#When I tell you Soma saw this and REFUSED to let me do anything else until I jumped on here and wrote a reply for Seiroku—

[yeonban]

Soma's eyes remain trained on the inhuman being, rigorously following each of its (...his?) movements with practiced composure until the creature draws closer to the ship. He remains motionless while watching the other and only once the siren's first hand appears within the captain's sight do his muscles stiffen, uncertain about what is to follow. He doubts that a siren's raw strength is enough to crack the glass (or rather, he hopes it isn't) thus dooming them to a miserable sinkage without a single viable method of revolting against their dreary fate, but rarely do ships survive a siren attack and thus, much to Soma's dismay, while he can attempt to estimate the creature's strength by human standards based on its appearance... he cannot be sure of any of his conclusions. Do their bodies even work in a similar fashion for an analysis of this sort to provide accurate results? For all they know, this puny body swimming on the other side of the glass could be enough to sink them with the equivalent of a tail whip, and Soma cannot say he wishes to find out if that truly is the case or not.

The captain's thoughts are interrupted by a recognizable movement, and his eyes widen in surprise at the siren's unexpected knowledge of human behavior. Is he... waving at him? Curiosity and unease join hands to double in response to this troubling realization, with the latter causing the frown on Soma's face to deepen significantly. This complicates things. If the siren is as familiarized with human signals as to mimic them in the proper context (telling him hi... is he mocking them?) it means there have been enough crews sailing through these waters for their body language to be learned even by sea-lurking beings. But where are those ships now? Perhaps the Uminyudo simply hasn't received the opportunity to come across them on the seas nor encounter any of its sailors at the taverns, yet he suspects that even if that were the case their stories describing such a striking creature's appearance would have flown far and wide enough for at least someone in his crew to hear of them. There have been no mentions of anything looking like this stranger presently eyeing his ship. A subtle grimace accompanies what the captain deems to be the likelier outcome then... and he figures the crew of those unfortunate ships have all been lost at sea, courtesy of no other than the man-eater currently warmly welcoming Soma into his territory. Great.

Apparently no longer finding Soma's chambers worthwhile, the other's gaze returns to meet his own, and something about this endeavor feels off. He has glanced Soma's way several times since noticing his existence, and yet... it might just be his nerves, but this time he can swear there is a tint of mischief lurking in those blue eyes, incomparable to the pure inquisitiveness from earlier. There is no time to ponder on the abrupt change before Soma watches his tail swish once, and it suddenly propels the siren's whole body upwards. The unexpected move leaves Soma agape for a fleeting moment before he forces himself to get it together and rushes back upstairs towards the open deck. Though he cannot tell exactly why while heading up the stairs, the side of the ship Soma is on vibrates slightly when the siren earnestly deadlocks onto its outer casting, and his chest begins to host a great sense of unrest. Nothing pleasant surfaces in his mind, far too many nasty possibilities to account for, and the yelps of his crew echoing upstairs don't do much in the way of calming his nerves either. Did that bastard attack them?

Crimson eyes turn to look at the sea first thing as soon as he reaches the deck, an attempt at observing whether any of the screams were due to one of their friends falling or being dragged overboard, but no sooner does the gentle sway of the waves notify him of no such calamity that Soma glances over at the shocked crew he can see, mentally counting each of them until the full-count matches that of how many members he knows there are in total. He cannot relax right now, but a fleeting wave of relief does briefly wash over him. However, although it would have been gratifying for it to last longer, the exasperated 'c-c-captain!' call compels him to look towards the source— a crewmate, trembling while gaping at what, from Soma's perspective, seems to be the sea... but it cannot be the sea that shakes a pirate, and there is only one other possibility besides that. The damned siren.

With a solemn wave of his arm, Soma issues an order for everyone aboard to back off, while he himself advances towards the spot he's noticed his crewmate being fixated on. As expected, vermillion eyes meet the blue pair again once he steps close enough to catch a glimpse of the intruder, and it seems the siren has decided to become their worst stowaway thus far. Remaining at a safe distance (nowhere is safe from their songs, but at least this far should be plenty for their other forms of attack), the captain stares at the brunette again, the frown adorning his face now being moreso of irritation than shock. Still, he does nothing to provoke Seiroku. Proud as Soma may be, a fool he is not. Their only weapons are ōdachi, and conveniently advantageous as they might be in a fight against fellow humans, there isn't much they can do in fending off a threat whose activity is mainly underwater. Even the mightiest swordsman's slash would fall flat against the pressure of the water, and Soma is not some sort of idiot who would mindlessly assume that he, nor any of his crew, would stand a chance in underwater combat when their opponent is a creature whose home is the water.

Though loathing the sense of helplessness creeping in, because Soma is certain that should they show any hostility towards the siren, casualties would become inevitable; the captain chooses to hide any such apprehension and antagonism beneath his practiced stern exterior... and attempt to talk with the peculiar creature despite his common sense warning him against the idea. It isn't as if he has many options to choose from, so he might as well try it. Does the other even understand human language? He likely possesses intelligence if he was able to imitate human behavior, but what of verbal communication? Is it possible to interact with these accursed beings at all, or shall this attempt end in an utter failure? ❛ What... are you doing. ❜ It doesn't come off quite as kindly as it should've, but Soma cannot help the slight turn of annoyance his tone takes when he gazes down at the claws currently close to tearing apart a few chunks of his beloved ship to uphold the stowaway's weight. Calm down. An eyebrow twitches, but that's the end of it. The pressure in Soma's shoulders is willed away to make him appear more composed, and his gaze never once strays from the beautiful stowaway. Not because of any sort of attraction, but to ensure that no unexpected dangers shall befall his men with this siren as their cause.

continued from here with @yeonban

HUMANS DON'T COME HERE VERY OFTEN. They had, once upon a time, ventured into these chillier waters, but that had long since ceased. Too many lost ships ; whether humans believed it sirens or sea serpents or , as of late, simply some NATURAL PHENOMENA. ( It makes Seiroku scoff because he is as natural as the jagged rocks that ships crash upon or the whirlpools. He is no less natural just because he isn't HUMAN. ) But they do not venture here often. It makes today's surprise all the more appealing when a lone ship dares to cross into his territory. And it is HIS. Which means this ship and its crew and whatever else it carries is also his, naturally.

His to play with, his to keep, his to eat - if he wishes.

The deep abyss of the ocean offers plenty of room for him to approach the ship, black tail cutting through the water as he merely observes for a little bit. He observes, and circles, watching weary humans sluggishly move. WEAK. VULNERABLE. The storms must have taken a toll. He's always found it rather funny how they venture to somewhere so dangerous. They can't breathe underwater even a little bit! But then he sees movement and curiosity draws him closer to the - glass ? He's heard someone once call the shiny-clear object as such. They drink from shapes of glass, and they use it sometimes in ships too. How strange. But it lets him see in and THAT makes Seiroku think he likes this glass stuff. He darts around a quick sweep and then sees one of them has VENTURED CLOSER. Brave sailor. Seiroku stops in front of the window of this human.

He tilts his head, black hair floating ethereally around him as he observes this human. Hunger is a weak thing for now - at least for flesh when his curiosity and desire for entertainment is so much greater. He swims closer and this human neither tries to run and scream or throw himself overboard to join him nor rush to attack. ( Sometimes Seiroku doesn't even need to sing - which is humorous and stupid. ) HE'S JUST STARING.

Seiroku swims even closer, until he's right in front of the window, until a clawed hand can reach up and touch the smooth surface. DOESN'T TRY TO BREAK IT, just studies it and then studies the human. His other hand lifts and the waves - a mimicry of human behavior just as much as human song. His black eyes flick around the room behind the human and the strange objects - some he recognizes and many he doesn't.

This won't do though. Observing is only fun for a short time. Seiroku needs to give a little push to get what he wants. Which is fine, all the PREDATORS of the sea do the same thing.

Seiroku looks back to make eye contact with the human, and then abruptly moves upwards, claws digging into the wood of the ship. Not damaging, not attacking. LATCHING ONTO THE SHIP. His claws are more used to flesh than wood, but it's easy enough to be able to use his claws to stay on the side of the boat. That, and he's done it plenty of times. Some sirens like to only stay in the water - to eat and let that be all. Seiroku has far more fun TOYING and LEARNING before his boredom inevitably leads to a gory slaughter. He's curious how long this group will entertain him.

[k-s-morgan]

You got me into sebaciel FUCK. I started bingeing black butler last night and now I can’t stop. I am curious tho — what partially drew me to start watching it is because I love ships with possessive behavior, which is one of the popular tags of sebaciel. Are there any key parts that you recall in the series where obsession/possessiveness is very apparent? (I’m too early in but I’m assuming it’s directed from Sebastian towards Ciel.) thank youuu ❤️

Oh wow, I'm so happy to hear this! :D I love these two so much, and it always thrills me to have more people join in. Obsession and possessiveness are my two weaknesses, I always seek fiction with them. Your questions are very interesting, but I'm afraid I won't be able to reply without huge spoilers! If you don't mind, keep reading, if you do, better save it for later))

Possessiveness. It's demonstrated both subtly and strongly, and it applies to all areas at once. I will describe just some moments that immediately come to my mind because it's been a while since my complete re-watch.

In E9, Ciel is in danger. Finnie is one second from saving him - he's running toward him and is almost there. Instead of letting him save Ciel, Sebastian carelessly and violently pushes him away and covers Ciel himself (before pulling him closer and staring at him as if he's about to kiss him). He wants to be the one to save him, he sees this as his unique right. A part of it comes from the contract, but in this situation, it's not about it - the "why" will be seen later.

In E10, Abberline rushes after Ciel and reaches out to touch his shoulder because he has a question. Sebastian slaps his hand away and asks him not to touch Ciel. There is really no need for it, Abberline is harmless, so it's about possessiveness.

In Book of Circus, when Ciel is having a panic attack (the moment is also known as asthma scene), Sebastian leans closer to him with a blissed out look on his face and asks him to call him by his name. He loves hearing it from Ciel’s lips (and he loves his agony but that’s another discussion).

The next thing that stands out in my memory is Book of Murder, and the way Sebastian was all weird about Ciel liking Doyle's stories. Granted, several interpretations are possible here. However, Sebastian then makes Ciel undress (case reasons) and wear his coat, and he looks very smug about it. Ciel even asks why he insisted on it and Sebastian just says something like, "Isn't it fortunate how it can cover you whole?" He clearly enjoys Ciel wearing his clothes.

Then there are the last episodes of S1. Sebastian's dislike for Abberline has grown since Abberline bonded with  Ciel a bit. So when Ciel is in danger and Abberline dives to protect him, Sebastian doesn't push him away, like he did with Finnie, and he ignores the contract. Instead, he lets Abberline sustain a mortal blow on Ciel's behalf and die, and then he even gets an ugly grimace and spits that Abberline was a fool. Again, there are several reasons for it, but possessiveness is a big part of it, in my eyes.

The whole S2, Sebastian's possessiveness becomes very textual. For instance, he tells Claude, the other demon, that the mere thought of him touching Ciel makes him (Sebastian)  sick. He repeats how he won't let him touch him. Alois, Claude's master, notes that Sebastian is infatuated with Ciel. Then we have absolutely beautiful moments in E10 of S2, where Claude dresses Ciel and compliments him and  Sebastian is so violently livid that he destroys the entire forest around the house, breaking trees with every touch Claude administers.  When he sees Hannah touching Ciel, he also becomes livid and even gains his demonic form before going and straight-punching  Claude in the face :D

I'm sure there are more tinier things, but I don't recall them right now)

Obsessiveness. Obsession is basically there every episode. It's in how fervently Sebastian treats his duties, the care he takes in dressing Ciel (which is a huge contrast with Claude, who's a more typical demon not interested in his master beyond his soul). How he's genuinely terrified when Ciel is in danger and it doesn't look like his soul is the only thing he worries about. The way he stares at Ciel sometimes - so intense, so admiring, so fond.

From more textual examples: I liked how Sebastian tore into Prince Soma for basically not being Ciel. How he ridiculed his every trait that goes against the traits Ciel possesses.

In E18, when Ciel falls into Sebastian's arms after choosing revenge over freedom, Sebastian is so, so reverent about him, his voice is so tender:

Sebastian: How reckless you are... You always exceed my expectations. As expected from my soul... No, as expected from my Young Master.

