#Mango Writes

[monsterslikemango]

Loving Simon felt like being consumed — a vulture picking and grabbing at your flesh. He wanted to be gentle but it was just impossible for a man like him — doomed to leave destruction in his wake.

Your clothes laid across the room — a few buttons loose now. His still on, his always on — you never truly felt his warmth or kissed his skin but you had to be okay with that as you placed your mark on his mask. Your soft pink lips staining and leaving behind a claim on what you knew wasn’t yours.

Simon was rough, he always was ruining and devouring your soul. His body moving against yours as his lips ripped and torn at your soft skin — already covered in splashes of blue and purple but he must create new. Silent words escaping his lips, “never forgot me,” he said with each new mark.

“Please never forget me”

[mangosaurus]

erm. big ben first encounter benrius fic be upon ye, i guess.

[thesentientmango]

Summary:I

t was the worst thing that could happen. First you die a painful death, then the infection takes a hold of your body, and then you go after your friends and family, using the face of someone they once knew against them.

That was how it was supposed to go.

OR

Cleo wasn't always a zombie. 

[fried-manto]

No because Sunny and Kel definitely kissed before when they were little, out of curiosity.

Kel was definitely like, "Y'know, I saw Hero and Mari to The Thing yesterday, y'know that gross thing adults do?"

Then Sunny, chill as he is, says, "You mean they had sex? Woah."

"Huh?" Kel would say because he didn't know what "sex" was and Sunny was not about to explain (well maybe he would've but Kel never asked) "Noo, I mean they were kissing!"

Kel would pucker up his lips, "Y'know the 'mwah mwah' thing, that your mom and dad likes to do."

"I know what kissing is."

"Mom and dad never do them though.." Sunny would mutters under his breath.

Sunny would then turn to his friend and ask, "So what about it?"

And Kel would turn and face him as well, "I don't know, I always wondered what it feels like."

"Kissing?"

"Yeah!"

Kel squints his eyes, "I mean I know its gross," He then put a finger on his lips, "but how would you know that if you never tried it, right?"

"I guess so.."

Kel lights up, "Okay so! Do you want to try it? With me? Kissing?"

Sunny would look at him with a tinge of confusion, his face would for some reason get just a little warmer, "Uhm what? Just us?"

"Yeah! I mean like, theres no one else here who could try it with me."

"Still, ew."

"C'mon! Just this one time!" Kel would beg, "I won't tell anyone!" His face suddenly reddens, "I mean- I won't, of course not!"

Sunny would sigh in defeat, "Ugh.. fine..." he would then look at Kel straight in the eye, with his face slightly blushed with pink, "What do you wanna do then, normal kiss or french kiss?"

"What's a french kiss?" Kel would cock his head.

"Uh.. I think it's like a fancier- more advanced version of a kiss," Sunny would put a hand on his chin, "..I don't really know to be honest, I just caught a glimpse of the magazine Mari was reading that one time."

"So is it like a better version because it's french?" Kel would say.

"I mean I guess so? French stuffs has always been super romantic"

"Super extra you mean."

Sunny would stifle a laugh, "Yeah so you wanna try that or not?"

"Okay okay but what's the difference between a french kiss and a normal kiss?"

"I don't know, I think the french kiss has tongue in it, like you have to use your tongue to-"

"EW!" Kel shakes his head rapidly, "No way no way- no tongue- ew! We're doing the normal kiss. That's so gross."

"Told you so," Sunny would deadpan.

Kel would bounce back as he always does and ask, "Okay so how do we kiss?"

Sunny would rock back and forth, "Uhmm I guess we just... touch each others lips with our own..."

"Okay.. I can do that.." Kel swallows.

"Close your eyes," Sunny would say as they lean towards each other with slightly puckered lips till they... eventually... touched one another with their-

"BLEGH" Sunny coughs, "Kel- why does your lips taste like orange joe?!"

"What.. I was thirsty earlier," Kel would say as he touched his lips, now finding out how soft Sunny's lips actually are. And how much he wants to do it again.

Kel gasps, "That was-" he gasps again, "We should do it again! One more time!"

"Ew no! Not unless you drink actual water next time." Sunny would say, still not recovered from the taste.

Kel would whine for a bit and that would be the last kiss they had for a few years on. Until one day, Kel would finally bring up the topic again.

