsumugi: Ah, are you busy right now…? Mitsuki: I’m currently taking a break so there’s no problem! What’s the matter?

Tsumugi: The “White Special Day” campaign has had a successful launch, and it’s been receiving much praise!

Tsumugi: This is all thanks to everyone’s hard work! Thank you! Mitsuki: Receiving lots of praise, I see! All the preparations beforehand were worth it!

Tsumugi: Yes! A lot of aspects of the campaign received high praise, especially…

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Choices:

Option 1 - Everyone’s greeting video!

Mitsuki: For real!? All my efforts in riding the roller coaster were worth it then! But then again, all I did was scream, and the amusement park’s introduction was done by Yamato-san and Nagi. I’ll try harder next time!!

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Option 2 - Your limited-time menu’s recommended food, candy popcorn!

Mitsuki: Is it because you can eat it on the go? But I thought that Riku’s recommended Swiss roll was not only exquisite but also tasty, even I was surprised when I tried it!

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Option 3 - The roller coaster that had its appearance redecorated by IDOLiSH7!

Mitsuki: I saw it a day before the event started, it was majestic! When Sogo drew a design of the roller coaster with arms, I was worried about the outcome of the roller coaster for a bit…

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Mitsuki: The event sure is lively!

Tsumugi: Yes! It’s all thanks to everyone’s collective efforts, including Mitsuki-san!

Mitsuki: Wasn’t it hard for you to manage everyone’s schedules as well? It’s all thanks to your efforts too!

Tsumugi:

Mitsuki: By the way, I heard from Iori that he went surveying with the president during the campaign, is that true? (lol)

Tsumugi: It is! Iori-san said that he’d like to survey the park during the event, but there were some complications so the president went with him.

Mitsuki: It’d feel too conspicuous if Iori were to follow me, but Iori and the president look like a father-son duo. That doesn’t seem like a bad thing lol

Tsumugi: The president was pretty enthusiastic about it too…

Mitsuki: Just the idea of the both of them going to the amusement park together is amusing enough lololol

Tsumugi:

Tsumugi: Mitsuki-san, have you ever been to an amusement park with Iori-san before?

Mitsuki: Yup! But it was only when we were little and went with our parents.

Mitsuki: At that time, Iori kept eyeing the character balloons the other kids were holding. I think he really wanted one as well, so I dragged him along and said “Let’s go to the shops!”

Mitsuki: I kept on walking without any hesitation. In the end, not only did we not find the shops, but we also got separated from our parents. I was really scared when that happened.

Tsumugi: So you both were lost…!

Mitsuki: No, I don’t think it counts as being lost since Iori remembered where we came from and we instantly reunited with our parents. But we did get lectured to not run off on our own.

Tsumugi: What a wholesome memory!

Mitsuki: Iori’s always been dependable even as a kid. Even though I don’t remember anything, I’m sure I’ve caused him trouble a lot of times.

Tsumugi: I don’t think that’s the case, because Iori-san likes you a lot.

Tsumugi: Not only did his brother realize what he wanted, but his brother also brought him to the shops in search of it. I’m sure Iori-san feels happy…!

Mitsuki: Thank you, Manager.

Mitsuki: That’s just how he’s like, after all. He’s the kind of person who can’t honestly say what he wants. So when I discovered something he wanted, I was beyond excited to help him.

Mitsuki: Maybe he thought the same way when he helped me out with the audition. When Iori knows what I want, he helps me out too.

Mitsuki: But both of us have grown up, so now we fight for the things we want on our own, with our own strength!

Tsumugi: I think this mutual support between you and Iori-san is a wonderful thing! I hope that you and Iori-san maintain such a good relationship!

Tsumugi:

Mitsuki:

Mitsuki: Right, I still need to think of ways to make the audience satisfied despite having fewer songs during the performance!

Mitsuki: I want to think of what the fans would want, just like how I noticed what Iori wants! White Day is a once-a-year event, after all!

Mitsuki:

Tsumugi: Thank you! 

Tsumugi: Let’s hold a concert that can make the fans who have supported us all this time feel happy…!

Mitsuki: I agree!

Mitsuki: I’ve gotten enough rest, I should continue to practice my dance moves. I’ll talk to you later, Manager!

Mitsuki:

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Part 4 end