#after 10 years of zero contact

[cigarette-room]

yk what sometimes you deserve to tell yourself hey, i was right, and i don't doubt that i was right to bring this up, to hold someone accountable, to do something about my problem, to leave things aside in favor of some relaxation, to admit someone has been a piece of shit, to admit someone else has been healthy and good for me, to reach out and form more connections even when i feel awful

[mikimotopearl]

God bless, every person I’ve ever beefed with is doing awful.

[captain-hawks]

contravention

soshiro hoshina x f!reader

Hoshina finds himself in a precarious situation when his repeated use of the No. 10 suit sends his body into a rut, one that's only further exacerbated when you let yourself into his office without warning.

wc: 3.2k

c: 18+ only, friends to lovers, rut dynamics, breeding kink, oral sex (f & m!receiving), cum eating, squirting, unprotected p in v, creampies, too many creampies to count, copious amounts of cum, a ridiculous amount of orgasms, pussy drunk!hoshina, required horny suspension of disbelief, author takes great liberties with human biology

a/n: this one goes out to the two requests i received for hoshina + office, in addition to an older request for him in a rut!

SPICY SLEEPOVER — ROUND V

There are three things Soshiro Hoshina promised himself when he was sworn into his position as Vice-Captain of the Third Division—

To give his life to the JAKDF. 

To do everything within his power and abilities to ensure the safety and preparedness of each and every officer under his watch. 

—and to never let himself get involved with a fellow officer. 

…after all, sentimentality is a dangerous weapon to hang oneself with.

The third is the reason he’s currently staring at you with wide, panicked eyes as you step past the threshold of his locked office door, your brows furrowed as you point what appears to be a hairpin in his direction. 

“You’ve been holed up in here for days, Soshiro,” you frown, your gaze tracking across the uncharacteristically messy state the room is currently in. Paperwork is left askew across the surface of his desk, a haphazard pile of blankets and pillows stacked on the couch, and an array of takeout food and drink containers is stacked precariously atop the filing cabinet. 

Soshiro grips the edge of his desk, teeth grinding as he fights to ignore the surge of possessive, blinding heat that unfurls inside of him at the sound of his given name on your lips. 

(It was an exception he was too weak to deny you, not when you’ve become the closest friend he’s ever had in the years since you joined the Defense Force.)

You begin to walk toward him, and his nostrils flare, chest heaving as the familiar, soft scents of your perfume and shampoo invade his senses, amplified like never before. 

“S-stop,” he gasps, hunching forward, palms flat against the desk as he inhales sharply. 

Your voice has an edge of panic to it as you stride closer. “Soshiro?”

He backs up, putting several more feet of space between the two of you, though the added proximity does little to quell the blazing fire your presence has ignited in his veins. 

“I…there’s….,” his throat burns as he tries to talk, “…a side effect from Number 10.”

A rut, to be precise. 

Biologically, it makes zero sense. There are no reported cases on file across the JAKDF of similar side effects as a result of kaiju weaponization. And Soshiro’s not even wearing the goddamn suit, he hasn’t been since he collapsed in the middle of the training grounds earlier in the week without warning. 

But the medical team at the Third Division has since hypothesized that it’s a particular irregularity resulting from the repeated usage of the No. 10 suit which has simply tricked his body into believing it’s going into an animalistic rut, of sorts. 

His cock has been achingly hard nearly round the clock all week, a thick and throbbing presence between his legs no matter how many times he brings himself to completion. 

Mortifyingly, after the higher ups insisted on contacting Captain Gen Narumi of the First Division to see if he had any insight, the other man had nearly laughed himself out of his seat as he suggested Soshiro try “fucking it out of his system.”

And this is where your presence has now become a problem. 

Deny it as he might, there’s a traitorous golden thread of sentimentality for you that runs deep in Soshiro’s veins, one that has nearly cost the team a mission on several occasions at times when he’s found himself too focused on your individual wellbeing on the battlefield. 

He sees the way you look at him. 

He feels the way his stupid, reckless heart throbs against his ribcage in your presence. 

He knows what this could be—what the two of you could have. If only he was weak enough to bend to the will of his own desires. 

But under the influence of the rut currently sinking its ruthless fangs into his better judgment, he’s a weak man. 

He’s a weak, hungry, desperate man who wants to claim you as his. 

Who wants to breed you, to fill you with his seed, to pump every last drop of cum he has left to give into the tight, slippery warmth of your cunt. 

This is why he’s been avoiding you specifically, why he’s teetering on the frantic edge of panic as he feels his body’s visceral, uncontrollable reaction to your presence. 

You sigh, expression softening. “I didn’t realize it was this bad.”

He stares at you in confusion and chokes out, “What?”

“Well…Captain Narumi called me to ask how you were doing, which threw me off. He didn’t go into much detail, but I…I got the gist of it.”

“That asshole…” Soshiro groans. 

“I think he was trying to be nice, if you can believe that. But I just…I know you like thinking you have to shoulder every burden yourself, and you hate asking for help. And you’ve been ignoring all of my texts. So I’m here now to offer you whatever help you may need.”

Soshiro maneuvers himself behind the side of his desk, if only to hide the stiff erection currently tented at the front of his pants. “This…I don’t…this ain’t somethin’ you can help me with.”

Putting your hands on your hips, you huff. “You look like you’re barely keeping it together. And I…” you scratch the back of your head, looking a bit sheepish, “I may have done some research. On the internet.”

“Research?!”

“I mean, I know the mental gymnastics of applying the concept from animals to kaiju to humans isn’t exactly laying the groundwork for the next peer-reviewed scientific study…”

“Do ya even know what you’re saying?”

You sidestep around the barrier of the desk, and Soshiro backs up again, his shoulder blades hitting the wall, the obvious outline of his cock in his pants the least of his concerns now. 

“I’m saying that your body probably isn’t going to revert back to normal until you satisfy the conditions of your rut.”

A subtle shiver runs through him. “I’ve tried,” he grumbles, looking off to the side. 

“Oh?” you ask, an odd look crossing your face, one that he can’t quite read—but it makes something inside of him clench all the same. 

“By myself, I mean,” he continues. “Many times, actually. S’not changing anything.”

“Because your body wants you to breed someone. Well, probably in the hypothetical sense, like just finishing inside of them…,” you reply, matter-of-factly. Like his cock isn’t threatening to thrash its way past his zipper at the sound of those words on your lips. 

He inhales slowly, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before finding your gaze once more. “‘m not goin’ out and findin’ some random—“

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Excuse me?” Soshiro’s not sure he remembers how to breathe. 

“Use me, breed me. Whatever it’s going to take to get you out of this room and back into commission.”

He’s going to lose his fucking mind. 

“I can’t—“

“I trust you, Soshiro. I trust you more than anyone else. I don’t think you understand how much you mean to me. And I know you refuse to let yourself care about anyone enough to become a liability…but I’m here if you want me. If you’ll have me.”

Everything inside of Soshiro feels like it’s reaching a breaking point, a fever pitch. He takes one step toward you, and then another. 

—and it’s almost excruciating, the distance that remains, every cell and fiber in his body helplessly, desperately drawn toward your gravitational pull. 

“…also I…the contraceptive part is covered. So I won’t actually get pregnant. You can come inside of me as many times as you need to…”

Another step. 

“…or as many times as you want to…”

He’s standing directly in front of you, his muscles tensing painfully as he begins to feel the warmth of your body heat. 

“I locked myself in here to stay away from you,” he rasps. 

Your face falls a fraction. “Am I that terrible of an option?”

“No.” He sidesteps, and you turn to face him, your backside leaning against his desk. “You were the only option I want.”

You blink, clearly a bit taken aback by the admission. “Then why didn’t you tell me? I feel like I’m not exactly subtle about my feelings…”

“Cause I don’t know if this is goin’ to stop if we do this. I don’t know what kinda side effects there might be afterward.”

“Are you trying to scare me off with the threat of a potential sex sabbatical if your boner doesn’t go down?”

He bites the inside of his lower lip. “I’m tryin’ to warn ya that I don’t know if we can go back to normal after this…it’s more than just sexual…there’s this possessive feeling eatin’ me alive whenever I so much as think about ya.”

You lean more of your weight back into the desk, letting one of your feet slide forward to nudge against Soshiro’s. 

“You know just about everyone in the entire Defense Force already thinks we’re dating, right? Captain Narumi started crying laughing when I got into an argument with him over it.”

Soshiro’s self control is dangling by the edge of a frayed, treacherous rope. 

“You really wanna do this?”

“I was already yours, Soshiro. Even if you weren’t ready to acknowledge it.”

A ragged exhale leaves him at that, every last piece of his desire falling at his feet and bursting into flames. And when you meet him halfway as his lips come crashing into yours, Soshiro knows there’s no turning back. 

Distantly, Soshiro knows that if he were in the right state of mind, this would unfold in a far different manner. He’d settle down into his office chair, tugging you into his lap to kiss you soft and slow and languid. 

He’d take his time, familiarizing himself with each dip and curve of your body. Every corner, every plane. Every little sound and reaction. He’d use his lips and his fingers first, until you’re pliant and sated under his touch. 

He’d kiss the corner of your mouth and worship the very sight of you, tell you just how fucking terribly in love he is with you. 

But you know him better than anyone else, and he you. 

So when he gets out an, “I’m sorry,” between frantic, sloppy kisses as his hands fumble for the button of your pants—

When you gasp at the feeling of his fingers grazing your slit and bite down on his lower lip and moan into his open mouth, “Next time.”—

He knows you understand all that he wants to give you to, that this wasn’t how this was supposed to go. That you trust him and want him enough to let him fuck you through his rut like an animal moments after you’ve shared your first kiss. 

Despite the unbearable ache of his cock, which only grows worse when you begin to palm him through his pants, Soshiro still manages one thing—one moment of pleasure that he’s fucking dreamed of giving you over and over again. 

He has little regret for the way he swipes all of the paperwork off of his desk in one go before he sets you down on top of it, memos and unanswered letters the furthest thing from his mind when he finally has the taste of your cunt on his tongue. With your legs spread wide, he eats you out with reckless abandon, the heel of one hand shoved against his dick as he plunges two fingers of the other in and out of your dripping wet hole. The keening, needy sounds you make only fuel him further, your back arching up off of his desk as he thrusts his tongue into your tight channel, greedily lapping up every last drop of the arousal that’s slipping out of you. 

“Oh my god, Soshiro,” you cry out, fingers scrambling for purchase and eventually coming to tangle in the dark violet locks of his hair. 

When you come on his tongue, moaning and shaking as you roughly tug in his hair, it’s the most wonderful fucking sound Soshiro’s ever heard in his life. He groans when a searing wave of pleasure bursts inside of him, an unexpected orgasm filling his boxers with hot ropes of cum. 

You hardly have time to recover before he’s carrying you over to the couch, setting you down in the messy nest of blankets and pillows strewn about on the wide cushions. But before he can do anything else, you’ve pushed him into a sitting position and shuffled around to kneel between his legs. 

“Ya don’t have to…”

“Please.”

He can hardly deny you, especially not when he hears the satisfied sound that tips out past your lips when you slide down his pants and boxers to find the sticky mess of cum already coating his dick and balls. 

His dick that’s already hard again. 

“Did you come while you were—“

“Yeah,” he rasps, dragging a hand through his mussed hair. 

You bite your lower lip. “Soshiro, that’s so hot.”

He doesn’t have a chance to come up with an eloquent response, because his entire body seizes up with pleasure as you lean forward and take his cum-covered cock into your mouth. Soshiro wonders how he’s ever going to recover from this—the sight of your kiss swollen lips smeared with filthy, sticky cum and saliva. As you lap it from his balls. As you suck every last drop off of him until he’s coming again right down your throat. 

Soshiro thinks he’s going to climb on top of you when his cock stiffens once more, to stare down at you and press messy, hungry kisses to your lips as he thrusts inside of you. 

But you’re adamant that you think he needs something else the first time, something more akin to the primal needs his body is succumbing to. 

Soshiro knows you were right when he lines up his flushed, weeping cock with your slick, quivering entrance from behind while you lean forward on your hands and knees, the need in his body now burning hotter than ever before. 

It takes exactly three thrusts inside the dizzingly tight, soaked warmth of your cunt for Soshiro to reach his next climax without warning, cum exploding from his cock as his hips violently stutter while he fucks his seed inside of you. It feels so good, he’s worried he might pass out, but his hips won’t stop rocking into the plush curves of your ass. 

You whimper as you feel him fill you deeply, fingers digging into the blankets and couch cushions beneath you as your body rocks backward into him. 

“More, Soshiro,” you beg. “I know you’re not done. I need more, too.”

Soshiro nearly growls as something desperate and feral unfurls like the crack of a whip inside of him, folding his body over yours and sinking his teeth into the soft juncture between your shoulder and your neck as his cock hardens again inside of the grip of your tight channel. You moan as he bites down, whining and gasping as you reach back to tangle your fingers in his hair.

Soshiro’s balls ache as the wet sound of skin slapping on skin fills the room, his throat dry and his muscles straining with the desire to pump you full of more cum. 

“Harder, Soshiro,” you gasp, rocking backward to fuck yourself on his shaft. 

He’s helpless to do anything but oblige as his hips begin to snap into yours at a brutal pace, his fervor only unraveling further when you shout as you squirt all over his hand right after he starts playing with your clit, your cunt rapidly spasming and contracting around his cock. 

“Breed me, please,” you whine, gasping for air, your chest heaving. 

He slams inside of you to the hilt as he comes hard, brokenly groaning in pleasure as the euphoric grip of your pussy milks the cum from his cock. 

“Don’t stop,” you plead when he pulls out, feeling the way his cock is hard once more as it rests against your ass. 

“S’ gonna make a mess,” he heaves, entranced by the load of cum dripping out of your cunt and sliding down the backs of your thighs. 

You shiver when he runs two fingers through it, the sound dissolving into a moan when he gives in to the unexplainable urge to lean forward and lap some of his sloppy mess directly from your folds. 

“Good,” you choke out.

It’s so fucking filthy—the amount of cum that slides out of you as he tries in vain to fuck it all back inside. The way you come again for him a third time from the feeling of the hot, sticky mess squelching inside of you as he murmurs against your ear, “Gonna fuck a baby into you. That what ya want?”

Soshiro’s so pussy drunk he can hardly think straight when he finally gets you where he really wants you—moaning into his mouth and dragging your hands through his hair as you straddle his lap on the couch. You alternate between riding his cock and letting him ease your pliant body up and down his length as he grips your hips, blazing a hot, open-mouthed trail of kisses along the curve of your jaw as he groans about how good you feel. 

The state of the leather couch is a lost cause as you bounce up and down on his shaft, cum slipping from your cunt and coating the base of his cock in a creamy ring of fluid. Drenching his balls and his thighs as he fucks up into you harder, his seed sloshing around in your fucked out hole. 

When he comes again, his head drops against the back of the couch as he tries to catch his breath, groaning as he watches a fresh wave of cum leak out of you with hooded eyes when you lift yourself off of his cock. 