When Angela was torturing Sebastian, she was visibly disturbed at the level of his devotion to Ciel. This is a bit of the conversation they have:

Sebastian: Even so, my Young Master is still going. Even if all the game pieces are taken away, the King is left. He'll never admit defeat. My master is that type of a person.

Angela: One day, the real Doomsday will come. On that morning, you'll have as many souls as you want. Just give up that boy.

Sebastian: I refuse. I'm tired of my previous life, only knowing to eat. I only want my Young Master. I don't want anything else besides him.

When Ciel comes close to breaking the contract, Sebastian doesn't attack him like he tried to do in the Book of Atlantic flashback. Instead, he leaves, but he also keeps following him, going as far as secretly leading him to where Ciel wants to go. He then watches Ciel obsessively from the roof. Angela is talking to him, making offers, trying to engage him, but Sebastian just throws a distasteful glance at her and immediately gets back to staring at Ciel.

There are way more moments like this in S1, but this is getting so long that I'll get to S2 now. The entire season is about obsession. Sebastian doesn't kill Ciel just because he doesn't want to. He comes up with stupid excuses that fall under even superficial scrutiny. He plans to help Ciel achieve his revenge for the second time because Ciel lost his memories. Claude calls him out on being utterly obsessed, and Sebastian states how special Ciel is and how he's worth it. Also, Alois' entire wish revolved around hurting Sebastian, and to achieve this, Claude decided to steal Ciel from him.

Sebastian is so upset that Ciel remembers few things that even the entire E2 is called "The Lonely Demon". He's so angry about Claude touching and keeping him that he tries to use Grell as Ciel-substitute a bit, serving and making them tea. At the very end, Sebastian once again finds himself unable to kill Ciel even though he loses every reason to serve him. Technically, the contract still binds them, but we saw that demons can easily kill their masters if they want. Instead, Sebastian is so lost about his own feelings (along with Ciel) that he tries to follow the same rituals, such as pretending he's making tea for Ciel when in fact the cup is empty. He ends up carrying him to Hell with him, even though again, he has every reason to kill him.

There are lots of other nuances and great details. Their relationship is so complex and beautiful, and so much is left in the subtext that I just can't get enough of it. I hope you keep enjoying watching it!

Added: I completely forgot about a few points! When Ciel’s soul is gone and his unconscious body remains, Sebastian keeps putting him in bed, making tea for him, talking to him about his plans, and even reading him books. This is just... amazing, considering who he is))

[lolo314]

Soma Week Day: 5

Title: We’re not dating (lol)

@soulxmakaweek

Notes: This is the finale to Idiots the trilogy, aka the fics from days 1,3 and 5. Hope you enjoyed the ride!

“We’re not dating!” she yelled again, trying to convince her friends that it had only been a rouse to get rid of another girl, but found her attempts were in vein.

“Then why’d you tell Blair that you are?” he was smirking, hands crossed, clearly having the time of his life teasing her, oblivious to the reality of her feelings for Soul.

“For the last time, I only wanted to help out! Her was clearly not interested so I saved him the trouble of rejecting her.” She had repeated the lie so many times she had almost convinced herself that was all it was. That’s all there is to it… That’s it…

 Blackstar’s relentless teasing had continued for the next few days, until he found his enthusiasm not returned. Soul had stayed silent during their exchanges, only hopping in once or twice to support her claims before accepting defeat. His passiveness to the situation only weakened her case.

  Maka’s life had been turned upside down in the span of a few days. She found herself dreading any interaction with her best friend, while trying her best to avoid them by doing extra work for school. By the time she got to bed each night she was exhausted from overworking, but she knew that if she took a break she’d be left with her thoughts, and it was the last thing she wanted. Admitting the truth meant ruining her relationship with Soul completely. Can’t ruin what’s already broken… She tried her best to appear as if everything was fine, not wanting to raise any alarms. It’s better if he knows nothing.

After two weeks of avoidance, Soul cornered her in their kitchen during one of her short breaks for lunch.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” His hand was blocking her escape and she didn’t have it in her to struggle away –even though she knew that, between the two of them, she was the strongest fighter-.

“I’m fine Soul. I just have a lot of studying to do.” She tried to walk away but his hand remained firm on the kitchen counter.

“I’ve known you half my life. You may fool everyone else but you can’t fool me. “she rolled her eyes. She wasn’t in the mood for this. She couldn’t confront him. The feeling she refused to address was still there and it would only push them further apart.

“I’m just tired… There’s a lot of projects to be done and-“he didn’t let her finish the lie.

“Stop pretending everything is fine! You won’t even look me in the eye!” he used one of his hands to tilt her chin upwards, worry written all over his face. It was the first time in the last few weeks that she’d looked him straight in the eyes and she felt her face heat up and those feelings threatened to surface and she cursed her and them both for causing so much stir.

Despite her best efforts no words came. No comeback. She only starred and he starred back. Her lungs felt like they could burst any moment. She needed to get out. She needed air.

“I have to go.” She slid under his arms and sprinted out the door, grabbing her jacket before making her escape. She could hear his footsteps as he run behind her until she was out the door and all strength had left him. She silently thanked her past self for failing to convince him to go to the gym with her.

“Where are you even gonna go? It’s late! “his voice was shaky as he called out at her. She didn’t dare look back. She quickened her pace and went to the one place she knew no one would find her.

  She let her legs dangle off the top of the hill as she looked out onto the city. It was a long way up, too inconvenient for anyone to consider climbing, but damn was the view breathtaking.  She took a few deep breaths before closing her eyes and falling back on the grass, gazing at the stars. The best place in the city. She finally felt calm, after days of agonizing over her feelings.

I… I really do like Soul huh? A weight had been lifted of her shoulders. She didn’t need to waste time denying it anymore.

When did it start? When she thought about her history with Soul, it was like seeing it for the first time. Everything she considered a friendly gesture- hugging, calling him at three in the morning because she missed him, sleeping together after a nightmare- now served as an indication of her feelings, rooted into her heart long before the game. Long before the kiss.

Having realized her feelings, she felt ready to move on. She knew she couldn’t confess. She wouldn’t ruin their friendship. Instead, she’d be content with being his friend. As long as he was still part of her life, she didn’t mind.

“Looks fun.” Maka’s eyes shot open. Soul? She was sure she’d misheard. There is no way he came all the way here? But when she lifted her body and looked over her shoulder he was there, smiling at her, looking half dead. His breathing was hard and he was dripping wet, but he was still smiling. Still making sure she was okay.

“Can I join?” she nodded, returning his smile full force. They both sat on the edge, shoulders almost touching, their feet dangling, occasionally brushing against each other.

“So... Are you ready to tell me what’s wrong?” she could feel his eyes on hers but she looked at the blinking lights of the city.

“Nothing. There was something… But I’m okay now.” He leaned closer.

“Want to talk about it?” she shook her head. She thought she was ready to be friends, but she avoided his eyes none the less. It’ll get better with time…

All the self restraint she had built up the last few minutes went out the window when she felt his hand on her cheek. He gently turned her head so they were looking at each other in the eye. He’s close. So close. Her heartbeat increased rapidly, so much so she was worried he would be able to hear it.

“Talk to me, Maka.” her eyes landed on his lips and when she looked back into his eyes she forgot about her decision. Screw moving on.  She crashed her lips on his, a proper kiss. No alcohol to blame, no game to win, no girl to push away. Just the two of them, under the stars. A real kiss. He was kissing her back. And it felt so right.

When they finally pulled back out for air they were both gasping.

“I- I thought you only saw me as a friend.” He looked shocked. She had caught him of guard. After that… I might as well be honest.

“I did too. But after that game…” he shook his head.

“Are you sure you’re not just-“she took his hand, leaving with bewildered.

“No. That kiss was only the cherry on top. I… I’ve liked you for much longer than that… I think I’ve liked you for years.” She refused to break eye contact. She needed to be completely transparent. She couldn’t leave him room to doubt the depth of her feelings.

“That’s why I’ve been acting weird… I didn’t want to accept these feelings… I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. I was about to try and move on too, but then you idiot showed up.” It took him a few minutes to reply. She thought he was trying to think of a way to reject her when he pressed his lips on hers again in a soft kiss.

“I thought you wanted to forget about it… The way you reacted… I thought you didn’t see me like that…” it was Maka’s turn to be shocked. He likes me back?

“I… I like you, Maka. I have, for a while now. I thought you’d freak out. But, maybe there’s a chance?” she laughed. A chance?

“I think this is something we should’ve done a long time ago.” She kissed him again, harder, running her hand through his thick hair. He gently pushed her away and her insides turned. Did I take it too far?

“You’re sure about this, right? Cause if you’re for real I’ll go all out.” She exhaled and pulled him closer.

“Do so. We have to make up for lost time.”

 When they walked through the Starbucks doors everyone’s eyes fell on their hands, fingers intertwined. Maka led them to the table their friends were occupied, smiling proudly.

“We’re dating.” Everyone gasped.

“Finally!” every costumers head turned at Blackstar’s voice, not that it was unusual.

“Wait. I thought you were already dating. After than make-out session at truth or dare.” Liz’s confused expression caused them all to laugh.

“How do you even remember anything? You were wasted.” Soul took a seat on the couch, gesturing for Maka to sit. She smiled before taking her sit and curling up next to him. She would never get enough of this.

[miumiu-chan]

Miyase Go STORY 1 Chapter 10-4

Subbed video: STORY-1 10-4

-Rulong’s Apartment-

[RULONG]: “Ohh, it’s about ready to drink.”

[RULONG]: “The fragrance is also good. Here, go ahead and have some.”

[REI]: “............”

[RULONG]: “Hm~m, Little Flower, you refused the water earlier too.”

[RULONG]: “If you stubbornly don’t take anything in, you’ll need an IV later?”

[REI]: “......Why aren’t you having some as well?”

There was only one cup. It could be poisoned.

[RULONG]: “There’s no poison in it, so don’t worry. I still don’t completely know what drugs are effective against Little Flower.”

[RULONG]: “And showing hospitality with tea is the manners of “Licorice”.”

[REI]: “Licorice......?”

[RULONG]: “It’s kanzō*.” (T/N: the Japanese word for licorice, because he says Licorice in English.)

I knew what it was. It was a plant often used in herbal medicine.

[RULONG]: “The leaves we used for the shag flavor earlier are also licorice.”

[REI]: “Shag......?”

[RULONG]: “The hand-rolled cigarette.”

That smell that was different from the aroma of the craft tea, I remembered it.

At the same time, remembering Miyase-san's coldness, I felt suffocated.

[RULONG]: “That shag is also made by my family.”

[RULONG]: “The previous generation who was also the founder was a really great merchant, you see.”

[RULONG]: “It was the first licorice-flavored shag ever invented, and that’s why it became the organization name.”

[RULONG]: “——so, since you’ve heard that much already, why not drink?”

[RULONG]: “Because from the point that you trust me and take the tea into your mouth, Little Flower will be semi-family.”

[REI]: “Semi-family......?”

[RULONG]: “Those that you can talk more about with than with other people, yeah?”

The temptation in the sweet scent was strong.

This person properly saw through my regret and inferiority.

For the DCD, my current self was nothing but a burden.

At the very least, I wanted to collect information.

[REI]: “......-, I will drink it now.”

[RULONG]: “Go ahe~ad ♪”

I didn’t really get the taste of the craft tea that was in my mouth.

I just felt the temperature on my tongue and swallowed mechanically.

[RULONG]: “Congrats. With this, Little Flower and I are no longer complete strangers.”

[RULONG]: “Do you want to ask anything?”

Rather than considering the intention of the induction, I chose the option to openly question him.

[REI]: “What do you intend to do with the flower drugs from now on?”

[RULONG]: “Ah, that? I can't answer that. Sorry.”

[RULONG]: “The only things I can tell you are personal things.”

[REI]: (Personal......)

[REI]: “......That Miyase-san is trying to crush the Kujo Family with you”

[REI]: “......Does he hold a grudge because of his mother’s suicide?”

[RULONG]: “Before answering, Little Flower has to present the information that you have.”

[REI]: “Miyase-san’s mother was confined by the Kujo Family's predecessor, and suffering from a mental illness chose to die——is what I know.”

[RULONG]: “Anything else?”