"Hey Sunny, you remember that one time we kissed when we were kids? You wanna do it again?"

[madbunsy]

CHAAAAAAPPPTTAAAAAAA 16!!

[lairde-lampblack]

hey i posted 7,500 words in like a week, check out my fnaf fanfic pleas

[mango-fizz]

also i have this that i never finished but the splatfest is over so i doubt i ever will now LOL

“You lip-synch, we drip ink!”

“Ay! (It’s Shiver, Frye, and Big Man!)”

“Aren’t they so cute? Takes me back to when we used to do Inkopolis News,” Callie giggles as Marie settles next to her on the couch.

“I dunno, I think we were way cooler,” Marie says, but she’s smiling into her coffee mug. Deep Cut’s voices sound out from the TV.

“What’s got you so excited, Big Man?” 

“Ay, ay! (It’s Splatfest time!)” 

“Oooh!! What’s the theme, what’s the theme?”

Deep Cut’s anticipation is contagious as they wait for the theme to be revealed. Callie finds herself leaning forward in her seat.

"What do you think it'll be this time?" Marie muses.

"I dunno, but whatever it is I bet it'll be tons of fun as always!"

Frye makes a drum roll sound as the results come up on screen. "Bam!"

Marie chokes on her coffee. Callie pats her back as she goes into a coughing fit.

Frye jumps in surprise. "The theme is…! Uh, what?"

Shiver looks caught off guard for a moment before continuing seamlessly. "Who would make the best leader? Shiver, Frye, or Big Man! Quite the interesting theme!" 

"Obviously it's me, I mean, look at me! I'm adorable! And I'm super strong and an awesome dancer," Frye pumps her fists in the air.

Shiver flutters their fan. "That's great, Frye, but I'm the obvious choice for this one. My vocals are unmatched, and I'm graceful and cool and I literally ride a giant shark. What's not to love?"

"Yeah, but who always gets us out of trouble during raids? I always come up with the best escape pla-"

"Ay… Ay! (Frye, we're not supposed to talk about that on TV… But anyway, I'm the best leader! I'm always the one looking out for you guys. Vote for me!)"

The Splatcast fades into background noise as Callie and Marie sit dumbfounded. Marie can't will her hands to stop shaking. 

"This Splatfest…" 

"It's going to be so much fun! Right?" Callie smiles widely.  

"No! It's not!" Marie's brow creases so deep her manager would scold her about wrinkles, but right now she can't bring herself to care. "Cal, they're gonna- This splatfest is gonna hurt them."

"That's not gonna happen and you know it." Callie holds her cousin by the shoulders and smiles in that disarming way she's perfected for years. "This is not the same as last time. Everything is gonna be alright, okay?"

Her voice cracks embarrassingly, so Marie clears her throat. Her voice is smaller than she intends when she asks, "Are you sure?"

The grip on her shoulder tightens, but only so briefly that she thinks she might have imagined it, before Callie's hands pull away. "Deep Cut can hold their own, trust me. It'll take some sort of world-shattering event to tear those three apart. Like a pineapple-tomato-pizza splatfest or something!"

Marie laughs despite herself. "I think this theme is pretty world-shattering though." 

She sighs and slumps back onto the couch. She searches Callie's face but all she finds is unwavering confidence. She hasn't stopped smiling, sitting casually on her hands. 

It doesn't seem necessary, but she'd rather not make the same mistake twice. 

"You okay too, Cal?"

Callie looks at the buildings outside. "Yep! All good." 

Finally, she looks back at Marie. "I promise, Deep Cut will not end up running away and getting hypnotized," she says with a chuckle. "Even if they look really good with shades."

Marie huffs and flicks her on the arm, earning her a pained giggle from Callie. "Good. They better not." Then, more quietly, she mumbles, "I wouldn't wish that on anybody." 

[meximango]

Day 18 - Hackneyed - Vaile + Bobby - PG

Summary: Vaile has a short encounter with Cahsi’s retainer.

Part 1 of 2. Part 2 can be found here! --

Vaile had never been in this residential district–or any other than Ishgard’s, if he was being honest. The kind of work he had been so used to did not lead him to safe, well-lit, nice-smelling places like these. When meeting up with an acquaintance (the word ‘friend’ was still strange to him, and he avoided using it if he could), they always met up in a city or at a dungeon site or on the road if they happened to bump into each other. 