His still hard cock. 

“Fuckin’ hell,” he sighs as it twitches with interest when you reach down and swipe your finger through the cum, licking it off slowly as you hold his gaze. 

“One more,” you whisper, leaning forward to slot your lips with his. 

You wrap your hands around Soshiro’s cum-covered cock, moaning softly as you rub your clit up against the firm base while you begin to stroke his length. It’s so intimate and sensual, the way your body presses up against his, the roll of his hips as he slowly twitches upward and fucks your fist before climaxing one last time.

–

Soshiro rouses from a deep, heavy sleep hours later, your head on his chest, your bodies tangled together in a pile of blankets on the couch. And he’s relieved to realize that he finally feels back to normal again. Albeit, every muscle in his body aches, and he doesn’t even want to begin to think about the mess the two of you left behind before passing out, but it’s a relief all the same.

When you snuggle up closer on his chest, he pulls you close and presses a kiss to the top of your head, whispering, “Mine,” into your hair.

“Is that still your dick talking?” you ask, tired and amused.

“Nah, just me,” he murmurs, lips curving upward in a content, relaxed smile. 

[g1rld1ary]

you never disappointed me - part two

part one part two part three part four

➻ synopsis: luke castellan x aphrodite!reader ; percy and beckendorf's plan to set you up with luke is in motion, but you're extremely resistant to any advances (10 things I about you AU)

➻ word count: 3462

➻ warnings: swearing, ooc/kind of loser!luke, ooc silena, she/her pronouns used for reader, sexual innuendos

➻ thank u so much for all the love on part 1 I am such a happy gal!!!!! also, have my first day at uni tomorrow (so pls wish me luck) and sorry if updates slow down!

TAGLIST: @myxticmoon @wicca-void @leeknows-wife @thekittyxo-blog @number-onekidqueen @instabull

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It turned out that getting you to go out with Luke was harder than he’d originally anticipated. Eager for the whole ordeal to be over and for him to be 50 dollars richer, he’d hopped down from his spot on a fallen log and hurried to meet you by the volleyball courts when your match ended. You, unaware of Luke’s agenda, were fanning your face to combat some of the sweat that had accumulated, quickly tightening the messy ponytail you’d tied. Luke watched you in your own world, unbothered by anybody watching you, unlike the rest of your siblings. Sucking in a quick breath for confidence he approached you.

“Hey there, girly,” He smiled, “How’re you doing?” You looked up at him, inquisitive for a moment but ultimately unimpressed.

“Sweating like a pig actually, and yourself?” You were barely looking at him, skulling an impressive amount of your water bottle quickly. He stared at you, not expecting to be dismissed so easily. He recovered smoothly, not prepared to give up so soon.

“You really know how to get a guy’s attention, huh?”

“My mission in life,” You shot him a cloying smile, now giving him your full attention, unable to help being slightly interested by his boldness. “But obviously I’ve struck your fancy, so you see it worked. The world makes sense again.” You‘d figured out his motives now and had no interest, so began the walk back to your cabin. He followed, much to your dismay. Couldn’t men ever take the hint?

“So I’ll pick you up Friday then?”

“Oh right, Friday, uh huh.” You kept your eyes ahead, dodging a few younger kids as Luke trailed after you, annoyingly optimistic still.

“The night I take you places you’ve never been before,” He said, and you looked at him in disbelief. The ego on this kid!

“Right, like the makeout clearing in the forest? Do you even know my name, Castellan?” Luke could tell that you were mocking him, but he still had high hopes.

“I know a lot more than you think.” He smiled then, a lopsided thing that would have been somewhat charming if you’d actually bothered to look. Instead you were already walking away, calling out a “Doubtful. Very doubtful,” over your shoulder as you picked up into a run, presumably to go tell Clarisse about the bizarre experience you just had. Luke watched you go, dumbstruck in the middle of camp.

Percy and Beckendorf watched the exchange from the porch of the Hephaestus cabin, the latter putting his head in his hands dramatically.

“We’re screwed,” He groaned and Percy winced slightly.

“I’m sure it’ll all be fine, dude. Luke has faced a lot worse than a teenage girl.”

When you sat at dinner that night, desperately avoiding the eye contact Luke seemed desperate on initiating, you almost told Silena about your bizarre day. You’d opened your mouth to start the story when you realised that she’d only be encouraged by Luke’s antics, pressuring you into going out with him for her own benefit and quickly shut it. She’d noticed your odd behaviour and searched for meaning in your face. Panicking for something to replace the conversation, you zeroed in on the necklace sitting nicely on top of her camp one.

“Where’d you get the pearls?” You asked, already dreading the answer. Silena only confirmed your fears, claiming them as your grandmother’s with a coy smile.

“So what? You’ve just been hiding them the last three years?” You were always closest with your grandmother, and you were sure she wouldn’t leave her favourite pearls for Silena over you.

“Daddy found them in a drawer just before summer.” Silena shrugged as if you weren’t sitting across from her, cheeks a blotchy red in your upset. “Besides, they look good on me.” Your hands itched to hit her as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, knowing exactly how much she was pissing you off.

“Trust me, they don’t,” You spat, quietly glad when Silena stalked off in a huff, amongst the first to leave the meal. You didn’t know how much longer you could argue with her before starting to cry, which you really didn’t want to do in front of the whole camp. You thought you were safe for the rest of the meal when Drew began speaking instead.

“You could try being nice sometimes, you know, people wouldn’t know what to think.” You rolled your eyes aggressively.

“You forget, I don’t care what people think,” You replied, taking in a spoonful of food.

“Yes you do. Everyone does. You know, with a new look you could have some serious potential.” You ignored her last statement.

“No, I don’t,” You emphasised, “You don’t always have to be who they want you to be.” You knew that wouldn’t impact Drew in the slightest, but you hoped it might resonate with some of your younger siblings — encourage them to nurture their internal beauty rather than accept the vain stereotype Aphrodite children were forced into. You pushed yourself out of the bench you were sitting on, needing a break from your insufferable siblings. As you dumped your dishes where they needed to be you saw Luke beginning to follow you and turned to make dead eye contact. Knowing you’d only scream at him (or worse) you gave him a dangerous look, accompanied with an almost imperceptible shake of your head. Not enough for anyone else to know you’d even acknowledged him, but enough to tell Luke to back off. He was smarter than you thought, as he held up his hands in a show of surrender, redirecting his action to innocently collect up his own dishes.

You may not have had any interest in knowing the boy, but you did appreciate that he knew when to back off. Or so you thought.

You were proven not-so-free from Luke Castellan the very next morning. It was the Aphrodite cabin’s day to check all the storerooms, and you’d volunteered to do the one which held all the weapons and armour near the sword fighting arena. You knew none of your siblings would come near if they could help it, mostly against weapons and the violence that surrounded the area, so you’d get a whole morning alone. It was peaceful attending to the chore, and you were allowed to use some of your Aphrodite eye for beauty. Of course, stacks of swords and assorted weapons could only be made so pretty, but you enjoyed organising them into neat rows, making it look as nice as possible — not that you would admit that to Silena or you’d be in her vanity chair receiving an unwelcome makeover in seconds.

You were just admiring your own sword, which you’d taken the time to polish while you were taking care of the others, when you felt a presence behind you. You didn’t react, assuming it was just some camper coming for a weapon, until he spoke.

“Nice sword, vintage hilt?” You tensed as Luke’s voice infiltrated your peace.

“Are you following me?” You disregarded his statement, an unimpressed frown present on your lips.

“I was training in the arena and needed to polish my sword. I saw you come in a while ago and not leave, I came to say hi,” He explained, and you raised an eyebrow. You weren’t friends, why would he come for a chat?

“Hi.” You promptly turned back to your task, shoving the cloth into the intricate designs of the hilt.

“Not a big talker, huh?” He persisted.

“Depends on the topic. My sword doesn’t exactly whip me into a verbal frenzy.” That wasn’t strictly true — the sword was a gift from your mother, with gold twisting around a blood red ruby in the centre of the hilt. After you’d made it clear that you weren’t going to just sit around during your time at camp she gifted you the sword, her way of saying that if you were going to fight, you should at least look good doing it. You’d had several conversations with Clarisse gushing over the intricacy of it, and profusely thanked Aphrodite for the gift in your offerings. You didn’t quite care to share this with Luke, being a relative stranger.

“You’re not afraid of me, are you?” He asked, and you were somewhat taken aback by the earnest tone of his voice.

“Afraid of you? Why would I be afraid of you?” You couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that crept into your sentence.

“Most people are.” He gestured subtly towards his scar — gnarled and twisted against his otherwise tanned skin. You put a hand on your hip, resigned to conversation now.

“Well, I’m not.”

“Ok, maybe you’re not afraid of me, but I’m sure you’ve thought about me naked.” You were pretty sure Luke was going for smooth or charming, but you thought in this moment he was entirely lame. The wink didn’t help his case.

“Am I that transparent? I want you, I need you. Oh baby, oh baby.” You put on your best Drew impression, nasally and whiny, before handing him the cloth he needed to polish his own sword and turning to leave. There, quickly approaching the door, was Ethan. Seeing you he put on a disgusting smirk and blocked the doorway, effectively caging you into the storeroom.

“Gods, what is it, asshole day?” You asked, not caring that both boys could very clearly hear you. “Do you mind?” You gestured to his blocking the exit. He simply looked down at you, clearly doing his best to appear sexy (and failing miserably).

“Not at all.” His stupid smirk was going to kill you, and not in the good way. You scoffed, giving him a last chance to get the fuck out of your way. Then, sparing a fraction of a glance back to Luke pretending to mind his own business, you slammed the hilt of your sword into his foot, wishing it was the blade instead. You watched him crumble to the ground, holding his foot with both hands.

“You bitch!” He yelled, voice cracking pathetically in the middle. You forced your smile to stay contained.

“Oops,” You feigned innocence, one hands covering your mouth strategically. “You might need some ambrosia for that…” With that you side-stepped him, eager to leave the situation. If you’d have looked back, you would have seen the gleeful, disbelieving smile on Luke’s face, probably the biggest one he’d worn in a while. Although he didn’t get the date he’d entered for, he was beginning to think you were a little more interesting than you let on.

“Did you just cripple Ethan?” Silena shrieked as you entered your cabin to grab your things. “He’s a model, you can’t do that! Has it escaped your notice that you’re completely psychotic?” You pretended to think for a moment, then shrugged nonchalantly.

“Guess your long walks on the beach are gonna have to wait,” You sighed dramatically, leaving Silena to wallow in her pity alone. It wasn’t like it was really your fault — if Ethan had learned how to respond to words or learn the meaning of ‘move’ he wouldn’t have gotten himself into that situation in the first place.

Meanwhile, Ethan and Luke were having a similarly emotional conversation after Luke had — very reluctantly — helped Ethan over to the infirmary to get his foot checked out.

“When I shell out fifty, I expect results.” Luke sighed, could this boy get any whinier?

“Yeah, I’m on it,” He said through gritted teeth, resisting the urge to hurt him.

“Watching that bitch obliterate my foot doesn’t count as a date. If you don’t get any, I don’t get any, so let’s get some,” Ethan said, running a hand through his ridiculously styled hair. Luke couldn’t believe his nerve. First of all, obliterated? He would be left with a bruise for a few days, if anything. Secondly, this whole things was Ethan’s idea, Luke had never given any indication wanting to ‘get some’, especially not with someone so clearly resisting his advances. Just as Ethan left, giving the Apollo girl treating him a douchebag smile, Luke hardened his resolve.

“I just upped my price,” He said, loving the way Ethan’s eyes widened like a cartoon character. “A hundred bucks a date, in advance.”

“Forget it,” Ethan grumbled, moving to leave again.

“Forget her sister then.” The two boys stared at each other, one significantly more amused than the other. Luke knew he had the upper hand in the dynamic, something he revelled in. Then, after the intimidation tactic clearly wasn’t having any effect, Ethan reached for his wallet, Luke admiring the crisp fifty he was handed.

“You better hope you’re as smooth as you think you are, Castellan.” Luke just watched him go, confident tilt of his head conveying his outlook on the situation.

Luke had taken his usual spot overseeing combat training, but his usual thoughts were long gone. Instead, he was entirely preoccupied with you. He didn’t know how to get you to go out with him when you could barely entertain a conversation, and he twirled his cigarette between his fingers as he pondered.

Percy and Beckendorf saw his internal conflicts, slowly moving closer to him under the guise of a very chaotic fight between the two. Finally Luke gave them attention, knowing Percy’s skills would never have him running all over the place like that. He raised an eyebrow, a sign for them to get on with whatever they were angling at.

“We know what you’re trying to do, for Beauregard,” Percy said, and Luke appeared almost startled.

“And we want to help,” Added Beckendorf helpfully, shying away when Luke’s eyes bore into his.

“And why would you do that?”

“Beckendorf here has a major crush on Silena—”

“Gods, what is it with this girl? Does she sweat nectar?” Beckendorf opened his mouth to protest when Percy spoke over him, knowing it would be more beneficial to let Luke lead.

“Look, I think we can both tell that Charlie’s love is pure, well-intentioned, better than, say, Ethan White?” Luke sighed, catching on.

“I’m in this for the cash, that’s it. Who Ethan wants to bang is of no interest to me.”

“There will be no banging!” Beckendorf cried as Percy pushed him behind. He was no use in a delicate situation like this.

“Ok, Luke, it’s just that we’re the masterminds behind this whole thing. We set it up so Beckendorf can get the girl — Ethan’s just a pawn.” Luke paid closer attention suddenly, intrigued by the chess match he’d been pulled into.

“So you two are gonna help me win her over?”

“We’ll do research, find out what she likes. We can be your guys on the inside.”

“In a strictly non-mission type of way,” Beckendorf added helpfully, nervous of the legends he’d heard about Luke’s failed quest. Luke chose to simply ignore that comment, and Percy filled the silence before he could get angry about it.

“Let’s just start here: the Apollo cabin is throwing a party on Friday night, it’s the perfect opportunity.”

“I’ll think about it,” Was all Luke said, a clear signal the conversation was over. Percy and Beckendorf returned to fighting, slightly more regulated now they had gotten what they’d wanted, and Luke brought the cigarette back up to his lips, new thoughts clouding his mind.

Meanwhile, Ethan had found Silena where she was known to hang out by the rocks near the lake. He was hovering next to her, providing snatches of shade as he performed pose after pose, claiming he had a modelling job lined up when he left for the year.

“So which do you like better?” He asked, moving his hands fractionally to the left of his chin.

“The second,” Silena giggled, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “It’s more… pensive.”

“Damn,” Ethan kicked the sand softly. “I was going for thoughtful. So, you going to the Apollo party on Friday?”

“Maybe.” She produced her best coy smile, looking up at him from behind her lashes.

“Good, ‘cause you know I’ll only bother if you’re there.” Silena smiled, getting up from her spot on the rock.

