#Imagine Dragons isn’t like top tier

[klimthiii]

i have two pretty hot takes

one, it is good when there are members of a minority we can hate because they’re bad people, like Ellen, because it is evidence of how much those minorities have grown.

and two, i think Imagine Dragons is actually pretty good

[seongwars]

away with the wind || iv

Pairing: dragonrider!Seonghwa x ex-dragonrider!Reader AU: dragon rider au | strangers -> lovers Summary: A spinal injury forces you to retire from dragon racing, and with it, the end of your engagement to Song Mingi. Park Seonghwa, a rising star in the world of dragon racing and heir to the prestigious House Park, seeks a new dragon after an unfortunate accident on the skyway. As the saying goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Word Count: 5.1K

a/n: I've always imagined this world to be similar to Final Fantasy, so don't be surprised that I introduced technology lol

Fic Masterlist

The announcement that you were officially joining Seonghwa’s team as his trainer sent shockwaves through the dragon racing community and beyond with media outlets buzzing with excitement, speculation, and a flurry of opinions.

INSIDE SCOOP: EX-ROOKIE RIDER HIRED BY PARK SEONGHWA’S TEAM?

Some critics questioned your qualifications and experience, pointing to your past as a rookie rider, doubting whether you could handle the pressure of training a top-tier rider like Seonghwa, especially with your early retirement. Some debated the decision, arguing that it was a risky move that could backfire on him. 

Park Haerin was skeptical about the decision. She had always been deeply involved in Seonghwa’s career, and the idea of bringing in an outsider, especially one with a controversial past, was unsettling. Seonghwa assured her of the potential benefits, indicating that you were the only viable Dreamwood trainer who knew all of Ajax’s weaknesses. 

BREAKING NEWS: PARK SEONGHWA’S MYSTERY WOMAN?

Some articles speculated about the nature of your relationship with Seonghwa, with some suggesting a romantic angle, pointing to the close bond you seemed to share. Upon hearing this, you and Seonghwa both wanted to gag. The idea was laughable. You definitely weren’t his type, and the thought of a romantic involvement was as far-fetched as it could get. 

This partnership was purely strategic. You were using him as a means to an end, a way to get back at Ming and aligning yourself with Seonghwa’s team was the perfect opportunity to prove your worth as a trainer and rider. 

EXCLUSIVE: PARK SEONGHWA’S NEW TRAINER, SONG MINGI’S EX-FIANCE?

Within the racing community, the reaction was mixed. Others were more reserved, adopting a wait-and-see approach while some dug into your past and your connection to Song Mingi. 

Amidst the whirlwind of reactions, you remained focused on your new role, allowing Yunho to handle any media inquiries on your behalf.

“We remain confident in our decision to bring Y/N on board. Y/N has demonstrated an exceptional understanding of the sport and a commitment to bringing our team to new heights.” His words were measured and reassuring, aimed at quelling the doubts and reinforcing the team’s unity.

The air was thick with anticipation as reporters crowded outside the training grounds. Their cameras, notepads, and microphones were thrust forward, all aimed at capturing a glimpse of the enigmatic woman who had been seen with Seonghwa. Whispers and speculations filled the air, each more sensational than the last.

“Trainings are closed to the media,” Yunho called out, his voice strained as he tried to manage the growing crowd for what seemed like the nth day in a row. The reporters, undeterred, continued to press forward, eager for any scrap of information.

Inside the training ground, the atmosphere was much different. Seonghwa, focused and determined, paying no mind to the chaos outside. You were equally composed, guiding him through a series of exercises from the ground as he piloted Starshine. 

You focused your attention on his form, noticing how stiff he seemed. His shoulders were tense, and his movements lacked the fluidity required for optimal control. “Relax your shoulders!” you instructed, your tone firm but encouraging.

“Piloting a Dreamwood isn’t the same as any other dragon! You don’t need to rely on strength!”

“Lean forward a little more!” you added, your voice steady and clear. Seonghwa adjusted his posture, responding to your instructions as you monitored his movements on the hologram screen in front of you. The advanced display projected real time footage of Seonghwa and Starshine, allowing you to observe every detail of his technique.

Seonghwa took a deep breath, consciously loosening his muscles. You watched as his posture began to soften, his movements becoming more natural and harmonious with Starshine’s rhythm. “That’s better!” you called with a thumbs up. “Let her movements guide you.”

With your feedback, Seonghwa’s body moved in sync with Starshine, the two of them gliding through the air with newfound grace. 

“How’s he doing?” Yunho asked, returning from the front gates after attempts to fend off the press. He glanced at the hologram, his brow furrowing slightly as he assessed Seonghwa’s progress.

“He’s getting there,” you replied. “He’ll need some fine-tuning to maintain the right balance between control and flexibility. He could benefit from more stretching to improve flexibility and core strength training.” 

Yunho let out a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“How’re the vultures?” you asked, turning to face him. The noise from outside the training grounds was still audible.

“What do you expect? They’re looking for a scandal,” he sighed, folding his arms behind his head. “They’ve been camped out there all day, hoping for a big break. I’m surprised you haven’t been affected by the media circus.”

You shrugged, your expression thoughtful. “People will move on to the next story soon enough. Our main objective is to ensure that he's prepared to take on anything Mingi and Ajax throw at him.”

As you both turned back to the screen, the noise from outside seemed to fade, replaced by the steady rhythm of Starshine’s wings swooping through the air. 

When you told Wooyoung that Seonghwa had hired you to train him for the Inferno Cup, he fell to the floor, dramatically clutching his chest, as if the news had physically wounded him. 

“You wound me, Y/N. This is the ultimate betrayal! How much is he paying you? I’ll write to the Council and ask for a boost in funding and double your salary!” he declared, feigning a dramatic sob.

“10,000 shillings an hour. I was able to negotiate an 8,000 inconvenience fee for disrupting my already mundane life,” you replied with a smirk, dusting off your shoulder.  

Wooyoung’s eyes widened. “18,000 shillings? I knew he wanted to beat Song Mingi, but this is next level!” he rubbed his chin wondering what kind of magic your family had managed to pull to get Park Seonghwa to settle for a Dreamwood. 

When Seonghwa and Yunho waved goodbye to your family from atop their dragons, your grandmother wasted no time stashing the funds away for her next trip to the bank. Suffice to say, your family may have added an extra ‘0’ to Starshine’s price tag. And while many would call it exploiting the rich, Chunja considered it a well-deserved bonus for dealing with the eccentricities of Lord Park Seonghwa. 

“I have six months to get him and Starshine trained up. It’s not going to be easy, which is why I need this leave of absence.” 

Your boss nodded. “By the way, did Seonghwa pull the records on Ajax?”

“He did. We found some discrepancies in the registry but still doesn’t answer any of our questions about his Fury heritage. I theorized that the recruiter could’ve fabricated the story of Ajax’s origins to take advantage of Mingi.”

Wooyoung furrowed his brows, deep in thought. “Have you had an opportunity to analyze any footage of him?” he asked, curiously. 

“Footage?” you echoed, puzzled.

“Footage of him in action,” Wooyoung clarified. “You have a great eye for anatomy. I’m sure if you analyzed it, you might uncover something you missed,” he suggested.

“I’ve seen him in action plenty of times, but like most Longhorns, he lacks brains and relies on raw power to get things done,” you replied, shaking your head.

Wooyoung leaned back in his chair, a contemplative look on his face. “Seonghwa mentioned that his speed is unusual for a Longhorn,” he mused, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on the armrest.

“I’ll see if there’s any current footage of Ajax I can pull,” you said, considering all of the possibilities.

“If his speed is truly that exceptional, you need to understand how he’s achieving it. There might be more to his physiology than meets the eye.”

“If I can figure out what makes him different, we might be able to at least prepare for it.”

Seonghwa stood at the edge of the training grounds, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the sun was beginning to set. Starshine was splayed out on her belly next to him, exhausted from a rigorous day of training. She let out a soft chirp, rolling onto her side and stretching her wings lazily. Her eyes were half-closed in contentment as she urged her rider to pet her.

With a gentle smile, he reached out, running his hand along her side. Her scales were warm to the touch, and she responded with a rumble, her tail swaying in contentment. The bond between them was undeniable, all thanks to your grandmother’s intuition and years of breeding. You watched the scene unfold, a sense of fondness swelling within you. The connection between them was a sight to behold, something you’d never imagine given Seonghwa’s history. 

You approached the pair, ready to brief him about tomorrow’s training. Starshine’s gaze shifted to you, wagging her tail excitedly. Seonghwa looked up, dread filling him with whatever exercise you had in store for him. 

“I can only do so many weaves,” he groaned, falling onto his back with a thud. The grass cushioned his fall, and he stared up at the sky, pleading for the Gods to intervene. 

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad. Besides, you’re getting better at them.”

He turned his head to look at you, one eyebrow raised skeptically. “Fine, fine,” you waved off his complaint with a grin. 

“I want to show you something,” you said, plopping down next to him and pulling out the tablet. 

The screen flickered to life, casting a soft glow as a holographic display materialized. The footage showed Mingi and Ajax navigating a practice course. Both of you watched intently, your eyes tracking the wild dragon’s every move. 

You studied the dragon, pulling up another screen to compare the physiology of a true Longhorn against Ajax. You captured a still shot of him and overlaid the hologram with the anatomical illustration of the Longhorn.

“His wings are longer for sure,” you murmured, pulling the two holograms apart. “Look at his angulation,” you said, bringing the images together. 

“Ajax’s hind quarters are much more moderate whereas this Longhorn’s is less pronounced. It’s probably the reason why he was able to produce such an explosive burst of speed on such short notice.

Both you and Seonghwa continued watching the footage. At first, he started off slow, his massive form taking off above the terrain. Then, with a sudden flick of his tail, a whip-like movement propelled him forward with astonishing speed, a move that shocked you.

“Right there!” you exclaimed, pausing the screen. You zoomed in on his tail, replaying the footage in slow motion. The tail moved with a fluid grace, each segment working in perfect harmony to create a powerful thrust.

“What about his tail?” Seonghwa asked, leaning closer to the screen.

“That’s only a technique Cirrus knows,” you replied, your mind racing.

“Are you sure Mingi didn’t teach him that?” Seonghwa questioned, his brow furrowing in confusion.

“No. It’s physically impossible. Ajax’s tail is rigid and covered in spikes, designed for force rather than finesse. Dreamwood tails are flexible and have a lanced tip,” you explained, pointing out the differences. You get up to your feet, calling out to Cirrus. 

Bringing your fingers to your lips, you whistled for her with urgency. The sleek, lavender dragon appeared almost instantly, her body vibrating as if she were saying, “Finally! It’s my time!”

“Get on Starshine, I need to show you how it’s done,” you instructed Seonghwa. He quickly mounted Starshine, and followed you out to an open air space. 

You guided Cirrus to mimic the movement you had seen in the footage, her tail flicking with precision and power as she weaved through the air. “Watch closely,” you said, demonstrating the technique. 

“It’s all about the timing and the angle of the tail. If Ajax can do this, there’s something unique about his physiology that we need to understand. Maybe he isn’t a dumb as I thought.” 

You turned to face Seonghwa. “Do you remember what he did before he caught up to you?” 

“It happened so quickly. Mingi launched him above me, he was fast like an arrow. He did this move where he twisted or backflipped and slashed into Edge using his hind legs on the come down.”

“My back is going to hate me for this,” you grumbled, feeling the tension already building in your muscles. “So he did this, right?”

You pull down on Cirrus’ reins, urging her to fly straight upwards. Her iridescent scales reflected the sunset, casting a kaleidoscope of colors as she torpedoed into the atmosphere. As if reading your mind, she twisted into a backflip, her powerful wings slicing through the air before slamming down onto the ground with her hind legs. 

The impact sent a shockwave through your body, and you winced at the pain that shot up your spine, momentarily forgetting about the exhilaration of the flight. 

“How did you know what to do?”

“Because these are maneuvers only I taught with Cirrus. Either Ajax has grown a brain and let Mingi teach him or, he’s been playing dumb this whole time observing our every move.”

Sensing your discomfort, Cirrus carefully shifted her weight, allowing you to slide off her back. You gritted your teeth as you moved, each motion sending jolts of pain through your muscles. Cirrus extended one of her wings, creating a makeshift ramp to help you dismount more easily. You leaned heavily on her, grateful for her support.

“Starting tomorrow, you’re going to learn those movesets,” you declared, hands on your hips. 

“Eh?” Seonghwa cried out, slack jawed.  

Starshine let out an enthusiastic chuff, her eyes twinkling with excitement. She nudged Seonghwa playfully, as if to say, “We’ve got this.”

“Remember what I told you? You have to be prepared for anything,” you replied, a hint of smugness in your voice. You really enjoyed tormenting the rich. “So make sure you rest up!”

“Prepared for anything? Like your crazy stunts?” Seonghwa shot back, rolling his eyes. “I swear, you’re just trying to kill me at this point.”

“Wouldn’t that be a tragic end to House Park’s legacy,” you snort sarcastically. “Just think of it as character building. Besides, you’ve got Starshine, she’s a natural.”

Cirrus joined in with a playful flick of her tail, the tip brushing against Starshine’s side. The younger dragon responded with a light-hearted swat of her own tail, both aunt and niece engaging in a brief, friendly exchange that brought a smile to your face. 

“See? Even Cirrus is cheering you on.”

As the last rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon, Seonghwa knew that tomorrow would bring new challenges and opportunities. But for now, he allowed himself to savor this quiet moment of camaraderie. 

“That reminds me…”

The grand hall of House Park’s estate was a sight to behold, transformed into a dazzling venue for their Inferno Gala. The Inferno Gala was more than just another display of wealth by the Great House; it was a strategic move to not only elevate the profile of the Inferno Cup but to attract influential sponsors and supporters in favor of her son. 

Park Haerin spared no expense in ensuring the event was a memorable one. The walls were adorned with rich tapestries and floral arrangements, their vibrant colors adding to the festive atmosphere. A string quartet played softly in the background, their melodies weaving through the air and adding a touch of elegance to the evening as guests moved gracefully through the room, their laughter and conversation blending harmoniously with the music.

The tension in the air was palpable, and you could feel the eyes of the crowd on you as you stepped into the grand hall. Your attempts to make yourself small to avoid curious eyes were proving futile as the room buzzed with whispers and glances in your direction. 

“That reminds me…” Seonghwa opened his mouth but quickly closed it again, racking his brain for the right words. You blink, waiting for his response. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“Yes, well. It’s just that my mother will be hosting our annual Inferno Gala in a few weeks and as an official member of the team you’re expected to attend.” 

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” you sighed, patting Cirrus, who nuzzled against your hand. The thought of attending a grand event filled with strangers made your stomach churn, especially given the heightened interest in your role on Seonghwa’s team. 

“As your employer, no you don’t,” he replied with a smirk, his tone lightening the mood slightly. 

“I don’t think this was part of the deal,” you rolled your eyes playfully, trying to mask your apprehension with humor.

“You can add it to my tab” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. You couldn’t help but chuckle at his resigned tone. You pumped your fist in triumph, feeling a small victory in the midst of your reluctance.

“You look nice,” Yunho said, his voice breaking through your thoughts.

“Why thank you!” you giggled, feeling a blush creep up your cheeks. Ack! You quickly brought yourself back to reality, reminded of the snug fit of your dress.

It was two sizes too small, and you could feel every seam pressing against your skin despite Sunmi insisting that it was the perfect fit. The colors were representative of your House, a deep, rich hue. The strapless design showcased your collarbones and figure, accompanied by a billowing shawl draped around your arms, concealing the surgery scars on your back that you were still self-conscious about.

This was your first public appearance as a member of Seonghwa’s team along with Yunho and…Hongjoong? 

“Since when did you leave the archives?” you asked, grabbing a glass of champagne, turning to your colleague. 

“Since Park Seonghwa doesn’t know when to reel in his ego. Or keep his mouth shut. Or his trysts private,” Hongjoong replied, counting off Seonghwa’s mishaps on his fingers with exaggerated patience. “A degree in Draconian History also doesn’t pay the bills,” he added, adjusting his glasses with a sigh that hinted at exasperation. “This is just a part-time gig.”

“You live at home in your family’s historic estate. You don’t have any bills to pay,” you muttered, taking a sip of the liquid, earning a light chuckle from Yunho.

“Someone has to keep the family ghosts and dragons entertained,” he shrugged. “Speaking of entertainment, where is that boss of yours? He’d better not be getting himself into trouble.”

“It’s after hours, I’m off the clock,” Yunho shook his head defensively, his tone light but firm.  You hummed in agreement, taking another swig of the golden ambrosia to calm your nerves.   

Clad in an array of colorful and ornate attire, dragon riders from all over the empire convened in House Park's grand hall. Each rider carried an air of pride, their shared bond with their dragons evident in their confident strides and the way they spoke of their adventures.

From the corner of your eye, you catch a familiar blonde figure entering the room. His presence commanded immediate attention, drawing the eyes of nearly everyone around. He was dressed impeccably, as always, his suit tailored to perfection and his hair styled just so.

“Shit,” you muttered under your breath, dread washing over you like a cold wave. You handed your glass over to Hongjoong, who groaned in response.

“Why do I always end up as the designated glass holder?” he complained, though he took the glass without further protest when he noticed your expression falter. His eyes softened with concern, but he didn’t press you for details.

“I’ll be back,” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the din of the room. You whipped your head in every direction, desperately searching for the closest exit. The walls seemed to close in around you, and the air felt suddenly stifling.

He shouldn’t have this effect on you. It’s been two years, and he made it very clear that he was leaving you and you’ve made it clear to yourself that you’ve moved on. Yet, the sight of him still had the power to unravel you completely. Your heart pounded in your chest, and you could feel the familiar ache of old wounds reopening.

Seeing Mingi again was like ripping open a barely healed wound–you always thought about the scars on your back as that wound. Your breath hitched, and you struggled to maintain your composure as you hurried out of the grand hall and out towards the garden. 

The cool night air hit your face as you stepped outside, offering a brief respite from the suffocating atmosphere inside. You took a deep breath, trying to steady your racing heart. But before you could gather your thoughts, you heard footsteps behind you.

“Leaving so soon?” 

You turned around slowly, your eyes meeting Mingi’s. His figure stood imposing against the dim light filtering into the garden from the grand hall, illuminating his broad shoulders and tall, muscular frame. 

“What do you want?” you asked, your voice laced with venom as you pulled the shawl of your dress tighter around you, seeking some semblance of protection.

“I just wanted to see you. How’ve you been?” Mingi asked, his voice softer than you remembered.

“We're strangers, you don't get to ask me that,” you bit back, the bitterness in your voice unmistakable.

There was a long silence as you both stood there. The night air seemed to grow colder, mirroring the unspoken words you wanted to say at him. You turn away from him, focusing on the stars ahead.

He took a deep breath, his voice breaking the silence that hung in the air. “Why are you training him?” 

You frowned, the question catching you off guard. Capturing Mingi's attention by joining Seonghwa's team had always been in your plans but you weren’t prepared to face him this quickly. 

“That doesn’t concern you,” you replied steadily, with an air of coolness. The audacity of this man. 

Mingi’s expression hardened, tinged with hurt and…concern? “People are talking, and they’re assuming things. They’re talking about you!” frustration evident in his voice. 

“If you can’t handle the rumors, that’s on you,” you replied with a shrug. The same way you couldn’t handle my situation, you thought, but left unsaid.

“Y/N,” he pleaded, his voice barely audible but heavy with longing. The desperation made your skin crawl. 

Your jaw dropped with a scoff. Crossing your arms, you try to maintain your composure despite the turmoil inside. “Are you scared of losing to Park Seonghwa?”

His face darkened. Was Seonghwa really a threat, or was it all in his head? Inside, his thoughts churned with jealousy. He couldn’t stand the thought of you investing so much time and energy into teaching and guiding him. The fact that Seonghwa also owned one of your dragons didn’t help either. 

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Mingi said, his voice strained with emotion. His dark eyes bore into yours, searching for any sign of the person he once knew, but all he found was a wall of resolve and pain.

“Hurt? You want to talk about being hurt?” you finally snapped, tears stinging your eyes. The raw emotion in your voice was searing, revealing the depth of your own pain and anguish. 

“I broke my fucking back, Mingi. You betrayed me and left when I was at my lowest point. You don’t get to tell me what it’s like to be hurt!” Your hands trembled, your chest heaving with the effort to keep your emotions in check.

Hurt. That’s what it boiled down to. You wanted to hurt him as much as he hurt you. And you were going to use his biggest insecurities against him. 

You knew that he worked tirelessly, pushing himself to the brink, yet it never seemed enough. He could’ve easily taken up Lord Choi’s offer to train him alongside San, but Mingi didn’t believe in handouts. 

Every time Seonghwa was mentioned, Mingi felt overshadowed. His insecurities bubbled to the surface whenever he was compared to everyone’s favorite golden boy. It made him feel like he was constantly fighting a losing battle while trying to prove his worth in the racing world.

“I–” the words dying in his throat as he struggled to find a response.

“Y/N! There you are!” Seonghwa interjected frantically, striding towards the both of you. He stood tall in a black suit, the red and gold accents intricately forming delicate patterns along the lapels and cuffs, giving the outfit an almost royal appearance. 

You blinked back the unshed tears, grateful for the interruption. “Your grace,” you breathed out a sigh of relief as you bowed deeply, the tension in your body easing slightly. Seonghwa’s arrival was a welcome distraction from the emotional turbulence you were experiencing. 

“Quickly!” He suddenly grabbed you by the shoulders and spun you towards the estate. “General Choi is losing a debate to Lord Kim about the Great Wyrm War! The General has specifically requested your assistance to save the day!” His urgency was almost comical.

“R-Right,” you nodded. You could feel Mingi’s eyes on you, but you didn’t dare to look back as you hurried off. Seonghwa watched your figure retreat into the grand hall, a small smile playing on his lips.

He turned towards Mingi, raising a brow. His gaze was steady and expectant, clearly waiting for him to acknowledge his presence. After a tense moment, Mingi forced himself to speak. “Lord Park,” he greeted stiffly.

Seonghwa stepped closer towards the rival dragon rider, his demeanor threatening. “Questions about my hiring practices should be directed towards me. My team is off limits,” he said, his tone deceptively light but carrying an unmistakable edge.

The air between them crackled with unresolved tension, each man standing his ground. Mingi’s anger simmered beneath the surface, but he held his tongue, knowing that now wasn’t the time for further confrontation. Without another word, he spun on his heel, stalking away, his irritation evident in every step. 

Seonghwa watched him go, a smile never leaving his face despite the silent warning in his darkened eyes.

You wandered the halls of the expansive estate, kicking yourself for not asking Seonghwa about Hongjoong and San’s whereabouts. The grand corridors, lined with portraits of stern ancestors and ornate tapestries, seemed to stretch endlessly. Each step you took echoed through the vast space, the sound swallowed by the high ceilings and distant corners.

You slumped down against the wall, bringing your knees to your chest, your head and feet aching from the night’s sudden turn of events. The coldness from the marble flooring and distant sound of a clock were the only things keeping you grounded amidst your chaotic interaction with Mingi. 

“Found you.” 

Startled, you looked up to find Seonghwa standing next to you. The soft, silvery glow of the moon emphasized the elaborate gold detailing of his suit jacket, making the intricate embroidery shimmer in the light. The structured shoulders and red trim cast sharp shadows, adding to his commanding presence. You noticed the strands of his updo framing his face, their delicate curves softened by the moonlight.

“How’d you find me so quickly?”

“I’m Lord of this House, I have eyes and ears everywhere,” he replied with a smile, his tone both reassuring and slightly teasing as he settled next to you. 

"Are you allowed to concern yourself with such...lowborn matters?" you chuckled patting the empty space next to you. You gather the skirt of your dress and scoot over to make room for him. The attempt at humor was a weak one, but it was all you could muster in your moment of vulnerability. 

“Perhaps not,” he settled beside you, the warmth of his body a welcome contrast to the chill of the marble floor. “Though you are no ordinary lowborn.”

“Didn’t you threaten to ruin my life the first time we met?” you snickered, stealing a glance at his strong profile, the sharp angles softened by the concern etched on his brow.

“Touche, but...you did accuse me of being desperate,” he admitted with a sigh. His eyes met yours, and for a moment, the world outside ceased to exist. A comfortable silence settled between you, the kind that spoke volumes without uttering a single word. The glow of the moonlight casting an intimate cocoon around you both.

Seonghwa watched you closely. He had always been struck by your boldness, the way you marched up to him the first time you met, the way you persisted in supporting his training despite your body’s reluctance to get back into the saddle. To him, your strength was not just in your quick wit, but in your unwavering spirit.

“You didn’t have to give me an exit,” you finally said, breaking the silence. 

“I wasn’t going to allow his disrespect to go unchecked,” he replied, his tone firm yet gentle. “Song Mingi’s actions were inexcusable, and I won’t tolerate such behavior on my grounds.”

“Chivalry isn’t dead, after all,” you murmured, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. 

“I’m also sorry about your back,” he added, a bit awkwardly, his concern evident despite his attempt to sound casual. 

You touched the back of your nape, trying to downplay the severity of the accident. “Ah well, it shouldn’t have happened. It was my fault after all.” The pain of the memory was a dull throb that you tried to ignore, a constant reminder of that fateful day.

“Accidents happen. It's not fair to carry that burden alone." He shifts slightly, his shoulder brushing against yours. "What matters is how we move forward."

Seonghwa’s unexpected kindness stirred something in your heart, leaving you feeling both intrigued and comforted. It was disarming, to say the least, as if a veil had been lifted, allowing you to see the true Seonghwa—a man who, despite his power and status, was not above showing vulnerability and concern. 

“Thank you, your grace,” you said quietly, conveying the gratitude and sincerity you felt. 

“Seonghwa.” he corrected.

“That is your name.”

“Just call me Seonghwa,” he insisted, “Besides, ‘your grace’ makes me sound like an old man.”

You softened at his words, and nodded slightly, acknowledging the change in your relationship. Your eyes met briefly and for a moment, the weight of the night’s events seemed to lift.

As it turns out, Hongjoong and General Choi San were in the midst of a heated debate, though it certainly was not about the Great Wyrm War.

“Look at these dog-eared pages!” Hongjoong exclaimed, his hands waving in exasperation. “It’s like you’re trying to destroy it on purpose.”

“It's just a book. It’s meant to be used, not kept in that dust pile like some museum artifact.”

“Just a book? This is a rare first edition!”

San stuck out his tongue. “Well, at least I’m actually reading it, unlike someone who just likes to collect them and never opens them.”

“You take that back!” the elder shot back, his face turning red with indignation. “I read all my books, thank you very much! And I treat them with the respect they deserve.”

<< iii | v >>

a/n: this might be the last chapter for a while as i'll be traveling and seeing the boys in Tacoma next weekend! i'm so excited

taglist: @litolmochi @syubseokie

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What makes Urb Vape different from other vaping brands? Urb Vape stands out for its exceptional quality and innovative technology. Each device is crafted with top-tier materials and advanced features, offering a smooth, consistent vaping experience. Additionally, Urb Vape provides a wide range of delicious flavors and a vibrant community that enhances the overall vaping lifestyle. 2. Are Urb Vape products safe to use? Absolutely! Urb Vape prioritizes safety with multiple built-in protections, such as overcharge protection and short circuit safeguards. The materials used are non-toxic and durable, and each product undergoes rigorous quality control to ensure it meets the highest safety standards. 3. How do I get started with Urb Vape? Getting started with Urb Vape is easy. Choose a device that suits your style, select your favorite flavors from their extensive range, and follow the user-friendly guide to set up your vape. Charge it up, fill it with e-liquid, and you're ready to enjoy a fantastic vaping experience. 4. What kind of flavors does Urb Vape offer? Urb Vape offers a diverse array of flavors to suit all tastes. From fruity explosions and creamy delights to refreshing menthols and classic tobacco, there's something for everyone. Each flavor is carefully crafted to provide a potent yet balanced taste that keeps you coming back for more. 5. How can I join the Urb Vape community? Joining the Urb Vape community is simple and fun. Engage with fellow vapers through social media groups, participate in local meetups, and attend Urb Vape events and competitions. The community is a great place to share tips, discover new flavors, and make friends who share your passion for vaping. Read the full article

[mothwingwritings]

There’s Just No One Like You Pt. 2

F!ReaderXTaiju Shiba

PART ONE PART THREE

Yoooo who’s ready for part two of your Taiju adventures?