The sight of all these houses made him feel like an intruder, even though he knew it was full of adventurer’s abodes, rather than normal civilians. Nobody was going to harass him or try to send him away unless he stepped over a line. Hells, Cahsi had told him plenty of people left their homes unlocked! Only a retainer to keep watch, with a book that visitors could sign to give their opinion on the owner’s interior decorating skills. Apparently, it was a form of relaxation for many, and a way for folks to show off their conquests (‘look at this great beast I slayed and mounted its wings on my wall! Gasp in awe!’) It felt like something from a children’s storybook, and he wasn’t sure if Cahsi was just fucking with him or if that was supposed to be considered normal. No way was he about to test if it was true by going into some stranger’s home and potentially getting caught in their homemade dungeon.

Which is why he had to be sure the house he was setting out to find was actually Cahsi’s. 

This place was too quaint for the likes of someone like him, but he needed something from Cahsi, and she said she’d be at her home all weekend. So he’d bear through it. He was tough. He could handle wading through a domestic setting without his skin itching for a fight. Probably. (and if he thought about it too long, it’d bring him back to that brief year of happiness with Axel. The closest he ever got to a domestic life. No thanks, brain.) 

Cahsi had sent him a letter to him via moogle mail with the most awful, nonsensical map known to man explaining how to find her home, which he’d never been to and hadn’t planned on. But she was ‘too lazy to bother traveling somewhere to meet up, even if it were at a major aetheryle. Please Vaile, I just want one lazy weekend where I don’t have to dress up and put on my weapon. You come to me, or you can wait.’ 

So here he was. Sort of. He was close? He was in the correct general area, as far as he could tell, but all these districts looked exactly the same, and ‘it’s a carbuncle themed house, you can’t miss it’, did not help when there were a surprising number of people with colorful homes themed after the same creature. Cahsi didn’t seem to be wearing her linkpearl right now, as she wasn’t picking up. He sighed. Not worth the trouble for what he needed, maybe, but he’d already traveled…

After another few minutes of aimless wandering and deliberation, he finally went to the nearest retainer bell and rang it until he could get someone to fetch Cahsi’s for him. 

When the familiar, stout figure arrived at the plaza, Vaile wasted no time: “Hey, you! Retainer. Where is she?”

Upon noticing who it was asking, the retainer’s face went from a neutral expression to one of slight annoyance. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly know what you mean. Some manners would go a long way to start, boy.”

“Just tell me!”

“....” 

The lalafell in front of him pretended to examine and remove a speck of dust from his outfit, completely ignoring the reaper that towered over him. Hard to be cowed by a punk with a short fuse when you were already dead, after all. Not much phased Bobby, though he certainly could phase through plenty. Having been around for numerous calamities and no signs of returning to the afterlife, Bobby had gotten exceedingly good at controlling his physicality. He could be solid when needed to do his job, but most of the time he was invisible or a blue-tinged, see-through mirage like right now.

It was a standoff Vaile wouldn’t win if he wanted an answer. “Fine. Hello. Nice weather we’re having, aren’t we. Now tell me where Cahsi is.”

“Mmm? And what do we say? A magic word, perhaps?”

“Oh for the love of–you insufferable mage. Please.” Vaile’s teeth were grit together so hard, he could nearly hear them creaking. His hand itched to reach for his weapon, useless as it’d be. Still, it could be fun to see a scythe swing through the man’s apparition. Would it flicker?

“There, now was that really so difficult? Was that painful for you?” His tone dripped with condescension.

“You are so lucky you’ve already left this plane, or I’d be breaking my promise of no bloodshed on the premises right about now–”

“Tsk tsk, the youths these days are so hotheaded. You’d best work on yourself, lad, or I won’t allow you to see miss Theia anymore. She doesn’t need to associate with ruffians.”

“And she doesn’t need a stuffy retainer like you choosing who she gets to see! Let her make her own decisions. She’s the one who invited me here.”

Something changed in Bobby’s expression, the tiniest hint of approval in his eyes. “Hmm. You’re right, I suppose. She’s handled far worse and prickly than you. Very well then.It’s the home right across from the pool, one block down to your left. You can’t miss it. You’ll find her in the library with some guests–friends. I believe you know them. I do hope you’ve packed a bag?”