[REI]: “In the same year, the Kujo Family predecessor also died......”

[RULONG]: “That's right. Go-chan’s papa, committed suicide after Go-chan's mama.”

[REI]: “H......!”

[RULONG]: “Licorice, you know, doesn’t respect people who waste their own lives.”

[RULONG]: “Life is the biggest consumable, it’s the best product.”

[RULONG]: “That’s why, I’ll give a hint to Little Flower, who is trying hard to collect information without giving up on your attachment to living even in this situation.”

-Kujo House / Living Room-

[KUJO]: “——Go, is now a good time?”

With the news of my mother’s death, abandoning everything except breathing, I answered without looking at Soma-san.

[MIYASE]: “What is it......? Right now, I can’t talk about any decent things.”

[KUJO]: “Father died.”

What idiotic things are you saying, I ridiculed.

[MIYASE]: “The fake funeral is over already, isn’t it?”

[KUJO]: “He’s really dead.”

[MIYASE]: “........................Ha?”

An intense breathlessness hit me, as if my throat was clogged by the incense burner. I felt nauseous.

Unable to stand it, I lifted my face slowly and Soma-san was reflected in my sight.

He was also looking straight at me.

[KUJO]: “He seems to have been put together with Ryoko-san’s coffin.”

[KUJO]: “An excessive use of a drug was detected in the body.”

[KUJO]: “——It was the same illegal drug as Ryoko-san’s.”

The hairs on my whole body stood on end at once, and I tried to strongly hold down the vomit.

I couldn't vomit anything, because even the gastric juice had frozen in my empty organs.

[MIYASE]: “What are you saying……?”

[KUJO]: “Go, I——“

[MIYASE]: “Shut up.”

[KUJO]: “——“

[MIYASE]: “Soma-san......”

[MIYASE]: “...——When you said “I do not hold a grudge against you” to my mom, what did you mean?”

[KUJO]: “............”

[MIYASE]: “I am sure you said that to my mom yesterday.”

[MIYASE]: “I kept on thinking about what it meant.”

[KUJO]: “That was——“

[MIYASE]: “Were they words of sympathy towards a mistress?”

[KUJO]: “It’s not!”

[MIYASE]: “How is it not!”

I grabbed Soma-san's collar and pressed him against the wall with fury.

When I looked at his pained expression at a close distance, I calmed down a little.

[MIYASE]: “......Just now, you said “it’s not”, didn’t you.”

[KUJO]: “............”

[MIYASE]: “Please explain. So that I can understand.”

[KUJO]: “-............”

[MIYASE]: “Explain it! Nii-san*!!” (T/N: Big brother)

My grip tightened up on his collar.

Rather than pressing him, it was as if I was clinging on to him.

I hit his body against the wall. I glared one-sidedly.

Is this sibling interaction?

Because I didn’t know how to do something like depend on my brother.

[KUJO]: “......Go, I think of you as my brother.”

[MIYASE]: “——!”

Pulling away the hand that was touching, I staggered a step back, and distanced another step back.

There was no “explanation”.

This person admitted that he was insulting my mother's existence, while calling me his “brother”.

He went out of his way to say “You are not guilty”, and heavily pressed that blame onto my mother.

[MIYASE]: “You are......the same as Kujo Soichiro. With that arrogance.”

[MIYASE]: “——To the extent that it robs people of their lives.”

[KUJO]: “Nh......”

[MIYASE]: “You are———...er.”

[MIYASE]: “You are not my brother.”

-Rulong’s Apartment-

[REI]: “No way......-, is that really true?”

[RULONG]: “My family’s researcher is a perfectionist.”

[RULONG]: “Researching everything as detailed and obsessively as possible.”

[REI]: “Then......after all, Miyase-san holds a grudge against the Kujo Family because of his mother, and wants to take revenge……”

[RULONG]: “That’s what I thought. Go-chan too.”

You “thought”......?

[REI]: “Does that mean that the current perception is different?”

[RULONG]: “Little Flower should have understood it from the Hanafuda game earlier.”

[RULONG]: “In Go-chan’s case, not just the cards in his hand, even the set couldn’t properly be seen.”

[REI]: “......Even Rulong-san can’t see all of Miyase-san?”

[RULONG]: “I can't give you any more hints.”

[RULONG]: “Because I don’t trust Little Flower completely.”

[RULONG]: “Even if I said we’re family, it’s still semi.”

[REI]: “That there’s hints means that there is an answer after all.”

[RULONG]: “What do you think? I wonder if Little Flower can see through the meaning of the set that Go-chan made.”

[REI]: “If you know anything, please tell me now......!”

[RULONG]: “And what if I said I was involved in the death of Go-chan's mother?”

[REI]: “Eh......-“

[RULONG]: “But, we’re a family. A family*.” (T/N: he usually says family in English but the second one he said in Japanese, kazoku.)

[RULONG]: “And with that, the serious talk is over ♪”

[REI]: “——!”

Suddenly I was hugged tightly by the waist, and my neck was bitten sweetly.

[REI]: “H......! P-Please stop......!”

[RULONG]: “I~ don’t wanna.”

[RULONG]: “This flower tea, in my country you give it to a woman you want to sleep with.”

[RULONG]: “You feel down because of Go-chan’s coldness, right? I’ll comfort you.”

[REI]: “Wai-! Really st——“

[MIYASE]: “You promised not to touch the product.”

[REI]: (Miyase-san......!)

[RULONG]: “Ah, you’re back.”

[MIYASE]: “Rulong, let go.”

[RULONG]: “Why? Go-chan doesn't need Little Flower, right?”

[RULONG]: “A Japanese woman has a clean and good smell from her moist skin, it’s making me feel a special excitement.”

[REI]: “N-No......!”

The appearance of me being embraced by him was seen by Miyase-san.

Although I was desperately struggling, his restraint was skillful as if it wasn’t a big deal to him.

[RULONG]: “Even if you resist, I’ll still do it. It actually makes me burn more.”

[REI]: “!”

[MIYASE]: “............Do as you like.”

[REI]: (No way......!)

He left.

The closed door resonated with a dry sound.

The view of his back that disappeared was on the other side of it.

......This was the first time I saw Miyase-san's back so clearly.

We were always next to each other or talking face-to-face.

Such a person, now was——...

[RULONG]: “Hmm, will it take about 15 seconds?”

[REI]: “Eh......”

The sound that seemed to cancel my confusion was the sound of the door opening and closing fiercely——

[MIYASE]: “Rulong, if you wanted to uselessly stir me up, you’ve succeeded.”

[RULONG]: “A~ha. It hasn’t even been 10 seconds, Go-chan really is the best.”

Miyase-san, who had a smile like it was plastered on, approached me, 

And firmly pulled my arm so that I got up from the reluctant Rulong-san’s knees.

[RULONG]: “You should’ve just done that from the beginning. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Saying it as if he knew it all, he went out of the room.

-Rulong’s Apartment / Corridor-

[RULONG]: “Having Little Flower reach Go-chan’s set by herself is my reserved card.”

[RULONG]: “Xiao Go, I won’t lose*.” (T/N: He says this in Chinese. Xiao is like a term of endearment that just means “small” or “young.”)

[orangyutan]

pretty ladies — seventeen

title: pretty ladies

genre: comedy/gender bender

word count: 5365

2/13

Jeonghan didn't look all that different that morning. The hair length was the same, just to the shoulders and perfectly straight with that little curl on the end. Jeonghan didn't notice anything particularly off that morning either. Had he not been half asleep, taken a double take, looked at his reflection in the mirror would he have noticed something, well, off.

And so Jeonghan stood in front of the toilet, his legs slightly parted to empty his about-to-burst bladder when he finally noticed.

Where the fuck was his dick.

Jeonghan patted himself down as he realized that something was definitely off that morning. Where a flat chest once resided was now replaced with a small petite mound while his dick seemed to have shrunk.

Jeonghan swore he didn't fall asleep like this last night. Maybe it was a nightmare and he was bound to wake up at six in the morning because his alarm clock was beeping uncontrollably. Yeah, that was it, this was all just a nightmare.

One hour and thirty-three minutes later, Jeonghan is frantically pacing the house as he- or is it she- ponders the thought of how he, she, was going to turn back.

Seungcheol was the next one to wake up that morning. He sat up in bed and felt an immense pressure on his chest, a pressure he had only experienced when benching weights. Seungcheol stretched, his long, wavy hair brushing past his not-so-toned arms.

Wait.

Long, wavy hair?

Seungcheol looked down at his bare chest— provided the fact that Seungcheol still didn't make it a habit of wearing a shirt to sleep— saw two significantly large masses of tissues clinging to his torso.

At exactly 7:38 in the morning, a high-pitched, girlish scream sounded through the dorms of Seventeen, Jeonghan immediately running to the source of the room.

"Thank Jisoos I'm not the only one."

Seungcheol held her blanket tightly to her chest and wailed, "What the fuck is going on Jeonghan?!"

Seungcheol trembled as Jeonghan let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding in.

"Do you really think I would know? I woke up like a girl too."

Seungcheol flopped back into her bed and groaned, "Please tell me this is a dream."

"Nope."

Footsteps padded through the halls as Chan, the only one bothered enough to wake up from the scream, reached the room.

"Is someth-"

Chan's face flushed deep shades of maroon as he saw Jeonghan and her Nana-like body. He covered his face in utter embarrassment and squeaked out an apology.

"Chan, it's me, Jeonghan."

Chan stopped muttering apologies and peeked through his fingers. Sure enough, the tall slender girl wearing gray sweatpants and a thin white t-shirt that barely provided enough padding for the girl's breasts was Jeonghan.

"Hyung," Chan's hands left his face, a slight blush lingering on his cheeks. "Why are you..."

Chan couldn't finish his question; the context of his question was just too weird, especially at 7:42 AM. Chan cleared his throat and asked, "Who screamed?"

Jeonghan leaned back slightly as Seungcheol sat up and raised her hand up, the blanket slipping from her armpit and exposing her breasts. Chan definitely got an eyeful that morning along with major blood loss as his nose started bleeding before he fainted. Seungcheol covered herself up again while Jeonghan sat the fallen boy against the wall and ran off to get him an ice pack.

The rest of the members slowly awoke later that morning, Seungkwan being the second one to be utterly flabbergasted.

"Is this some sort of sick joke? Hyung, Halloween already passed and April Fools isn't for another couple of months."

Seungkwan refused to accept reality as he saw Seungcheol's breasts bounce while she walked around the kitchen to get food for breakfast.

Jeonghan was on one end of the breast spectrum while Seungcheol was the far opposite. Jeonghan was actually pretty flat chested while Seungcheol has breasts worthy of a Soma model. Seungcheol had curves all over, his butt and honey thighs putting Nicki Minaj to shame while Jeonghan looked like she was ready for the runway.

The vocal line was the first to all collect in the kitchen, Jisoo's eyes rooted to Jeonghan and her softer facial features. Jihoon ended up burying his face in his arms to keep himself from staring at Seungcheol's breasts and Seokmin moonwalked his way back to his room, thinking he was still asleep.

Once Minghao and Junhui woke up, they made their way to the kitchen for breakfast and tried to run back into the rooms once they saw the long flowing hair of Choi Seungcheol.

Jeonghan was feeling pretty bad about herself at this point. None of the boys reacted to her when they first saw her, mainly because of the fact that she really didn't look any different than when she was a boy. The only significant change about her was the amount of weight she dropped. Her height didn't really change though; she was only a couple centimeters shorter than her original height. Jisoo seemed to have noticed Jeonghan's silent brooding because he put his arm over her shoulder and engaged in a conversation with her as Mingyu entered the kitchen and screamed once he saw Seungcheol, the carton of milk in his hands falling to the ground and spilling everywhere.

"Mingyu!! What the fuck! Help me clean this up!"

Wonwoo sat at the kitchen countertop and stared at the unraveling scene, Mingyu getting towels to clean up the spill. Seungcheol, who was now wearing the biggest shirt she could find because her breasts were too large to fit in anything else, bent over and started to clean up the spill, her cleavage noticeably visible. Red liquid flowed from Wonwoo's nose as he strained to look at Seungcheol's bouncing cleavage.

"Uh, Wonwoo?" Jisoo held out a tissue for Wonwoo. "Your nose is bleeding."