“Bye.” Her voice was airy in the way she knew drove boys mad. She walked away leaving Ethan wanting more, her specialty. You scoffed, catching the end of the exchange. You and Silena made momentary eye contact, tension thick between the two of you.

As Beckendorf approached Silena, fishing for more information about you, Ethan had caught you in his sights and wasn’t going to let you go so easily.

“You sister is so cute,” His voice infiltrated your bubble in a way that made you want to hit him so desperately. “Doesn’t have your bite though, a feisty woman is so sexy.” You knew he was just trying to get a rise out of you, but it was so close to working.

“Come any closer and I’ll show you just how feisty I can get,” You snapped, braid almost whacking him in the face as you turned to face him. You could have sworn Ethan looked afraid for a second before he covered it with bravado.

“One day you’re gonna realise that all of this hostility is just your sexual repression. Don’t worry, babe, I’ll be waiting with open arms… And legs.” You almost threw up.

“Gods, can’t you just leave me alone, asshole?” You yelled, trying to push past him to get anywhere else.

“C’mon, don’t be a prude,” He whined, and you were really close to taking him to the ground — not in the way he wanted.

“You heard the girl,” A voice called from behind you, and instantly Ethan took a step back. “She wants you to leave her alone.” Luke appeared behind you, a respectful distance away whilst still making his intentions clear. Ethan shrunk back into himself, making a lame excuse as to why he had to leave, hurriedly fleeing the beach. Reluctantly, you turned to face Luke.

“I’m not going out with you just for that,” You said plainly, daring him to try again.

“You think that low of me?” He laughed, dark eyes sparkling with mirth. You forced yourself not to notice. “I don’t have to want something from you to know that Ethan White isn’t worth your time.” It was your turn to be embarrassed at that, feeling slightly narcissistic for assuming that was the purpose of the conversation (it was, but Luke sure as hell wasn’t going to ruin his chances because you were in a mood, justified or otherwise).

“Oh.” You stared at his shoes. “Well, thanks, I guess.” You moved to leave but Luke stopped you, hand not quite touching your arm, unwilling to have it bitten off.

“So you do have a heart!” He joked, signature grin on his face. You wondered why you were seeing so much of it lately when he’d been so dour since his quest.

“Ha! You wish.”

“Don’t try to hide it, Beauregard, you’re warming up to me.”

“I’d sooner fuck Mister D,” You replied, actually taking your leave.

Luke watched you go, chewing his lip between his teeth. There was more to you than you let on, he was sure of it. He wouldn’t say it was any fondness, but he was starting to have a curiosity attaching itself to this scheme, and he knew that going out with you would satisfy it. He should have known having any personal stakes involved — sentimental or otherwise — would get dangerous.

Your own thoughts had barely budged on Luke. He was still a pain in your side and you figured you knew what kind of guy he was — not the type you had any interest in. Still, you couldn’t deny that you were appreciative he’d saved you from Ethan (and the inevitable washing up duty you’d be punished with when you beat him up), so maybe he wasn’t quite as despicable as you’d initially judged him to be. Close, though.

part three

[kerink]

putting aside my issues with continuity (because i know there's a debate about what "continuity" means in wtnv) and putting aside my personal preferences, i'd like to talk about what's made me unhappy the last two seasons:

i think the story telling is bad

that's not to say brinknor aren't creative people and good writers, they are. that's why i listen to and enjoy the show. i've also read their more stand-alone and self-contained works, i know they are talented. this is not a dig on them or their abilities. if i didn't like them or their work i wouldn't bother with it

the main issue, for me, is that i think the last two seasons have been trying to cram in more ideas than the season length has air for, so we're not seeing the complete story. i think too much is being left intentionally vague for fans to play with in a way that doesn't work

year 10 ends with carlos becoming a night vale citizen and him reflecting on whether or not he's okay with that, whether or not he feels like he actually belongs here, despite that having been his main struggle while he was trapped in the dow. we saw that although carlos has committed to and prioritized night vale, and that was ostensibly enough for him to be accepted, he did not actually accept night vale back. we assumed that carlos' commitment to cecil over his work was him finally finding his place, but all it was was him finding his priorities. maybe it wasn't that night vale had rejected him, maybe it was that night vale was attempt to protect its voice, and only allowed carlos back once he agreed to love cecil like the town does

and then janet shows up. at the end of year 11, janet said that her primary motive for coming to night vale was to get back at carlos. we saw blake bullying carlos for having abandoned the university and how he's viewed as a disgrace. we saw the university staff threaten cecil. janet ruins the town that got carlos' name on the map. all of these events are congruous with the above struggle: does carlos belong in night vale or does he belong in the real world? is carlos a citizen or an interloper?

but that isn't the main struggle that plays out. other than what was stated above, and janet making a few backhanded remarks about carlos' bad science, there is zero evidence that janet's primary motive was to hurt carlos until she says so at the very end. in fact, at the beginning of the season, she stated that he primary motive was to make night vale normal. that's in line with her actions far more than hurting carlos is. hurting carlos feels like a bonus to what janet actually wants: to be in control and in charge. the majority of the season is spent antagonizing dana (which was narratively unsatisfying because it was a bland rehash of the a matter of blood arc, but i digress). carlos is not a participant in this story, he hides and he lets the city protect itself, he lets cecil take the heat for him

and when we step back and look at y11 in the context of the primary theme of y10's finale we learn the answer: carlos is an interloper

as soon as science becomes threatening again the town turns on him. they reject him, they strip him of his power, they judge cecil for being with him. the town did not accept carlos, they had a truce with him formed out of his marriage to cecil

y11 left a lot of questions unanswered: how long has carlos actually been gone? what contact did he have with the university after y1? who is still looking for him? what role does dr. kayyali and her search party have in this? was the glow cloud (all hail) the only perma-death?why did janet's explanation of the glow cloud (all hail) not kill its child too? why did the university have such a large staff? why did the entire staff turn on janet so easily and so quickly?

and narratively it feels unsatisfying because janet's stated motives were not in congruence with her actions. which fine. people lie. maybe janet was lying about what she wanted to prevent carlos from meddling. maybe she did want to ruin night vale for him but got distracted by the whole doubles thing so picked that up as a side project. maybe we only heard so much about what janet was doing to dana because cecil cares about dana and carlos asked cecil not to talk about the plan he was forming to defeat janet. i can accept all of that, i just wish we'd gotten a whiff of it instead of having it entirely being left to interpretation

so we leave y11 with questions about what the point of it all was when a) there was only 1 permanent consequence that we're aware of and b) it didn't provide us any new information. we got the most about carlos' backstory we've ever gotten, but that was really the only thing you could say came out of y11. and even learning that about carlos felt violating, felt inappropriate, furthered our question of who is carlos and what role does he have in town

and it seems like carlos felt it too, because he decides to go back to the dow. when he was there he gained wisdom about himself and who he was and what he wanted from life. he figured himself out and found his place in the night vale. after a year of having his status as professor robles of the university of what it is questioned and derided by janet and her team, and having his status as carlos the scientist hero of night vale scorned and rejected by the town, he wanted to return and gain clarity on how he picks up the pieces of himself

but that's not what happens either!

the boy shows up and the story becomes about him. we don't learn where the boy came from, how he appeared in night vale, why he's in night vale instead of desert bluffs, how the timeline supports there being two kevins when back in e106 and e209 the timeline made sure to kill the duplicate cecil. how did no one see that the boy looked like cecil? it could have been a fun reveal if everyone thought it was another little cecil (also playing into all the palmer childhood lore this season) only to bait and switch it being a young kevin. we don't learn why tamika specifically took over raising him or how carlos instinctively knew to keep the boy away from his family. we don't learn how the boy was rapidly aging while in night vale or what age he wound up stopping at when kevin took him away. we don't learn why mother lauren absorbed him instead of killing him outright, since she seemed more than happy to try to get rid of kevin. what happened to the boy's desire to be his own person and create his own timeline away from kevin's fate? isn't the finale a tragedy and not a happy ending? what did this season matter if everything he learned about himself and the world was erased? the boy does not get a full story because too much air was given to lauren and kevin

with lauren we don't learn how she re-made a name for herself in desert bluffs too, how she got in the smiling god's good graces, how she manifested the power she presented with in night vale, how her rise to power impacted kevin's control over dbt, what the state of dbt is after lauren left for night vale, what was her motivation for even coming to night vale, what did the night vale chapter of the joyous congregation think about this, did carlos' killing the centipede matter at all and does anyone care? lauren does not get a full story because too much air was given to kevin and the boy

with kevin we don't learn what becomes of his theocracy, what becomes of his control of the church, what did his speech on changing even mean and how does it impact things when he's choosing to create a time loop? when kevin said he was going to bring someone back with him, who was he talking about? where are charles and donovan and what do they think? why do kevin and carlos not interact even a single time? does the night vale chapter of the joyous congregation care that their prophet has returned and what does kevin's defending of night vale mean for their beliefs? kevin does not get a full story because too much air was given to the boy and lauren

some of these questions are nitpicks, some are good things to leave vague and up to the audience. the main issue here is that: 1) the boy does not get a beginning to his story, the middle of his story ultimately didn't matter because mother lauren erased it, and he has no true ending because we already know what that looks like and in its being a time loop it will never end; 2) lauren does not get a beginning or a middle to her story; and 3) kevin's motives are totally all over the place. does he want to change or is he still so afraid of losing control that being able to control his own terrible future brings him some kind of closure? why is the best he can offer the boy the same horrific life he's spent the last century trying to recover from?

and carlos does not get a story at all. none of this mattered. carlos wanted to go back to the dow but he never did, he never got the chance, we never saw what he did with the time that he had. is carlos doomed to living in this space of not knowing who he is or what his role is because he quite literally had to pull the plug on the one place that offered him a safe haven to explore himself?

in trying to tell the stories of 4 people, no one got a story at all

and that's what's really frustrating, it's just felt like the last two season's haven't mattered, moved along the primary story, or evolved any of the characters in satisfying ways

y1 carlos decided to stay in night vale; y2 strexcorp was defeated; y3 cecil freed himself from lot 37 and carlos confirmed his decision to stay in night vale; y4 night vale freed itself from the beagle puppy and hiram mcdaniels was brought to justice; y5 night vale fell apart and had to find a way to anchor itself in reality; y6 focused on resting after y5 and had the 2 and 3 parters, diving deeper into specific characters; y7 was about fixing time and the consequences of doing so; y8 was about the delta flight; y9 was about frank chen; y10 was another character-focused rest season concluding in carlos becoming a citizen; y11 was the university of what it is; and y12 was about the boy

other than y11 and y12, all the previous seasons had lasting consequences on the story at large. they had domino effects into how future seasons would be focused. the outcomes of those seasons had permanent changes on the town and its people. everything janet did was erased by carlos. everything the boy went through was erased by mother lauren. janet's season should have led carlos down a path of continued self-discovery and reinvention. the boy's season should have led kevin to further growth and change, and could have paralleled the palmer family story by showing how kevin was trying to overcome his own trauma and build a family with charles. maybe it's just too soon. frank chen was murdered in y1 and it wasn't until y9 that his story was resolved. maybe i'm just hyper critical and impatient

but i feel like a lot of people are noticing this trend and are speaking up about it. i was active in the fandom from 2012-2015, and then picked it up again in 2021. it wasn't until y11 that i felt that a season wasn't finished. other seasons had left me with questions, had left some loose ends, but i always felt satisfied with where we were at once the summer hiatus hit. i don't feel that way with y11 and y12, i've walked away from both now going "okay now what? so what? huh?"

i don't know. i'm kind of running out of steam for this post. the point i wanted to make is this: y11 and y12 have not had character motives that have strongly correlated to their subsequent actions; i don't feel like characters are being given complete stories with beginnings, middles, and ends; and they've both left me feeling like none of it ultimately mattered

anyway. that's my two cents.

[sinnamonpork]

Pro hero Touya who changes hair color almost every season. His default would always be black, but it would change so often that non hardcore fans doesn't even know what his original hair color is anymore. Japan treats him like their walking calendar, "Oh Supernova changed his hair again? Winter must be approaching already". He loves to takes requests and even did a half-white half-red color for april fools, the first year that his baby brother was on the field. Pro hero Endeavor almost cried at the sight of his two sons side-by-side.

Hawks who had only met Touya after the Shie hassaikai incident couldn't help but be attracted to the devil may care, 'I don't care what you think' attitude of this pretty boy. Especially when Touya is rocking a bubblegum pink head of hair while simultaneously burning the yakuza leader with a smile that could make demons cry. Hawks had never fallen so fast before. His surroundings become tinted with a filter as pink as Supernova's hair, complete with heart emoticons and angels singing whenever Touya's baby blue eyes gazes his way.

The no. 2 hero was reported to be seen dazed and cooing over the stage when pro hero Supernova debuted into the Top 10 with red hair and golden, shiny accessories. Everyone who doesn't live under a rock knows who's colors he was paying homage to, turquoise eyes making eye contact with Hawks his whole time on stage. Japan takes this as an announcement of their relationship, Endeavor's sour look whenever he sees Hawks serving as proof. After all, the no. 1 hero made the same face when Ground Zero and Shouto announced their relationship months before.

[trev0rc0re]

25 year old homophobic snotty “I still live in my mom’s basement” mfs on gta: stop trying to make Trevor gay/bi/fruity he’s just a dude

umm your dude was literally called “fruitcake” at one point by an FIB agent

your dude fucked a girl then immediately asked her boyfriend if he wanted to get fucked too

your dude literally CUDDLED A MAN IN ONE OF HIS SELECTOR SCENES, AND PROBABLY VIOLATED THE GUYS “MALE” TEDDY BEAR? (rip Mr Raspberry Jam and Floyd) not to mention literally flashing him too

your dude literally had FRANKLIN asking if his ass was gay and then answering the question with “no, yes, whatever.. labels bro. u want me to be gay”????!!

your dude slept with a (male, btw) cop in gta online for one of the missions

your dude has a 50 something year old partner in crime that he mourned for 10 years when he thought he died, literally GOT A TATTOO OF HIS NAME, and then RAMPAGED his entire town when he found out he was alive. Not to mention “sugartits,” saying I love you multiple times while drunk after the bar, and literally not being able to shoot him after murdering hundreds of people with zero thought. AND “If it goes bad, thats okay too, because then I get to spend the rest of eternity with you, tormenting you!”???!???

OH and the CHINESE literally called him his “boyfriend” and “life partner” when they tried to go after him like?

your dude is SO FUCKING FRUITY that even his horrible mother that he apparently hadn’t seen/been in contact with in years asked him if he was gay.

oh and lets not forget “any hole’s a goal”

okk

[delirium1217]

crystal clear

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

“It’s just… not my type of scene, that’s all,”

“Your brother’s engagement party is not your type of scene?”

“Is that really surprising?”

“I guess not,”

The conversation fizzled out, as if it had any fighting chance anyway. Regulus kept staring at tiny details to keep himself steady. The lines in the brick wall in front of him. The way the wind blew away his cigarette smoke.

