#ambigously happy ending

[weatherstopper]

still feeling from one being over for real oh my god.

[cadburyoreo]

Thank you so much, Rexie!! I insist on thinking that this is a happy ending!

This is the way that we love, like it's forever

First of the prompts completed! This is from @cadburyoreo and they asked for “I tried, but I just can’t stay away from you anymore.” It's a bit long so you can read below or here on AO3.

"Hello there, Mr.-" He glanced down at his clipboard. "Spring, was it?"

He nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Lovely." He flashed Charlie a warm smile before closing the door behind him. The simple gesture made Charlie's heart catch in his chest. Then the next words sent it plummeting.

"It's nice to meet you." The love of Charlie's life said, the warm smile still plastered on his face. "Tell me what brings you in today." 

For a moment all Charlie could do was gape at the man in front of him. It was really him. It was Nick, the man who had once been Charlie's-

Everything. He'd been Charlie's everything. 

And now he was staring at Charlie as if he was a stranger. Which, to Nick he was. To Nick, this was the first time they were meeting, and Charlie's silence was likely making a poor first impression.

"My cat. He's been acting odd." Charlie pointed to the carrier which contained the unhappy feline. He'd been upset since Charlie had explained the plan, insisting there was a more dignified way to see Nick. Charlie had had to put his foot down. Nick was a veterinarian, Charlie had to bring some sort of animal. 

"And what is your cat's name?"

"Èze ." He watched Nick's face carefully, hoping for a flicker of recognition, anything to indicate that the name meant something to him. 

For the briefest second Nick's eyes widened but then his face went back to neutral as he nodded. "Unusual name for a cat."

"He's named after a place that meant a lot to me." 

Nick nodded again. Charlie thought that for a moment he looked wistful, almost caught in a memory, but it may have only been wishful thinking. He'd known when he came that it was a long shot, that in all likelihood Nick wouldn't remember him, but he'd had to try.

But it seemed that the spell was holding strong. In any other scenario Charlie would have been proud. It was one of the trickiest spells out there, meant to pluck out certain memories but leave everything else intact. It often didn't work. One wrong move and the person could lose a core memory, something that made them a unique person. 

Charlie had known that when he cast it, but he'd also known he had no other choice. He'd taken it slow, looking at each of Nick's individual memories and removing himself from them. It had taken hours and tears had stained his cheeks the entire time, but it had worked. He'd erased himself and kept all of Nick's other memories whole, a true example of his strength as a magic welder. If only he could bring himself to care. 

He couldn't stop staring at Nick, cataloging all the little things that had changed since the last time they'd been together. His hair was a bit longer, the blond edges brushing his collar, and he had a few more laugh lines. But everything else was the same. His face still held a nearly permanent smile, his eyes still swept the room and caught important details. He was still Nick, the love of Charlie's life. 

They had been boyfriends, though that term didn't feel big enough to encompass what they truly were. Lovers, life partners. Two people who wove their lives togethers, threaded them in such a way it was impossible to separate. In the years they were together they never spent more than a night apart, neither could sleep without the other beside them. 

Until.

Until everything crashed down around them. Until Ben found him and made his life a living hell. Again. 

Charlie had been out alone, at a bar waiting for his friends to arrive, when someone had slid into the stool beside him. Charlie had ignored the newcomer until they'd leaned in and whispered in his ear. A simple hello but it sent chills down his spine. Charlie had whipped around to see Ben sitting there, a wicked grin on his face. 

Ben had been his first lover. He'd haunted Charlie's dreams for years, waiting in the corners of his nightmares. Even now, Ben was the reason Charlie triple locked the door at night. 

Some out there wondered if the boogeyman was a myth but Charlie had never had to wonder. He was real and he'd shared Charlie's bed. 

They'd met at a party during uni. Ben had found him as he watched from the outskirts and had drawn him in, making him feel special. It hadn't taken Charlie long to fall for him, thinking that all of Ben's praise was real. 

Ben had been the one to train Charlie in his magic. He'd taught him how to cast spells, how to amplify them using tokens or emotions and even how to craft new ones. It hadn't taken either of them long to realize that Charlie was the more powerful of the two. He'd expected Ben to be upset about it. After all, he'd been brought up in this life and Charlie was only now discovering his powers, but instead he'd been thrilled. It had taken Charlie far too long to realize why.