Wonwoo took the tissue and pinched his nose to stop the blood flow. Vernon and Soonyoung were the last ones to enter the situation that fine morning, now afternoon. They entered the stony silent kitchen and looked around in confusion. The rest of Seventeen were seated or standing around the kitchen countertop, the two girls sitting right next to each other. Soonyoung was the first to notice the girls, and his eyes had never been so wide. He prodded Vernon's shoulder and whisper-hissed, "There are two girls in our dorm!!"

Chan, who was better now from the earlier mishap, shook his head and said, "Nah, that's just Seungcheol hyung and Jeonghan hyung."

Vernon paled and walked out of the room, running into a few walls along the way as Soonyoung had to take a seat.

"What are we going to do about," Jisoo made a wild gesture to the girls sitting at the end of the table. "That?"

"We don't have any major comeback coming up, so it's not like we have to make any appearances anywhere," Soonyoung pointed out.

"But how are we going to practice and record the songs when their vocals and bodies are fucked up?" Jihoon asked.

The table grew silent again, Vernon coming back into the kitchen and sitting next to Seungkwan, who patted his back and whispered comforting things into his ear.

"I guess we'll just have to practice without them. We still have to rehearse and work," Soonyoung concluded, the girls solemnly nodding their heads.

"You better switch back before our comeback though," Seungkwan said as he pointed an accusing finger at the two girls. Vernon slapped Seungkwan's hand away and left before he could pass out.

3/13

It had been a week since the girls arrived. Jeonghan ended up going shopping, since she looked the most normal in comparison to Seungcheol, and bought some panties and bras for the two to use. Busty Seungcheol was a definite problem in the Seventeen household. The girls actually had to go online and calculate what size bras Seungcheol would need. The panties weren't a problem; she was a medium. As for her bras, those cost quite a bit.

"Here," Jeonghan threw the bag into Seungcheol's lap.

"You owe me $150. Your bras were fucking expensive."

Seungcheol could only gawk at the bras on her lap. She had seen them countless times when she had gone to the mall with her mother, but she had never touched nor used one before. She immediately got up and went to the bathroom, only to scream and run away.

"What?"

Jeonghan rushed over to the trembling girl standing by the bathroom and turned a ghastly shade of white.

"Jihoon.... Are you dying?"

Jihoon was the next to be found as a girl. Not only that, but she came with blood flowing out of her like a tidal wave. Jeonghan ended up going back to the store that day.

Jihoon was a petite girl. She actually got a lot shorter; she was now only 4 feet and 11 inches tall. Her hair was freakishly long, the pink dye making its way all the way to the ends of her hair. Her long ass hair went past her butt and, surprisingly enough, did not seem to get tangled. Her hair was also naturally straight, Seungcheol enviously glaring at her whenever she walked by her.

As for her period problem, Jihoon just stuck to using pads; she didn't like the idea of looking at the bloody mess between her legs every time a tampon got used up. She hated periods. She hated the endless cramps, the hourly bathroom checks, the sit-with-your-legs-together-before-blood-leaks-everywhere, and oh god, she despised the food cravings. She wasn't the only one though.

"Jeonghan hy- wait, is it unnie now? Jeonghan unnie!!"

"What?"

"I'm hungry!!"

Jeonghan's eyes narrowed as she glared at the emptied bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

"You just had a whole fucking bowl of popcorn!!"

Jihoon, who found a guitar, most probably from Jisoo's room, held it up threateningly and said, "I'm hungry."

Jeonghan hesitated before going into the kitchen and saying, "One order of ramyun it is."

For the most part, Jihoon was either eating, bleeding into the toilet, or sleeping. She was supposed to be working on new songs for Seventeen's future comeback, but no one wanted to approach her when she carried a guitar with her everywhere. Not even Jisoo, even though it was his guitar.

"If any more of us turns into girls," Jeonghan said as she blowdried Seungcheol's thick, black, wavy hair. "I will cry."

The boys were in the studio practicing the new choreography Soonyoung came up with, the girls lazing away in the dorms. Jeonghan was the only one able to go out into public because she looked the same in contrast to Seungcheol and Jihoon who changed significantly, so she decided to keep the other girls company as Jihoon complained of stomach cramps and Seungcheol walking around carefully because she now realized the pain of having two lumps of fat on her chest.

"No one else will become a girl, don't worry," Jihoon spoke through mouthfuls of chips while swatting Seungcheol's hand away, who was reaching to take a chip or two from the bag of chips Jihoon was holding onto possessively.

"I hope so. Seungcheol's hair is already too much of a problem, imagine the rest of the boys turning into girls."

Seungcheol was a problem, other than the undergarments issue. Her hair, unlike Jihoon's or Jeonghan's, seemed to shed worse than a dog, long strands of black hair collecting on the ground. Mingyu, who was fond of cleaning up, actually got sick and tired of seeing Seungcheol's hair on the ground that he just handed her the vacuum cleaner and left. And thanks to Jihoon's excessive eating, Seungcheol was now in charge of cleaning up all the crumbs as well.

"Stop eating those, you're going to get fat," Jeonghan confiscated the bag of chips from Jihoon, Jihoon immediately whining and holding up the guitar threateningly.

"And I know you got done with your period yesterday."

Jihoon could only scowl as she hugged the guitar to her tiny, yet significant, chest.

Jeonghan could only pray no one else became girls.

5/13

Soonyoung was gorgeous that morning she stumbled, more like glisséd, out of the bedroom. Her hair was slightly longer than Jeonghan's, but a brilliant shade of blonde that could only be found on Dutch women. Her hair, although a nice length, was a mix between wavy and straight, not to mention voluminous as fuck. Soonyoung's eyes seemed to have gotten smaller and more playful. She lost a couple centimeters off her height, but boy oh boy did she have a sense of balance. Not only that, she also seemed to have developed the flexibility of a gymnast and the dance skills of a ballerina and an ice dancer.

Soonyoung seemed to be having too much fun as she pirouetted into the living room, Jihoon scrunching her nose in disdain.

"You wish you were as flexible as me, don't you?" Soonyoung jeered as she lifted her right leg above her head.

Jihoon slung the guitar over her shoulder and said, "Shut up."

Soonyoung immediately lowered her leg and apologized as a rather large burrito rolled into the living room. Jihoon slowly approached the burrito and prodded it with her foot.

"What is it?"

A tiny tuft of hair popped out from an end of the burrito blanket and Soonyoung said, "More like who is it."

The burrito whimpered, Soonyoung immediately guessing who it was.

"Seokmin, are you a girl?"

The burrito nodded and rolled into Soonyoung's legs before wrapping around Soonyoung.

"Pain," a soft voice whispered out of the blanket, Seokmin's fragile, feminine face finally escaping through the blanket. Her eyes were just a little wider than before and her cheekbones were a little more defined. Her hair was a short bob that barely reached the end of her neck and her eyebrows were just about as soft as her hair.

Seokmin hugged her knees to her chest and rolled side to side as she tried to get rid of the pain. Jihoon, assuming Seokmin was on her period, went to the medicine box and pulled out painkillers for the burrito girl. Jihoon also got Seokmin a pack of Oreos and helped her onto the sofa where she could divulge her pain away. Soonyoung, being the considerate girl she was, stayed by Seokmin's side as she cried silent tears because of her cramps.

Jeonghan was the official errand girl at this point; however, it was getting risky to go out into public and buy feminine hygiene supplies without someone recognizing her. She was forced to put on a face mask and pay the full price without being able to get an idol discount. Jeonghan's money was pretty much gone by the end of Seokmin's period, and so was her happiness.

Chan helped the girls out the most. He helped around the house with chores and did the laundry. He felt bad for the girls who were sitting in the dorms doing virtually nothing. They sat at home playing video games, eating, sleeping, bleeding to death, or complaining about the fact that they were girls. Mingyu kept on cleaning the house out of irritation that there were long ass hairs scattered all over the dorm. Jisoo would lend the girls money because that was the American gentleman he was. That and the fact that he just couldn't say no to Jeonghan. Both Minghao and Junhui would tell the girls what they worked on and what they should work on next; basically petty talk for the girls to tune in on.

The boys tried to help the girls to the best of their ability, but most of them were afraid that they too would turn into girls if they so much as touched the turned boys. Wonwoo was of no help whatsoever. All he would do was just stare at the girls' breasts and butt whenever they bent over, earning a black eye from Jihoon, who flung the guitar at him one fine day when Wonwoo smacked Jihoon's ass. Vernon, let alone talking, would not even make eye contact with the girls. He was in denial half the time, saying that the girls just went on vacation somewhere without him. Seungkwan, in particular, stayed the furthest away; he didn't want to bleed himself to death anytime soon.

7/13

It was ironic, really. Seungkwan never really wanted to experience being like a girl, even though he was sassier than one.

No one could really notice that Seungkwan turned into a girl because of how many layers she was wearing that morning. It was so cold that day that she had to bundle up in almost all the blankets she owned. As she waddled out into the living room, no one seemed to notice the difference about her face, mainly because of the fact that she looked like an Eskimo and that no one could see her nose or lips. Vernon was the first to realize that she turned into a girl because of her eyes and the "vibes emitting off her." As Vernon fled the scene, he bumped into a not-so-manly Mingyu and screamed as she was wearing no shirt or bra.

Mingyu was still tall. She neither shrunk nor grew. Her blue hair seemed to brush the small of her back and was wavy as fuck. Her smile was still beautiful and her hips seemed to sashay around the dorm endlessly. Her long tan legs had Wonwoo tripping everywhere and her bust, not living up to the size of Seungcheol's, were still pretty big. If Wonwoo wasn't tagging along to Mingyu before, now he was definitely glued. Mingyu didn't seem to mind though; she was gorgeous in contrast to her earlier handsomeness.

Seungkwan was petite but on the chubbier side. Her cheeks puffed out as if she was always irritated or upset and her eyes drooped downwards slightly, giving her the look of a Basset Hound. Like Seokmin, her hair was also short but cascaded past her collarbones. She seemed to have shrunk a couple centimeters and wow did she look good in skirts.

Jeonghan, now taking advantage of Jisoo's credit card, bought more feminine clothing for the girls to wear just because dorm life was getting boring. She bought fashionista clothing for herself and Seokmin, cutesy clothes for petite Seungkwan and Jihoon, and Soonyoung seemed to wear nothing but sports apparel. As for Mingyu and Seungcheol, Jeonghan bought clothes from Victoria's Secret for Seungcheol, because her breasts were too large to fit in anything from Pink, and Pink clothes for Mingyu.

Sadly, as the girls kept appearing, Junhui turned to the dark side where Wonwoo resided. They simply could not live a day without having to slap a girl's butt and stare at their cleavage. In other words, they were deprived.

"Listen, I'm sorry Doogi PD tampered with the wifi to block the porn, but that is no reason for you to stick your face in my bosom Wonwoo," Seungcheol sighed out as she tried to pry Wonwoo off her.

"Just five more minutes," Wonwoo whined as he dug his nose deeper in Seungcheol's breasts.

Seungcheol seemed to reek of girl, as noted by Wonwoo, and Wonwoo couldn't get enough of that smell. He, along with Junhui, also preferred the stylings of Kim Mingyu and her luscious ass that was discovered accidentally one day as Junhui entered the bathroom while Mingyu was taking a shower. There was more blood that came out of Junhui's nose than any of the periods the girls seemed to experience.

Chan and Jisoo both spent the most time with Jeonghan. Chan spent time with her because of the fact she looked like Nana while Jisoo just liked Jeonghan in general, but he liked her just a little bit more now because, well, she was a beautiful girl, girl being the key word. Jeonghan was ever so grateful for the attention, and Jisoo's credit card.

Neither Seokmin nor Soonyoung had special attention from the boys. They didn't mind though because half the time they were doing each other's nails and hair. And somehow, they managed to go out into public and by a shit ton of accessories, which they decorated the girls in. At the end of the day, Seungcheol went around with angel earrings in her ear piercing, not that she minded though.

Minghao seemed to prefer the petite girls and would strike up conversations with them whenever Junhui decided to act like a pervert, which was basically all the time. Seungkwan nor Jihoon had ever experienced this side of Minghao before; they called it "The Boyfriend Observation," and took notes on whatever Minghao did to make them blush so that they could use it for when they turned back.