“What? Why would I need a bag to talk to her?”

“Why, for the sleepover, of course!”

And with that, the retainer flickered into nothing, no doubt having had his fill of tomfoolery for the day.

Good riddance! A sentiment shared by both.

Vaile quickly reached his destination, the sign in front confirming it was hers. Cahsi’s door was unlocked, and there was note waiting for him, telling him she’d be downstairs. Must be where the library is.

As he approached the door leading to it, he heard muffles voices and laughter. Was he really about to intrude on a ‘sleepover’, and whatever that entailed? It was barely dinnertime!

Better to get this over with, Vaile. Sooner you get in there, the sooner you can leave.

As he opened the door, he heard a sentence that made him regret coming here and wishing Bobby had given him the wrong directions: “This has to be the most hackneyed sex pollen plot I’ve ever read, and don’t even get me started about the characterization!”

Was it too late to turn around and pretend he was never here? Unfortunately, three faces turned toward him and exclaimed in greeting.

“Vaile! You’re just in time. You have to join us!”

He nearly felt his adrenaline spike as though he were about to enter battle. What the hells was he getting himself into…?

- To Be Continued… ? - [next]

[slicedmangoh]

Pess v Mikeko (2028)

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47287228/chapters/119153023

Chapters: 1 / Rating: G / Relationships: Miles Edgeworth/Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth & Pess, Pess & Mikeko / Tags: Gen, Animal POV, Humor, The Girls Are Fighting

Summary:  Apollo leaves Mikeko with Miles, Phoenix, and Trucy while he's out of the country. Pess is not happy about the arrangement.

Excerpt:

“Do you wanna sit?” Phoenix asks her, lifting his arms to make room in his lap. Mikeko pours down off the armrest, turning around twice before settling herself atop Phoenix’s thighs. “Yeah, there you go,” he croons, tickling her under the chin. The cat soaks up the attention like a spotted sponge, prrrt-ing her appreciation.

So far, Pess has been primarily concerned with reestablishing her claim on Miles. But now that she has it, watching Mikeko hedonistically sink her chin into Phoenix’s scratches, she has never so intensely wished she could take up two laps from across the room.

Phoenix glances up. His loving on the cat falters. “How and when did you teach her to glare?”

Miles hms, looking up from his papers.

“Pess.” He nods towards her. “She’s giving us some major stink eye.”

Mikeko’s eyelids crack open as Phoenix stops his scratching. The animals lock eyes from across the coffee table.

Miles huffs. “That’s ridiculous.”

[madbuns]

Your Tobirama TMA!au has me frothing at the mouth. Eye and Flesh avatar? Amazing. I SO BADLY wanna hear your headcanons on the other founders

apologies if this took a while but Oh BOI DO I GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO OVERSHARE THIS

LETS GOOOOO (part one because I'll do Izuna and Mito and add in drawings next time)

Hashirama:

- he's an avatar of the eye in this, how he became it's avatar all I can say it started with a book and a tree.

- Chose him as an eye avatar because it links to his title of God of Shinobi to me, like the Eye of Beholding sees all and knows all so it works well djfjfkf

- he has eyes everywhere.

- he's manipulated and controlled several situations a lot as to how he is basically the reason why the others have become what they are, though he does this as a means of protecting them somewhat, specifically Madara and Tobirama

- He's founder of the Senju institute of research

- keeps tight tabs on Madara and Tobirama

Madara:

- The former Messiah of the Uchiha, the Avatar of the Desolation who also became the Avatar of the lonely

- similar to the situation with Agnes Montague because I've been debating whether or not he fits with the desolation or the lonely though since mix n match is a thing so he is both connected to the desolation and the lonely (despair of loss and potential, the isolation and depression of being alone and nobody and abandoned, etc)

- in this the Uchiha is a cult

- Madara was at first binded to Tobirama who was an infant at the time, by Hashirama as to prevent the desolation ritual.

-This forced Madara and the rest of his followers to lay low for a while because the bind tamed his fire, instead of burning and blazing brightly as if it was about to burn a whole city down it became like the sun, bright, warm, yet so, so far away and much more tamed.

