#Your characters are so fun and they're always an inspiration when I see them on my dash :)

[kaspbra-cant-even]

Never Tear Us Apart (Spencer Reid/Reader)

This is one of my works from AO3 where I post under the user-name fish_cloud. Under the cut will be the entire work as it is already finished. Have fun reading and feedback is always appreciated 💛

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions of Violence Category: F/M Fandom: Criminal Minds (US TV) Relationship: Spencer Reid/Reader Characters: Spencer Reid, Reader, Elle Greenaway, Penelope Garcia, Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gideon, Derek Morgan Additional Tags: Soulmate AU, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Mutual Pining, Angst, Violence, Torture, Sexual Content Language: English Chapters: 7/7 Words: 17k

Summary: Soulmates exist but they are rare. So rare, that some people doubt their existence. (Y/n) is already struggling trying to hide her feelings for Spencer but then she finds out they're soulmates, just as they take on a case about a serial killer targeting couples, he thinks are soulmates, things get complicated and dangerous.

Notes: The title is inspired by Never Tear Us Apart by Paloma Faith (I swear that woman has a voice to die for). Also this is kind of dedicated to my best friend, I love her so much. Enough from me, have fun reading :))

Chapter 1

Having a soulmate was a rare occurrence. You could consider yourself lucky if you had one and even luckier if you ever found them. It was kind of like winning the lottery. There were people who had devoted their entire life to finding their other half, without even knowing if they even existed. Isn’t it only human to crave connection? The longing to belong to someone. This is not to say, that you were alone, just because you didn’t have a soulmate or didn’t find them. But this kind of connection was hard to grasp for someone who hadn’t experienced it. A one in a million connection.

Most known things about soul-connections were purely speculative due to the fact that they were so rare and even when some would find each other, there was nothing easy about trying to explain it. Like with all spiritual things there were some people who chased the idea with cult-like devotion and there were people whose life remained inherently untouched by it.

(Y/n) was the latter. In her now 1 and a half years at the BAU she had come into contact with the subject. Mostly it had been people who justified their crimes with their search for their soulmate or they were fueled by their hate for others who had found “the one”. (Y/n) knew that their loneliness didn’t stem from the lack of a soulmate. It was just something to project their loneliness onto.

There were several ways to know if you even had a soulmate but like with most things, they weren’t scientifically accurate most of the time. Soulmates could feel each other’s pain, physical as well as mental. The problem is, who hasn’t had random bruises that showed up out of nowhere or a sudden change in mood. Do you just not remember where those injuries came from and maybe you’re more empathetic than some people or is it your soulmate? Of course, with major injuries there was no doubt but taking into consideration how few even were unmatched souls and out of those how many suffered such significant damage that anything else could be ruled out, needless to say it was an uncommon occurrence to find out this way.

Another thing were shared dreams. Not in the sense that soulmates would dream about the exact same thing, but the overall tone would synchronize. If one was having nightmares, the other would too. Psychological consequences were mostly unexplored.

The last known indicator was that once having met your soulmate you’re lives were intertwined, no matter if you knew they were your soulmate or not.

As you see, all of these indicators weren’t exactly clear. As a result, you could meet your soulmate without ever figuring out they were the one.

When she was younger (Y/n) had fantasized about having a soulmate, like most teenagers did, but as she got older, the fantasy faded. Other things had become more important. She had picked up on some signs but there had never been definite proof and after a while it wasn’t important anymore. She had started working for the FBI as a profiler and from that point on

her mind had been preoccupied with anything else. She wouldn’t waste her life searching for someone she didn’t even know existed.

As (Y/n) walked into the bullpen one morning, the bad dream from the night before still lingered. She couldn’t remember what it had been about, but she hadn’t gotten much rest. She sat down at her desk. She hadn’t even unpacked as Spencer walked up to her with an extra cup of coffee in his hand. (Y/n) couldn’t help but notice he looked tired. “Morning, panda boy.” “Panda what?” “Because of the bags under your...nevermind, you look tired.” Spencer let out a sigh. (Y/n) took a sip of coffee. “Nightmare again?” Spencer nodded and leaned on the edge of her desk.

When (Y/n) first started to take a liking to Spencer she couldn’t stop herself from interpreting something into every one of these common experiences but after a while she’d resigned herself to accepting the were just coincidences. She had read somewhere that people would sync up after spending a lot of time together and there wasn’t a person in the world, she spent more time with than Spencer Reid. The only people who came in close second were the others on the team. When you worked for the BAU, the people you worked with were your family, so much so, she barely had any relationships outside of work.

“I’m sorry, do you want to talk about it?” She brushed his arm ever so lightly with her fingertips as to not overstep any boundaries. Spencer and (Y/n) were close but she herself wasn’t a very physical person and so she would go out of her way as not to make other people uncomfortable. There were of course exceptions. One of those exceptions was Penelope Garcia, (Y/n)’s best friend at the BAU. Over time she had gotten so comfortable with Penelope that physical touch was a given.

But with Spencer it had always been something different. After they had become friends, it hadn’t taken too long until (Y/n) had caught feelings and she felt like taking advantage of their friendship if she used it to get closer to him.

Spencer’s eyes flickered to her hand on his arm for a split second before she retracted it quickly as to not make him uncomfortable. Their eyes met for a second but before she could try to read him and overthink the situation Spencer spoke up. “Conference room in 5.” He walked back to his desk to get some papers before heading to the conference room.

(Y/n) let out a sigh. Spending time with Spencer had become increasingly more difficult. It wasn’t his fault. It just became harder to hide her affections. She could feel them drifting apart in her effort not to jeopardize their friendship. She buried her face in her hands. There was no good way out of this. Clearly her feelings weren’t going away, and she knew she couldn’t hide them forever. The BAU must’ve been the worst place on earth to have a crush on your coworker.

The inevitable next step was Spencer finding out about it one way or another. The only question was how he’d react. (Y/n) had ruled out the possibility of him reciprocating her

feelings pretty fast. She remembered a case in LA where they had to catch Lila Archers stalker. Spencer had been smitten from the second he laid eyes on her. It had taken (Y/n) weeks and a few bottles of Hennessy to get the image of them kissing in the pool out of her head.

She shook her head as if to get rid of the memory. She stared at her desk from between her fingers. The other two options were either him being ok with her having feelings for him but at this point she doubted she could still be friends with him even if he had a good reaction, or he wouldn’t want anything to do with her anyway.

“Fuck...” (Y/n) whispered. She looked up, fixed herself and grabbed her cup before walking into the conference room. The only free seat was next to Spencer. He gave her a small smile before she sat down. Instantly she felt the small butterflies in her stomach. She smiled back and emptied her coffee hoping to drown those fuckers.

Jennifer Jareau was standing in the front explaining their new case. The unsub was targeting couples in the Las Vegas area. The couples went missing sometimes for weeks. There had been 16 bodies already. They showed clear signs of torture. JJ showed them pictures of the symbol every victim had carved into their chest. It resembled a stick figure of a human with four arms and four legs.

“We can safely assume that the killer’s motivation has something to do with the soulmate myth.” JJ concluded.

(Y/n) couldn’t help but smile. She knew Spencer was about to speak before he even opened his mouth.

“Plato said: According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves.”

(Y/n) turned to the others. “So, what er we thinking? Is this guy delusional and chasing some fantasy or were those people actually soulmates he found somehow?” “We won’t have definite proof if these people were soulmate or not as they’re dead, but it would be statistically very unlikely that they were in fact actual soulmates.” Spencer responded.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment. He would never admit it but the way (Y/n) chewed on her pen when she was in deep thought made him feel things. It took him a second to tear his eyes away from her before turning his attention back to JJ.

“We’re dealing with a highly organized serial killer. His motivation is power and control, we’re looking for someone with an outwardly normal looking life, someone charming, charismatic and very intelligent. Later victims have shown signs of post-mortem sexual behavior. So, we’re dealing with someone who feels alone, who fears rejection. When his victims are dead the possibility of being rejected is gone. He also inserts himself into the couple’s relationship. We have to assume that whether they really are soulmates or not, he believes they are. It is possible that he also has some sort of god complex, putting himself in the role of Zeus who separates the soulmates from each other.”

The atmosphere on the jet was buzzing with conversation. The soulmate subject had that effect on people. It was a heavily discussed and controversial concept.

“I don’t think soulmates actually exist.” Morgan said and leaned back in his chair. “How can you say that? There have been cases where soulmates have actually found each other!” Elle protested. “It’s all fake, how can you believe them? Let me guess, you also read your horoscope every day too?” Morgan let out a light laugh but Elle furrowed her brows. “They’re two totally different things, even if I did believe in astrology, which has no relevance whatsoever in this discussion, you can’t just ignore facts!”

(Y/n) leaned back in her seat looking at Spencer, who sat next to her. “What do you think?” He seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment. “I mean there is some evidence but it’s all very speculative.” He looked at her for a second and he swore he saw a glint of disappointment in them but then it was gone. “But who knows,” He added quickly “maybe Soulmate are real, it’s a nice thought that there could be someone out there who has such a special connection to you.”

(Y/n) nodded. “But how is that even supposed to work? What if I do have a soulmate but I like someone else? Or I have a family or something?” “There are platonic soulmates as well, you know.” He gave her a small smile. For some reason this gave him comfort. Spencer wasn’t one to indulge in fantasies and he was decidedly to pragmatic to dream of his soulmate but if he had to chose someone it would be (Y/n). The probability of her liking him in a romantic way was even lower than her being his soulmate so the option of platonic soulmates eased his mind, even if just for a bit. He shoved those thought in the back of his head, he didn’t like to dwell on daydreams.

“Well, if some random guy walked in tomorrow and it turned out he was my soulmate, I’d still want to stay with you.” She said, decidedly, not really thinking about the implication. When she caught herself it was already too late. Spencer let out a small laugh. “You don’t have to stay with me, believe me you won’t want to when you find them.” “Shut up, more likely than not I don’t have one anyway, so I guess you’re stuck with me.”

Spencer let out another small laugh, but his heart sank a bit. If he was being honest with himself it was one of his greatest fears. That one day, (Y/n) would walk into the BAU and announce she’ found the one and she would quit to spend her life with them. He couldn’t bare the thought of someone taking her away from him. But this was totally normal for a friendship as deep as theirs, right?

After a while Spencer got up to get himself a cup of coffee. Elle and Morgan were still fighting, JJ had taken Elle’s side, Hotch just listened and Gideon sat by a window rereading the case file. No one was paying attention when it happened. Spencer had gotten distracted by something Elle had said to Morgan and almost tripped, a cup of hot coffee in his hand. As she saw the scene unravel before her, (Y/n) felt the burn on her hand. It took her every ounce of self-control not to make a sound. Spencer hissed and sat down next to her again. He handed her the coffee so he could clean up his hand with a napkin.

(Y/n) stared at him, her mind running a hundred miles per hour. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. Spencer shot her a concerned look. “(Y/n) are you ok? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” She stood up. “Excuse me for a second, I don’t feel so well, must’ve been the food or something.” She walked to the bathroom without looking back. After she closed the door behind her she sank to the ground with her back against the door.

(Y/n) felt panic rise in her chest. This was not possible. Sure there had been moments when she’d suspected something was up but she had always dismissed it but now it was so obvious there was no denying it. She felt tears of frustration gather in her eyes. As if everything hadn’t been already complicated enough. Not just did she have feelings for Spencer but now she knew almost certainly that they were also soulmates. She felt anger build up. Whoever came up with this soulmate stuff had been a real asshole. She would have been perfectly happy with not having a soulmate and just having Spencer by her side. What if he didn’t want to be her soulmate? Had there ever been a case where one of them just wasn’t into it? Shouldn’t there have been some signs from his part that he felt more for her? But then she remembered what he had said abut platonic soulmates and her stomach sank. Maybe he had known all along, and he’d just been giving her hints that they could just be friends.

Maybe they could make a deal somehow, they didn’t have to spend the rest of their lives together if he didn’t want to. She had resigned herself to not having a soulmate a long time ago, she didn’t need him.

She buried her face in her hands. Suddenly all those thoughts were gone and what remained was a heavy emptiness. There was no good solution for this, and she couldn’t hide in the bathroom forever. She took a deep breath and looked in the mirror to see how good her poker-face was after just having gone through the seven stages of grief in under 5 minutes.

As she walked back into the sitting area, she was greeted by Spencer’s worried looks. “Everything ok?” She sat down next to him. “Yeah, everything is fine.” “You don’t look so well, are you sure everything is ok?” He put his hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. His hand was cold on her warm face. Her breath hitched in her throat from the sudden touch and she had to fight the urge to close her eyes. She gave him a soft look. “I’m fine, Spencer, I promise.” His touch lingered for a second before he retracted his hand.

“You know you can’t lie to me.” He gave her a small smile. In a sudden burst of confidence she put her hand on his. “It’s alright, I’ll talk to you if I need to, don’t worry about me.” His hand wrapped around hers and he gave her a little squeeze. (Y/n) almost got sick from the explosion of butterflies in her stomach. Until now she’d attributed these strong physical reactions when they touched to the fact that she had a crush on him but looking back she couldn’t remember experiencing something like this with anyone else. Working with Spencer would be a real challenge, now that she had not one but two secrets.

Chapter 2

“Life is short, break the rules. Forgive quickly, kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes you smile.” – Mark Twain

(Y/n) had a hard time concentrating from the moment they got off the jet. She felt like moving in a dream as they checked in with the local PD, going over the case again, went to the last crime scene. Only when she entered the expensive suite, she felt like shook her awake. The champagne-colored furniture was covered in dark red blood. But it was not the image that snapped her back to reality, it was the smell, it was always the smell that got to her.

The bodies were no longer in the room, but they had been laying here at least three days before anyone even noticed. One of the detectives turned to her when he saw her going pale. “Ma’am is everything alright?” “Yes, I just...excuse me, I just need a minute.”

(Y/n) stumbled out of the expensive hotel room into the corridor. She had trouble breathing and her hands started to sweat profusely. She knew the symptoms, that didn’t make it any less bad. When she reached a side corridor, she slid down the wall. She tried to remember what she knew about panic attacks. Breath. In, out, in and out again.

A pair of shoes came into her field of vision. She didn’t need to look up, to know it was Spencer. He was the only FBI agent she knew of that wore converse. Without a word he sat down next to her, back to the wall. She heard him breath slowly. She knew he was doing it so she could synchronize with him and after a while the panic had subsided.

“Are you better now?” (Y/n) nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” “What happened in there? You’ve seen worse before, what is it?”

She didn’t know how to respond. It wasn’t just the fact that she had just figured out they were soulmates; it was something else. Their unsub was actively seeking out and killing what he thought were soulmates. She had been the unsubs ‘type’ before but now it wasn’t just about her, it was about Spencer too. She felt bad for withholding information like this. He didn’t even know he was a potential target. She wanted to tell him, tell him to be careful but something wouldn’t let her. Fear of rejection loomed over her like a dark cloud.

“I don’t know, Spence...I’ve just had a rough week, I guess.” “I know you’re not telling me the truth.” He put his fingers under her chin to make her look up at him. “I want to help you, but you need to tell me what is going on with you.”

There was nothing but kindness and goodness in his eyes. She wanted to tell him so bad. “I thought we weren’t supposed to profile each other.” She gave him a small smile to signal him she wasn’t mad about it. Spencer frowned.

“I’m serious, somethings not right and I need to know what it is. It doesn’t need a profiler to see somethings eating at you, it just takes a good friend.”

(Y/n) stood up. “Come on, we don’t have time for this now, we have a crime scene to profile.” She held out her hand to help him get up. He let out a sight and took it.

Back at the police station the team presented their profile but (Y/n) didn’t hear a single word. Her gaze was fixed on Spencer as he spoke. All she could process was the way he talked, how he moved his hands a s he gesticulated and the way he looked with his messy hair and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows.

This was getting out of hand. Until now she had at least been able to do her job properly. Only when Hotch had called her name out for the third time her mind returned to reality. “Agent would you please tell the officers what our next step will be?” “Yes, of course, I’m sorry.” She gathered her thoughts for a second before standing up in front of the precinct. “Our best shot is going undercover and try to attract the unsubs attention. We will have two agents pose as a soulmate couple. We know that the unsub doesn’t stay at the same hotel for too long. We also know that he probably targets these couple at special events. Based on the profile we gave you he will appear sophisticated and he probably has some friends in high places. He will be successful in his career as to compensate his feelings of inadequacy regarding his personal life. He has to have some connections, otherwise we would find these victims much faster. He’s paying people to keep their mouth shut.

Tomorrow there will be a fund raiser at the Bellagio. There will be a lot of people and because of the nature of the event there will most certainly be a lot of couples, people usually don’t go alone to those things. This means our unsub will be there. The last victims were found today and killed three days ago; he’s looking for is next victims.”

She could still feel Spencer’s eyes on her when she sat back down. The crowd dissolved slowly. The BAU gathered around one of the desks.

“I think we all agree to send (Y/n) and Spencer as our soulmate couple.” Hotch said and shot them both a look. If (Y/n) hadn’t been so taken by surprise by Hotch’s proposal she would have noticed Spencer blushing lightly. Did they figure it out? Was that why Hotch had chosen them? No, it couldn’t be. Logically, they were the best match. They worked very well together, none of them would pose a great physical threat to the unsub and they were close after all. It wouldn’t be hard to make it believable. (Y/n) almost let out a laugh. Of course, it wouldn’t be hard. She wouldn’t even have to pretend.

“Are you ok with this?” Hotch asked. Both nodded. There really was no good reason to say no.

Spencer sat in front of the case files, but he couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t stop thinking about (Y/n) and how strangely she was acting. Maybe he had crossed a line and made her uncomfortable? He tried his best to keep a respectful distance, but it got harder every day. It

was almost as if she attracted him like a magnet. It felt so right when they touched hands or when she would brush his hair out of his face when he was too caught up in something else.

He loved to hear her talk. And he loved it when she listened to him. She never seemed to get bored of anything he had to say. Ever. She’d been awfully quiet the entire day. Something was up, he could feel it but for some reason he couldn’t read her. He knew that she would get fidgety when she was nervous, he knew that she carried herself with caution, she had been hurt by people in the past. He knew that she would cover her insecurities with little jokes, and he knew that she had a hard time opening up to people sometimes. But for the love of god, he did not know how she felt about him, and he didn’t know what was wrong with her right now. Some things she held to close to her heart for anyone to see, even him.

Spencer wanted to tell her that she could tell him anything and he wished she would believe him. There was a longing in his heart he couldn’t explain, and he didn’t know what to do about it. His fear was paralyzing him. He’d been hurt before too. For the time being he was content with the little he got, the quick glances when she thought he wasn’t looking, the way she laughed at his jokes and the way she made him feel like their friendship was something special. All team members were close, but he would be the first one she would talk to in the morning and the last one to wave goodbye in the evening. She was always there.

Spencer jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Are you coming? We’re checking into the hotel. Or are you to busy dreaming about our little Miss Commitment Issues?” Morgan teased and walked past Spencer. “I’m not – she doesn’t have – I’m coming wait up!” He grabbed his jacket and the files before following Morgan out the door.

The hotel was almost booked out. Hotch stood at the reception, arguing with the woman working there. “I don’t care that you don’t have enough rooms, we booked in advance!” She didn’t seem too bothered. She looked up from her phone for a moment.

“I’m sorry mister, that’s how it is, can’t throw the guests out that have already checked in. Should’ve come earlier.”

Hotch slammed his hand on the counter. “Listen here, I can get you fired in the blink of an eye. Get us our rooms, now!” His voice was calm but anyone who knew Hotch knew not to mess with him when he talked like this. The receptionist seemed to sense it too. “Ok, ok. I have a few rooms left but you’ll have to partner up.”

“Just give me the keys.”

(Y/n) and Spencer looked at each other like to school friends look at each other when the teacher says you can choose your partner for a project. It was understood they would share a room. But when (Y/n) turned the key around and entered their room she wanted to turn around and never come back.

“It’s just a-a queen size bed.” She stuttered. They stood side by side in silence. There was no couch, no armchair. Finally, Spencer spoke up. “It’s ok I can take the floor.”

(Y/n) gave him a light slap on the arm with the back of her hand. “Don’t be ridiculous. We can share unless you’re so uncomfortable with me you’d rather take the floor.” The last part had been meant as a joke, but Spencer began to stammer. “No, no of course not – I’d love to sleep with you – I mean share a bed.” His face was getting redder by the second.

It took her all her strength not to laugh. “Calm down, Spencer.” She gave him a reassuring smile. He seemed to let out a breath he’d been holding. He was so cute when he got flustered, she thought. She would like to see him like this more often if she didn’t know how much it stressed him out.

“I’m gonna go change.” She said pointing at the bathroom. “Y-yeah go ahead.” “Thanks for your permission.” She gave him another smile but this time she was teasing him. “I didn’t mean –” “I’m just messing with you.”

Spencer sat on the edge of the bed while (Y/n) was in the bathroom changing. He tried to calm himself down. His hands were shaking ever so slightly. There was no way she would ever want to be with a nervous wreck like him. Just like that one time Lila Archer had kissed him in the pool. He had predicted very accurately that she had only shown interest in him because of his role as protector. It had been too good to be true. He had become more cautious since then. His heart wouldn’t open as easily. But if he was being honest with himself it was already too late. He couldn’t even pretend (Y/n) had slipped in slowly and quietly. She had kicked the door in the first time he saw her and then she had made her home in his heart, barricading herself inside.

When (Y/n) came out of the bathroom her hair was damp. He hadn’t even heard the shower. There was something so endearing about seeing her like this, fresh out of the shower in an oversized FBI training t-shirt, something so domestic. “You’re turn.” She nodded at him. It took him a second to react before he stood up and followed her example of showering and changing into something more comfortable.

Later that night they laid side by side in the dark. The only light source were the colorful lights of Sin City. (Y/n) turned her head to look at Spencer. She could only make out his silhouette in the dark. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” He turned his head towards her too. “For acting so weird. You’re right there’s something wrong but I don’t know if I want to talk about it yet.” (Y/n) felt her throat close. “It’s just...I’m really anxious about the undercover mission tomorrow and that never happened to me before...” She tried to control herself, but she couldn’t help but let out a small sob. “I’ve never chickened out before.”

Spencer didn’t know what to do. He had never seen (Y/n) cry before. “You’re not gonna chicken out, it’s normal to be anxious about these things. And...and you don’t have to worry because you’re not alone. I’ll be by your side the entire time, ok?” (Y/n) nodded but then she remembered he couldn’t see her.

“Ok...thank you. Just promise me you won’t put yourself in danger, ok? I don’t know what is up with me I’ve never been like this before a mission...I’m worried about you and I have a really bad feeling, I can feel it in my gut, you know?”

Spencer didn’t respond immediately, instead his fingers found the hem of her sleeve and tugged at it. (Y/n) understood and closed the distance between them until Spencer had his arms wrapped around her. “Is this ok?” He asked, almost regretting having been so bold.

“Yeah, this is nice.” She could feel him take a deep breath and relax. She felt his heartbeat against her back and her own heart began to beat faster.

Spencer almost couldn’t believe his luck. The faint smell of the shampoo in her hair made him dizzy. He never wanted to let her go ever again. “Spencer?” Her voice trembled. “Hm?”

“I need to tell you something...”

Chapter 3

Spencer’s breath caught in his throat. (Y/n) turned around in his arms until she faced him. She had never been so close to him. He tried to study her face, but the darkness was making it hard. “What is it?” He asked cautiously. “I think it’s better if I show you.” He watched her as she raised her hands in front of him. When she pinched the back of one of her hands, he could feel it. He stared at her for a second. He felt the realization dawn on him. His mind short circuited and a quiet “Oh” escaped him.

(Y/n) felt her face heat up. She retreated hastily from Spencer’s arms to sit up with her back against the headboard. After 2 minutes Spencer still hadn’t said anything. “I-I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have said anything.” (Y/n) stood up. Now she felt stupid. Suddenly she felt like she was intruding. “I’m just gonna...” She pointed at the door and before leaving in a hurry. Spencer wanted to say something, but the words never left his mouth.

Before he could gather his thoughts, she was gone. It all made sense now. He couldn’t believe she had caught it before him, how could he not notice it until now? His first instinct was to run after her but what if she didn’t want to see him? Maybe she hadn’t told him because she didn’t want to be his soulmate. The only reason she had told him at all had to be the undercover mission tomorrow. Full disclosure so he knew what he was getting himself into.

Had something like this happened before? He tried to remember every single thing he had ever read or heard about soulmates but there was nothing. Another thought crept up on him. She knew when he was having nightmares, every night he had woken up covered in sweat, she had shared with him. Somehow, he wanted to apologize for that. She had to have been in so much pain because of him.