I am sorry this took so long, and thank you all for your patience! I rewrote the ending like, three times because it was pissing me off lul. Also adult life is lame and you have to do dumb shit that gets in the way of smut writing. And then after years of not getting sick I got a cold that knocked my ass out for 3 solid days. So it goes. L

Anyway, this part revolves around your reunion with Taiju (hence the name Reunion har har). It’s set during highschool, after he became the leader of the Black Dragons but before Mikey beat his ass. I imagine here he is not quite yet at his most powerful, but he’s well on his way there. Also, I just kinda assumed he lives alone with Hakkai and Yuzuha, so that’s how it is in this fic.

Though there isn’t intense explicit sex, there is definitely heavy petting and NSFW themes, mentions, and moments. So please 18+ only for this one gang.

I had a lot of fun writing this one! There will definitely be a part three and most likely a part four. I haven’t yet decided if I want to split up the final part, but that is what I am leaning towards. Like this one, it probs won’t be out for a while, so please be advised. I have some Baki fics in the work I want to get out too, so those will most likely come first.

Thank you for reading!!! (I hope the editing is OK I did most of that while under the weather lul)

Warnings: NSFW, unhealthy relationships, ducob/noncon, yandere themes, extremely heavy petting (but no actual penetration), cry baby reader, virgin reader, obsession, abuse, language, gas lighting, bullying, choking, slight dacryphilia, Taiju just generally being a scary mf.

Tags: @serenity-loves-red​ @caramelcandescence​ @mochiswifey​ @skyoumi​

Part 2. Reunion

“I’m telling you, you need to see this guy!”

“Uh huh,” Your response was lackluster in hopes that the friend beside you would finally pick up on your disinterest. You loved her, but her incessant chirping in your ear about this new guy while you were trying to focus on finishing an assignment was driving you to the point of insanity. He was all she had talked about since you had seen her today, and with the way she was going, there was no end in sight to the scandalous rumors she wanted to dump upon you.

“What do you mean ‘uh huh’,” Tomoko pouted, “(Name) this guy is like, the talk of the school right now! Haven’t you been listening to me? Rumor has it he’s been held back a year for failing the year prior because he was in and out of juvey AND he’s the head of some kind of local gang or something. So not only is he a mysterious transfer student, but he’s also like, a total badass!”

“Sounds like a great person,” you mumbled sarcastically, shuffling through various papers, “really top tier crush you got there Tomo.”

“It’s not a crush,” she bumped her shoulder against you. “I’m just intrigued, is all. I mean, our school is so boring normally. Barely anything happens! This rebellious transfer student may just turn all that on its head.” She hummed, shooting you a coy look, “But maybe something is forming in my heart, when I caught a glimpse of him earlier I couldn’t help but think he IS rather cute~”

You playfully rolled your eyes at your friend, shaking your head. Tomoko and you were nearly opposites, where she liked to have a foot in everything and keep up with all the latest happenings, you much preferred keeping a low profile and stayed in your lane.  You did your best to avoid the gossip traps Tomoko so loved to fling herself into, finding yourself perfectly content living those scandals out vicariously through your friend.

You laughed, “You are something else you know that? What would you even do with a bad boy boyfriend miss ‘I always go to bed by 9pm and can barely say a curse word without getting flustered’?”

She snorted, “Oh, you’re one to talk! You can hardly look a handsome guy in the face without wanting to run and hide!”

“Look, I’m not the one who is-“

“QUIET,” your teacher’s voice boomed, effectively ending your playful banter, “Everyone, eyes up here! We have a new face to introduce to the crowd.”

The class’s attentions were brought to the front of the room, your jovial demeanor instantly curtailed as you took in the boy who stood beside your teacher. Honestly, man may have been a better word for him, as he dwarfed your teacher in both stature and mass. His height alone was enough to quiet the rambunctious crowd before him, the overwhelming presence he exuded commanding everyone’s instant respect. Oozing ‘tall dark and handsome’, it was impossible not to take note of how attractive he was. His unruly hair cascaded around his face, the varying shades of blue reminding you of waves crashing against a craggy beach. The tendrils framed his severe, scowling countenance, his judgmental stare boring down on the people around him made him appear as if he were searching them for something and was disappointed by what he found. His hands were stuffed in his uniform pockets, head tilted back to amplify the feeling that you were all beneath him.

The stranger’s eyes languidly swept over the class, angular face looking even sharper in the harsh fluorescent lights of the classroom.  As you watched his steady inspection of your classmates, you couldn’t help the small shiver that traveled down your spine. In every regard, this man was menacing. (But you had to admit, you were impressed that someone could look so utterly bored and pissed off at the same time, at a class introduction no less.)

“This is Taiju Shiba,” your teacher proceeded. You noticed he stood a bit further from Taiju than he normally did when introducing someone, his eyes shooting the taller boy a quick, leery glance. What did it say for this new face that even your teacher was weary of his presence? “Please make sure to welcome him and assist him if he needs any help.”

A murmur of unenthused recognition spread through your class. The welcome seemed to amuse Taiju, a hint of a smirk ghosting his lips at his reception.

“Oh my god, that’s him!” Tomoko’s voice chimed in, slapping at your arm repeatedly in her excitement. Her floundering went barely acknowledged however, as you found yourself unable to focus on anything but Taiju.

Where had you heard that name before? It sounded so familiar, but you were sure you had never interacted with this man previously. Why would you of? Just one glance and you could clearly see he was a poster child for the delinquents of the world, a group of people you tried at all costs to avoid. The bullying you suffered at their hands in your childhood enough to give you lifelong PTSD. From the looks of him, this person was definitely not anyone you would have any kind of pleasant history with, or even any history at all.

Taiju must have caught Tomoko’s voice over the sound of the crowd, as his eyes were soon to hone in and lock onto yours. Pure ice ran through your veins as he took you in, silted yellow eyes reminiscent of a cat that had just cornered a mouse. He held your gaze with an intensity he spared the rest of the class, a pointed look of surprise flashing across his features that caused his dramatic brow to loosen. You hated that you felt a warmth spread across your cheeks, instant embarrassment hitting you like a ton of bricks as other classmates caught on to his interest in you, shooting you questioning looks of their own.

His lips curled, baring his teeth in what you assumed was his attempt at a smile. You shuddered as his eyes flicked you up and down, openly ogling you in front of the rest of the class. Maybe your mind was playing tricks, but you swore you heard growl come from his direction.

As if being broken from a curse, you finally found the strength to avert your gaze, suddenly becoming very interested in editing the assignment on the desk before you.

“Why don’t you take a seat over there in the corner, there’s an open spot behind (Name)-san.”

Your breath hitched. If there was ever a moment you wanted the earth to eat you alive, this may be it.

“(Name) raise your hand please so Taiju knows where to go.”

Weakly, you raised your arm above your head. Briefly you made eye contact, but were quick to glance away when noting his unnerving smile had grown. You snuck a peek at your friend, who reciprocated with the same dismayed expression you were donning. It made sense he would sit behind you, it was the only seat that was unoccupied, but that didn’t mean you had to be thrilled about it.

Without further interruption, the man sauntered towards his awaiting desk. Your heart pounded as he made a brief stop next to you. Ignoring his stately figure the best you could, you bore holes into the desk before you. If you tried hard enough, maybe you could convince him that you were just some boring school girl overly focused on her studies, not someone worthy of directing any ire or attention. If you were lucky, it would work (however you knew you wouldn’t be so lucky with Tomoko, who most assuredly was sucking up this moment like a sponge to tease you later).

A sudden tap on your desk made you jerk. His knuckles grazed the wooden surface, coming suspiciously close to brushing against your arm. You sat like a statue, a cold sweat pooling on the back of your neck at the proximity of his body. You prayed to every god imaginable that he would get bored of your lack of response and take his seat, hopefully finding you just boring enough that he would leave you alone indefinitely. Your eyes darted to his hand as it crept closer and closer, debating if he would actually go so far as to touch you or not, and if he did, how you should respond.

“Is there a problem, Shiba-san?”

You released the breath you were holding when Taiju withdrew his hand, turning his body in the slightest to glance at the teacher.

“No teach,” His voice drawled. He turned back around, taking the last few strides to his awaiting desk, “Not at all.”

With an exasperated sigh, your teacher shot you a look that almost seemed apologetic before they continued. “Well, now that we are all settled, let’s proceed with class.”

Focusing on learning turned out being easier said than done, what with the feeling of his eyes drilling a hole into the back of your skull. Tomoko nudged your foot a few times to get your attention, shooting questioning glances from Taiju to you. You did your best to nonverbally communicate you had no idea why he was picking on you either, but for your sanity you hoped it would not be a recurring ordeal.

The rest of class dragged by with it being next to impossible to focus on anything the teacher was saying. With Taiju’s stifling presence looming behind you, you felt suffocated. Wriggling in your seat, finding a moment of comfort under his scrutiny was simply out of the question. You could practically feel the burn of his eyes on every move you made, but you were far too unnerved by him to confront him about it. All you had to do was make it through this class and then maybe you could meet up with the teacher later and see if they could put you and Tomoko somewhere else, preferably on the other side of the room.

After what felt like a century, class ended. You had long since bundled up your belongings, ready to bolt as soon as you were able. This was the last class of the day, and the sooner you could get out and away from the constricting aura that was smothering you from behind, the better.

However, fate never seemed to have your best interests in mind. Before you could even entertain the thought of a speedy escape, you heard a deep voice call out behind you.

“(Name).”

‘Great, he’s already remembered my name.’ You flinched, considering your options. Should you just pretend you didn’t hear him? That seemed like a plausible excuse, it was pretty noisy now that class had let up.

“Hey,” he spoke again, this time kicking the leg of your chair enough to jostle you, “(Name), you suddenly deaf or something?”

You gritted your teeth, slowly pivoting around until you were looking at Taiju. He was sprawled out in his chair, obviously in no real hurry to leave for the day like the rest of the class. His feet were encroaching into your personal space, one foot still firmly planted on your chair keeping you from too much movement. His golden eyes, though still intense, had softened considerably as he stared back at you. His wolfish grin had faded too, his face relaxing into a much calmer state. This threw you off. If this man was preparing to verbally assault you, why did he seem so collected now?

“Can I help you?” Your voice came out far less assured than you wanted it to. You frowned as his jaw tightened after the question, displeasure once more twisting his face into a look of cruelty. Your first time speaking to him and somehow you already managed to piss him off.

He snorted, lips curling in a sneer. “Really? That’s all you have to say after so many years apart?”

“What???” Tomoko beat you to the punch, drawing both your and Taiju’s attention. A pink tinge came to her cheeks after her exclamation, and she cleared her throat before continuing, “I’m sorry it’s just… (Name), you know Taiju-san?” Face agog and expression borderline hurt, she eagerly waited for you to spill the details.

The truth was you were just as shocked at his words as she was.

Your gaze shifted back to Taiju, who had since turned his focus back to you. You wracked your brain for any recollection but came up blank, his expectant gaze causing anxiety to mount within you. Just what was he looking for here? Of course you didn’t know him! You come from two completely different walks of life.

“I’m very sorry,” you finally spoke, flicking your gaze between the two, “I think you have the wrong person. I don’t think I’ve ever met you before…?”

Your voice trailed off, growing considerably meeker under Taiju’s study. His frown had become so deeply etched into his face you were concerned it may become stuck that way. His eyebrow twitched, a prominent vein in his forehead bulging in vexation.

“Really, you don’t remember when we were kids? We went to school together, I found you on that playground? None of that rings any bells?”

There was a definite edge to his voice, but you also detected a hint of wistfulness. It was accompanied by a waver in his eyes that if you weren’t mistaken, seemed almost pained. You nibbled at your bottom lip, feeling even worse than you had previously.

“I-I don’t… I’m really sorry, I honestly think you are mistaken-“

“I’m NOT,” abruptly he stood, rattling the furniture around him as his body shoved it askew. “How can you not remember me? Is this some sort of fucking joke, are you tryin’ to piss me off?”

You winced at his words. Feeling cornered, you pushed yourself as far into your desk as you could. At his full height, he stared down at you in your chair, indignation radiating off of him in waves. Remaining plastered to your seat, you found yourself unable to look away from the angered man behind you. Your sweaty, trembling hands gripped the back of your chair so tightly you were losing circulation, and despite still being seated, you felt like you may topple over any second. How did you get in this position? What exactly did you do to set this man off?

Alerted by the commotion, your teacher approached the three of you. His voice had vibrato, but his stance seemed hesitant.

“Shiba-san, what seems to be the issue here?”

Taiju shot your hapless teacher a glare that would make anyone falter, and guilt started to overtake you as the scene escalated. You hated being targeted, but felt even worse dragging people into your messes. You knew you should say something to calm everyone down, maybe even lie and remark that you did remember Taiju just to chill him out, but you hesitated. You had always been a horrible actor, and something told you that messing up now would just make things much worse.

Feeling a hand wrap around your wrist, your eyes trailed the reassuring grasp back to Tomoko. As you made eye contact, her head bobbed towards you in comforting affirmation.

“We’re sorry,” she laughed, bowing lightly to your teacher as she pulled you to your feet, “(Name) and I were joking around and we happened to bump into his desk on accident, I think it messed up something he was writing? It was completely our bad.”

Once you were standing beside her, she gave you a small nudge to help back up her statement.

“S-she’s right,” you bowed deeply in Taiju’s direction, “I’m very sorry Taiju-san. We’ll be more mindful next time.”

“Yeah,” you heard Taiju’s gruff voice reply despondently, “you SHOULD be more mindful next time.”

Tomoko tugged at you forcibly, momentarily throwing you off balance. “Again, sorry for the trouble, but we are running a bit behind now to meet up with some friends. We won’t have any problems in the future, promise!”

You were more or less out the door when you heard your teacher letting out a disgruntled sigh.

“As long as everyone is keeping the peace, I suppose.”

~

“What the hell was that about?!”

Tomoko wheezed out in between panted breaths. After you had left the classroom, she dragged you behind her in a mad sprint to leave the school premises, neither of you completely stopping until you were at least two blocks away. Exhausted, you both slumped yourselves down against some beat-up vending machines that stood on the outskirts of a small park.

“No idea,” you panted, sweaty head knocking against the cool glass of the drink machine, “but despite my best efforts, I am most definitely a target now.”

Your friend sidled up next to you, “You really don’t know him? Cause he sure as hell seems to know you,” Tomoko laughed, “Who’s the one with the bad boy boyfriend now, huh?”

You nudged her with your knee, shooting her an unamused expression. “I seriously have no clue what that was all about,” you sighed heavily, “I’m pretty sure I would remember if that guy was ever in my life or not.”

Tomoko hummed in contemplation, “True, he does seem pretty memorable… But with the way he was speaking it sounded like he might have known you from when you were kids, so maybe it’s just been so long that you forgot? I know I personally have the memory of a goldfish, so maybe being stuck with ME for so longs has rubbed off on you in the worst ways.”

You turned to your friend, “If both our memories go, does that mean we’ll forget about each other and I will be free of the shackles of this relationship?”

Tomoko threw her head back in a laugh, “HAH! You wish! You are stuck with me till the end, memories or not! It was in the fine print of our friendship agreement we signed, remember?”

“Hmm, don’t recall. Must be because my memories have become so cloudy…” You replied as seriously as you could, fighting the grin that threatened engulfing your face.

“How convenient,” Tomoko laughed again, turning her focus back towards the scenery ahead of you. “All joking aside, there may be a possibility you just forgot him. People are weird. Someone could be the most important person in your life one day and then completely gone by the next. When that happens, no matter how sad it may seem, it’s only natural for the memory of them to fade along with them, right?”

You sighed, slumping deeper against the vending machine. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

For the first time since you arrived here, you truly took in your surroundings for the first time. Though not terribly far from the school, you and Tomoko had gone a surprising distance and ended up in an area you had not ventured to in quite some time, and for obvious reasons.

Even years later, glancing at that dilapidated, sun worn little play house in the corner of this old park sent chills through you. The years had not been kind to it, and you wondered why of all the play equipment in the park that was the one they decided to keep. The entire place had been renovated in recent years and nearly everything besides the plant life had been replaced with something newer and nicer. Yet the playhouse of your nightmares still stood, taunting you to recall the memories you buried deepest within yourself.

You suppressed a shudder. In the darkest corner of your mind you could still hear your pursuer’s sneers through its thin walls, recalling the paralyzing fear you felt as they gained on you, clutching your body so hard your bones ached.

It had been a long time since you let your mind wander to that moment, so long it felt like an entire lifetime had passed. You are by no means a fighter now, but back then you really were a sitting duck, weren’t you? As your mind was further consumed by the ghosts of the past you cringed for your younger self. There were what, three or four boys gaining on you at that point? All of them were in your grade school class and none of them had any qualms over beating on the little new girl, even enjoying your torment. You recalled the leader of their posse was especially vile. He was relentless, refusing to stop until fat tears flooded down your ruddy cheeks. When he was successful in this, he would fling all manner of curses at you in his horrible, grating voice, just to add insult to injury. And then, he would laugh and laugh and laugh, finding your pain and misery absolutely hilarious, until he finally got bored and granted you reprieve for the day.

The day you ended up in this park was a particularly unlucky moment, one little miscalculation and you ended up with the whole herd after you. You didn’t know if you wanted to laugh or cry replaying the fuzzy memory of the slap-stick chase scene in your brain, remembering how ungracefully you skittered into that little house made you shake your head slightly in shame.

The more you mused on it, the more your suppressed memories came to light. It was such a jarring moment from your childhood, but how did it end? You did eventually get out of there unharmed, but how? You sure as hell didn’t fight off those kids on your own…

Surging up from the deepest corners of your mind, it came to you in such a brilliant, violent onslaught that you were left momentarily breathless. Your body perked up as a memory surfaced to the forefront of your brain, one that had long since been buried.

The door being kicked open and the boy that followed. His messy hair, sharp eyes, tall stature, all now displayed in crystal clarity through the visions of your past. Even in his youth his strength was unparalleled, made evident by how easily he beat back your pursuers, returning to your company covered in their blood and grime. At that time, who would have imagined he would become your most cherished friend and trusted companion throughout those childhood days? After he saved you that day, he cemented himself as your own personal hero. How could you forget him?

How could you ever forget Taiju Shiba?

“Oh my god,” the words tumbled from your lips in a hoarse whisper. Dragging yourself to your feet, you were overcome by your realization. You wavered where you stood, mind and body fuzzy from a mixture of sudden movement and the clarity of remembrance.

“What? What is it?” Tomoko was by your side in an instant, grabbing your arm to steady you. There was concern in her voice as she continued, “Are you OK, you look a little wobbly?”

Your eyes darted to Tomoko, snapping you back to reality. Taking a few seconds to compose yourself, you shot her the most convincing smile you could muster.

“Oh um, I just realized I left all my stuff back in the classroom,” you responded sheepishly, not wanting Tomoko to catch on to your realization quite yet. It wasn’t as if you were lying, you did leave so quickly all your belongings had been abandoned back at school, but you also knew how Tomoko could be. As much as you loved her, you needed the time to process this actualization on your own without being hounded by the incessant questioning you were sure would follow your revelation.

“All my homework is still back in the classroom, including a project I really need to finish tonight,” you straightened yourself out, breaking from Tomoko’s hold. Brushing your skirt off, you looked back her way, “I need to go get it before they lock up for the night.”

Tomoko frowned, lightly slapping her palm against her forehead, “Ah, I am so sorry! That was totally my fault! I dragged you away without even thinking about that!” She picked up her own school bag, adjusting it on her shoulder as she took a step your way.

“I’ll come with you.”

“No,” you grimaced at how firm and fast you replied, noting the confusion in your friend’s eyes. “Sorry, it’s just you were telling me earlier that you were really behind on that book report, the one that’s due in two days? If you want to hang out later you better go get working on that.”

You were relieved when her face softened. She sighed dramatically, “As usual, you are right. I guess it’s time to face the music.”

She began her departure towards her home, waving at you over her shoulder as she walked. “I really do feel bad though, so next time we go out it’s my treat!”

You smiled, returning the wave, “I’ll hold you to that.”

~

You took your time on the trek back to the school, losing yourself in your thoughts along the way. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that the fierce man in your class was once your number one companion, but the more you compared the past and present in your head the more you wanted to kick yourself for not recognizing him sooner. He looked nearly the same, just much bigger and more mature. In your years apart he had definitely grown from that surly little boy you held so dear to a man who was not to be trifled with. He seemed so adult now that thinking back on the way his eyes bore into you in the classroom, the weight of his presence as he stood so closely beside you, it made your face burn. Had you changed as much as he had? Sure you were also bigger now, but compared to him, you couldn’t imagine yourself as being anything but a silly little school girl, weak and nervous.

What else had changed, you wondered? Tomoko had filled you in on the rumors surrounding Taiju, but they weren’t something that you wanted to believe. However now that you had seen him currently, you couldn’t deny he had the swagger of someone who was up to no good, or could even be considered dangerous. Typical people your age didn’t show up to school buff as hell, covered in tattoos, and with a slew of rumors over previous violent exploits following in their wake.

You shook your head to dispel those thoughts. It had been years since you interacted with him, coming to conclusions about his character before even getting the chance to properly speak with him was not something you would allow yourself to do.

That is, if he even wanted to speak with you after you dipped out on him so quickly. Did you even have the courage within you to face him after forgetting your past with him and making such an ass of yourself?

You sighed, stopping to inspect the school yard as you approached the opening gates. A few people still milled about, most finishing up club activities or just getting done with some project or another. You were happy the building wasn’t completely abandoned, but also pleased by the desolation. The last thing you wanted was to run into a classmate who wanted to strike up a conversation while your mind felt like mush.

Still in your fog, you had made it to your classroom. Through the window on the entryway door you could tell the lights had been turned off, the only illumination coming from the rapidly setting sun streaming through widows along the back wall. It was quiet inside, and you breathed a sigh of relief when the handle pushed down, granting you access into the abandoned room.

At least, you thought it was abandoned.

“What do we have here,” a taunting voice startled you, “You lost, sweetheart?”

Before you sat Taiju Shiba, leaning back nonchalantly with his feet propped against your desk. Flanking him stood two equally imposing figures, neither of which you had ever seen before. One was to the right of Taiju, farthest from where you stood. He was the one who addressed you. His body swiveled your way as he gave you a once over, his amusement expressed with a low chuckle. Instinctively you took a small step back as he fully turned your way, which he was quick to take note of with a devious twinkle sparking in his eye. The stranger’s curled black hair cast shadows that obscured his face, but not enough to hide the sly grin that sat upon his lips.

“What the fuck are you doing here,” the blonde to the left of him spoke, his voice sounding much more aggressive than his impassive stare let on. His droopy, cold eyes held firm to you, causing you immense discomfort. You weren’t sure if it was the way the light fell on him or if his face was actually scarred, but based on his general disposition, you were leaning towards the latter. “We’re busy, leave.”

The darker haired boy gave another small laugh, “Damn Inupi, you certainly have a way with people, don’t you? The school is public domain and she’s wearing its uniform, which makes her a student. She has a right to be here,” he shot you a mischievous smile, “It’s just a bit unfortunate that she had to stumble in to this room while we were having an important meeting. Who knows what she could have heard through that door?”

You stiffened, goosebumps peppering your flesh as you now had the two strangers complete attention. The one addressed as Inupi was quick to speak after his cohort. “When you put it that way, maybe she should stay a bit? We’ll make sure she fully understand the importance of whatever she eavesdropped on not leaving this room.”

Before they could continue, Taiju’s firm voice halted them.

“Koko, Inupi,” he commanded. The two boys flinched as their names were spoken, turning a hesitant eye to the man who lounged behind them, “She’s here to see me, you can both leave now.”

A confused moment of silence hung in the air as the two boys looked from each other, to you, back to Taiju. The dark haired boy (or Koko as you had ascertained by process of elimination) was the first to respond.

“Here to see you,” he questioned, staring at you with far more interest now, “During the middle of our meeting? Boss, who is she?”

“My special guest,” Taiju shot back curtly, “Now fuck off.”

So concerned with the new faces, you momentarily forgot that Taiju was even present. However you were grateful when the two boys backed off, immediately deferring to the one who sat ominously behind them.

The boys shot each other one more glance before bowing to Taiju. They made their way to the exit, going around you on either side. You remained still, afraid to so much as breath until they were out of the room. Your eyes trained on the ground as they brushed against you. A small chuckle came from Koko, a shiver passing down your spine at the proximity of his voice.

“Go easy on her boss,” he joked, one foot out the door, “She looks delicate.”

The door clicked softly closed behind them, and you listened as their footsteps and murmured speech faded with their hasty exit.

Now you were alone with Taiju.

He removed his feet from your desk, placing them firmly on the floor. The movement caught your eye, your heart rate quickening as he leaned forward, back hunched as he rested his elbows on his knees. Even crouched he looked big, his solid, unflinching form making you feel a mix of comforted and uneasy. A heady feeling of nostalgia overcame you as his gaze stayed trained on yours, his expression difficult to read. You felt pinned down, unable to move or speak under the crushing weight of his stare and your own emotions.

Before you could stop them, you felt tears pool in your eyes. Suddenly you were seven years old again, standing in that desolate parking lot, staring at the boy who left such a gaping hole in your heart.  

“… Taiju,” Your voice cracked when you finally found the will to speak. You took an uncertain step forward, sweaty hand clamped tightly to your side, “I remember. The playground, that day… Those kids were chasing me and you found me in the playhouse. I remember all of it.” Your mind whirred as you contemplated what to say next, the end result coming out in a blubbering jumble.  “How could I have… it was awful of me to… I am so sorry-“

You were cut off by your own sobbing, unable to utter another word without a rush of tears. You buried your face in your hands in a poor attempt to mask the intense reaction. You felt ridiculous and confused, wanting to embrace him but knowing it was not your place to. You were more or less strangers now, and after forgetting him, you were sure he was hurt enough that he probably wanted it to remain that way.

Unsure of what else to say, you turned your face away from the man. Your surroundings had become obscured by your tears, the desks and chair encircling you little more than blurred brown blots. You sniffled, rubbing the back of your hand against your tear swelled eyes in a poor attempt to dispel them.

Nearly a decade had passed since you last spoke to him, and it was clear from his overall presentation that things had changed. He had changed. And to be fair, you had too. The reasonable side of you knew that this encounter may as well be considered the first time meeting Taiju, and the differences in your personalities at this point in life may be far too different to reconcile. So on top of making a continual fool of yourself in front of him, from what you saw and experienced thus far, you weren’t even entirely sure you would like the person he became.

It was that realization that made you hurt the most.