- had at first waited until Tobirama grew older so he could get close to him and kill him to break the bind, falls in love with him instead and this complicates things

- He ends up getting taken by the lonely when he did one last help of favour for Hashirama in order to find Tobi, which ended in Madara being engulfed into the lonely and his fire disappearing entirely as well as his isolation from his group because of him falling for Tobirama, but also because of Tobirama killing Izuna so aha

- as the Desolation avatar he looked no different like how he is usually except for eyes that would flare red as he would make those magma fiery fire that could burn and melt you up hot, eating your despair and potential and leaving anguish and lost hope. But then as the lonely avatar all that colour got sucked away away so he looks like his rinnegan form :9 but more soggy and misty

Tobirama:

- Avatar of the Eye and Flesh, though more of being associated and marked as one of the beholding's own as he worked in the archival teams in the Institute, almost being promoted as an archivist until he turned into the flesh avatar due to one little accident

- he really would have fit as a lonely avatar because of his suiton and his whole colour scheme being blue but also he is a necromancer and knowledge man at heart and honestly he's like a flesh guy and eye guy to me so kdfkdkdk

- since young he had been raised by Hashirama, remember him far and long as brother and follows him loyally

- on the contrary however he doesn't know about his bind to Madara, most of his life revolved around the archives, Hashirama, his team, and Madara who pops in time to time pestering him.

- He gets notified to do a bit of background research for one of the statements and he almost becomes sacrifice to a cult of the flesh who he managed to stop with the help of Madara, although he also found a leitner book which, Madara does not know

- now this is where it starts a change because Tobirama pre-this he had a healthy shade of pale skin and rosiness to it, sometimes the vibe of eyes that make it feel like he's watching you kinda, but after that book he starts changing as his skin gets paler to the point it matches his snow white hair, his eyes that were like a dark shade of red with irises still turned a bright crimson red with no iris in sight, and red markings of inscriptions all over him written in his own blood, carved into his body that became larger and more, uncanny and at that point he stopped coming to work and nobody knew where he went

- Except for Hashirama of course, and Madara who was told by Hashirama

- He was also part of turning Madara into an Avatar of the lonely :V, by killing Izuna :VV

[thesentientmango]

Philza gets caught out in the middle of a blizzard. He doesn't want to have to deal with the consequences.

This was a treat written as a part of @extremetimedchallengeexchange during the first 48 hours for harris_parris! 

[xochimillilili]

So fucking dumb and fuzzy brained right nowww, I just want a pretty boy to grope me all over, teasing me and pinning me against the kitchen counter. Telling me to be a good boy and concentrate on my cooking, that I'll get a reward later if I do a good job as he edges me with a wooden spoon, smacking my cunt everytime I start to whine

I wanna be a blushy mess of moans and giggles for him as they switch between making cheesy jokes and threatening to fuck my mouth, as he grips onto my hips and marks me as his

[madbunsy]

MBACK

[mango-forest]

As a crime boss, Jason has many places under a lot of different pseudonyms; some half-way houses, some meeting spots, whatever. There’s only one apartment though registered under ‘Jason Todd’, a compromise with his old man. Unlike the places he usually buys, the apartment isn’t in Crime Alley, but rather closer to the Diamond District. Bruce wanted him to have his own, completely legal place, and the adopted son of Gotham’s richest man couldn’t live anywhere uncouth. Whatever.

To be honest, Jason does put more of his expensive things in that apartment, and almost all of his family momentos, like some pictures, or some bracelets Alley kids give him. Less risk of theft, and though he can install good security systems, some of them are so violent he’d feel bad if a petty robber got caught in them. Something in him also settles at the thought of having a place completely belong to him, Jason Todd. Not Red Hood, or another alias. His.

It’s with this sense of security that he unlocks and opens his apartment door, ready to start his two week ‘vacation’ from being a crime boss, a bag of groceries in one arm.

It’s only thanks to his experience and quick reflexes that keep Jason from dropping the groceries not two minutes later as he sees a fucking gift basket on his kitchen island. He sets the groceries on the floor and pulls out his phone, staring at the basket.

“Jason?”

“Hey, Dick. Are you still at the manor?” he asks.

“Yeah, what’s up? Something wrong?” The concern is audible, even though Dick is making an effort to keep his tone light. Jason can’t blame him; he just saw him three hours ago, there’s no reason for Jason to be calling so soon.