(Y/n) didn’t come back for the rest of the night. She had probably spent the night in Elle and JJ’s room. Spencer needed to talk to her before they started the mission but through the entire day, he couldn’t get her alone. He was almost sure she was avoiding him.

Some time in the evening they were getting ready for the fundraiser. The first time he saw her again was in front of the Bellagio. He wanted to say something, but they were wearing wires and he didn’t know if she’d told Elle or JJ about the soulmate thing, not to mention that the entire Las Vegas PD didn’t have to know about their personal issues.

(Y/n) couldn’t help but give him a small smile when she saw Spencer in his tuxedo. She had never seen Spencer dressed up like this before. “You eh, you look good.” She didn’t dare to look him in the eyes. “Thanks, you too.”

“Guys you need to step your game up if you want to make it believable for the unsub. You look like two teens going to a school dance.” Morgan’s voice rang through their earpieces.

“Shut up, Derek, next time you can go undercover.”

She took the lead and walked into the entrance hall. Spencer walked behind her and in a moment of braveness he put his hand on the small of her back. She flinched under his touch but before he could take it back, she eased into the touch. There was too much on the line to let personal issues get in the way of the mission.

For the rest of the night, they walked around, watching people, trying to identify the unsub, to no avail. The tension was killing them. “Ok, this is getting ridiculous, we won’t get picked if we keep going on like this.” Spencer took (Y/n)’s hand and dragged her into an empty hallway. Before she knew what was happening, he had muted both of their mics.

“We need to talk about this. I’m sorry, I didn’t say anything yesterday I was just...” “Shocked?” She interrupted him. “I get it, can we go back to the mission now?”

She was already about to go back when he grabbed her hand and dragged her back. “Look, I get it, I’m not what you had hoped for in a soulmate, but you need to get your shit together.” (Y/n)’s eyebrows were furrowed. “What the hell are you talking about, if there would be anyone I would chose as a soulmate, it would be you!” “You’re not...you’re not mad?” “No, I’m not mad, I thought you were the one unhappy with this whole thing.” “Why would I be? If there’s anyone who should be unhappy, it’s you. You’re way out of my league –” “Oh my god, Spencer just shut up.” She cracked a smile. “You’re my best friend, why would I spend so much time with you, if I didn’t like you?”

He looked at her for a second. “I...I don’t know.” “Look at me.” She took his face in between her hands. “Don’t you ever say that you’re not good enough ever again.”

Spencer never wanted to kiss her more than it that moment. His eyes wandered to the hall again and then he saw it. “That’s him.” (Y/n) was still caught up in the moment. “What?”

“Our unsub, that’s him!” “Are you sure?” “Yes, now come on.”

They turned their mics back on. “Reid? What happened?” Morgan questioned but he didn’t get an answer. “We have our unsub, it’s the guy in the dark grey suit by the champagne fountain.” (Y/n) whispered. “We have a visual. Try to get near him.” “Roger that.”

As they walked out of the hallway Spencer placed his hand around (Y/n)’s waist. Her heart was beating faster again. They made sure to be in the unsub’s field of view when Spencer took her hand. “Wanna dance?”

(Y/n) just nodded, she felt her cheeks heat up and she hoped Spencer wouldn’t notice. Unfortunately, he was still a profiler and so he bent down to whisper in her ear. “You know you’re cute when you blush.” The red on her face only intensified. “You know they can hear us.”

They heard a laugh from Morgan. “Yeah, we can, looks like our boy’s got moves, careful (Y/n).” Spencer gave her a smile before taking her to the dancefloor.

“I didn’t know you could dance.” (Y/n) whispered as they swayed to the music. “I’m full of surprises, what can I say.” He hadn’t stopped smiling at her the whole time. Her arms wrapped a little tighter around his neck as she laid her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beat fast and she could smell his cologne. She raised her head slightly so that her nose grazed his neck. She felt him shudder lightly as if he was getting goosebumps.

“Guys he’s approaching you.” As soon as Morgan had alerted them, they heard a voice.

“I’m sorry to intrude like this. But you two just looked so beautiful together. Can I buy you a drink?”

(Y/n) had to peel herself away from Spencer. She never wanted to let him go again. “Sure, thank you, Sir.” She gave him a smile.

The man was a bit older than they had expected. The rest was dead on. He looked sophisticated enough with his expensive suit and his well-groomed physical appearance. The three of them sat down at the bar.

“So, what are you two lovebirds doing here? I can tell you’re not from Vegas.” He took a sip from his Whiskey. (Y/n) had to squeeze Spencer’s hand under the bar before he could open his mouth and correct the unsub, that he was, in fact, “from Vegas”. Instead (Y/n) took the word.

“Well, I know you’re not supposed to brag about this stuff but...” She gave Spencer an endearing look that instantly melted his heart. “We just found out we were soulmates and we wanted to get married as fast as possible and what better place than Las Vegas, the City of Marriage, right?”

The man eyed both of them for a moment. (Y/n) had never felt so exposed in her life. She wanted nothing more than shove her gun into this guy’s face and arrest him right then and there, but they had to wait. He had to take them to the hotel room, they had no concrete evidence yet.

“Congratulations you two. I hope I’m not overstepping here but would it be alright to give you a wedding gift?”

“That is so kind of you, right honey?” She looked at Spencer who forgot for a second the situation they were in. His mind had tripped over itself when he heard her call him “honey”. “Right, right, very kind.” He had to tear his eyes away from her. “I want to pay for a night in a suite, the most expensive in Las Vegas.”

“We would love that, but can I ask why?” (Y/n) asked. They couldn’t be too willing to come along with him or he would get suspicious.

The man let out a theatrical sigh before downing the rest of his Whiskey. “I lost my wife a few years ago and I want to do something good for such a sweet couple like you.” They both knew that was a blatant lie. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” Spencer watched (Y/n) play her role with perfection.

“Let’s not talk about me, this is your special night. The car is waiting outside.”

With every step they took (Y/n)’s bad feeling only got worse. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly, but something was off. When they got into the car, she heard the doors lock and panic began to spread. She tried to calm herself down. The team knew where they were, and they would follow them to the hotel where they could finally arrest this guy. She felt Spencer’s fingers slip between hers. She tried to put on a smile but then she saw the man’s face and her blood froze. He knew.

“How funny...” He spoke. His smile made her skin crawl. “The FBI send me an actual pair of soulmates.” (Y/n) let out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know what you mean.” He pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. Spencer wanted to make a move, but the man shot him a look. “If you move, she’s dead.”

(Y/n) could hear Morgan’s voice in her ear. “They’ve been compromised we need to get them out now!” “Your microphones and earpieces please.” The man held out his hand. They had no choice. Hesitantly they took them off and handed them to him. (Y/n) could only watch in horror as the man took them and put the microphone to his mouth. “You can collect your agent’s bodies in a few days.” As soon as he had stopped talking, he crushed the devices.

(Y/n) prayed that the team would find them in time. She could feel how she began to lose it. Spencer felt it too. He squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine, they’re gonna find us.” The man laughed. “They will, but by then it will already be too late. I’m gonna have so much fun with the two of you.”

She felt Spencer’s hand wipe away some tears from her cheeks. She hadn’t even noticed she had started to cry.

They arrived at the hotel with no interruptions. (Y/n) knew he had shook the surveillance. As soon as they entered the luxurious suite, (Y/n) was just seconds away from a breakdown. There was no way out anymore. It would take the team an eternity before they found them.

There were about 150.000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas. There was no way they’d be found in time.

(Y/n) fell to her knees. “This is all my fault, I’m so sorry Spencer.” He kneeled next to her, putting an arm around her. “This is not your fault, why would you say that?” “Because I was so distracted. I haven’t been able to focus, I should’ve said something, and we should have sent someone who could do their job properly.” “Look at me.” Spencer cupped her face with his hands. “This is not your fault, do you understand?” She let out a sob. “We’re gonna die...” “We’re gonna be fine, I’m right here, ok? I’m right here with you.”

The man had sat on one of the armchairs, two security guards by his side. “I can assure you that the other agents wouldn’t have been chosen. I know the difference between real and fake soulmates.” Spencer looked up. “How?” He saw the man’s face turn into a grimace.

“Because I can recognize an abomination of nature when I see one.”

(Y/n) let out another sob. Spencer turned his attention back to her. “(Y/n), breath, look at me.” He saw the terror in her eyes. “Look at me, we will get out of here.” She nodded but the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. He had never seen her this scared. They had been through some bad stuff in the past but never had he seen her lose her cool. Something was very, very wrong.

Chapter 4

Everyone on the team was on edge. Morgan’s forehead was covered in sweat. Gideon was standing right behind him, Elle and Garcia sitting just a few feet away.

“How funny...” They heard the unsub’s voice. Something was not right. “The FBI sent me an actual pair of soulmates.”

They exchanged concerned looks. “What is he talking about?” Morgan turned around to look at the others. Garcia shrugged. “She never said anything to me. Do you think that’s what they were talking about earlier when the mics were off?” Gideon’s brows were furrowed. “Could be. Regardless we need to help them.” “They’ve been compromised we need to get them out now!” Morgan addressed the swat team.

Before they could do anything else, they heard the unsubs voice again. “You can collect your agent’s bodies in a few days.”

The horror in Garcia’s eyes grew before the signal died. “We need to do something now!”

A few hours had passed. The unsub, whose name turned out to be Rory Marshall, had left them alone in the suite. There was no phone, and the door was locked. One look out of the window told them they were at least on the 30th floor. There was no escape. Even if they managed to figure out what hotel they were in, they had no way of communicating with the team.

Spencer had gotten (Y/n) through another panic attack. Now she was sitting on the floor with her back leaning against an armchair. Spencer sat right next to her while holding her hand. After a while he moved his position to sit in front of her. He took her other hand too. “(Y/n) look at me.”

She raised her head. The color had drained out of her face. Her eyes were wide open and red. “I know this is very stressful.” Spencer continued. “But we will get through this. I won’t let anything happen to you.” She nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying that; none of this is you’re fault. If anyone is at fault, it’s that unsub who is killing people.” “Spencer? What is going to happen to us?”

They both had seen the victims. They both knew what he had done to them. Spencer didn’t need to answer. There was no need to remind (Y/n) of the cruelty that had taken place in the other suites.

Spencer cupped her face in his hands. “Do you remember the Luxor Hotel? The one that looks like a pyramid with the light beam coming out of it?”

“Yes I remember.” “Did you know that the light attracts so many insects that it has established a new ecosystem with moths, bats and owls.” (Y/n) started at him for a second before she realized what he was doing. A small smile made it’s way on her face. Spencer caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. “And did you know that bats can live more than 30 years?” Her eyes became glassy as she scooted closer to him. “And did you know that they can fly at up to 60 mph, in fact the Mexican free-tailed bat can reach up to 100 mph, making it the fastest mammal on earth.”

(Y/n) was so close to him, their noses almost touched. Spencer’s heart began to beat faster. His hands were still on her face. He wanted to pull her closer and kiss the pain away. His eyes flickered to her lips and then back to her eyes. “Thank you, Spencer.” She whispered.

Before she could close the distance between them, the door opened with a bang. The sound made them jump and separate.

Marshall walked in with a grin on his face. “Look at you lovebirds, I hope I’m not intruding.” (Y/n)’s eyes fell on the suitcase in his hand. Two other men followed Marshall into the room. Both were armed. Marshall gave one of them a signal. The man left and came back with two chairs and rope. (Y/n) felt her stomach cramp and the thought what was going to follow. Her and Spencer didn’t move. The other two men left, leaving them alone with Marshall.

“I really didn’t want to interrupt.” he spoke. (Y/n) shot Spencer a quick glance. None of them spoke. She could see Marshall’s facial expression change slowly but surely. The self-assured, mocking look was being replaced by impatience, anger and aggression. “Go on.” He continues while pulling out his gun. “Go on, Dr. Reid, do what you were about to do!”

Spencer looked at (Y/n) but he still didn’t move. He could see the tears gather in her eyes. “I said do it!” Marshall shouted. He was losing it. There was nothing left of his cocky grin. Instead, his face was distorted into a grimace. “Do it or I’ll shoot her right now.”

Spencer straightened his back. “You won’t. You need her, you need us both for your revenge fantasy.” “Do you want to test me?” There was something absolutely insane in Marshall’s eyes. The clicking of the safety being disabled rang through the room. “I said do it.” He was calm again but there was something in his voice that made (Y/n)’s stomach turn.

“It’s ok.” She whispered to Spencer. He didn’t look half as calm as he looked an hour ago. He cupped her cheeks again. “You’re going to be fine; I promise.” He pulled her in until his lips were on hers. They tasted salty from her tears, but they were soft. For a moment he forgot where they were. He had wanted to kiss her for so long. She melted into him, grabbing his dress shirt to pull him even closer. The urgency in her movement almost drove him insane.

“Get in the chairs.” Marshall’s voice interrupted their moment. Spencer pulled away, locking eyes with (Y/n). Her cheeks were flushed and there was a glint in her eyes.

The ropes rubbed against her wrists and ankles. They were too tight to move. Marshall paced in front of them. He had opened the suitcase on a small coffee table. (Y/n) didn’t need to be an expert to know it was full of torture instruments. Every fiber in her body wanted to run when he pulled out a big hunting knife and walked towards her.

“Don’t touch her!” Spencer struggled against his constraints. “Leave her alone!” Marshall let out a laugh. “You know it doesn’t matter which one I chose you’ll both feel it.” He pretended to ponder for a moment before he continued talking. “I still think I’ll start with her. How does it feel not to be able to do anything to help her?” He shot Spencer a look. That shit-eating grin had returned to his face.

He turned to (Y/n). “Where do we start?” He lazily dragged the blade across her collarbone before making a cut. (Y/n) hissed. She felt something warm drip down her chest. Involuntarily she remembered that the killer would spare her face like he had with all his other victims. Her best guess was that he liked to look at them when he had his fun with them after they were dead.

Marshall made another cut, right under the first one. (Y/n) squeezed her eyes shut. Her jaw tensed as she tried not to make a sound. She heard Spencer inhale sharply. She remembered, Rory Marshall wasn’t hurting just her, he was hurting Spencer too. She would have given anything to protect him. If he would hurt only her, she could endure it knowing he spared Spencer, but this wasn’t the case.

The only thing she could protect him from right now was the first hand experience of being tortured and hopefully the mental scars that would remain. She knew she could handle it, for Spencer. He didn’t deserve this, any of it. She just should’ve told Hotch about the soul mate thing and they could have prepared differently. But now it was too late for that and minute to minute the pain made it harder to think.

There was a loud ringing in her ears and her mind was in a fog. After a while she couldn’t hold back the cries. She didn’t want to give Marshall the satisfaction, but it was too much. As if that wasn’t enough, she could hear Spencer too. She didn’t know how much time had passed when Marshall finally backed away from her. Her whole body was sore, and her cloths were damp from her own blood. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but she kept staring back at Marshall. It took her a moment to realize, why he had stepped away from her. His phone was ringing. He took a look at the display before letting out a groan and answering.

“What!? I’m busy.” He snapped. Silence followed. “Alright I’ll be there, give me half an hour.” Then he hung up. “Sorry, kids, I’ve got places to be but don’t worry, I’ll be back.” Before leaving the room and locking the door, he undid Spencer’s ropes.

As soon as they were alone Spencer jumped from his chair rushed over to (Y/n). He still felt the echoes of her pain, but it wasn’t half as bad as the pain she was going through. While his body was intact, hers was cut and bruised. He tried to untie her, but his fingers were trembling too badly.

“Are you ok?” Spencer looked up in surprise as he heard her talk. A nervous laugh left his throat. “You’re asking me if I’m alright?” She nodded. “He hurt you too, didn’t he?” “It’s ok, it’s fading.” That wasn’t entirely true. He still felt the sting of the cuts. He took a deep breath and started to undo the ropes. Finally, the knots loosened.

“Can you stand?” He asked. (Y/n) shook her head. “Ok, I’m going to help you get to the bathroom, we need to clean you’re cuts.” He managed to get his arm under her to give her some support. After ten painful minutes they reached the bathtub. Spencer unzipped her dress. “Is this ok?” (Y/n) just nodded absentmindedly. He left her underwear on and sat her into the tub. He found a towel, held it under warm water and proceeded to clean her up. She watched him with half lidded eyes as he carefully dabbed the cloth over her wounds.

“This is not how I imagined you seeing me naked for the first time.” The ghost of a smile appeared on her face. Spencer paused for a moment to look at her. “You imagined that?” A tint of pink appeared on her pale face.

“I know you find it hard to believe, that girls think about you that way, but they do. I do.” Spencer stared at her. He hadn’t realized she really liked him like that.

“How did you imagine it?” He asked as he continued to clean her. As much as he wanted to know, he also needed to get her mind off what was happening right now. She shot him another look. “Wouldn’t you like to know, lover-boy?”

He let out a laugh. “You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to.”

After a moment of silence, she spoke up. She didn’t look at him. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the marble floor of the bathroom. “I don’t know. Maybe we both would have been working late and there was no one else except us. And I would walk over to your desk to ask you something and of course you’d know the answer. You always know the answer to anything. I’d listen to you talk...I love when you talk...” She looked so tired. “And I wouldn’t be able to keep it to myself anymore and I would tell you how I felt about you...and you’d kiss me and I would kiss you back...” She hissed as he cleaned on especially deep cut.

“I’m sorry, are you alright?” His worried eyes found hers. “Yeah, I’m fine.” “I’m sorry.” He repeated and placed a kiss on her forehead. When he pulled back, she looked at him with wide eyes. “Can you do it again?” “What?” “Can you kiss me, like you did before?”

Spencer searched her face for a sign of what was going on in her head. Her telling him about what she imagined him doing to her and asking him to kiss her did things to him. Things, he

hadn’t experienced before. He didn’t really know what to do. He didn’t want to take advantage of her vulnerable state, but he felt like she needed him.

He leaned forward to kiss her forehead again but before he could, she grabbed his face and pulled him down. “I meant like this.” She whispered before closing the distance between them and capturing his lips. The smell of his cologne still lingered, she needed it like oxygen. She needed him. She placed several more desperate kisses on his lips before pulling back to look at him. A second later Spencer’s hands were on her cheek and on her neck to pull her back again into another kiss. He had imagined this a hundred times but the reality of her soft and lips against his finally made him understand what Edgar Allan Poe had meant by “We loved with a love that was more than love”.

He felt her shiver. He pulled back. “Come on, let’s get you into bed.” He helped her out of the tub. After he had dried her and given her one of the bathrobes, he helped her into bed.

(Y/n) was tired...so tired. Her head was spinning but she knew she wouldn’t be able to get any sleep. “Can you stay with me?” She asked. “Of course.” He sat down on the bed. Her eyes wandered over his figure. He had taken of the tuxedo, so he was left with the white dress shirt. He had rolled up the sleeves to his elbows, just the way she liked it. The shirt was stained with her blood and it took her back to this reality.

“You know he does this on purpose.” Spencer’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” “He gives us so much time alone, so we get closer and it’s even more painful when does those things to us.” “I don’t care, I won’t leave you alone. Also, we must find a way out of here.” “There is no way out. We have to pray the team finds us before it’s too late.” “There has to be a way out. And we’ll find it. Try to get some rest now.” “I can’t sleep.” “You haven’t even tried yet.” “But I know I can’t.” “But you have to. Pain tolerance is reduced by sleep deprivation.”

(Y/n) shot him a look. “Thanks for the heads up.” Spencer slipped under the blanket and laid an arm around her. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. She felt the vibrations through his chest as he began to talk again. “Randy Gradner holds the record for the longest period without sleep. It was 11 days and 25 minutes. He set the record in 1964 when he was only 17. They monitored his health. He had problems concentrating and struggled with paranoia and hallucinations. On the last day he was asked to subtract 7 repeatedly starting with 100. He stopped at 65, when asked why, he said he’d forgotten what he was doing...”

(Y/n) didn’t hear the rest, Spencer’s voice had lulled her to sleep. He felt her shallow but regular breath on his neck. He closed his eyes. He would get her out of here.

Chapter 5

(Y/n) woke up exhausted. They didn’t sleep much. When they woke up it was still dark outside. It took her a second to realize what had woken her up. The door had been opened very loudly and her and Spencer were dragged into the living room area. They were tied to the chairs again. The ropes burned against her already bruised wrists and ankles. To their surprise the two men who had tied them up left. They were alone again.

(Y/n) turned to Spencer. “Please tell me you have a plan. We need to get out fast. If Marshall stays on track, we have less than 48 hours.” Spencer’s brows were furrowed. She could practically hear his mind work. “We need to check the windows if they open. Maybe we can get some sort of sign outside.”

“What if it doesn’t work, what’s our plan B?” “Currently we don’t have a plan B...”

They sat there almost 4 hours before Marshall entered the room. He looked exhausted. (Y/n) felt a twinge of hope. The FBI knew his identity, there was no way he could hide for much longer. “You know, they’ll catch you. You won’t get away with this.” She said.

Marshall turned around at her with a surprised look on his face. “I thought I had messed you up pretty good last night. And you’re still talking back.” He gave her a smile that made her skin crawl. “Maybe this time I’ll try your little boyfriend.” (Y/n) saw the blood drain from Spencer’s face but his expression didn’t change. She knew he was stronger than most people would give him credit for. She wasn’t most people but the thought of him getting tortured made her sick. It wasn’t about the fact that she would feel it too, seeing Spencer in pain was almost worse.

“So, what’s your deal?” She asked. Anything to get him talking, to figure out why he was killing these people. Marshall let out a laugh. “So brave today, aren’t we?” “Why do you keep killing soulmates? Feeling lonely? Didn’t mommy give you enough love when you were a kid?” She saw his smile fade. “Or what, maybe you were in love and she turned you down because she had found her soulmate?” Bull’s eye. His face turned into a grimace again.

“Shut your mouth!” He raised his hand to slap her, but he caught himself just in time. For a second he seemed to try to get his rage under control. Then he leaned down to whisper into her ear. “You’re nothing but a filthy whore and by the time you get out of here there will be almost nothing left of you to identify the body.”

(Y/n) held her breath. She had gained precious information. His main target were the women. He was projecting his abandonment on them. The men were just there because it made the whole ordeal more painful. He had raped the women after their death to regain power, power over the soulmate bond.

“You’ll always be alone, killing and raping these women will never compare to a true connection and you know it.” (Y/n) said. Spencer stared at her. She wasn’t interrogating anymore; she was making him angry. And then it clicked. “(Y/n) stop.” He shot her a pleading look. But she didn’t pay him any mind but instead continued.

“So, how did she break it to you? Did she at least tell you in person?” Marshall took on the color of a plum. “Oh.” A cold laugh escaped her lips. “She didn’t. You weren’t even worth telling face to face.”

“SHUT UP!” Marshall grabbed a glass from the coffee table and threw it at (Y/n). She managed to dodge it and it shattered on the wall behind her.

Spencer began to panic. “(Y/n) stop, I know what you’re doing, stop it you’re going to get hurt!” While he was tied up, there was no way he could help her.

“Is that all you got!?” (Y/n) threw the word in Marshall’s face. His hands were trebling. “You’re ruining everything!” “Oh, am I? Am I ruining your little revenge fantasy? You know that it doesn’t matter how many people you kill; it will never be the same as the time you killed her. She couldn’t fight back, could she?”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Marshall took the hunting knife in his hand making his way to (Y/n). To her surprise he didn’t cut her, but the ropes. He grabbed her arm and threw her on the ground. “I’m gonna show you fight!”

(Y/n) struggled to get on her feet. She was still weak, but the adrenaline kicked in as soon as he swung the knife in her direction. She turned her head frantically to look for something she could use as a weapon. Her eyes fell on an expensive vase. She grabbed it and threw it at him. While dodging it he lost the knife.

Everything moved in slow-motion as both made a run for it.

And then she had it, she had the knife. Her fingers curled around the handle. She raised her arm but before she could slam the blade into her attacker, she heard a gunshot.

The first thing she felt was her arm going limp. A few seconds later realization hit her and then a wave of pain washed over her. For a moment she thought she had to throw up. Her vision went blurry and the last thing she felt was a burning hot sensation and wetness on her arm. She heard Spencer yell her name before she lost consciousness.

When (Y/n) woke up again she was sitting in the chair, arms and legs tied up. The pain from her arm radiated through her entire body. She had trouble focusing. The first thing to catch her eye was Spencer whose gaze was fixed on her.

“Oh, thank god you’re awake!” She had never heard him sound this scared. “(Y/n) look at me.” Her head was heavy...her eyes were heavy. “(Y/n) look at me.” She managed to raise

her head, so she was making eye contact. “Listen, you have lost a lot of blood and you’re still bleeding. You need to somehow put pressure on the wound. It’s in your right arm near the shoulder. Try to lean against the chair with that part of your arm. It won’t save you, but it’ll hopefully keep you from bleeding out till I can help you.”