And that was a problem by itself because no one knew how long this "magical spell" would last in the first place. The Boyfriend Observation thrived as Seungkwan and Jihoon talked to Chan and Jisoo as well. It was basically useless to try to talk to Wonwoo and Junhui because all they wanted to do were things unimaginable, not to mention that Vernon refused to exit his bedroom and worked in there.

The petite girls learned that Minghao is sweet as fuck, Jisoo really does know his way around words, and Chan was still immature but too cute. Jihoon did most of the talking though; she seemed to fit Jisoo's and Minghao's ideal type. Chan was futile after a while because he just wasn't boyfriend material.

9/13

The Boyfriend Observation died when Minghao could no longer b-boy with her breasts and Jisoo decided it was time for her to bleed herself to death.

Junhui left the busty girls life when he saw how fragile Minghao had turned and Jisoo's model like body. He also realized the beauty of Yoon Jeonghan and her composure as she worked around the house. He seemed to have escaped the clutches of the dark side as Wonwoo, well.

"Wonwoo get the fuck out of the shower!!"

Seungcheol, who offered to scrub Mingyu's back, didn't realize that she left the bathroom door unlocked. Wonwoo, a very horny boy at this point, entered the bathroom shirtless and ready to fuck. Wonwoo got beat up that day, a purple mark covering his eye. Doogi PD asked about it; Wonwoo said he slipped.

Doogi PD actually didn't know about the situation until both Seokmin and Seungkwan skipped out on their radio show. Up until then, the boys told Doogi PD that the boys were just getting bad colds, and Doogi PD actually believed them because "Mingyu keeps sneezing on the other members." And so Doogi PD believed right up until the point where he decided to visit the boys in the dorm.

"Boys I hope yo-"

Doogi PD paled as he saw a girl that looked suspiciously like Jihoon walked in front of him. She was clad in a baby pink, frilly dress with bows in her hair. She was also holding a guitar to her chest and had an irresistible pout on her face.

"Guys?" The girl with pink hair called out. "I think we have to tell Doogi PD now!"

Doogi PD sat on the sofa as not-so-different Jeonghan explained what happened to him. Jisoo, who was having period cravings, stole the thermos that contained the soup that Doogi PD brought for the "sick boys."

"When are you guys going to become guys again? You have a schedule you know."

Jeonghan never talked back to Doogi PD, but she felt an urge of irritation wave through her body and said, "Do you think I know? I don't want to be a girl!"

Doogi PD was taken aback at the words, but he couldn't get mad at a female Jeonghan, so he stayed silent.

Doogi PD canceled all of Seventeen's schedules and sent a statement out to the press explaining why Seventeen was "quarantined." Naturally, all the fans blamed Mingyu because he simply did not know how to sneeze like a normal human being, thus losing many fans because of how "disgyusting" he was. Mingyu was offended and went on Twitter later that day to make a statement that was unfortunately overlooked.

Vernon still stayed in the room and only came out of the room to either use the bathroom or get something to eat, which was basically on the hour. Jihoon kept a watch on him to see if he would turn into a girl anytime soon.

12/13

Everyone's wallet seemed to have emptied when three of the four remaining boys turned into girls one night. They needed to buy more bras, underwear, and clothes overall because Junhui was wide shouldered and wide hipped, Vernon was naturally thin, and Chan had the body structure of a twelve-year-old.

Jeonghan went shopping for the girls again. She bought sports clothes for athletically built Junhui, hipster clothing for the teen like Vernon, and neon clothing from Justice for Chan. Soonyoung and Seokmin also bought more accessories because when Vernon turned, she started dressing up in new clothes every day and refused to wear the same things twice.

Wonwoo was a full blown out pervert now. He managed to scrap up all of his money to buy a high definition camera and take pictures of the girls in their "finest moments." Whether it be looking cute or looking hot, Wonwoo took pictures of literally every scenario. His favorites, the one that made it into The Album, were ones of the girls bending down or full out naked because they forgot to lock the bathroom door before they took a shower. It didn't help that Seungcheol still didn't fix her habit; she still slept shirtless, which Wonwoo had the pleasure of finding out after he went on a midnight spree and took pictures of the girls sleeping.

Wonwoo and his trusty camera didn't last long, however. Jihoon took the camera and smashed it to itty bitty pieces, Wonwoo's tears falling to the ground as his camera rested on the ground like pieces of a puzzle. As for his pictures, those stayed safe in places unimaginable.

The girls spent quality time braiding each others hair, doing each others' nails, and watching k-dramas while being confined to the dorms. A couple more girls had periods and food ran out three times as fast than when they were boys, which was surprising because the boys, now girls, never thought girls ate that much.

Ice cream and Oreos became a necessity along with plenty of tissue boxes and pads for those overemotional period girls. Wonwoo was declared errand boy after a cashier almost recognized Jeonghan and absolutely hated it because he didn't want to have to rent chick flicks for the girls whose hormones were off the walls.

Seungcheol broke all of her bras during this long month and no one wanted to buy her new ones, therefore she roamed the house with a low cut shirt that Jeonghan bought from Victoria's Secret, Wonwoo now having a restraining order to keep him away from Seungcheol. Not only that, but Wonwoo wasn't even allowed to use the dorms' bathroom; he had to go to the gas station across the street.

Wonwoo, along with holy Jisoo and the rest of the girls, prayed that the girls turned back into boys every night.

13/13

Wonwoo was appalled. Her skin was so pale and her hair was likewise Mingyu's; wavy and long. She too had a nice ass and her bosom was breasttaking. Her beautiful thighs, er, eyes and her hips don't lie. She looked better than IU and Suzy put together that she could only cry. Wonwoo was her own ideal type and it hurt.

The girls wished they were boys again and that Wonwoo remained a girl because God forbid she was eye candy. Maybe she even tasted as sweet. Jihoon pulled out her camera, the one she and Seungkwan used for The Boyfriend Observation and made Wonwoo model almost every day.

Wonwoo tried different styles. Her first attempt was the gothic look because she was most comfortable in that. After being thoroughly lectured by Vernon, the true fashionista, Wonwoo, the former fashionista, made a comeback. She tried the sporty look, the cutesy look, the sexy look, but nothing looked as good at the hipster style.

Wonwoo had never wanted her piercings back so badly before. Even if they poked the space behind her ears every time rolled over in her sleep, it was worth it. The accessories Soonyoung and Seokmin bought were all she wanted now. And she decided that it was time to re-pierce her ears.

"Wonwoo, are you sure about this?"

Mingyu held an ice cube to Wonwoo's ear lobe as Jeonghan hesitantly held up a needle.

"Yes. I want to get my ears pierced again."

Mingyu held her breath as she placed the needle right where Wonwoo wanted her piercing. Thank God Doogi PD came over when he did otherwise Wonwoo might have bled herself to death.

The girls oh so desperately wanted to turn back. Chan didn't like the concept of periods at all; she sat in the bathroom all day and just bled into the toilet while not forgetting to flush. Vernon would not stop going on social media and looking up makeup tutorials while Seungkwan went online to ask girls for boyfriend advice. Yes, she was still hung up on The Boyfriend Observation. Minghao simply wanted to b-boy again for she was afraid she would loose her skills because b-boying right now was so immensely painful. Mingyu was still brooding over the lie that Doogi PD told the press which explained why Seventeen wouldn't appear for any event. Seokmin loved to do her nails; they were just too gosh darn pretty like her fingers. Jihoon turned into a yandere, in other words, she had a pretty face but was ready to chop off anyone's head within a matter of seconds. Wonwoo was ready to become a cover girl, she nearly submitted her application, but the wifi went out because of Soonyoung's excessive YouTube addiction. Soonyoung watched many, many, many, various styles of dance and proved to excel in all of them. Junhui got into sports such as badminton and volleyball and would constantly play with whoever was around at the time she was going to go to the practice studio. Jisoo just wanted her guitar back, but Jihoon wouldn't let go. Jeonghan became the mother of the girls and cooked, cleaned, and paid the so called expenses. And Seungcheol, she was lazy as fuck.

The girls had a prayer circle every night to try to return back to normal.

0/13

One morning, as Junhui woke up early to head down to the practice studio to play volleyball, she noticed that her wrists weren't as skinny as they used to be. She also noticed a rather tall bulge by her pelvis.

Junhui was a boy again.

He raced down the halls of the door while screaming his happiness to the world and ended in the living room where he saw the Christmas tree sparkling brightly.

"It's a Christmas miracle!"

One by one, the boys left their rooms and made their way into the living room while being ever so grateful to not be boys anymore.

There was one girl who was the sorest though, and that was Wonwoo.

She, now he, loved being prettier than the nation's most recognized idols. If only he could go back.

That Christmas, the boys dressed in their regular clothes again and gave away their clothes for another girl to have. In nicer terms, they gave back to the community.

The boys resumed their activities and continued prepping for their future comebacks as Mingyu let his anger unleash, claiming that he wasn't as "disgyusting" as the fans proclaimed him to be.

But the hidden photos Wonwoo took when he was a pervert seemed to claim otherwise.

[cielizzydefencesquad]

Understanding Elizabeth Midford

So. I don’t usually involve myself in petty fandom feuds but HOLY. SHIT. This is pissing me off. We’ve gone through 100+ chapters and people STILL don’t understand Lizzy’s character? They manage to rationalize Kuroshitsuji enough that they give Sebastian feelings even though he’s a hungry demon who made a pact with a 10 year old boy because he sensed his soul was broken, desperate, and malleable to more further corruption. They manage to do all this for a DEMON but can’t find it in their hearts to apply that analytical mindset to a darling 14 year old girl whose human emotions drive her every decision?

“She’s selfish! She only wants to make Ciel smile so things can go back to the way they were!”

“She doesn’t understand him! She’s always trying to change him, that bitch!”

“She’s so ANNOYING. Like, her voice!”

“Oh my god, did you see her standing there in the third panel? Like who does that! RUDE.”

So in an attempt to bring some basic level of cognition into these…“arguments” I’m going to go through them one by one and you can disagree if you like. But please refrain from using derogatory terms, unsubstantiated arguments, and referrals to “proofs” that are nothing more than blog posts made from those who wish to paint Kuroshitsuji in terms more favorable to them and whatever else they ship. 

1. “She’s selfish! She only wants to make Ciel smile so things can go back to the way they were!”

Elizabeth Midford is, by far, the LEAST selfish person in the whole damn manga. This girl spent most of her childhood loathing the physical strength she possessed because the person she loved didn’t like it. She chose to shoulder her anguish by HERSELF because she didn’t want to burden Ciel (or her brother or her mother or her father) with her personal worries.

Lizzy is also incredibly aware that things can NEVER go back to the way they were. She expresses this concern to Sebastian when she admits that she wishes Ciel would talk to her more and that the only reason she overdoes her cuteness is because she wants to see Ciel smile. Why are comedians so outlandish and over-the-top? Because they want to see their audience laugh. Lizzy took that mindset and applied it to her goal of cheering Ciel up. Furthermore, the Easter egg chapter proved ONCE AND FOR ALL that Lizzy is perfectly aware of the change that’s occurred within Ciel—that he’s no longer the happy, smiling boy of years past.

Lizzy KNEW Ciel didn’t remember why the egg was nostalgic and if she was really selfish, she would’ve thrown a fit—had a full on temper tantrum then and there but instead, what does she do? She outwits the game master himself. Lizzy sets up an Easter egg hunt that she made up completely off the cuff, wears a happy smile throughout the entire event, and when Ciel hands her the egg what does Lizzy do? She laughs and wishes that the egg would bring CIEL lots of happiness. HOW IS SHE SELFISH? HOW. Selfish would be throwing a tantrum because Ciel didn’t remember the way things used to be. Selfish would be bringing up the past EVERY FRIGGIN SECOND. Selfish would be forcing Ciel to comply to the shared etiquette of their past.