Ben had used Charlie's power for himself. It had started small, with Ben asking him to fetch something from the other room with magic or maybe convince the barista to give him a free scone. But the requests had grown and soon Ben was asking him for more than he was willing to do. 

He still did it though, every time. Ben had a way of convincing Charlie, either through praise or fear, to do exactly what he wanted.

Until the day he'd ordered Charlie to kill someone. It was over something small, a gambling debt, and when Charlie had balked at its Ben had grown angry, yelling and throwing things at Charlie until he was cowering in the corner and promising to do what Ben wanted. 

Charlie had left that night. After casting a sleeping spell on Ben he'd slipped out of their flat and, taking only what he could carry in a backpack, disappeared. He spent a month on the road, always watching over his shoulder, expecting to see Ben at any moment. Eventually he'd ended up in a small town in France and decided to stay there. It was meant to only be a temporary stop but during his first week he'd been in a cafe, attempting to use his poor French to order a coffee when someone had ordered for him in perfect French. He'd turned around to see the most gorgeous man he'd ever laid eyes on, and he was smiling warmly at Charlie, making him momentarily consider dropping his walls and running headfirst into a new relationship.

Charlie had come to his senses before voicing any of that. He'd insisted on paying for his drink and had gone to a small table to enjoy it, alone.

But it kept happening. Every day, Charlie would return to the cafe and the man would be there. Charlie soon learned his name was Nick and that he was even more amazing than Charlie had first thought. The two talked every day, sometimes about small things and other times about their hopes and dreams. It continued for months, well past Charlie's intended stay. He couldn't let himself take the next step, his heart was still healing from Ben, but he also couldn't bring himself to leave. 

Then one day Charlie mentioned wanting to visit a bookstore that was in the next town over, but he didn't have a car. Nick had hesitated for a moment then offered to drive him. They never made it to the bookstore; the combination of the beach and Nick's lips had been too enticing.

For a while, Charlie had considered that day as the start of them. Except that it wasn't. All those months before had been the start, where Nick hadn't pushed, had just let Charlie come to him when he was ready. 

Much like a cat.

"Tell me what's wrong with Èze." Nick asked as he examined the fluffy gray cat. 

"He's not eating. And he seems- lethargic." He watched as Nick's large hands prodded the animal, momentarily losing himself as he thought about all the ways those hands had touched him. Everything from holding hands as they walked to kissing his knuckles to them pressing deep inside him. 

Charlie had to look away as his cheeks flared. Thankfully Nick didn't seem to notice. His full attention was on Eze, who was glaring at Charlie, clearly upset about the indignity he was being subjected to. Charlie was sure to get an earful on their ride home. 

"Are you new to the area?"

The question snapped him back to reality. When he looked up, he saw that Nick was already watching him, his head tilted in a way that Charlie recognized. It was Nick's way of trying not to let on exactly how interested he was. Charlie had seen it often in the early days of their relationship, when Nick was trying to get to know him but also desperately trying not to scare him away. The familiar gesture made his heart leap. 

"Why?" Hope flared in his chest. Was there something, buried deep down, that made him remember Charlie?

"Haven't seen you before." 

He tried not to physically deflate. "Oh I'm-" What was he doing? When he'd made the appointment, he'd told himself not to expect too much. 

In the time since casting the spell Charlie had learned everything, he could about it. And what he'd learned had nearly broken his heart all over again. Correctly cast, it was nearly impossible to break. The only way was if the castee wanted it broken. They had to want it broken so badly that the spell had no choice but to snap, undoing all the magic and flooding the person with their memories. It was an extraordinarily rare occurrence and some doubted that it was even possible. 

Charlie had thought, foolishly, that seeing him again would make the spell break. That maybe some part of Nick still remembered Charlie and that it would be enough. But that didn't seem to be the case. Perhaps their love wasn't as grand as he'd thought. 

"Just passing though." He finished lamely. Nick's expression flickered to disappointment before he focused on the cat again. 

"What brings you here? It's not exactly a tourist town." 

That was true. He had sent Nick somewhere that he would be safe. A sleepy little village in Wales. Nick's accent likely stood out, but he doubted that anyone would call the press about it. 

He could still remember their last night together like it was yesterday. After finding him at the bar Ben had made it clear what he expected. Charlie would come back to London with him and do whatever Ben wanted or else. The 'else' being Nick.  Ben had laid out in excruciating detail what he would do to Nick if Charlie had said no. Then he told Charlie he had until the morning to decide. 