She struggled to hold her eyes open, let alone understand what Spencer was saying to her. Another person appeared in her field of vision. “Just let me help her!” This was Spencer’s voice. “Why should I? I’ll let the bitch bleed out, it’s what she deserves and you’re gonna watch her die.” Was this the unsub’s voice?

“But this is not how you operate normally. This is not how you get your satisfaction, do you want all of this to have been for nothing? You really let one of your men take the kill-shot? She won’t die by your hand but by that guy’s.”

There was silence. After what felt like an eternity, she felt the ropes loosen around her hands and legs. She felt two familiar arms around her. Everything went dark again.

“(Y/n) can you hear me?” This was Spencer’s voice again. “Spencer...why did you put me in the tub again?” She murmured. “What are you talking about? Open your eyes, look at me.” The panic in his voice hadn’t faded. “I’m wet, why did you put me under the shower?” “I didn’t please just open your eyes.”

(Y/n) felt like her eyes were glued shut. After a struggle she finally managed to open them a bit. She was greeted with Spencer’s face hovering over her. Her eyes wandered over his figure and widened as she saw him covered in blood. She wanted to sit up but a sharp pain in her arm held her down. She hissed.

“Spencer what happened, are you hurt, why is there so much blood? Let me help you...” “Calm down, it’s not mine.” He hesitated for a second. “It’s yours. You were shot and almost bled out.” “What? What happened?” You had the knife but before you could do anything, one of the bodyguards came in and shot you, he must’ve heard the commotion.” “Are you ok?” “Will you stop asking me that? You got shot!” “Exactly! You must be in pain too.” “I’m managing, it’s not so bad.” “You’re lying.” “Please don’t worry about me, ok?” “But I do, I worry about you all the time, I know you can handle yourself, but I care about you and I don’t want you to be in pain because of me.” “It’s ok, really.”

They looked at each other for a moment. Spencer bent down to place a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s focus on how we get out of here.”

“Have you checked the windows?” “They won’t open, it doesn’t surprise me though. We’re on the 30th floor, of course they’re shut.”

(Y/n) let her head fall back onto the pillow. “We’re screwed.” Spencer’s brows furrowed. “What are you thinking?” She asked. “The glass...”

“I don’t follow. The shards aren’t big enough to use as a weapon when he comes back.” “No, that’s not what I mean.”

Without saying another word, he got up and walked into the bathroom. (Y/n) heard glass shattering. “Spencer are you alright?” He came back into the room with a piece from the mirror.

“We can use this to send out an S.O.S. signal.” “How?” “Just watch.”

Spencer walked over to one of the windows. The sun shone into the room. He positioned the mirror in a certain position so that it reflected the sunlight and threw a patch of light onto the ceiling. He moved it so the light would go out of the window. He moved the shard in specific intervals.

“You’re a genius.” (Y/n) almost wanted to laugh. With a little bit of luck, someone would see the light signal. “I know.” He gave her a small smile.

Spencer repeated the pattern until the sun went down. “Now we pray someone saw that.” “Let’s hope it won’t be too late.”

He walked back to the bed. “You have to promise me something.” “What is it?”

He waited for a moment before answering. She looked awful. The bathrobe was soaked in blood, so was her hair. The parts of her skin that showed were covered in cuts and bruises. Her eyes were framed by dark circles. “Promise me you won’t make him angry again. I know you’re trying to protect me, but I wouldn’t know what to do if you sacrificed yourself so that I can get out of here.”

“I can’t promise you that.” “(Y/n), I’m serious.” She could see tears gather in his eyes. “Please...” The urgency in his voice made her heart ache.

With her good arm she reached out to put her hand on his cheek. “Alright, I promise.” Spencer closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. She managed to sit up and then position herself on his lap so that she was facing him, legs hooked around him. When he looked up at her there was nothing but adoration in his eyes.

“Thank you for taking care of me.” (Y/n) whispered before leaning down to press a kiss on his lips. Spencer wrapped his arms around her waist, careful not to touch her injured arm that was now bandaged and resting in a makeshift sling. Their chests were pressed together, and she could feel his heartbeat. Her breath became heavier as her fingers made their way into his hair and she tried to pull him even closer. (Y/n)’s cheeks began to heat up. She pulled away to whisper in his ear. “I need you so bad...” She felt him shiver underneath her. She continued to kiss his neck, relishing in the small sighs that escaped his throat.

She was just about to undo the buttons to his dress shirt when he grabbed her hand. “Wait...” “What?” “You can’t do this.”

“What? Why not? I thought you...” She looked around for a few seconds, anything not to meet his gaze and stood up as fast as she could. “I – I’m sorry I shouldn’t have assumed...I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable...I’m sorry.” Embarrassment washed over her. “I don’t know what came over me, I should’ve asked – I...”

Spencer stood up too walking towards her. She moved back and let out an insecure laugh. “I’m really sorry.” “No don’t be, it’s not that I don’t want to it’s just...” She still couldn’t look at him. “I don’t want to do this when there is a possibility that you just want this because of the circumstances. You might just be feeling about me this way because we’re in a life-or-death situation and I’m taking care of you. I don’t want this to happen just because you project these feelings onto me and regret it once we get out of here.”

(Y/n) stared at him but couldn’t say a word. Instead, Spencer continued. “It’s just, this has happened to me before, kind of, and I don’t want to...” “You don’t want to go through that again, I get it.” She slowly walked towards him. “Then we wait. But I want you to know that I’ve wanted this before we got caught up in this mess and the only things I regret are the ones I didn’t say to you sooner and that I didn’t have the courage sooner. I know this is important to you. I would wait a hundred years if that’s the time you needed. Just promise me you won’t forget me in the end.” She gave him a small smile. He smiled back and pulled her into a hug, still careful as to not to hurt her.

“I could never forget you.” “Can I still kiss you?” Spencer looked into her eyes and he knew he would never be able to say no to that. “Yes, please.” His voice barely a whisper, he cupped her cheeks and pulled her in. This kiss wasn’t desperate, it was sweet and full of unspoken promises and confessions.

Chapter 6

The BAU team had gathered around a table at the precinct. They had defeated looks on their faces. Hotch turned to look again at the wall where they had gathered their information. Morgan and Elle sat at the table, going through the casefiles again. Morgan closed the files and let the folder slap on the table.

“Hotch, please tell me we have a plan?” Hotch didn’t answer immediately. Before he could, JJ walked in. “I have news. There has been an S.O.S. signal from a hotel window at the Palazzo. It could be nothing, but it could be them, we need a SWAT team.”

Morgan jumped up. “I’ll call Garcia to see if she can find them on security footage in the lobby.” “Right, Elle and I will talk to the SWAT team, we may have to prepare for a possible hostage situation.” Hotch said and walked out, Elle right behind him.

(Y/n) and Spencer sat back-to-back with the couch, facing the window. Marshall had come back earlier and this time he hadn’t let (Y/n) distract him from Spencer. He didn’t look good. (Y/n) had taken care of his cuts, just like he had done for her.

“Tonight, is the night...” (Y/n) said while looking out the window. “It’s gonna be alright.” Spencer turned his head to her for a moment. She didn’t seem panicked anymore. She had been when Marshall had tortured Spencer, but after she had taken care of him it was like she had resigned herself to the fact that there was no way out.

“Spencer?” “Yeah?” “I need to tell you something.” “No, you don’t.” “I – I don’t?” She raised an eyebrow.

(Y/n) positioned herself to face Spencer. “Why?” Spencer turned around too. “I know the speech. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want you to talk like we’re going to die tonight.” “But we could die, and I don’t want to die without having told you how I feel.” “Then I guess you’ll have to survive tonight if you want to tell me how you feel.”

They looked at each other in silence for a while. “I lo –” “No.” Before she could end her sentence, Spencer dipped down to shut her up with a kiss. “You tell me when we get out of here.” “You’re a horrible person.” A smile tugged at her lips.

It was almost idyllic, sitting in a room somewhere over Las Vegas, sun shining through the window. (Y/n) rested her head on Spencer’s shoulder.

“Can I tell you something else?” “Like the time you told me how you imagined me seeing you naked for the first time?” (Y/n) shot him a look. She felt her cheeks heat up. “I think we can both agree that was a moment of weakness.” Spencer let out a laugh. “I think I like your moments of weakness.” She gave him another look but then looked out the window again.

“You know, I still remember the first time I saw you.” She gave him a small smile. “I had just started working for the BAU. They called us in on a Saturday night, it was about the Keystone Killer.” Spencer smiled. “Yeah, I remember.”

“You were so quick to find clues in that word puzzle and...I don’t know. I thought it was cool. Also, you telling Ryan on what page of his book that Francis Bacon quote was on, was kind of funny. And you looked cute with your vest and you had your sleeves rolled up, just like now.”

“You thought I looked cute?” Spencer looked at the carpet, still smiling. (Y/n) nodded. “I did. And every time I saw you after that, I liked you a little more.” She paused for a moment. “The day I realized that I lo – I mean...you know, was on that case with Lila Archers stalker. I knew that I cared for you, but then I got jealous, I didn’t expect that. I had no right, still I knew then.”

He looked at her incredulously. “You were jealous?” She nodded and laughed. “It’s stupid, I know.” “I don’t think it’s stupid, I think it’s cute. Did you know shrimp can feel jealousy too?” “Are you comparing me to shrimp?” “Well apparently you do share some similarities.”

(Y/n) rested her head back on Spencer’s shoulder. “I’m so tired.” He gently stroke her hair. “Me too.” “Do you really think we’ll get out of here?” “I do.” He heard a quiet sniff escape her. When he looked down at her, he saw her cry. Spencer wiped away a tear with his thumb.

“Spencer, I’m scared.” “I know, me too.” He cupped her face. “But I need you to be strong.” “I don’t want to die.” She had trouble holding back sobs. “I just found you, I don’t want to go yet.” They scooted closer. Spencer pulled her face to his, so his forehead resting on hers. “I know, baby, it’s going to be ok.” “I can’t do it.” “Yes you can! You’re strong, I know that.” Spencer brushed his thumb over her lips. “Do you know what I thought when I first saw you?” (Y/n) shook her head.

Spencer brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “When I saw you for the first time, I wanted to talk to you, but I didn’t really know what to say. You were so confident, despite being new and I whished I could be as confident as you. So, I tried to impress you, I guess I know now that it worked.” He let out a small laugh. “I didn’t think someone like you would ever go for someone like me. I guess I tried to get you out of my head with Lila. Obviously, it didn’t

work. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve always admired your bravery, you never give up and you can’t give up now.”

“I’ve got them.” Gracias voice rang through the speakers of a laptop surrounded by the other team members. “They’re on the security footage from two days ago in the lobby of the Palazzo. Rory Marshall is with them. They take the elevator, from there I lost them.” “It’s alright, thank you Garcia.” Hotch said. “We know the signal came from the 32nd floor. “That’s still a lot of hotel rooms.” Morgan chewed on a pen.

“Garcia, check how many suites are on that floor.” Hotch turned to the laptop again.

After a few seconds of keyboard clicking, Garcia spoke up again. “There’s five suites.” “Thank you.” Hotch turned to the others. “Get ready, we have to go in now, they don’t have much time left.”

(Y/n) had fallen asleep on Spencer’s shoulder. She woke up from a loud noise. Marshall entered the room, gun in his hand. “Stand up! Both of you. Get in the chairs.”

Something was wrong. Marshall didn’t wear his normal cocky grin. His was erratic, sweat covered his forehead. They didn’t move. “I said now!” Marshall shouted, pointing the gun at Spencer. They hurried to the chairs. Not two minutes later, they were tied up again.

“Your friends are here.” Marshall’s face had returned to that grimace he wore when he was getting angry.

(Y/n) felt hope rise in her chest. But as soon as the feeling came, it left her. Marshall had no reason to keep them alive anymore. He had no time to live out his fantasy. On the other hand, her and Spencer were his ticket out of here. Correction, her or Spencer could be his ticket out of here.

Marshall’s phone rang. He struggled to pick it up with one hand, his other one still clammed around the gun, uninterruptedly pointing it at Spencer. “Hello?” (Y/n) didn’t know if it was the tiredness or the desperation, but she could swear the voice on the end was Gideon’s.

“They’re right here...yeah...” Marshall shot them a look. “Yeah...” He repeated and handed the phone to Spencer, or rather held it to his ear. (Y/n) could see Spencer visibly relaxed as he heard Gideon’s voice. “Yeah we’re fine.” He said and shot (Y/n) a look. “(Y/n) was shot but we’ve got it under control.”

“Ok, that’s enough.” Marshall took the phone back. “I want a helicopter. And cash. By 9 p.m. sharp.” He hung up.

(Y/n) shifted in her seat. There was no way, Hotch would give him a helicopter. Regardless, there was one more thing she wanted to know. “How could you tell?” She turned her head to Marshall. “Tell what?” He snapped back. She had to be careful, he was on edge, everything looked like a possible threat right now.

“How could you tell we were actual soulmates? I only found out the day before myself.” Marshall shrugged. “I don’t know, I just knew when I saw you.”

“Actually, I could have an explanation.” Spencer chimed in. “There are studies that show that predators can pick out people that have previously been victims. They subconsciously learn to read body language and micro expressions to identify them. Because of this you’re chance of getting assaulted are higher, if you’ve been assaulted before.”

“Ok, enough of this psychoanalysis-bullshit. Shut up, I need to think.” Marshall started pacing around the room again.

It didn’t take long before the phone rang again. (Y/n) could hear Gideon’s voice again. He tried to negotiate the release of one of them. “One of my agents has been shot, let her go and we’ll prepare your demands.” Marshall hesitated. “I’ll send one of them to the roof, but I’ll decide which one.” Without waiting for the answer, he hung up.

Spencer immediately propped himself up on the chair. “Let her go, she needs medical attention.” The grin had returned. “No, I think I’ll keep her. You can go.” Spencer began to pale. “Please, let her go, you can keep me.”

“Shut up, I’m calling the shots and I say she stays!” He waved the gun around.

(Y/n) turned to look at Spencer. “It’s alright, I’ll be fine, please just go.” He could tell she was scared again and this time there was nothing he could do to help her. Every fiber in his body screamed to stay by her side and not to leave her alone with this psycho.

Marshall undid Spencer’s ropes and pointed the gun to his head. “Go.” Spencer hesitated. He shot (Y/n) one last look. She mouthed the word ‘go’. The second the hotel door closed behind him Spencer started to sprint to the elevator. He pushed the button to the last floor a few too many times, as if that would get him up there faster.

When he finally arrived on the roof, where they had negotiated the exchange, he was greeted by the rest of the BAU. JJ pulled him into a hug before he was put in a bulletproof vest. “What happened?” Hotch and Gideon were by his side in seconds. “What does the situation look like down there?”

Spencer closed the last Velcro straps on his vest. “As far as I could tell, Marshall is alone. I’m guessing some of his men left, when they got wind that the FBI was raiding the place. (Y/n)’s been hurt pretty badly. One of Marshall’s men shot her in the arm. We could stop the bleeding but I’m afraid it’ll get infected. She’s tied up and Marshall is losing it. We need to go in now.”

“I understand.” Hotch nodded. “But we need to be careful. If we move too fast, he could panic and kill her.” He turned to Spencer. “I understand you’re impatient, but we need to keep a cool head.” Spencer nodded. As soon as Hotch stepped away to talk to Gideon, Derek came up to Spencer, reassuringly putting a hand on his shoulder. “Is it true?” He asked. “What do you mean?” Spencer’s head was every except on the roof. “Is she really your soulmate?” Spencer nodded. “She told me the night before, but we didn’t get a chance to talk about it.” “We’ll get her out of there, don’t worry, man.” Spencer gave him a small smile. “Thanks.”

Derek’s brows furrowed. “Wait, if she’s been shot, didn’t you feel that too? You need to get checked up by a medic.” “I’m not leaving until she’s out of there.” Derek had rarely seen this level of determination on Spencer’s face. He nodded. “I understand.”

(Y/n) felt the panic come back. Now that Spencer was gone, she realized just how much of her mental stability had depended on him. He was only gone for two hours now and he already seemed so far away. She would have given anything to be in his arms again now.

Marshall was still pacing through the room. She could tell he was weighing his chances of coming out of this alive. (Y/n) just hoped he wouldn’t come to the conclusion that there was no way out and decide that he would take her with him as his final act of revenge. It didn’t look good. He was talking to himself, but she couldn’t understand the words. She took a deep breath. Spencer would try to talk his way out of this, but because she had antagonized herself the day before, there was a slim chance he would listen to her. She had to try.

“Rory?” He snapped his head around, bewildered by the fact she had used his first name. She could tell, he wasn’t used to that. As a person with this much power and money, she could imagine that he had few people who were so close to him that they would address him by his first name. “Rory, I know what you’re thinking about –” “You don’t know shit! Why would you know what I’m thinking about?” “You’re feeling trapped and you try to decide what to do.” “Shut up!”

(Y/n) waited for a minute. “What was her name?” “What!?” “What was the woman’s name? The one that broke your heart.” Marshall hesitated before answering. “Heather.” “What did you like about her?” “She was smart, and beautiful. I couldn’t believe it when she said yes to going to dinner with

me.” (Y/n) could tell by the look on his face that he was reminiscing that time in his life. There was this almost soft look in his eyes. “If you walk out of here alive there is a chance you might find someone new someday.” She said cautiously, never letting Marshall out of her sight. Marshall’s face hardened.

“What the fuck do you know?” She had made a mistake. “There will never be anyone else for me and now she’s dead because of me!” He started to raise his voice and his movements became more and more erratic. “Why did she have to meet that guy? It’s her fault I had to kill her, if she’d just stayed with me, we could have been happy!” The crazy look had returned to his face. “You’re all like this! You go around, thinking you can play with people until some fucking asshole comes along who’s supposed to be your soulmate and you think that gives you the right to drop everyone!” In three big strides he was right in front of her, pressing the barrel of the gun directly to her forehead. “I should just kill you too, one less bitch to walk this earth, I bet your little boyfriend will be heartbroken.” She saw the ecstasy in his eyes. “Maybe then he’ll know what it feels like.”

(Y/n) squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to conjure up images of Spencer. If she died here and now, she wanted him to be the last thing she thought about. She tried to remember the feeling of his lips on hers, the smell of his cologne, the softness of his hair and the sound of his voice hen he told her everything would be alright.

“I love you.” She whispered so quite that Marshall couldn’t hear it. A gunshot rang through the suite.

Chapter 7

When he heard the gunshot, Spencer froze. The SWAT team had stormed the suite, but he was still behind them in the hallway. The moment seemed to drag on forever. The sound burned itself into his mind. He wanted to move but the thought of what was waiting for him in that suite wouldn’t let him. In that moment he hated himself for not letting (Y/n) tell him those three words.

It wasn’t until Derek appeared by his side that he woke up from his trance. Spencer’s feet moved by themselves. He didn’t want to go into that room. As soon as he did, whatever had happened would irrevocably become reality. He hated himself for being such a coward.

“Spencer?” The floor was covered in blood, brain splattered across the carpet, that undoubtedly cost more than his entire apartment. She looked up at him with big eyes. He could see the body of Rory Marshall, who had spent his last seconds in shock as the SWAT team had kicked down the door and taken him out, before he could pull the trigger. His head was empty as he rushed to her, taking her into his arms, holding on to her like his life depended on it. He felt her sob into his shoulder. It was so good to hear her voice. “I love you, I love you, I love you...” She whispered. He pulled back just a bit to look at her. “I love you too, I love you so much and I’m so sorry...I could’ve lost you without telling you.”

She let out a weak laugh. He buried his face in her neck. “I’ll never leave you ever again, I promise.” “I’ll never leave you too, promise.”

The hospital room was dimly lit. Spencer sat at (Y/n)’s bedside. He had laid his head in her lap and fallen asleep with her fingers tangled in his messy hair. She watched his chest rise and fall peacefully. After a while she fell asleep too.

A few days later (Y/n) was released and Spencer insisted to take her home. As they stepped into her apartment, Spencer remained at the door, unsure of what to do. (Y/n) turned around. “Don’t you want to come in?” “Do you want me to come in? I thought maybe you wanted some time to yourself...”

(Y/n) dumped her bag on the couch and walked back to him. He was a bit taller than her, so she had to stand on her tip toes to reach him. She pressed a small kiss to his lips. “I want you.” She said quiet but determined. Spencer let out a nervous laugh. “Maybe you should rest, you’re just tired.”

She grabbed his face. “Spencer, listen to me. I’ve had a whole week to rest. You don’t need to worry I’m not in the right state of mind to make a decision. I haven’t changed my mind about you.” She was so close, their lips almost touched. “If you want me to stop, I will...”

Spencer looked at her, feeling like he was in a dream. She kissed him and it was like his head was empty again. That didn’t happen very often to Spencer. There was always something, some thought, some doubt, eating away at him but when she took his bottom lip between her teeth, everything was gone. She took his hand leading him to the bedroom. He sat down on the edge of her bed, while she stood in front of him, taking her shirt of.

“Let me show you, how much I care about you.” She said, before straddling him. Spencer couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He had dreamed about this moment for so long, he was mesmerized by her. The signs of torture were still visible. He traced a few healed cuts with his thumb. He felt her shiver under his light touch. He looked up at her, meeting her half- lidded eyes. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“Are you nervous?” Spencer nodded. His fingertips kept wandering over her waist, caressing her soft skin. “You tend to have that effect on me.” (Y/n)’s smile grew. “I make you nervous?” Spencer nodded again. She raised her hand to run it through his hair. The slow strokes seemed to calm him down. He closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. He felt her hands travel down his face, his neck, to the collar of his shirt. “Can I take it off?” Spencer opened his eyes again. “Yes please.” He watched her fingers unbutton his shirt. She moved painfully slow. Undoubtedly as to not overwhelm him, but something told him it was more then that. She was teasing him, and it was working. He felt the tension grow.

(Y/n) slid the shirt over his arms, fingers tracing over his skin. She felt him getting goosebumps and a slight shiver making its way through his body. She brought her hands back to his face, lifting it to make him look at her. “Do you know, how beautiful you are?” She whispered before stealing a small kiss. “I could look at you for all eternity and never get bored.” “Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.” “So we’re quoting Hume now?” (Y/n) smiled. “God, I love you so much...” Spencer pulled her back into the kiss. One of his arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer.

(Y/n) pulled away. “Aren’t you getting impatient?” She stood up to take of the rest of her clothes, but Spencer stopped her by putting his hand on her arm. He stood up, so (Y/n) had to look up again to look him in the eyes. “Let me...” His hands wandered over her waist to her back, unclasping her bra. For a moment she mused where he had learned to do that so well, but the thought was gone as fast as it came when her undergarment fell to the floor and she suddenly realized how bare she was in front of him. The urge to cover herself up never came though. Spencer looked at her like he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life, and truthfully, he hadn’t.

They got rid of the rest of their clothes before (Y/n) led Spencer to the bed. She waited a moment on the bedside. Spencer grabbed her arm, to pull her into the bed. She landed in his arms but before she could get comfortable, Spencer rolled over, trapping her underneath him. A grin spread on his face.

“You can’t tease me forever.” His locks fell into his face, framing it perfectly.

He dipped down, capturing her lips in a hungry kiss. He didn’t want to waste another second. He had waited for so long and then he had almost lost her. His lips traveled to her jaw, down to her neck. A sigh escaped her mouth. “Spencer...” She whispered. He continued to pepper kisses down on her chest, over her stomach. She felt his lips graze the skin on her inner thigh. One kiss at a time he came closer to the place she was aching for him to touch.

(Y/n) buried her fingers in his hair, guiding him. When his tongue slid through her wet folds, she couldn’t hold back her moans anymore. Between the obscene sounds, that filled the bedroom, she repeated Spencer’s name over and over, like a mantra. He loved to hear his name fall from her desperate lips. Her breath was getting irregular, he could tell she was close. He pulled back, only to lift himself up, so he could kiss her. He knew she could taste herself on him as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

After a while, (Y/n) broke the kiss to sit herself up. She crawled over the bed, guiding Spencer, until he sat on the edge and she was kneeling on the floor in front of him. She ran her hands up his thighs, never breaking eye contact. She could tell, he was holding his breath.

“Relax...” She placed a few kisses on his thighs before slowly taking him into her mouth. Spencer inhaled sharply. Now he was the one with his fingers tangled in her hair, lewd sounds and profanities leaving his mouth.

(Y/n) could feel him trying to hold back but he was struggling. Satisfied with the effect she had on him, she started to work her way up his abdomen until she reached his neck, sucking on it, careful not to leave marks above where the collar of his shirt would close. She seated herself on his lap. Her hands reached around his neck for support when she slid down on him. Both took in a sharp breath. Spencer’s eyes were closed and his mouth slightly agape when he let out a soft moan. That sound alone could have driven (Y/n) over the edge. She waited a second to adjust to the feeling of being filled up by Spencer.