It’d been too overwhelming inside, filled to the brim with people he hadn’t seen in years. Hungry eyes filled with questions and inquisitions. The shimmering hue that came over everything. Like he’d wound up in an overexposed photo, flaring white and red and orange all over the dance floor.

“Look,” James started back up again. He didn’t even have the excuse of smoking to keep talking to him, “I know things have been - awkward between you and well, everyone, since uhm, uh, it all. And I don’t know if you’re here to reconnec-”

“I’m not here to make amends, James,”

That seemed to catch him off guard. Regulus wondered if James wasn’t used to him being this blunt. Ah, well. Too many things have changed for this not to change too.

He took a deep breath, “That’s fine. I just wanted to say, we all appreciate you being here,” he paused for a second. “Sirius. Even though he has odd ways of showing it, he’s glad you’re here. Remus, too, his whole ‘don’t ruin his day’ speech is just nervous jitters,” his hands were flailing along his words, like he was trying to mime them out.

Regulus looked down at the floor, fragments of silver confetti were taking the shape of real constellations over his shoes. Clever little bit of magic.

He didn’t know what to say to that. He didn’t blame them for how they acted. Sirius - initial anger followed by weird sentimentality. Remus, all confrontation and ragged edges. He knew what they all went through. He knew all the betrayal that had left them this fragile.

He wasn’t here to ‘reconnect’. If he was, he’d be doing a piss-poor job at it. Was that something he wanted? He didn’t even consider it. Reconnect, and what then?

“It’s just – did you really have to crash in at 10 am after three years of refusing contact?”

It wasn’t an unfair question. Still, it prodded at something in his chest. Something that pulsated and smouldered. He instantly felt the urge to seize up, and push away. It disturbed him how easy it was crawling back into his old skin. The viscera automatically reworking itself into the shape it had once been.

This, he told himself, this is why he left. This place dragged the worst out of him.

If James was expecting an answer, he didn’t show it, leaning back on the brick wall beside him. As if the question was a mere suggestion, something to consider. He’d think it patronizing if it were anyone else.

He looked over at him. White shirt crumpled, sleeves pushed up, tie dishevelled and wonky. The hazy sheen the evening held seemed to swell as he looked at James. As if the stars had fallen and framed his face in their wake.

It was still there, he slowly realized. The tug of want. He felt his hands ache. The incessant urge to touch and feel. He’d tried so badly to bury it. It was still there, sticking its ugly head out of the sand.

Stilltherestilltherestillthere.

An awkward blob of emotion and pheromones and terrible circumstances. He couldn’t look anymore.

“I-” he heard himself start, as if he had no control over his own tongue.

“I’m not supposed to be here. The letter with the portkey was on my dresser. And I couldn’t-“He took a deep sigh, eyes flickering across the floor, “I couldn’t bear to fail him today too,”

The words hung between them. James didn’t react, only nodding slightly. He got the impression he was being treated like a skittish animal. Maybe he was.

“I get that,”

He turned his head towards him, eyebrow raised. “No you don’t,”

“Okay, maybe I don’t,”

A smile tugged on Regulus’ lips. James hadn’t changed a bit. Ever the empathetic, even when it made zero sense.

“Hey, I got you to drop the frown!”

He instantly went back to frowning again. This promptly led to James laughing, in a way that sent Regulus careening years back.

“Thank Merlin I haven’t lost the ability to do that,” James went on.

Snapshots flickered through his head. Himself, a miserable little thing, observing from across hallways and classrooms and Quidditch fields. He wanted to hate him so badly, the boy who’d stolen his brother. He never stood a chance.

The end was there as well. That year was nothing but an open wound in his mind, a festering, rotting tunnel of memories he tip-toed around. But James was there. The only person who could get anything resembling a smile out of him. The stars above the astronomy tower, brighter and brighter as winter turned into summer. Prefect rounds and silly little bickering. They were the only things he’d allowed himself to revisit.

There were so many things left unsaid. So many things Regulus abandoned when he took the Mark. That last night – the one where he pushed James away flashed across his mind. He’d taken whatever fragile relationship they’d had, and he smashed it to the ground.

They hung between them, too.

“I, uhm. I think I owe you an apology,”

James looked at him. Wide dark eyes that he knew shone startling hazel under the sunlight. It was unfair, this effect he still had on him. Turning Regulus into something soft and fragile and vulnerable, even after all this time. He thought he’d left it all behind.

“Yeah?”

“The way I left things, it wasn’t right. I don’t want it stand between us,”

“I thought you weren’t here to make amends?” The wink that followed made Regulus’ heart perform a disgustingly loud percussion routine.

“Yeah well. Some things you just can’t avoid,”

“Ah. And I’m one of those things?”

Yes. All the miles I put between us were useless. Yes. I can’t help but want to crash into you.

“No. I just can’t go back and have another thing I fucked up haunting me,”

James was suddenly somber again, as if he just remembered the grim details of everything that went down.

“Alright, that’s fair. Well, no need to apologize, after all that you did,”

This was wrong. Something was off. He was lying, all this faux tranquility was for show.

He didn’t care how long it’d been since he last saw him, James had never not demanded more. More explanation. More words and whys and hows. It was one of the reasons he’d left things so untouched in his sixth year. James Potter would’ve tore down his defenses one by one, till he had none left.

He narrowed his eyes at him. It'd gotten cold outside, or maybe the alcohol warming him had dissipated. The noise from the party inside winding down. The cigarette butts littering the coarse ground.

It was tremendously uncomfortable, yet James had stayed for about twenty minutes, while Regulus smoked, talked and…for what?

“What is this really about, James? Why are you out here?”

“I- you just looked so upset and-“

“Plenty of depressed people at a wedding,”

“Engagement,” James corrected

“Whatever, same difference,”

“It very much is not when I’m the one who planned it all,”

“You planned all of this?”

“Uh, yeah. Why did you think I froze when you showed up? Estranged younger siblings really do throw a wrench into whatever party you have planned, y’know,”

He did not think about why James froze up, because he was too busy staring at Sirius, who looked like he could kill him, “I could imagine,”

The thought of James frantically planning an engagement party was a bit absurd, like something from those muggle comedies his roommates liked to watch. Despite the mood he’d developed, the urge to laugh filled his chest. The mental image of James, his hair more of a bird’s nest than usual, turning red over the wrong type of flowers or cake was incredible.

He supposed it did make sense, James was so close to both Sirius and Remus. Of course, he’d know exactly what they’d want.

That explained all the off-beat magic and tidbits of mischief he’d seen today. Those confetti constellation charms. Whatever the dance floor had that pushed people together. The ribbon streamers flying in between dull conversations, asking people questions. The empty glasses you could mutter whatever you wanted into. It was all so well-crafted. It made him ache.

He wasn’t supposed to be here. He was a ghost floating through.

“Uh, speaking of the wedding. I’m planning that, too. Obviously. As if they could hire someone better than me. But, uh, uhm.” He took a deep breath, like he was readying himself to jump off a cliff, “I kind of told them you’d stay till the wedding,”

At first, he thought he’d misheard. “You-what?”

“Told them you’d stay till the wedding?” He hesitantly said, “Sirius was such a mess, he couldn’t deal with the fact that you were leaving afterwards and I just- I panicked,”

He stayed quiet for a second, his mind slowly processing what he’d heard. When he did, he got the sudden urge to cry.

“I just- no. That’s-“Regulus found himself fumbling. He’d left this. He’d left this all behind, he couldn’t do this again. “No. No, I’m not coming back,”

“But-“

Sadness burned into anger, a whiplash of emotions that suddenly grounded him, he moved forward off the wall and fully faced James.

“You want to know why I left, James? This is why I left!” Regulus spat out, the harsh words contrasting with all the goddamned harmony everyone was in. All the joy and exuberant youth they were bathed in. He could choke on it. “You don’t get to decide what I do, not you, not the Order, not my family, not any megalomaniac with a death-wish, okay? No one, no one but me!” The rasp in his throat caught him off guard. This – he couldn’t not have control, not after all he’d been through.

“What about the people you left behind?”

He found himself inching closer, staring into James’ eyes. “I do not owe anyone a fucking thing, Potter.”

“No.” James’ voice hardened. There. Regulus thought with sick satisfaction, there was the anger he’d so badly craved. James looked beautiful, face twisted with contempt. The anger Regulus deserved. “No. You don’t get to say that. Not after, not after what you did. Everyone was - I was fucked up for months after you left!” He paused.

“No idea of where you were or what you were doing. And then months go by - and you’ve turned sides but still refused to talk to any of us. How dare you?” 

They both stopped after that, chests rising and falling with labored breath. Grey met brown. James swallowed, Regulus’ eyes flickered down to the movement.

And that’s all it took.

It wasn’t gentle, the way the crashed into each other – how could it be? All sharp angles, teeth, and digging nails. Things said and unsaid fell to the wayside. James’ hands grabbed his temples and dragged him inward. His own hand pushed at James’ tie, twisting it around his wrist and pulling in.

It was the farthest thing away from the chaste little touches they’d shared, a lifetime ago, fumbling through newfound confusion and attraction.

This was frustration and despair and regret poured into one. James tilted his head, beckoning Regulus closer. His hands let go of the tie, slamming him into the wall. The groan the came from James’ mouth lit something inside himself aflame. All he could do was push himself further. Closer, closer, closer.

James pushed himself off. Gasping for air. Regulus’ skin burned with all the lost warmth.

His face was vehement in the dull yellow light. Glasses pushed off, lost somewhere in their collision. His lips a violent red – slightly parted. Hair pulled into tufts, sticking out. All the anger that reverberated between them had cooled down into something feverish and restrained.

None of it mattered – the regrets and who’d left and who’d stayed. Not during a war. They were both wrong for bringing this up.  

They fell into silence, shaky breaths, and piercing stares. Regulus felt his skin prickle with anxiety. His mind out of sync with his heart, he didn’t know what to think.

“I just needed to do that – at least once, if you meant it – leaving,” James muttered, words coming out in desperate breaths, eyes tracing his face.

“James, I can’t be here. Not like how you want. It hurts too much,” his voice came out pleading, a hoarse little thing.

James’ hand reached out, tucking Regulus’ hair behind his ear, the gentle touch a vivid contrast to all the desperate touches that preceded it. The urge to cry came back up again.

“That’s- it’s fine. I’m – I’m sorry I said what I did. I think I said it for my sake as much as it was for Sirius’, I thought about you – this, so many times. Even before you left, I didn’t care, I would’ve still been there,” his voice twisted with guilt at that last part, like he was confessing to a heinous crime. In Regulus’ eyes, he might as well have. He wasn’t proud of what he did – those last few months of war, hearing James say this sent a thrill of fear through his heart.

He would’ve destroyed him. He would’ve wrecked him to pieces.

He didn’t want to think about that anymore. It threatened to throw him off-balance. He looked over at James.

“I – I still want,” Regulus swallowed the rising sense of panic in his chest, he cleared his throat “I still want to be here. I just, I can’t be thrown in full throttle like today. You can’t expect me to just fold to whatever you want. But I still want to be here – when these things happen,” it was true, but he only realized it as he said it.

He still wanted the contact. The string to his past. He just couldn’t handle too much of it.

James laughed, a bright little noise that caught him off guard, “So like. Holidays and weddings? God, Regulus you are so – is that what we just had a full on screaming match about? You want to be a normal person living abroad and visit family on special occasions? I thought you wanted to disappear off the face of the earth and never be seen again,”

Regulus’ face burned with embarrassment – James was right, Regulus had blown up over the mere suggestion that someone would be in control of his life again. His therapist was going to have a field day with that one.

“You were the one that said I’d stay till the wedding,”

“Yeah, which is in twenty days?”

“Oh,” Regulus hadn’t thought about that. He should’ve realized – even after the war ended, people weren’t really keen on delaying weddings.

“Yeah, oh. What – you thought I’d keep you here for a year or something?”

Yes, that’s exactly what he thought. “No.”

James laughed again. Regulus wanted to memorize every second of it.

“Y’know it wasn’t really just a screaming match,” Regulus found himself muttering. They were still both so close. Face to face. The air had stilled around them.

“No it wasn’t,” James’ voice dropped low, his eyes finding Regulus’.

When they leaned in again, it felt inevitable.

Warmth filtered across his skin. James’ fingers gripped onto his hair, strong and unrelenting. His weight against Regulus’ own a welcome comfort. He could get lost in this. He could spend all his days here.

James broke away, yet again. Regulus felt like the rug was pulled out from under him.  

“Listen, could we… talk about what we’re doing here?”

“I – what do you mean?” he felt dazed from the lost contact.

“This,” James gestured to the space between them.

“Um, I mean,” Regulus cleared his throat. “We can figure out a portkey system? I can’t give you any promises, I just. I’m barely holding on most days, but I can – for this, I mean, unless you just want something casual, which is fine. I guess. I shouldn’t have assumed. Yeah, that’d be-”

“Reg, you idiot,”

Oh. He should’ve realized, was this just a one off thing? Had he completely misread the situation?

“Has anything about us ever been casual?”

“No. I guess not.” He found himself laughing, none of it was particularly funny, it was just – relief. Weird, the difference a few hours could make in someone’s life.

James started laughing too. Seemingly, only because Regulus was. He linked their hands together.

“And Regulus?”

“Yeah?”

“Next time we have an argument, we really should do more than angrily make out about it,”

“Are you sure?”

“Well, maybe once in a while,”

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

if you enjoyed reading, consider dropping a kudos or a comment on my ao3! it helps a lot to motivate me! thank you<3

ao3 link

[maochira]

this has been on my mind for a while. A bit spoiler, but. Kaiser really changed after Isagi won. Now I'm thinking, what if you were Kaiser's best friend and you saw that he completely changed. Kaiser's attitude became more rude because he thinks that you're nothing but, annoying to him, and you just keep overthinking if you did anything wrong for him to change. After that, you and Kaiser just, lost contact.

Kaiser was your best friend since middle school and was the sweetest overdramatic boy, now he has changed so much. You're sad to have lost the old Kaiser.

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE OML????

We don't exactly have middle schools (like American ones) in Germany BUT........ let me expand on this. Adding Ness as well <3

Requests open! - masterlist

Tags: gn!reader, angst, the moment we get Kaiser and Ness lore this will most likely make zero sense </3,

You were one of Ness' kindergarten friends. Then your mothers became friends so you kept seeing each other every now and then even throughout your elementary school years. Then, when it was time to sign you up for secondary school, your parents intentionally chose the same as Ness' parents so you definitely wouldn't be lonely.

So in fifth grade, you and Ness were best friends and inseparable. Kaiser joined that friendship at some point in the middle of fifth grade and you've been a trio ever since. Kaiser would protect you and Ness from your mean classmates and scared off any bullies.

Kaiser has always been overly dramatic and a bit too competitive in everything, not only in soccer. But that was always kept in a playful way and he didn't get too serious. Well, until he went to Blue Lock.