Instead, Lizzy is SELFLESS. Instead of throwing a tantrum, Lizzy wishes Ciel happiness. Instead of bringing up the past, Lizzy tries to ignore it because she knows it makes Ciel uncomfortable—that’s why she’s never asked him about “that month” even though she desperately wants to know what’s happened to the boy she loves. And instead of forcing Ciel to behave the way he used to (sweet, sympathetic, loving), Lizzy is learning to accept him for who he is now—how many times has Ciel ignored her? How many times has Ciel left the country without telling her? How many times has Ciel purposely hidden things from Lizzy and then disregarded her concern with a wave of his hand? Lizzy is learning to accept this new Ciel—this closed off, distant Ciel because she KNOWS something terrible must have happened to him. Because instead of crying and whining like she did at the beginning of Black Butler when Ciel refused to take off his ring, Lizzy has learned to ACCEPT. And that, my dears, is called character development—something Ciel hasn’t undergone since the beginning of this manga.

2. “She doesn’t understand him! She’s always trying to change him, that bitch!”

There is NOTHING about Ciel that Lizzy is trying to change. If anything, it’s Sebastian who’s always prodding and provoking Ciel to become darker—more cruel, less empathetic, and more focused on getting his revenge. She threw a party for Ciel at the beginning of the manga because she thought that might make him smile—fun colors, fine music, seeing Bard and Finny crossdressing…heck, even Ciel took a page from Lizzy’s book when he dressed the F5! It probably took Lizzy HOURS to choose Ciel’s outfit, decorate the mansion, coordinate the whole event and it probably hurt like hell to see Ciel dismiss all her hard work so casually.

As a reader, it’s easy for us to say “HELLO. Doesn’t she know? He was abused and tortured by the cultists! He made a deal with the devil to escape that wretched place, how could this dumb broad think a simple party would cheer him up?!”

And the answer is…Lizzy has NO IDEA what happened to Ciel. (Hindsight is a gift, ain’t it?) She has no idea that he became so desperate to escape the cult that he sold his soul to a starving demon. Lizzy is does not know what Ciel went through and this boy is doing his damnedest to make sure Lizzy never knows. Because he wants to keep her pure, ignorant, and encased in light.

People always point to the party chapter as Lizzy trying to “change” Ciel but all she wanted was to put a smile on his face. She even admits that she overdoes it at times but everything she’s done comes from a good place. Everyone wants to see their loved ones happy and Ciel is the boy Lizzy loves best of all—of course she’s going to try everything under the sun to try and put a little smile on his face.

And Lizzy DOES understand Ciel, to the best of her ability. She’s never once asked Ciel (or Sebastian) about his time in the cult. She uses games to figure out Ciel’s secrets. (Ex: Easter egg hunt—this is where Lizzy knew Ciel was only pretending to remember their Easter tradition and where Lizzy’s suspicions were confirmed—something life changing and drastic DID happen to Ciel during “that month.”) She doesn’t force Ciel to take her to public events because, let’s face it—as the only daughter to a high ranking marquess that serves directly under the queen, Lizzy’s bound to be invited to dozens of soirees a week. And as a gentlewoman of the aristocracy, Lizzy’s going to need an escort. In Victorian times, it was typical that the fiancé escort his bride-to-be but here is Lizzy—sweet, traditional Lizzy—ignoring precedent because she KNOWS Ciel dislikes social events. (Keep in mind, this is information being pieced together by a 14 year old girl who’s been taught to be an “unknowing angel.”)

Elizabeth understands the change that’s come over Ciel, knows that he won’t be interested in the same things he was interested in before. But in spite of Ciel shutting her out, in spite of Sebastian’s constant presence, Lizzy is still working her hardest to try and bring some happiness to Ciel’s life because she loves him. She loves him so much that Bravat was able to take Lizzy’s desperation and devotion and use it against her.

Let’s not forget—the reason Lizzy continued seeing Bravat was because she thought he could help her make Ciel happy.

3. “She’s so ANNOYING. Like, her voice!”

I think this is the most common excuse people use to not like Lizzy. They critique her high levels of energy (even though Finny and Soma are equally vivacious), her love for beautiful things (even though Ciel is probably the vainest little boy in the whole of London, England), and the fact that she “doesn’t understand” Ciel (counterargument already presented above).

You know, in a lot of ways I see Lizzy as a Scarlett O’Hara figure—strong, determined, unflinching in the face of danger. But also very, very misunderstood. Lizzy only behaves with an exorbitant amount of energy because she wants to make Ciel happy —to bring some sunlight into his gloomy, pessimistic world. The end results are not always successful but the intention behind Lizzy’s every action is pure—as pure as Soma’s decision to help Ciel simply because he saw him as a friend. Lizzy puts on a vaudeville for Ciel in a misguided attempt to help him heal and move on from whatever is tormenting him.

4. “Oh my god, did you see her standing there in the third panel? Like who doesn’t that! RUDE.”

Black Butler is told from the perspectives of Ciel and Sebastian. We only get brief glimpses into Lizzy’s psyche so it’s impossible for us to codify her completely. What I do know is that some people out there will always hate on Lizzy—whether it’s because they dislike her voice (well that’s her VA’s fault, not Lizzy’s) or because Lizzy “gets in the way” of someone’s ship. I’m not here to reason with those who refuse to be reasoned with. This is me expressing my adoration for a flawed, misguided, but pure of heart character whose unconditional love for a changed, callous boy makes me admire her all the more.

Oddly enough, people seem to relate “understanding” a person to “knowing exactly what happened to them to make them this way.” And to me, this is really giving Lizzy an unfair shake. By this definition, Lizzy could never understand Ciel because she doesn’t know what happened to him in that one month that’s made him the way he is (reason: he flat out didn’t tell her and uses every opportunity to prevent her from finding out. Ciel is so concerned about protecting Elizabeth’s goodness/light/purity that on the Campania, when Sebastian was slaughtering all those Bizarre Dolls, Ciel shielded Lizzy from seeing the carnage because he wants her to remain innocent and unaware). To quote Albert Einstein, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”

I think Lizzy understands Ciel—she can sense the pain, the resignation, the drive towards something greater that Ciel is working towards. This is best exemplified in an early chapter (after Ciel’s fallen asleep and Sebastian is serving her tea) where Lizzy expresses sorrow that Ciel won’t tell her anything. Sebastian comforts Lizzy by telling her that while “It’s a difficult question for me as a butler…[I can tell you] one thing…He [Ciel] was able to spend a nice, free day with everyone.” To which Lizzy retorts that she wishes she could believe that. Elizabeth may not know what happened to Ciel during that month, but she understands.

This then brings me to my next and final point—people wanting Lizzy to “accept” the situation by stepping aside and leaving the manga. Well, to quote Michael J. Fox: “Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it.” — And this is exactly what Lizzy’s doing. She’s fighting for a way to help Ciel, to help him move on, to do anything that might benefit it. Lizzy’s accepted the situation but she’s certainly not resigned for it—Lizzy’s a fighter, and she’ll continue fighting for the boy she loves until the very end.

Further discussion is encouraged. But, please remember: refrain from using derogatory terms, unsubstantiated arguments, and referrals to “proofs” that are nothing more than blog posts made from those who wish to paint Kuroshitsuji in terms more favorable to them and whatever else they ship. I am not disparaging other characters or ships—I merely ask that you don’t refer to those “did you know” blog posts that’s caused so much strife in the Black Butler fandom. Thank you.

[snorlaxlovesme]

SoMa Week 2017

Day one: Confession

I wasn’t totally in the mood for writing romance, so I kinda went in a different direction for the prompt today. So here’s a little fic about Maka and Soul being detained in 24 hour Wal-Mart and questioned by the night manager after causing trouble. Who’s gonna crack first?

ao3 link

(Oh! And shoutout to @texasdave94 for letting me use his Wal-Mart experiences as extra inspiration for this fic!)

Greg doesn’t get paid enough for this job.

It was 4:00 a.m. on a Friday night and the last thing he wanted to do was more paperwork, but if he got these interrogations done and over with by morning he could go home to his wife, Linda, and their two Chihuahuas, and not have to worry about anything until the weekend was over.

Technically this wasn’t even supposed to be his job. As the night manager at the 24-hour Death City Wal-Mart he had much more important things to be doing than questioning two shoplifters, but Dennis, the security guard on duty for tonight, was sent home early with food poisoning. Greg supposed questioning delinquent teens was a little bit better than cleaning more of Dennis’s puke off the floor of cereal aisle, but only marginally.

Greg rubbed his temples while he opened the door to his office to let the first suspect inside. Dennis was the only one with keys to the small interview room they had, so this would have to do for now. He wasn’t really sure how these interviews worked, but from what he saw on tv on the cop shows he watched with Linda, it was best to interview criminals separately so they couldn’t corroborate with one another. He highly doubted the two kids sitting outside his office counted as “criminals,” but the sentiment still applied. Best not to give them a chance to change their stories.

The first was a teenage girl, average height and slim build, wearing a trench coat. That in and of itself should have screamed that something was amuck with her, but apparently the other employees did not notice anything nefarious about the girl when they came close to letting her walk out of the store with stolen goods. The other suspect looked shady as well, a white-haired boy with sharp red eyes and strange-looking teeth that made his scowl look even more menacing. Greg figured that asking the girl was probably the better option. Teenage boys were impossible to talk to regardless of how creepy-looking they were. Greg was a teenage boy once, he knew their dispositions well.

He told her to sit, and she did, smoothing out her skirt primly and resting her folded hands in her lap. She seemed like an agreeable young girl. Maybe this whole thing would go smoothly.

Greg cleared his throat and lifted a blank sheet of paper to his face, pretending to read standard interview questions that were actually locked in the real interview room.

“So, uh, what’s your name?”

-

“Am I required by law to tell you that?” Maka asked the man pleasantly.

The man’s kind demeanor turned perplexed. “Excuse me?”

“I just want to know if I’m lawfully obligated to tell you my name without a lawyer present.”

“A lawyer?”

-

“Soul Evans,” Soul said, sticking his pinky inside his mouth to pick idly at one of his back teeth. A little sliver of popcorn had gotten caught back there earlier today and it had been bothering him ever since.

“Listen,” the man questioning him said. His face already looked pretty red, though Soul was having a hard time figuring out why. Did his interrogation of Maka go poorly or something? “I’m not in the mood for your games tonight, okay?  We all want this to be over so just be straight with me, okay?”

“….Okay?”

“What. Is. Your. Real. Name.”

“I already told you—”

-

“Listen, little girl, there’s no need to get lawyers involved here. I just need to ask you a few questions as per protocol.”

“Fine. Ask me all you want. But I prefer to remain anonymous.”

A vein in the man’s temple throbbed comically. “You can’t remain anonymous when you just committed a crime!”

Maka crossed her arms indignantly. “Committed a crime? What on earth did I do?”

-

Soul was smacking his hands on the man’s desk for emphasis. “My name IS SOUL! That’s my name!! It’s on my birth certificate! Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

The manager guy put his head in his hands. “I swear the next time I see Dennis I’m killing him.”

“What?”

The man looked at Soul like he hadn’t spoken. “Fine, Soul, can you care to tell me about why you’re here with me right now?”

Soul scoffed and crossed his arms, leaning back in the upholstered chair he was forced to it in for this interview. “I shouldn’t even be here right now.”

The night manager looked positively LIVID. “Can one of you just ANSWER THE QUESTION PROPERLY.”

Soul did not appreciate this man shouting at him when he’d been nothing but civil the entire time. He yelled right back, “I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG! I WAS PUT UP TO THIS AGAINST MY WILL. MAKA IS THE MASTERMIND HERE. BOOK HER.”

The man’s eyes widened somewhere near the end of Soul’s tirade, and he picked up his clipboard and pen and started furiously writing something. “Maka. Finally!”

-

“Are you serious? You were trying to steal from my store! That’s against the law, kid.”

Maka rolled her eyes. “Trust me, sir, I know the law. Probably a lot better than you, I can assure you.” She was a meister, for Death’s sake. It was her job to remain firmly on the side of Good.

“Says the one who was shoplifting.”

Wait. Maka pauses for a moment. “Shoplifting? Is that what they said I did?”

The man blew a breath out loudly through his nose. “If you didn’t shoplift, what is it you think you’re here for?”

“We never even left the store! That would defeat the point—” Maka squints at the man’s nametag. “—Greg.”

“Listen here, missy, I won’t let you use my name if you refuse to tell me what yours is.”

Maka looked down at her watch and smiled a little. “Fine, whatever works for you.”

-

Soul was practicing his deep breathing exercises. He just wanted to go home.

“Alright, kid, now tell me what it is your friend out there coerced you into doing.”