Jason starts making his way around the room, keeping a wide berth from the island. “Someone out a gift basket in my apartment. The one registered under Jason Todd. Door was still locked, windows still locked, no footprints even though it was raining all day.” There are blankets folded neatly in the basket. Honestly, the basket itself is fucking huge.

Dick swears. “Stalker, maybe? We are the Wayne family. They could’ve just been super careful.”

Jason makes a noncommittal noise, creeping back towards the basket. “I’m gonna see what’s in it.”

“Don’t fucking see what’s in it,” Dick says incredulously. “What if it’s a bomb? Or poison?”

“Too late,” Jason announces. “I’m touching it. It seems like it’s just blankets? Wait, something’s under it, God, this is a huge ass basket. . .”

“Jason, don’t touch it, what is wrong with you?!” Dick demands.

“It’s just blank—Jesus, fuck!” Jason leaps back, heart racing.

“What? What—Jason, what happened? Are you alright?”

He’s stuck staring at the glow now emitting from the basket, previously covered by the blankets. He brings the phone back up to his ear. “Dick, things just got bad.”

“What happened?”

Jason takes a shaky breath. “Aside from the Pits themselves, Dick, I’m looking at the most Lazarus water I’ve ever seen on one place. I’m serious,” he adds, to the silence on the other side of the phone, “Dick, you could’ve bathed Ace in this. Fuck, you could bathe Titus and the cat at the same time, this thing’s so big. Fuck, why would someone give Jason Todd this?”

“Is there a note?” Dick asks, voice serious.

“Uh, yeah. There’s an envelope tucked into the side, I’ll open it.”

His blood freezes in his veins as he reads the note inside:

Darling Red Hood,

This may seem too formal but please take this gift as a symbol of my intentions. I will see you soon.

And at the bottom, there’s a stylized D that looks like it was burnt into the paper.

i want a ghost courting fanfic Dead on Main

i want it to be intentional from Danny's side and Red Hood/Jason to be confused™

i want it to be where Danny moved to gotham for reasons (it's pre reveal for danny or reveal gone right) and he's met that really cute guy and ohmygod what does he do?? Ember, Kitty, Johny, Skulker? how do you court someone? what should he do???

so Danny gets Ghost Courting advice and oh.. the cute dead guy is the freaking Red Hood who Danny may or may not have had a crush on even before meeting in civvies ok that's fine he'll just proceed with the plan a leave a gift in his haunt with a little hint as to who that might be from as is only proper (thanks for advice Ember!)

[mango-fizz]

hi do you have a link to that post of the the marie reader late night radio talk show interview thingy you wrote i need to dunk my brain in good writing

tumblr search fucking sucks so here just have it, again akfhdkbsbd

As you sit there, listening to Marie introduce you as a guest on her podcast, you can't help but wonder: How did you land this opportunity!? Seriously, holy shit! That's Marie, from the Squid Sisters, right in front of you!

You do your best to make it seem like you're listening and responding like a normal person and totally not losing your mind. 

Really, you should be used to this by now. As a model for popular clothing brands, you've been on countless talk shows, interviews, and events, meeting tons of celebrities and important people in the industry.

But none of them were Marie.

To reiterate, Marie from the Squid Sisters!!

"I'm so glad you found time to come on the show tonight. I'm sure you must be very busy," you hear her say, reminding you that this is very much real. 

"Not at all, I-I must thank you for the opportunity to talk with you, um, on the podcast." You try to make the waver in your voice less obvious. 

Marie chuckles, and even if it was a performative one your hearts still hammer out of your chest. You smile involuntarily. How embarrassing.

She moves on to standard interview questions, many you've already been asked before, but you answer again with twice the enthusiasm, as if it was the first time anyone in the world had ever questioned such a thing.

She flips her flashcards with such elegance, your eyes are drawn to her hands. Every movement she does is filled with grace. Adjusting her mic, tucking her tentacles around her headset, sipping her drink through the straw…

You blush. Okay, seriously, stop it. Pay attention. You have to be professional about this. You clasp your hands together in an attempt to appear serious and in focus, but it's really to conceal how sweaty your palms are.

Marie smirks. "So, I heard you're a big fan of the Squid Sisters?" 

You feel like you might go into cardiac arrest. She found out about that? You hadn't exactly been secretive about it, you suppose. But if she didn't notice the flush in your face before, she must certainly notice now. You clear your throat.