“You feel so good...” Spencer whispered in the crook of her neck. He sank his teeth into her soft skin, sending shivers down her spine. “You too.” She managed to say between breathy moans. Spencer had started to move slowly. His hands were tightly gripping her thighs to guide her own movements.

“Oh god...” She moaned while dropping her head on his shoulder. Her nails dug into his back. “Spencer, I won’t last very long...” “It’s ok, baby...” His strokes were getting deeper. “Say my name again...” “S-spencer I –” She felt her orgasm build up.

“Again.” “Spenc-aah”

Spencer could feel her tighten around him. Her nails left bright red scratch marks on his back. She cried out his name again and while she was wrapped so tightly around him, he felt his own release.

(Y/n) and Spencer were both panting heavily, sweat covering their foreheads. They just stared at each other for a few seconds. “You’re amazing.” A smile spread on Spencer’s face. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. Her cheeks were glowing red.

“I’m not the only one.” She smiled back.

After cleaning themselves up they laid back in the bed. (Y/n)’s head was resting on Spencer’s chest. He was playing with her hair while she drew small patterns on his stomach. “Was it how you had imagined?” Spencer asked. She raised her head to look at him. “Better.” A smile tugged at her lips. “I never imagined it could feel so right to be with someone.”

“Me neither.” He paused for a moment. “I love you so much, it’s driving me crazy.” (Y/n) propped herself up to get a better look at him. There was nothing but pure adoration in his eyes. “I love you too, I never want to spend another day without you.” “You don’t have to, I promise I’ll never leave your side.”

(Y/n) put her head back on Spencer’s chest. After a while she had fallen asleep. 

“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” - Aristotle

[caffichai]

@weeeeps 's Vera

This probably isn't very biblically accurate, but your characters are so cute I wanted to draw them!

[quixoticprince]

Yayyy!! Yippee!! I finally get to make one of these!! Art without the text under the cut and some long-winded elaborations:

How long I've been playing: well, it hasn't been a straight 11 years, rather off and on - but I have drawings of these guys dating back to when I was 14, so I'll give it to me. And man I had no business reading the fanfics I was reading back then It's also crazy how this was a super influential media for me in so many ways. It's the reason I ever made a tumblr, it changed the direction of my drawings for a long while, my broken sense of humor (gmod animation memes and yt poops were the brainrot back then), tf2 Sniper changed my god damned gender (rather, it was the inspiration for me to start socially transitioning at 15). This is part of my personal lore that I tend to not admit to 😓

Your main: I've always been completely ass at the game, and I can play flexibly, but I enjoy playing Sniper, and more recently as Heavy. Whenever I'm sitting around somewhere, occasionally throwing sandwiches and attracting Medics, I feel like this:

Favorite character: When I was younger it was definitely Medic, and I think you can tell that he's still up there based on how much I've drawn him! However, since getting back into it, I've felt quite a shift in focus towards Heavy, very strongly. It's unfortunate that he's side-lined in a lot of fanwork, and I think I'm also complicit in this so far - but for me it's cuz, how tf2 works is that it's going to prioritize humor over character and consistency haha, and Medic is just so loud and insane that he's really easy to make fun stuff with. Heavy is a more serious and grounded character, not to say that he's not funny or that he doesn't have his own cartoon slapstick moments! But that aspect of him is what is really really intriguing to me. I love his quiet, stoic, and intimidating character, I like how loud and boisterous he is when filled with bloodlust in contrast! I love his bird story and him getting into wrestling as a child from Poker Night. I love his back story setting, there's so much to extrapolate from a young boy in Russia growing up during WWII, what his parents must have been through before that from the aftermaths of the revolution, all the way to his fathers execution and his imprisonment. I love his strong relationship with his family, his role as an older brother, as a protector, as a man - the way that he performs these roles - and because I personally see him as bisexual - how his orientation intersects with all that! He is incredibly fascinating to me and I wish that he was played around with more to see a lot more corners and angles of these things that I listed! There's way more that I want to say here too but this is getting very long 😅

Character I relate to: It's so interesting that a lot of the characters have very strong, tho maybe dysfunctional, families. Heavy, Demo, and Sniper in particular really speak to me in that relation. From Heavy being an eldest brother (I am also an eldest sibling) the parentification that comes with that, especially with him probably being like 10 years older than his sisters from the looks of it. Demo and Sniper both struggle living up to their parents expectations (although there's a lot of love there from everyone), being disappointments in one way or another (not gonna deep dive into that lol), and the general alienation both of them feel. From Sniper not knowing why he's not like other Australians to Demo being "a black Scottish cyclops." And well, I'm Filipino, I'm queer, and mentally ill so - there's a lot to project there!

Class you want to play as: I find Medic incredibly stressful to play as but I find the idea of battle medics incredibly funny. However I usually find myself rushing around madly trying to cater to everyone, and I'd like to just not give a shit and just start stabbing people with a saw lol

Favorite ship: "I just like the dynamic" - The dynamic:

No but fr, they're really compelling to me, I'd probably need a longer more thought out post as to what I like about them and I was already going crazy up there ^ Overall tho I like that they're practically built for each other in terms of mechanics, really plays into my desire to spiral into intense codependency haha. I also think that Medic's drive to cheat death and hide behind meat shields plays really well into Heavy's desire to be a meat shield and a protector, and how nice it is in turn, that Medic can grant this man who's been around death, starvation, and war invulnerability. (He outsmart boolet, yknow?) They're also depicted together a lot and I like how much they enjoy each others company, and bring a lot of joy to each other. It's beautiful to me :'^)

Character you like to draw: What can I say! Medic is handsome! He is very fun to draw and easy to make memes and shit posts out of!

[cheapshrimpysheep]

Hi hi!! Can I request a oneshot with Sebek where he has a crush on reader but they're oblivious. Sebek himself is in denial that he might even hold feelings for somebody, but it's clear how he truly feels through his actions (aka acts of service, helping the reader). He pretends to act annoyed about it but the red on his face gives him away to everybody except reader who's just 'hes such a nice guy!". It's gotten to the point even Ace and Deuce of all people are trying to tease/hint to them about what's going awn 😭

COMMENTS: Hi! Um... I'm not sure if this is what you wanted, but I ended up being inspired* to write a story in which Ace and Deuce, with Lilia's help, created a plan to make Sebek confess his feelings. I'm also the oblivious type in these situations so...

I hope you and all enjoy ;)

*(You can see this by the number of words I ended up writing. This doesn't usually happen to me)

CHARACTERS: Sebek Zigvolt x Reader

TAGS: Fluff; GN Reader; Declaration

WORD COUNT: 1.520 words

“Each day this gets even more ridiculous, cringe and awkward.” Ace complains. “And every time we tease them, Sebek pierces our eardrums and (Y/N) gets closer to becoming the third member of the Face Palm Club.”

“Yeah...” Deuce says “He even started appearing out of nowhere just to be useful to (Y/N), even when it's not necessary. I wonder where he learned to be so sneaky with that height and that voice.”

“In fact, the situation is starting to lose the fun it had at the beginning.” A voice suddenly said, startling Ace and Deuce. Lilia just did his upside down appearance.

“Is Sebek acting strange in Diasomnia too?” Deuce asks, after recovering from the scare.

“Well, he was always a peculiar boy.” Lilia chuckles. “I believe you also had fun teasing him.” he sighs “But Sebek's denial of (Y/N)'s obliviousness is already starting to go on for a long time. Even for me. He started talking about (Y/N) the same way he talks about Malleus.” He starts to laugh softly to himself.

“What's so funny?” Ace asks “Did you remember anything embarrassing that happened?”

“I did. One day...” Lilia had just talked to Sebek to try to get him to admit that he have a crush on you. His mission failed due to Sebek’s stubbornness. Lilia was close to the door and Sebek wasn't paying attention to it. He was yelling at another Diasomnia student for some reason. Lilia smiled mischievously and said loudly something like: “Oh (Y/N)! To what do we owe the visit?” Sebek’s thunderous voice fell silent immediately and he turned to the door with a smile that was unthinkable a second ago. Lilia was amused to see his expression turn to embarrassment upon discovering that Lilia had tricked him.”

Ace and Deuce laughed.

“Dude, the other day I was trying to hint (Y/N) that Sebek had a thing for them. Do you know what they replied to me?” Ace imitates your voice with a cute smile on his face “Aw, he's just being nice. And I was like, He’s only nice to you!”

Lilia started by laughing, but then wondered: “As (YN)’s close friends, do you think they might feel the same way about Sebek?”

“Oh, definitely!” Ace confirms “But since he's in denial, I think (Y/N) understands this as not being interested. I mean, you just said he treats Malleus the same way. Do you think he has a crush on Malleus too?” Ace laughs.

“I've been further from believing in such a thing.” Lilia whispers to himself. “But despite the treatment he gives them both is similar,” he says to them “I can distinguish between the admiration he feels for Malleus and the affection he feels for (Y/N). He sees Malleus as an extremely respectable superior. In (Y/N)'s case I believe it's more like someone weaker but worthy of his protection and respect.”

“What do you think it would be like if they finally declared themselves to each other?” Deuce asks.

“Well, as I've never seen Sebek go through anything like this before, the results might be surprising.” Lilia smiles mischievously “An experiment worth testing, don't you agree?”

You were in Ramshackle Dorm when you hear someone knocking on the door. A strong, firm type of knocking that you recognize.

“HUMAN! How can you be so reckless with your own safety?!” Sebek says the moment you open the door. If you say "Hello to you too" before asking what he's talking about, he will blush slightly and respond: “I apologize for not greeting you properly. But Lilia-sama told me about your cursed room. And that's why I'm here.” he gets a smug on his face “Lilia-sama entrusted me with instructions to solve your problem.”

You ask him what he's talking about. You didn't have any cursed rooms. At least that you knew.

“Lilia said maybe you don't know yet. He suggested asking the ghosts if this is true. They would have more knowledge about this subject.”

You do this and the ghosts confirm it. They say yes, that there is a scary, cursed room in the dorm and that they are very grateful to Seberk for being there to help them. And you know something is up. Not with the dorm, but with the ghosts. Was Lilia messing with Sebek again and asked the ghosts for help?

The ghosts guide you to the "cursed room". If you ask where Grim is, they'll tell you he was so scared by that room that he hid in your bedroom. That excuse doesn't convince you.

“You know,” One of the ghosts tells Sebek. “We’re very happy to see that someone cares about (Y/N) as much as you do.”

Sebek starts to blush a little. “W-well, this is nothing special. Don't think I'm doing this because I have some strong feelings for (Y/N). Don't let those two Heartslabyul humans get that idea into your heads. I'm here because I was entrusted by LIlia-sama himself to solve the problem that a poor human without magic wouldn't be able to deal with.”

The ghosts look between them, disappointed by Sebek's stubbornness and denial.

Once in front of the cursed room's door, you open it. You and Sebek enter a dusty and unused room like so many others in Ramshackle Dorm. And the door abruptly shuts behind the two of you, leaving you locked inside.

Sebek takes a step as if to run towards the door but stops himself. You ask why he did that, if he wasn't going to try to open the door.

“My first instinct is to do so. But Lilia said this would happen. And that I needed to be firm and follow the instructions he had given me.”

“Which are...?” you ask.

“The ones in the paper on my pocket that Lilia said I shouldn't open until this very moment.”

Even though I knew it sounded like a Lilia prank, you also knew that it didn't matter what you said to Sebek. He never disputes Lilia's word even if it's the silliest thing anyone has ever heard. And he wasn't going to start doubting it now. Your only option, besides having a useless argument with Sebek, is to play along.

He takes the paper out of his pocket, unfolds it and reads it. The next thing you see is a look of astonishment and a loud "WHAT?!" coming from his mouth. You ask what is written on the paper and he needs a few seconds to take a deep breath before telling you. He blushed again and read it out loud.

“To break the curse, two people must sacrifice their freedom within the room, until they both confess their true feelings for each other.”

Yes, you know that sounds like a non-sense romantic trope, but once again, Sebek won't question anything Lilia says. Or in this case, writes. He turns to you.

“Well, you are the host. By all means, go first.”

Well, that all sounds to you like some kind of prank. So you decide not to tell the truth. You say you like him, but not in a way that he perceives as romantic, to protect your feelings.

“I'm glad that you realize how valuable I am in your life.” He says this with a smug that disappears right after. “You... for a human are very... respectable, and... worthy of my devotion. Yes, I think this would suffice.”

He quickly heads for the door. Pull it. It doesn't open. Push. Nothing. He starts trying to force the door open, but the only thing he can do is practically shake the wall.

He gives up, frustrated. He inhales and sighs, turns like the soldier he is and walks towards you with a determined look in his eyes. “Human, I wasn't completely honest with you. I want to reiterate that I am only doing this to break the curse! Everything that is said in this room must never leave the same! UNDERSTOOD?”

You agree. Sebek closes his eyes, as if it would be easier for him to say it. And his cheeks start to blush.

“I don't know what this is.” He opens his eyes, with that exaggeratedly angry look of his. “And I refuse to call it... being in love or, as those humans you hang out with say, having a crush.” he calms down again “What I said earlier is not a lie. I do respect you, and I do see you as one of the few worthy of my devotion. But not like the Young Master or Lilia. I...” he closes his eyes again, and his blush intensifies “I NOURISH STRONG PLEASANT FEELINGS FOR YOU! THAT IS ALL I KNOW!”

You take this opportunity to be honest with him as well. In your own way and with your words you say that you feel the same way about him. You two are silent for a few seconds after that. Sebek doesn't know what to say or what to do, he just lets himself look at you with a surprised and affectionate look that you've never seen before.

The door slowly opens by itself.

If you dropped in here out of the blue and want to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[eerna]

How would you describe the face shapes and facial features of The Lunar Chronicles girls? (Since you draw them so beautifully, I wanna know how you figured out what features to give them based off the info the books give us. Plus I began to imagine cinder's face looking exactly like your art).

Also what undertones do you give them (you don't gotta be specific, just list whether they're cool or warm). oh! You can info-dump if you want. I find it really helpful.

Yayyy thanks for the compliments and for asking this, I love talking about why I draw faces the way I do!! :D

Ok so first off here's an explanation of my general book character design process which I will base these descriptions on. For TLC specifically the canon descriptions are based not only on the books, but also this guide from MM's website.

CINDER

The starting canon point was ambiguously mixed (but definitely Asian), tan, brown upturned eyes, mousy brown hair in a ponytail, tall, all angles, boyish build and clothes. I HC her as specifically Cambodian (based on her family names and general description), so I based her features on it. She is characterized as brave and decisive ina protagonist way, so I gave her an oval face shape because ovals are serious and constant, and thick eyebrows to intensify her expressions. She sees herself as unfeminine, so I gave her thin lips and short, brown eyelashes. She is always messy and unkempt because of her work, so I gave her an uneven, shaggy haircut to match (inspired by Link LoZ for absolutely no reason). But she is also an awkward nerd, which I integrated through her big, goofy ears. I give her a warm undertone to match her eyes and offset her desaturated hair.

SCARLET

The starting canon point was white skin, curly ginger hair, super freckled, very feminine build, full lips, farmer girl vibes. Her color scheme is very low contrast with hair, eyebrows and eyes that are all within the same value range, because at one point she is described as soft curve shaped as opposed to Cinder's sharp angles, and I wanted to bring out that softness not only in shapes but colors too. She is also brave and decisive, but in a mean old lady way, so I gave her a long, pointy face to match it. I should def give her more defined curls than I usually do. I don't often color her so I thinkkkk I mostly give her a cool undertone, but it's inconsistent.

CRESS

The starting canon point was super pale white skin, nose freckles, heart shaped face, extremely messy wavy honey blond hair, sky blue eyes, super tiny. Everything about her is supposed to scream "pure sweet innocent little baby who never did anything wrong in her life" (even if it isn't the exact truth), and her face is based on a girl I saw at school when I was a teen. Her eyebrows and eye shape are anime inspired because I was an anime fan and so was MM. I give her a cold undertone.

WINTER

The starting canon point was very dark skin, Black, three scars on her right cheek, and a ton of other descriptions because she is the most beautiful girl in the galaxy and the epitome of soft, gentle, princessy femininity. We're talking full lips, gently curving features, insane eyelashes, etc. Her scars should realistically be darker, but the description of them resembling tears and their symbolism of Winter choosing to stick out like a sore thumb stuck so far into my brain that I simply gotta make use of artistic license in this case. I went for 3C type hair and its shape fits the cloud-like dreamy vibe she embodies while keeping to the glossy corkscrew description. Her eyes and lips are her mother's, and thus bear resemblance to Levana's. I give her a warm undertone.

IKO

The starting canon point was light brown skin, golden eyes, button nose, blue braids with golden accessories, and capitalist-made beauty. She is fun, fashionable, and flirty, so her color palette is braver and more expressive than the other girls'. Her beauty is noticeable, but man-made as a product instead of Winter's natural appeal. Her undertone is sometimes cold and sometimes warm because it makes the various color combos easier to execute, and also she is an android so I bet it is possible to do it anyway.

Hope this was interesting~

[theoceansluvr]

Multi-Character x Ice Skater! Reader

warning; small injuries bc sports ! author's notes; i have a whole stockpile of fics in my drafts send help😿 also ! this is inspired by a moodboard from the lovely @/ssparksflyy bc i had to get inspo bc im uncreative at the moment😞 plus it's almost winter !

PERCY JACKSON-

despite the chronic skater boy energy he holds and his amazing coordination, he FUMBLES on ice skates.

not even in an attempt to be funny, he's just struggling to stand up.. so he grips onto the rail, your hand, or an unlucky kids assistant roller(y'all know what i mean right ??)

once he gets the hang of it he SWEARS he can out skate you

which is until you pull out a fancy trick and leave him utterly speechless for a good couple minutes !

he probably ends up taking "breaks" just to watch you all lovingly from the sides and what not

oh ! if you compete, you better believe he's showing up even though he hardly understands the scoring system !!!

all he knows is that you look graceful, pretty, and you did amazing

all in all, as long as he sees that you're having fun in your element, then he could care less about anything else

JASON GRACE-

despite his last name, i also think he'd stumble on skates for a bit before grasping it fairly quickly ! he's a fast learner afterall

definitely asks you to teach him tricks and such because he wants to get them down to impress you :(

he also considered learning to skate more often so he could be your partner in competitions !

you taught him how to do a bunny hop and he thought he was the coolest guy on EARTH for it

if you ever manage to sprain your ankle in the middle of practice or just free skating, he's on FULL panic mode

and gods forbid you get hurt during a performance.. they're dragging him off of the ice as you kinda just limp over towards the edge with a massively confused look

but ! the minute your better and able to get back on the ice, he's right there beside you till you want to take a break :3

very supportive boyfriend, but also overly concerned so try and avoid injuries when possible😓

LEO VALDEZ-

something tells me he spent a good couple hours learning how to sharpen your ice skate blades the moment he found out you skated

he also started selling a bunch of trinkets that he made to save up enough to buy you ice skates on your favorite color ! + they have both your initials embroidered onto them

doesn't even TRY to get on the ice, but he always, and i mean always, watches you practice !

he'll be tinkering with something while you do it or maybe just leaning over the rail and admiring you

likes picking out your dresses for performances even though he always picks out one with red in it so "you'll have him in mind" (he's corny.)

dare i say that he sits with you for hours while you find a song to perform to !?

like he's heard about 20+ different songs in the past 30 mins and he's bearing with it because it's you

he's more of your biggest behind the scenes supporter but STILL your #1 fan regardless !

i'm so proud to announce that i have finally posted after DECADES of swearing to myself that "okay im gonna finish this today !" and not finishing anything.. i missed my moots too so i thought id make sure they know im alive T^T

[writerthreads]

Stuck in the middle of writing a scene, a chapter or your WIP? Read this!

By Writerthreads on Instagram

Stuck in the middle of a scene? Unsure of where the plot is going? Here are some tricks to hopefully get you back on track!

Find ideas from existing world-building

Did you sprinkle in some interesting world-building that you can extend on? You can re-read your previous chapters to find inspiration from side-characters or events that were briefly mentioned.

For example, in my WIP there's a corporation that recently acquired another one. Maybe the CEO is secretly scheming against the MC, or maybe a side character gets laid off as a result of the merger. Plot ensues.

Subvert expectations

Instead of allowing your characters to fall into cliches or common tropes (which is still completely fine and fun to read if done right!), let them do the unexpected. For example, if there's only one bed, what if the MCs magically double the bed? Of if there's a prophecy about the MC going on a quest to save the world, what if they choose to completely ignore it and decide to continue with their lives until they're forced to go on a quest? (This is what happens to my MC lol.) Subverting expectations makes the plot so much more fun and original, but if the trope is done right, it's equally satisfying. I'll always love the one bed trope for obvious reasons :)

Put them in the worst possible situation

This is a popular tip, but it works! Think of what would be worst possible thing that could happen to your characters, and what they will do to get out of that situation. This allows your readers to see how different characters react, grow, and bounce back in their own ways.

Adding gravity to the plot also allows your readers to fear for the characters, especially if you've allowed the readers to develop an attachment to them.

Ask yourself 'what if?'

Ask yourself 'what if', and put your characters in different scenarios. For example, what if a member of the crew gets injured, or they all get lost? What would be an interesting situation that would hook readers and keep them reading?

Find inspiration from external sources

When I'm stuck, I like to put on songs with certain emotions or plots (Taylor Swift is a tried and tested one that works so well for me, but then again I do have a T Swift addiction). Some people keep dream journals for when they wake up with the most unhinged plot lines that they imagined asleep.

Share with friends

Don't suffer from inspiration drought alone! Talk to your friends, writers, readers, or otherwise, and ask them for advice. Explain what's going on in your WIP and where you're stuck on, and ask them for help. Two heads (or multiple heads) really is better than just one.

Hope these tips help, because they certainly work for me. Happy writing!

[i-arch-my-backula]

Horror characters with a s/o who does ballet

I did ballet when I was like 4 before I was diagnosed with ADHD and I did enjoy it but I didn't keep doing it. I've just been thinking about ballet lately and I decided to write about it.

Includes: Hannibal Lecter, Asa Emory, Michael Myers, Vincent Sinclair, and Amanda Young

Warnings: GN reader mostly but one bullet on each section mentions a male reader, internalized homophobia?, regular homophobia, mentions of murder, mentions of saw traps in Amanda's section, mentions of torture, vague cannibalism in Hannibal's section

Hannibal Lecter

When you tell him you do ballet he's immediately interested. Hannibal enjoys the finer things in life and ballet is something he's happy to indulge in.

He's rich so he's happy to help pay for whatever you need. Ballet shoes can be very expensive but he's willing to help you pay for them.

Ballet is physically demanding and he's happy to help you sooth the aches and pains on your body. Will help you with ice baths or rubbing your aching muscles.

Will go to all of your shows, even if you're barely in it. He doesn't care he's going to be there to watch you dance, and will bring you flowers after every performance.

If you practice at home he's there to help you, giving his advice as someone who's been to many opera and ballet shows.

He probably has a lot of hair products for his hair because he's kind of a diva. So if you need hair gel or hairspray for your costume he's got your back.

If you're a man and someone makes fun of you for doing ballet they're getting eaten. I think he'd do something clever like a tongue dish or he poses the body in some kind of ballet pose.

Asa Emory

Like Hannibal Asa loves the finer things in life. He's pretty rich considering he has all these torture devices and a hotel. So you having a more expensive job/hobby is not a big deal to him.

He will try to sneak in bug related things into things you can customize. If you're doing a dance related to bugs in any way he's asking you all about it and will honestly want to make things as accurate as possible.

Will want to watch you practice because he just likes seeing you in dance and shift into different positions. He's always interested in human limits both physical and mental so seeing you stretch your body while dancing is interesting to him.

Like I said, Asa is rich and he doesn't have a problem buying you things for your job/hobby. If you're allowed to customize parts of your practice clothes or shoes he'll try to get it bug related in some kind of way.

He might take inspiration from your dancing and will pose victims or put them in traps that are ballet related.

He loves classical music so listening to you practicing with music over and over again isn't a problem to him. He's put himself through worse so listening to his partners dance music over and over again isn't that bad.

Just like Hannibal, if you're a man and someone makes fun of you for doing ballet he's going to put them through a lot of torture, like more than normal. He was a little unsure about you being a man and doing ballet but he got over it quickly.

Michael Myers

He's heard of ballet but the extent of his knowledge on it is just that it's 'fancy dancing'. Once he sees you dancing, because when he's not killing he's watching you, he's pretty interested in it. As interested as Michael can be in something.

He likes how graceful you look while dancing. He could watch you for hours, just sitting still and watching you dancing. He'll probably touch and feel your ballet shoes when you're not using them.