You always balanced out the dynamic between Ness and Kaiser to some extend. But now that they're in Blue Lock without you, Ness doesn't hold back with his obsession and dependancy on Kaiser. While at the same time, Kaiser is focusing so much on Isagi.

They promised they'd stay in contact with you. They promised they'd text and calm you whenever they could. Ness totally stuck to that promise. But Kaiser? At first, yes. But after a few weeks it's as if he's forgotten about you.

One time, you were on a call with Ness and asked if he could give the phone to Kaider for a moment. When Ness mentioned your name, you could swear Kaiser asked "Who?" and it just hurt so much.

You talked with him for a minute or two, but the entire time you could hear the disinterest in his voice. And after that, you decided to just leave Kaiser behind. You realized you didn't want to keep up with this "friendship" any further.

You keep wondering what you did wrong and why Kaiser, who used to be your best friend since you were 10 years old, suddenly abandons you. He must have a good reason. There must be something that happened. There must be something you have done wrong. Because why else would your best friend just forget about you?

And here's part 2 <3

Taglist (sign-up link): @starhrtz @kaineedstherapy12 @zyuuuu @yerinsshi @luvcalico @remy-roll @thedaisy78 @truegoist @rienniey @kalinkavx @vanitasbrainrot @rrueyuo @weichspuelertrinker @acacIa

[dreamerwitches]

Scene Zero for Dummies

I'm going to be a martyr and list out all the important plot beats for scene zero so that no one else has to slog through it like me. Let's goooo

Scene 1

Mabayu loves movies, is bad at socialising and lying, is most likely autistic, very lazy and works at her aunt's - Sakie - cafe. She's a year above most of the girls at school, in Mami's year.

While watching a movie, time pauses because of Homura and Mabayu gets paused too. She can resume the paused TV when she touches it.

Time pauses at school for her and she uses this time to copy a students answers during a test.

Mabayu sees Kyubey outside but Sakie doesn't see them, thinking she saw Amy. A cat that visits outside the cafe regularly.

Mabayu has a soul gem ring but doesn't remember where she got it from. She has no idea she is currently a magical girl.

At the cafe Mabayu gets a sudden vision of Amy getting hit by a car. She goes outside and sees it happened and Madoka is crying over her. Madoka and Sakie go to the vet with Amy while Mabayu looks after the cafe.

Amy suddenly gets better at the vet with the vets declaring it a miracle. This was because Madoka made her wish to save Amy.

The school goes on an annual visit to an auto plant (what a lame school trip huh). Mabayu accidentally wanders into a witch's labyrinth but Mami pulls her out with her ribbons.

Meanwhile, parts of episode 10 are happening during this. Homura is in her second loop. Eg. tells Madoka in class she's a magical girl too. Homura actually tells Mami and Madoka about her wish and being from the future here but the two have a hard time believing it.

Homura struggles fighting witches so Mami actually gives her a book on how to make explosives (guess she didnt look it up online this time eh?)

Mabayu follows Mami after being curious of her being a magical girl (she still doesn't know about them) but Mami acts weirdly saying she'll kill her (I have no idea why this is so out of character). Mabayu runs away in fear into a Bartels barrier and it kills her and later Mami (sigh)

Episode 10 plays out where Madoka becomes Kriemhild and Homura finds out about witches

Film 2

Mabayu is surprised to wake up at the beginning of the loop and thinks everything was a dream.

Kyubey finally approaches Mabayu saying they've already made a contract with Mabayu.

The Amy incident happens just the same as last time as Mabayu forgets to interfere.

Meanwhile, Homura is unsure about sharing the truth with others.

Mabayu uses her magic at school. She can turn invisible in her magi form by bending light. Her magic can also let her hear conversations from a way away as well as basically zoom in in real life.

She spies on Madoka and Mami in Mami's apartment. Homura enters, telling them not to listen to Kyubey but doesn't elaborate as she doesn't think they're ready yet.

Mabayu wants to find Homura's address at school so she can meet her but cannot find it in the staff room.

At the auto plant visit, Madoka and Homura fight the witch with Homura finally explaining her past. (but not the truth about witches) Madoka is fine with this, trusting Homura. Homura isn't ready to tell Mami yet.

Kyubey makes contact with Sayaka but she is dissuaded from contracting by Homura.

Sayaka knows about Madoka being a magical girl and is a little jealous she's so amazing. The scene with Kyosuke plays out ala episode 4 and she is swayed to contract.

Homura encounters Elly similar to Madoka in episode 4 and Sayaka saves her.

Madoka, Sayaka and Homura find Anja and Kyoko interrupts like in episode 5. Sayaka is suspicious that Homura knows Kyoko's name but is hesitant about telling Sayaka the truth.

Ala episode 10, Homura meets with everyone to tell them the truth. She tells them about witches but Mami and Sayaka don't fully trust her.

At the hospital, Sayaka wants to visit Kyosuke but Hitomi is already there. She overhears him saying he thinks Hitomi's visits are what cured his hand and Sayaka is very upset.

Sayaka's suffering arc plays out with it ending in Mami's breakdown.

Madoka and Homura fight Walpurgis with it ending in Homura killing Madoka before she can become Kriemhild. Mabayu resets along with Homura.

Film 3

Homura becomes coolTM

Homura shoots Kyubey outside Madoka's home, believing them to be dead now.

At home, Homura realises she can't tell the truth to anyone and will kill Walpurgis on her own. Mabayu arrives in her home, telling her Kyubey isn't dead.

The girls are two late and Madoka saves Amy, becoming a magical girl.

Homura is mad at Mabayu for spying on her and Mabayu gets nervous, running away.

Madoka is fighting the Minotaur witch at the auto plant but is struggling. Mabayu tries to help, using her weapon for the first time.

Homura stops time, stepping in. Mabayu is shocked Homura was going to abandon this Madoka just because she's contracted. Homura explains she doesn't want to connect to Madoka to feel the pain all over again because she knows she'll have to reset eventually in this loop.

Mabayu has a future vision. This shows that Homura can win but Mabayu will die. Knowing this is the best outcome, she goes along with it, dying.

Mami rushes over, upset at Mabayu's death. She later dies by Charlotte despite Madoka's warning. The two fight Walpurgis but fail.

Film 4

Mabayu visits Homura and both of them remember the last loop. She is at first rude but soon thanks Mabayu for sacrificing herself for the best outcome.

The two team up with Homura killing Kyubey outside Madoka's home again.

Kyubey visits Mabayu at home but she plays dumb, pretending to not understand them. She makes up a warning that if Kyubey tries to make Madoka contract something terrible will happen.

Meanwhile, Homura deals with Mami by making a truce. She'll tell her where witches will appear with her past knowledge so that she won't make any other girls contract.

Mabayu and Homura discover that the car that hits Amy was caused by a witch so they find the cause, defeating a familiar.

At the auto plant, Mabayu manages to stop Madoka and Sayaka from falling into the witch's barrier by helping them find the exit. Mabayu and Homura successfully fell the witch.

Unfortunately, Kyubey manages to meet Madoka and Sayaka, talking to them.

Kyubey tells Mami about these new candidates but since she made a deal with Homura she refuses.

Mabayu and Homura deal with Gertrud but Sayaka is injured in the crossfire. Homura uses this to warn Madoka from contracting as its dangerous.

Madoka approaches Homura and Mabayu, asking about magical girls. She is sad about Homura fighting alone and wants to help but Homura tells her adamantly not to.

Mabayu is worried that if Homura keeps telling Madoka about the danger of being a magical girl, she'll just want to help Homura more. Mabayu suggests they emphasise the fact she will no longer be human. Homura wonders if telling her the truth will help.

Madoka gets lost in Charlotte's labyrinth at the hospital. Homura decides to tell Madoka the truth about witches. Madoka then makes a wish to save Charlotte from despair, creating a strangely coloured Nagisa.

The girls then have to look after Nagisa who acts similarly to usual but more childishly. The group think that they can deal with Nagisa by fulfilling her wish.

Nagisa has nightmares of killing Mami as Charlotte and begins to think she's not a good person. She goes on a rampage, killing witches as well as Kyoko.

This film explains Mabayu's mother's backstory. She had a future vision that was never wrong but one day saw that she was going to die of illness and it broke her. She became a different person, begging no one to approach her in hospital.

Seeing no option to save Nagisa, Mabayu uses her magic to alter her memories. She cuts it like a film, removing her memories of killing Mami and Kyoko.

Nagisa gets a cheesecake baked by Sakie.

The girls fight Walpurgis and Nagisa is finally at peace so disappears. Homura resets

Film 5

Homura states they cannot let Madoka know about witches as they'll have another mess like Nagisa to deal with.

At the auto plant, Mabayu helps out Madoka and Sayaka again. Homura freezes time and kills Kyubey so that they cannot talk to Madoka and Sayaka.

Homura has sent Mami to another city so that she's out of their hair.

Mabayu is tasked with stalling Madoka and Sayaka from running into a witch at the mall but she's nervous about talking to them. Mabayu decides to ask Sayaka if she wants to work at her aunt's cafe.

Sayaka asks Mabayu why she wanted to hire her for work. Mabayu states she knows she collects DVDs but Sayaka is suspicious of how she knows so. Mabayu tries to lie but Sayaka sees right through her.

Kyubey tries to contact Sayaka to contract but she doesn't understand what they're saying.

Homura defeats Charlotte in the hospital. Kyubey appears and Mabayu uses a borrowed gun to kill them, masking it in the public space as a fire extinguisher going off.

Mabayu discovers that Madoka and Sayaka visited the hospital to see Kyosuke. Both Mabayu and Homura were unaware of him before now.

Homura asks Mabayu to see into the future but in it Sayaka has contracted. Homura realised she overlooked Sayaka while focusing on Madoka.

Homura is mad at Sayaka so prepares to fight her however Mabayu butts in. She doesn't want Sayaka to get hurt so asks Homura to let her deal with Sayaka instead. She plans on becoming her friend so she won't turn into a witch or have a bad effect on Madoka.

Kyoko doesn't interfere with Sayaka as she doesn't visit Mitakihara in this timeline.

Mabayu continues to fail at becoming closer friends with Sayaka as she's too bad at conversations. She's also put off by the fact she thinks of herself more as a senpai (an older classmate) than a friend.

Sayaka later fights Elsa Maria with Homura aiding. She is mad at Homura and an incident makes Mabayu appear where she was previously invisible. Sayaka is mad that Mabayu was working with Homura all along. The three tussle but oh what a surprise, Madoka contracts to make Sayaka no depress any more wow

Madoka and Sayaka fight Walpurgisnacht but fail, Homura resetting time.

Film 6

Mabayu apologises for messing up but Homura is fine with it since they learnt a lot. She honestly doesn't want to kill Sayaka at the end of the day.

Mabayu hires Sayaka again but this time knows her better, pointing out her love of classical music.

Sayaka discovers Mabayu is a magical girl but the two seem on good terms about it. Mabayu explains what she can remember of her wish (as it is still unknown to her) and that it was a wish for another person.

Kyosuke's tantrum from episode 4 plays out as Mabayu watches in hiding.

Sayaka is about to make her wish but Mabayu intervenes. She tries to dissuade her but fails.

Mabayu and Sayaka go witch hunting together. Mabayu chooses a song for Sayaka to fight to which apparently improves her strength.

Mabayu spies on Hitomi and Sayaka having their conversation like in episode 7. Mabayu is unsure how to cheer Sayaka up from this.

Sayaka asks Mabayu if she can see into the future about Hitomi's confession but backpedals, losing confidence. Mabayu hopes Sayaka will confess instead.

Sayaka seemingly decides to confess but Kyubey tells her she's no longer human and loses her resolve.

Sayaka faces Elsa Maria like usual.

Sayaka skips school the next day and later is found on the Soul-gem-throwing-bridge and does the deed herself. Unfortunately, this hustle makes Madoka contract whoops (she's really an idiot in scene zero huh)

Reset time whee

Film 7

Mabayu decides against letting Sayaka contract this time.

Mabayu pretends she has fortune telling abilities, trying to dissuade Sayaka from thinking about a contract and suggests maybe raising money for surgery for him instead.

Mabayu fucks up and Sayaka contracts anyway wow

Homura realises that Sayaka absolutely can't contract because clearly she's a fucking idiot

Madoka becomes a magical girl for Sayaka NEXT

Film 8

After Sayaka has the Kyosuke incident of 2011, Mabayu decides to cut her memories of it. She reveals that the target has to be thinking of the memories in order for her to cut them (great writing there…)

Walpurgisnacht comes and Madoka contracts, becoming Kriemhild.

Film 9

Mabayu practices fighting witches alone

Wow nothing really happens in this one huh. But it seems like the loops are finally getting to Mabayu mentally

Film 10

Homura and Mabayu leave town to stock up on grief seeds but Mabayu is killed by Kyoko

Kyoko kills Mami too wow thats so out of character…

Film 11

Mabayu realises that she continues fighting because of her admiration for Homura.

Kyubey suggests Mabayu replaces Madoka as the big entropy ending power source

Film 12

Mabayu suggests they get Mami to help them but Homura is against it

Homura instead recruits Kyoko, swaying her with the promise of plenty of grief seeds

Homura and Mabayu grow a little closer with Homura allowing her to call her by her first name. This makes Mabayu upset I think because she’s worried about getting too close with Homura

Kyoko tells Mami the truth about witches. Mabayu decides to cut Mami’s memories but sees herself in them, leading toooo

Film Mami Tomoe

Wow Mami is finally important thank fucking god! This is set before everything btw

Mabayu meets Mami with Kyubey and decides on a wish quickly. To remove her mother’s future sight so she no longer knows about her predicted death.

Mami and Mabayu work together by Mabayu holding back but using her future sight and Mami fighting for her, sharing the grief seed.

After an incident with a rookie magical girl, Mabayu learns she can cut memories. The girl seems to go missing and the two are worried, Mami thinking it's her fault

This bit is weird, it seems to play out like film 1 but from Mami's point of view. Mabayu suddenly seems to not know her. (Kyubey is affected too)

Homura is coolTM so its not film 1 I guess. Homura tells Mami not to talk with Mabayu.

Mami thinks Mabayu erased her memories of their time together.

Kyoko tells Mami the truth about witches.

Mabayu meets up with Mami and sees her memories which brings her old ones back. She realises Mami is guilty about leading other girls to their deaths by making them contract. Mabayu thinks she's a coward for cutting her own memories but leaving Mami with the burden.

It is revealed Homura was trying to keep Mami and Mabayu apart so that Mabayu wouldn't regain her memories of Mami and the time they spent together. (I dont really know why...)

Mabayu uses future sight for Homura, saying they'll win and fix everything, but this is a lie. She actually saw herself becoming a witch.

As Mabayu is close to falling into despair, Madoka wishes to save her.

Then we go to film 0, I dont know why this is getting so hard to follow...

It seems like this is the first timeline, the start of episode 10.