"W-well, yes, actually. I am." You try so hard to not think about the way her eyes light up at your answer. "It's actually because of you that I decided to become a brand model."

"Oh?" she says, and you dread having to say the next words in front of her, or at all, and you briefly wish that someone would splat you right then and there. But she's looking at you with that glint in her eye that you've seen a million times on TV, and you think you could kiss her right now if she asked. 

"When I saw you on stage, or on the news, I was captivated. You shone with such beauty and charisma, and I was just instantly a fan. I thought, if I could be dazzling like you one day, I would be overjoyed."

You realize how cheesy and embarrassing that all sounded. You think you might faint if you weren't already sitting down. You take a sip of your water to distract you from the impending consequences of embarrassing yourself in front of your favorite idol.

"That's… quite the praise. I don't know what to say."

You work up the courage to glance up at her and she… she's blushing!? She's gotta be trying to kill you. Her smile is blinding. You think you might die.

"I feel honored, thank you," she continues, and when she says your name you feel your chest burst with joy. You could die right now and be sure you've lived a happy life. 

You remember you're supposed to act normal. You wrap your hands around your cup to hide their trembling.

"You're very welcome. You and Callie deserve only the highest praise." Yes! That seems normal enough. Good response.

"Do you have a favorite song, if you don't mind me asking?"

And there it is. You duck your head slightly as you mumble, "...Tide Goes Out."

She smiles again.

At this point you think to yourself that there's no way your disastrous crush on Marie hasn't been made blatantly obvious. With your constant praising and blushing every time Marie so much as breathed, you think you probably look a bit ridiculous. Good thing this show is a podcast and people can't see you. 

But Marie can see you. Very well, in fact, seeing as she's right across from you and the table is fairly small, and she's looking at you in such a way that feels like you're being read like an open book and you cannot attempt to hide a single thing from her even if you wanted to. 

"I'm flattered. Don't worry, I won't tell Cal," she says. There's a slight tease to her voice that has you weak. 

You laugh nervously, and it's the lamest response you could have given, but how else would you respond? Is this even real life anymore? You feel bad for the poor asshole that's gonna listen to this podcast ep later next week and die of cringe. 

The rest of the interview is a blur as you do your best to answer the questions as casually as possible. Eventually you find yourself nearing some semblance of relaxation. Marie's dry commentary is entertaining, making you laugh and join her for some witty back and forth. One of your jokes even manages to make her laugh earnestly (the sound made you smile so wide your cheeks hurt.) All of your interactions made you remember why you fell for her in the first place. She truly is just… amazing.

Turns out the poor listener next week will get a decent podcast episode out of this after all.

"Well, I think it's about time to wrap this up," she says. You sigh in equal parts relief and disappointment. Ending the podcast means saying goodbye to Marie. 

She goes through her usual goodbye script (you have it memorized by heart) and turns off the recording. 

"You okay? You seemed kinda nervous there. I'd have thought you'd be more used to interviews," there’s that teasing lilt again, and you can't decide if you're happy she's concerned about you or if you feel mortified. You scramble for some form of explanation.

"Y-yeah, sorry! It's fine. It's just, you're… amazing, Marie," you say, and you briefly worry if you're being too forward. Marie snorts (cute), before waving you off nonchalantly.

"Thanks, but I'm not anything special, really."

"Well, sure you are. I mean, you won the Splatfest, didn't you?"

Marie clears her throat. "I think that hardly matters."

[meximango]

Day 10 - Stable - Apogee - G

Summary: A prototype is made. Dawntrail Spoilers!!

I’m toying with the idea of making Apogee an Endless similar to Otis, except the experiment didn’t work. Apogee is still in a mechanical body housing their original soul, but the memory transference got corrupted.

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“Miss–” “-s she–”

“-s it wo–k” “--u awake yet?” It takes a while for them to understand that the words are being directed toward them, and even longer to parse their meaning. Once the people in the room have determined they are conscious enough, the questions repeat rapid-fire: do you remember what you signed up for? How do you feel? What do you recall, before going under? Can you tell us what year it is, your nameday, and your full name? What is your profession?” One by one, the questions get answered, though they are still quite groggy and go about it pretty slowly. There must be a trick to it. By the serious and increasingly worried expressions on their faces, they get the feeling they’re failing a test. They’re bad at this, somehow. The answers aren’t what these people expected, and now they’re disappointed. Only just awoken and already letting people down. Somehow, it makes them want to play this off as a joke, to be casual and pretend it was all part of their plan. 