Charlie had run back to their flat, barely managing to control his emotions before throwing open the door. Nick was surprised, he'd expected Charlie to be out with friends all night, but hadn't asked too many questions, instead allowing Charlie to distract him with kisses. That night they'd made love for the last time, not that Nick knew that. 

Once Nick was sound asleep Charlie had found the spell and begun casting it. As much as he hated it, he knew it was the only way to keep Nick safe. If he told Nick about the situation he'd offer to help, he'd put himself in harm's way to protect Charlie and Charlie couldn't let him do that. No matter how amazing he was, he was only human. When Nick learned about Charlie's magic, he'd expected him to react like most humans did, either fear or greed, but Nick had only been in awe of it.  And then, to Charlie's further astonishment, Nick never once asked him to use it, not even to warm his tea. In all the time they were together Nick had never asked Charlie for anything he wasn't willing to give. No one in his life had ever wanted Charlie for Charlie. 

So, he'd known then what he had to do. He had to remove himself from Nick's mind completely. He could leave no traces of himself.  All the memories would be under lock and key, safely tucked away. It was his only option. Anything less and Charlie knew that Nick would find him, that he would try to help. And Charlie couldn't let that happen. The only way to save Nick was to erase himself from his life, his head and his heart. Then once Nick was safe could Charlie deal with Ben. 

"A- friend." Charlie managed to stutter out. 

"Just a friend?" 

He nodded, unsure if Nick was asking what Charlie thought he was. "But they aren't really interested in showing me around, if you know someone who is." It was a bold thing to say but Charlie had to try. He'd never forgive himself if he didn't. 

"Maybe we could-" Nick started then stopped as if thinking better of it. 

"Your partner could come too." He offered, hating himself but needing to know. 

Nick shook his head. "No partner, it's just me and my dogs." 

"Me either." Charlie said quietly. Nick's eyes met his and it took all his self-control not to throw himself into Nick's strong arms and kiss him until neither could breathe. 

Nick opened then closed his mouth, shaking his head. "I don't usually see patients outside of work."

"Well, I promise to leave Èze at home." He said, attempting a joke. His mouth was dry. Charlie was trying to navigate this as slowly as possible, not wanting to scare Nick off but also desperate to spend more time together. 

Nick flashed him a half smile. Then he straightened, petting Èze as he spoke. "I think your cat is a bad traveler. He might be a little dehydrated, but I don't think there's anything a little wet food and cuddles can't fix."  

Whatever moment they'd had had passed. Charlie nodded as best he could even though he could practically feel his heart shattering in his chest. 

"Oh. Good. That's good." 

Their hands touched as both moved to pick up the cat. Charlie could have sobbed as he saw a few leaves appear then gently float to the ground. For his part, Nick was staring at his hand as if he'd been burned. 

"Are you okay?" He asked, taking a half step closer. 

Nick backed away from him, shaking his head. "I- I- need to go." He seemed completely shaken. "The front desk will help check you out." 

Then Nick left. It seemed like he couldn't get out of the room fast enough. He nearly tripped trying to escape.  

Charlie stared at the door, his heart pounding. When he had cast the spell, he'd known the repercussions. He hadn't planned to ever see Nick again, truly. He wanted the man to have a good life, on his own. He wanted him to fall in love again, to raise a family. 

But then Charlie had seen a video that Nick had posted. He did occasional ones for the clinic and this one was how to trim a rabbit's nails. Charlie had watched all of them more times than he cared to count. He'd kept tabs on Nick, needing to know that he was safe, but swearing to never seek him out.  

There were so many hints of Nick still in his life. He still slept on his side of the bed, using pillows in place of Nick's warm form. Whenever he heard a dog bark his head would snap over, wondering if it was Nick. Hell, he even followed Nick's favorite rugby team, celebrating their wins and losses, just so he would have some connection to the man. 

In the video Nick had picked up the rabbit then, keeping up a light banter had begun his intro. "I'm Nick Nelson and today I'm here with-" He stopped abruptly as he read the name.

"Nick?" Someone off screen had called.

"Maddox. The rabbit's name is Maddox." Nick was still staring down at the little name card and Charlie had sworn there were tears in his eyes.

He'd been on his feet and packing before he even realized it. When Èze asked why Charlie had hesitated to explain.