If you ask him to help you break in your shoes and explain to him you just hit them on the floor he's very willing to help you. You'll have to watch him to make sure he doesn't genuinely ruin them.

He's confused about how you're getting bruises and hurt feet when you're "just dancing" but his concern isn't really noticeable aside from him leaving out ice packs for you.

If you're doing a dance where you're being more 'physical' with your dancing partner he's going to be jealous about it. You'll have to make it up to him with lots of candy and avoiding other men.

If you're a man and you do ballet he doesn't see why that's something weird. He's been locked up inside a mental hospital for 16 years so he doesn't really understand gender roles.

But if someone makes you feel back for doing ballet as a man and Michael hears about it, he's killing them for you.

Vincent Sinclair

He is so interested in you doing ballet. He wants to hear all about the type of ballet you do and how long you've been doing it. If you memorized any dances he wants you to do them for him.

I have a feeling that Vincent can sew to some degree. Like he can take old clothes and customize them. He'll probably make/find you clothes you can practice in and maybe even costumes.

He listens to classical/opera music already so if you want to practice or perform for him it's really no problem at all to him.

Finding you actual ballet shoes might be an issue. He'd suggest making you some but quickly realize he can't. He'll bribe/guilt Bo into going out and getting you ballet shoes.

Will probably make some figures into ballet dancers because you're one. His art is going to include a lot more ballet themes in it. Will love to sketch you in different outfits and poses.

Anything remotely ballet themed from a victim is going to you. If Vincent sees some clothes or an item you'd like or could use in your dancing he'll tell Bo to be careful with that item when he kills them, or he'll kill the victim himself.

If you're a guy and a victim makes fun of you for doing ballet they're getting turned into a figure alive like Wayne was. If his brothers make fun of you cough cough Bo he'll defend you and probably bring up something about them. "You do ballet Y/N? Didn't take you for a pansy." (Vincent signing) "Remember your emo phase when you wore eyeliner every day?"

Amanda Young

She wanted to do ballet as a kid but she probably wasn't very good at it and her parents took her out. So when she hears you do ballet she wants to hear all about it and will ask if you can teach her some.

Loves any kind of ballet outfits, especially if it's in darker colors and adores seeing you in practice clothes or costumes for shows.

Will brag to Hoffman about how talented her partner is at ballet and how shes so lucky to have you as a partner.

She'll probably take inspiration from the dance you're currently practicing or the process of breaking in your shoes when she's making a new trap for someone.

Loves watching you practice too. She finds the movements so satisfying and the music to be calming. If you practice at home she'll probably stretch with you.

Will love to help you do your hair and or makeup for a performance. She likes participating in your interests and helping you get ready is something she's happy to do.

If you're a man and someone makes fun of you for doing ballet she's finding a reason to put them in a trap. Hoffman will probably make fun of you doing ballet if you're a man so she'll get back at him in another way.

[rebouks]

Do you have any recommendations for starting a story? Yours is so good and it really inspires me to try and make one of my own but idk where to start

Hmmm a tough question! I think we all just kinda start and learn as we go? It's the best way tbh.. if you look back at the beginning of most simblr stories they've usually come a long way! Here's a couple tips that I think might be handy tho...

Maybe we could start a thread and everyone could reblog this with their own tips?! 🤩

Decide if you want to build your own lots/sets or not. If you do you'll probs wanna start off with the main places you'll use that're full of personality, like a main characters house or place of work etc. you can always download some neat lots and edit them to your liking if you're not a builder, or maybe even download a whole save file!

Start a character page (or make an intro post for em if you can't be arsed with the technicalities) - not essential but useful for you and the readers to keep track of who's who and maybe state a few facts about them etc.

Start collecting some poses and ideally rename them so they're easy to find! I personally like to add smth like [PETS] or [KISSING] etc to mine (in s4s) in conjunction with twistedmexi's pose finder to make things easier to grab.

If you use reshade/gshade, taking the time to find or create a nice preset will save you a bunch of time editing.

For the love of god if you're gonna make a bunch of extras, try and dress them in maxis clothes/hair.. I'm so SICK of having to redress everyone every time I clear out a bunch of cc skjdksj 🙈 you can always give em an extra, fancy cc outfit for specific scenes on the day but yeah, do yourself a solid where possible to save time/pain in the future. Same goes for lots you don't use often, try and limit the cc you use!

Figure out if you're a planner or not! If you can't manage without a plan it's okay to take some time before starting to figure everything out and get a detailed outline going. If you're more of a pantser (like me!) you can always just get going with a rough idea in mind and see what happens!

If you're gonna go with the flow I'd still recommend creating at least a rough outline, you don't have to stick to it like glue but it'll probs help you stay on track and I wish I'd have done this in the beginning, esp if you're gonna have a plot heavy story.

Characters > plot.. (imo!) like.. you could have a super interesting plot in mind but if no one really knows or cares about your characters it's gonna have a limited impact/amount of interest. They don't even have to be likable lmao

Give your characters some flaws! It's fun and it makes them more relatable.

Start with a small cast - not a complete must but it'll be probably be easier for people to get to know your pixels if they're aren't a million of them right off the bat. You can always add more later.

Try not to shoehorn your characters into situations they wouldn't end up in just to further the plot.. a hard one to explain and mostly based on intuition but if a scene feels boring, out of place or forced, it probably is! aka.. be willing to kill your darlings. Maybe you've already established that your character is poor or smth but have this fun idea of a road trip montage or whatever.. like you can't just give them a car and the money to drive a million miles just cos you HAVE to see that scene y'know? Maybe they're gonna have to hitch hike, get the bus, or take out a loan? Probs a bad example but hopefully you get the idea! It can sometimes be more fun to force your characters into a different situation than you imagined anyway, like maybe they meet someone really neat on the bus and they join the trip, or maybe whoever they borrowed money from gets all pissy when they can't pay em back quick enough etc etc.

Let your characters guide you - sometimes characters talk to us! You could've had a whole storyline planned for them, or a romance of whatever, but when it comes down to it, it just doesn't feel right and that's okay! Let them lead you in a different direction now n' then.

Write for you! (ugh becca stfu with this shit) I know, I know but really.. if you're not having fun, what's the point? Don't write what you think other people want and learn to be okay with cutting ideas/scenes/characters/whatever! that you aren't excited about anymore. It should never feel like a chore to create, and if it starts to feel that way, take a break or change it up!

I feel like this is super rambly and I've missed a million obvious things but my brain is mashed potato rn lmao.. pls feel free to add your own tips in a reblog or a comment - everyone has a different take on things! I think it's really important just to start and see what feels natural tho 🤸‍♀️🧡

[mirai-e-jump]

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger Character Book: Trails of the Kings and Retainers Main Cast Member Interviews (translations below, LONG POST)

Other pages

Sakai Taisei (Gira) x Morioka Yutaka (Douga)

"First, please introduce the character the other plays."

Sakai: At first, Douga was the kind of person who would cause tension and confront Gira, but after Gira ascended to the throne and became a close presence, I think Douga became a nice person who's always by Gira's side. The same goes for Morioka-san, who plays the role, as he's a dependable person who I respect very much.

Morioka: Thank you so much. Gira-sama grew up in an orphanage, and I think Douga was surprised to see that this young man, who at first seemed so unfamiliar to him, has become more and more involved as the backbone of the country. He became the current king, and Douga serves as his retainer, but Gira-sama has grown remarkably. In my mind, Gira-sama and Taisei-kun overlap, so I see him as a man that I'd like to serve sincerely, even going beyond our roles.

"Were there any surprising developments or settings for your role compared to when you were first cast?"

Sakai: I think the fundamentals of Gira have always remained the same. Rather than Gira, the exit and reappearance of other characters…I think the surprise of those developments were greater.

Morioka: One thing that remains consistent about Gira, is that he understands other people's feelings and pain better than anyone else.

Sakai: That's right. Even for main episodes of the other kings, Gira would stand next to them and inspire them. As the episodes went on, I realized that he was a person who could relate to what other people were thinking.

Morioka: Douga on the other hand has recently been referred to as an "interesting person" on SNS (laughs). Around episode 9, a celebrity from Chikyu, a genius boy named Kiito-kun with an IQ of 20,000 appeared, and Gira, who was a fugitive at the time, looked just like him in his disguise. Since Douga was there, I was asked to do a performance that showed a different side to him. For me personally, I was surprised, was it okay for Douga to approach and press some celebrity for an autograph?! (laughs).

Sakai: It's hard to imagine from Douga's early appearance.

Morioka: That's right. First of all, it was there that I was able to find a direction for my role. And thankfully, in episode 21, the main episode where Douga is on the move job hunting, I was able to "break out" again.

Sakai: I was also surprised, did you really expect to see Douga like this from the dignified appearance he showed in the first episode?! There was a comedic element to it, and I really think Morioka-san is amazing at portraying so many different sides to him.

"How would you describe the strength of Douga, who serves as the king's sword wielding retainer in the "strongest country" of Shugoddam?"

Morioka: Including in the spin offs, there were quite a few scenes where Douga gets blown away with a single attack (laughs). So, I thought he might be surprisingly weak, but he had an action scene in episode 40, and he was moving relatively well, so I thought that he was a person who could be in charge of the military.

Sakai: I feel that if there were a fight against the kings who aren't armed with the royal armor, Douga definitely wouldn't lose.

Morioka: You think so? I'm really grateful filming action scenes, they're fun to do.

"What are your thoughts on the relationship between Gira and Douga?"

Morioka: Douga was originally the retainer for Gira's older brother, Racules Husty, so there were times when I felt that it was very difficult to determine his position, but things have now been sorted out. Of course, he still has feelings for Racules, but I play Douga based on the idea that Gira-sama is the one who should come first.

Sakai: In most countries other than Shugoddam, the king leads their retainer, but since Gira is new to being king, I feel that he and Douga are growing together, and I think that relationship is a charm that the other countries don't have.

"Please tell us about any particular scenes between Gira and Douga that moved you."

Sakai: For me it's episode 29. There's a scene in which Douga says to Gira, "What the people need, is none other than Gira-sama!" I was so moved by this scene, that I felt emotional while performing.

Morioka: During filming, Taisei-kun said, "Morioka-san! Just now, that really hit me!"

Sakai: I became more aware that I was king, and I was moved by the way Douga's thoughts were conveyed.

Morioka: For me, it's episode 21, which I had mentioned earlier. In this scene, Douga, who had been job hunting in every county on Chikyu, eventually returns to Shugoddam and asks Gira-sama, "Will you let me work here?!" and Gira-sama empathizes with Douga. The combination of Gira-sama's kindness and Taisei-kun's kindness really touched me.

Sakai: That makes me happy!

"Starting with episode 27, the new chapter is set two years after the previous one. There's also a change in that Gira is now officially the king of Shugoddam, but were there any changes in the performance plan?"

Morioka: Yes. At first, I thought that although it had been two years, Douga was of a certain age, and that there would be little change in him, so I acted with the same expressionless face I had before. Then, Kamihori-san (Director Kamihoriuchi Kazuya) asked me to be alittle more softer, saying, "Douga-san, let's have a slight smile here." With that one comment, I interpreted that Douga had become more mature, or maybe more tolerant in the past two years since his partner changed from Racules to Gira-sama. He's been smiling alittle bit, and showing the various sides to him.

Sakai: Director Kamihoriuchi told me, "You don't have to change your performance just because it's two years later." However, in the prison scene in episode 29, the Director created a scene in which Gira bursts into laughter at Douga. When I saw that, I realized that when the Director said I didn't have to change my performance, he meant that I didn't have to think about anything complicated, and that he just wanted Gira to grow alittle. After that, I started to casually do things that I hadn't done in the beginning, such as saying my lines with a slightly lower tone of voice.

"In the variety show "Sokkin Sentai Sokkinger" which is distributed through the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club (TTFC), Morioka-san mentioned, "In order to not to diminish king Racules's status, I keep my appearance neat," but is there anything you're aware of as Gira's retainer?"

Morioka: Basically, it's the same, but while he was more respectful of Racules, I feel like he's genuinely and sincerely in love with Gira-sama. When he was serving Racules, I thought that Racules had picked him up and put him in his current position, but with Gira-sama, he wants to support him from the ground up and raise him to be a real king. However, I feel that he's drawn in by something Gira-sama has hidden within him, and is prepared to sacrifice his life in a different sense than when he was Racules's retainer. That's why, even though he's a retainer, there are times where he clearly expresses his opinions to Gira-sama. To the viewers, he may seem like a fatherly figure, but I myself think it's different from the feeling of parent and child.

"Do you remember the first time you two met each other?"

Morioka: I remember it well. I'll never forget, it was at the beginning of filming. As I remember, we were filming the scene where the kings came to Shugoddam with their retainers and begin the meeting of the five kingdoms. Taisei-kun came to the scene even though he wasn't supposed to appear.

Sakai: It was the first day of filming after all, so I thought I'd like to greet everyone and look around…

Morioka: Then, I think it was during a commemorative photo, that I noticed a slender, cute boy with silky hair standing next to me, and he greeted me by saying, "I'm Sakai Taisei, I'll be playing Gira." I said, "Oh, it's you!"

Sakai: Ahahaha!

Morioka: A kid with such sparkling eyes…I could already tell that he was a good kid.

Sakai: No, no (embarrassed). What I remember very clearly is the scene filmed at Kiyosumi Shirakawa BASE in the first episode. At that time, I think I was overly enthusiastic and was trying to, "Absorb everything I could!" But, Morioka-san gave me advice in a kind and gentle way, without a hint of looking annoyed. So, from the very beginning, I've had the impression that he's a "bundle of kindness."

Morioka: Haha. Also, the scene where Gira-sama appears for the first time inside Caucasuskabuto Castle and pleads for help with, "If you have this (the OhgerCalibur), you can save everyone, right?!" and, "That's why you (Racules) have got to use it!" was very memorable.

Sakai: It was the most difficult scene…

Morioka: It was the first important scene, a crucial point in the story.

Sakai: I ended up doing about 20 takes for one cut…However, Morioka-san didn't look annoyed and just went along with it.

Morioka: It wasn't just me, everyone who was there, including Racules (played by Masato Yano), was like, "Do your best!" I thought Kamihori-san's direction was amazing, and I was moved by how humble Sakai Taisei's earnest efforts to respond to them were.

"Over the past year, do you feel that Sakai-san's performance has changed?"

Morioka: I feel that it really has.

Sakai: Really?!

Morioka: Not just with Taisei-kun, but I feel this way about the entire cast. Well, Kaku So-san who plays Kaguragi Dybowski has alot of experience, so he's abit different. But, I really think Taisei-kun has changed the most. When we were filming the first episode that was mentioned earlier, Taisei-kun had alot of work to do. Even though he could've approached things from a different angle, he listened exactly to what the Director told him, responding with, "Yes!" and, "I see!"

Sakai: So embarrassing…

Morioka: Now, I can feel that he's listening to what the Director wants, and is trying to break it down so it can be put into the performance

Sakai: Over the past year, I've gradually become able to do this, but there are still many challenges.

Morioka: If anything, I don't have much time left as Douga now (laughs).

Sakai: Stop that! I once previously said directly to Morioka-san that he seems to enjoy acting more than anyone else. Do you actually feel excited as you perform the role, thinking, "What should I do here?"

Morioka: I do. It's fun to think about what I'm going to do. However, I'm very nervous, so I try to be well prepared so that I don't have to worry about how the others will react during the actual performance. So, it's always a battle between "fun" and "nervousness."

"If Douga were to arm himself with royal armor, what kind of warrior would you want him to be?"

Morioka: I'm also a boy, so I think a cool bug would be nice, however, the name Douga apparently comes from the cupreous chafer beetle (douganebuibui).

Sakai: Eh, Is that right?!

Morioka: I was told by fans that it might be so, but I don't know if it's really true or not (laughs). Ah, in episode 25, since Douga rode in Guardian Hercules when the retainers piloted God King-Ohger, I also admire warriors with a hercules beetle motif.

"If you have any questions you'd like to ask each other, please do so."

Morioka: If we were to meet in another production, what kind of show would it be, and what kind of relationship would you like us to play?

Sakai: I'd like to do a yakuza story. I'd like to be Morioka-san's henchman and say something like, (in a low voice) "Aniki!"

Morioka: That's good! It sounds interesting.

Sakai: On the other hand, what kind of production would Morioka-san like to work on with me?

Morioka: Taisei-kun plays the role of a heroine's lover, and I play the role of the heroine's father. I think a production that depicts everyday life would also be good.

Sakai: Sounds good!

Morioka: There's one other situation I'd like to try! I'm a lawyer and Taisei-kun is a suspect, and he'd be like, "Lawyer-san, I didn't do it!"

Sakai: (acting realistically) "Lawyer-san, I didn't do it!"

Sakai & Morioka: Ahahaha!

Sakai: I really want to work together again, so from now on, I'll continue to do my best!

Morioka: Same here. This is my wish, but I want Taisei-kun to become a popular actor who can play a wide range of roles. I think the most important thing for an actor is honesty, and Taisei-kun is a really honest person who absorbs things like a sponge. If he continues like this, I think he'll become what I consider to be the ideal actor.

Sakai: Thank you very much!!

"Finally, please give a message to the fans."

Morioka: The Producers, Director, production team, acting department, and fans have nurtured this program and given us strength. Personally, I've learned alot from the opinions on SNS. I'd be happy if you could continue to support me even after this production is over.

Sakai: King-Ohger is a production that the staff spent a long time discussing and working on to create. Every day, I feel that the cast and staff are working together as one to tackle this work. There are only 5 episodes remaining to air, but there are still great developments waiting to happen, so please look forward to it!

Watanabe Aoto (Yanma) x Chiwata Yuhei (Shiokara)

"Please tell us your impressions of each other's character."

Watanabe: My impression of Shiokara, played by Chiwa-san (Chiwata), is that, "The kinder the person is, the scarier they are when they're angry."

Chiwata:…Hmm?

Watanabe: In episode 35, Yanma and Shiokara's past was depicted, but there's a pretty big gap between Shiokara's current character…In the past, Shiokara was the type of person who was quick to get his hands on something and had a sharp personality. However, he had a gentle gaze toward his own friends, and I think that's still true today. Until that episode, only Shiokara's friendly side was depicted, but I realized that when he gets angry, he's really scary! At the time, I was afraid of interacting with Chiwa-san…

Chiwata: You liar! (laughs).

Watanabe: (laughs). Still, I thought that gap was really cool.

Chiwata: I see. Of course, I’ve had the impression from the beginning that Yanma was cool, but since entering the new chapter, I've come to think that he can see what's going on around him better than anyone else. It's like he has foresight. Within Yanma, I think he has a well established logic that says, "This is what will happen if I do this," where he's able to easily figure out what choices he should make at that moment. Once again, I think he's a very smart person.

"Do you see any similarities between your characters and the person playing the role?"

Watanabe: Shiokara plays the role of the "pipe" that connects Yanma to the citizens of "N'Kosopa's Three Magi," being Minami Hokuto-kun's Akka, Okano Kaito-kun's Usuba, and Hayakawa Nagisa-san's Mayuta. Chiwa-san is also good at communicating with everyone, so I think they're similar. That impression hasn't changed since the beginning.

Chiwata: The similarities between Aoto and Yanma are that they both have cool visuals.

Watanabe: Well, they're both me (laughs).

Chiwata: I see (laughs). Aoto is very direct. I think his humanity is similar to Yanma's because he has a firm core and doesn't bend his beliefs. Aoto, he can sometimes show his cute side. I traveled to South Korea for the first time in Summer of 2023, and when I talked to Aoto before I went, he said, "Nice! Chiwa-san, I like this Korean brand." I thought, "Does that mean you want me to buy it for you?" (laughs).

Watanabe: Wahaha! At that time, I said, "I'll buy it when I have time," but while in Korea, Chiwa-san sent me a picture of a paper bag from that store. It was sent with the message "kneel down" (laughs).

Chiwata: Still, I think that kind of honesty is typical of Aoto.

Watanabe: I received some really nice clothes. It made me really happy!

"You're good friends even in your private lives. This time, you appeared in the costumes for the new chapter that started from episode 27. The new chapter is set two years after episode 26, but did you change the way you played your roles?"

Chiwata: At first, I was conscious of wanting to express the fact that two years had passed. However, there was no drastic change in my performance.

Watanabe: When I discussed Yanma's hair style for the new chapter with Director Kamihoriuchi Kazuya, he told me, "I definitely don't want to end the pompadour." So I decided to change my hair color, and went with a blonde pompadour. At first, I imagined that Yanma would be alittle more mature two years later, but when I decided to go with the blond pompadour, I realized that he was still in the process of developing. Immediately after entering the new chapter, when I noticed TomboOhger's actions, his movements were faster and more frequent, making for a very aggressive fighting style. Also, the jacket, which is Yanma's costume before the transformation, has had the length shortened and the sleeves can be slipped through more easily, making it easier to move around.

Chiwata: In the beginning, because you often had to hang the jacket over your shoulders, you used to complain that, "The action is too difficult…"

Watanabe: That's right. So, for me, I try to be more active in my performance, with the awareness that "Yanma's peak has yet to come!"

"As of the publication of this book, episode 45 will have aired, but compared to when you were first chosen for your roles, please tell us about the setting or development that surprised you the most regarding your role."

Watanabe: In episode 35, the Royal Sentai failed to take back N'kosopa from the enemy, Hilbil Leech of the Uchu Five Jester, and the episode ends in a very bad situation. However, the subtitle for the following week was "Hymeno's Matchmaking Strategy," and Yanma was happily going on a matchmaking trip (laughs).

Chiwata: Ahahaha! Even though N'kosopa was in ruins.

Watanabe: I was surprised when I read the script, but I also thought it was really cool. As a man, I thought it was cool that he could be so devoted to the girl in front of him, even if it means he humiliates himself. Besides, when something negative happens to me, it's not as if I can solve the problem by just staying inside and thinking about it. When I find myself in such a situation, I'm the type of person who thinks about it and tries to live my daily life properly, so I empathize with Yanma.

Chiwata: This is also connected to the story of Yanma's foresight that I mentioned earlier. There's no point in crying over the loss of our country, so we should just do what we can do now.

Watanabe: This is probably due to the fact that Yanma became a member of the Royal Sentai, and the area he's supposed to protect isn't just N'kosopa, but also the entirety of Chikyu. It's helpful that Yanma is good at choosing which one to prioritize.

Chiwata: When I read the script for episode 35, I was really impressed. When I started this production, Director Kamihoriuchi told me, "I want Shiokara to be an innocent, energetic and lovable character" and that's what I kept trying to achieve. And then, episode 35 let me do the exact opposite! I was very happy that we were able to show the background of our characters. Actually, Takamina-san (Takano Minato), who wrote the script, also talked to me about episode 35. This included Shiokara's pronoun.

"In the variety show "Sokkin Sentai Sokkinger," which is distributed through TTFC, Chiwata-san said, "When the Director asked me to distort my character, Shiokara's pronoun was changed to Oira."

Chiwata: Yes. At first, in the script, Shiokara's pronoun was "Ore". However, in the opening scene of the first episode, I consulted Director Kamihoriuchi and said, "I want to change the pronoun," and it became "Oira." However, since it was an on set exchange, most of you didn't know about it, and it remained "Ore" in the script.

Watanabe: That's right.

Chiwata: Later, when Takamina-san came to the set, I apologized and said, "I'm sorry for changing the pronoun," and he said, "Don't worry. We'll change it to Oira in the next script." However, in episode 35, there was a mixture of "Oira" and "Ore," and I was told that, "This is intentional, so please act according to the script." I also felt it was rewarding to play the role of Shiokara because I was able to show the gap between Shiokara's current character and his past as a delinquent.

"Please tell us about any particular scenes between Yanma and Shiokara that moved you."

Watanabe: It has to be episode 35.

Chiwata: Yeah, that's mine too.

Watanabe: What Hilbil was targeting was the "I'm on top computer," which controls all of N'kosopa's systems, and is normally operated by Yanma. Hilbil brainwashed the people of N'kosopa by whispering to them to destroy the computer, and Shiokara accidentally took out his earplugs and was brainwashed, but Shiokara desperately fought against it. Seeing Shiokara's desperate resistance, Yanma decides to destroy the computer himself in order to break Shiokara and the others brainwashing…However, I think this is a scene where he becomes much more aware of his role as a king, that he's living together with his people, including Shiokara.

Chiwata: I've been curious about it for a long time. In that episode, Yanma was forced to choose between the country and Shiokara, right? Did Yanma choose Shiokara right away, or did he think about it until the last minute?

Watanabe: Right…To be honest, I thought that Yanma in that scene was naive. The Yanma I know could've sacrificed Shiokara, and I don't think he would've chosen Shiokara from the beginning. After hearing Shiokara's feelings about N'kosopa, I think he destroyed the computer thinking that he was responsible for everything. This is just my guess though.