Madoka makes a contract to save Amy.

Mabayu is friends with Mami here.

Meanwhile Mabayu meets Ultimate Madoka??? It seems she is showing Mabayu these events.

Mabayu helps Madoka with the minotaur witch.

Mabayu sees Walpurgisnacht while future-visioning for the minotaur witch and tells Mami and Madoka.

Episode 10 plays out

The girls defeat Charlotte with Mami surviving.

Walpurgisnacht comes and Mabayu uses her future vision but sees they will fail and both Mabayu and Mami will become witches.

Mabayu lies, saying they'll defeat the witch.

At Walpurgisnacht, Mabayu confesses she lied before and she suddenly sees numerous films of the anime.

Mabayu says something dumb and cuts her own memories "Her future vision shows her a film with a future in which her vision of the future is already woven in. So if she erases her memories of despair, then the future will turn into hope!" like what the fuck does that mean? But Mami knew she was lying anyway cause she's a terrible liar so Mabayu you fucking solved nothing

Mami and Mabayu both die by Walpurgisnacht and Homura contracts.

Mabayu awakes in a new timeline and goes to cut Kyubey and Mami's memories of her.

And now we're FINALLY back to the main story

Mabayu cuts the film of her fate(?) I guess making it so she forgets about witches.

Madoka, Homura, Kyoko and Mabayu go to find Mami in the school where she's laid out a trap. She wants to 'free Mabayu of Homura's brainwashing' and wants to run away with her.

Mami doesn't want her memories to be cut because she doesn't want to stop being Mabayu's friend but in the end she accepts it, Mabayu cutting her memories.

They fight Walpurgis but fail, reset!

Film 13

Mami no longer comes up to Mabayu in the morning, she no longer remembers her as a friend.

Mabayu decides to cut Homura's memories of her and then from the entire film(?) I guess from everyone else.

At the cafe, Mami visits to buy cake and gets along with Mabayu.

The anime then plays out like usual.

-

And well that's it :T what a lame ending huh. Can you tell I was super fed up at the end? But... the story is here... sorry if things don't make sense in places, they don't make sense just as much in the story...

[walkingbomb]

DRAGON AGE TIMELINE:

This uses the Chantry calendar, which measures time in "Ages." Each age lasts one hundred years; the current age is the Dragon Age, the ninth since the founding of the Chantry, which marked the beginning of the Chantry calendar. Anything prior to 1:01 Divine is known as the Ancient Era and denoted using negative numbers, counted backwards: the year immediately preceding 1:01 Divine (the first year of the first named Age) is -1 Ancient, the year before that is -2 Ancient, and so on. The Chantry calendar doesn't have a year zero.

Many dates given in the Ancient Era are rough estimates taken from various DA sources, to be taken with a pinch of salt. Will likely be continually edited and updated.

This is a LONG post. You've been warned!

-7600 Ancient: Arlathan, fabled city of the elves, was founded. Elvhen cities existed before this, spread across Thedas and through the fade.

-4600 Ancient: Dwarves & Elves make first contact

-3100 Ancient: Arrival of humans to Thedas, settling in what would become known as Tevinter

-2800 Ancient: The Old Gods begin whispering to the humans, teaching them magic, faith in them becomes widespread

-1595 Ancient: Thalsian declares himself First Priest of Dumat, first blood mage and dreamer- he is given credit for further popularising worship of the Old Gods by establishing temples, and creating the mage ruling class of Tevinter.

-1200 Ancient: Humans and dwarves create first alliance between early Tevinter and Kal-Sharok

-1195 Ancient: Tevinter Imperium founded

-981 Ancient: Tevinter Imperium declares war on the elves, rallying their forces towards Arlathan

-975 Ancient: Tevinter Magisters supposedly used blood magic to sink Arlathan into the ground, ensuring their conquest of the elves. Surviving elves are enslaved.

-715 Ancient: Tevinter begins a campaign to subjugate Alamarri tribes in Ferelden

-620 Ancient: Tevinter establishes Emerius (now known as Kirkwall), across the sea from the Alamarri as a slave trade hub

-395 Ancient: A group of Tevinter magisters enter the Golden City. First Blight begins, led by Archdemon (and Old God) Dumat

-305 Ancient: The Grey Wardens are formed at Weisshaupt

-203 Ancient: Dumat is slain by Grey Wardens, first blight is conquered. Andraste is born.

-180 Ancient: Andraste declares war (the first Exalted March) against the Tevinter Imperium, unifying the barbarian tribes of the South

-171 Ancient: The Imperium's elven slaves, lead by Shartan, join Andraste's fight against Tevinter

-170 Ancient: Andraste dies- Maferath (Andraste's husband) betrays her, allowing her to be captured and put to death by the Tevinter Imperium

-165 Ancient: Maferath grants land (The Dales) to the elves that joined in the war against the Imperium. Those that make it in 'The Long Walk' from Tevinter, found the city of Halamshiral.

-160 Ancient: Hessarian (who had Andraste put to death by fire) converts to the Chant of Light and declares Tevinter an Andrastian nation

1:01 Divine Age: Justinia I made first Divine, Orelesian Chantry is officially established.

1:05 Divine: Second Blight begins, led by Archdemon Zazikel

1:95 Divine: Archdemon slain by Grey Wardens at Starkhaven, second blight ends.

2:10 Glory Age: Orlais declares war (the Exalted March of the Dales) on the elves after years of mounting tensions.

2:20 Glory: Orlais conquers Halamshiral in their Exalted March. Orlais claims the Dales and forbids the worship of elven gods, forcing elves to convert to the Maker and live in alienages within human cities. Those elves that refused and escaped became the nomadic Dalish elves.

3:10 Towers Age: Third Blight begins lead by Toth

3:25 Towers: Archdemon defeated by Grey Wardens at Hunter Fell, third Blight ends

3:87 Towers: Chantry Schism- After years of tension, Orelesian Chantry declares Tevinter as heretics as they refuse to amend the Chant of Light. Valhail I named first Imperial (Black) Divine of Tevinter

5:12 Exalted Age: Fourth Blight begins, lead by Archdemon Andoral

5:24 Exalted: Archdemon slain by Grey Wardens at Ayesleigh, fourth Blight ends

6:30 Steel Age: Qunari first arrive in Thedas in warships, landing in and conquering Par Vollen

6:32 Steel: Qunari ships land en masse in Seheron and northern Rivain, marking the beginning of the Qunari Wars. Seheron and a portions of the Imperium, Rivain and Antiva are conquered in the next 10 years, with efforts to begin attacks on the Free Marches too. Minrathous remains besieged but unconquered.

7:25 Storm Age: The New Exalted Marches are declared by both the Imperium and Orelesian Chantries to retake Seheron and Rivain from the Qunari- three Marches are declared over the next 60 years.

7:84 Storm: The third New Exalted March ends- envoys from all human lands (except Tevinter) and the Qunari meet to sign the Llomerryn Accord, hostilities cease and lands are redistributed. Tevinter refuses to sign, so hostilities between them and the Qunari persist.

8:24 Blessed Age: Orlais orders the Invasion of Ferelden, Denerim is conquered by 8:44 Blessed and Orlais occupies Ferelden until the Dragon Age.

9:00/2 Dragon Age: Ferelden is reclaimed by rebel forces lead by Prince Maric, Loghain Mac Tir and Rowan Guerrin

9:06/7 (?) Dragon: Hawke is born

9:30 Dragon: Fifth Blight begins, lead by Archdemon Urthemiel. The Battle of Ostagar (start of Origins) takes place. The Hawke family flees Lothering for Kirkwall after the battle is unsuccessful.

9:31 Dragon: Archdemon is slain at the Battle of Denerim by Grey Wardens, fifth Blight ends. Events of Awakening take place. Hawke finds the lyrium idol in a deep roads expedition to a pre-first Blight thaig.

9:32 Dragon: Events in Witch Hunt takes place- the Warden confronts Morrigan in front of the eluvian

9:34 Dragon: Hawke is declared Champion of Kirkwall by Knight-Commander Meredith Standard, for repelling a Qunari invasion

9:37 Dragon: Events of Legacy take place- Hawke inadvertently frees Corypheus from his prison. Anders destroys the Kirkwall chantry, sparking the Kirkwall rebellion, and further mage rebellions across Thedas. Hawke flees Kirkwall

9:40 Dragon: Orelesian civil war (AKA War of the Lions) breaks out. College of Enchanters votes to separate from the Chantry. Circles of Magi are dissolved. Solas awakens

9:41 Dragon: Conclave is called at the Temple of Sacred Ashes to bring an end to the Mage-Templar war, disrupted by Corypheus, resulting in the creation of the Breach and the death of the leaders at the conclave, including Divine Justinia (start of Inquisition). The Inquisitor/Herald of Andraste leads the newly reformed Inquisition against Corypheus to seal the Breach. Inquisitor resolves Orelesian civil war.

9:42 Dragon: Events of Jaws of Hakkon and The Descent take place. Inquisitor discovers a living Titan. The Inquisition defeats Corypheus at the Temple of Sacred Ashes and seals the Breach. Divine Victoria is elected.

9:44 Dragon: Events of Trespasser take place- Inquisitor attends the Exalted Council to decide the Inquisition's fate. A Qunari plot to destroy southern Thedas' nobility during the council meeting is foiled by the Inquisition and agents of Fen'harel. The anchor, along with the Inquisitor's left forearm is removed by Solas, who disappears through an eluvian. The Inquisition is disbanded.

9:52 Dragon: The events of Veilguard begin...

[spinningbuster98]

Metroid Zero Mission Part 1: Deja vu

Zero Mission is quite the special little game isn’t it?

It was the last Metroid game made by Nintendo R&D1, who had previously made every 2D Metroid game, and it was the last 2D game period until 2017, yikes!

I have quite a long history with this game, as it might just be my second most replayed game in the series after Super (though Dread is steadily catching up)

There’s a LOT to talk about with this game, but I wanted ti start with something simple: the controls!

With Fusion the series did away with Super’s run button, item select, wall jump and made the jump slightly less floaty, all in a way to make Samus feel more responsive and less loose, even if at the cost of all the cool stuff you could pull off in Super

Zero Mission both takes a step further with this approach while also trying to recapture Super’s moveset

Jumping is anything but floaty here: Samus is very heavy now and drops to the ground very quickly. I have mixed feelings on this: on the one hand it makes platforming much more precise than it was in Super, you should never have an awkward time jumping on small platforms like you would in old Tourian in that game. On the other hand however this also feels like an overcorrection to me, because a jump so short feels unsatisfying in some ways, while also being awkward in its own way depending on the circumstance. For example when it comes to wall jumping: it’s great to see this technique back, and it’s certainly put to good use several times...but man does it feel like shit to use! I will never understand why so many people shit on Super’s wall jump while also giving ZM’s a free pass: Super’s has a visual indication to tell you when you should perform it in the form of Samus preparing to kick the wall. The timing of the jump itself, while precise, isn’t really pixel perfect and, due to the floaty physics, you could reach some crazy heights with it. Here, with Samus feeling so heavy, you gain very little height with each wall jump, forcing you to perform several of them in quick succession to get some real height. There’s no visual indication for when to perform the jump, and the timing is borderline pixel perfect due to how briefly Samus will actually keep contact with the wall before falling down, which means that you’ll have to draw your thumb from one end of the D pad to the other super quickly, with a high risk that you’ll accidentaly press either up or down, which will cause Samus to stop somersaulting thus failing the wall jump. It’s taken me 10+ years for me to master this thing and it STILL feels like a total nut cruncher whenever I input the controls!

On the flipside though Infinite Bomb jumping is awesome here! I’ve always hated it in Super due to how long it took for the bombs to blow up, but here they blow up quickly enough for the player to get a consistent and quick rythm, which also makes diagonal bomb jumping surprisingly easy!

One thing I will say is that, if nothing else, the heavier jump mostly gells well with the level design and with Samus’ overall ground speed: Zero Mission’s level design skeleton is still based on the original Metroid’s, meaning it’s 75% composed of mostly straight horizontal hallways that are rather narrow in height and are heavy on the platforming. Samus is the fastest she’s ever been when running, so having a jump that will quickly put you back on your feet to keep on running helps keep the fast pace going, which in turn meshes well with the more horizontal level design. Had this game used Super’s physics, or even Fusion’s, with their floatier jumps, the game would have felt weirdly slow and the act of traversing the world unnatural

[chvrrycola]

STRAY KIDS X CLICHE MEETCUTES - BANG CHAN

word count: 1.1k

warnings: food mention

currently listening to: smiling all the way back home by tom odell

meet the other meetcutes!

you had been living in your new apartment building for a couple of weeks when you started getting a bunch of packages that you were certain you hadn’t ordered. the address on all of them was definitely yours, but they were all to some guy named bang chan, who you assumed must have been the last guy renting it out. 

you called your landlord to see if he had his contact details, but he insisted that nobody called bang chan had lived in your apartment since he had bought it almost 10 years earlier. 

so you allowed the packages to stack up, not knowing what to do with them and leaving them all untouched in the spare room that was full of all the boxes you were still yet to unpack. 

you tried speaking to the doorman in your building as well, just in case he knew who the packages were supposed to be going to, though he was also certain he didn’t know of anybody called bang chan living in any of the apartments, but he wished you good luck on your search all the same. 

none of your neighbours had said a word to you since you moved in, and, despite the polite smiles they offered you in the hallways, it was never enough to encourage you to actually go and ask if they were whoever these deliveries were for. 

they were a small part of your life though, and after a while the unknown deliveries to your apartment stopped, you assumed bang chan had realised that he’d been entering his address wrong after everything he ordered failed to show up. that or he’d gotten fed up with how unreliable postal workers were, and had gone back to shopping the old-fashioned way. 

you were getting settled on your sofa in your comfiest clothes, needing a break from the rough week you had had. you wanted to order some food, not having a clue what you might cook with the precisely zero ingredients that currently occupied your cupboards. 

as you were scrolling through the various restaurants in your area, though, you heard somebody knocking on your door. sighing, you heaved yourself up off your sofa and went over to open it up. 

the man on the other side of your door was holding a white plastic bag out to you in one hand, with a motorcycle helmet tucked under his other arm. you looked at him with a blank expression, trying to get an explanation of what he was supposed to be delivering.

‘i have an order here for bang chan?’ he eventually said, though it sounded more like a question as he began to grasp your confusion. 

‘i don’t know a bang chan.. he definitely doesn’t live here…’ 

your voice trailed off as the delivery driver furrowed his brow and took his phone from his pocket, checking the information he had been given. 

‘this is number 104, isn’t it?’ 

you nodded, looking up and down the corridor in the hope that somehow this situation would sort itself out with minimal effort from you. or that it wouldn’t and you’d be left with the amazing smelling chinese food, especially since that was exactly what you had been planning on ordering for yourself.

as you looked to your right, you saw the young guy who lived next door stick his head out of his door, scanning up and down in much the same way you were. he jumped when he saw you looking at him, and a flustered look took over his features as he began to realise what was going on.