"I know it doesn't sound like much but-" He glanced at his laptop screen; the image of Nick's shocked expression still frozen on it. "Jack Maddox was my celebrity crush. Nick used to give me endless crap for it." He threw another shirt in a bag. "And if he remembers that then he might remember me."

He knew the chance was small. It had been nearly a year with no other indications, but it was a chance he had to take. 

So he'd booked a train and made the vet appointment, all on the misguided hope that Nick remembered him. 

But he'd been wrong. In the end, Nick couldn't get away from him fast enough. 

"Don't say it." He told the cat, packing him up before going to the front desk. After paying the appointment fee he went outside to his rental car. He wasn't sure what to do now. For so much of his life he'd had a clear plan. First it was whatever Ben told him to do. Then it was staying hidden from the man. Then it was keeping Nick safe and ending Ben. After that, once he'd made sure Ben would never hurt anyone else, he'd been lost, wandering the earth. Seeing that video had given him a new purpose. Maybe that was why he'd done it. It wasn't for Nick; it was for himself.

He turned to look at the clinic, which had a mural of playful puppies and kittens painted on the wall. “I tried Nick, I really did but I just couldn't stay away from you anymore.” The words came out choked, a sob rising up. "But I will now. We'll live the rest of our lives but not together." Saying the words made his heart break all over again but he knew he had to say them out loud. There was power in speech. The universe would hear and make him keep his promise. 

He'd just strapped Eze in when he heard someone calling his name. "Mr. Spring! Wait!" He turned to see Nick, still in his white lab coat, running towards him. Charlie gaped at him, refusing to get his hopes up for what it may mean. 

"Nick? Er- Doctor Nelson?" 

"This is so unprofessional." Nick said, stopping in front of him. He seemed as shocked as Charlie was to be standing there. 

"What is?" The words were a whisper, a hope he barely dared to voice. 

"I couldn't let you leave without giving you my - my number." He fished out a card with a number written on it in blue pen. 

Wordlessly Charlie accepted the paper and their fingers brushed again. There were the leaves again. They'd met in autumn, fallen in love to the changing colors. Nick would always be leaves to him. 

This should have been enough. Charlie should have been thrilled that Nick wanted to start something new. He should let go of the old. 

But he couldn't. He couldn't do it all over again. So, he did something reckless. He grabbed Nick and kissed him squarely on the lips. 

Nick didn't kiss him back. 

Horrified, Charlie started to pull back, already forming an apology. But before he could speak Nick gave a small head shake then grabbed Charlie's face and kissed him fiercely. Nick was the only one who had ever kissed Charlie like this, so he felt it all the way down to his toes. He kissed Nick back, pouring everything he could into it, hoping that it would say what words alone couldn't. 

When they pulled back, he barely dared to breath as he scanned Nick's face for any hint of recognition. 

But Nick only looked bewildered. His heart sank, through his shoes, through the pavement. Charlie was already thinking about buying a train ticket, leaving Nick alone for good this time. He couldn't do this anymore, couldn't hold false hope in his heart for another day. 

Before he could voice any of that though Nick spoke, his expression shifted as he looked at Charlie as if seeing him for the first time. 

"Charlie? Is it really you?" 

[orphiclovers]

Okay. Long incoherent rambling theory post ahead. Specifically, I want to talk about how the Han Sooyoung 'split' happened/how Han Sooyoung got the avatar skill, extrapolating from canon where I can and headcanoning the rest.

Let's start from what she herself says on the topic. 3rd rounds Han Sooyoung tells Kim Dokja, in a conversation about how 'Avatar' works, that the very first time she made an avatar, she gave it too many memories and it 'went out of control' and ran off. This was a friendly conversation and hsy brought it up herself, so there's not really a reason for her to lie here - this is probably close to how she actually remembers the situation.

Which is interesting because 1863rd rounds Han Sooyoung denies this fact and says SHE is the main body and that she left an avatar behind to act as her. Now 1863 could be lying here to unbalance kdj, they were having a battle of words at the time with lying being an explicit part of the game, but she could also be telling the truth and maybe 3rd just doesn't know she's an avatar (like 49%). we don't get a comfirmation either way so that is left ambigous. So. That's a dead end.

Then, how does the Avatar skill evolve in general?