Soul lifted his eyes to the heavens. That’s a loaded question if he ever heard one. “Where do I even start? Listen, man, I’m a good person,” he said, placing a hand over his heart. “In fact—and I know this might be hard to believe—but I’m the honest-to-God conscience of my friend group. The fact that it’s taken us this long to get detained by someone is baffling. All I want to do it stay at home on our day off from school and watch HGTV reruns with my girlfriend, but noooo, because Maka and fucking Black Star have to make a bet and poor ol’ Soul gets dragged into it, yet AGAIN.”

The manager looked like he was struggling to keep up. He’s frantically writing things on his little clipboard, but Soul couldn’t be bothered to care. “Wait, who’s Black Star, another accomplice?”

Soul ignored him, because now that he’d started complaining, he couldn’t stop. “Like? Maka complains that there’s nothing fun to do in Death City anymore and Black Star’s all ‘WANNA BET?’” Soul practically shouted, making his voice sound as bro-y as possible. “And then they’re betting! They always bet and I always get caught up in it because then Maka’s all—” his voice got significantly higher and a thousand times more defiant, “—‘me and Soul can TOTALLY stay in a Wal-Mart for 24 hours without being caught’—”

The man’s eyes widen again.

“And I never asked to be involved in this, you know? Like the last thing I want to do is spend my free Friday sneaking around a capitalist wasteland for a full freaking DAY. I like sleeping! I like not having to sneak!”

-

“I never stole anything,” Maka said, her arms cross defiantly over her chest.

“Margaret from register one says that you and your crony outside were looking very suspicious over by the front of the store. She’d seen you wandering around the store idly multiple times.”

“And I deserved to be questioned for that, why?”

“Margaret also said that when she tried to kick you out, you refused to walk through the front doors.” The man looks at her pointedly. “Where the security alarms are.”

“Why would I leave the store when I haven’t made my purchase yet?”

“Because you were never PLANNED ON MAKING A PURCHASE, did you?” The night manager says, slamming his hands down on his desk. Maka is sure if it’s for emphasis or to be intimidating. She raises an eyebrow.

“Well, that’s the first thing you’ve been right about in this entire interrogation, Greg.”

-

“Wait, so you’re saying you’ve been in my store for—”

“And God, you’d be surprised how boring Wal-Mart is after like 3 hours. Like, looking at the food just pisses you off because of how hungry you are and how cheap it is compared to local grocery stores, but you’re not gonna buy any because Wal-Mart doesn’t deserve your money when it’s causing smaller stores to out of business to begin with—”

The manager jumped in. “Wal-Mart is a wholesome, family store—”

“Can it, Greg,” Soul said, not missing a beat. “And after a while you start reading all the trashy dollar novels but you can only see word ‘meat missile’ so many times before you start to think, hey, maybe these authors aren’t being ironic when they write this, and then it gets kinda sad.” Soul ran his hands through his hair. “And Maka can be stuck in the book section forever, so you gotta find something else to do since trying to get her to give up this dumb bet clearly isn’t worth it.

“And so then you’re playing with Power Rangers toys in the kid’s section, which is really fun but the toy section people are looking at you really suspiciously, which I don’t get, because what’s so wrong with two seventeen-year-olds playing with Power Rangers? They’re cool, okay?”

Greg over there opened his mouth like he was going to interject, but closed his mouth when Soul loudly shouted “I’M COOL, OKAY?”

-

“I knew it! You weren’t planning on buying anything!”

Maka sat stoically while the man gloated, though she was still unsure what he was so happy about. He hadn’t really gotten her to admit anything. She wiped some sweat from the back of her neck and sighed. She was already hot to begin with, but somewhere throughout this little “interrogation” Greg had turned his desk lamp around to blind her. This guy had seen too many 60’s cop shows.

“Getting a little nervous there, girl? Looks like you’re starting to sweat.”

Maka rolled her eyes.

-

“So the Power Rangers plan is over, so then you go over to the exercise equipment because your meister absolutely insists on training since we’re not at school to do it.” Soul rubs the back of his neck as he looks up at the ceiling, lost in thought. “And like, I love her, but why does she always have to do that. Even on our day off, trapped in a Wal-Mart, of all places, she still wants to do homework? Who does that? So now you’re spotting your girlfriend while she benches like 150, hoping to God she doesn’t ask you to switch because then you’re gonna have to take all the weight off of that bar, and fuck—you’re gonna have to get a LIGHTER BAR entirely, and how embarrassing is that?”

-

Part of Maka wished she was an actual shoplifter just so she could have swiped a deodorant when her and Soul were bumming around in the pharmacy department. She was starting to smell a little rank after training with Soul for two hours in the exercise department, and the damn light that man insisted on shining in her face wasn’t happening.

“Listen, sir, since I never actually stole anything, you don’t have anything to pin on me. So why don’t we just call it a night—” she glanced at her watch again, “—and let me go. My partner and I will go purchase something in the store to make you happy and we’ll be on our way.”

“No way, missy. Just because you have a smart mouth doesn’t mean I can’t get your little partner-in-crime to fess up to what you two have been doing in my store.” He stood and went to his office door, opening it up and calling for Soul. “It’s your turn, son,” he said, his voice a little deeper like he was planning on going back to the intimidation tactic. Maka sighed and stood up, walking past Soul. She tilted her wrist in just such a way that he could see the timer still going on her watch.

-

“—And after getting kicked out of the toilet paper section for building forts, what is left for you to do, really? The electronics department didn’t even have HGTV as a station, so there was really no point in hanging out there once your heart is set on Flip of Flop. We were gonna go grab a cart from the front to do chariot races when that nosey cashier started yelling at us.”

The night manager looked at Soul speechlessly. He idly wondered how long he’d been talking. “So yeah, I’m beat. Can I go now?”

The man looked down at his clipboard, then up at Soul again. “So, you didn’t shoplift anything?”

He raised an eyebrow at him. “No? Why the fuck would we do that? Maka’s morals are way too strict for crap like stealing.”

Greg thumped his head on his desk.

“Are you okay, man?”

-

Greg breathed in loudly through his nose, the wood of his desk cool against his forehead.

“Listen, just go, kid.”

“What? I can’t hear you with your face all down like that.”

Greg peered up at the boy and scowled. “Just. Go.” It felt like he’d been talking to these kids for an eternity. After all that, they never even stole anything.

“I mean, if you say so,” he said with a shrug, standing up and putting a hand in his pocket. He went to the door and opened it. “Oi, Maka. The guy says we can go—” he shut the door behind him, but there wasn’t enough force for it to click all the way shut.

“Did you say anything to him?” Greg heard the girl—Maka—say quietly. “You were in there for a while.”

“Nah, not much. I mean we didn’t even technically do anything wrong, unless Wal-Mart wants to give a loitering fine or something. But I don’t think he wants to see us anymore. Were you being a pain or somethin’?”

The girl laughed a little. “Nah, not really.”

Greg squeezed his hand into a fist. He was going to need to get his blood pressure taken in the pharmacy department after this. He stood to go shut his door the rest of the way.

“Hey,” the boy asked, voice a little farther away. They must have been leaving the back hallway to head back into the store. “What time is it anyway?”

Greg peered out the door in time to see the girl thrust her wrist watch in the boy’s face delightedly.

“Time for Black Star to PAY UP!! We won the bet!”

“We better have, after I poured my guts out to that guy for like two hours,” the boy grumbled.

The girl kissed him on the cheek happily. “You’re the best partner-in-crime ever, you know that?”

They turned to walk away. “Yeah, yeah. Black Star better know that he owes ME fifty bucks and back-rub too.”

Greg shut his door with a little more force than necessary. He definitely had a story to tell Linda in the morning now.

[sealionssc-blog]

We have officially hit a new low...

Last night in the middle of reading my chapter of the book codependent no more my mind started wandering.  Which is normal I am usually all over the place. I can be in the middle of an intense meeting and be like hmmm do I have enough laundry detergent at home?” Yup this is me.  I once read an Ellen De Generis book where she talked about this and I about fell off the couch laughing so hard.  Anyways, my husband had gotten a full soma prescription of 60 pills.  A few weeks ago or maybe at least mid-may I saw it disappear.  I was thinking to myself he hasn’t been slurring or been “soma slow” as I refer to it and I have seen him taking flexeril not Soma.  So then it dawns on me he has been smoking a ton of pot lately and had not just his pen, but actual joints.  That has to be more than $60/2 weeks.  Then it dawned on me.  Oh my god he is selling his Soma’s for medical marijuana.  So of course this dawns on me before I have to put my son to bed so I get on the bank website and sure enough, the ONLY withdrawal in may was like on 5/1 and he didn’t take another $60 withdrawal till 6/4 and hasn’t taken one since. Yup the weed has to be coming from somewhere. So great here we are his version of saving money is to slang. AWESOME.

So the activity from the chapter of my book is to go through a checklist and identify characteristic if it is a problem for you. Sorry this is a long one but probably necessary.  

CARETAKING

-Think and feel responsible for other people-for other people’s feelings, thoughts, actions, choices, wants, needs, well being, lack of well-being, and ultimate destiny. 2

-Feel compelled-almost forced-to help that person solve the problem, such as offering unwanted advice, giving a rapid fire series of suggestions, or fixing feelings. 2

-Feel angry when their help isn’t effective. 2

-Anticipate other people’s needs.2

-Wonder why others don’t do the same for them.2

-Find themselves saying yes when they mean no, doing things they really don’t want to be doing, doing more than their fair share of the work, and doing things for other people who are capable of doing for themselves. 2

-Not know what they want and need or, if they do, tell themselves what they want and need is not important.  2

-Try to please others instead of themselves. 1

-feel sad because they spend their whole lives giving to other people and nobody gives to them. 1

-abandon their routine to respond or do something for somebody else.

-overcommit themselves 1

-feel harried and pressured. 2

-blame others for the spot the codependents are in. 2

-believe other people are making them crazy 2

-feel angry, victimized, unappreciated and used. 2

LOW SELF-WORTH

-come from troubled, repressed, or dysfunctional families. 2

-denty their family was troubled, repressed, or dysfunctional. 2

-pick on themselves for everything, including the way they think, look, act, and behave. 2

-feel guilty about spending money on themselves or doing unnecessary or fun things for themselves.2

-fear rejection 1

-take things personally 2

-have been victims of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment or alcoholism. 2-clarify emotional, neglect, alcoholism

-tell themselves they can’t do anything right. 1

-get strong feelings of low self-worth-embarrassment, failure, etc-from other people’s failures and problems. 1

-wish good things would happen to them. 2

REPRESSION

-push their thoughts and feelings out of their awareness because of fear and guilt. 1

-become afraid to let themselves be who they are. 1

OBSESSION

-feel terribly anxious about problems and people. 1

-lose sleep over problems or other people’s behaviour. 1

-worry 2

-never find answers 2

-check on people 2

-try to catch people in acts of misbehavior- (ironically this is what triggered the revelation about the drug dealing) 2

-abandon their routine because they are so upset about somebody or something. 2

-wonder why they never have any energy 1

-wonder why they can’t get things done        1                        

 CONTROLLING

-have lived through events and with people who were out of control, causing the codependent sorrow and disappointment. 2

-don’t see or deal with their fear or loss of control. 1

-think they know best how things should turn out and how people should behave. 2

-try to control events and people through helplessness, guilt, coercion, threats, advice-giving, manipulation, or domination. 2

-eventually fail in their efforts or provoke people’s anger. 2

-get frustrated and angry 2

DENIAL

-ignore problems or pretend they aren’t happening 1

pretend circumstances aren’t as bad as they are. 1

tell themselves things will be better tomorrow. 1

stay busy so that they don’t have to think about things. 2

get confused.

go to doctors and get tranquilizers.1

become workaholics. 2

watch problems get worse. 2

believe lies. 1

lie to themselves 1

wonder why they feel like they’re going crazy. 2

DEPENDENCY

don’t feel happy, content, or peaceful with themselves. 1

look for happiness outside themselves. 2

latch on to whoever or whatever they think can provide happiness. 1

often seek love from people incapable of loving.  1

believe other people are never there for them. 2

equate love with pain 1

stay in relationships that don’t work. 2

tolerate abuse to keep people loving them. 2

feel trapped in relationships. 2

POOR COMMUNICATION

blame 2

threaten 2

coerce 1

beg 2

bribe 2

advise 2

don’t say with they mean 2

don’t mean what they say 2

don’t know what they mean 2

ask or what they want and need indirectly-sighing for example. 2

find it difficult to get to the point.  2

try to say what they hope will make people do what they want them to do. 2

lie to protect and cover up for people they love. 1

lie to protect themselves. 2

WEAK BOUNDARIES

say they won’t tolerate certain behaviors from other people. 2

gradually increase their tolerance until they can tolerate and do things they never said they would. 2

let others hurt them. 2

keep letting people hurt them. 2

wonder why they hurt so badly. 2

complain, blame and try to control while they continue to stand there. 