‘hi, sorry…’ he said sheepishly, walking over to your door, ‘what’s the name on that order?’ 

his voice sounded almost physically pained, and you felt bad for how awkward he must have been feeling. you giggled a little, raising your eyebrows at him as a gesture that was meant to be comforting, but you were convinced must’ve come across as patronising. 

the driver handed the bag over to bang chan and began to walk away as soon as he had confirmed his identity. he stayed standing somewhat strangely, clearly searching for a way to apologise for having inconvenienced you. 

‘it’s not a big deal,’ you began, wanting to put him out of his misery as quickly as possible, ‘but i do actually have quite a lot of stuff of yours i think.’

you showed him into your apartment and left him standing in the entryway as you scurried to the spare room to retrieve the piles of packages that had been sitting there for almost a month. 

his eyes had widened like saucers by the time you were leaving him to fetch a fourth stack of deliveries, picking up occasional boxes to check the address written on them. 

‘i don’t know why you got all these,’ he told you when you had eventually brought everything through.

‘might have something to do with the fact that they all have my address on them?’

‘they do? no, they all say apartment no.104, that’s where i live.’

you suppressed another laugh as you opened the front door, gesturing to the brass ‘104’ nailed onto the wood. another self-conscious smile stretched across his lips before he opened his mouth to try and explain himself.

‘i… it’s.. i’ve only been living here a couple weeks.. i really thought mine was 104, it doesn’t have numbers like yours, i swear it doesn’t.’

his last frenzied promise must’ve been in response to the bemused chuckle that finally passed your lips at this, but he took your hand and led you out to in front of his door, showing you that there were, in fact, no numbers to be seen.

‘it’s really not a big deal, do you want a hand bringing your stuff over?’

his immediate reaction was in the affirmative, though it only took him about half a second to realise that he had left his apartment without his keys, and that the door had swung shut behind him, and that he was now locked out.

he hid his face in his hands, muttering something about how this is not the way to make a first impression, which you again brushed aside, insisting he could camp out in your apartment until the next morning when he’d be able to give your landlord a call. he offered a grateful smile, and trudged back to your apartment.

you ushered him over to the sofa, where he reluctantly sat down with the bag of chinese he had ordered next to him.

‘i actually always end up over-ordering, so we could definitely share this if you’d want to do that at all?’

you smiled at him from behind the counter of your kitchenette, nodding as you asked him what he’d like to drink.

[rozcdust]

‘Zana said swing

Pairing: Pet Shop Trio x child!reader

Genre: Drabble, crack

Word Count: 1.2k

Warning: Profanity, mention of a fight

a/n: I can’t stop thinking about the Tenjiku orphanage-

Chifuyu almost jumped out of his skin as the doors to his pet shop got pummelled open, a frantic, bloodied kid bolting in and slamming the doors behind themselves.

Chifuyu, Baji and Kazutora stared on in confusion mixed with alarm as the child looked around wildly, finally zeroing in on the counter in the pet shop.

The very same counter where Chifuyu was seated.

“Hide me!” Borderline yelping, the kid scurried under the table, just in time for two flushed, panting policemen to burst in as well.

Now what the fuck is going on?

Baji, Chifuyu and Kazutora did not sign up for this.

“Excuse us! Did you happen to see a teenager, the had a school uniform on, about 10 or 11 years old, ye tall?” The policeman held his hand to show your approximate height, bent over to catch his breath.

Kazutora reacted faster than the other two.

“Oh, I think we did! They ran that way.” Pointing his finger in the opposite direction, the policemen thanked him and rushed out, yelling out your name.

You breathed out a sigh of relief, curled up under the counter, your hand tightly pressed against your mouth to prevent your rushed, ragged breaths from being heard.

Chifuyu pulled away from the counter, and suddenly, you had three pairs of eyes zeroing in on you, each of their faces looking disturbingly close to an upset parent.

Or an angry cat. You couldn’t really tell.

“What the actual hell was that?” The man sitting down demanded, his arms crossed and a furrow between his brows.

Oh fuck. He really looked like your caretaker at the orphanage in those few rare moments when you tested his patience long enough and he looked as if he was debating beating your ass with a wooden spoon.

He never would, he was too mild-mannered and gentle for that, but he looked as if he was considering it.

You swallowed, hard.

“I got into a fight, sir.”

Their eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Before they all started speaking over each other.

“Kid, you can’t do that-“

“Did you have a good reason at le-“

“Did ya win?”

The three of them stopped the cacophony to glare at each other.

“Baji, you can’t ask if they’ve won! They got into a fight!”

“Yeah! You gotta ask if it was for a good reason first!”

“Kazutora, no-“

Your attempt as assessing if they’ll call the police back on your ass is starting to look more and more like a no.

“What we will do is call the kid’s parents!” Chifuyu shouts in order to be heard over Baji’s and Kazutora’s bickering.

The two stop, nod to agree, and continue arguing, accusing each other of never listening to Chifuyu.

He feels a headache approaching.

“Kid, give me your parents’ number. I won’t snitch, though I do recommend you get cleaned up. You looked as if you went through hell and back.”

“No parents, sir. I live in the Tenjiku orphanage, sir.”

The two men with long hair stopped bickering, looking at you in surprise.

“Ah, so you one of Izana’s little urchins?” Laughing to himself slightly, Baji already pulled out his phone to contact the man.

“No, sir! Well, I mean, technically? But Izana is always busy with business trips. Hitto Kakucho is my caretaker, sir.”

“No issue, no issue.” Grinning wildly, the man scrolled through his contact list, “Got his number too, we go way way back in the day.”

Placing the phone to his ear, Baji waited for his friend to pick up.

He does so on the second ring.

“Hey, Kaku, my dear friend! Hi, we just got a kid hiding from the cops in our shop, says it’s one of your little guppies- Hold on,” Covering the speaker, Baji looks at you, “What’s your name?”

“Y/n, sir!”

“Y/n, Kakucho. No, hold up- Oh come on, not all of us finished a fancy schmancy university- No, I don’t see a problem with calling the kid an it- Okay, fine, see you soon, bye-bye.”

Not even a few seconds after he hung up, Kakucho slammed the doors of the pet shop open as if the Devil himself was chasing him, and Chifuyu truly had to ask himself how much abuse will the door be able to endure until it breaks.

“Where is my child?!” Huffing and panting from his sprint, Kakucho holds onto the doorknob as if his life depends on it.

Letting all of the heat out.

Wonderful.

Chifuyu can’t wait to see his electricity bill for that month.

“It’s here.” Kazutora, like a snitch, points underneath the counter.

He gets a nice and proper smack from Kakucho for calling you an it.

Chifuyu rarely sees Kakucho, and when he does, the man is side to side with Izana, sporting business casual attire, dress pants and a button-up usually, but now, Kakucho’s in a pair of loose sweatpants and a hoodie, not even having bothered with throwing on a jacket in his rush, standing with his arms crossed and glaring at the child cowering underneath the table.

He truly looks like an exhausted dad.

“Y/n.” He addresses you in a stern, disappointed tone, “How much of that is your blood?”

You twiddle your thumbs, smiling awkwardly at the man, but still refusing to leave the safety of the counter, hiding underneath like a scared cat.

“Hi dad. Uh- Well- Some of it?”

The tiredness on Kakucho’s face seemed to age him 10 years.

“What happened?” Rubbing his temples, he closes his eyes, taking deep breaths.

“Some assholes were throwing around another kid’s backpack and didn’t let him get it… So I punched them?”

“Child, what did we say about physical violence?”

“Well, you said that it’s bad, but ‘Zana said,” Your face relaxes, tone growing softer and slower, clearly in an attempt to mimic Izana. It has the pet shop workers snickering, “Y/n, you got a right fist and a left fist for a reason, and if a beep tries you, swing.”

Kazutora and Baji look about a second away from losing it, this 10-year-old sassing their once so feared friend too amusing to not laugh at.

Kakucho’s eye twitches.

“I’ll have a chat with Izana about his… Parenting methods. Did you at least win?”

You beamed, a sly grin making it’s way onto your childish face, still adored with baby fat.

“The police were chasing me, not those assholes, right?”

“Language!”

“OH SO IT’S FINE WHEN HE ASKS IF THE KID WON, BUT WHEN I CALL IT AN URCHIN-“

Baji goes on a full rant, not stopping once to consider the fact no one was listening.

“You stress me out.” Sighing, Kakucho bent over to coax you out, “C’mere, we’re going home, I’m sure Shion and Mochi will find this hilarious.”

“Leg hurts.” You drag yourself out in the open, but still refuse to move an inch away from the floor.

Not an issue for Kakucho, he picks you up into his arms easily, holding you like a little kid.

“What am I going to do with you honey?” Shaking his head, he softly pats your back, much like one would to a baby.

You find yourself a little offended, you considered yourself to be basically an adult, but your leg really did hurt, so not having to walk is nice.

“Suffer.”

“I’ll tell Izana about this.”

“Do it, he’d be proud.”

Kakucho opens his mouth to argue, but-

Yeah, no.

Izana would be proud.

Goddamit.

🔖Taglist:

@dilf-city @wakasa-wifey @rinsie @kisekihany @bajifairyy @cryszus @r-xochitl @graythecoffeebean @yukihime-mikeys-girl @mukounisuru-gashadokuro @sunahyejin @crybabylisa @yamaguccitadashi @minoozi @trashmemebitch @frogtits1 @sup-zfam @whydohumansss @xashiui @bontens-whore @nqctre @lumi-does-some-stuff @hana-patata @hxked @erza-uzumaki @sh4nn @sisnot @soushswag @kneeapartman @anahryal @reiners-milkbiddies @satsuri3su @aretheea @bluerskiees @luvjiro @sanchezbloodline @a-toxic-person @lostsomewhereinthegarden @astropheia @thetruepair @jeagckerman

a/n: currently sobbing over austria-hungary and this drabble was written as comfort 🥲

[elfhawk3]

A friend linked me a cohost post for an RPG that uses a tarot deck to build the city the game takes place in. I went ‘that’s the sort of GM solo play I love to do’ and grabbed one of my many tarot decks and a copy of the pay-what-you-want ‘just the city builder’ preview of the full book.

I don’t have a cohost and the area I inhabit here isn’t into RPGs, so this is going to do zero advertising for a cool-looking game,  but whatever, I’m making this for me and if you enjoy it, cool. 

Step One: The Central Power 

The first card drawn decides who rules the city. After pulling out all the major arcana per the instructions, I drew the 10 of Wands.

“The Cult of the God-King reigns. The Crow-Headed Queen will be deified upon her death, but through her sorceries she has reigned for over 120 years. The Temple of the God-Kings stands in the center of the City.”

So this is a place ruled by an immortal sorcerer. Did the Cult control the City before she took over or did it rise up around her? If the former, she might just be the latest in a line of God-Kings. The Cult might be getting antsy about her immortality. Can’t have a proper God-King if your King refuses to die and move on to their bigger duties as God. If it’s the latter, she formed it herself around her ambitions to ascend from mortal to divine. Going by some of the other text, this setting is one where magic is weird and distrusted. What effect has a century (centuries?) of a sorcerer on the throne had on the people of the City? 

I love the symbolism here of a woman holding up a city. It matches so well.

Step 2: Form the Core Districts 

The oldest parts of the city. What was the City originally like? Draw four cards and place them on each side of the Central Power card.

North - 7 of Wands - The Sidereal House

“This institution seeks to understand the lights of the sky and their significance for those who dwell on earth. The Sidereal House is home to a sect of natural philosophers. These astronomers calculate the motions and positions of various planets, their dance, conjunctions, and the timing of eclipses.”

The City’s northernmost district is astronomers on a high plateau away from the smog and lights of city life, tracking time as they watch the skies. As one of the oldest locations in the City, is it possible it started entirely separate from the rest of the City for its prime stargazing spot and the City’s growth expanded to include it? Their duties include tracking, recording, and naming new years; some previous ruler must have wanted better recordkeepers and there was a tower of detail-oriented philosophers just over there.

East - 4 of Pentacles - The Curio Curia

“Seditious materials, false coinage, human chattel, and dangerous sorcerous artifacts are never traded in the Omphalic Market. The answer to economic constraint is the black market. In the City, this takes the form of the Curio Curia, a shadow economy for any illicit good.” 

The Omphalic Market mentioned in the blurb is one of the constants of city design that gets placed after the cards decide the rest of the city layout, so let’s ignore that for now.

The City’s major eastern district is home to the blackest of black markets. I get ‘set up right by the water’ vibes from this. Easy to bring stuff in, easy for a fast getaway when you get into trouble peddling nudes of the Crow-Headed Queen. Perhaps the market is even entirely on the river, and city law stops at the edge of the piers. This would make the entire stretch of the river through the City  something of a no man’s land, which could be interesting. Also tricky to figure out which boat is just someone fishing and which is your smuggler friend’s actual contact pretending to fish.

South - Knight of Cups - The Old Queen’s Library

“Books were the singular obsession of the Old Queen. So much so that this was the one tax she imposed upon the City: any person passing the gates or docking ship must yield up any book in their possession.”

The City’s southern district is home to a major library, love it. A long-dead queen was obsessed with books and had her people collect books to copy. She’d have the copies returned and retained the originals. This is pulled straight from history- there’s Greek writing about the Library of Alexandria collecting books from ships that came into port and doing the same thing. The Curio Curia could even have gotten its start with people trying to get their first editions back and making the queen’s library keep the copy her scribes made. I imagine the library itself isn’t on the water, but on a main street leading directly from what originally was a major dock, though it might no longer be. Today the library is tended by librarian nuns and allows the Cult’s historians, scholars, poets, and lawyers to peruse their stacks. They definitely don’t lend the books out.

As a court card, this is a rich district. Considering the odds of drawing more, this might even be *the* noble district. This library is most certainly not open to the public at large. Devotees of the Cult might be able to swing a day pass, but not that often.

West - 8 of Cups - The Philosophers’ Forum

“There is a (currently popular) branch of philosophy that rejects modern educational standards, the esteem of the City’s various colleges, and even the utility of the written word. These iconoclast philosophers hang out in the district called the Philosophers’ Forum. In essence, these philosophers live as paupers (though they would use the term “aesthetic mendicant”), and make a poor living by selling their treatises, giving public recitations, and betting on rhetorical contests.”

The City’s western district is even more drawn from Greek history than the library. Turn the right corner in this district of eloquent illiterate paupers and you may bump into Fantasy Diogenes. (Be sure to wash afterwards.) Street philosophers debating anything and everything have got to make this a contender for the noisiest district. I imagine quite a few folks living here are just Something Awful forum members, egging philosophical debates into becoming fistfights. Visually speaking, I imagine most of the district is in a pretty heavy state of disrepair- the philosophers don’t brook with currency or upkeep.