But that didn’t stop the desperate feeling that was clawing through your chest, wanting what you once had. Those rose hued days of childhood spent with your best friend, your protector, YOUR Taiju. The admiration and love that you had buried so deep had bubbled up, wracking your body with nervous energy as you stood before him. You wrapped your arms around yourself to quell your quivering, but it did little to get your emotions in check.

You were so caught up in your own thoughts you neglected to hear Taiju move, only becoming aware of his presence as his feet came into view. Your eyes darted up, a sharp intake of breath passing your lips in surprise of how close he had become. This definitely constituted as invading your personal space, his body so close that if you leaned forward even the slightest you were sure to make contact with him. You considered taking a step back to give yourself room to breathe, but the glint his eyes held instantly made you reconsider.

His demeanor was expectant, eyes hungry. There was potency to his stare that made your knees feel weak, his presence domineering as he inspected you. You flinched when he raised a hand, stilling as he gently placed it atop your head.

“You’re still so small,” a taunting smirk tugged at his lips, “How’d you protect yourself while I was away?”

“You scared them enough that they left me alone after you moved away,” you hiccuped, still uncomfortable with his proximity, “I’ve been staying out of trouble since then.”

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, his hand languidly petting down your head till it fell to your cheek. His palm was rough as it cradled you, but you were surprised by how delicate his hold was. His fingers barely ghosted your skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

“Such a good girl,” his low voice created an eruption of butterflies in your stomach, “You always have been, haven’t you?”

He paused for a moment, his eye taking on a contemplative look.

“But even good girls can fuck up.”

Your brow furrowed in concern as his grip on you tightened, his hand coming just short of pinching you. Your heart hammered in your chest as he slowly bent down, only stopping once you were eye to eye. His jaw was set and his glare was cold, any hint of amiability far removed.

“You haven’t cheated on me, have you?” The words were sharp as he spoke them. His grip tight on your cheek, keeping your full attention trained his way.

“… Cheated?” Your confusion was palpable, frantic eyes scouring his face for any sign that he may be messing around.

He slammed his free hand behind you, making you jump. His body was now leaned into yours, caging you in between the wall and his broad form.

“Don’t play dumb with me,” he spoke through clenched teeth, “Did you forget about me because you were too busy fucking around with someone else? Is that it?”

The surrealistic nature of the situation astounded you. “I don’t have a boyfriend?” It wasn’t a lie. You had had your share of crushes, sure. You had even had your first kiss, as lackluster as it may have been. But the closest thing you ever had to a true boyfriend was probably Taiju.

Your response only agitated him further, a strained laugh leaving his down turned lips, “Real funny babe, but I don’t remember ever fucking breaking up with you. In fact, I even recall you thanking me for being your boyfriend, or did you forget that too?”

You were dumbfounded by his words, staring at him blankly for a few moments before his eyes began to narrow, denoting that he was awaiting a response.

“I thought…” Your voice trailed off, the ‘you didn’t want me anymore?’ going unsaid. Whatever this situation was turning into, you realized directing any fault back at Taiju was not a good move.

“You thought what?” He spat back. You could feel his patience diminishing by the second.

“You’re right,” your voice came out as little more than a squeak, “we never did end things.” Fear was beginning to course through you when Taiju didn’t back down at your confirmation. If anything, he seemed to grow more heated by the moment. Your mind wandered back to the first time you met, how easily he was able to viciously tear down those other kids, the way he came back to you marked with their blood. If he was capable of that as a child, what damage could he inflict now?

He hummed, “So that makes you my mine,” his hand continued traveling downwards, stopping once it was secured around your neck, “And good girls don’t mess around on their boyfriends, right? My good girl certainly wouldn’t do that to me, would she?”

A feeling of trepidation welled up inside of you. Taiju was wrong. He had no right to threaten you over an agreement made in your youth, and he was the one who ultimately left you in the dust, not the other way around. Whatever twisted narrative he had running though his mind was no fault of your own. However, feeling the gentle press of his fingers on your neck, staring into the manic gleam reflected in his eyes, all you could do was nod your head what little his grip would allow you, hoping the reassurance, no matter how forced, would grant you enough leeway to have him trust you.

“You haven’t left my mind for day,” his voice was deceptively gentle, clashing with the strain your body felt in his grasp, “When I sleep I have dreams about you. When I am around other women I fantasize about you, envisioning the person you had become. My little (name), never once was I not thinking of you.”

With a sharp squeeze, his strong fingers cinched your airway.

“So how the fuck could you forget about me?”

You sputtered in his grasp. Your hands quickly latched to his arm, tugging him in a vain effort to loosen his hold. He studied you for a moment, his expression tumultuous. You couldn’t quite tell if he looked saddened, furious, or just a mixture of the two. Heavy tears rolled down your cheeks as you attempted to croak out his name, your struggle growing more desperate as the second ticked by.

A rogue tear had snaked its way down your cheek before coming to its final resting place atop Taiju’s hand. The barely noticeable sensation seemed to pull him to his senses. He relinquished his grip, a sharp, painful gasp tearing through your lungs with the new found freedom.  With little time to recover, his went to grab your chin, forcing his face so close to yours the tips of your noses were brushing.                  

“Explain it to me baby,” his voice was softer, but it didn’t lose its malicious edge, “because I’m having a real hard time understanding on my own.”

You were shaking so hard you were afraid you were going to collapse. Light headed from the lack of oxygen, your words were punctuated by shaky breaths as you responded. “I didn’t know what to do with myself when you left. When I watched you drive off that last time I felt like a part of me had gone away and was never going to come back.”

Despite the precarious situation, your cheeks burned red at your admission. You were quick to continue, “I-I guess my brain forcing you out was my response to be able to move on.” You looked up at him through teary eyes, “Taiju why didn’t you talk to me? I know you saw me. You were looking right at me and you still just left me behind. I can’t tell you how many nights I stayed up wondering what I did wrong.”

The tail end of sentence came out in little more than a breathy sob as you came to the realization that any blossoming hope for fixing your relationship was down the drain. The boy you used to know had abandoned you, and the man before you was clearly not the same person. Nauseous and embarrassed to be bearing your soul so openly, you squeezed your eyes closed, no longer wanting to face the truth that lay before you.

There were many moves Taiju could have made in this situation. You figured if anything, seeing you blubbering and frightened would just piss him off more, maybe even disgust him. Needless to say you were not expecting the feel of his lips on yours. Your eyes shot open, bewildered by the feel of his supple skin covering your mouth. Uncharacteristically soft at first, it took your brain a few seconds to catch up to what was actually going on. When there was no resistance on you end, Taiju took that as a sign to continue. The gentle caress became needy, eager. His hand released your chin to wrap firmly around the base of your skull, keeping you from any attempts of pulling away. His other arm snaked around your waist, jerking your body flush against his own. His thick arm kept you plastered to him, his hand flipping up your skirt to shamelessly grope your ass.

That broke you from your daze, the severity of the situation you were in hitting you full force. You squirmed in his grasp, but that only made his hold tighter, constricting you to a point of pain. You whimpered when he forced his tongue past your lips, his mouth feverishly working yours until your jaw ached. A groan of approval rumbling from his chest when you, unsure of how else to proceed, weakly began to reciprocate. You were afraid of what he might do if you didn’t.

It was all so invasive, uncomfortable. You felt like you were being devoured.

After some time Taiju broke away, but made no move to distance himself. Panting with eyes blazing, his voice came out husky as he spoke to you.

“I never wanted to leave you behind. Don’t for a second think that was my own choice.” He straightened himself out, pushing your head against his chest. The sound of his rapidly beating heart thrummed in your ear as he cradled you. “I never forgave my father for that. But at that time I was just a kid, powerless to make any moves without his intervention. But know this, no one holds power over me now.”

Silence hung heavy in the air, your neck hurting from a mix of his previous choke hold and the awkward angle he held you in. You remained frozen against him, not wanting to upset the delicate peace that had come over Taiju. He released a breath, his arms loosening their grip on you. When he stepped back, you took the chance to also create some space as well, quickly tidying your uniform and hair to revert back to some semblance of normalcy, pretending that none of this had just occurred.

“You’re forgiven this time, but playing dumb again will award you no favors,” a devilish smirk lit his face, “You’re lucky I love you. That and that you look so fucking hot crying for me like that.”

Any flushing your body experienced increased tenfold with his words. You wanted to run and hide, and this desire must have shown on your face, as it elicited another snicker from Taiju. You made due with folding your arms across your chest, taking in steady breathes to calm your rampant nerves.

This entire evening felt so unreal that there wasn’t a single moment your brain wasn’t plagued with questions. Profoundly concerned with how openly he grabbed you, how quickly he told you he loves you, and how easily he forced himself on you as if he had the right to, you had no idea where to even begin unraveling this moment. You weren’t the same person you once were, how could he so boldly declare these affections to you so soon after seeing you again?

There were voices screaming in the back of your head to run, he wasn’t safe, you should be angry, you should stand up for yourself, none of this is normal, you need to leave now and tell someone what happened.

But the way his eyes held you, a serene sort of affection in them as he smirked down at your flustered form, you couldn’t deny the way it made your stomach flip into a knot of giddiness. Taiju was back. Were you really going to let him slip away again without a proper chance?

He began making his way to the exit door. Propping it open with his foot, he turned back to you and extended his hand.

“Come on,” he called, “We have catching up to do.”

Despite all your reservations you nodded, grabbing on to his outstretched hand.

~

Today was all about being pushed outside your comfort zone.

It was nearing night time now. You had sent a quick call to your parents to let them know you would be home late, concocting a lie that you had gone to Tomo’s house to study and her parents had invited you to stay for dinner. You didn’t’ always see eye to eye with your parents, and you definitely had your disagreements with them, but they loved you and always had your best interests in mind. There was an unpleasant lump in your throat as the fib spilled so easily from your lips, knowing they had no reason not to trust you. You were riddled with guilt as your dad’s pleasant voice told you to have fun and not get up to too much mischief, telling you he loved you before hanging up the call.

If he knew the house you were really headed to was Taiju’s, would he still be so understanding?

At the time of departure, you weren’t sure where Taiju was taking you. You had asked him of course, but only got a snipped ‘don’t worry about it’ in response. The danger of the situation was not lost on you, but you calmed yourself down by reassuring yourself that people had watched you leave the building with Taiju, you had spoken to your family and they were expecting you home tonight, and above all, Taiju himself wouldn’t do anything to truly jeopardize your safety, right?

You had departed with him on the back of his motorcycle, which was a first for you. Apprehensive to even board the bike, you swore Taiju made a point to drive extra recklessly if for no other reason than to feel your arms squeeze him tighter as you held on for dear life. Woozy from the sharp turns and sudden accelerations, by the time you had parked and got off the bike your legs were so unsteady you were concerned you couldn’t make it inside without stumbling.

If there was a word you would attribute to Taiju’s current home it would be ‘affluent’. Your jaw nearly dropped when he walked you to the front of the towering building, its pristine modern walls glistening in the light of the street lamps. Seeing your expression Taiju smirked, assuring you the whole thing wasn’t theirs. The building itself was a condominium of sorts and housed many families, only about a floor of it belonged to the Shiba’s.

“Oh, so only a floor of the fanciest complex in the neighborhood belongs to your family,” you joked nervously, standing behind him as he keyed in the code to unlock the front gate. “How silly of me. Should I expect a butler greeting me at the door?”

Taiju snorted, glancing back at you as he stepped through the now open gateway. “Get your head out of the clouds and come on. I didn’t bring you here to gawk at the architecture.”

You nodded, blushing a bit in embarrassment. Following closely behind Taiju, you couldn’t’ help but marvel the sleek feel of the place. The spotless welcome desk manned by an equally put together looking hostess, a small waiting area off the lobby housing the plushest furniture you had ever seen, the lustrous hallway housing the stairs and elevator. Even the inside of the elevator itself seemed ornate as you traveled up to his floor.

The elevator stopped at its destined floor, dinging as the doors unfolded. You followed after Taiju who walked a few steps further down the hallway.

“Joke aside, this place really is beautiful Taiju,” you spoke as he slid his key in the door, “It makes me happy knowing you and your family can live in such a nice place.” You didn’t want to come off as judgmental, but based on Taiju’s rough exterior and what you remembered of his situation, you were more than a little concerned with what his life at home may be like.

You couldn’t see what expression he wore as he opened the door, but his voice rang clear as he responded to you.

“I know how to take care of my people.”

You only had a moment to muse on the strangeness of his statement, confused as to why he made it seem like he was the main bread winner in their family. Sure, he may have a part time job of some kind, but surely their father was who ran the household and paid the expenses, right? He may even be remarried at this point, this home certainly seemed like a shared expenses kind of deal.

“You’re home early,” an irritated, feminine voice broke your concentration, “I thought you said you’d be out late tonight?”

Taiju grunted, “Plans changed. (Name), come here.”

You followed his order, stepping into the entryway beside him. The interior was just as nice as the rest of the place, smartly furnished and without a thing out of place. The only disturbance in the décor was a rogue bowl with a spoon inside that sat atop the coffee table beside the couch. The cushions of said couch were in bit of disarray as well, obscured by the girl seated on top of them.

She looked about your age, and despite the fact that her face was scrunched into an unamused scowl, you were taken with how lovely she was. Her copper hair was thrown up in a messy bun, and from the look of her comfy attire, she had already donned her sleep wear for the night. Her eyes were impassive as they bore into Taiju, but you noticed she was giving him her undivided attention, posture rigid as she waited for Taiju to continue.

“Introduce yourself to (Name).” He commanded, placing his hand on the small of your back to usher you in front of him.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Her manners seemed forced, her address to you distant as she gave a brief bow. “I’m Yuzuha Shiba, Taiju’s sister.”

Recognition once again flooded your brain. She had grown, but those clear defiant eyes were unmistakable. You bowed back to her, a smile on your lips.

“I’m (First) (Last),” you righted yourself, “um, it’s nice seeing you again…”

She shot you a quizzical look. It made sense that she wouldn’t recognize you. You certainly would have had no recollection of her if not for Taiju sparking your memory. Regardless, it was nice to see her. You always felt bad for how you left things that day, maybe now you could make amends.

“Are you still having trouble getting doll clothes on?”

The look of confusion that knotted her brow eased with the realization.

“Oh my God,” she spoke, getting to her feet, “You’re the girl who helped me on that play date you had at our house! You said (Name), right?”

You laughed softly, slightly ashamed that she was able to remember you so quickly when you had to struggle to remember her family. “Yeah, that’s me! It’s been a long time. I’m surprised you remember me at all.”

Yuzuha returned your laugh, but you noticed there was a hint of melancholy to it. “Well it’s kinda hard to forget someone when they remain a source of conversation in your household for years.” Her eyes shot to Taiju, her expression instantly falling, “I guess he ended up finding you again, huh?”

Before you had the chance to dig deeper into Yuzuha’s reply, you felt Taiju step up beside you. Looking up at his face, you noted he was giving Yuzuha a pointed look, fists starting to form at his side.

Realizing her brother’s discontent, she cleared her throat, “But yeah, it’s good to see you too.” She shifted her weight on her feet, tucking a strand of rogue hair behind her ear. She was doing her best to ignore Taiju’s steady surveillance of her, the intense monitoring making even you uneasy. It seemed the sibling’s relationship hadn’t gotten any better in the past few years.

“So how did you guys meet up anyway,” she sounded mellow, but her nervous ticks continued, “did you bump into each other out on the street or…?”

“We’re in the same class,” you responded cheerily, attempting to alleviate the uncomfortable gloom that had overtaken your arrival, “I feel horrible, I didn’t recognize Taiju at first, even though he recognized me right away. We had a whole conversation and everything before I realized who he was, if you can believe that. ” You smiled at the man in question shyly, before looking back to Yuzuha, “I’m excited to make up lost time with you guys.”

It was your turn to feel uncomfortable as Taiju inched up closer to you, intertwining his long, lithe fingers with your own. Still unused to such blatant physical contact your stomach flipped as he gave your hand a tight squeeze. Yuzuha’s eyes darted to where you connected with her brother, a dismal look displaying on her girlish face.

It would be easy to mistake her look for one of distaste. In the brief time you had seen them interact, Taiju and Yuzuha certainly seemed like oil and water, but maybe you were wrong about their relationship? It was possible she and Taiju had actually grown tightknit and the thought of some random girl coming in to throw off the balance was nothing but an annoyance to her. Perhaps to her you were an eyesore, and those weird comments earlier about you being a point of discussion were jabs at you that went right over your head.

If it weren’t for the fact that her eyes were filled with so much regret, peering over at you as if she were in mourning for you, that you would be inclined to believe that that were the case.

“Where’s Hakkai?”

Taiju’s question perked Yuzuha up. Her fidgeting ended, her body becoming fixed in place.

“He went out for a little bit, said he was gonna grab some dinner with a friend or something.”

She sounded disinterested, almost emotionless in her response. But partnered with her quick change in posture you got the feeling she was covering for him, and with how trained her response came, it was not the first time she had done it either.

Taiju scoffed, “Well isn’t it a shame that we’ll have to end that little pow-wow early? Call him right now and tell him to come home. It’s rude to leave when guests are over.”

His barked words garnered Yuzuha’s glare, “How could he have known (name) was coming over? You didn’t even know she was coming over! Please Taiju, he won’t be much later, can’t we just-“

“That doesn’t fucking matter,” Taiju growled, releasing his hold on you as he took a step towards his sister, “You both come when I call, no questions asked. Now pick up the damn phone, or I’ll-”

Before you could fully think out a response, you lurched forward and gripped his arm to stop him. His head jerked your way, annoyance in his eyes as words began to rush from your mouth.

“It’s OK Taiju, really,” your voice shook, intimidated as you felt the muscles of his arm flex in your grasp, “I came over here to spend time with you, right? It would be nice to have Hakkai here, but you’re the one I really want to be catching up right now with, you know? I’m sure I’ll see Hakkai some other time when I come over to visit you again.”

His ego was stroked just enough by your words that his demeanor calmed. He was pleased by your response, a slight smile displayed on his lips. Seeing him calm soothed you as well. At least for now Yuzuha and Hakkai were out of the hot seat. You were learning very quickly the best way to handle Taiju’s mood swings.

After a moment’s contemplation, Taiju sighed. “Fine, leave him be. But next time, he better be here to show some respect or there will be problems.”

Without further interruption, he locked your hand in his. Tugging you towards him with a huff, he meandered off deeper into their home, pulling you along in tow.

“Don’t fucking bother us.” He called over his shoulder to his sister, who had once more seated herself on the couch. She shot you one last look, one that conveyed equal parts gratitude and apology.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

~

Taiju’s room, though technically an entirely different room now, was a lot like how you recalled it.

It was much larger than his childhood room, comfortably housing a number of furniture pieces and a sizable bed with room to spare. Everything inside were neat and orderly, save for a few misplaced and tussled items here and there. As soon as you both had entered he made a quick pass through, straightening something here, concealing something there. He told you to sit at a small, low table that sat square in the center of the room. You complied, and as you situated yourself he remarked that he would be right back with something to drink.

You were grateful for a moment to yourself as he slipped out of the door, closing it securely behind him. You released a deep sigh, dropping your head till it was resting flat against the table’s smooth surface. Now that it was just you and your thoughts, worry began to rear its ugly head. Was it really a good idea to be here, or were you just letting fuzzy memories of bygone days cloud your better judgement? The way Taiju had treated you since your reunion… It wasn’t healthy and it certainly wasn’t right. You placed your hand gingerly on your neck, cringing at the sting left by his fingers. He had forced himself on you and took advantage of you in a state of vulnerability. Even his own sister was treated like some kind of foot solider he could order around. If he could treat people he says he loves like that, you’d hate to see how he handles the people he hates.

Your heavy eyes fell closed as your mind continued its contemplation's. For him to push his built up affections on you, feelings that had long since lost the innocence of your childhood day, right after seeing him again after years apart… it was too much too soon. He was already demanding so much of you and was treating you as if you belonged to him. The longer you dwelled on these thoughts, the more despondent you became. You missed your old Taiju, you wanted him back. But was any trace of him left inside that man at all?

You steeled your resolve. If Taiju kept treating you this way, you decided you wouldn’t let it go farther than this.  The fate of your relationship hinged on this conversation. You clenched the wrinkled fabric of your skirt in your fist, heart pounding in your tight chest. If you knew it was going to be this hard, you almost wished he had stayed a forgotten memory.

“You didn’t fall asleep on me, did you?”

Bolting upright, your cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He scoffed as he sat down a mug of steaming tea before you.

“Damn baby, if you’re bored just say it. I can liven things up whenever you like.”

You shook your head, choosing to ignore the underlying connotations of his comment, “I’m sorry, I was just taking a moment to breathe. It’s been quite the day.”

You laughed nervously, hoping he wouldn’t misconstrue your words. To your relief, he simply nodded, plopping down across from you at the other end of the table. He let out a long sigh, leaning back on one arm while resting the other on his knee. You noticed he seemed much more relaxed in the comfort of his own room. With no one else around, the air of animosity that enveloped him at all times broke, making Taiju much more approachable. Though never truly loosing its edge, his face had calmed too, placidity over taking it that you wouldn’t think was previously possible with Taiju.

“I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad it’s just us.” Your heart fluttered at how soft his voice sounded as he spoke. Momentarily lost in the adoring look he had captured you in, you found yourself smiling back.

Hope began to bloom in your chest. Maybe Taiju wasn’t a lost cause.

“Me too,” you beamed, blowing lightly on your tea before taking a small sip. It was (fav. flavor), your favorite, though you were pretty sure he wouldn’t have known that. Tea was a gross adult drink the last time you two had interacted, soda and sugary juices reigning supreme. Maybe his choice was a lucky guess, or maybe his penchant for reading you hadn’t changed.

“Maybe I should go say hello to your father,” the thought donned as you as you put down your cup. Your arrival was rather abrupt and you didn’t feel right barging into someone’s home so unannounced. “If he’s home, that is. If you guys were planning dinner or something it would be rude to show up unannounced, you know?”

Taiju laughed, “Always so polite, huh? Don’t worry though, dads gone so much that he has his own place. It’s just me, Hakkai, and Yuzuha here.” Taiju took a drink of his own beverage, “I want you to know you can come over whenever and treat this place as your home. You don’t have to be on edge.”

You waved your hand, “Easier said than done, I’d hate to be a bother to you guys,” you smiled, “But I’ll try. Thank you for the warm welcome.”

A beat of time passed before the rest of his words sunk into your brain. “Wait a minute, you guys live here alone?” The incredulity slipped out in your tone, “Are you guys okay? You aren’t… struggling, are you?”

He closed his eyes in consideration. “If you’re worried we can’t afford it, we wouldn’t be here if that were the case. I told you, I take care of my people.”

You gave a hesitant nod, happy he didn’t take offense to your concern, but still surprised by this revelation. Was Mr. Shiba so wealthy he could afford this place for his children, as well as a place on his own? Or were Taiju, Yuzuha, and Hakkai footing the bill on their own? Regardless, it certainly was not a typical family situation.

“How about you,” Taiju spoke up, “You still living in the same place with your family?”

“Yes, I am. Same house not too far from here, actually.”

You were surprised at how fluidly the conversation progressed from there, with no uncomfortable gaps, weird moments of silence, or forced pleasantries. You found it easy to open up to Taiju again as he listened intently to every story you regaled him with. He was an active participant, throwing you questions left and right, taking every answer to heart. It was refreshing, speaking so freely with him without him snapping in response. He seemed content just to be basking in your presence, reveling in the tales you shared of your life from past to current. The only time his face ticked to irritation would be when you would mention any male friends, so to keep the peace you made sure to keep those stories to a minimum.

You, of course, wanted to hear more about Taiju as well. He reciprocated, answering your questions with an aloof attitude, playing himself up whenever you seemed to take a particular interest in something he said.  It would get frustrating at points, especially when you found out Taiju was a master of redirection. Any time he mentioned something concerning from his past he was quick to change the subject, directing new questions your way in hopes you would forget. Even if you tried to come back to a previous subject, he’d shoot you a look letting you know it was best to drop it and move on, to which you complied. You were certain he was omitting certain details from you on purpose, probably because he could see how leery you grew when he spoke too much in a certain direction.

One thing was for sure, you were smart enough to piece together that his ‘well-paying and rewarding job’ was probably something you wanted as little information about as possible, and that his two ‘friends’ you met previously probably weren’t just shooting the breeze earlier when you interrupted their meeting.

Despite your concerns for Taiju and his current lifestyle, you spent the conversation in a state of elation. Now that you knew you could freely communicate with him, the future didn’t seem so uncertain. You could continue to grow together, learn about each other, and he would listen to what you had to say and (hopefully) take it to heart.

After some time had passed, your eyes happened to fall upon a clock Taiju had in his room. You heart dropped when you saw the vibrant 12:32AM glaring back at you.

“Oh no,” you mumbled, pointing to the clock in question, “That isn’t right is it?”

He lazily looked back, “Sure is. God, we are really gossiping like old ladies, aren’t we?”

Without responding to him, you grabbed your school bag that was leaning against the table leg. Rummaging through, it took a moment to find your phone at the bottom of all your belongings. Your anxiety spiked when you saw the numerous missed calls and texts from your parents. The most recent text was from Tomoko, and you instinctively pulled it up to read what she had to say.

(12:17pm) From Tomz:

Hey, can u message me when u get this? Ur parents have been blowing me up asking when u r gonna be home. I figured u had a reason for sayin u would be here so I vouched and said time got away from us and u would be home soon. But now I am just worried bcause ur mom text me again saying u aren’t back yet. L Plz let me know u r OK, I’m worried!!!

As you read her words, you gave a lopsided grin. Good ‘ol Tomo, she was always someone you could count on to have your back. You were lucky to have her in your life.

Your fingers flew as you typed out your reply.

(12:37am) From Me:

Thx so much!!! I am soooo srry I’ll call them right away. I’m fine! It’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it later. I owe u something good for this. <3

Directly after you had hit send, Taiju placed his hand over your phone, enveloping the screen.

“Hey,” you said, attempting to pull your phone away from his iron clad grasp, “Come on Taiju, I have to call my parents! I didn’t realize it had gotten this late. They are worried sick.”

“Tell them you’re spending the night.”

You felt as if all your blood had drained from your body when you heard the provocative tone of his voice. You searched his face for any hint of joking, and when you found no hint of play, a shiver shook your body.

He shifted himself around the table, scooting himself until he was directly at your side. In this apprehensive state, you loosened the grip on your phone. Quick to take note of this, he took it entirely in his hand, tossing it off in the corner of the room. Your body trembled harder as you felt him over you. Not quite touching you, yet close enough to feel his heat, his breath fanned against your hair.

“If they come and try to get you, you can tell your mom my kick has become a lot stronger since the last time she met me.”

“Don’t say stuff like that,” you muttered out, “I told them I would be home later, it makes sense they would be upset. I haven’t messaged them since I left the school.”

“They can get over it,” he countered, “Whoever tries to take you from me now is asking to get their ass beat.”

You scoffed, “Taiju, don’t you think that may be a little unreasonable?”

“I don’t. I prayed for this moment nightly, and my prayers were answered today.” His eyes took on a predatory sheen. “God gifted you back into my life. I’m not letting anyone else take you away ever again.”

You gasped when he hooked an arm around you, hoisting the two of you to your feet. He shoved you upright, the sudden action making you unsteady. Using this to his advantage he stalked closer to you, herding you back in the process. It all happened so quickly you had no time for resistance, the back of your legs hitting the side of his bed caused your knees to give way. You tumbled, your back landing against his plush comforter with a soft swoosh. He was quick to crawl over you, loosening his tie in the process.