"When Shiokara woke up, he asked him what had happened and, charmed by Yanma's manly spirit, decided to follow him for the rest of his life."

Chiwata: In Shiokara's mind, there was no choice but to follow Yanma. That's why Shiokara doesn't go against what Yanma says, but at the same time, Shiokara also has a desire to pull Yanma along. That's why when Yanma was brainwashed by Hilbil in episode 44, I really wish Shiokara had been there for him.

"Now then, please tell us what you think makes the combination of Yanma and Shiokara unbeatable compared to the other countries kings and retainers."

Watanabe: Compared to the other countries, I think the amount of time we spend together is second to none. Also, Shiokara knows what Yanma was like when he wasn't king.

Chiwata: That's true. I sometimes think about the age of the characters. I wonder, who's older, Yanma or Shiokara?

Watanabe: It's not clear.

Chiwata: I've never really asked Takamina-san, but I feel like Yanma and Shiokara are closer in age than the other pairs, I also think they give off a stronger feeling of siblings than the other pairs.

"Are there any scenes you'd like to play as N'kosopa's king and retainer?"

Watanabe: The past was depicted in episode 35, right? I'm curious about the story of how Yanma became king after Shiokara and the Three Magi became Yanma's friends.

Chiwata: I'd like to see that! Like how N'kosopa was founded.

Watanabe: There needs to be an "Episode Zero"!

Chiwata: Because, how is it possible that a city so devastated became a country of cutting edge technology in just a few years?

Watanabe: Still, until Yanma became king, he couldn't equip the TomboOhger royal armor…

Chiwata: Wouldn't it be better to depict Yanma taking the throne and arming himself with the TomboOhger royal armor for the first time in the ending?

Watanabe: Oooh! That sounds good.

"Speaking of, if Shiokara were to be armed with royal armor, what kind of warrior would he be?"

Chiwata: Would the motif be based on the Japanese white tailed skimmer (shiokaratonbo), which is also the origin of his name? When Shiokara became a pilot of God King-Ohger in episode 25, he was piloting a pill bug (rolling hammer), so there's also a pill bug motif. For the color, something closer to blue would be good…maybe a light blue?

Watanabe: Cute! (laughs).

Chiwata: But, if the retainers were to arm themselves with royal armor, I think the most exciting thing would be for them to become weapons and have the kings use them. For example, Shiokara could become a gun, and when Yanma uses it, it becomes even stronger.

Watanabe: Sounds interesting!

"Since we have this opportunity, would you be willing to ask each other questions?"

Watanabe: King-Ohger will continue to host shows and other events even after the TV series wraps up, but is there anything you'd like to try?

Chiwata: I want to go around the country on the Final Live Tour and meet the fans of our work. Also, it'd be nice to have character songs for the kings with their retainers of each country.

Watanabe: That's good. Staff, please hear us out!

Chiwata: Well, my question to Aoto is…in the future, what kind of actor do you want to be?

Watanabe: Suddenly it's a serious topic (laughs).

Chiwata: Sometimes we talk about acting, and I think Aoto is really good at performing, so I wonder, what kind of actor do you envision yourself becoming?

Watanabe: I want to be in productions that inspire the viewer. For example, after seeing a work that focuses on family, I think to myself, "I should value my family," or "Maybe I should call my family." I want to appear in works that make people feel happy or take positive action after watching them.

Chiwata: I see. In terms of entertainment, what about action?

Watanabe: I admire it!

Chiwata: You also box, don't you?

Watanabe: Yes. I'll continue to work hard to achieve my goals!

"Finally, please give a message to the fans."

Chiwata: I often receive compliments from various people in the entertainment industry, saying, "King-Ohger is amazing." This is thanks to all the fans who have supported and encouraged us so far. We will never forget our gratitude, and will do our best to make this a work that'll be enjoyed to the very end!

Watanabe: This production also involved alot of extras. In that respect, I feel that this work was created together with the viewers, and I'm grateful for it. There are only a few episodes left, so please follow us until the end!

Murakami Erica (Hymeno) x Yoshimitsu Hiroto (Sebastian)

"This time, it's a character book featuring the kings and their retainers, so we'd like to hear from both of you."

Yoshimitsu: Thank you for having me. (to Murakami) Ah, I've got some candy.

Murakami: Wow, I'll have some if I'm tired of talking. This is the kind of thing about Yoshimitsu-san that's just like Sebas himself. He once gave me a souvenir from when he went to the countryside, and his thoughtfulness is really wonderful.

Yoshimitsu: I have to try to make a good impression. There are alot of young people on set.

Murakami: There you go again with that~ (laughs).

Yoshimitsu: The cast members who play the kings are all around the same age as my children, so I can't help but find them cute. They all have good personalities. The actors who play the retainers also have good personalities, but they all have their own quirks. I guess you could say they're unique.

Murakami: Even the kings are unique (laughs).

Yoshimitsu: The six of them have their own individualities and are considerate. Hyme (Murakami), in particular is flawless. She's extremely positive.

Murakami: That's not true~

Yoshimitsu: You never give up. In the beginning, even though Kamihori-san was very strict with us, she would say, "This gives me a good foundation for the performance I'll do tomorrow." That's amazing, isn't it?

Murakami: Fufufu. I can ask Yoshimitsu-san various things, and he teaches me. When we're filming together and I say, "I don't understand this part…" he immediately makes a suggestion saying, "Why don't you try it this way?" I like our relationship, and I think that kind of thing is very similar to Sebas.

Yoshimitsu: I don't know if my suggestions are right or not.

Murakami: I'm always learning, and it's the kind of stuff that I actually use! (laughs).

"Alot of things were revealed about Sebastian in episode 36, but what kind of explanation did Yoshimitsu-san receive about Sebastian in the beginning?"

Yoshimitsu: Hymeno doesn't usually carry the OhgerCalibur, so I was told to always be there carrying the sword tray. Even if I didn't have any lines, I would come out with the sword tray. I thought to myself, "I don't have to memorize lines, lucky~" (laughs), but thought about various ways of holding the sword tray. For example, after handing over the sword to her, I would quickly pull the tray back. Well, around the middle of the show, I became more resourceful in the way I brought out the sword, and didn't hold the tray as much.

Murakami: Lately, there've been alot of instances where Hymeno is suddenly holding the sword. As for my own narrative, the sword is supposed to come out from the ribbon on her back.

Yoshimitsu: I see. By the way, when playing Sebastian, I often pay special attention to how I stand while holding the sword tray. They changed it halfway through, but the first sword tray was so heavy, that it was difficult for me to stand holding it. However, if my back is bent, it doesn't look like Sebastian, so I was very conscious of taking a step back with my right leg, keeping my back straight, and standing straight like a dancer.

Murakami: Regarding Sebas's performance, when Yoshimitsu-san and I were at the first script reading, Kamihori-san suggested, "Give me one distraught gesture. For example, touching your mustache." I remember when Sebas's iconic pose was born.

Yoshimitsu: Hymeno asks Sebas to do some pretty reckless things, doesn't she? Saying things like, "Create a flower garden overnight." Each time, Sebas would think, "Hmmm, how troublesome." As a gesture for such occasions, he would start touching his mustache. I also consulted with Kamihori-san as we put together the performance.

"Please tell us about your impressions of the character the other is playing."

Yoshimitsu: She's cute. However, I can't help but view her as my co star, not as her character.

Murakami: I see! (laughs). I don't usually talk to people like this directly, so I'm kind of happy!

Yoshimitsu: I look at you (Murakami) from a father's perspective, but if you were my real daughter, I wouldn't marry you off! And yet, I'd also worry that you wouldn't get married…She's so cute and has such a nice personality, that I think it'd be a big shock if someone saw something they didn't like about her.

Murakami: You definitely show your dislikes on a regular basis (laughs).

Yoshimitsu: Really?

Murakami: Things like acting recklessly…

Yoshimitsu: As your character, yes. But, there really isn't anything I dislike about Murakami-san herself. Even after filming for King-Ohger ends, if you or any of the other kids who play the role of kings ever have any problems, you can come to me for advice. Invite me out with, "Let's grab a drink," that's okay too.

Murakami: Thank you very much! Going beyond the relationship between Sebas and Hymeno's characters, I'm glad that you care about me too.

"Murakami-san, how do you feel about the character Sebastian?"

Murakami: I feel a sense of security. When Sebastian appears, I feel like Ishabana is able to maintain peace, and just having him by her side calms Hymeno down. Even in episode 14, when Hymeno mistakenly thinks that Jeramie Brasieri is the enemy of her parents, Sebas tries to calm Hymeno down by gently suggesting some tea.

Yoshimitsu: Hymeno responded with, "I don't need it," and Sebas made a sad face. I feel like that exchange went well.

Murakami: Yoshimitsu-san took the lead, so I felt comfortable playing the role.

Yoshimitsu: Now, it's the opposite. Murakami-san has grown so much in one year. At first, she would ask me, "Is it okay to do this?" and I would reply, "Do whatever you like," however, the other day I asked, "Is it okay to do this here?" and she replied, "Do whatever you like."

Murakami: (laughs). At that time, I was putting all my effort into my lines.

Yoshimitsu: That said, I've become able to respond to improved movements with improved lines, so those kind of interactions have become natural.

Murakami: I no longer get anxious.

Yoshimitsu: I'm getting better at it.

Murakami: In the beginning, I'd often think, "What'll happen if I do this, or if it doesn't work out, will I cause trouble for everyone…?"

Yoshimitsu: She's a very considerate person, isn't she? When the extras were standing on set, she said, "Since everyone is standing, I'll stand too."

Murakami: During filming, you have to take care of yourself, but the extras hesitated to sit down and stay hydrated. That's why I wondered what I could do.

Yoshimitsu: As for the Ishabana scenes, Murakami-san is the leader, so if the leader acts like that, the extras will feel more comfortable filming.

Murakami: I was also anxious about putting a burden on so many people, but I started to think, if something were to happen, as long as Yoshimitsu-san was there, everything would be okay!

Yoshimitsu: Lately, I've been thinking about becoming a candidate for Murakami-san's manager. The pay will be higher though.

Murakami: (laughs). I'm grateful that you'd choose me, even if I cause you trouble.

Yoshimitsu: You can cause as much trouble as you want. Just try doing a performance that you like! If they say, "That's annoying, pass," you can just try again.

Murakami: I'm gradually learning to rely on those around me, but if I rely on them too much, I won't be able to rely on myself. From now on, I'm going to have other jobs in this field.

Yoshimitsu: Right. Sebas won't always be by your side.

Murakami: I'd feel relieved if you came to my side like you usually do…

Yoshimitsu: You don't really intend to make me your exclusive manager, do you? (laughs).

"Were there any particular scenes between Hymeno and Sebastian that left an impression on you?"

Murakami: At the end of episode 36, when Hymeno asks Sebas, "Do you ever wish you could go back to being Romane Dearborn?" He answered, "Only when I hide my true face could I live my life the way I wanted to. Now, Sebastian the butler is who I am." I was impressed by that scene.

Yoshimitsu: You know, it didn't feel like I was saying the lines. It just came from my heart. Before we started filming, I was thinking alot about whether it would be better to do a performance based more on Romane Dearborn, but since I've always played Sebastian, it was an easy decision.

Murakami: Upon hearing that, Hymeno smiled and said, "Thank you." Both Hymeno and I were very happy.

Yoshimitsu: In that episode, there's a scene where the special makeup was applied for the first time by the waterside, and the script said "his eyes tear up." But when I was looking at Hyme, even if I didn't consciously try to cry, I just thought, "This kid, she's doing her best…" and I was already starting to tear up from the rehearsal (laughs).

Murakami: I didn't know that (laughs). I also like that waterside scene. As Hymeno puts on his glasses, she says, "Having compassion for others. That's the most beautiful thing you have, and the only thing I want."

Yoshimitsu: It was a performance that tugged at my heartstrings, or rather, it tickled my heart.

Murakami: It's good that Yoshimitsu-san can lift me up on this set, but that won't happen from now on. I think doing a single person performance…it worries me.

Yoshimitsu: Don't worry. You're fully qualified. It's not for me to say though (laughs).

"During the matchmaking episode, there were alot of highlights from both of your performances. The expressions on Hymeno's face when she was being impersonated by Kamejim Unka of the Uchu Five Jesters were also wonderful."

Yoshimitsu: Takano Minato-san, the screenwriter, is relentless. I thought, "How can he make us do such unpleasant things?!" The body swap scenes in episode 28 were also amazing.

Murakami: There are alot of lines, and it's not Jeramie, but it's a scenario that makes you read between the lines.

"If there's a spin off in the future, please tell us if there's any situations you'd like to perform."

Murakami: Hymeno tries to wake up in the morning, but can't, and when Sebas comes to her room and makes her morning tea, she feels relieved…I wanted to film a scene like that. Things like afternoon tea are usually elegant scenes, aren't they? I'd like to perform a tea scene that isn't like that.

Yoshimitsu: I was thinking of doing a backflip. I thought that if I, a 63 year old, did a backflip, I'd be able to convey Sebastian's true youthfulness. However, I don't want to injure myself and inconvenience everyone, and I haven't practiced in awhile, so I decided to stop.

Murakami: I definitely want to see an agile Sebastian.

Yoshimitsu: It'll be fun to do someday…but, will there ever be a "someday"?

Murakami: I don't know~ you might be doing backflips in 10 years.

Yoshimitsu: No, no, you might be a big actress 10 years from now, but this old man will have had enough…

Murakami: Fufufu, I'm looking forward to it.

"Could you please ask any questions you'd like to hear from each other?"

Yoshimitsu: I'd like to be invited to Hyme's wedding, but do you plan on getting married?

Murakami: I have a desire to start a family, so I'm sure I will someday…

Yoshimitsu: If you want to have a ceremony, please reach out to me. I'll provide a proper celebration.

Murakami: You got it! Well, I'd like to ask you a question as well. Yoshimitsu-san is very knowledgeable and knows many things regardless of the subject, why is that?

Yoshimitsu: I've lived a long life. Also, I like to talk, so I talk to alot of people and learn alot from them. Even if I don't know everything in depth, if I know even alittle bit, I can say, "I heard something like that back then," and use it as a basis for my performance. Also, sometimes I go out to eat and treat myself to traditional sushi (not conveyor belt). If I lived a normal life, you have no idea how nervous I'd feel going into a prestigious restaurant. I've never been in first class on an airplane, but I've heard that all the chairs are electric.

Murakami: That's cool. You've got a "let's give it a try" spirit.

Yoshimitsu: Yes, I have to try everything. If I were to play a role where I had to move to a first class seat, I'd be nervous if I had no experience, but if I had experience, I'd be able to do it easily and look like I'm used to it, you know? That's why it's good to have experience in everything.

Murakami: It's a great source of artistic talent. I guess it's all connected to acting.

"Finally, please give a message to the fans,"

Murakami: We've been walking together with the fans of Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, and I hope we can enjoy it together until the end. We'll be facing off against a powerful enemy, The Uchu King, but one of the strengths of Super Sentai is our unity. Everyone will work together and do their best!

Yoshimitsu: A year goes by so fast. It's sad. As Hyme just said, there's a powerful enemy standing in our way, so the kings, their retainers, and their people won't be able to win unless everyone is united. In episode 25, we were able to combine the 20 person God King-Ohger, but it has to be even better than that, so I feel like it's going to be something amazing. I didn't know much about the Super Sentai series, but I was moved by the fact that it touches so many people. It was a great experience, and I met some great friends. I never thought I'd meet such young and pure people at my age. It's truly been a treasured year for me.

Murakami: I hope you look forward to it. I don't think the Royal Sentai have ever failed our expectations.

Yoshimitsu: In the last spurt, I'll run until my heart stops.

Murakami: Don't let it stop! (laughs).

Hirakawa Yuzuki (Rita) x Hasegawa Kasumi (Morphonia)

"First, please introduce the character the other plays."

Hasegawa: Yuzuchin (Hirakawa) plays Rita Kaniska, the king of Gokkan. In the new chapter starting from episode 27, two years have passed, and their hair and the length of the jacket they wear have become shorter, and their slender legs look much better now. They're super cool!

Hirakawa: Is it just about looks? (laughs).

Hasegawa: I'll also talk about what's within (laughs). At a glance, because they're quiet, they may seem like a scary person, but at heart they're very kind, and they love the character Moffun that appears in the animated series "Together with Moffun." Although they're abit clumsy when it comes to socializing, because they're so bound by the principle of "fairness and equality," they're a king overflowing with love.

Hirakawa: Kasumin (Hasegawa) plays the role of Morphonia, Rita's retainer. Basically, work is tedious for her, but she doesn't slack off, and even if she complains, she gets the job done right. For Rita, she's not only their retainer, but also their emotional support. Rita doesn't say this directly, but her existence is one of a kind.

"Please tell us why you think the combination of Rita and Morphonia is unbeatable compared to the king and retainer combinations of the other countries."

Hasegawa: I think it's the fact that they're not bound by the "ruler and ruled" relationship present between a king and retainer.

Hirakawa: That's right. It feels like they're independent from each other. All the retainers from the other countries seem to be serving their king.

Hasegawa: If you think about it, compared to the other kings, Morphonia just calls them "Rita" (laughs).

Hirakawa: Yeah. Rather than "king and retainer" present in the other countries, what's different is that they interact with each other as individuals. Also, they can communicate their feelings without words.

Hasegawa: Rita doesn't say much. In episode 45, the story of Rita and Morphonia was depicted, and it feels like they've always been together since childhood. I think that because of that experience, they're able to understand each other so well.

Hirakawa: I don't know if it's a harmonizing thing, but they give off a strong feeling of being a duo that knows what they want to say without having to say it out loud.

Hasegawa: I think the attitude for the retainers of the other countries is, "I'll follow!" whereas with Morphonia, it feels like she's trying to walk together.

Hirakawa: That's true. It's not like Rita's in control of everything, and Morphonia isn't the type of person who needs to be shown the path to walk. The Gokkan duo may be the only ones walking side by side.

Hasegawa: Right. She lets Rita walk in front of her as much as possible, but when she want to stand next to them, she just stand next to them without hesitation.

Hirakawa: I guess the key point is whether it's in public or not. When attending a meeting in Shugoddam for example, I imagine that Morphonia is behind them.

Hasegawa: Morphonia is someone who understands TPO. (*being aware of what is/isn't appropriate)

"At the time of this books publication, episode 45 will have aired, and every character has been revealed. Apparently, Rita's parents are still alive and they've met up."

Hirakawa: I never really thought about Rita's parents until it was revealed in episode 38. Even if the setting was that they were dead, it wouldn't change my performance plan as Rita. Rita separates their private life from their professional life on and off, and if they became the presiding judge because they were separated from their parents, that would mean bringing their personal feelings into their work, so I didn't think such a scenario was likely to happen. That's why, when I read the script for episode 38, I just thought, "Ah, they have parents."

Hasegawa: Still, I can't imagine Rita talking to their parents.

Hirakawa: I think it's the same with my own family. Members of my family also take part in legal practices, so I come from a strict family…is what it seemed like.

Hasegawa: Was curfew at 4 p.m. or something? (laughs).

Hirakawa: I don't think that was quite it (laughs). The image of Rita I had in my mind was that of an only child, whose childhood friends were books and dictionaries…or so I felt. In episode 45, Morphonia's past was revealed.

Hasegawa: She's a child born between two criminals. I thought, "I knew it," so even after learning about it, I didn't change my performance plan.

"Please tell us about any memorable scenes between Rita and Morphonia. In the interview for, The Bonds Connected by Moffun and Racules?!, released in November 2023, you mentioned episodes 10 and 38, but has it increased since then?"

Hirakawa: I still think it's episode 38.

Hasegawa: The idol episode was memorable. Rita showed off their glittering idol look, and they cheerfully responded to Minongan Moth of the Uchu Five Jesters with, "Yes~!" We saw a different side of Rita than usual.

Hirakawa: Those scenes were nice, but the last one was good. Gokkan, where it snows throughout the entire year, was depicted with clear weather.

Hasegawa: That's right. That one was good.

Hirakawa: Actually, it seems like that last scene was almost cut.

Hasegawa: Eh?!

Hirakawa: Takamina-san mentioned it on SNS, but during a meeting discussing the scenario, Takamina-san was desperately defending it, saying, "It's absolutely necessary! Please keep it!"

Hasegawa: I see. I'm glad we got it~. In the end, we still improvised the performance.

Hirakawa: The final back shot, where they're walking together under the clear sky, was all improvised.

Hasegawa: After filming finished, I was unusually satisfied.

Hirakawa: The relationship between them also became closer.

Hasegawa: Well, Morphonia didn't understand Rita was doing undercover work, she completely misunderstood them (laughs).

"After watching the actual broadcast, what did you think?"

Hirakawa: I was just relieved. Rita has many "closed" parts, both physically and in terms of their character, so until it aired, I was nervous, wondering what kind of reaction we'd get if they opened up about it. Would be okay? Still, Rita's a character who will have to break down those walls someday, and after episode 38, I felt that their possibilities had expanded. And as expected, I watched the episode air with excitement, wondering if the dancing and singing scenes turned out well. When we were filming, all I could do was put on my best performance, so I was concerned about how the scenes would turn out. How about Kasumin?

Hasegawa: I was really looking forward to the broadcast.

Hirakawa: That's what we kept saying before it aired. We'd say, "It's almost time for the idol episode!"

Hasegawa: I couldn't wait to watch it! I was looking forward to seeing Rita in action, but I was also looking forward to seeing how funny it'd look when Morphonia and the kings try to reason with Rita and find out why they become an idol.

Hirakawa: To put it simply, it was really annoying (laughs). Even more so, everyone's performance was so convincing….

Hasegawa: Everyone was annoying. But that was our role.

Hirakawa: Even when we were filming, I was acting thinking, "You're doing something so extra," but the broadcast was filled with that atmosphere (laughs). Like the look on Morphonia's face when she was appealing to Rita with, "I'm the only one who'll always be with you!" (laughs).

Hasegawa: I also thought I looked too desperate myself, which was really funny! (laughs). I had a fun day on the day of the broadcast. Thank you.

"Was there ever a turning point in your performance plans?"

Hasegawa: Our characters changed in episodes that would trigger a change. Specifically, episode 10, 25, 38, and 45. But, I didn't consciously try to change it.

Hirakawa: When filming an episode where the characters get closer emotionally, naturally, things change. The fact that the actors have gotten to know each other over the course of a year of filming also has an effect. This is a good thing, as it's a production that'll broadcast for a year.

"We think that the distance between them has become closer, and their understanding of each other has changed, but how do Rita and Morphonia view each other now?"

Hasegawa: Aren't they partners?

Hirakawa: That's right. I think it's a position that only Morphonia can hold.

"She stays neutral next to Rita, so she's a comfortable presence for Rita."

Hasegawa: Even though they've always been together, they don't seem to interfere with each other. They have just the right amount of distance and trust.

Hirakawa: Everyone has their own worldview and purpose, so they don't go into it any more than necessary. But, they can't replace each other.

Hasegawa: To begin with, if Rita wasn't the king, Morphonia would've run away. She didn't originally want to work as a retainer.

Hirakawa: Rita's the king, so I guess she does it even though it's an intense job. She must've fallen in love with Rita's personality.

Hasegawa: I think so. I think they can be together because she respects them as a person.

Hirakawa: I’m just imagining it, but when first meeting Morphonia, do you think the impression of her was, "What an interesting person"?

Hasegawa: She's changed gradually, and now you'll think, "This person is amazing, she should be king after all."

Hirakawa: Even though she started working as a retainer with that feeling, it's amazing how she's actually helping Rita. Morphonia is excellent!

Hasegawa: She really is!

"If you study seriously, getting a score of 100 points isn't a dream, but we also have the image of her being satisfied with scoring 90 points. Rita on the other hand is always scoring 100 points."

Hasegawa: This is just me imagining, but even though she complains, I think Morphonia is secretly studying behind the scenes. That's why I think she'd score 99 points.

Hirakawa: She can't quite reach it.

Hasegawa: Rita's perfect, but Morphonia isn't. Although she's gotten the hang of things and is able to do her job, she doesn't think she's fit to be a king.

Hirakawa: Is it a mental thing?

Hasegawa: Rather, and I'm not talking about Rita's family from earlier, but Rita can make fair judgments about family matters when it comes to work, but it seems that Morphonia can't do that. I think she'd rather try her best not to judge.

Hirakawa: I can imagine that.

Hasegawa: There's a difference, and I think that's why Rita is the presiding judge.

"In episode 25, Morphonia also participated in battle as a pilot for God King-Ohger, but if she were to arm herself with royal armor, what kind of warrior would you want her to be?"

Hasegawa: If the motif were based on the morpho butterfly, which is the origin of her name (morufochou), the color would be blue…

Hirakawa: You'd become a citizen of N'kosopa!

Hasegawa: I think it'd be good if the characteristics of Gokkan's people were to show.