Surprise! Those were just fake answers to throw you for a loop! Everything is fine, see? Look at my smile. Oh, I don’t have a face like yours? Well, just trust me, then. I’m fine. Vitals are stable. Now can I go?One by one, the scientists run different tests and experiments to try to jog their memory, but it’s met with critically low success. Unfortunately, the name Ada Anurana means nothing to them. They don’t know anything about this Endless project, or their own time as a scientist. They don’t remember their family, their age, or their hobbies. Even Alexandria is a mystery to them. Their homeland! The war! Electrope? Never heard of it. A few scant pieces remain, for which they thank their lucky stars. They understand speech, can read and write, performing magic is second nature to them (though this body has limited aether channels, so even that is something they can’t do right ‘anymore’). They have a decent understanding of  machinery and building things–apparently they used to be an engineer–though they do not understand the math behind how parts fit together, and they can’t draw a blueprint. And that’s it. All that they are. Not all they will ever be, but all that remains, for now. A few other Endless end up getting created, and those work out, not a hitch in sight. Memories and personalities intact. There’s much cheering and celebration. There’s hope yet for their people to be remembered! They only feel bitterness at how things worked out for themself. 

With a shake of their heads, the scientists give up trying to figure out and explain what must have gone wrong with the memory transferral in this case. They even try a few more times to transfer the memories, but the results are always the same. It’s too late to relocate the soul without destroying or sending it straight to the lifestream, and the original body is dead, so there are no more second chances. Something got corrupted, the soul intact but the mind scrambled. 

After the continual disappointment, they don’t really feel like learning about Ada. It would just make everyone’s lives more difficult, trying to memorize facts and pretend. The scientists slowly stop offering details unless prodded. They do not ask. 

It’s strange and confusing and frightening, but mostly they feel frustrated. They hate being seen as a failure. They didn’t even do anything! They’re not given a chance to prove themself worthy of being celebrated, because they can’t fit into what’s wanted and expected. From their perspective, it was as though they were just born! They have to learn about this world and people bit by bit from scratch, like a child. And there is just so little time for that, with the war going on. Perhaps things would be different if the situation were not so dire. As it stands now, they are nothing but a failed project that can’t offer anything. These people knew Ada, and now all they get is– is–they need to start referring to themselves as something, but it doesn’t feel right to take the name of the soul residing in their body, when no memories remain. And as time goes by, it seems it will stay that way. The scientists mourn the person who will never return, it seems, and cast aside and give up on what remains. They are left to their own devices, to do as they please. They are given a file about Ada and told they can help with the Endless project or with taking care of the injured, or fighting the enemy, or anything else they desire. 

They have so little desire, other than to find a way to refer to themself–and above all, to prove their worth, that they belong and deserve to be their own person. They hope to cultivate more desires along the way. They may not be Ada, but they can use this soul to start a new life, even in these tumultuous times. Maybe they’ll learn how to build with electrope and invent something to help with the war efforts to keep their city of Alexandria safe. Ada’s file contains a lot of notes, research, personal diary, everything from her life condensed into a single thick tome. They’ll try to keep it safe, to at least remind themself that Ada existed. Everything referring to the plan to become an Endless had been filed away under a project name: Apogee. From their understanding, Ada had a hobby interest in the sky and celestial bodies, before the shroud of lightning covered everything. Looking up the meaning of the word, Apogee found it did not only refer to when the moon was as far away from them on the ground as possible, but could als be a way to describe someone’s greatest achievement: a climax or culmination. Of Ada’s life work, in this case. What a legacy…

In this one small way, they could honor Ada, while also choosing a name for themself. They like the potential in it: to become the greatest they can possibly be. It’s a worthy goal. Rather than be daunted by how they can’t possibly live up to it, they choose to put on an air of bravado and march forward steadfastly. They’ll prove themself, no matter how long it takes! Once Ada, then nothing, now Apogee. The new name feels right. Wanting to feel useful, Apogee gets to work studying and reaching out to help. They may not know exactly what they all want to do, and they have so much to learn–but whatever they decide, Apogee is going to be the best at it, and there’s no better time to start than today.