“Last time you were on my bed we were too little for me to realize the opportunity I had before me,” his lips hovered over your own, expectant and ravenous eyes scouring your face as he savored the moment. “I’m not going to let it slip by me again.”

He crashed into you, lips furiously working yours as he forced his tongue inside. Finding his power too hard to combat, you accepted his kiss, whimpering when his teeth tugged roughly on your bottom lip. He made quick work of his shirt, nearly ripping it from his torso so that his hands could once again find purchase on your body. You squirmed in his feverish touch, whining as his hands groped up your sides, shamelessly kneading and pawing at your thighs, hips, stomach, and breasts in slow succession. He began to unbutton your top as he forced the lower half of his body in between your legs, sinking you down even deeper into his bed. You jolted as he pressed himself against your core, the unmistakable hardness you felt causing you to tremble beneath him.

Your arms flew to his chest, pushing on him in a futile attempt to shove him off of you. You were already distressed by the situation as is, but feeling him grind against you made you realize things were about to get so much worse.

He growled into your throat, knocking your hands aside to prevent what little resistance you displayed. He shimmied out of his pants before impatiently tearing through the last remaining buttons your shirt, your bra the only article now protecting your modesty. Wasting no time, his lips blazed over you, leaving a scorching trail down your neck and chest that left a pleasant burn on your flesh. His hands continued their ministrations, eliciting small gasps with every valley they traveled. Your nerves were slowly waning, trembles of fear turning into quivers of excitement. Though still scared, you couldn’t deny the pleasant pulse that Taiju was coaxing from within you.

His tongue laved over the skin the spilled from the top of your bra, nibbling and sucking his mark into the supple flesh. He flipped up your skirt so that he could press into your further. You whimpered as he rocked against you, getting a feeling for the magnitude of his length and girth. Wetness seeped from you, mingling with the precum that stained through his boxers.

“Do you feel that,” his voice was throaty, “Do you feel how much I want you? Do you know how much I fantasized about making this pretty pussy mine?”

He pulled himself up, needy mouth returning to your swollen lips in a quick kiss. Momentarily parting himself, he looked you square in the eye. His hair fell around his face, curtaining him off from the rest of the world. Only you could see the state he was in. Draped over you, his chest was rapidly rising and falling with ragged breaths. His golden eyes were blown wide, the perfect accent to his flushed face. He darted his tongue out to pass over his bottom lip, giving your disheveled form a drawn out once over. As he simpered down at you, he wore a look of utter intoxication. Caged in, he had you right where he wanted.

“I hate that you were taken from me.” He leaned in closer, “I hate that in that time some dickhead could have touched you, hurt you. I hate that I had to spend years of my fucking life without you by my side.”

“Taiju…” Your voice came out breathy as you stared into his face. You were taken with how handsome he looked in the moment, wild and passionate, ready to snap any moment and devour you whole. Your panic ebbed, leaning into the large hand that made its way to your cheek. He used his thumb to gently skim under your eye, wiping away rogue tears you hadn’t realized that you had shed.

“You’re mine to protect, mine to love, mine to have, and in turn, I’m yours. Do you understand, (name)? You understand that this is where you belong?”

Without awaiting an answer, his lips once more sought your own. The desperation in his voice and in his touches made your previous resolution of standing up to him fly out the window. Your body melted as he held you, kissed you, loved you. You were both drowning in him and being resuscitated by him at the same time. Your brain was no longer making any sense at it warred and screamed about the situation you had caught yourself in. A nagging voice at the back of your mind was blaring that things were moving too fast, that you need to think this through. But right now you didn’t really care about the finer details, choosing instead listen to your heart as it pumped mercilessly in your chest, struggling violently to reach out to Taiju. It wanted him, needed him, and that was the only thing that currently made any sense to you in this heady moment.

“Yes,” you whispered in between kisses, finally working up the courage to truly kiss him back. No one ever made you feel this way like this before, his touches an experience you wanted to carve so deeply into yourself that you would never forget them. “I’m yours.”

“That’s my baby girl,” Taiju purred. He trailed his coarse palm up your thigh, fingers teasing their way up under your skirt. He stopped once he had hooked a finger through the elastic of your panties.

“You think you feel good now,” his voice was shaking with excitement as he started to tug, “Wait until I fill you up. It’s time to make up for all that lost time together.”

Feeling yourself become slowly exposed broke you from your daze. You felt good right now, better than you ever felt with another boy, and you would be lying if you said there wasn’t a large part of you that yearned to continue. But the truth was that this was your first time, and you were incredibly unprepared. You had barely even made it past first base in the past, and while this was all new and exciting, the thought of giving in and the repercussions that could cause was enough to make you feel sick. Even in a lust filled haze, the cons of where this all could lead was enough to clear up your mind.

“Wait,” your hand latched to his, halting his motions, “I-I don’t think I’m ready for that quite yet.”

“What do you mean,” Taiju responded, attempting to coerce you with soft kisses littered on your shoulder and chest, “Of course you are. I’m going to make you feel good baby, trust me. Haven’t you missed me?”

You fought him as he continued to tug, your grip staying firm, “I did miss you, but you’ve already made me feel good and I’m not ready to go that far. Please, stop.”

In response to your plea, Taiju released a deep sigh.  

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

In a fluid motion, he yanked his hand from your grasp, relocating it to your sopping folds. You mewled when he roughly shoved his fingers against your entrance, taking his time in trailing them up and down the length of you, giving special attention to when he would pass over your bud. More tears sprang to your eyes as you writhed beneath him, doing your best to create distance between the two of you. He had none of it, laughing darkly at your weak escape attempt. A toothy grin overtook his face as he watched your expressions contort under his forced pleasure.

Though you were fighting it, your body nonetheless began to relax under his touch, the slow, sensual glide of his fingers causing a mounting pleasant ache to electrify your body. Once he was satisfied with his work, he removed his hand. He clucked his tongue condescendingly as you bucked your hips up at him, missing the sensation. With his free hand, he latched onto your chin, forcing your lips apart to plunge his digits into your mouth. Your tongue rolled across his fingers, the bitter taste of your own slick assaulting your senses. After he felt you adequately licked them clean, he ripped his hand from your mouth.

“Taste that? That’s your body begging me to fuck your brains out,” he snarled. Gripping your hair he pulled your head up so that you were eye to eye. His other hand, still wet with your saliva, rested itself in a tight hold around your neck.

“So what now? You feel like being a bitch and lying to me again, or are you going to let me have my way? Either way this is ending the same sweetheart, but I can’t say you’ll much enjoy it if you decide to keep being a lying brat.”

Your mind was whirring, overwhelmed with the stimulus and terror. Were you going to be raped? Is that really how your night with Taiju was about to end? Your head was throbbing, your neck was sore, and your heart once again felt as if it were being shattered into a million pieces.

“Please Taiju,” you begged, “I’m not ready for this!” Your cries continued falling on deaf ears, and you were growing more desperate when his hand left your neck, making the descent back to your skirt.

“Please… I love you, I just… I just want my first time with you to be perfect! I want myself to be perfect for you, please… I want you so bad, but I don’t want to rush our time together!”

Your mind had become such a hazy mess that you weren’t quite sure what words you were babbling anymore. Your body that moments prior was vibrating in ecstasy, was now shaking with sobs. You felt disgusting and betrayed lying on Taiju’s bed, half naked and covered in all manner of bodily discharge. You wanted to ball yourself up so tight no one would ever be able to get to you again, but you remained splayed out, open and vulnerable to the man above you. You sniffled, biting down so hard on your bottom lip it split, the tang of blood spilling across your tongue. It was ironic, you thought. In all the ways you had been hurt today you had yet to bleed until you inflicted it upon yourself.

Being so caught up in your emotions, you didn’t realize that Taiju had stopped his assault. It wasn’t until you felt your body being scooped up, arms wrapped around you protectively as he rested your head in the crook of his neck, that you began to quiet yourself. He pressed his cheek to the crown of your head, running his fingers absentmindedly through your hair. You stared at the curving tattoos that ran along his chest, momentarily stunned by what was occurring.

“Idiot,” he spoke, placing a chaste kiss to the top of your head, “You already are perfect for me, that’s why I want you so damn bad. But when you say cute shit like that I can’t help but listen to you.” He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, releasing another irritated sigh.

“Only you can turn me into fucking sap, you know that?”

You buried yourself deeper against his body to ground yourself, hoping to hide how rattled you were. This was such a close call. He was more than ready to have his way with you whether you wanted to or not, and the whole time you were powerless to stop him.

So why was he being so sweet now?

Why did you feel so comforted in his arms?

You didn’t understand any of this.

“Can I go home?” You choked.

“Yeah, but I’m going to take you,” he remarked, sounding the slightest bit defeated, “Clean yourself up first. I’m sure your parents are already going to bitch at you for this, let’s try not to make it worse.”

You gave a curt nod, and he released you. Scooting from the bed, you wanted nothing more than to get home and get a scalding shower. Maybe if you scrubbed enough, you’d be able to forget the whole night ever happened. The rest of the messy situation could wait till later to sort out.

You had made it to your feet, but before you could take a step forward Taiju’s thick arm draped itself across your shoulder. You stilled, tension gripping your body. He hadn’t changed his mind about letting you go home, had he?

“You better start working on a convincing story now,” his voice was husky in your ear, dripping with barely concealed lust that was enough to reignite your panic. He brushed your hair to one side, placing a lingering open mouthed kiss in the dip of your neck. A shiver rocked you as his lips languidly sucked at your sensitive skin, intent on leaving one final mark.

“Tomorrow I’m not letting you leave. You’re staying the whole night with me.”

His hold was not so tight that you couldn’t pull away, yet you found yourself unable to move. One part of you was begging you to run, get out of this place and sprint down the street without looking back. Once you were in the safety of your own home, he couldn’t get you. Just like with the bullies of your childhood, once you passed the threshold of your house, you were invincible.

But a bigger, bitterer part of you laughed at that naivety. You understood now why Yuzuha had looked at you so forlornly. She knew better than anyone once you were in Taiju’s possession that there was no escaping.

“Yeah,” you were quick to wipe a tear from your eye, taking a steadying breath before you continued.

“I look forward to it.”

[444tsumu]

HAPPY 100 MARS!!!/&/&: AHHH! okay so i’d love a tier three if you didn’t mind! i wanted to know which 3 characters would smoke ouid and what you think smoking with them would be like? ily tysm!

▭ WHICH CHARACTERS SMOKE WEED?

includes matsukawa, hanamaki, suna

warnings drug use, explicit content, doing things under the influence, implied sexual content, slight nsfw.

authors note lol ik some people don’t like the whole “w*ed” and dr*g use hc but it’s all fiction and based on my own personal opinion (: i don’t mean to offend anyone lol i smoke too <3

This is a long one, beware <3 also it’s also my dream blunt rotation LMAO

                          𖥻 MATSUKAWA, ISSEI !

definitely the philosophical stoner

always has a question or an answer

depends on how much he’s smoked though

eyes get really red and he looks really hot

prefers backwoods over regular papers

always smoked regular papers though bc woods are bad for you (:

does that thing where they lick the paper and look at you at the same time

the hottest man smoking ever god please

always makes sure to have you sitting on his left so that he passes it to you first

loves smoking people out

doesn’t really care if you put in money or not

if issei is around, everyone is getting high

smokes makki’s unemployed ass out like everyday lmao

loves to hotbox

lights you up for the first time and tries to get you into another galaxy

“if you’re gonna get high, at least do it right”

definitely funny as fuck when he’s high

always definitely ready to fuck

very touchy when he’s high

will hold on to you for a long time and forget he’s doing it

but if you make him let go he genuinely feels the skin contact nearly rip off

calm down mattsun your possessiveness is showing

tries to explain all the different types to you but forgets mid sentence

literally cannot formulate a single structured thought

definitely leans in to make out with you more than once

loves shotgunning with you

already lazy but when he’s zooted he’s UNBEARABLE

he really does wanna fuck but ends up smoking too much with you because you played chicago and forgot

doesn’t really get hungry for food but munchies?

ate all of the snacks

has no remorse for his actions either

stares into the deep nothing for like 10 minutes

just to snap out of it and look around suspiciously

“do you guys hear that….?”

“…..no?”

“………..the paint is screaming at me?”

ok buddy don’t ruin this for everyone else

knows how to french & ghost inhale

has argued with makki many times over the earth being flat

doesn’t really think it’s flat

ends up believing it is after makki told him the world was actually dome shaped

has a grinder shaped like a dragon ball

not a peer pressuring kinda guy but thinks everyone should get high at least once

definitely gets iwa and oikawa to try

loves getting oikawa high cause he thinks the guy is fucking hilarious

laughs at everything

just a great guy, especially when he starts smoking

falls into a weed coma and doesn’t wake up for like 3 days though

treats it like it’s a regular hangover

definitely falls asleep with his entire body on top of you and no remorse for the weight

says “i’m fried” and isn’t embarrassed about it for whatever reason

he’s hot so no one judges him

                      𖥻 HANAMAKI, TAKAHIRO !

definitely a comedian when he’s high

always the funniest guy in the room

when him and mattsun are together though?

undefeated

him and issei both smoked for the first time together

after that though?

they became unstoppable

don’t get me started with after volleyball season ended

prefers bongs because he thinks he looks cooler lmao

everyone assumes makki is high but they don’t know he actually gets high

offers to smoke you out cause you’re hot lmao

makes fun of you when you cough

even though he still coughs

hates hotboxing because he can’t handle it

but refuses to pussy out so he’s always the first one to agree

in his own words

“my mother didn’t raise no bitch”

makki please

ideal smoking partner

is one of those people that fuck the passing rotation up because he refuses to pass it to anyone but you

secretly does it because he doesn’t want anyone else’s lips touching yours

prefers to smoke with just his close friends but doesn’t mind a session

doesn’t like shotgunning cause he starts thinking his breath smells bad

gives in anyways because he doesn’t want you doing it with anyone else

loves when you put your legs on him

the pressure gives him chills

makes jokes 24/7 because he likes hearing you laugh

can’t french inhale but mattsun taught him how to ghost inhale and he hasn’t stopped since

takes videos of himself cause he thinks he looks cool

realizes he looks like a fucking idiot but fuck it we ball

falls into a weed coma with his head on your lap and his phone unlocked and still on

does that thing where he lights it up with it in his mouth and looks really fucking hot while doing so

has a breaking bad rick & morty rolling tray and is really proud of it

gets really into music when he’s high

will sing along to all the songs while he’s packing the bong

as i repeat

looks hot while doing so

definitely a hungry high

orders food before you even get to ask

“makki, want some snacks?”

“oh nah it’s cool, i already ordered mcdonald’s”

“????? we just finished smoking????”

prefers smoking over drinking but will do both when he wants to go big or go home

eyes get really low

talks kinda slow but really deep and it’s fucking hot

laughs by throwing his head back and it’s really cute

gets cold when he’s high

it doesn’t matter the season

he gets fucking cold and it makes no sense

so he’ll need your body heat to warm himself up (;

                            𖥻 SUNA, RINTAROU !

a confused high

no doubt about it

this man never knows what the fuck is going on

ik everyone complains about the stoner!suna hc

but i think it’s fucking hot lmao

always has like 2 blunts rolled and on him at all times

is one of those people that will use any excuse to do it

“……(sighs) i’m gonna go take a smoke break.”

“suna we just got here??”

“exactly”

likes joints and edibles the best

not much of a hungry high or munchie high

but he hyperfixates on a certain food and will eat it until there is nothing left

ate an entire pack of gum in one sitting before

definitely watches cartoons the minute he starts to feel the buzz

rarely talks unless to pass it to you or make a single joke that has you about to pee yourself

he doesn’t say much but when he does?

the man leaves an impact

hates smoking with other people

doesn’t like when they fuck his blunt/joint up

hates smoking joints rolled by other people unless he watches them do it

always complains when you ask to smoke with him but secretly loves it

shotguns with you and acts like nothing just happened

hello sir how dare you make me fall inlove like that

forgets everything so don’t try to say anything important to him

zones out because he’s too busy imagining fucking

but then forgets about fucking and starts thinking about what’s on the tv

can’t hold a conversation but will go in-depth as to why spongebob squarepants was more than just a sponge

“no you need to listen to me, patrick star is much more than just his best friend—”

“….rin what the fuck are you talking about?”

“you’re asking me like i know? pass the blunt.”

definitely got into smoking in high school but didn’t actually do it like that until college

lies on his drug tests lmao

smokes after every win as a celebration and smokes after ever loss as a reliever

lmao seek help sir

definitely tries to get you to take your shirt off when he’s in the moment

swears it’s because he’s doing you a favor but really just loves how you look in his clothes when he’s high

doesn’t really know when to stop because he’s never greened out before

all his supplies is a simple shade of black

he’s a simple man

can do all the smoke tricks

but won’t do it in front of anyone cause he hates when people point it out

likes hotboxing because it gets him higher faster

is actually friends with the guy he gets weed from lmao

his perfect date with you was that one time you guys stood home and did nothing but smoke and watch family guy

tears up every time he thinks about it

has a picture of himself with two blunts in his mouth and his eyes really red and it’s really fucking hot

giggles even though he tries not to

uses pens when he can’t physically have weed on him

doesn’t really like it because the pen high makes him knock out after a few pulls

once rin falls into a weed coma???

don’t even think about trying to contact him cause that man might as well be dead

doesn’t wake up to save his own damn life

you can smack him and the most he’d do is probably groan and turn his head lmao

[ladykissingfish]

What do you think would be each Akatsuki's favorite musician/band?

That’s a goood question. I think:

Konan would say, if asked, that she likes everything. Wouldn’t give any kind of specifics. But secretly she’d be the biggest Adele stan on the planet. But before Adele came into her sights she had (and always will have) a special place in her heart for Amy Winehouse. That beautiful throaty voice has graced Konan’s ears more times than she can count over the past few years, and she considers “F*ck Me Pumps” to be her anthem.

Nagato I think would be very into classic rock, specifically 60’s and early 70’s genre. Led Zeppelin would be his favorite band of all time, and “Immigrant Song” never fails to pump him up/get his adrenaline running before he has to do something difficult.

Obito, it’s hard to say. I think he’s someone who’s favorite band would change based on his mood, and his mood changes quite frequently. Sometimes he’ll be into the poetic rapping style of artists like Nas or Common, other times he’s into soulful calmness like Erykah Badu, or various jazz artists. Could also see him as having gone through an emo music phase as a younger boy, and trying to emulate Gerard Way while lip-syncing “Welcome to the Black Parade” in front of a mirror.

Itachi bottles up so much that I can totally see him as a guy who only listens to music, and only to very specific songs or artists, when he wants to cry. Like Konan he’s a fan of Amy Winehouse and he’s cried into his pillow quite a few times over “Wake Up Alone.” Also the song “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac never fails to bring him to tears.

Kisame likes anything so long as it’s LOUD. If it has a booming base, he’s in. He especially likes the song “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons and can never listen to it just once.

Deidara very recently discovered 80’s “hair” bands and it’s become his new favorite thing. Guns and Roses become top tier for him after listening to the entirety of the Appetite For Destruction album, and “Welcome to the Jungle” is his song-at-the-top-of-his-lungs jam.

Sasori isn’t really into music so much as he is into “background noise”. If it’s something he can play that won’t interrupt his thought processes while working on his puppets, then he’s all for it. One song that he can listen to over and over again (and has, and does, frequently) is “Fly Like An Eagle” by The Steve Miller Band.

Kakuzu is another one that isn’t really into music, old or otherwise. He prefers the quiet sanctuary of his own thoughts, or, if he must listen to something, it’ll be one of those generic “Sounds of Nature” tapes that emulates wind and waves and thunderstorms.

Hidan is like Kisame in that he prefers loud, thought-drowning music. The others don’t understand how he can put on songs that are little more than people shouting, and fall asleep to them; but he does. But aside from the screaming and the loud, he’s a fan of what might be called “”angry” music. Eminem is by far his favorite artist, and the song “Cleaning Out My Closet” seems to strike a few personal chords with him. He never talks about his family or his past life, but judging by the intense way he sings the lyrics to this particular song, nobody really wants to ask him.

Zetsu likes what one might call “mellow” music; things that you can play that instantly relax you. Like Nagato, Zetsu seems partial to bands of the 60’s and 70’s, and one group he likes in particular is The Bee Gees. Everyone in the group has heard him at one point or another crooning out “Night Fever”, and he actually made Konan cry once when he was trying to cheer her up by ��seranading” her with his version of “How Deep Is Your Love”.

[natsubeatsrock]

Fairy Tail Opening Tier List

In addition to talking about Fairy Tail for seven years, I have two music degrees. I know what I'm talking about. Worst to best.

Bottom Tier

OVA Opening 3

Give me five? Sure. You get the fifth-lowest tier. Somehow might be one of the worst things about some of the worst episodes in the series.

Opening 2

Can you imagine going from Snow Fairy... to this? The shots of the Strongest Team throughout the OP are the only reason this isn't rock bottom.

Opening 13

Thank GOODNESS there was another opening before the first season ended. Could you imagine ending the season with this as your last OP?

Low Tier

Opening 17

This would have been higher if it didn't feel like a filler opening. Like, this could have been the OP for the rest of the season, except Zero, and no one would have figured anything was wrong.

Opening 11

I like the song just a bit more than the ones before it, but I'm not going out of my way to listen to this. At least it ties in with the arc it's part of?

Opening 12

Same as before, but a slightly better song.

Opening 25

This is the worst opening in the last season. A bit too much Gruvia/Nalu for my interpretation of the events. Nice touch adding the seeds, though.

Opening 19

When I first saw this, I thought this was a great OP. Then I saw Haikyuu and realized this song is a better opening for that show. We went from Break Out to this...

Opening 15

Well, there are worse ways to start a new season. The song is catchy, and the symbolism could be worse. I'll never understand why they added a connection to Future Natsu fighting dragons by himself in the anime and this opening.

Mid Tier

Opening 14

This might be a lower ranking than it deserves. If only we got more episodes of this opening. 

Opening 23

This would be higher if I didn't like another sync song better. I also don't love the part where characters are showing their skills off. Or that weird moment where the sign is clear.

Opening 5

Yeah, I almost forgot to add this one. We got introduced to Wendy a few episodes early. It does a good job of introducing the people who were part of the Nirvana mission. That's all I got, honestly.

Opening 1

Don't get me wrong. This is definitely a good song. It absolutely brings on the nostalgia. I just don't get the hype surrounding it. I was hyped when it came back during the last episode.

Opening 20

Another one that's soured on me. It's not bad, but there's definitely better from the same arc. Really wanted to like this one more.

Opening 26

I have a soft spot for Bish as a band. They make good songs and this isn't an exception. More than fitting for a send-off for this show. If only it had better visuals.

Opening 24

Sadly, this is the highest-ranked opening from the last season. I don't know if it's nostalgia or something else, but this crop of songs wasn't particularly pleasing to me. Way too many spoilers.

Opening 10

This is what Opening 15 wishes it was. A catchy song with cool visuals. If only it was as good as its corresponding ending.

Opening 6

This might have been higher if I cared more about this particular arc.

OVA Opening 1 

Natsu's VA singing a song gets extra points for me. That is all there is to this ranking.

High Tier

Opening 18

This is an amazing opening. Many people would definitely put it higher. Unfortunately, it's wasted on the mess that was the last few episodes of the anime before Sun Village. Really good for what it is.

Opening 21

This is almost the best Natsu & Gray opening in the series. I've fallen out of love with this one. It would be higher if I liked the full song, which is the case of all openings after this point.

Opening 8

This is my favorite song in this tier. I don't love the visuals of this opening as much as its counterpart. This song is part of the reason I got back into the anime after reading the manga.

Top Tier

Opening 4

This just misses the top 5 of my ranking. Easily has one of my favorite opening images in Mira's transformation. Almost the best early opening. This loses some points for spoiling events for the Fantasia arc during the Tower of Heaven episodes.

Opening 3

Do you know how fans are all nostalgic over the first opening? This is where I transfer those feelings. This is actually the best early opening. It also loses points for spoiling the events of an arc it's not supposed to be about.

Opening 7

A Nali shipper ranking this among their favorites? Shocking. This was the opening I first saw when I got back into the anime. If you look far back enough, you'll see my attempt to translate this opening and a visual edit of this opening with another song higher up.

OVA Opening 2

Gratsu fans, rejoice! THIS is the best Natsu & Gray opening. Not just because their VA's sing the opening. If you actually look at the lyrics, they're singing the song in character. If the visuals were better... I'd still feel weird putting an OVA opening as my favorite.

Opening 22

I'm ignoring the second version of this in my analysis. I know this might shock long-time followers. This is the only opening I've warmed up to over the years. I was always a fan of the instrumentals for this. The visuals for this contain many clever references to the ZERO manga.

Opening 16

The best blend of visuals and music in the series anime. This starts with my favorite visual in an FT opening: the clock hand twitching for Last Ages. I say that even though I don't like Last Ages at all. I could knock this OP for carrying over to episodes after the Grand Magic Games, but they're the fallout of that arc.

See you in about half in an hour!

[marlynnofmany]

Accidentally Human — Chapter 2

Now we see the dragon’s point of view, and oh boy is he fun to write. 

In other news, my new description for this story involves the phrase “Off To Beat The Wizard.”  (That and humans-are-weird in fantasyland.)