finally get angry 2

become totally intolerant. 2

LACK OF TRUST

don’t trust other people 1

think god has abandoned them 1

lose faith and trust in god 1

ANGER

feel very scared, hurt and angry 2

live with people who are very scared, hurt and angry. 2

are frightened of other people’s anger. 1

think other people make them feel angry. 2

repress their angry feelings. 2

cry a lot, get depressed, 2

feel increasing amounts of anger, resentment and bitterness. 2

SEX PROBLEMS

are caretakers in the bedroom 1

have sex when they don’t want to 1

have sex when they’d rather be held, nurtured, and loved. 1

refuse to enjoy sex because they are so angry at their partner. 2

withdraw emotionally from their partner. 2

feel sexual revulsion toward their partner. 2

force themselves to have sex anyway. 1

reduce sex to a technical act. 2

lose interest in sex. 2

make up reasons to abstain. 2

wish their sex partner would die, go away, or sense the codependents feelings. 2

have strong fantasies about other people. 2

consider or have an extramarital affair. 2

MISCELLANEOUS

cover up, lie, and protect the problem. 1

not seek help because they tell themselves that the problem isn’t bad enough, or they aren’t important enough 2

PROGRESSIVE

feel lethargic 1

feel depressed 2

become withdrawn or isolated 1

begin to plan their escape from a relationship that they feel trapped in 2

Next, it asks to mark it with a 1 if its occasional 2 if its frequently a problem. Bear with me I’m just doing the work.

The next question is how do I feel about changing myself? Well I am here at this point now, I believe it is time for a change, it’s time for people around me to change, it’s time for me to be happy. Shingles was an extreme wake up call that I do not want to be so stressed that I get sick.  This morning I am sitting down working at home, my son is playing on his xbox and my husband comes up stairs, I’m wondering am I getting Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde today.  My son is in the xbox store I told him he could look all he wants but we are not downloading anything.  He sees my son is on the store and flips out, even cussing at him, Get the hell out of there, what are you doing, that is a load of crap, if I see that again I am taking the Xbox away.  You are full of bologna.  Then two minutes later he is walking over and kissing our son good morning and telling him he will go get donuts for breakfast in a bit.  Yup this RIGHT here is a perfect example of what I want to get away from.  

What do you think will happen if you began to change? I know what exactly will happen, he will get meaner, nastier and try to make my life a living hell.  Focusing on me, I will be happier, skinnier, and moving towards a goal.  It will allow me to spend more time with my son and put ignore the noise around me.

Do you think you can change?  YES! In the past 7-10 days I have realized more about why I can’t change him, and can only change myself, I have become more self aware, but where I need to do the work is with consistency and follow through.  I can learn all these great tools but I have to keep always in my head that this isn’t something that I can get too busy at work to do, it has to be done.  This is one reason why committing to this blog and posting daily is going to help me to be consistent.  I’m creating a morning habit of writing on the train or today in the living room. 

[lolo314]

Soma Week Day 1: Dare

@soulxmakaweek

I love these idiots so I figured I’d try my hand at this whole Soma week thing, lol.

Title: The Dare. (so creative).

Notes: It’s a college au so the drinking is totally legal.

Summary: Drunk idiot makes bad decisions.

A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23988775

Also sending love to @friday1221 for making an awesome art for this fic.<3

Maka didn’t expect her day to end like this, her lips on Soul’s in an urgent kiss.

When she woke up that morning, it was like any other Saturday. Soul slept way past noon with the excuse of it being a weekend, Maka made breakfast and worked on her assignments for the next week before their paths crossed for what was her lunch and his breakfast.

“Blackstar says to take a cab. Apparently we’ll be too drunk to drive after. “he said in between large bites. Their friend had been harassing them about a small get-together he had planned since Monday, ensuring them they’d have a great time. Maka had been hesitant, knowing the aftermath of Blackstar’s idea of fun, but reluctantly agreed, promising herself she wouldn’t wake up the next day with a hangover.

“I’ll drive us. I’m not planning to drink anyways.” she already felt tired thinking about taming a drunk Soul.

“That’s… How about I drive us for once?” she scuffed, carrying her empty place to the sink.

“I’m not paying a ticket for drunk driving.” He opened his mouth but she cut him off with her hand.

“Its fine, Soul.  I don’t mind.” She smiled before sitting herself on the couch, picking up a

book to get lost in until it was time to get ready. They didn’t talk much after that. She could tell something was on his mind as he moved about the apartment, but he didn’t seem ready to share it.

 The low rumbling of the engine was the only sound breaking the silence of the car ride to Blackstar’s and Tsubaki’s apartment.

“Hey, Maka. “he was fidgeting with a lose string of his T-Shirt, his gaze on the passing view.

“I hope you don’t drink because you hate the taste of alcohol and not because you have to deal with me when I’m drunk.” When he turned to look at her she could tell he had thought about this a lot. That’s what he’s been thinking about all day?

“It’s fine, Soul. Don’t worry about it.” She was smiling, but he didn’t seem convinced.

“Don’t ruin your fun on my account. It’s a Saturday night. Live a little. “she considered him for a few minutes, running her options through her head. She didn’t want to ruin his night by making him worry about her having fun, but it was hard to shake the feeling that it would be messy if they both let loose.

“So you want me to not think about you? You’re weird.” He laughed, looking relieved the atmosphere had shifted into something brighter.

“Okay then. I’ll try to relax.” He exhaled, before smiling widely.

“You know it’s ridiculous that we need to have a conversation about you letting loose at a party, right?”

“What can I say? I’m just that special.” They both laughed as the approached their friend’s house, both oblivious to what awaited them.

”Let’s play truth or dare!” Backstar’s voice stood out among all the chattering. He and Liz were drunk by hour two of the small party, only half aware of what was happening.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Tsubaki pulled a half empty cup of beer from Blackstar’s hand.

“Last time we played you ended up crying…” Maka could clearly remember the memory Tsubaki was referencing. Soul and Liz had ended up dumping him in a bathtub full of water to sober him up, and maybe get a laugh out of it.

“Huh?” his face twisted in confusion.

“Don’t you remember? When you asked if it was true that I am single?” fear masked his features.

“You’re not?” he seemed ready to cry.

“Star..We’ve been dating for two years. Honestly, how much did you drink?” his face lit up.

“Who cares? Let’s play!” he sat himself on the floor , dragging Tsubaki down with him and gesturing for everyone to follow him. When everyone had taken their seats, the game begun.

“I’ll start!” Liz’s hand shot up and her eyes fell on Kid.

“Truth or Dare?” he weighed his options, considering her past challenges when drunk.

“Truth.” She frowned.

“You’re no fun… Truth it is. Is it true that I’m the best girlfriend you’ve ever had?”

“You’re the only girlfriend I’ve had. I can’t compare. “she pushed herself towards him and flicked his forehead.

“ You’re supposed to say yes!” he only laughed, placing a comforting hand around her shoulders.”

After a few turns, Blackstar turned to Maka.

“Truth or Dare?” Soul’s words flashed in her mind as she weighed her options.

“Dare.” A devious smile spread across his face.

“Now we’re talking! Maka, I dare you to chug that entire cup.” He pointed to the untouched alcohol. Live a little. She took a deep breath and pulled the cup to her lips, taking it all in one swift motion. Cheers erupted around her. She laughed, her head spinning and her throat burning by the sudden intrusion. She glanced at Soul, who was clapping along with everyone else.

After a lot more rounds, during which everyone, particularly Maka, had gotten considerably drunker.

“I dare you to Kiss Soul!” Liz’s words were slightly slurred when she pointed at Maka.

“Naaah. She wot do t. I’v ased bfore.” Blackstar’s head shook dramatically as he spat out broken words. Maka looked at Blackstar, clearly expecting her to take another shot. She looked at Soul, who seemed to agree with their friend.

She could faintly hear a voice in the back of her mind screaming as she crawled toward him. Her body moved on its own and she was too tipsy to stop herself from taking his face in her hands and crashing her lips against his, ignoring any consequences it would have on their relationship.  The moment their lips locked, she momentarily forgot about the game. Something felt right and she didn’t want to stop, but her mind finally caught up with her and she pulled way, now facing a completely shocked Soul.

“Damn! That was intense!” Liz was giggling as she clapped and yelled. She moved back to her seat, trying to ignore Soul, whose cheeks were a deep shade of red, his mouth hanging open. She smiled as she took another sip of her drink, only faintly aware that she’d regret everything the next day.

When Maka woke up the next morning her head throbbed. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to the light. Memories slowly came back to her. The party, truth or dare, drinking. A lot of drinking, kissing Soul. Wait… What?! Her body shot up, instantly regretting the action. Her vision blurred, her head spun.

“You’re awake?” Soul’s head peeked through the door before he walked in with a tray in his hands.  She took her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to remember the details. I kissed Soul… It was for a dare… but I kissed him… and… I liked it? She mentally slapped herself, hard. Don’t be stupid. He’s your best friend.

“I’m guessing you feel like shit… I’ve been there.” He ran a hand through his hair, averting his gaze.

“I, uh, brought you some toast and some water. You’re probably dehydrated… I also brought some aspirin… Take that too...” he stood awkwardly, waiting for her brain to go back to its original place. She avoided his gaze as she took the water in her hands, putting the aspirin in her mouth. She took a deep breath and dared a look at him, soon realizing that was a mistake.

“Shit.” She ran to the bathroom, unloading everything that entered her body in the last 24 hours. Soul run after her, holding her hair back until she was done.

The next few hours had been hell.  Her stomach turned, her head felt like it was about to bust and even so, her brain found in impossible to stop replaying the scene in her head. His lips on hers, the taste of his mouth. Shut up!

His presence didn’t help. He had been taking care of her all day, trying to help her get through her hangover as smoothly as possible. She hadn’t spoken any word to him other than a thank you here and there, too ashamed to say anything else.

“Are you feeling any better?” he sat himself on the edge of the couch, as if trying not to disturb anything around her.

“Not really… Seriously... I promised myself I wouldn’t get drunk but…” he smiled apologetically. What is he sorry for?

“I’m sorry… I should’ve probably stopped you before you got completely out of it… It’s just… you looked like you were having fun…” she shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. It was my fault..” she looked at the cup of water in her hands, trying to find the right words to apologize.

“I’m sorry about this…” she could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look at him.

“Don’t be. Think of it as payback for making you take care of me when I’m hangover.” He laughed, trying to ease the tension. She looked away, feeling terrible that he saw it that way. She took care of him because she wanted to, not because she felt obligated to do so. She jumped when she felt his hands on her shoulder.

“Hey, Maka Look at me.” She took a deep breath and turned her face, trying to avert her eyes from his lips, focusing on his eyes instead.

“It’s fine. Seriously. “ his hand dropped and he retreated to his seat. An awkward silence engulfed them. She had done it. She had broken the connection. The comfort. Stupid Maka… She desperately tried to think of a way to take things back the way they were.

“How come you’re not hangover? Didn’t you drink?” he shook his head.

“Nah. Didn’t feel like it.” Her heart dropped. He would never admit it, but she could read between the lines. Someone had to take care of you…  Not only did you ruin your friendship… you also ruined his night…

“Sorry… Did I give you a hard time last night? I don’t really remember what happened after that drink … after…” her voice trailed off, refusing to name it. He nodded in understanding.

“No… you kind of just fell asleep..” her eyes widened.

“I fell asleep? So… how did I get here?” she wanted to take the words back the moment they left her mouth. She already knew what was coming and it only worsened her guilt.

“I carried you… Uh.. yeah… Do you need more water?” he rose from the seat and practically sprinted to the kitchen, leaving her alone with her thoughts. I’ve done it… I’ve ruined us…