"We understand that the two of you have become closer over the past year, and we'd like to hear about what you've been doing in your private time."

Hasegawa: I want Yuzuchin to teach me how to make delicious coffee.

Hirakawa: Of course! When it comes to coffee, I can be abit talkative. I'm always going on and on.

Hasegawa: Alright! I want to learn how to make hand drip coffee.

Hirakawa: In that case, I'll have to train you at my house.

"Hirakawa-san, are you particular about coffee?"

Hirakawa: I love it, and am very particular about it. The beans, the equipment, and even the way it's poured.

Hasegawa: The other day, I happened to have a cup of coffee that tasted so good, that I was impressed by how different the same drink can be. Then, I found out that someone who was as immersed in the coffee obsession was so close to me!

Hirakawa: I'm thinking of becoming a certified Coffee Meister, would you like to study with me? (*certification by the Japan Specialty Coffee Association)

Hasegawa: I do, I do!

"Previously, when the two of you visited the King-Ohger booth at the Tokyo Toy Show 2023 event, it seems that nobody noticed you, but do you have any stories of being called out to on the street?"

Hirakawa: I do. When I went to see a stage play by a senior from my agency, one of the audience members noticed me. However, I didn't notice their voice, and a staff member told me about it as I was leaving.

Hasegawa: There's a rumor that I didn't realize that I'd been noticed before. When I went to see a stage play, someone said to me, "Aren't you a Sokkinger?!" and I thought it was a novel comment. I was at a loss for words, and I'm sorry for not giving a proper answer. I want to apologize to the person who approached me at that time.

Hirakawa: It's funny that you're apologizing here (laughs). I may not be able to provide much service when people call out to me in public, but it makes me happy to know that people are watching our work.

"Please give a message to the fans."

Hasegawa: Are you enjoying Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger? I hope you enjoy watching it until its conclusion, because there's going to be an unexpected twist at the end.

Hirakawa: It'll be over soon, but I think you can feel the growth and change both as our characters and as individuals. I think the kings will have the opportunity to meet fans directly at the hero show at Theater G Rosso, but first, I hope that you'll join us to see how the TV series will end. And even after it ends, I hope that this will be a show that is loved for a long, long time.

Kaku So (Kaguragi) x Kanzaki Hajime (Kuroda's actor)

"First, could you please introduce the character the other is playing?"

Kaku: There are many kuroko serving the Toufu lord, Kaguragi Dybowski, who I play. Among them, Kuroda is a special person who's close to Kaguragi. The name Kuroda was revealed midway through, but episode 37 depicts that he was a good friend of Kaguragi even before he became lord. Although he can be a bit clumsy at times, his movements are light. This is some behind the scenes info, but sometimes he uses a trampoline.

Kanzaki: Toufu's lord Kaguragi, who Kuroda serves, has unshakable feelings, but he doesn't show them to those around him. It's unknown if Kaguragi revealed to Kuroda the exchange he had with the previous lord, Iroki, 17 years ago, which was depicted in episode 37. My guess is that he hasn't revealed it…but, since they've been together for a long time, I think he trusts him.

Kaku: That means it's a strong relationship of trust, because even though he doesn't reveal everything, he still follows him. I think he wanted to have the person he trusted the most by his side, so when Kaguragi became lord, he made Kuroda his retainer. However, he wouldn't be able to become the castle's kuroko if he was incompetent in various aspects, so Kuroda must've worked really hard to train and become strong…is what I think.

"Until the past story of episode 37 was depicted, how did you imagine the two of them would open up to each other?"

Kaku: In the beginning, Kaguragi always called him "Kuroda-san," but in episode 10, he calls him "Kuroda." I was talking with Kanzaki-san about the fact that they probably didn't have a master and servant relationship to begin with. I imagined various things, like maybe Kuroda was older than Kaguragi, and that he had taken care of him like a butler since he was a small child.

Kanzaki: Since that part of the story hadn't been depicted, we acted without making a clear decision. However, in the past, Kuroda dressed as a farmer and was seen calling out to Kaguragi in a rough tone, so I think Kuroda is alittle older than him.

"In the early days, Kuroda didn't have any lines, which made his character more imaginative."

Kanzaki: I was thinking he wouldn't talk until the very end (laughs). Compared to the retainers from the other countries, I get the impression that Kuroda takes a step back and looks at his surroundings, which is similar to myself. I often participate in tokusatsu productions as a Suit Actor, but in King-Ohger, I'm in a position between the action department and the actors, so when I see the young cast members talking so lively, I take a step back and think, "How cute" (laughs). Kaku-san is also older than the other regulars who play the kings, but he has alot of cute moments and sometimes acts alittle silly inbetween performances (laughs).

Kaku: That's true (laughs).

Kanzaki: As a member of the action department, I continue to assist the cast members on set even after they've finished their performance, and conversely, I stay on after the action department's performance is over if Kuroda has a scene. That way, I get to see the cast and crew at work, so it's a very fulfilling time for me. Although it's through the kuroko mask, whenever I see Kaku-san's acting up close, I always feel that Kaku-san's performance as Kaguragi Dybowski makes the scene even more intense.

Kaku: That makes me happy (laughs).

"What's the charm of Kaguragi and Kuroda that makes them unbeatable compared to the king and retainer combinations of the other countries?"

Kaku: I don't know what they're going to do. Just the scenes where Kaguragi and Kuroda have a secret conversation and split up is enough to make you feel like they're up to something again, and I think it's exciting.

Kanzaki: I also think that being physically fit is one of their strengths.

Kaku: Definitely, For example, if the kings were absent and their retainers fought each other…then Kuroda might be the strongest. Another key point is that they captivate you with their gorgeous movements.

"In episode 26, when Toufu's crops were being harvested by Ishabana's Shugod, and the people were suffering from heatstrokes, it was interesting to see Kuroda rush in and roll in front of Kaguragi, who contained Hymeno's soul."

Kanzaki: Kamihori-san said, "Please do it. You'll do it, right?"

Kaku: You make an impressive appearance in a way that the rest of the retainers don't.

Kanzaki: Since I can't show facial expressions, I tend to rely on movement. When performing the actions of a monster, even the slightest breathing has to be expressed in a loud voice for it to be conveyed, but since Kuroda's costume is normal, I've made adjustments so that it doesn't come off as over the top.

Kaku: Also, Kuroda has a nice voice!

Kanzaki: Toriumi Kosuke-san's voice is wonderful!

"We'd like to ask you to look back on any memorable scenes between Kaguragi and Kuroda."

Kanzaki: In episode 28, the body swap episode, there's a scene in which Kaguragi, who had Hymeno's heart, makes medicine for the people who have collapsed from heatstroke, and Kamihori-san gave him various orders.

Kaku: When I first read the script, I thought it was going to be a more rushed approach to nursing. However, the Director seemed to want it to feel more calm. I struggled with it alittle.

Kanzaki: It was difficult to find the "pause" to move and give medicine to a sleeping person. Also, in the movie (Adventure Heaven, released in Summer 2023), the scene where Kuroda interrupts Kaguragi and Iroki when they're facing each other is very memorable. I used a trampoline to do some moves that I had little experience with, but the moment it was given the OK, Kaku-san said, "You did it! That was cool!" How kind of my lord…is what I thought.

Kaku: It was really cool, so I definitely want you all to pay attention to that scene. In episode 10, when Kuroda bows, Kaguragi says, "Kuroda, what are you…?," calling him that for the first time. From that scene on, Kuroda became a character that Kaguragi felt closer to, and the image I had of them began to come forward. Until then, I could only vaguely imagine the extent of their relationship, but after that episode, I was able to imagine it clearly.

"Two years passed between episodes 26 and 27, and each character grew two years older, but was there anything you changed about your performance?"

Kanzaki: Kaguragi was absent during the beginning of episode 27, and I was confused when the Director told me, "Kuroda will wear Kaguragi's haori and take his place as lord." I thought Kuroda couldn't wear it because of his character…I told Director Kamihori the same thing, but he encouraged me by saying, "Everyone so excited, saying, Kuroda's the only one who can take Kaguragi's place!" So, I put my mind into it and acted it out. However, the performance itself didn't change.

Kaku: I haven't changed anything since the two years passed, but in the beginning, I was exploring the character of Kaguragi as I played him. At the time, I thought I was doing my best not to let my doubts show, but looking back on it now, I often reflect thinking, "I should've done things in this direction more, huh?" In the beginning, I could only get a vague idea of Kaguragi's personality, but as filming continued, as it became clear how he outwits people and what kind of soul he had, my perception of him changed. If I had my way, I'd like to reshoot from episode 1 in his current state! If I had atleast been given the scripts up to episode 20 before we started filming, I think my performance plan would've been quite different.

Kanzaki: For example, in episode 4, there's the scene in which Kaguragi is armed with the royal armor for the first time in the series, and his face looks completely different now than it did then, as he looks much more sturdy. Like all the actors playing the kings, I thought it was amazing. Of course we in the action department work hard, but to see young actors grow by playing the same character in front of the cameras for a year is something that's rarely seen in other productions, and I think this is the real thrill of being involved with Super Sentai and Kamen Rider, both of which air for a whole year.

Kaku: It's true that it's rare to have the opportunity to play the same role for a whole year.

"Now then, could you tell us what you like about each other's performance?"

Kanzaki: Kaku-san gives off a profound feeling, in terms of power, I like the gap between slow and fast. Also, as I mentioned earlier, despite being an older member of the cast, I find him cute. And then, I don't think there are many people who'd look good in Kaguragi's costume, hair and makeup, so I think it's amazing that Kaku-san has made it his own.

Kaku: Thank you very much. Kanzaki-san is always thinking of various gestures for the shoot, and his large reactions, which easily convey his emotions to the viewer, are interesting and appealing in a way that the other retainers don't have. Then, including Toriumi-san's voice, I think it's a luxury. The character of Kuroda was created by combining the work of action and voice professionals, and every action and voice performance makes it more interesting.

"As of the publication of this book, episode 45 will have aired, but are there any scenes you'd like to perform in a spin off?"

Kaku: I'd be good if there was a depiction proving Kuroda's strength. Kanzaki-san is the one doing the movements, and I believe that Kuroda is strong, but there aren't many depictions that establish that. Also, a scene where the two of them do some farm work would be nice (laughs).

Kanzaki: Everyday scenes are nice.

"You say you want to see a strong Kuroda, but if a Kuroda were to fight armed with the royal armor, what kind of warrior would you want him to be?"

Kanzaki: The people of Toufu have names with a bee motif, right? Some viewers thought that Kuroda may have been derived from the name of a bee with "kuro" in it. Kaguragi's younger sister Suzume Dybowski is from the vespinae wasp (suzumebachi), and Iroki is from the Japanese yellow hornet (kiirosuzumebachi), so he's got to be a bee warrior. Kaku-san tells me that Kuroda seems strong, but I also like the idea of a cute worker bee with a honey bee motif (laughs).

Kaku: That sounds good. There are alot of kuroko in the castle, so they fight in groups. Let's have Kuroda take on the role of the leader.

"Could you please take this opportunity to ask each other some questions?"

Kanzaki: To begin with, Kaku-san, why did you enter this industry?

Kaku: I was originally interested in theater. Because my parents were athletes, I devoted myself to playing baseball and rugby, but I had to give up these sports due to an injury. However, since I was still young and full of energy, I decided to pursue a career in theater.

Kanzaki: I didn't know that. Even so, you have a really good physique. How tall are you?

Kaku: I'm 185 cm (6'1"). Fujita Yohei-san, a Suit Actor for King-Ohger, is also tall.

Kanzaki: He's 187 cm (6'2"). Although he's the largest in Japan Action Enterprise (his agency), Kaku-san is sturdier. If Kaku-san were to join our agency, he'd be in charge of the Super Sentai Robos (laughs).

Kaku: I adore the Robos! Kanzaki-san, how did you end up where you are today?

Kanzaki: At first, I wanted to do motorcycle stunts. Motorcycle and action stunts are different from performance stunts, but I gradually began to think that acting would be interesting as well. When I looked into how I could study, I found out about the agency I work for now and joined.

"It's already been a year since this production started filming. It might be alittle early to ask, but how do you feel looking back?"

Kaku: It was a very short but intense time. All the regulars are really nice kids.

Kanzaki: Agreed.

Kaku: I think it's a miracle that we've made it this far without incident. This is a production that's deeply touched my life. However, it's not over yet. There's the hero show at Theater G Rosso, and maybe, just like with "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger," which we had a collaboration with during this production, it'll be revived 10 years later!

Kanzaki: Just the other day, Yuzuki-chan was talking about that on set and said, "I'll be in my 30s then, huh…" When Hachisuka Yuichi-san (PapillonOhger's Suit Actor) heard that, he said, "I'll be 70!" (laughs).

Kaku: (laughs). If there's a 10th anniversary work, I'm looking forward to seeing what the setting will be like. What's going on with the kings? I wonder if they'll get along or split up (laughs).

"Finally, a message to the fans."

Kanzaki: I think the last part of the show is going to be a wild ride, so please keep your eyes peeled. Also, I'll always be a fan of Kaguragi Dybowski, Kaku So, and Teramoto Shogo, HachiOhger's Suit Actor. I'm personally looking forward to seeing how the Directors will "spice up" Kaguragi in the end.

Kaku: Thank you very much. Just reading the script makes me feel excited, but I'd like you all to see what Chikyu's future will be like. Please watch until the very end!

Ikeda Masashi (Jeramie) x Seki Tomokazu (Gerojim's VA)

Ikeda: Nice to meet you, I'm Ikeda Masashi. It's a pleasure!

Seki: Nice to meet you.

"What the? Is this the place for a conversation to be "nice to meet you"?!"

Seki: Afraid so. I had met the other five kings at the production press conference and on the variety show that I'm a regular on, but at that time, Jeramie still only appeared as the narrator.

Ikeda: I'm glad to finally meet you.

"Getting into it, we'd like to ask you about Jeramie and Gerojim. Could you please introduce the other and the role they play?"

Ikeda: Gerojim is a kind character who loves Jeramie more than anyone else, and tries to understand Chikyu and other people more than anyone else. He's a mysterious being who can disappear like haze or disguise himself as someone else, and there's something about him that I haven't fully grasped yet.

Seki: Gerojim was once treated like an "incomplete" Bugnarak, and a staff member explained to me that he felt sympathy for Jeramie, a half human half Bugnarak. If I were to introduce Jeramie…he's white (laughs). I feel that he's mentally mature, but I also feel that he puts up with alot and forces himself to hold back, so I'm afraid that he'll bottle up too much and eventually explode.

"Seki-san, what other information did you receive about Gerojim's character?"

Seki: Well, nothing in particular…Originally, there were no plans for me to appear. However, at the production press conference, I jokingly said, "I'm going to be in the main story, right?!" but after awhile, they asked, "Even if it's a weak role, it's better to play a role that lasts a long time, right?" I answered, "That's right" and got the role of Gerojim. I thought he'd make his introduction in episode 8, but then he was injected with poison by Racules Husty and was defeated, so I thought, "Huh?" (laughs).

Ikeda: Didn't they tell you about future developments, such as becoming a retainer to a king?

Seki: I didn't hear about it. But after that, I felt like I was going to keep up with Jeramie because of how many times he appeared. For the first recording session, I created my role based on the motif of the mayfly insect and the fragile image that I felt from reading the script, but when I saw the footage, I was surprised to find that the visuals looked quite rugged, and that the movements were powerful. Still, I thought it'd be more interesting to have a gap, so I decided to go with a whispering voice.

Ikeda: No kidding. When I first saw the footage of Gerojim with Seki-san's voice during the recording, I wondered how such a voice came from his body (laughs). The cast members playing the kings who were present had a variety of reactions, including bursting into laughter and being shocked. He has a way of speaking that makes you want to imitate him, so all the staff and cast members have fun imitating him on set.

Seki: That makes me happy! Being imitated means being loved.

"It seems difficult to express emotional intonation in that fragile, weak voice."

Seki: It's difficult during combat.

Ikeda: That's true.

Seki: I can't help but feel abit clumsy. However, especially in a situation where he has to fight to protect Jeramie, he can't afford to remain timid. Even during the recording, they told me, "Make it sound alittle more determined," but doing that would make him sound out of character, and it was surprisingly difficult to make that adjustment. Even in the early stages, it was difficult to say brave things with that voice. After I started working with Jeramie, I felt like I was following him, which suited his personality, or rather, I could play him naturally.

"Although his appearance hasn't changed, he's starting to look cuter."

Ikeda: He's really cute.

Seki: That's also thanks to Jeramie. Because he takes care of Gerojim, the viewers have also come to think of him as a "cute guy."

Ikeda: Seki-san added lines that weren't in the script, right? I'm always surprised when I hear this during recording, but I always think it's amazing how even tense scenes are funny and cute, and how they don't destroy the atmosphere of the scene.

Seki: Thank you very much. However, it's not like I'm just having fun and talking on my own. The staff gives off a feeling of, "We'll leave it to you, so please make it interesting," so I try to respond to that. Even if there are no lines in the script, such as scenes where he's alone with Jeramie, I'll sometimes be told, "Gerojim is shown here too, so maybe you could add some lines…" If someone says that to me, I have to include some dialogue, which makes me feel motivated.

Ikeda: I see.

Seki: I'd like to take this opportunity to say that I've been surprisingly following instructions (laughs).

Ikeda: The staff is also tempted to ask for more because they get more than they expected in return.

"Although this is abit of a departure from Gerojim's story, Seki-san also voices Minongan Moth, one of the Uchu Five Jesters. Minongan's role as an idol producer in episode 38 was also great."

Ikeda: I definitely want to hear about that episode!

Seki: With Minongan, I wasn't just doing whatever I wanted (laughs). First of all, when I was offered the role of Minongan, it was a character that was just grunting, so I thought it would be easy to differentiate him from Gerojim. However, when I read the script for episode 38, I found that he was talking alot, so I practiced using Minongan's scratchy voice before going into the recording studio. Then, the movements of Minongan in the video were completely like that of a certain Producer (J.Y.Park), and the Director told me, "Forget all of Minongan's acting up until now, and make him resemble that certain Producer," and he also said, "You can change the lines in the script to make them more interesting." So…

Ikeda: Ahahahaha! So that's how it happened.

Seki: I did the dub as I wanted, and when I said to Iko Marina, the idol played by Ikoma Rina-san, "If that's the case, Omori-san won't be satisfied!," Producer Omori Takahito, who was present, had allowed me to do all the adlibbing up until that point, but that was the only thing I couldn't do (laughs).

Ikeda: Is it because you specifically mentioned his name? (laughs). What an interesting story!

Seki: In any case, I was eager to respond to their unreasonable demands.

Ikeda: When we were doing the dub for episode 38, I saw footage that included Seki-san's voice, and it was so funny that when it came time for the actual recording, Rita couldn't stop laughing and said, "I can't concentrate!" There's also an episode where he "turned off" Minongan's voice (laughs).

Seki: Oh, that's right (laughs).

"Thank you for the behind the scenes info. Now, let's go back to these two Bugnarak…What do you think is the strength that makes them unbeatable compared to the other countries kings and retainers?"

Seki: It's difficult to tell whether he's alive or dead, but Gerojim seems to be immortal. Jeramie has also lived for over 2,000 years, so the amount of time they can spend together is the best part.

Ikeda: What I find charming about Jeramie and Gerojim is their "preciousness." When I see scenes of them having a conversation, I feel as if I've seen something irreplaceable. This is mainly due to Gerojim's character and Seki-san's voice, but it's what makes them an unbeatable combination compared to the other countries. They're also a combination with a strong desire for world peace. Bugnarak used to fight against humanity, but they inherited the kindness of caring for others from the previous king, Desnarak VIII, and have a dream of coexisting with humanity. They're really wonderful characters.

"As of the publication of this book, episode 45 will have aired, but please tell us about any memorable scenes or lines between Jeramie and Gerojim."

Ikeda: In episode 25, there's a scene where Gerojim persuades Jeramie with, "What you lack, is determination!" I was touched not only as Jeramie, but as myself.

Seki: I enjoyed playing Gerojim in that scene because it not only showed that he wasn't just a yes man, but that he was a good retainer who could express his own opinions. I was also impressed by the scene where the two of them talk to each other on the roof.

Ikeda: That was episode 29. The people of Chikyu had fallen for the Uchu Five Jesters strategy, and in order to stop the people of Chikyu from fighting with the people of other countries, they decided to become villains together…

Seki: I also liked the last scene where they walked away together. But since then, we haven't really seen Gerojim, have we? Where is he now? (laughs). Still, even though he doesn't appear much in the show, I think he's fun to play, as I'm able to create heartfelt scene with Jeramie

Ikeda: For scenes where Jeramie's emotions are stirring, he's often with Gerojim, so I try to imagine Seki-san's voice when filming.

Seki: But, didn't they mute my voice during recording because things got too noisy…?

Ikeda: That was Rita! (laughs)

Seki: I also like episode 25. Didn't the kings and all their entourage ride the God King-Ohger? I love the Super Sentai series, and have appeared in quite a few of them, but only carefully selected members can ride the Robos. This time however, I was able to ride in it. I'm grateful to Jeramie for recognizing Gerojim as his first citizen. Jeramie has made my dreams come true, so I'll also serve him (laughs).

Ikeda: (laughs). I'm glad your dream came true.

"As a professional voice actor, what does Seki-san think of Ikeda-san's voice, who also serves as the storyteller and narrator?"

Seki: For awhile after it started, I thought the narrator was Taniyama Kisho-kun, who does the voice for items such as the OhgerCalibur.

Ikeda: Eh?!

Seki: In the case of Super Sentai and Kamen Rider, the person in charge of voicing the transformation items often doubles as the narrator. But as the episodes went on, I started to feel this wasn't the case, and the staff told me, "The sixth warrior is also the narrator." So that was their direction! I think I would've been really surprised if I had been watching as a viewer. Ikeda-kun's voice is gentle and fits the atmosphere, and I think it's very good for narration.

Ikeda: That makes me really happy. I've never been confident with my voice. I'd never been aware of how my own voice sounded, so when I was chosen to play the role of Jeramie and was told that I would also be the narrator, I was very nervous.

Seki: I think you have a lovely voice. Something like that I don't notice myself.

Ikeda: Through this production, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to receive compliments on my voice, and I've gradually gained some confidence.

"We think Gerojim and Minongan's performance is unique, but did Ikeda-san learn anything from Seki-san's voice acting?"

Ikeda: Everything is a learning experience. I usually lend my voice to the movements of Takada Masashi-san, the Suit Actor for Spider Kumonos, but in the beginning, I couldn't get it right at all. When I heard Seki-san's voice, which perfectly matched the movements of Gerojim and Minongan, I was overwhelmed by the intonation of his performance, it was so amazing that I wondered where I could learn from him….

Seki: It's difficult. The first character I played in Super Sentai was Prince Buldont/Kaiser Buldont in "Chouriki Sentai Ohranger." I became friends with the Suit Actors, and I strongly felt that they weren't just fighting, but also performing as actors. I think we learned alot from discussing how to create the role at that time, sharing our opinions, and creating the role together. When you feel like you're not only playing a character, but also merging into the character as an actor, the words come out naturally.

Ikeda: I think it's important to match them up. I also admire your skill in conveying emotions with just your voice. Because we show our faces and perform, we can convey the message through our facial expressions, but when it comes to just our voices, it becomes very difficult…What do you keep in mind when performing?

Seki: You might think, "Does that change anything?," but one of my key points is to imagine the other person's position in a concrete manner. Your voice will sound different depending on if you act towards an indistinct space or towards a clear point. Instead of "approximately here," try to imagine, "Here I am!"

Ikeda: Thank you so much! I'll keep this in mind from now on. Listening to you talk like this, I realize once again that it's the power of Seki-san's voice that has made the combination of Jeramie and Gerojim so well loved.

"Finally, please give a message to the fans."

Ikeda: In the endgame, we have the unfathomably strong Uchu King, Dagded Dujardin. The main highlight is how the Royal Sentai will defeat him. As for Jeramie's highlight, I'd like you to pay attention to how he concludes the story as the storyteller.

Seki: Gerojim hasn't been seen for awhile, but don't worry. He'll stay by Jeramie's side, never leaving. When you really need him, he'll come right away, so please support him. And also, please support and take care of "my" king.

Ikeda: From now on, as Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger's Jeramie and Gerojim,

Ikeda & Seki: Thank you!

[writingquestionsanswered]

Do you have any advice for writing description if you don’t really have a “mind’s eye”? I really struggle because I have a really hard time thinking/imagining things visually. (I know visuals aren’t the only type of description you can include when writing, but I’d still like to improve at them.)