The first chapter is here The next chapter is here And the latest is already up on Patreon!  (High tiers get to vote on where each chapter goes, and I am loving the adventure.)

~~~

Chapter 2 2027 words

Razorscale strode along in a fine fit of pique. Human form was disagreeable enough at the best of times, and this did not qualify. He’d hoped to never again need to be this sense-blind, with eyes that couldn’t see far, ears that couldn’t pick up the lowest tones, and a tongue that couldn’t taste the air. The nose was useless. Everything about this form was unpleasant, including the dirty beige color in place of his vibrant blue scales. Unpleasant, and involuntary. Someone was going to pay.

He went over his options as he walked, glad that he’d thought to send the apprentice for the old bag of trainer charms. It had been with the festival supplies since the previous year; neither of them had touched it since the youth’s talent outgrew the need.

Quite a prodigy, that apprentice. They would be old enough to announce a name and a gender soon. Razorscale was quite proud. It was all down to his schooling, of course.

And it was his own magic that had made the trainer charms he now carried — his only access to magic at the moment. A selection of the more expensive charms that they had been selling would have been more useful, but those were packed away and would have taken too long to reach. This was better than nothing. But it rankled.

The conversation behind him broke into his thoughts.

“Why are you taking this so hard?” That was the pixie’s voice. “A lot of people have two legs, you know.”

“Imagine if you woke up with your body below the armpits gone,” replied the centaur testily. “And everyone expects you to waddle around on your hands. No amount of ‘Oh, this is a normal shape’ will keep it from being monstrously wrong.”

“Fair enough.” The pixie was silent for the barest moment. “But isn’t this interesting? Stomp, back me up here. Don’t you just want to soak up every detail about what this is like?”

“Not really,” said the minotaur, to which Razorscale huffed a laugh. “I can’t hear or smell much at all, and I can only see in front of me. Plus when I talk, I have to be careful not to bite my tongue. I’m not used to having top teeth in the front.”

“Whaaat, really?” The pixie clamored for confirmation.

At least the centaur had already known that basic fact, and the harpy remained silent. Razorscale shook his head and refused to engage with the inanity. The dryads leading the way hadn’t given any signs, but surely they would reach the destination soon. This was far from the festival grounds.

As he thought it, they rounded a bend in the forest, and Razorscale’s (weak, human) eyes caught sight of something out of place on the wooden path. A ring of poles jutted upward to nearly tree height, leaving space between them for nothing larger than a cat to escape. Four dryads waited outside. Two humans sulked inside. Their handcart of wares stood out of reach beyond.

As Razorscale drew near enough to get a better look, he got the first hint that this wouldn’t be simple. The humans weren’t magic-users. They could surely activate the kind of charms that anyone could operate, but they didn’t have the glowing blue lines that developed on the skin of every human who handled magic long-term. Humans weren’t natural magicians, like Razorscale’s own race was, and it marked them by the time they became skilled. It had taken great skill to craft the spell that had stolen Razorscale’s shape. Skill that these two clearly did not have.

The dryads on escort duty took up a position next to the four playing guard. These four all wore mistletoe tufts like clouds of hair, though they were otherwise unremarkable. Youths, then. Old enough to be trusted with detaining prisoners, but young and rebellious enough to wear a parasitic plant on their heads. Maybe they were wrong about the culprits.

No such luck.

“You five,” announced one of the older dryads, “Have a quarrel with you two, as a result of the spell that you two activated during the recent performance.”

“It affected five people?” exclaimed the scrawny human, who was dressed like a barely-respectable gutter dweller. “Not one? I’m out.” He clutched at a necklace through his shirt, which snapped with a green flash that launched him upwards.

Right into the wooden roof that was growing into place over his head. He tumbled to the floor in a heap of swearing and failure.

His stocky partner kicked him in the ribs. “I told you we should have left sooner!” he hissed.

A similar wooden cage flung itself into place around Razorscale and the other temporary humans, then the wall between the two sank away. Razorscale didn’t need the dryads to tell him that now was the time for settling grudges.

“Reverse the spell,” he demanded, strolling forward. “Or I will eat you. The small teeth will just make it take longer.”

The one on the floor panicked, scooting backward and searching his pockets while the other one pleaded for mercy.

“We can’t!” he said. “It’s not our spell!”

“Then whose is it?” Razorscale asked. He didn’t break eye contact while reaching into the bag of charms. When answers weren’t forthcoming, he activated a minor self-defense charm. The bag shielded his hand from view, which meant the two idiot humans didn’t see the blue stripes that flashed up his own arm: the sign of someone far more capable than they, even in this form. It might have warned them.

As it was, they suffered a swarm of invisible bee stings that was surely as alarming as it was painful.

“Tell me who,” Razorscale said.

Instead of answering, they yelled and swatted at nothing, and the small one found the pocket he’d been looking for.

A blast of fire (of all things!) lit up the wooden cage. Razorscale bared his teeth and fingered a different charm, stopping that insult before it had done more than singe the bars. “YOU DARE?”

At this point the dryads apparently made a decision about the direction this was going, because the wooden poles snapped into wooden planks, turning the cage into a box. Only narrow slits of light filtered in from above.

The floor tilted slightly. Then the box started to move, with only the barest of slow starts out of courtesy.

Razorscale kept his feet. Several thuds sounded behind him. The human who’d been standing stayed that way, though leaning against the wall, eyes wide in the darkness. The other one was breathing a steady string of swear words.

One more charm, and the pair of them were immobilized by glowing blue bands. Razorscale held up the active charm, letting them see the matching blue lines that ran up his arm to disappear into his sleeve. The whole box was lit with the powerful blue light.

“Don’t make me repeat myself again,” he said. “Whose magic is it?”

They told him before the box stopped moving.

* * * * *

“We trust your business is concluded?” asked a dryad through the bars. Now that the box had reverted to a cage, it was clear that the group had been ferried to the farthest edge of the dryads’ forest. The four youths with the mistletoe hair awaited Razorscale’s response.

“As much as it can be with these lowlifes,” he said, glaring at the humans. They were groveling while the rest of the group let Razorscale handle it.

“Please don’t leave us like this,” pleaded the more reasonable of the two, trying to scrub garish colors from his skin. “We didn’t know. We thought it was a personal squabble between Dergaw and somebody he used to date.”

Razorscale looked over his shoulder. “Any of you ever date a human?” At the expected round of vigorous no’s, he glared at the culprit. “Be grateful. I might still decide to eat you after all.”

The human subsided, though the other complained. Apparently the humiliation charm had produced colors that were just as distasteful to his sensibilities as to Razorscale’s own. Good. They both looked like they were afflicted with some magical disease that had left them in shades of purple-to-orange, with concentric circles of pink and green. The sickly white around the eyes and mouth was a nice touch.

“Seriously, how long does this last?” the panicky human asked.

“Find me at next year’s festival,” Razorscale told him. “We’ll see if I feel charitable or hungry.” With that he stepped away and waved a hand, a gesture that the dryads interpreted correctly. The box reformed around the two cursed humans, and ferried them away. Razorscale assumed that they would be reunited with their cart and left at the side of the forest that they had entered from, but he didn’t bother to ask.

When the containment fell away, a setting sun lit the forest’s edge in harsh light. Much time had been wasted. This seemed to occur to the others at the same time, as they all squinted and winced.

“I’ll never make it back to the herd tonight,” the centaur moaned. “And I’m not even the right shape yet!”

The minotaur and pixie voiced similar complaints about the delay to their travel plans. The harpy just looked into the sunset.

“We will transport you to rejoin your companions,” offered one of the two dryads who remained, but Razorscale interrupted her.

“No point,” he said. “If we want to reverse this spell, all five of us will need to be present. I read that much of it before the casting dissipated. Five donors, five recipients. We need to track these egg-eaters down now.”

“Can’t we go back for supplies?” the centaur demanded. “For friends?”

“Waste of time,” Razorscale said. “The man who gave those fools the casting token will be expecting them back soon for their final payment. He may flee if he suspects pursuit.”

“And how are we supposed to get there in a hurry?” the centaur insisted. “Those guys said he’s in a human city. That’s not close. It will hardly make a difference if we take a few minutes to go back.”

The minotaur spoke up with some hesitation. “Are you thinking we’ll walk all night? I don’t think I’m up for that.”

“Fine,” Razorscale snapped. “I’ll go alone to meet their contact, then come back for the rest of you. Just stay together.”

“How are you going to—?”

Razorscale held out a hand, palm up. “My carpet, please.”

The centaur moaned about it, but got off to stand on wobbly feet with the minotaur’s assistance. The pixie hopped down too. Razorscale said the command word, and the carpet came to him like a tame pet.

“Wait, are we supposed to stay right here?” the centaur asked.

A dryad broke in. “Camping in the forest is not permitted, though you are welcome to overnight in the grasslands, as long as you do not set any fires.”

Renewed complaining had Razorscale baring his teeth again. An unexpected voice spoke up.

“Just come to my place,” said the harpy. “It’s right over the hill. There’ll be space for you to sleep somewhere, and he can find us when he gets back.”

“What about our friends?” the centaur asked.

The dryad said, “We will relay the message for you that all parties should convene at the harpy village. You may begin your journey now. Farewell! We bid you good luck on your endeavors, and hope to see you next year.”

Before anyone could reply to that, the two dryads merged with nearby trees, leaving their mistletoe puffs on branches as the only sign that they had been there.

“Fine,” Razorscale said. “Yes, good; done. I will meet you at the village. Do not stray from it.” With that, he settled onto the flying carpet and urged it toward the sky.

Behind him, one human shape limped along with help from two others, guided by a third.

Ahead of him, a true human had no idea what was coming.

Razorscale showed his teeth to the wind, and imagined he was flying.

~~~~

The next chapter is here, and the latest one is up on Patreon.  The patrons have voted to make Chapter 3 from the harpy’s point of view.

[sol-rising]

— dramione fanfic recommendations bc i don’t have a life;

[CHERRY] No one asked for this but I don’t have a life and I read a lot so.... why not? Majority of these are either on AO3 or FFN. 

— ONESHOTS; 

Best Shot by AccioMjolnir [Mature, 24k words]

Summary: It's eighth year and Hermione is trying to navigate her post-war friendship with Draco Malfoy and a relationship with Ron Weasley when she gets an unexpected visit from someone who knows her better than anyone: herself. Thrown back from the future, an older Hermione drops a bombshell on her: she has only three days to set things right, or Draco dies.

Amateur Cartography by worksofstone [Teen & Up Audiences, 21k words]

Summary: That one-night stand with Draco Malfoy was a mistake. Hermione doesn't make mistakes, or at least she isn't supposed to. She's working hard at her Ministry career, however frustrating and pointless her job may be, and she's also got to live up to everyone's expectations as Hogwarts's most famous Muggle-born and a top-tier War Hero. So, why is she still sleeping with Draco Malfoy, ex-Death Eater and infamous pureblood? And why isn't she certain that she wants to stop?

A Muggle-born Magic by Musyc [Mature, 50k words]

Summary: Regency-era AU. Physician's daughter Hermione Granger finds herself in need of a way to pay off her father's debts after his death. Draco Malfoy, retired from the politics of the Isolationists, a group of pure-bloods bent on separating 'true' magic from lesser folk, finds himself in need of a tutor for his son, Scorpius, who appears to be incapable of magic and must learn to survive in a world without it. Draco also needs a wife and mother for Scorpius, to satisfy a promise to his unwell father. After she saves his son from an attack by Isolationists, Draco hires the Muggle-born Miss Granger for the former, and after a riot in Vauxhall Gardens and a scandalous discovery made by his mother, weds that selfsame Muggle-born for the latter. While making the best of her marriage of (in)convenience, Hermione discovers that Scorpius' history of wild imaginings and dreams is more than just imagination. As she attempts to teach him about magical abilities no one expected he would ever have, she and Draco work together to raise Scorpius and learn to trust each other.

Ice by senlinyu [Teen & Up Audiences, 5.1k words]

Summary: Hermione works in Gringotts’ Records Department when Draco Malfoy comes on staff as a curse-breaker. His icy presence drags up memories she’s desperate to move on from and forget. She tries to ignore him, but every time she sees him, she feels chilled to the bone. DHr Advent 2018.

Fallin' (Adrenaline) by LeilahMoon [Teen & Up Audiences, 4.5k words]

Summary: When Professor McGonagall encourages all Hogwarts students to participate in a mentor scheme designed to promote inter-House unity, Hermione Granger is thrilled; she can’t wait to embrace the opportunity for further education. Unfortunately, she's not able to choose who she is allocated to and, when her mentor turns out to be Draco Malfoy, she’s certain she won’t learn anything at all.  

The Two Sided Triangle by Canttouchthis [Teen & Up Audiences, 5.2k words] 

Summary: In which Daily Prophet reporter Hermione Granger inadvertently becomes a superhero and her partner, the intrepid Draco Malfoy finds himself smitten. In other words, a Dramione inspired by Superman and Lois Lane.

Now Is A Gift by senlinyu [Teen & Up Audiences, 5k words]

Summary: Hermione is determined to give meaningful Christmas gifts to everyone in her Ministry department.

Everyone.

Even that anti-social arse Malfoy.

DHr Advent 2019.

riddle me this by megamegaturtle [General Audiences, 8k words]

Summary: Their fingers touch when Draco hands her the paper and Hermione's heart almost jumps out of her chest.

The note reads: How do you spell ‘cute boy’ with only two letters? -Riddle Me This

Hermione finds herself grinning. “Cutie. Q-T. That’s the answer to the riddle. You’re a cutie, Malfoy.”

[the one where someone leaves Draco Malfoy riddles to solve from the local coffee shop's community board and he enlists Hermione Granger for help.]

(Written for 2020 DFW Trope Fest: Double Trouble)

Library Rendezvous by WickedlyAwesomeMe [Fiction T, 2.9k words]

Summary: Hermes Granger just wanted to finish his homework in peace but of course, she always had to ruin his plans. Male!Hermione Granger/Female!Draco Malfoy. Genderbender

Relentless (Hogwarts Era Series) by realjane (Series of Connected Oneshots)

Height by senlinyu [Explicit, 8.7k words]

Summary: “Tall? That’s what you think I should notice about Malfoy? His height?”

Ginny quirked an eyebrow and licked the tip of her quill suggestively. ”Well, isn’t that your thing? Lockhart. Krum. McLaggen. Ron. The only thing they have in common is being tall enough to give me a neck ache.

”Hermione felt her ears grow hot, and she gripped her book tighter. “I don’t have a thing for tall men. Their height is—completely coincidental.”

Dramione Height Differences Minifest 2020.

Diamond Heart by artemisgirl [Fiction T, 8k words]

Summary: When Hermione approaches Draco Malfoy proposing a fake relationship between the two of them as part of a scheme, he's eager enough to participate - the potential benefits outweigh any costs on his time. But as it all progresses, Draco finds himself wondering what it would be like if what was 'fake' was real.

The Spring’s Chosen by artemisgirl [Fiction T, 5.5k words]

Summary: A golden unicorn appearing on the Malfoy grounds sends the Manor into a flurry of activity, to the confusion of one Draco Malfoy. It's just a unicorn that happens to be gold - isn't it? DMHG  

Courting Customs Most Sacred by HeyJude19 [Twoshot, Mature, 15k words]

Summary: Published in 1862 by Lady Apollonia Nott, Courting Customs Most Sacred is the comprehensive text for any pureblood family seeking to arrange suitable matches for their children. It’s also patently ridiculous and not at all appropriate for the modern era of dating. It is certainly not how one should woo Hermione Granger, at any rate.

— ON-GOING/WIPs;

Come Let Us Adore Him by thiscitychickk [Not Rated]

Summary: Hermione Granger scoured the subreddits, perused the checklists, and read virtually everything possible on how to be an all star Congressional intern and staffer. She had her job responsibilities well in hand, but instructions on how to handle the attention of an upstart Congressman Draco Malfoy were nowhere to be found. US politics AU: Congressional staffer Hermione, Congressman Draco

and with you, i fall by passionesque [Mature]

Summary: With Narcissa Malfoy striking a deal for her family — protection for information, the last thing anyone wants is Draco Malfoy seeking refuge within the heart of the Order. 

It would’ve been easy, Hermione thinks. So easy for her to hex him back to Voldemort’s clutches for all that he’s said and done, but being the bleeding soft-hearted Gryffindor she is, she doesn't.

* * * * *

“You should hate me,” he murmurs, flicking his gaze to her from beneath his lashes. 

She should, Hermione knows this. She really ought to hate him, but the memory of the haunted look in his eyes and the hoarse screams of his nightmares echoes through her mind and eases the storm in her heart.

She doesn’t. She can’t.

“You’re right,” Hermione says soberly. “I should. But I don’t.”

Post HBP. Canon-Divergent. HG/DM.

Love In A Time Of the Zombie Apocalypse by andgladly [Mature]

Summary: After Voldemort, there was this. The clock is ticking to create a cure to the unimaginable horror that currently grips the world. Hermione finds herself unwillingly allied with the most hated man in Wizarding Britain.

The Alkahest by Shadukiam [Mature]

Summary: The Marriage Law, once enacted, has the power to destroy Hermione's perfectly normal life. Luckily, she and Ron are already planning to obey the horrific law together as a team... Until a Malfoy-shaped wrench gets thrown into the works. Dramione.

In the Arms of Her Dragon by Wolf Blossom [Mature]

Summary: A random act of kindness (the life-or-death kind) draws together Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger in a way that nobody saw coming. The duo, in fact, did not want anybody learn the secret of their relationship, but their hope was in vain. All of Hogwarts, nay, England suddenly knew about their union. "Nobody said this would be easy, bookworm." Malfoy drawled. "Shut. Up. Malfoy."

Time Twisters by themirrorminder.372259 [Fiction T]

Summary: Narcissa ignores the sharp smile her little brother wears after Bella's funeral, in the same way that Lily ignores the ravenous gaze her little sister aims towards Knockturn Alley. However, Albus Dumbledore cannot ignore the ominous friendship between Draco Black and Hermione Evans, not when he hears blood dripping from their joined hands. {TimeTravel} {DRAMIONE} {Marauder's Era}

Beautiful Incongruence by charlie_weasleys_gf [Teen & Up Audiences]

Summary: “You are not an easy person to talk to, Granger.”

“Well, you haven’t made the prospect of talking to you sound very exciting."

Hermione Granger was ready for her third year at Hogwarts-that was, until it was interrupted by time turners and apologising assholes.

In which Draco Malfoy apologises (a lot).

How to Move On by longdistance [Mature] 

Summary: It's been nearly a decade since the war. A long time since she locked herself away. A long time since he faced his mistakes. She's what he wants. He's what she needs. It's time for both of them to figure out how to move on.

Through the eyes of blind love by Mixilip1 [Mature]

Summary: Torn between the heart and love of two souls thou shall find theeself. Post-war.

Following the war, Hermione finds herself not-so-happily dating Ron, but it seems she can't keep herself away from a certain blonde Slytherin who's determined to finally make her his witch. After hearing a prophecy about her future, she thinks her life might change for good, but what she doesn't know is that the prophecy also included a veela in it.

"Granger, don't be nervous. Just look at me and let go." He said, grabbing her chin, and her brown eyes met his.This is a story about love triangles and veelas. Veela AU

flesh and blood by forbiddenquill [Teen & Up Audiences]

Summary: Scorpius breaks his father’s Time-Turner and ends up getting transported into the year 1998, when the Second Wizarding World War has already ended and where Draco Malfoy is still trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered world.

With Scorpius’ arrival comes shocking revelations, burning questions, and a son’s image of a father Draco is sure he’ll never be able to live up to.

More importantly, it’s Scorpius’s bright brown eyes, so unlike his own, that bug Draco the most.

[alternatively, a multi-chapter fic where eight-year-old Scorpius follows Draco around the castle and tries to discover the secret identity of his mother]

The Other Side by sweetsolitude [Teen & Up Audiences]

Summary: A slow-burn Dramione version of 6th year, The Half-Blood Prince, told from the perspectives of Draco, Hermione, and Theo. No smut, no character bashing. Attempted to stay TTC and the general plot progression of HBP. Primary ship is Draco/Hermione. This fic is already completed at around 150k, will post chapters regularly.

The Hidden Duchess by Moxified [Fiction K]

Summary:  She had always been given everything she wanted ever since she was a child, spoiled to the very bone. Her life consisted of a strict regimen built for a princess that was followed to a tee - even after she came to Hogwarts. Leading two lives is stressful for anyone, especially a young lady with an equally young man curious enough to discover what secrets she was hiding.

An Unexpected Malfoy by RiverWriter [Mature]

Summary: Once upon a time Hermione Granger literally ran into Draco Malfoy in a bookshop. His mother sees a connection between her son and the muggleborn that she can't ignore and determines to get to know the girl. An imagining of how things could have gone if Hermione had been taken under the wing of the Malfoy family.

In Another Life by marana1 [Fiction M]

Summary: She walked over to the huge, full-length mirror. Staring back was her eleven-year-old self but with long, beautiful, silky platinum blonde hair and pale skin. Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, the reality of the situation sinking in. The fairy hadn't just made them switch places for a day... she sent them back in time and switched their lives. DM X HG. EWE. Slow burn.

Hermione's pianist by softblakegriffin, va_lentina [Mature]

Summary: Draco Malfoy was destined to play music since birth. A small prodigy in a family of long-standing musicians, he’s well on his way to become the best pianist of his generation. A month in Rome with his friends is the perfect way to leave the pressure and social obligations behind and relax, immersed in the eternal beauty and soul-stirring art.

Hermione Granger’s road to music wasn’t straightforward. She didn’t attend the Conservatory, everything she knows is the result of sacrifices, and she’s still searching for the perfect opportunity to make music her job. It’s her dream and she thinks Rome, with its breathtaking views and magical atmosphere, is the place where she wants to try and fulfill it.

He’s in Rome to enjoy a short reprieve from London, before going back home.

She escaped London and is in Rome to stay.

Will music and the treacherous city disrupt their plans?

Crimes of Passion by All3Unforgivables [Mature]

Summary: Draco Malfoy lost his family, his dignity, and his humanity during the Dark Lord's rise to power. The only thing he couldn't stand to lose was something that was never his to take. With no one left to mourn him, his disappearance goes unexplored. But angels like Hermione Granger do not go missing without notice. D/H OOC, AU. Very mature themes.

Nightcrawlers by malf0y101 [Explicit]

Summary: Returning to Hogwarts for her eighth year, Hermione Granger is depressed, resentful, and suicidal. That is, until Draco Malfoy presents an enticing offer to keep her alive. Soon after, the two embark on a torture spree of students, professors, and acquaintances while simultaneously engaging in a clandestine and dirty relationship. How long can they keep their game up?

What crawls in the night stays in the night.

Poet. by OneEqualTemper [Mature]

Summary: “Uh...Malfoy? Did you knock your pretty head into a wall this morning?” Ginny questions and slides into her spot next to Hermione.

Hermione gives her a quick glare, her eyes begging her to just leave it alone. Ginny ignores Hermione’s look and waits for Malfoy to answer. Malfoy does his best to ignore the red-headed Witch.

“Hello? Anyone in there?” Ginny questions and waves her hand in front of him.

Hermione grabs the Witch’s hand and pulls it down to the table, “He can sit here if he wants.”

Ginny scoffs but keeps her hand down on the table, “What’s wrong with his own table?”

“Ginny, stop,” Hermione hisses at her friend. “We’re friends. He can come and sit here anytime he wants.”

— COMPLETED;

Hindsight by floorcoaster [Teen & Up Audiences, 12 Chapters, 170k]

Summary: It's a New Year and Hermione decides it's time to make some changes.

Between the Devil and Draco Malfoy by QueenOfSmokeAndMirrors [Mature, 13 Chapters, 34k]

Summary: Seventeen is a dangerous age. Hermione Granger, arrogant and precocious and bored of her mundane life, thinks she can handle a deal with the devil. But Draco Malfoy - the devil's own son - plans on dragging her down to Hell with him. Dramione AU with demons.

Good Luck Kisses by Musyc [Teen & Up Audiences, 8 Chapters, 8.4k]

Summary: A good luck kiss for a Quidditch captain - it's ridiculous. It can't actually work.

But it does.

Every time.

Traditions by raven_maiden [Explicit, 14 Chapters, 69k]

Summary: She straddled him slowly, still biting her lip, her hands on his shoulders. He held her hips tightly as he stared up at her.

“So beautiful,” he whispered, and she flushed prettily, like she always did from his compliments. “You never need to hide from me.”

**

Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy fell in love during the war. One year later, they're heading home for the holidays so he can finally meet her parents. There's just one teeny little problem: her parents think they're both Muggles.

Fortuitous by MrsRen [Mature, 13 Chapters, 93k]

Summary: Recently divorced Draco doesn't believe in the ideology of having one true love. He certainly doesn't expect to meet his match in a Halloween themed coffee shop, but fate has a peculiar way of giving you just what you need.

Manacled by senlinyu [Explicit, 77 Chapters, 370k]

Summary: Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret, lost but hidden in her mind, so she is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve until her mind can be cracked.

Wait and Hope by mightbewriting [Mature, 12 Chapters, 95k]

Summary: “Harry,” Hermione began, voice very controlled, but she could feel the blade of panic slicing at her vocal cords. “Why was Draco Malfoy just screaming bloody murder about his,” and the word almost strangled her as she said it, “wife?”

Harry's green eyes blew wide. Healer Lucas pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly displeased with the recent series of events.

“He was referring to you, my dear,” she said. “That was the other question you got wrong. Your name is Hermione Jean Granger-Malfoy.”

Hermione had to be sedated again.

Beginning and End by mightbewriting [Explicit, 48 Chapters, 242k]

Summary: Years. Broken into months into weeks into days—into hours, minutes, seconds—into moments. Simple at one end, complex at the other. In Draco’s experience, moments, even when simple, had a habit of becoming irretrievable. Moments grew, stretched, multiplied into ages and eras that defined whole stretches of measurable time. Draco regretted several moments in his life, some within his control, some without: all of them irretrievable in nature. At a certain point, wedged between ‘what-ifs’ of his own devising, he’d stopped trying to keep track of those regrettable moments: now and then, pushing and pulling, coming and going, beginning and end. Moments were only moments for just as long. After that, he had no control.

A Draco POV prequel to Wait and Hope.

Through the Years by WickedlyAwesomeMe [Fiction T, 11 Chapters, 93k]

Summary: Hermes Granger fervently believed that Malfoy's sole purpose in life was to make his life a living hell. Genderswap Dramione! Male!Hermione Granger/Female!Draco Malfoy. Companion piece to "Library Rendezvous".

Apple Pies and Other Amends by ToEatAPeach [Mature, 29 Chapters, 77k]

Summary: It’s not until she’s brought a basil and strawberry sponge cake to Neville Longbottom and his new girlfriend, Hannah Abbott, a dozen rhubarb hand-pies to Luna and Xenophilius Lovegood, and another basket of ganache-covered muffins to Dean and Seamus, that Hermione admits to herself what she’s actually doing: she’s making a thing of this. It’s a veritable PTSD tour. With pastries. And hand-skimmed clotted cream. And she has no idea why she’s doing it, but it’s becoming very apparent that she is.

Sometimes you're sad. Sometimes you need dessert. And sometimes, it's a little of both.

Arrogance and Ignorance by AnneM.Oliver [Fiction T, 38 Chapters, 140k]

Summary: A romance set in the era of Jane Austen novels, this is the story of a woman and a man. The man thinks he is better than all others, & the woman knows she is smarter. Their differences aside, they have one thing in common, both are smitten with the other.

The Babysitter by WickedlyAwesomeMe [Teen & Up Audiences, 29 Chapters, 145k]

Summary: It was a dark and stormy Sunday night when Hermione Granger unexpectedly visited his house and entrusted him with her daughter, Rose. Disaster ensues.

Slow burn Dramione with a sprinkle of cute, cute Rose!

The Best of Me by MrsRen [Mature, 21 Chapters, 82k]

Summary: Officially, Hermione Granger was killed in action during the Battle of Hogwarts. Unofficially, Draco Malfoy has never stopped searching for her. Years after the war during a mission in France, his salvation comes in the form of a little blond boy and a familiar half-Kneazle.

Chronos Historia by In_Dreams [Mature, 27 Chapters, 98k]

Summary: Hermione and Draco stumble upon a mysterious portal and find themselves hurtled back through time a thousand years. Forced to team up to find a way home, they quickly realize that much of the history they believed to be fact, wasn't true after all. A founders era, time travel Dramione.

Presque Toujours Pur by ShayaLonnie [Fiction M, 38 Chapters, 174k]

Summary: Bellatrix's torture of Hermione uncovers a long-kept secret. The young witch learns her true origins in a story that shows the beginning and end of the Wizarding wars as Hermione learns about her biological father and the blood magic he dabbled in that will control her future.

omnia vincit amor by SyrenGrey [Explicit, 40 Chapters, 187k]

Summary: Dark days are here at Hogwarts, and the darkest cloud of all is hanging over Draco Malfoy's head. Already burdened with the impossible task of murdering the Headmaster, life becomes more complex when an elusive prophecy entangles him with a bushy-haired enemy, and a steamy forbidden romance unfolds. Sixth Year. Rated E for sexual content and violence.

Rose by longdistance [Mature, 5 Chapters, 20k]

Summary: A short tale of what happens after Hermione and Draco wake up with each other after a drunken night together. Alcohol often has consequences which they soon learn.

[smokeybrandreviews]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Super Green

The Green Knight s finally out and i can see it without having to wait a month and a half! I thank A24 for this rather quick turnaround because this thing has been on my radar fr what seems like forever! I’ve written about this before but A24 is my favorite studio releasing content. Neon is a close second and Netflix is making a real charge, but A24 releases classics. Some of my all-time favorite films are A24 products. Ex Machina, Hereditary, Under the Skin, The VVitch, Uncut Gems, Zola, Midsommar, Lady Bird, Eighth Grade, The Lighthouse, High Life, The Monster, Enemy, Climax, Room, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Disaster Artist, and Under the Silver Lake have all impressed in one for or another, all of them A24 offerings. This studio is f*cking amazing and i cannot sing it’s praises enough. They’ve been around for less than a decade, A24 was founded in August of 2012, and they’re brought this level of quality consistently. The Green Knight has all of the workings to slide right into my all-time list, just like Ex Machina and Hereditary did before it. Let’s see if i really love it as much as i think i will.