It’s fascinating that three of these districts are about knowledge. The City could have gotten its start as a center for learning, but has it remained so? The librarian nuns probably beat the philosophers with sticks when they visit to debate the hoarding of books for just the Cult and the wealthy and then again when other philosophers show up to denounce reading as a crime against the natural order of the world. We’ll see what sprawl builds a buffer from the riotous thinkers of western district for their recordkeeping neighbors to the north and south. 

Step Three: Add The Sprawl

These are the younger districts, springing up as the City expands and contracts through history. The suit of each core district decides how many others have grown around it. Zero for the swords of the military, one for pentacles and the lower class, two for cups for the faithful and the institutions they fund, and three for the wands of the weirdos.

North and the Sidereal House:

As a wand district, three cards let me put the distance between the astronomy tower from the city center that I wanted.

1 - Queen of Pentacles - The Street of Beggars

“It hosts leper houses, orphanages, religious mendicants, and a vast homeless population. Despite its residents being in abject poverty, the Street of Beggars is the home to one of the City’s most powerful factions: the Beggars Guild. The Beggars Guild regulates all petty crime.”

Now this is a great card for the sort of sprawl connecting the City center to a tower on a plateau. People shoved out of the nicer districts to the south slowly growing towards the tower. And people trying to reach the City and just giving up and settling for here. I can just imagine everything sixty feet back from the king’s road connecting the administrative tasks of the tower to the heart of the City is shoddy row houses and even shabbier lean-tos. 

2 - 2 of Wands - Newt Row

“Sorcerers scoff at Newt Row. This hedge-witchery is basically junk (more or less). It’s essentially a tourist’s destination in the City: a place where folks from Far Away can get spooked by a sibyl and pay too much for a blue-eye amulet.”

So this is obviously along the main drag from the central district to our distant tower. The Las Vegas Strip where tourists spend 90% of their time because all around it is nothing. Makes sense that the Beggars Guild would take it over. The merchants probably pay the Guild for protection from getting robbed by the locals as both parties fleece newcomers for all they're worth. 

3 - 9 of Pentacles - The Lichyard Market

“The Lichyard Market is the main meat market, a gourmand’s delight, and a grotesque spectacle. It houses some of the finest taverns, popular thermopolia, and cesspools of biowaste in the City.”

Another market, with even weirder smells. I think the north gates are where most people arrive in the City, or at least this is shaping up to be where most of the commerce goes on. The river I’ve put going through the east district must go somewhere through the north district. Perhaps what separates the tower from the rest of the City is the river.

East and the Curio Curia:

1 - 3 of Cups - Stone

“Each architect displays their masterpieces in the district’s squares, forums, and thoroughfares. The bridges of Stone are colossal statues providing egress; the public fountains are instruments that play music as they burble; the apartment buildings rise as high as cathedrals.”

Oh perfect, engineers to build complicated bridges to connect our astronomers to the rest of the City. It’s amusing I’ve described the Philosophers’ Forum as dilapidated as this district offers plenty of masons and architects for fixing things up. Well, this is one of the newer districts, maybe they’re very new and have been rebuilding the whole city and haven’t made it that far yet. Which makes sense, those guys don’t have any money, whereas the librarian nuns have their Cult’s coffers. The residential parts of this district probably are safe to live in but also miserable due to the sounds of construction.

South and the Old Queen’s Library:

1 - 6 of Cups - The Madrasa of Maiden Wisdom

“Founded by the Crow-Headed Queen and renamed for the mother of Mythrys, the Madrasa of Maiden Wisdom is a public institution of learning. There are a dozen or so colleges inside the City, but the Madrasa of Maiden Wisdom is the largest and most esteemed. It is unique in that it offers free education to anybody, boy or girl, human or non-human.”

I feel like the Crow-Headed Queen founded this before she became ruler. Like it was part of her putting her name on the map. The school is split into two main parts - “the lower houses” cover general education requirements for a diploma, the “upper houses” are for your degree’s specialized main courses. Offering free education doesn’t necessarily mean everything they have is free, so I’m wondering if the lower houses is the free education and the upper houses require payment. This probably is in a buffer zone separating the rich district the library is in from their poor neighbors.

Considering the free education offered here versus ‘you must be a member of the Cult’ the library has,  I can see the two institutes being at loggerheads. Behind the scenes, of course. Both are funded by the Cult and don’t want to draw its attention to their drama. 

2 - 4 of Wands - Kobalosgaard

“The orcs consider their blood oath to the ruler sacrosanct and inviolable. They will fight to the death in defense of their charge. However, if the ruler does happen to die, they see no reason to join them in the afterlife. As part of their pact, the honor guard has the right to leave the City with as much booty from the treasury as they can carry.”

This district is dedicated to the needs of the honor guard of twenty fireblooded orcs housed in a palace here. They’re not local and thought to be completely loyal to the ruler, since they have no ties to any of the factions of the City by virtue of not being local. Side effect, though, is it implies mistrust of the citizenry. But I also haven’t drawn any swords cards yet, this isn’t a particularly militaristic city. 

I do like that they have a retirement option- leave after the boss dies with all the loot they can carry. I wonder how that works when the Crow-Headed Queen has been in charge for 120 years. How long do orcs live? Does their contract allow them an out after a certain number of years served? Or have several generations of orcs gone without the spoils this alliance was supposed to provide them and their people back home? How much trouble is simmering under the surface here?

West and the Philosophers' Forum:

1 - 3 of Pentacles - The Gambol

“It consists of ramshackle bridges spanning chimneys, attics, and garrets. Its residents spend days, perhaps even weeks, never setting foot on solid ground. There’s an old adage that runs, “People never look up.” As such, the Gambol is favored by those who want to disappear: debtors, revolutionaries, and deposed tyrants from foreign lands.”

An entirely aerial district, which means it’s built above another one, or even more. I get the feeling this district got its start with two different things- people trying to escape the philosophy discussions and people trying to hide from the Beggar’s Guild and other criminal elements. The factions make themselves.

2 - 3 of Wands - The Lotus Eater’s District

“The Lotus Eater’s District caters to lotus addicts, but also sells intoxicants of all descriptions. Many kith and kin have found surprising ways to get fucked up, and they can all be found here: dragonteeth blunts, rackety-tam, angelshit, troll spice, takalashi jelly, etc.”

The city has ended up with a lot of Greek references, huh? Stoned potheads probably make good neighbors for the rowdy philosophers. Or at least they don’t care so much as bakers who have to be up at 3 in the morning. The philosophers would be the district’s main customers were they not all broke. Alternatively- this is really why most of them are broke. The citizens of the Gambol probably try to stay off their roofs to avoid tripping in a whole different way than they usually worry about.

Step Four: Place the Constants

Every incarnation of the City has three features that never change- though the exact locations will:

The Grey is a major river that flows through the City. It’s just as important to the City as the Nile is to Cairo. It also has pirates. I think the Curio Curia just became an extremely dangerous place to do business.

The Ossuary is the City’s Paris Catacombs alternate though it’s a former plaster mine, not limestone. It’s most recent expansion uncovered a door carved of ivory that monsters poured out of. They’ve managed to seal it. This is going to go over on the plateau of astronomy, to give them lots of room. Being an underground operation, it won’t have a lot of light pollution.

The Omphalic Market is THE place to go to shop. The true beating heart of the city. Nowhere really jumps out for where to put it, so I’m just going to shove it in somewhere and call it a day.

And voila, a City ready to explore the Underground of. One that speaks of ancient knowledge and wisdom that swung towards commerce and has created a strict divide between the haves and the have-nots.

How very every college town ever of it.

Is the Crow-Headed Queen’s free college (and potential other good works) enough to keep the rumblings at bay or has she spent too long on the distant throne of her temple to remember her own days in the hard-scrabble scrum of survival?

[tangent101]

Post-Apogee Solstice Event Timeline

First, I must state that my views on Uthudurn Time is based off of non-official maps. It seems like Uthodurn is nearly on the opposite side of the world as Vasselheim… and given the proximity of Team B to Vasselheim I'm assuming that group is in the same time zone as Vasselheim. And given the importance of Vasselheim for the dawn of civilization, I'm using it as the Prime Meridian.

Uthudorn Time (UT) would be -10 Vasselheim Time (VT) Thus times will be presented in 24-hour VT and in local time.

Second, after @your-reference-here pointed out a flaw in my timezone approximations... I realized I had made a couple of mistakes with the timezones.

Honestly, the blame is mine. Originally? I thought there was six hours between Uthodurn and Vasselheim. Then when I looked at maps I revised that at first to eight hours... and then ten. (Honestly, it might very well be 12 hours and that might be why Matt chose to put them where he did - on opposite sides of the planet from each other. It would make his record-keeping easier!) I'm sticking with ten hours until we hear otherwise... and this forced me to come up with Day Zero partly because Zero Hour would be when the group was teleported away and partly because I didn't want to change the days for a fragment day.

Day Zero: 0.22-10 VT. (8 a.m. UT): Team A regains consciousness around dawn in Wildemount, a couple days journey from Uthodurn. After desperate attempts to contact their comrades, they realize Sending is not working, though other magic appears to work normally.

0.22 VT (10 p.m. VT): Team B regains consciousness in the middle of the night in the Spectrum Gorge in Issylra. While climbing out, they meet up with Deni$e Bembachula and up top they encounter the shepherd Bor'dor Dog'son and Cobalt Soul apprentice Prism Grimpoppy and have to fight three plant monsters before finally determining where they are, and spend the night in a cave.

Day One: 1.08-10 VT (6 p.m. UT): In the evening Team A finds a cavern where they plan to spend the night and end up having to fight a frost salamander. During the fight they encounter an Aeormaton, FRIDA, and an ex-girlfriend of Chetney's, Deanna Leimert. They make camp and learn that FRIDA was recently reactivated, and Deanna had been resurrected after being dead for 200 years. They spend the night in the lair of the frost salamander. 1.22-10 VT (8 a.m. UT): Team A continued traveling to Uthodurn. FRIDA comments on Imogen's marks and she realizes they've not only been growing, but are starting to turn red.

1.08 VT (8 a.m.): In the morning Team B starts traveling to civilization and find a gallows that they're fairly certain is haunted. They move past it and reach a nearby town, Hearthdell, where a tangle of leylines can be found. 1.20 VT (8 p.m.): Team B encounter a situation with the Church of the Dawnfather at Hearthdell which was acting in a fashion that was… not exactly worthy of respect and ends up with Team B helping the townsfolk rise up in open conflict against the Church.

Day Two:

2.06-2.08 VT (6-8 a.m.): In the morning Team B are provided access to Scrying magic that lets them learn where Team A is located and that everyone is okay. They leave Hearthdell and travels into the Serratus Wilderness. (I've shifted the start-time for this because Matt described this scene as Team A traveling. That said, he described events that happen a while later... which could just be Solstice shenanigans showing a future event, I suppose or the damage from their fight with the frost salamander.)

2.09-10 VT (7 p.m.): While Team A is making camp, Chetney and Deanna talk, and Chetney flees when he realizes he's about to transform into a werewolf as Catha is full. Imogen, FCG, and Fearne use Imogen's Dreamwalk ability but are drawn to Ruidus and are almost sucked into the red beam connecting the Malleus Key to the red moon. FRIDA goes off to check on Chetney and, unable to control himself, Chetney bites FRIDA before fleeing in shame.

2.18 VT (6 p.m.): Team B settles down for the night, Ashton tries to meditate whie Bor'Dor tries to make fruit leather. Prism carves runes into Bor'Dor's crossbow and makes it so it can take short-term enchantments. Bor'Dor practices his magic.

2.22-10 VT (8 a.m.): Chetney rejoins Team A and he admits to Deanna about his lycanthropy. He also admits that there are people in Uthodurn who will likely not be happy to see him.

Day Three: 3.06-10 VT (4 p.m. UT): Team A reaches Uthodurn, which is in some tension as the Solstice knocked out the magical lighting, and after going to the Vellum Steeple and exchanging information learn that a beast is creating havoc in the Grand Disc. They sneak into the Disc and are able to pacify and then release the Sentinel Beast Uudara. They head to Deanna's home for a night's sleep.

3.08 VT (8 a.m.): Team B continues traveling. 3.16 VT (4 p.m.): Team B finds a crater with a Githzerai skeleton partly entombed, and recover a magical ring from the skeleton. 3.20 VT (8 p.m.): Ashton offers Prism a pipe of tobacco using an enchanted pipe that shows Prism's proudest moment, when she convinced a wizard of the Cobalt Soul to apprentice her. Orym dances with spirits.

3.22-10 VT (8 a.m. UT): Team A has breakfast at Deanna's and help Oltgar with a pymon bug infestation before they reveal to him that his partner is doing some corrupt stuff and convince him to leave.

Day Four: 4.02-10 VT (12 p.m. UT): Team A goes to see the King and Queen and learn of Molaesmyr. After FRIDA and FCG meet with the tinkerer Jaquoby and everyone has a fashion makeover, they sleep for the night at Deanna's once more. 4.08-10 VT (8 p.m. UT): Fearne talks to the Wildmother.

4.08 VT (8 a.m.): Team B moves out of the Serratus Wilderness and into rolling hills and a grassland valley getting closer to the Ascendant Bridge. Ashton mentions to Prism he dropped out of school to become a criminal. Bor'Dor talks about how Laudna seemed quite focused on Imogen when she was scryed upon and Laudna talks about how she's been with Imogen for over two years. She claims Imogen saved her and that she likes to think she helped save Imogen as well, and then compares them to sisters. 4.12 VT (12 p.m.): Prism finally tries to Scry on Bor'Dor's brother but is only able to find an empty cabin. 4.18 VT (6 p.m.): After setting up camp for the night, Prism tries to Scry on Ludinus but it is immediately blocked, and Prism assumes he has magical protections against Scrying. Bor'Dor goes fishing and catches one small fish they Enlarge and cook, Deni$e comes back with rabbit and other small critters which far more filling than the Chinese Food fish they first ate. While around the campfire, Team B talks about fighting Ludinus and saving the Gods and whether they should run and hide or what and at the end they decide they have to kill Ludinus at the very least. Orym does a prayer to the Wildmother.

5.22-10 VT (8 a.m. UT): Team A briefly stop by the temple of the Raven Queen to inquire how they are doing and learn their Goddess is also acting distant. After getting six Flot Goats to ride on, they start traveling from Uthodurn to Molaesmyr. It only snows gently.

Day Five: 5.08 VT (8 a.m.): Team B continues on their way and come across a crevasse. They descend into the Irriam Canyon and make their way past an animated hill before they enter a cavern that has prismatic crystal shards in it. The shrine appears abandoned but deep inside they find a glowing emerald pillar and something inside.

5.22-10 VT (8 a.m. UT) Team A continues to travel through the mountains, while the snow starts to grow thicker. Nothing else untoward happens, however.

Note to @myhumbleme @leet911 @youngbloodbuzz @ratinayellowbandana @overnighttosunflowers @conditionaljewel @sebrone @secretsanta @esgaril that you might want to delete the old posts and reblog with the new content. Sorry about the mistake! ^^