Three Quick Tips for Describing Visuals

Your character has just stepped into the throne room of a medieval castle. You have a vague mental image of what this castle and its throne room look like, but you have no idea how to go about describing it. So, what do you do? Here are three quick tips that will help you with your description:

1 - Gather Inspiration Images - Inspiration images are a great way to refine the picture in your mind's eye and keep details straight. Just go to your favorite search engine and plug in your keywords, then scroll through the results to find images that speak to you. Save them in a folder on your device so you can refer to them as needed. You may even want to create a "mood board" collage or a Pinterest board.

Example: "fantasy medieval throne room"

2 - Gather Your Vocab - Once you have your inspiration images in hand, you find it hard to put what you're seeing into words because you're missing the necessary vocabulary to describe what you're seeing. Fortunately, you can search for lists, diagrams, and labeled images that will tell you what things are called. If you need the door into the throne room, try looking up "door styles" or "types of doors." If you need to describe the throne, try looking up "chair styles" or "parts of a chair."

Example: "parts of a castle" & "parts of a throne" 3 - Gather Your Other Atmospheric and Sensory Details - Next, you want to consider the atmospheric and sensory details, then gather your words. What can the character see? (What color are the stone walls? Is the air hazy? Are there flickering candles in wrought iron torchieres?) What can they hear? (Are voices echoing through the cavernous hall? Is there lute music playing?) What can they smell? (Is there wood smoke from the torches on the walls? Is there the smell of roasted meat wafting from the kitchens?) What can they taste? (If they're nervous, do they taste bile in the back of their throat or salt from their sweat?) What can they feel? (Is the throne room warm from all the people? Cold because it's cavernous and stone?)

Example: "shades of the color gray" & "words to describe smells" Have fun with your story!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[nqmonarch]

Red Flags in HSR Characters

I have a problem of simping for the most red flagged characters except I can't handle red flags. Like violence makes me nope the fuck out of any relationship, I am so scared of getting hurt in any way, shape, or form. In real life I'm fucking terrified of being manipulated into being dependent on someone because I've experienced that shit and it isn't fun. Hate being insulted, degraded, all of that.

But the red flagged characters are just too cool???

Like Dr. Ratio, sure he's a pompous shit and would probably end up degrading you which I hate but he's so cool?! So I need to find some way to make him into this weird yellow flag without making myself into some super genius because no way is that gonna happen.

So instead put him in like a tutor AU, he's teaching you and when you get something wrong he gives you such a side ways insult. Like it takes a minute to realize it's an insult, it's worded in such a creative peculiar way. The second it registers you begin doing ten times worse on every question. It doesn't take long for him to realize that being told you're shit isn't inspiring to everyone. So he takes a... kinder approach. He's still a hard ass and strict but he's actively trying to do better and you can tell, when he starts a sentence suddenly stops and then brings that sentence in a completely different direction. You both end up learning. You end up learning the material and he ends up learning how to be somewhat better at dealing with people whose ideal day isn't being insulted.

Then there's the aeons. i simp for all of them, like how can you not??? Especially Nanook (using he/him pronouns for Nanook), Yaoshi, IX, and Aha. Now first off IX isn't a red flag IX is a lovely little black hole who I will defend with my life. But the other three??? They're as red as a stop sign.

Like sure, Nanook would probably destroy you the first chance he gets. Maybe Nanook is the destruction because he wants to be destroyed. I, I don't know man. Like he's so beautiful but how the hell do you even write romance with him? That isn't just like destroying the love interest.

Maybe he's had an insatiable urge to destroy everything ever since the dawn of his existence and he can't remember why. He's always been filled with rage, hatred, toward everything that's existed. Then he sees you and it all comes rushing back toward him. Your death, the hole it filled, the only thing that could really be blamed was the universe. It was everyone and everything's fault. So he would destroy it all to protect you.

Still a red flag but man I'm trying my best, no matter what Nanook will always be a red flag. Yaoshi on the other hand... surely there's a way I can make Yaoshi into a yellow flag after all they just want to help.

Yaoshi who would save your entire planet, heal every individual part of the ecosystem and every person, just to see you smile. They would ask nothing in return and instead remain by your side, enjoying the beautiful of the world. Then the mara strikes, people begin to lose their minds and themselves and you're left to beg them for a way to reverse this. But this is the price of life.

Yaoshi assures you that this is natural but they still watch on in horror as you inevitably succumb to the mara as well. Only then do they try to figure out how to fix it.

The further I get the more hopeless I become. Then there's Aha...

They probably found you entertaining at first, a human full of surprises and excitement, someone that could survive any trial. Then you grew on them a bit more and they found himself becoming attached. Aha wasn't supposed to be attached but this of course just makes an opportunity for more entertainment! Now they're actually invested and can experience the nail biting tension of all this drama!

Just another form of entertainment, it'll be a shame when you're gone though.

Then there's all the other beautiful red flags Ruan Mei, Jing Liu, Blade, Luocha, and Aventurine and Sunday seem like red flags as well even though they're not out. Like if bad to date why do I want to date?

Their red flags are a part of them and it's hard to work around it, so sometimes you just gotta embrace it. Life's rough man. In the end it's my fault for liking red flags. I'll just stick to Jing Yuan for now, peak husband material.

[genshin-obsessed]

Him As a Fake Boyfriend | Genshin Impact

✧ So, my inspiration is from a movie, there are so many like these and they're always fun to me, sooooo I wrote about it! I hope you like it! The "plot" is generic, don't mind me. Also, usually I'll have a template for consistency but I didn't really come up with one here- sorry, I just really wanted to write it lol.

✧ Characters: Diluc, Kaeya, Thoma, Wanderer, Tighnari, Kaveh

✧ Extra: As per usual, (w/n) stands for wanderer's name in the event you wanna use the one you chose

Your sister is getting married, so of course you would be attending. The problem was... your ex was going to be there as well. As much as you disliked them, you had to attend. You had already lied a few times to your family that you did, indeed, have a boyfriend and planned a whole breakup story before actually attending the wedding. That's when your sister mentioned to you that your ex was attending.

Of course, she also told you to bring your boyfriend so that you could show him off. One problem: you didn't have one. So what was your plan?

You were going to hire one.

✧✧ Diluc ✧✧

Well, you're bold to approach him to be your fake boyfriend. You two were... barely friends, really. So he flat out rejected you the first time you asked.

You had to give him a whole explanation, practically begging him to reconsider. It took a while, but he finally accepted, declining when you said you'd pay him.

He told you to consider it a favor, and that he'll definitely be asking for one back in the future. You agreed- seeing as how you had little choice you had.

Diluc is pretty good at faking it. He's the type that keeps around you, comes up with replies really fast. He's good at remembering everything- all the information you gave him.

Definitely a no-nonsense boyfriend. If you're lying to yourself, he'll let you know. He also makes sure to remind you that you lying to everyone won't help either and it's best to resolve the issue quickly.

However, he also plays his role really well. There are no slipups, he's super confident, and he definitely scares your ex. The glares he sends your ex's way are just... so good.

You can help but be attracted to Diluc toward the end... he was pretty amazing...

✧✧ Kaeya ✧✧

He is definitely smirking and making assumptions on why you came to him, specifically. Of course, he teased you for a few minutes but eventually agreed. However, you'd owe him now.

He sat you down somewhere private and asked you seriously why you were asking for this. You gave him a quick rundown of the situation and he listened quietly before affirming that he'd be helping.

He's good at memorizing all your family members names, their faces, likes, dislikes, all that. You give him a lengthy speech before getting to the town where the wedding was going to be.

Kaeya is really good at calming you down, making sure to say the right things when any family member upsets you. He's not all that intimidating at first glance and he's ok with that.

He keeps your ex away by being all over you. The second your ex is even approaching you, Kaeya's arm is around your waist, pulling you against his chest, and kissing your cheek.

Honestly, your entire family is convinced Kaeya is so head over heels for you and keeps telling you that you should marry him soon. Of course, Kaeya happily agrees to it in front of them, but says nothing afterward.

At the end of the day, this was just a fake boyfriend situation. Or was it?

✧✧Thoma✧✧

You and Thoma weren't the closest, but you knew of him and so... you tried anyway. Thoma was shocked for sure and a little unsure at first. But you needed help so... he agreed. He wanted you to keep the money, but you insisted, telling him to just treat it like a job since you two weren't that close.

He had little to no trouble remembering names, likes, dislikes, and problematic people. You explained that some family members were really obnoxious and sometimes got into arguments with one another or insulted you.

Thoma memorized everyone and assured you it would be fine. You also gave him an explanation on that dumb ex of yours. Thoma picked up on your discomfort and touched your shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll be fine."

You two were staying in a family member's large home, in which you and Thoma shared a room. He offered to sleep on the floor but you didn't mind sharing the bed.

Everyone LOVES him. He's entertaining, kind, sweet, and very comforting. If someone says something that upsets you, he makes an excuse to pull you away and immediately says the opposite. Someone makes fun of you? He's telling you how gorgeous you look.

Your ex can't even get a minute with you. The second they look at you and are coming over, Thoma's grabbing your arm and taking you somewhere else.

He's the comforting boyfriend and it almost makes you a little sad when you're both heading back because you know this charade will be over soon. But it was definitely fun while it lasted. Maybe.. you might ask him out to a real date soon.

✧✧Wanderer✧✧

First of all, why him? Second, he wants that payment upfront. Every mora. He's rolling his eyes the entire time you're explaining why you wanted him to help you.

However, he does listen well when you're telling him names and personalities. He asks questions and makes sure he remembers everything to keep from embarrassing you.

He... doesn't stand for anyone making fun of you. Old friends, family, that dumbass ex. Right now, you're his and no one's gonna insult what belongs to him.

It was actually endearing. He may have been a bit too aggressive, but the way he defended you almost made you feel sad you weren't actually with him.

He's, of course, the no no-nonsense boyfriend, letting you know if you're being a doormat for everyone. He is, however, encouraging. Telling you what to do to actually be happy- as an unbiased party watching you crash and burn. That made you laugh for sure.

Your ex had managed to pull you away for a minute, telling you that they were better than (w/n) and that's when your "boyfriend" swooped in. Pretty much insulted and threatened your ex before dragging you off.

All in all, you enjoyed the wedding with (w/n)- a lot more than you thought you would. You were almost tempted to ask him out on a real date. He might've even said yes, who knows...

✧✧Tighnari✧✧

Tighnari thought it was a joke at first and actually laughed before his smile faltered and he apologized. You explained the whole reason- practically holding nothing back.

Tighnari felt bad so he agreed, he also insisted you keep your money. You explained that you'd need to stay at your family's home for a few days and he agreed to that too.

You two went through the family names and all that- but he almost made a point to ask what you were comfortable with. Hugs, kisses, PDA- all that. You knew there wasn't much of a choice, you two needed to look like a genuine couple... so everything was ok.

Tighnari's interactions with your family made him seem like he fit in almost perfectly. Your family loved him, but there were some that were skeptics. Especially your ex. Tighnari simply explained you were a new couple, so you two were still getting used to one another.

He took really good care of you. He made sure you didn't drink too much, he kept you from anyone who didn't like you, countered any insult that was thrown your way, and was just so perfect.

He showed his affection through touches and light kisses, rubbing your wrist before grabbing your hand and placing a kiss on your knuckles. The event went so smoothly with him there.

At the end of it, you were quite sad that you weren't actually with him. You made sure to thank him repeatedly but he only chuckled and waved it off, saying he had fun. You heavily debated asking him out right then and there.

✧✧Kaveh✧✧

Kaveh... wasn't sure. Pretending to be your boyfriend? That would just lead to more problems. Especially if he slipped up. He refused at first, but you really asked him.

He was dead set on rejecting you but when your eyes met his and he saw that desperation in there, he kinda froze up. You really needed help and what kind of man would he be to turn you down? So, he agreed- but he didn't want to be paid for it.

Learning about your family was hard, especially in one day. Of course, that didn't mean he didn't give it his darndest, but he couldn't remember them all before the day you were supposed to be at the family home.

Even if he couldn't remember them all, Kaveh has a very shiny personality and easily won your entire family over. He was so easy going, such a goof, and really kind! Your ex, however, didn't like him.

That was the entire point, every time he talked near your ex, Kaveh just went on tirades about how perfect you were for him and how lucky of a man he was to have such a sweet person loving him. Honestly, your family was already planning your wedding while still at your sister's wedding!

He was definitely the sweet, touchy boyfriend. He always had an arm around you, he often gave you kisses, don't forget dance practice! Honestly, he had so much fun- even if half of it was fake. Before you two knew it, the wedding was over and you were headed back.

You really had fun and throughout the party you kept comparing Kaveh to your ex. He was so much better- kinder, more fun, more loving, even if it was fake. There was a dull ache in your chest as you were going home and you were heavily debating on whether or not you should ask him out for real.

[comicgeekery]

Sherlock and Co.

So I just listened to the latest episode, the conclusion of A Case of Identity. I have to say, it was deeply disappointing. For the most part I've been really enjoying Sherlock and Co. It's been fun and engaging. The actors are great. It's a solid new take on "Sherlock Holmes but in the 21st century". I love that they're going through all the stories of the original canon and giving them modern updates. So many Sherlock Holmes adaptations seem to have the basic trappings of the characters and premise without any interest in the original mysteries. This show is clearly being made with love and deep attention to detail. Also, on a personal note, my heart melts every time it explicitly (and even casually!) confirms that Sherlock is autistic and that that is a DISABILITY for him. He gets overstimulated. It gives him an often restricted diet. He hurts people's feelings from not picking up social cues and feels bad about it! There's also a lot of hints that Sherlock used to struggle to interact with others FAR worse than he currently does, to the point where he has never graduated from any school he attended. And John is kind and supportive, understanding the situation as a friend and a doctor, while also having his own understandable limitations. He gets annoyed with Sherlock sometimes and they need to hash things out. It's not perfect between them, but I can see how they're growing closer as they come to understand each other. John Watson is also handled very interestingly in this podcast. He's clearly got some issues of his own he's going through. There's some obvious PTSD from his time in Afghanistan, but also more mundane issues. He feels unappreciated by his mother and still grieves the father that died when he was ten. He's clearly massively insecure, as he constantly expresses jealousy of other people's wealth, good looks, and success. He seems to perk up every time he hears of an idea that could, in theory, make him rich or successful. He constantly second-guesses himself in any social situation because he's so afraid of looking foolish. I even think the reason that he himself decided to call their detective/podcasting business Sherlock and Co. (rather than Sherlock and Watson or something more evenly balanced) is because of his profound insecurity. He doesn't think anyone would care about the role he plays in the business. Clearly Sherlock is the only interesting person there.

But for all of that, I think this is the most competent, helpful, and good Watson I've ever seen. (ACD's Watson is excellent, but the stories almost always really downplayed his role in the crime-solving.) He is shown, again and again, to be an excellent doctor and more than that, one who is very calm and capable under extreme pressure. (Which makes perfect sense with his history as an army doctor.) If someone gets shot at your wedding, Dr. John Watson is the one who will have the skill and the presence of mind to use an expired condom as a tool to save their life. And he's also a good co-detective. He regularly helps Sherlock see connections that Sherlock might have missed. Things relating to pop culture, to social norms, to anything medical, not to mention all the support and encouragement John offers. And Sherlock genuinely appreciates it! These two are an actual, real team! It's excellent! (I have a soft spot in my heart for Nigel Bruce's Watson, but I can't deny that he inspired a real line of idiotic, totally a sidekick, why-are-you-even-here Watson portrayals. Granted, we've gotten away from that in most modern portrayals; Liu, Freeman, and Law were also very capable, though I think Liu was easily the smartest. It's just refreshing to have a Watson I can respect.) But all of that is a pretty roundabout way of getting to my point of what disappointed me with A Case of Identity. So, in the original Case of Identity story, a woman comes to Sherlock and Watson saying that her fiancee has disappeared. The eventual solution is that everything about this fiancee was a lie. He was actually her evil stepfather in disguise "wooing" her with the intention of disappearing mysteriously and leaving her too heartbroken and loyal to think of marrying anyone else (and thus depriving her stepfather of her fortune). The Sherlock and Co. adaptation has a solid update to the story. It's now about a rich, though insecure, man who's being cat-fished. He loves "Angel", even wants to marry her, and has given her tons of money for two years now. He's only going to Sherlock at all because he has a friend who thinks the situation is sketchy. In a parallel to the original story, it turns out that "Angel" is actually Des, the client's stepfather. It started off as a scheme from Des and the mother, Clara, to keep Miles from dating women they didn't approve of. Then Des went behind Clara's back to keep the charade going and get more and more money, consequently getting more and more intimate with his stepson the whole time. I was already a bit nervous at that point, because Des was coming dangerously close to playing out a transphobic stereotype. Being a man who pretended to be a woman for personal gain, and willing to completely betray and deceive the people closest to him. It also didn't help that John had made a point of saying that there was nothing wrong with being a Tory mere minutes before. (Which to me read as more of his insecurity and need to not alienate the in-universe listeners but certainly wasn't interrogated.) But I tried to be optimistic and kept listening. Unfortunately...it was even worse than I'd feared. Des turned out to not only being grifting his stepson through a semi-incestuous cat-fishing scheme, but he had a split personality. Angel had become real through Des having a mental health crisis. And she could spontaneously take over, which she did in order to grab Clara and hold a knife to her throat when the truth came out. Finally, Angel/Des tries to kill themself, which is something the show has the audacity to make a joke about before the audience knows if Des lived or died.

Sooooo, yeah. That's incredibly offensive on so many levels. Angel, while not quite a trans character (I think?) plays into transphobic rhetoric beat-for-beat. It's also an incredibly cliche representation of split personality disorder that plays into extremely tired representations of people with mental illnesses being violent dangers to society. And that's especially disappointing because of the attention Sherlock and Co. usually pays to portraying mental health issues with sensitivity. What the fuck, Sherlock and Co.? Did you get a new writer for this one? Did they time travel directly from the 1950s? This is cheap drama that hurts. It hurts trans women. It hurts people with mental illnesses. And it hurts the wider queer and disabled communities. Which, if you're trying to get popular with the most vocal Sherlock Holmes fans today, are largely the exact people you most want to like you.

Cards on the table, I've been really hoping this show would finally be the adaptation where John and Sherlock would become an actual, explicit couple. It's something fans have longed for for literal generations and now that all of Sherlock Holmes is in the public domain it can finally definitely happen. I felt like Sherlock and John had good chemistry and were maybe even flirting in previous episodes, but I'll save those theories for now. My point is that this is a show where I believed that could happen. I trusted Sherlock and Co. to be respectful and thoughtful. And I'm not saying that all my goodwill is gone now. But it has taken a hit. Sherlock and Co. has been overwhelmingly clever and interesting, finding creative ways to recast the classic stories while still keeping their hearts. I love the acting, I love the action and mysteries, and I haven't even come close to expressing how much thought I've put into what overarching plot threads might be getting established in each episode.

But I won't be able to continue to enjoy those parts if I come to spend my time listening more concerned about if a plot twist is going to leave me feeling attacked. I don't know who writes for this show and I don't know if you read any reviews on Tumblr, but I hope you do. And I hope you do better in the future. An apology and some good trans representation in the future would be nice. Please, I really want to be able to obsess about your show peacefully!

[egg-emperor]

Does Eggman actually have dark red eyes? I wanted to hear your take on that!

Nah that was just an ongoing thing in non canon media. Likely due to how the US box art Eggman for classic games looked like he had black voids for eyes, then 90s shows seemed to take inspiration but gave him red irises, which the Archie comics then adopted- well pre reboot, as he was later depicted with white sclera there even.

In the games he's always had regular white sclera instead. Even before we knew his actual iris color, he was consistenly depicted with white sclera long before and it was always Sega/Sonic Team Japan's vision. Here I'll compile some times they've appeared in the actual games

This was an unused animation for the Egg Poison boss but it's still a sprite made for a game that depicts what they envisioned his eyes to be:

They should've kept it because it was very cute and funny, spilling Mega Mack over himself XD

But with that, it dates his white sclera all the way back to Sonic 2, despite what Western classic box art and shows depicted at the time

The Sonic Advance games and Sonic Battle have his eyes very comically pop out when he takes damage:

He's literally one of these keychains where you squeeze them and the eyes pop out, they need to make an official Advance/Battle Eggman keychain like this lol

The 2D animations like Sonic Mania Adventures are considerably canon as they take place after the game's events and are in an actual game now through Sonic Origins' museum. You can see them there too:

You can also see them again in the character sheet art that was also used as reference for the Origins 2D animation:

Trio of Trouble, which also should be canon as a prequel and promo for Sonic Superstars, also shows his eyes briefly:

The only time he's been shown with an iris color in a game is Sonic 06, where we finally see that they're blue

While 06's events were erased from the timeline, Eggman's eye color obviously wouldn't have just randomly changed just for these events and then been some other color after, so this solidly confirms what color his irises are

I really love the light gray-blue shade they went with specifically, suits him best for it makes them look cold and intense which I think works as a much better way to give him a sinister look than much more cliche red and black eyes

And a bonus which perhaps might not be the case but that one CD sprite has always appeared to give a peek at the whites of his eyes behind his glasses to me at least too:

There are also non canon depictions with white sclera as much as there are of him with red and black but I wanted to compile the appearances within actual games and tie-ins specifically. And as you can see, he has white sclera in all of them and blue irises in 06

Red and black is purely non canon. A lot of people have theories about his eyes changing or looking different because of non canon media but if he took his glasses off in a 3D modern game, he'd absolutely just have blue eyes and white sclera

I really hope they do at some point because they'd be fun to see on his regular model outside of 06 and would look very pretty hehe 🩵 I love to imagine them all the time and I'm very happy that they're the canon look because they're the best!

[dovabunny]

(Ghost)Soap AU Concept - His Hair

Cw: angst, minor character death mention, miscommunication. Inspired by Wine and Wheat by Noel_o on Ao3

Soap looks down at his trembling hand holding the electric razor, the buzz not drowning out the words echoing in his mind.

"You're not even a little embarrassed?" "No one will take you seriously looking like that." "It looks ridiculous!" "Did you really think-"

He lifts it to his head.

...

The night started with Soap in high spirits. He was proud of the latest mission - his new self-made bombs saved the day and maybe he was feeling a little cocky.

Which is usually nothing new or problematic when surrounded by his closest friends - Ghost, Gaz, Price, Rudy and Ale.

🧼: tellin ye, Cap', I deserve some chest candy for my ingenuity! Might just have rewritten the military demolitions handbook today.

Price just rolls his eyes.

That's when it started.

🧢: No offense, mate. But you show up at HQ with that hair, no one will take you seriously.

Ale choked on his beer, Rudy tried to hide a smile. "Dios mio, so it's not just us who thinks it looks ridiculous?" Ale looked to Price. "How is that allowed?"

💰: We're not sticklers for regulation in the 141 - but maybe we'll have to make an exception this time.

They all laughed and agreed.

Soap didn't. He felt his throat close and had to remind himself that they're just teasing, they don't mean it.

Rudy, sweet, kind Rudy gave his 5 cents next. "You're brilliant with bombs, friend, but really - you look in the mirror and decide that's your style? Not even a little embarrassed?"

Soap swallowed thick.

This isn't new. He's been mercilessly teased about his mowhak for that last 15 years. Till he joined the 141. He'd thought he was finally past shallow insults.

His ma had told him she loves it, three weeks before she lost her long battle, her own hair having fallen out months before. So he kept it.

He tried to deflect, be the usual fun, bubbly Soap they used to respond well to.

🧼: ah c'mon, ye are all just jealous ye can't touch my destructive talents!

Then the killing blow struck.

Ghost, the only man he's ever truly wanted, whose opinion mattered more than anything else.

Ghost chuckled, shoulders shaking with it as he shook his head. Surely he wouldn't-

💀: They're not wrong. You look like a 80s punk band reject, Soap.

'Soap'. Not Johnny. Ghost cares about Johnny, not Soap. He hopes...

💀: C'mon Johnny, you didn't really think it's a style that demands respect.

The agreeing laughter around the table didn't feel friendly, it felt cruel.

Was he really a laughing stock to them? Did they talk like this behind his back too? Was he just a joke they kept around cause he was good at blowing shit up.

They never even cared to ask why he had it.

He gave a rough brittle laugh, kept his head down, and made a half-assed excuse of needing to piss. Keeping his face turned away he rushed to the bathroom, he knows he's not strong enough to face the teasing if they see the tears in his eyes.

He climbs out the window and leaves.

No one texts or calls to check in him on the way back, walking instead of taking a taxi, hoping to clear his head. It didn't help. His ma always called him her gentle boy, said his heart was good and to protect it.

She was right about that. But turns out, wrong about his hair.

He can't fix what he's like on the inside. It stays broken no matter how he tried.

But he can fix what he's like on the outside. Make him look fixed, at least.

He picks up the electric razor he kept for the sides of his head. Ghost usually shaved it for him. He always teased that he was gonna shave it all...

A lock of hair falls.