The Exceptional

The first thing that hits you is how f*cking gorgeous this film is. Seriously, i was immediately captivated by that opening scene with Gawain rushing for Mass. It definitely opens up as the film progresses and you are treated to one of the most visually striking films of the year. This movie could give Denis Villeneuve, Ari Aster, or Robert Eggers a run for their money. Seriously, you can frame several shots in a museum and no one would know the difference between that and the Van Gophs on display.

I r0aely mention this but it’s absolutely necessary that i do in this particular review because it was just that memorable. The sound design made this film. I’m not talking about music choice or score, but the actual sound effects for specific scenes. That sh*t was some of the tightest I've ever hear on a film and it really added to the overall experience. Just the way the Green Knight creaked and popped as he moved was more than enough to get this mention but there is so much  ore than just that. I hate that i had to see this at home because, f*ck, this thing would have sounded like god in a proper theater.

I mentioned that you can frame these shots in a museum before and a lot of that shine belongs to the cinematography. The shots chosen for this film are breathtaking. I imagine a lot of that has to do with location but even the scenes filmed in dank castles and murky bogs popped with that same, meticulous, shot composition and it really gave those scenes life. The were ties when my jaw dropped at the majesty of a scene. The one with the giants immediately comes to mind. Like, f*ck, was that beautiful to witness.

In that same breath, you have to know when to pull back. Editing is just as important to a film as anything else and The Green Knight is cut with a precision I've rarely seen. This thing has no fat whatsoever. It presents to you exactly what you need and little else. I love that. I love that this film has a story to tell and it tells it with extreme prejudice. These cuts were made with intent. That’s rare nowadays.

I also have to give a nod to the use of color and lighting. Again, it’s not something i ever really focus on but goddamn is it necessary for this review. Light plays a very important role in how this story was told. Certain scenes absolutely need it and others are perfectly accentuated by it. It takes a deft hand to juggle such a nuanced aspect of film and The Green Knight has done that the best this year. So far.

This film has a very real, very potent, atmosphere. It’s not tension, not like Uncut Gems of Good Times, but there is this unrelenting sense of dread that runs through this entire film. It’s measured and restrained but it’s always there. I appreciate that. For a film to illicit such emotion out of me is testament to the mastery of it’s visionary.

All of the praise I've given to the technical aspects of this film would be for naught if i didn’t recognize the director, David Lowery. This dude is fast climbing the list of my favorite directors. I actually listed  bunch above but, after seeing what he’s gone with this film, dude is really making a case for himself. He did the Pete’s Dragon remake which i hear as pretty good, and A Ghost Story but i haven’t seen either. Not really my cup of tea. But if they’re as good as The Green Knight, i might have to revisit that thought because, holy sh*t, this dude can direct the f*ck out of a film.

The writing is on point. I legit hesitated to put this on here because it is the weakest aspect of  everything else in this film but that is misleading. The writing is exceptional. There is no way this film could be as good as it is, if the script was dog sh*t. The material given to these performers had to the top tier in order for them to give the performances they did and and they definitely f*cking did that!

This whole cast really f*cking delivered. Sarita Choudhury as Mother and Sean Harris as the King were easily the best of the supporting cast but everyone else brought that same energy. Joel Edgerton, Kate Dickie, and  Barry Keoghan, all deliver powerful performances. Hell, this is the best I've ever seen Erin Kellyman act and i have to give a lot of credit to the overall quality of this cast delivered. That said, there are three individuals who put everyone else to shame and i say that knowing exactly how much praise i just heaped upon them all.

Alicia Vikander comes in and delivers on two roles, Essel and the Lady. This isn’t surprising at all because she always delivers. I’m never disappointed by her performances. Admittedly, i haven’t seen many but that’s because she is very particular about the characters she signs on to portray. That said, it’s weird the two performances she’s done that immediately jump out to me, are both with A24 films. Her Eva in Ex Machina, and that film in general, is what made me even take notice of both her and A24 as a studio. Here we are, seven years later, and she’s still blowing my mind. F*cking exceptional.

Ralph Ineson is almost unrecognizable in the Green Knight make-up but the second he opens his mouth, you immediately recognize that gravitas. There is a weight to this character and you f*cking feel it with every move Ineson makes. Dude isn’t in it much but the scenes he does appear in are absolutely stolen by this big, green, maestro of his craft.

More than anyone, this is Dev Patel’s film. This dude is a great actor but it’s rare someone gets a part where they can really bite into the content but that is not the case with this role. No, sir, this sh*t was tailor made for Patel and he definitely digs right the f*ck in. His Sir Gawain is just as good as his Jamal Malik from Slumdog, if not better. Seriously, this film would be nothing without Patel. As outstanding as every other aspect that i gushed about in this brilliant goddamn film, the very best is Dev Patel’s performance. Seriously, that sh*t, alone, is worth the watch.

The Verdict

The Green Knight is f*cking exceptional and exceeded all of my expectations. This year long wait was more than worth. It's the best film of the year so far, leap-frogging into my top twenty all-time and I've seen thousands of films. This thing is a masterpiece on all levels. Narrative, plot, lighting, performances, sound design, composition, editing, score; It's the closest thing to a technically perfect film I've seen in quite some time. If Dev Patel doesn't get an Oscar nod for this, there is no justice in the world because he f*cking carries this movie. Patel is easily the strongest force driving this incredibly compelling watch, but Alicia Vikander, Erin Kellyman, Sarita Choudhury, Ralph Ineson, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, and Barry Keoghan all match that energy with f*cking gusto. I was absolutely mesmerized by the way these absolute masters in their craft, embodied and gave their respective characters life, particularly Vikander. She never disappoints.

The only issue I see that would hinder someone actually getting into this film is the fact that it's a little long in the tooth. You never really feel it, as long as you buy into the fact it's a character study and not a high concept fantasy film filled with dragons and sh*t. If you think Michael Bay and Zack Snyder are the pinnacle of cinematic excellence, pass on this. You won't make past the first tn minutes. Also, make better life choices. No, this is about Gawain and it never deviates from that core drive. Weird sh*t happens, sure, but it's nothing as fantastical as Smaug or a Balrog. Even so, this f*cking movie kept me glued to the edge of my seat. I loved every second of it and cannot sing it's praises enough. My only regret is that I didn't get to see it in a proper theater. This f*cker would have been a real experience to see on a proper cinema screen, especially that shot with the giants. The Green Knight is outstanding and deserves all of the praise it's gotten and so much more.

[imnotcameraready]

more than beliefs (5: mother knows best)

A/N: still trying at this ! i still don't own any tables so honestly, writing has been kinda hard :') but i'm still up to a polished chapter 7 and know VERY well what is happening in chapter 8, so we're looking pretty good. i wrote all of chivalry chapter by chapter so.....hoping this goes well :'D

WARNINGS: manipulation, plotting a murder, paranoia description, blunt force trauma, assault, amnesia, blood, graphic description of violence — this chapter’s the first doozy! if i missed anything, please let me know!

Words: 4378

AO3 link!

enjoy!! <3

“Now, this might be a controversial opinion, but the second Little Mermaid movie is a top-tier Disney sequel,” the Director said, idly mixing a teaspoon around in his hot chocolate.

Roman scoffed. He was sitting on the Director’s couch, wrapped in a blanket while they watched 2005’s Just Like Heaven starring Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon. The Director had suggested they watch something from Disney, but while Roman loved the whole library of Disney movies lining his shelf, he couldn’t choose which one he wanted. To his surprise, the Director didn’t have a favorite, either. He’d said he was fond of the cookie-cutter damsel in distress narrative of older Disney stories, which Roman tried (and failed) to take offense to, but did agree that many modern movies like Big Hero 6 had interestingly complex and developed stories.

“I just prefer the expansion on oceanic lore. And I’m a sucker for a good parental storyline, when the former protag takes on the motherly role.” The Director took a sip of his coffee.

“And here I thought you weren’t one of my creative advisors,” Roman said with a smirk, crossing his arms upon his pillowy throne.

The Director scoffed, and as he rolled his eyes Roman could have sworn that he was blushing. Maybe he was embarrassed. “Just because I’m not David doesn’t mean I can’t have opinions on works of art,” he sounded dejected—Roman guessed that was fair. The Dragon and Damsel and Child, most obviously, had strong opinions on art yet no artistic inclinations.

It was still up in the air if the Thief did. It didn’t seem like he had many opinions on things that weren’t consequential to Roman’s direct safety, but he was very quiet. Roman didn’t rule out the possibility of the Thief just not wanting to share that information with him, which was….well. Unfortunate.

Roman wished he got to know his advisors better. Ever since they were separated from him, Roman feels like he’s been at the grinding stone with them all. The Thief had spent the whole wedding either swearing or screaming suggestions angrily, and when he wasn’t, he was comforting an incredibly distraught Bard. The Damsel and Playwright tried to help the most but... He had barely even seen the Artist outside of their creative sessions. He had barely seen the Dragon or Child, period.

The Director was an interesting one. Roman had everyone’s phone numbers, because, well, he wasn’t about to use carrier pigeons. Though that might be super cool to try one day. But the Director was just about the only advisor to casually reach out to him. He would send Roman memes. How did he even get memes? Roman and Remus had created an Imagination-version of the internet, so it was likely from their co-sponsored Imagination Tumblr or something. The Director putting in the effort and time to think of Roman during such small instances was what made Roman feel more comfortable here, though. That’s what made him trust the Director with these sorts of situations. Almost made them closer...

Was that selfish? To favor one part of oneself over others? Surely not. It was similar to recognizing flaws, or pimples and blemishes. Not to say any of the others were blemishes. Drats, even Roman’s internal monologue was demeaning to himself.

“Do you want any more coffee? I’m going to go refill,” the Director’s voice jolted Roman out of his stupor, and he looked up with wide eyes.

“No, I’m okay,” and after a small beat, he added, “Thank you again for housing me. I can’t imagine what Phillip would want to say after yesterday’s debacle.”

The Director scoffed. Roman snuggled into his blanket more, listening to the Director pour himself another mug and reply. “Anytime, Roman,” he chuckled, then put on one of the most outlandishly fake accents Roman’s ever heard. “I live to serve~”

“Sto-op,” Roman groaned, throwing his head back and shooting the Director a glare—well, glaring at the kitchen door. There were walls around all of the rooms here, unlike the Mind Palace.

The Director laughed even more when he returned, sitting on the couch with his legs crossed on the cushion. He held his mug in his hands for a few seconds before talking, tone much more sober.

“I do have to say. I’m surprised I was the one you came to.” The Director’s voice is a little more quiet. “I thought for sure you would have sought comfort with Cadence or Gavin before me.”

Roman blinks. “I guess….I didn’t want to be judged again.” He looked back down at his lap, at the blankets piled up there and his own coziness. “Every time I come back after an argument, or after making a fool of myself, it seems everyone has an opinion on how poorly I handled a situation. None of them really acknowledge….It must have been….”

He’d been a little confused about it, too. The trust issue.

“Janus has strung my emotions along enough for it to be fair that I don’t trust him,” Roman said, voice soft as he tried to put how he’d been feeling into words. “Right?”

That was as close an explanation as he could get to. Because it all boiled down to the trust issue, in his understanding of the situation. As much as Patton wanted him to let go of the situation, Patton was focusing on the mustache quip rather than the whole trust thing. Janus knew Roman had wanted to go to the callback. But Roman also wanted to be a good person, if that’s what Thomas wanted. Thomas wanted to be a good person so Roman also wanted to be a good person.

But when being a good person directly went against Thomas’ dreams, Janus stepped in. And sure, he argued that they weren’t supposed to be self-sacrificial, but wasn’t that a hero’s job? When did a hero ever get to keep anything before sacrificing everything? Isn’t that what made sense?

Janus didn’t even do a good job at explaining it, not until all the damage had already been done. This was different from just giving Roman the perfect set up for a theater display, this was Janus pretending that he wanted what Roman wanted. This was Janus pretending to be his friend but wanting Thomas to...be a bad person?

He didn’t understand. Maybe Patton was right. Maybe Roman just didn’t understand. And that’s what made his disgruntlement so confusing, because in his heart, Roman knew Janus was trying to help, he knew that, he understood. But then why did it hurt so much?

“Oh, honey, he’s gone way past that. Don’t gaslight yourself into thinking he’s been helpful,” Macbeth’s icy voice cut through the thoughts wrangling Roman’s mind.

The Director was so self-assured. It was comforting. He was sitting on the couch, arms crossed as he explained.

“And Patton, Logan, turning around just to say you should let it go and listen to him after he’s lied nine times out of ten?” the Director threw his head back and let out a sharp “Hah! No, your anger is rational. And defensible.”

“Why won’t any of the others agree with that?”

The Director starred at Roman for a minute. Just a little too long. His eyes seemed to press Roman into a corner, under a box. Scrutinized.

They both knew that “others” wasn’t a reference to the other Sides. The Director kept his distance from Roman’s other advisors, he knew that, but Roman didn’t know how far. The Director wasn’t the kind to just watch them, was he?

“They all have their opinions. About Disney and otherwise.” He took another drink of his coffee then shook his head, standing up, motioning for Roman to follow, “May I show you….something. Without you thinking I’m crazy?”

Now, that’s always a fairly worrying question to hear. “No, no, I trust you,” Roman said with a slight grin.

The Director must have been able to see how it waned, because he chuckled, smiled back. “I think we’re all a little zany. But that’s the charm. Phillip is undoubtedly the scariest, as much as Draco tries. The Prince, Damsel, whichever you want, has a noticeable villain complex.”

Wait, what?

The Director raised his hands in mock defeat. Showing his hands, like he were trying to assure Roman that he wasn’t being suspicious. But the hairs on Roman’s neck rose. He led Roman to the door just besides Roman’s room. When he first started visiting the Director, he explained that this was his study. Roman had never gone in. Because, you know, when you respect someone you also respect their privacy.

“I’ve only ever spoken to Marlowe, but, you know. I’m the Director of players I can never meet. I had to take notes,” he added the final part quietly.

He glanced over the combination button pad on the door. Roman hadn’t noticed that. What room would require a combination lock? And who would be….Was it to keep him out? Or someone else? Maybe the Playwright, the Director mentioned he’d been over before. Keep anyone out, it seemed.

“I….notes?” he was flabbergasted. What the fuck was happening?

“Yeah.” The Director opened the door slowly and motioned for Roman to follow.

Inside were papers. One wall was a large tackboard, photos and sticky notes and papers pinned up, connected with lines of colored yarn. Roman felt his mouth fall open as he inspected it. There were notes on all of his advisors, all seven of the others, even some of people Roman didn’t know. There was someone with four eyes. Someone with antlers. Who were they? How did this all fit together?

Why in Athena’s name did the Director have corkboard notes on the other advisors? That was a lot more than a little weird.

“I...You’re wonderful, Roman. So productive and pristine and princely, as you deserve to be. But there are some areas where you can stand to improve.” Roman was probably only processing some of the Director’s words as he rolled up his sleeves and pulled out a metal stick, one that looked oddly like a wand.

He held it in one hand, and suddenly it extended, until it was a pointer. The Director held both ends of it and watched Roman for a reaction, a response, something.

“I would have to agree,” Roman stumbled over his words a little, eyes still glued to the notes—there were some by the Child that read ‘Naive/Trusting/Problem?’—before he slowly turned back to the Director with a weak grin once again. “I mean, I might be pristinely princely, but those P alliterations don’t include perfect. No one’s perfect.”

“It may be an unattainable dream, but we’re well familiar with those. We can only strive for improvement! And when improving you and yourself, that means making changes to them,” the Director gestured up at the wall of photos, of the parts of Roman’s self, and smacked the Child’s photo with his pointer. “I actually only thought I would be reading these notes, so forgive me for any, er. Sharp language.”

Roman knew that self-improvement meant adopting new mindsets, but he had no idea that putting parts of himself into characters involved changing them as well, though it did make sense. Self-insert characters had to change if you were changing the self that was being inserted. Right?

If he wanted to improve….it made sense. He had to change himself, including the facets of himself.

“That’s fair,” Roman murmured, “Okay. These….You could take these notes to the other advisors. Surely they’d accept it?”

“At this point, I don’t know who would kill me faster,” the Director scoffed, then gestured at the Damsel’s notes, a cluster of sticky notes and drawings and photos of the Damsel at a well enough distance that it was closer to stalker-ish. “Phillip wouldn’t want competition. Marlowe agrees that he can be quite standoffish when threatened, and a newcomer claiming to be one of Roman’s advisors? Someone who doesn’t have his respect in a royal manner?”

The Director pointed to the Thief now, a even more grave expression adorning his face. “And Eric. Tell me you think he would accept a newcomer of any kind. Just tell me. Especially near Gavin. And the Child himself probably wouldn’t like me.”

Well, that sounded off. Roman leaned on the wall besides the door, back against his hands as he continued to inspect the wall. There were notes on the other advisors’ behaviors, their antics.

For some reason, Roman could almost imagine Janus or Logan doing this. It was something close to weird and something else close to endearing. Was that weird?

“Why not? Gavin’s pretty trusting.” Roman didn’t look away from the wall as he replied.

“In fairness, he might like me, but I don’t know if I could ever come around to liking him. He’s the root source of all our issues, especially our present issue with Janus, Patton, Logan. Even past issues with Remus, if I’m remembering them properly. What Gavin represents allows us to be easily swayed.”

That got Roman to look away, look down at the Director. He was glaring up at the Child’s photo with something fierce, which startled Roman enough. I mean, that was a whole child there. What would inspire this much hatred?

“Really now?” Roman wanted to know.

“He gets us to let our guard down. It’s at Gavin’s behest we take chances, but it’s that same honesty that leads us to broken promises, taking in lies like they’re candy. I don’t know what I would do with him,” the Director sounded disappointed.

That was a fair analysis. All of the advisors—the Playwright, the Thief, the Child, Bard, Artist, Dragon, Damsel, Director—they all represented different parts of Roman, similar to how the Sides represented parts of Thomas. In theory, they worked together. In practice, that was far from the truth, but Roman knew for his sake that they were trying their best.

They all oversaw different parts of Roman’s psyche, too. The Playwright, for example, was most similar to Logan in that he represented Roman’s research and organization, on a creative and egotistical level. The Playwright—Marlowe—could be trusted with knowing how many liters of blood were in the human body as well as every one of the Sides’ favorite karaoke songs, even the exact time and date they met Nico.

The Child was Roman’s belief, his ability to dream. It was fair to assume that that made him the most naïve part. Perhaps it was even a fair conclusion that the debacles with Janus were caused by what the Child represented.

Roman hadn’t thought of it like that. The last time he’d talked to the Child, Gavin, about the situation, he had seem incredibly disappointed.

He’d never stopped to ask what the Child was disappointed in, though. Was he disappointed in Roman? Or in himself? Did the Child know he was the one who had pushed Roman to trust Janus? Did….There was no way that this was….the Child’s fault. Was it?

“Huh.” Roman’s voice echoed emptily to himself. A pit opened in his stomach, something difficult to grasp. The root cause of his burdens couldn’t be his ability to dream. His dreams themselves, his hopes, his beliefs. He….he was the daydreamer, the creator. That couldn’t be a flaw, could it?

The Director watched him, but Roman hardly noticed. It was only for a few seconds, too, of stoic silence before the Director interrupted his thoughts with a huff, looked across the board. “This is quite a bit of insight at once. Maybe we should finish the movie.”

“Director?”

Roman and the Director both turned to the open doorway, the later slapping a hand over his own mouth immediately. With a flick of his wrist, the door closed quietly, clicking just loud enough for the both of them to hear. They also heard the Playwright in the living room, footsteps echoing faintly on the stone floor.

“Director?” the Playwright called out again.

“Fuck,” the Director whispered. This must have been an unplanned visit.

“What? We can just go out and say hello,” Roman said back, though his demeanor and body language spoke of worry, almost fear.

The Playwright was well known to be a pacifist. And the Playwright knew about the Director, knew about Roman knowing the Director. He was a little surprised to find that the Playwright didn’t know the Director’s name was Macbeth, but Roman knew the Director to be a man of secrets.

“He doesn’t know I….He doesn’t know you’re here. He barely knows we talk,” the Director looked around the room and pressed a hand to one of the walls, “Fuck. How are we going to get him out?”

The rock beneath the Director’s hand morphs into a doorway and he opens it. The Playwright was standing in the living room, close to the front door to the home. He looked up at them both, eyes widening when he met Roman’s. Before Roman could say anything, even think of something to say, the Playwright spoke with ease.

“Roman’s here? Thank goodness. Virgil’s come looking for him,” he gave Roman a small smile, strained but caring all the same.

“Ah.” Roman stiffened. Virgil came looking for him? In the Imagination? Why? How? He didn’t have his own passage into this space yet, how’d he get here?

He didn’t want to talk to Virgil. As supportive as he’d been, especially when it came to taking care of Thomas, there were still some areas where Roman wanted to be alone, wanted to process his thoughts alone. Virgil was...vindictive. Which was a strong word to use, but an apt one. Virgil’s distaste in Janus made it hard for Roman to form his own thoughts, which was why he often tried away from Virgil as much as Patton.

He wasn’t ready for that kind of confrontation, and the Director must have been able to tell, because he physically looked like he didn’t want Roman to go.

“I actually didn’t expect to find you here, though I’m not entirely surprised,” the Playwright must not have been privy to these feelings, glancing between the Director and Roman, shock still gracing his features.

“Really now,” the Director said, tilting his head, “Why not?”

“I just didn’t know Roman had met you, but of course, even I’m not as omniscient as Creativity himself,” the Playwright stepped closer, reaching toward Roman. “You have to come up, though. Virgil said everyone’s worried.”

Roman starred at the Playwright’s hand, unsure of what to do with the gesture. He knew everyone would be worried, on a baseline. Closed doors didn’t do well around the Mind Palace, especially his, especially after his splitting incident, but that didn’t mean he had to cater to everyone else’s worry. He was allowed privacy.

Before he formulated a response, though, the Director placed a hand in front of Roman. His smile toward the Playwright turned sour, lips pursed in a mix of thought and anger.

“He doesn’t have to go see Virgil if he doesn’t want to.” Roman felt some of the tension in his shoulder alleviate at the Director’s statement, as basic as it was.

The Playwright, on the other hand, didn’t seem to understand. He looked between Roman and the Director again, surprised even further by how familiar they seemed. There had been a fair amount of transparency in Roman’s relationships with all of the other advisors that there must be some dissonance to see him be so familiar with someone he hadn’t even expected Roman to know. Something about that surprise, the bait and switch, the lie, felt fulfilling.

“It wouldn’t be difficult to alleviate Virgil’s worried and tell him to leave again,” the Playwright explained slowly. “I’m sure, if Roman told him he wanted privacy, he would understand.”

“I’m sure, if Virgil could understand that, then he wouldn’t have tread where he shouldn’t. You can’t make him do anything.” The Director’s voice grew darker, hand unwavering.

“Make him?” the Playwright sounded so confused.

Roman was also confused where the Director’s notion came from, but it was validating to hear reminders that Roman’s decisions were his to make. But nothing in the Playwright’s tone was forceful.

For a moment, it seemed as though the Playwright would drop his confusion.

Until he took a step forward, toward the Director and Roman, with one hand outstretched. Roman didn’t know what he’d been planning, but he knew the Playwright wasn’t a sporadic man. He hated adding physicality to situations where debate and discussion could suffice. So, in hindsight, it was likely the Playwright was reaching out to make peace.

The moment passed in mere seconds.

He was taller than the Director by a noticeable few inches, so the Director bent his knees. He pushed Roman behind him with his outstretched arm, acting faster than either Roman or the Playwright could react to. The Director stuck his leg out and grabbed the Playwright by the fabric of his shirt, behind his neck. The Playwright, surprised by the sudden movements, tripped on his leg and let out a sharp gasp of surprise.

Besides them was the living room coffee table. As the Playwright fell, the Director redirected his head toward the table, shoving him away from Roman.

It felt very spur of the moment, and it happened in a true moment. The Playwright let out a scream, sharp and fearful, before his forehead collided with the edge of the metal table. He fell beneath it unconscious. Blood pooled at the Director’s feet as he stood back up.

Roman’s hands shot to his face immediately, as soon as the Playwright started falling, and he could only stare in horror at the scene. The Director, too, seemed shocked at his own reaction. He starred at his blood-stained socks for a little while, breathing heavy enough for Roman to hear. It must be the adrenaline.

“I,” the Director’s voice caught in his throat.

Roman watched. Just watched. The Director swallowed, turning around to face Roman with a mirroring horrified expression, eyes wide with surprise. “You have to make him forget.”

“What?” Roman’s voice was strained, almost a whisper, and he cleared his throat to repeat. “Excuse me?”

What kind of request….?

“If Marlowe remembers this, we’re fucked. He knows you’re here. He’s going to think I attacked him. I-I did attack him,” The Director took a slow breath, turning to look at the body on the ground before shaking his head—unable to look. “David is going to kill me.

“Make him forget. He can stay here. For a bit. We can figure this out,” he put his hands up towards Roman. “We-The other Sides’re gonna follow Virgil. We both know that. And, uh. Only Marlowe knew I was here. So we’ve got time to figure out how to, uh. Play this off.”

Roman starred at him with wide eyes. The past two days had been such a long mess, he didn’t know what to do. Physically, he could remove the Playwright memories. He’d be a blank slate of a character, only backstory. What would that do? The Playwright’s backstory was that he was the Playwright. He didn’t have some elaborate parent-death or chosen-one-esque story that he could fall back on. Poor bastard wasn’t even the one who had Roman’s memories prior.

But the Director was right, in a way. If they wanted more time to think about everything—the other Sides were looking for him? How did Virgil get in here? Why would he be looking for Roman, it wasn’t uncommon for him to stomp away from a verbal duel, why now?—then they couldn’t have the Playwright ratting them out.

When he manipulated the Imagination directly, his powers were red. Remus’ were green. It was distinctive. So when Roman sank down, put a hand on the back of the Playwright’s head, his hand turned red.

It blended in with the blood.

Roman felt vile. He had to do this, or else the others would find him. A quiet, dull part of his mind told him that didn’t matter but….he didn’t want to be found. He didn’t.

He pulled gently, as though tugging the thoughts out, and something glistened red and gold as he did. Then, Roman let it go, and it disappeared. It reminded him a little of Dumbledore pulling his own memories out in Harry Potter. Roman didn’t feel much the chosen one, either, though.

“There,” he said quietly.

The Director let out a soft breath. It didn’t sound like either of them knew what to do, to be fair. Maybe the Director hadn’t even expected this.

“I’ll….here.” The Director looked up and pointed at the wall behind the couch.

The couch scooted forward a little, enough for there to be a walkway behind it, and the room simultaneously pulled away from the couch. Then, a door formed on the wall. It clicked once, then swung open. Another room.

Roman stood still, staring at his hands—was that magic or blood?—while the Director leaned down to pick the Playwright up. The man hadn’t moved since being bludgeoned by the table.

“Under the sink in the bathroom is a first aid kit,” the Director said, voice stoic, taking the reins on the situation, “I’ll make him a bedroom and bandage his head. Then he can stay for a day or two. We must figure out what to do, about the other Sides and about Marlowe.”

That was fair. He’d only stay a little.

Dimly, Roman remembered that this was the Imagination, he mastered this world, so he could technically get rid of the Playwright’s wound. He could get rid of his memory and the wound and send him right back to his home, right back to the Artist, good as normal and none the wiser.

But….something in the back of his head stopped him. And the Director pulled him into the other room faster than Roman could overcome whatever clouded thoughts were plaguing him.

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh Ep33 S4 pt 2: The Best Storyboarder Came Back Just so They Could Draw Tristan Getting Hit in the Nuts

OK lets just get to the good stuff.

God bless you, storyboarder.

(read more under the cut)

The team has entered the Atlantis lair of Dartz, which is also accessible through Paradius in San Fransisco, but youknow...we don’t have magic so it’s not like we could’ve skipped like 10 minutes and just done that instead of the helicopter escape, the Military moment, and the ride through a hurricane.

Oh wait, we do have magic, that’s right...well...for now, pretend we don’t.

Enjoy the snakes.

Strangely, Kaiba does not feel comfortable with the snakes, when snakes really just a smaller and cuter dragon. I love snakes. Never owned one...but I trust em.

Dartz has the Yugioh “old guy” aesthetic of “We just really like yellowed sandstone”

I get that they want this place (and also Yami’s house) to look like a tomb so there won’t be any paint on the wall but this is just a pet peeve of mine that Ancient times freakin loved garish colors on the wall in layers and layers of patterns and yet in fiction we never show that.

But...it doesn’t go with the vibe. I’ll let it go because it would absolutely ruin the vibe to have a bunch of swirly stuff in neon orange and green.

Before we have a chance to grab a step stool and just kinda yoink Yugi Muto, Dartz shows up, and this shot happens.

I couldn’t not grab a cap of that. I mean...look at it. It is SO HARD to foreshorten hands so it looks right and then bam they just did that. It’s just...

...I’ve been breaking down foreshortening in Yugioh shots for a while now trying to figure out why when I do it, it looks like a busted huge hand, but when they do it, it looks really good, and I’m starting to realize that maybe it’s more than just stacking but also...the composition?

You can’t really look at this picture as a whole. The hand is such a strong focal point that you must start there, and then follow down the arm to the face. I think when I do these foreshortening shots I make the hand the same weight as the face, and that’s my downfall. You gotta let the composition force the viewer to slow down and take time in order for the optical illusion to happen...maybe? I’m like over 30 now, you’d think I’d figure this out by now.

Whatever, that’s another post.

So like...what happened to those two people who used to be there????

And now prepare thyself for my lazy math. I know this math is bad. For people out there who feel like working out the geometric growth and calculate just how many souls Dartz slurps up--feel free to tell me. If I like the explanation, I will adjust the Death Count to match it. It’s just too 2020 for me to do more than multiplication at the moment.

Did I count how many people would have existed 10,000 years ago? no. Did I account for plagues? No. Like this math of 4 a day is bad...but eh it’s all I got right now in my mental ammunition.

Something that we did think about was...

Why not slurp up the Pharaoh soul when Yami was still alive? Like we assume the puzzle existed in the past but like...did Yami not get superpowered until Yugi woke him up? Was he in fact useless until he got a little bit of a battery charge during Season Zero when he was dumping people off of bell towers?

And like I get not knowing about the underground Ishtars, and not being able to get a hold of Shadi because Shadi is a lazy ghost, but Bakura was RIGHT THERE. You can’t munch up Pegasus off screen and then say “eh but Bakura’s kinda low tier” we know for a fact that Bakura is not...so like...there must have been some copyright situation where they couldn’t use certain characters. This is a filler arc--but it would have been nice to have at least some explanation as to why it took Dartz so long to finally murder the hell out of Pharaoh.

Which is me expecting way too much out of this show. Just something I was really hoping would get addressed but leave it for the headcanon.

It’s at this point that Mokuba realized he’s standing on top of people.

A crypt made out of human souls! Crazy, usually we’re in a crypt made out of one single human soul....and both of these crypts have Yugi in it.

In Raphael’s storyline, he’s been busy just cleaning up after everyone else. It’s supposed to come off as very serious but I was totally busting up when he’s just dropping bodies into the back of this jeep.

And in the Kaiba Corp plotline, Roland is anxiously wondering if he should be a Dad and save the kids or if he should be a dog and stay in the plane.

He stays in the plane.

Strangely this was the right call. (And this is why Roland has never died)

So they start throwing around cards, as you do, and Dartz puts down his Orichalcos, has he does, when suddenly...they started seeing stuff again. Can’t have a single card game without it.

So the Orichalcos is just a backstory device? For reals?

Something I alluded to quite a few episodes back with Valon was just...wondering why the hell the Orichalcos crew had so much freakin magic as to make all these visions during duels. Turns out...it’s just a thing to occasionally trip on Oricalchos juice. I’m not sure why we never had a vision with Mai, Weevil, Rex, or Gurimo, but at least we now know that Raphael and Valon weren’t as magical as I thought they were.

So we’re in like...outer space. Kind of the last place you’d expect out of ancient Atlantis and Dartz isn’t having ANY OF IT.

And honestly that makes sense. Imagine giving someone 10,000 years ago the run down on outer space. They’d freak. They’d definitely think you’re talking about demons.

If space is an elaborate analogy, we don’t know that yet. For how this is presented, it’s just an old man hootin and hollerin about how much space sucks, and I love that.

PS how anime is this shot of the earth behind the orichalcos symbol and the dude in the middle with the ass length blue hair--really damn anime, right?

Like at least one of you has this wall hanging, right?

For those that are too tired to look it up, Pangea was 280-230 million years ago.

THAT REALLY CHANGES MY MATH.

AND I’M TOO TIRED.

So my thoughts are...either the math is wrong and I’ll fix it eventually in post, depending on my mood come next Wednesday, OR...humanity was deleted and then came back later??? (because the dawn of mankind was 7 million years ago)

OR...

They just felt like drawing Pangea 10 million years ago. Maybe that’s all. Maybe I don’t have to fix anything. I dunno.

Maybe this isn’t Earth.

Maybe Yugioh Earth never had Loma Preita because it isn’t actually Earth. And, like a Final Fantasy situation, is a second planet on a parallel plane of our own?

Either way, I’m not redoing the math because I actually don’t know how to change it anymore. I’m v undecided of the timeline now......maybe the next episode will tell us more? (I doubt this very much)

RIP deathcount.

Yo Atlantis!

I have a lot of questions!

About Atlantis!

And the purpose of the aqueduct going the wrong direction.

Is that in fact the poop shoot?

But wtv it looks neat.

So anyway, that’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed my bad math, and I hope you enjoy your Halloween. Ours is a whole lot of nothing. I’ll be watching lots of Phasmaphobia streams while eating Butterfingers that I legally can’t give to children because it’s an epidemic (butterfingers is like the last candy that my old 30 yo ass can handle without passing out or gagging. Weird how getting older makes me hate all the good things I couldn’t eat when I was younger because I was too young to be allowed to eat them.) and that’s about it.

WHY did Halloween finally fall on a Saturday DURING an epidemic? I only get so many Saturday Halloweens in my youth...just why.

(and here’s a link to read these in chrono order)

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 204

Episode: Yes! Precure 5 Go Go! 06 - “King Donuts Awakens!” Date watched: 8 January 2021 Original air date: 9 March 2008 Screenshots Transformation Gallery Project info and master list of posts

mood

The character re-introduction arc reaches its epic conclusion and shows us where Rin has wound up after her moment of self-realization in the Y5 finale. It turns out, she wound up constantly tired. Relatable. Let’s dig in!

The Plot

Nozomi and Rin are on their way to Natts House to prepare for the grand re-opening. Rin is visibly very tired and confesses that she was up late the previous night.

images with sleepy auras

As they arrive at the store, they run into Syrup.... or more accurately, he runs into them, carrying an urgent letter from Milk. (Remember this, because Syrup sure doesn’t) However, just then, a brilliant light erupts from inside of Natts House, so they all rush in to see what’s happening. They find everyone gathered around a table with the Rose Pact in the middle, glowing, and then it opens up and King Donuts emerges, fully awake. Then he yells at everyone to stop staring at him.

blinded by the light...... how does that song go again?

After the opening, the gang tries to introduce themselves to King Donuts, but he assumes it’s another Eternal trap until Coco and Nuts reveal themselves. Instead of being relieved, however, he just pivots his anger onto them for being incompetent and letting him get attacked by Eternal. So yeah, not off to a great start here. While they watch the goings-on, Rin yawns, and this further annoys the already irate king. Growing frustrated, he tries to leave, but finds that there’s a barrier around the Rose Pact that’s trapping him until he fully recovers. As you may imagine, this does wonders for his good mood.

I’m not yawning because I’m bored, I’m yawning because I’m bored AND tired.

Cut to Eternal’s headquarters and a very fatigued Scorp drops a huge report on Anacondy’s desk, mentioning he hasn’t slept for six days while writing it. However, she dings him on numerous minor errors, deeming it unusable, and tells him to combine it with the previous report and redo it. Exhausted and holding a stack of paper half his height, Scorp collapses and the pages fly everywhere. I have to say, Koyasu acting tired is a fun change of pace for him.

these are the eyes of a man who has lost all hope

Back at Natts House, everyone is still trying to appease King Donuts. He insists he’s fine already but in attempting to demonstrate this, he wears himself out quickly. Karen offers him the apple she snapped a few episodes ago, but he refuses to eat it because he doesn’t trust them. The girls give up on him for now, because they need to get to work opening up the store, but they notice Rin has fallen asleep.

Nozomi advises them to just leave her be, trying to get Syrup to help them pass out fliers instead. He refuses and wants to know why they don’t wake Rin. Nozomi explains that Rin was busy all day with sports clubs, tending to the family shop, and watching her siblings, so she stayed up all night designing accessories because it was the only free time she had. (I am very familiar with this concept.) She also admits that Rin didn’t tell her this, she deduced it because she knows Rin and how she works.

With that settled, the remaining girls, as well as Coco and Nuts, get to work handing out fliers. Syrup, however, stays behind to look over Rin, because he refused to help any other way. He muses over his situation.

At that moment, Rin wakes up, and Syrup asks if she really was up all night designing jewelry. She realizes her old friend Nozomi has read her like a book. She admits to feeling guilty that she not only stayed up late working, but she couldn’t come up with any ideas, and now she’s missed out on handing out fliers as well. She feels useless (big oof) and contrasts herself with Syrup, who she says is working hard to get to the Cure Rose Garden. Syrup disagrees and insists she works way harder than him. At this point, King Donuts, who has been listening in, interjects and commends Rin for being critical and analytical of herself, saying it’s the key to self growth. I feel like there’s a missing line in here about not slipping too far into self-doubt, but regardless, Rin remembers she’s supposed to be at futsal practice and runs off before the end of the King’s speech.

“Gah!” - Natsuki Rin, 2008

After she’s gone, the king and Syrup discuss how hardworking she is, along with the other girls. Also there’s a gag where King Donuts didn’t recognize Syrup until he turned back into his fairy form which further establishes that Syrup has a bit of a negative reputation far and wide.

Meanwhile, at the practice field, Rin isn’t doing a whole lot better at futsal than she was at jewelry design. As a result of staying up late, she’s still tired, so she’s missing passes or overshooting goals. She even accidentally kicks the ball over the fence and into the woods, so she goes to retrieve it while yawning some more.

It’s here that she is confronted by an equally sleepy Scorp, who asks her to hand over the Rose Pact so he won’t have to write up his report, and he can sleep. It’s kind of pathetic, kind of comical.

Scorp turns the futsal ball into a hoshiina, so Rin transforms as well. Syrup swoops in to save her from Scorp but drops the Rose Pact, so King Donuts tries to talk down the villain. However, Scorp is undeterred and even sees more value in having one of the monarchs inside the Rose Pact. The other girls show up and transform, temporarily distracting Scorp (as well as the king, who is surprised that they’re the legendary warriors) but he then continues his advance until Rouge punches him away. Then she hears Lemonade screaming as the Hoshiina tries to fling her off, so Rouge rushes in to kick it and rescue her friend. Scorp once again tries to capture the Rose Pact, so Rouge separates from the team again to protect the fairies, but Scorp captures her instead and taunts her about trying too hard to do too much by herself and says she’ll only ever be halfway finished. This hits Rin at her core and she is unable to resist an attack from the Hoshiina, but at the last moment her teammates jump in front of her to defend her. They remind her that she’s not alone, they’re there to help her, and then Dream gives an inspiring speech about how Rin always challenges her situation and works harder than others, so they’ll always support her. Scorp is unimpressed, but Dream rushes him with a Shooting Star. Feeling newly motivated, Rin also performs her new finisher on the Hoshiina: Fire Strike! She summons a fireball at her feet and then kicks it into the monster, which of course dissolves back into a normal futsal ball. Scorp flees, muttering about how he’ll have to include this in his report as well.

As the dust settles, King Donuts admires the Precures, and then has a seemingly random realization about the Rose Pact and the Red and Blue roses, or rather, the lack of blue rose. In case you had forgotten that plot point.

the answer will surprise you

Back at Natts House, King Donuts opens up a bit more to the girls and they chat back. However, he quickly reiterates that he doesn’t acknowledge Coco and Nuts as rulers yet. When they ask Syrup to help them with the shop, he reminds them that he’s only here to deliver a letter from Milk, and he finally hands it over to Coco. (took him long enough) It turns out the letter says there’s an emergency in Palmier Kingdom and everyone needs to come there quickly! They want to go but aren’t certain how.... until they remember Syrup has the convenient ability to travel between worlds. He initially refuses, but King Donuts cleverly appeals to both his pride and his kind-heartedness, causing him to think about the conviction all the girls have shown in their solo outings thus far, and he agrees to take them. So just as quickly as it opened, Natts House is closed again and the gang boards Syrup to fly to the Palmier Kingdom. As they rise into the air, they soar forwards into a watercolor warphole, surrounded by floating  lights. They fade to white and the credits start.

The Analysis

Something I truly appreciate about this episode is that it picks up from the first series finale, and shows that Rin hasn’t magically become a top tier accessory designer, she still has moments of artist’s block, and she really struggles with just finding time to create, which impacts her social responsibilities. (sounds familiar) Rin’s struggle is a recurring theme, and I'm always glad that unlike certain later shows, they don’t glamorize her sacrificing sleep, they just portray it as something people sometimes do even if it’s not in their best interests. Contrast with that episode of Go Princess, you know the one. It’s a straightforward cause and effect: Rin stays up late designing, so she’s tired the next day, and that influences her interactions.

It has some positive responses, such as getting King Donuts to recognize how hardworking she is and swaying his opinion on the girls; and some negative impacts, like kicking the futsal ball too hard and over the fence. With all that said, I must once again remind you all not to sacrifice your well-being for your goals, even if I’m bad at following my own advice.

King Donuts (or Doughnuts if you prefer) is an interesting character. At first he’s paranoid that he’s in another Nightmare trap, but as he grows to accept his circumstances he warms up a bit, especially when he hears about how hard Rin is working. He remains critical of Coco and Nuts, understandably so, since their negligence led to him being attacked previously. However, he doesn’t dislike them, he is sharp-tongued because he wants to make them better kings. Physically he resembles a diminutive dragon. It’s not the most apparent visual but when all four Rulers are together the pattern begins to become obvious. More on that ~eventually~.

although they’re all in the OP so, ya know, clues

A secondary theme throughout this arc has been to show Syrup starting to acclimate to the girls and begin appreciating their hard work and way of doing things. He’s still stubborn and wants to do his own thing, but it takes less arm twisting to get him to go along with the girls’ requests. Usually. As he admits to King Donuts, he respects their work ethic and their devotion to the causes they love. He entered the picture as a loner delivery boy who just wanted to do his job, but getting roped in with the Precures’ misadventures has opened his eyes somewhat. He’s going to be fun to watch as the show continues. However, he has a reputation, as we’ve seen. We don’t know exactly what the details are but several characters seem to have a low opinion of him, and we’ll find out more about that in coming episodes.

The fight in this episode is interesting in how..... not interesting it is. It kind of fools you into thinking more is happening than actually is. There’s a lot of talking and not as much action as you would expect. The Cures and Scorp or the Hoshiina will exchange a few blows and get thrown around, then one of them starts lecturing the other side about their beliefs. Sure, all Precure shows have elements of this, I can remember a few other fights that were more talk than combat, but it seems particularly egregious this episode. I do like how Scorp’s mocking has an effect on Rouge though. She’s already feeling really unaccomplished and then he goes and tells her she’s useless without her friends. It starts to weigh on her heart, but her friends quickly step in and say hey, we love Rin, she has us to support her, it’s okay if she can’t do it all by herself. As a result of this quick pep talk, she unleashes Fire Strike, her new finisher, and boy does THAT shine. It’s the first soccer-themed Precure attack in the series, and more will follow in subsequent years.

Compared to some of the other finishers, Fire Strike is more straightforward. Rouge creates a ball of fire and kicks it directly into the Hoshiina. It’s less over the top than her teammates attacks (flying into the enemy, twin whips, flying discs, or an arrow made of water) but the animators manage to punch it up a bit with some suitably dramatic effects that sell how fast, hard, and powerful this kick is. Also I have to say, the shot of Rouge bringing her leg all the way back to ready the kick is really cool.

Her leg is cocked and extends past her head. If you’ve ever tried this you know it’s hard, so even if you can make a drawing do anything, it still looks impressive, and the next shot where she’s kicked it is gorgeous. The flame walls, the way she’s lifted slightly off the ground, the way the ball is warped, all convey a sense of power and motion. Yeah, she’s just kicking it straight ahead, but you get the sense she could kick it through a brick wall.

I do have to say, on the negative side, the framing device of the episode feels a little forced. If this letter from Milk was so important, Syrup probably should have pushed it on the girls a little sooner. Maybe just dropped it off with Nozomi when he first met her in the morning. They still could have seen King Donuts awakening but they would have made moves to go straight to the Palmier Kingdom instead of doing all that work advertising and opening the shop only to have to close it again right away, and skipping Rin’s moral quandary. Since those are at the root of the episode, it might be hard to cut them, so alternatively, to keep them, the episode could have been written such that Syrup could have received the letter at the end, so he wasn’t holding onto such an important and urgent letter all episode long. It’s the little things. And on that topic, I find the third act (fourth act?) after the fight to be a little too goofy. Syrup finally hands over the letter, then they all hem and haw about how they’re going to get to Palmier Kingdom and they beg and plead Syrup to do it until he finally agrees. The only truly funny part to me is Nuts lamenting that he has to close Natts House after he just opened it.

Also there’s this ending sequence.

This is the single worst thing I have ever made in the name of this project.

It’s overall a well-thought out episode and it smartly moves between story elements, smoothly concluding the character reintroductions and setting up the Blue Rose arc that follows. I appreciate how seemingly unconnected events flow into each other and they lead to the King seeing that the girls are legitimately good people. It’s probably the most cohesive episode of this arc, although I still think the character reintroductions peaked with Urara’s. The others have been good in different ways, but there’s a deeper bit of heartfelt emotion that episodes 2, 3, 5, and 6 just haven’t been able to match.

Next time, Milk’s emergency turns out to be largely imagined, and we meet a new villain. Look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 kettei!

[kiss-my-freckle]

The Stag & The Wendigo

"What particular body you currently occupy is trivial." - Hannibal

Hannibal is the wendigo (man-stag). The stag is a representation of Will's "devil" within (just as “The Dragon” is the devil within Francis). Viewed as a separate being due to Will’s internal struggle. I refuse to call it a ravenstag because the reference is absurd. This is my theory on the stag & the wendigo. Feel free to let me know if I missed any.

“So you set his mind on fire.”

(1x1: Apéritif) It waits by his side as Will showers.  

(1x2: Amuse-Bouche) It disappears down the hall as Alana’s footsteps are waking Will. It was never in the room with Abigail because it’s too dangerous to be, as shown in 1x3. 

(1x3: Potage) Will dreams he slits Abigail's throat just as Hobbs did. It watches, but disappears when Will wakes. The difference shows in the stag and the way Will wakes. Sudden beeping of an alarm clock, scaring the stag into the woods. Slowly waking Will, stag takes his time walking down the hall. 

(1x5: Coquilles) It walks behind Will when he sleepwalks down the road. It nudges him to keep going. Perfect place to put this line of dialogue: “You drew a man with a freak on his back.” Will is drawn to the stag statue in Hannibal's office. “My brain is playing tricks on me?” He touches it.

(1x6: Entrée) It walks through the door of his classroom because Will is half-awake. This is shown in Jack's dialogue before the cut: “I know when I’m awake.” Will doesn’t know when he is. “I'm not even sure if I'm awake now." Alana’s voice wakes Will, and the stag disappears. 

(1x7: Sorbet) Will sees it entering the hotel bathroom as he reenacts the crime scene. The devil within a man likes to kill, but he has to remain a separate being until Will accepts what he is. 

(1x8: Fromage) Hannibal kills Tobias with the stag statue because he fears Will is dead: “I was worried you were dead.” The stag left on the floor represents Will’s death, thus... the death of his devil within. This pushes forward to the stag in 2x13, dying on the floor next to Will and Abigail.

(1x11: Rôti) It pushes him to Gideon’s car because Will knows he isn’t gone, and he plans to take him at gunpoint. 

(1x12: Relevés) Georgia’s murder helps him connect Hannibal’s kills back through to the murder of Cassie Boyle. The stag impales her, then Georgia becomes the stag. “See? See?” 

Preparing for the wendigo to appear as two separate beings. 

(1x13: Savoureux) In dream: Will takes a rifle shot at the stag and chases it into the woods. The wendigo appears, kneeling at the tree to look at the blood he left behind. Will wakes as he comes face-to-face with the wendigo. 

(1x13: Savoureux) "Like a thread through pearls." The wendigo is shown throughout, starting with the dream sequence. It lurks behind the one way mirror, it stands behind Hannibal as he and Will replay the events, then Hannibal takes its shape at the Hobbs’ residence. 

(2x1: Kaiseki) It walks by the stream as Will imagines himself fly fishing. The wendigo comes out of the water when Will tells Chilton, "I want to talk to Dr. Lecter." He's in the water because Will plans to catch him like a fish. He sees a stag hoof outside of his cell because he hears Hannibal's shoes tapping across the floor. Similarly to Hannibal taking the stand in 2x3. Focus is placed on his shoes as he's walking into the courtroom. Hearing the animal, seeing the man. He sees the wendigo when Alana tries to help him recover his memories. 

(2x2: Sakizuke) Will sees the wendigo peering through the top of the silo because he knows Hannibal killed the mural killer. 

(2x3: Hassun) As I said of the stag hoof in 2x1, they placed focus on Hannibal's shoes as he entered the courtroom. Hearing the animal, then seeing the man. The wendigo in a person suit. Will comes to a realization in his dream. His cell door opens. When he walks out, he sees the stag at the end of the hall. It wants Will to follow him, so he does. When he reaches the end of the hall, Hannibal calls out to him. Will turns to see him as a man instead of the wendigo. He’s standing by Will’s cell. Hannibal extends his hand, motioning for him to return. Through his dream, Will basically realizes Hannibal isn't the stag. He wouldn’t direct him down the hall only to direct him back to his cell, and he can't be in two places at once. If Hannibal isn’t the stag, this only leaves one possibility in Will’s mind. IMO, one of the most important stag scenes. He now knows what it represents. Will’s knowing gives us the stag scene in 2x5. I should also make mention to the scene prior because it’s the reason Jack gets left behind in the series finale. 

(2x5: Mukōzuke) Will sees the wendigo lurking behind Beverly’s body, cut into sections and placed on slides because he knows Hannibal killed her. Will becomes the stag after sending his admirer to kill Hannibal. Will’s realization in 2x3... the stag is his devil within.

(2x6: Futamono) Will's antlers grow through the roof of his cage and expand. “He's playing a game and he's not scared, not anymore. That's what's making him dangerous." Indeed. He’s building his rack, preparing to impale on a serious level.

(2x9: Shiizakana) This episode makes it a little more obvious. "Must I denounce myself as a monster while you still refuse to see the one growing inside you?" Will dreams of using it to kill Hannibal who appears as the wendigo prior to his decapitation. The devil within a man likes to kill, it’s less personal/intimate for Will, and the "good" part of himself remains clean. This scene also acts as an introduction to Randall Tier, a young man who sees himself as an animal. During his crime scene replay, Will sends the stag to kill the couple, then he himself transforms into what I'd call a semi-wendigo. 

(2x10: Naka-choko) Because Will knows Hannibal sent Randall to kill him, his mind turns the bear into a stag, then the stag into Hannibal and the wendigo. When Hannibal puts on his kill suit and heads to Freddie's room, a stag picture is shown hanging above her bed. Foreshadowing. "Are you thinking about getting into bed with Freddie Lounds?" Freddie is at Will's house, the picture represents Will "getting into bed" with Freddie because he has no choice. He's baiting the wendigo. Before I get into the sex scene, pointing out something I noticed while watching 1x13 wendigo scenes: "Wind him up and watch him go. And apparently, Dr. Lecter, this is how I go." There's a certain sound sequence that plays in those scenes when the wendigo winds Will up to watch him go. It winds him up in his dream, after he vomits Abigail’s ear, in the interrogation room, and as he pulls a gun on Hannibal at Hobbs’ house. It also winds him up during their sex scene in this episode. Will is sexually driven by Hannibal. He’s winding him up and watching him go. 

(2x11: Kō No Mono) The opening scene appears to be a dream, but I'm not sure if it's a dream or just a representation. Either way, the wendigo follows a stag. It watches as the stag dies and Will emerges from its belly as a semi-stag. It's basically meant to come off as a rebirth, similarly to Peter’s storyline with the horses at the stable. I believe this scene appears at the open because it follows the final scene in the previous episode. In that scene, I believe Will was eating actual human flesh, as it shows his face becoming Hannibal’s before they cut to black. The wendigo appears as Shiva in Hannibal’s office. “Did you know?” Will's belief that Hannibal is the reason Margot turned to him to get pregnant, so he sees Hannibal as the destroyer of Abigail and the creator of his Verger heir. 

(2x13: Mizumono) "I build forts." Will returns home after meeting with Jack and Hannibal. The side-by-side doesn't show who he's truly siding with, only how he feels. “Good" Will wants to be loyal to Jack, the devil within wants to be loyal to Hannibal. He's friends with both. When he reaches his porch, he sees Hobbs waiting for him. This scene reveals who he's siding with. "See? See?" Will finally sees what he was meant to after shooting Hobbs ten times. He has two options. This episode offers the first: Kill the devil within. He and Hobbs are shown in a tree house. He takes aim at the stag on the ground and fires. Once Will saw himself in Abigail's position (wanted for the murder of Randall Tier), he decided to switch sides and disappear with Hannibal, but arrived at his house too late. At the end of the episode, the stag is shown on the floor right beside him and Abigail because it’s his devil within. They’re dying together. He betrayed the wendigo, and he can’t kill the devil within without killing himself. It’s part of who he is whether he likes it or not. 

(3x2: Primavera) Picking up where they left off in season two. The stag's blood floods Hannibal's kitchen. In his hospital bed, Will hallucinates being stabbed in the gut from the inside out by one of the wendigo's antlers because Hannibal cut into him. Association. Hannibal saw Antony Dimmond as the man he was before Will's betrayal twisted him up. “I'm here to help you untwist to our mutual benefit.” Antony wanted to untwist him as Hannibal wanted to untwist Will. “It's a savage pleasure, and we are born to it. A pleasure we can share." He basically says the same thing when they take off to face The Dragon. "You'd be much more comfortable if you relaxed with yourself." Typically, Will sees Hannibal as the wendigo, but roles reverse with Antony. The eating of the heart. Antony treated Hannibal as Hannibal treated Will. The stag is skinned of his person suit, his broken heart left for WiIl to eat. I made mention to this on one of my rewatch posts. Vide Cor Meum (See My Heart). The soundtrack at the end of 1x13 as Hannibal walks into the mental hospital to see Will. It’s based on Dante’s first sonnet. 

(3x3: Secondo) Antlers behind Will as he sits by the fire. Chiyoh is cooking dinner for her prisoner. Again, perfect place to put this dialogue: “You drew a man with a freak on his back.” 

(3x5: Contorno) Will hallucinates Chiyoh dead in a thicket of antlers. She pushes him off the train. The stag nudges Will awake, then walks down the tracks. His devil within basically telling him to move his ass. 

(3x7: Digestivo) How Will sees the wendigo as Hannibal saws into his head. The way he sees the wendigo and Jack, their faces deformed as they are... it appears somewhat similar to the way he saw Hannibal’s face when he was suffering from encephalitis. 

(3x6: Dolce) The dinner sene. Hannibal as the wendigo. Will on one antler, Hannibal on the other. "They are identically different, Hannibal and Will."

(3x8: The Great Red Dragon) Behind Chilton in the office as he talks with Alana. Foreshadowing. Because Will’s opinion counts. “Hard to believe an inmate's opinion will count for anything in the professional community." Yes, it’s going to sting.

The same position as the “pet” photograph in 3x12. I believe “This is the child of a nightmare” is a quote from Chilton’s book on Hannibal. I think Will realized it was a book of lies, and knew Chilton was planning to cash in again by writing a book of lies on The Dragon. 

(3x9: …And the Woman Clothed with the Sun) Hannibal's wendigo reflection in a mirror shard. They don’t show Will’s reflection. I believe they were left with a choice to make. Keep them as they are, or switch the stag to a lion and the wendigo to a tiger. 

Will’s second option: Become stronger than the stag. “I’m stronger than The Dragon now.”

[ask-professor-laurel]

Personal Field Notes #006: Dragonite!

This one’s a bit self-indulgent, but admittedly I’m just getting to sit down and properly chill out for the first time in days as we deal with an… unexpected guest in the woods. This batch of notes is gonna be off the top of my head for the most part, and the bias will be obvious, but what can I say? I’ll very likely get to doing one of these for each of the species I have on my team, so keep an eye out for notes on Vespiquen and Appletun in the future. But, let’s talk Dragonite.

Dragonites are like most three-stage evolution Dragon species in the sense that each evolution can be pretty clearly tiered in terms of care. The baby stage, as I call it, is relatively easy to care for and beginner friendly. Second stage is intermediate, and third stage is advanced/very difficult. This is the case for most three-stage evolution Pokemon, but Dragon types are somewhat of a drastic example, and Dragonites are no exception. 

Dratini are relatively easy to care for; they need good exercise that’s easily done by a beginner trainer or a kid who likes to run, they like heat and sunbathing, they’re omnivorous at this stage, and the most difficult part of the care is honestly helping them with their shed. Dragonair, on the other hand, require a LOT of exercise as they adjust to their new size and prepare for their very drastic evolution. They require more shade than a Dratini and enjoy being misted, not unlike a floral Grass type, because it helps keep them from drying out and getting overly dry skin. They’re still omnivores, but Dragonairs get a real taste for meat, and they can eat a lot of food! They have a big evolution to prepare for and are constantly building up to that. They become quite competitive at this stage, so battling as part of their exercise is a must, or they might become sad and lethargic. They shed more frequently than a Dratini, and they need assistance with this! Misting seriously helps- keeps everything from getting too sticky and keeps them from getting cranky if it gets stuck. 

Then you’ve got Dragonites. Dragonites require either full days out and about, or a really intense bout of exercise followed by rest. Personally, I keep Cloudhopper pretty much exclusively out a Pokeball and she roams freely. She knows and understands boundaries, and generally sticks close to me, and I’m not worried about her running into trouble because she can easily take care of herself if she happens to get into a battle situation with a wild Pokemon. When I can I do give her plenty of exercise- we go for walks, we train, and we often take flights together. I only have her in a Pokeball if I have to and she’s never in it onsite here. It’s a personal preference of mine with my entire team, and it works well for her needs. 

Dragonites are also almost entirely carnivorous. They’ll eat some greens, and it’s good for them, but the vast majority of their diet is gonna be meat. They’ll be happiest with anything you get while fishing cooked up, they love seafood and especially fatty cuts of meat will be their preference, but each Dragonite is different. Cloudhopper, as an example, isn’t a picky eater and she really loves spicy food. Some Dragonites will eat anything not unlike a garbage disposal, while others are super picky. Oh, and I think this goes without saying, but they need to eat a LOT of food. Berries are good snacks, so is a standard Dragon type kibble. Keep their meals rich and meaty to keep them healthy and happy and full, and be prepared to provide lots of snacks. 

Dragonites aren’t super picky about sun and shade. They don’t like a lot of cold, however, so having a warm place to keep out of harsher winters will keep them happy. If it gets really dry they might get uncomfortable, but this is easily remedied with a good old-fashioned misting down. They don’t shed as often as even a Dratini, but they do shed, and they do need some help because their claws can only do so much. If a Dragonite is excessively scratching, they probably have some stuck shed making them itch, and you’ll be their best friend forever if you get it off for them. They love water, so it’s easy to spray them down and help them out of it’s really stuck. I don’t recommend approaching a wild Dragonite for this unless you’re a trained professional, though. 

Dragonites have a reputation for being cute and cuddly with friendly faces. A lot of people make the assumption that they’re gentle giants who wouldn’t harm a fly. It’s a dangerous assumption to make- Dragonites might appear more gentle than a Dragon like a Salamence, but they’re still just as capable of being just as fierce. Dragonites are viciously protective and are known to be extremely territorial. They’re an incredibly competitive species on top of that, and will rise to anything they see as a challenge. Wild Dragonites won’t hesitate to mercilessly attack anything that comes near their young if they deem it a threat. I never recommend approaching a wild Dragonite unless you’re a trained professional. 

Let’s look at Cloudhopper. I’ve had her for over a decade, and I’ve raised her since she was a Dratini. She’s still incredibly protective of myself and the people in my life, and she’s taken on both attacking wild Pokemon and more unsavoury types of people to protect us in the past. She’s always with me when I’m out in the field because she’s the strongest member of my team who can get us out of bad situations with the most ease, and in the few missions I’ve taken dealing with poachers she’s been by my side. Her competitive nature was aided by her training as a battle partner when I was a trainer, but I haven’t been a trainer in a very long time, and she’s never lost her edge. Our bond is what makes her so fiercely protective, and it’s not something I’ve trained into her, it’s just how she is! Granted, it works out in our favour, because I’m often called a magnet for trouble, which I can’t really argue against. 

I’m very biased towards Dragonites. Cloudhopper is my partner, I’ve had her most of my life, we grew up together. She’s a big part of the reason my initial research focus was Dragon types. She takes a lot of care but it’s never felt like work to me, we fit together perfectly and I can’t imagine myself having any other Pokemon as my partner. I haven’t met many wild Dragonites, they’re quite elusive and live in areas not easily accessed, but the ones I have encountered are beautiful and incredibly powerful. They’re not a species to be underestimated, nor should they be handled or approached by anybody without proper training and experience. They make for great partners for trainers who can take on the challenge of raising a Dragon type, and are also great flight Pokemon. You just have to be up to the challenge and able to work with their needs, which get more and more difficult as they evolve from a Dratini to their final, massive form. 

[hiccanna-tidbits]

Hiccanna 100 OTP Questions Meme--Part 1

So I saw this 100 Questions About Your OTP post, and I decided to do them for Hiccanna! And...I am never doing one of these memes again, because this took forever XD I decided to split it in two to avoid just creating a giant Monster Post. QUESTION SOURCE: https://the-moon-dust-writings.tumblr.com/post/159857601812/100-otp-questions 1. Who loves flower crowns more? Anna is highkey obsessed with them! Especially kinda lopsided weird ones with sunflowers and shit. Hiccup likes them a lot too but is too embarrassed to ever admit it 2. Who is the one who likes to cuddle? Probably Anna tbh, she’s extremely huggy and cuddly and basically always initiates the cuddle sessions. Hiccup is secretly super grateful for this because he’s actually touch-starved as all hell but absolutely is not aware of it like cmon do you think big tough Stoic hugged him a lot growing up??? Kinda doubt it tbh 3. Who has awful taste in music? Depends on who you ask XD Hiccup has exactly 2 Music Moods--Stuffy classical orchestal stuff with a bunch of fancy violin and flute and whatnot, and edgy underground alternative hipster nonsense from bands no one has ever heard of. Anna, meanwhile, is a simple woman, who listens almost exclusively to shitty, catchy-butvery-unoriginal Top 40 hits and belts along with them to the radio, much to Hiccup’s chagrin XD 4. Who is the meme lover? A N N A she is a memelord supreme 5. How did their second date go? An...oddly specific question XD But I’ll take a stab at it. I imagine on their first date they went to see some high fantasy epic movie with fancy CGI (they’d both be HELLA into that--Anna for the magic and epic romances and Hiccup for the interesting magical creatures) and then gushed about it for hours afterwards, so their second date might be something a bit more lowkey where they’d just talk and hang out. I feel like they both probably are coffee addicts, so...a coffee shop date, maybe? And Anna gets some kinda chocolate pastry, of course! 6. How many children do they want/have? Tbh unpopular opinion probably, but I actually don’t think Hiccup and Anna would necessarily want kids??? They’re definitely the kind of couple who would love exploring the world and taking spontaneous adventures together, and you can do a lot less of that when kids are typing you down. Not to mention I think the full-time responsibility of having a kid would be pretty exhausting to Anna in particular, as someone who identifies with her a lot and has never wanted kids because even thinking about it makes me tired XD I mean sure, Anna has a nurturing side that comes out with Elsa sometimes, but she doesn’t have to use that ALL THE TIME (since Elsa is a grown-ass adult usually capable of sound judgement) like she would with a kid. But ALL THAT SAID if they DID end up having kids I don’t think they’d go too crazy with it, probably just 1. Or 2 at the VERY most. 7. Who hides the weapons? You mean like...in an AU where they’re infiltrating an enemy fortress or something? Probably Anna, since she’s the more innocent and harmless-looking of the two XD 8. Who is the better dancer? They both can’t dance for SHIT it’s absolutely cringeworthy but probably Anna at the end of the day because she probably spent a lot of time practicing in those empty ballrooms 9. Do/Did they have a theme wedding? They’d probably want to have some kind of a magic high fantasy theme, since they’d both be hella into that--and then it ends up morphing into “Dragons and Princesses” XD Anna ends up getting over-the-top fancy princess dresses for all of her bridesmaids and Hiccup has the time of his damn life making basically everything in the buffet dragon-themed. The cake is like half dark green or black scale-patterned and half fancy-patterned spring green tiers. It’s quite the event of the decade! 10. What do their parents think of them dating? Valka absolutely ADORES Anna and thinks she’s perfect for her son--the perfect blend of cheerful and compassionate when she needs to encourage him, but also badass and tough-spirited to protect him when she needs to. Stoic doesn’t really like Anna at first--he’s under the (mistaken) impression that she’s a wimp and finds her bubbliness kind of grating and annoying, and generally worries that dating her will just make Hiccup even more of a wimp. He’d rather him date a no-nonsense tough-as-nails asskicker like Astrid in hopes it would toughen him up. However, once Stoic sees Anna do something like punch someone out with no hesitation when they pick on her and Hiccup, Stoic comes around to Anna VERY quickly XD I feel like Agnar and Iduna would just be happy to see their daughter dating a sweet, dorky guy who loves her with all of her being and appreciates her for who she is. As long as he treats her well and makes her feel loved (which he most certainly would because he’s a precious cinnamon roll), he gets their stamp of approval. And hey, anything is an improvement over Hans XD 11. Are they a super sappy couple? Nah. I imagine they do a lot of PDA and probably hold hands or kiss in public a lot, but they’re not like...overly gooey in how they talk to each other, if that makes any sense. If anything, their flirting is painfully awkward, even AFTER they get together XD So much so that when they try to hit on each other in front of their friends their friends are like “oh my god STOP this is too much secondhand cringe for me to bear” 12. How did they get together? I like to imagine they’re friends for a long while but both of them fully 100% believe that the other is ridiculously out of their league and they’re irreparably trapped in the friendzone and one day they’re hanging out with their friends and awkwardly flirting with each other (but of couRse the other person isn’t FLIRTING they’re just being NICE they both figure) and finally Jack just shouts “oh my god will you two just fuck already???” and after a few minutes of utter mortification they just have the world’s most awkward love confession XD Anna finally relents and asks Hiccup on a date, and of course he says yes! 13. Who asked the other to get married? I can honestly imagine either of them asking but probably Hiccup. And he’s SO nervous about it that he starts straight stuttering the first few times he tries to ask and has to stop and change the subject XD He probably gets it finally after like...the 5th time. 14. Who stays up too late and makes stupid jokes? A N N A 100% I headcanon that she has pretty bad insomnia (that’s why she has such a hard time waking up and is so tired in the morning!) so she stays up to the wee hours of the morning with her brain spinning with incredibly weird thoughts and her sense of humor becomes nigh indecipherable after 3 am. 15. Who is the nerd? Hiccup obviously is this even a question??? He spends all day collecting dragon facts and lore and building weird scientific contraptions to help crippled dragons fly WHAT A NERD  16. Who knows the most obscure facts? Hiccup again, he knows so many dragon factoids and random scientific shit that Anna sometimes wonders how he manages to fit anything else in there 17. Who makes the other a flower crown? Anna! She makes ones for both herself and Hiccup and Hiccup begrudgingly wears his but secretly thinks it’s pretty and likes it because it reminds him of his dorky gf :3 18. Who likes to read? Both! I mean Hiccup obviously does because, as established above, he is a nerd, but Anna has canonically read every book in the Arendelle castle library, some twice, so she doesn’t NOT like to read. Hiccup probably reads more, though, between the two of them--Anna often doesn’t really have the attention span for it. 19. Who bothers the other person while the other person reads? ANNA she loves to constantly hang over Hiccup’s shoulder when he reads and drape herself all over him like a needy cat like “PAY ATTENTION TO MEEEEE” and Hiccup just lets out a defeated sigh and starts playing with her hair while reading and hopes this will be enough to appease the little gremlin It usually is 20. Who tutors the other? Hiccup tutors Anna, but she HATES having to ask and is actually pretty insecure about school just generally not coming as naturally to her as it does to Hiccup, so he’s always super patient and understanding with her and tries his very best to never get annoyed or frustrated if she doesn’t catch onto something right away. He doesn’t want her to ever feel stupid because he imagines it feels the same to her as when people call him weak and useless. Slowly but surely, he’s saving Anna’s grades--and building her confidence! 21. Do they have similar taste in movies? Hell yeah! They love that high fantasy shit. I also like to think Hiccup manages to get Anna into some sci-fi and Anna manages to get Hiccup into romcoms (ONLY the good ones, he insists, as he would not be caught dead watching a shitty romcom!) 22. How do their personalities compliment each other? I mean the most obvious one here is that Hiccup’s general pessimism and cynicism compliment Anna’s optimism and cheerfulness really nicely. He would be able to keep her grounded and get her to be more realistic about things, while she would encourage him to see the positive side of bad situations and be more hopeful about things in general. Also I love the contrast of Hiccup’s intelligence and more quiet, snarky nature with Anna’s rather boisterous personality and general naivitey (sp?) and energy. They’re like a downplayed version of the “the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one” trope and I think that’s beautiful. Also, they’d both be great at soothing the other’s isecurities--Anna would be Hiccup’s biggest cheerleader and would believe in him like no one else did, and would stop at nothing to pull him out of it when he started spiraling into self-loathing and thinking he’s a fuck-up. Hiccup, meanwhile, would be so smitten with Anna and would think that it’s the most obvious thing in the world that she’s an amazing human being in her own rite and never has to feel like the “spare” princess living in her sister’s shadow. And saying this without a shadow of a doubt, like it’s common knowledge, is often exactly what Anna needs to hear to feel a little better about herself. 23. How do they tell everyone that they are going to be having a kid/adopting a child soon? I...honestly don’t think they’d be that extra about it??? In fact, they’d be the sort of couple who would be so UN-extra about it that it would do a full 180 and be hilarious. Like they’d be casually brunching with friends and Hiccup would just casually be like “oh by the way, Anna’s 3 months pregnant” or “oh, by the way, we just signed some adoption papers and we’re picking our new kid up on Saturday” and all of their friends would be like “wait WHAT” and Hiccup would be like “Anyways what were you saying about the newest episode of Alien Space Shooters 3000?” XD  24. Who has better fashion sense? Hiccup, probably. I mean, Astrid caught him making OUTFITS! The horror! The dude is also way more effeminate and, uh...clothing-conscientious than he realizes XD Anna has decent fashion sense, but I imagine that’s like 90% because Elsa spices up/makes her outfits since Elsa’s really more of the fashionista XD 25. Who will punch someone out if they are rude to their partner? Try bullying Hiccup when Anna’s around. I dare you. You’re gonna get a fistful of Anna Rage and a very angry redhead screaming “THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO MY BOYFRIEND I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU” Look this woman punched a man off a boat and knocked a wolf half a mile away with a guitar thing she absolutely takes no shits and she can and will fuck you up if you so much as lay a finger on her precious dork Hiccup thinks this is really hot btw 26. What songs do they sing together in the vehicle? For whatever reason the first songs that come to mind are “Africa” by Toto and “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey. ALSO “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus since they both are, in fact, teenage dirtbags XD It also like perfectly describes the story of a modern AU where Hiccup the Loser is secretly pining for Anna the Nice Popular Girl who is dating Hans the Douchebag but that’s neither here nor there 27. What other couple would your otp get along with? Jackunzel, Jackunzel, Jackunzel!!! Jack and Hiccup would definitely be bros, even if they are not above mercilessly roasting and/or trolling one another XD And Anna and Rapunzel would be BEST FRIENDS if they ever met and I will DIE on this hill, I legit don’t think Anna would Vibe with any other princess as hard as she vibes with Punzel. They could be ADHD disasters together XD 28. Who likes to prank the other? Anna actually turns out to be quite the closet gadfly and has a secret side that LOVES pranks and generally trolling Hiccup, much to everyone’s surprise and Hiccup’s mild dismay. It’s always pretty innocent and subtle pranks, like switching books on his bookshelf or hiding his various possessions in weird places in the house, but Anna absolutely LIVES for that long, defeated sigh he lets out when he realizes he’s Been Had. 29. Who is the one who loves to take pictures? Anna takes pictures of EVERYTHING on her phone--scenery, flowers, cute animals they come across, weird buildings, pretty fountains, Hiccup when he’s not looking, EVERYTHING XD She also bombs all her social media accounts with selfies of her and Hiccup and captions gloating about how great he is and how you WISH your boyfriend was this cool and rad and Hiccup is both embarrassed and flattered by this. 30. How would they react if they found out they were soul mates? Anna, who probably never stopped fully being a sucker for fairy tale True Love stories and all that shit, would fangirl for hours and hours. Hiccup would just go, “Oh, neat!” and go back to whatever project he was currently working on XD I mean his logic is mainly that regardless of whether it’s “magically destined” or not, he’s gonna date Anna anyway, so it really doesn’t make a scrap of difference to him whether she’s dubbed by some Mystical Higher Power as his soulmate lol  31. Where would they live? Well...SOMEWHERE in Scandinavia, since that’s canonically where both Berk and Arendelle are XD I kinda like the idea of them spending part of the year in Berk and part in Arendelle...maybe spring and summer in Berk, and fall and winter in Arendelle? I imagine spring and summer are when there’s the most interesting dragon activity in Berk, and winter’s probably pretty festive and colorful in Arendelle, if OFA is anything to go by. And the fall color is pretty too, going by Frozen 2. Seems like a good compromise, since I doubt either of them would want to permanently move away from their homes. 32. What type of dragon would they own, if they could have one? Given the shipping this question is HILARIOUSLY ironic Well it just so happens they would have a type of dragon called a Night Fury and name him Toothless XD Anna would probably have a dragon of her own too--I conversed with someone on fanfic.net and did some research into all the HTTYD dragons, and I think the one I like her most with is a sand wraith, since they live on the beach and Anna certainly seems to like the beach, if her throwaway comment complaining Elsa doesn’t have “tropical” powers is anything to go by XD 33. If they were both vampires, what type of vampires would they be? First of all, fuck you for making me google “Types of Vampires” and then getting me aggravated because like nowhere on the internet is there a straightforward list of vampire "species” that isn’t like 5 miles long or just a meme XD Welp, I couldn’t really find a list of vampire species that wouldn’t take forever to look over, so I wrote a summary for a vampire fanfic instead Anna turns first. I imagine probably Hans turns her--tricks her into falling in love with him without knowing he’s a vampire, and then biting her when she’s off-guard to basically try to make her into a spooky sex slave or something. Anna starts seeing Hiccup in secret (who she knew before--he’s still human at this point), and eventually he asks her to turn him so that he can be with her without her outliving him and also so that they can team up and fight Hans together. Anna has a lot of reservations about turning him, but finally agrees. They end up kicking Hans out of his spooky vampire castle and taking it for themselves XD Anna eventually makes the best of being a vampire, and has a blast wearing all manor of fancy dresses and throwing extravagant balls. She’s pretty bummed about never getting to gorge herself on garlic bread again, though :( Hiccup doesn’t much like it, especially since a lot of animals are scared of him now and he doesn’t Vibe with nature quite like he used to D: Nonetheless, he decides to use the immortality to do some pretty neat projects and work on his contraptions and inventions and whatnot. I imagine they eventually devolve into kind of a vigilante duo, and make a point of only hunting down and feeding on bad people who are actively hurting or abusing other people or animals. A pretty good incentive to not like...do violent crime in this AU is those creepy old wives’ tales people tell their kids like “don’t be an asshole when you grow up, or the Haddock vampires will get you!” 34. What would they dress up as, for Halloween? Well Hiccup would be some sort of dragon, obviously! Anna I have no idea...but I kinda like the idea of her just dressing up as a generic fairy tale princess and then going around with Hiccup like “oh no, this dragon kidnapped me!” Both their friends and various trick-or-treaters get a kick out of the whole bit. 35. Can they name each other’s favourite food? But of course! Anna’s is chocolate, krumkake, and sandwiches, and Hiccup’s is crabcakes (yes, all this is actually canon! I do my research for fanfiction thank you very much lol). And you can bet they surprise each other by buying one another’s favorite foods all the time! 36. Do they have pet names for one another? In my fanfic I always have Hiccup come up with SO MANY for Anna, like in my Fire!Anna AU fanfic alone I have Fire Hazard, Firecracker, and probably a few others I can’t remember One headcanon I really like is that whenever Anna is especially ready to attempt to kick the ass of something she really should NOT fight (such as a giant snowman), Hiccup physically has to hold her back and goes “Whoa, slow down there, tiger” and this happens so frequently that eventually it gets shortened to just calling her Tiger XD And hey, with the orange hair and the feistiness, it still fits! As for Anna, she usually just calls Hiccup Dragon Boy or Nerd XD 37. How do they cheer each other up? I imagine Hiccup probably tries to distract Anna from whatever’s bothering her by making her laugh and talking in dumb accents or imitating his dad XD Anna would probably try to help Hiccup stay optimistic about a bad situation and try to point out the positives, but more in an encouraging way than like...an obnoxious, condescending “oh, it could be worse, count your blessings!” kind of way. And Anna has so much peppy energy about it that it actually does sometimes manage to pierce Hiccup’s cynicism and make him feel a bit better, if only for a little while before he starts once again imagining everything that could possibly go wrong XD 38. Do they show a lot of PDA? Eeeeeyup XD They looooove holding hands in public, and enjoy kissing dramatically in front of the sunset and such. I mean I imagine they don’t have hardcore makeout sessions in public or feel each other up sexually, if only because they don’t want to make people THAT uncomfortable. 39. How old were they when they got together? Depends on the AU you’re using and where in both their respective timelines they meet, but I imagine them meeting either as kids or in their early teens, and then taking so damn long to spit out how they feel that they don’t actually start dating until their late teens or early 20s. 40. Who is the one that would bring the puppy home? If it’s a puppy? Probably Anna. If it’s a kitten or a weird, injured reptile? Deeeefinitely Hiccup. 41. Can they do yoga couple’s poses? They most certainly CANNOT. I like to think Elsa and Honeymaren tried to teach them one time and have a yoga double date (because of COURSE Elsa would suggest that) and it ended with Anna and Hiccup butchering every last pose, repeatedly falling on their asses, and generally having a bad time. Poor Elsa and Honeymaren had to work hard to keep from just losing their shit laughing. 42. What is their song? I mean...I don’t know what their like...OFFICIAL song is, but the songs “West End Kids” by the New Politics and “Paper Rings” by Taylor Swift have always had Big Hiccanna Energy to me. 43. What does their room look like? It’s divided pretty neatly in two. Hiccup’s side has a near-spotless floor, a desk with a perfectly-organized bookshelf and a very chic desk lamp, several movie posters and a hanging whiteboard with miscellaneous invention designs and reminders about random stuff written on it. Anna’s side looks like Hurricane Katrina just swept through, this time with a personal vendetta against snack wrappers. 44. Who would be the one to kill zombies while the other keeps them grounded? Anna would absolutely be the sort to just fuckin tear through hoards of zombies screeching battle cries and knocking them all upside the head with a crowbar, or just straight plowing down an entire hoard with some freaking machine gun she stumbled on and taught herself how to use because she wanted to be badass XD Meanwhile Hiccup is absolutely grateful for the protection because Anna can fuck up a LOT of zombies at once, but he also has to keep the girl from going TOO crazy and accidentally putting her impulsive dumbass in grave peril XD 45. Who makes the other breakfast in bed? Hiccup, for sure. He’s used to being up pretty early because I imagine you get the most dragon-flying and exploring in if you wake up early, and he knows food is basically the only thing that will make Anna not hate getting up, so he makes her breakfast in bed as often as he can to make waking up suck less. And sure enough, after a while Anna starts to hate the morning just a liiiiittle bit less XD 46. Who loves kids more? Anna! Given how fun-loving and energetic she is, she probably loves hanging out with and being around kids. Hiccup likes kids fine, but he often feels kinda awkward and weird around them (I mean...more so than usual XD) because he isn’t sure how to interact with them. When they’re around kids, Hiccup usually follows Anna’s lead on how to talk to them. 47. Do either of them have a crazy ex? Well Anna’s ex attempted to use her to infiltrate and take over a kingdom and then tried to murder her sister so I mean 48. What are their favourite colours? Going by their canon color schemes, I’m guessing Anna’s would probably be like spring green and magenta, and Hiccup’s would be a more dark, foresty green and red. 49. Who likes to cook? Hiccup. Anna can’t cook for shit because she generally doesn’t have the patience for it and would just as soon live off of freezer food if she could because it’s less trouble XD Hiccup is good at making/building things, which actually translates to him being a pretty good chef. He makes Anna food a lot and she absolutely ADORES his cooking. 50. Who is the forgetful one? Anna. Gotta love that ADHD babeyyyy! (I mean I’m practically irl Anna and I am NOTORIOUSLY forgetful so it’s gotta be her XD)