Kim Dokja says the requirements to evolve it is that you need to be in a creative field of some kind (so you have an 'Author' attribute) + under enough psychological distress for your mind to 'split' in a way that orv compares to DID (in not the most tactful way). It's a rare skill so I'm guessing it probably requires both of these to be true at the same time. A key hint is that we do actually get one other example of someone evolving the Avatar skill on screen. 1863rd rounds Yoo Joonghyuk. It goes like this:

So...not exactly a fun time. But actually I'm sensing a pattern here. Both Yoo Joonghyuk and Han Sooyoung, after evolving and using the avatar skill for the first time end up as two sepetate autonomous entities with their own free will - 1863rd!hsy and 3rd!hsy and white and black coat wearing yjh respectively (Kim Dokja too actually - with 49% 51%). So, I think this might be how the skill functions, spontaneously splitting you in half the first time and then both halves of you can make avatars at will after that. Let's assume this is true for the sake of the theory. This conflicts with the way both Han Sooyoungs describe it - they both say they 'created' an avatar the first time BUT I think neither of them were being entirely truthful.

Let's talk about that second parameter. 'Severe psychological distress' in a way similar to that of DID. How I interpret this, based on what we see of 1863rd!yjh, is that there needs to be some fundemental dissonance of core beliefs that cannot exist or be held at the same time, so requires the soul to split in half. For Yoo Joonghyuk it's 'I want to live/I want to die.' (Although Kim Dokja doesnt get the skill in the natural way, I think this concept still holds true. His dissonance is not so explicitly stated but maybe it's something along the lines of 'epilouge/eternity' i.e 'happily ever after OR atonement for his (percieved) sins'.)

But also there's an element of, how do I say this...'purifying self-destruction' to how we see our trio use Avatar. Yoo Joonghyuk takes the blackened and traumatized part of him that wants to die and kills it with a sword, leaving only the part of him that still has hope to regress to the 3rd round, free and unburdened by the weight of bad memories.

You could interpret 51%/49% this way too. The inherent act of Kim Dokja choosing to use this skill to split his soul in half means he did not see another way foward - that psychological distress and belief dissonance is an inherent part of this skill. 49%, the one who get's the 'happily ever after' does not remember needing Ways of Survival, maybe because Kim Dokja couldn't imagine himself having a happy ending with the weight of those specific memories.

But coming back to Han Sooyoung. Just look at the way she uses Avatar in kaizenix. She is a person who does not enjoy being emotionally vulnerable so in any heavy situation she clings to her dry and witty personality like a shield.

Let's just fully realize what she's saying here. When she says she erased the memories of her life deliberately, what she means is that she created an avatar, a sort of 'black coat wearing han sooyoung' and killed it again and again, every year, so she could keep that sarcastic and light hearted attiude. Otherwise she would have become someone like 1863rd rounds Han Sooyoung - hardened and unhappy. And I mean that she literally was on the path of becoming her - she even got 1863rds skill.

She deliberatley brushes off Kim Dokja and doesn't acknowledge the weight of her actions in kaizenix, both waiting for 50 years and killing parts of herself over and over.

And I think this is the sort of mindset she had while telling Kim Dokja about 'creating' an avatar for the first time. She doesn't see the point in potraying herself as vulnerable, so she probably would obscure some details of that story, for example if she was on her knees clutching her head a la 1863rd turns Yoo Joonghyuk at the time. This would seem like a pointless detail to add when the point of the story was that her avatar ran off.

So FINALLY, here's my headcanon on what I think the original belief dissonance was for Han Sooyoung and how she got the Avatar skill.

The split happened very early on in the scenarios. And well, there is one obvious Big Event that might cause someone to have a mental breakdown/identity crisis. The first scenario. I think whoever Han Sooyoung killed, she couldn't deal with the fact she had become a murderer and 'exorcised' those memories - and so 1863 was born, with blood on her hands, in an already destroyed world.

[mafia-fish]

AAAAAA

I HAVE BEEN LOOKING

FOR MONTHS

HAS ANYONE SEEN A FANFIC ON AO3 WITH ROUGHLY THIS PLOTLINE BECAUSE I READ IT ONCE AND I CANNOT FIND IT AND IM GOING TO EXPLODE IF I DONT READ IT AGAIN

spoilers for this random fanfic ive lost

okay so basically cross is living in a house yeah normall woohoo but then theres a flashback about ink treating him like shit in the antivoid and how eventually he fought back and the bad sanses saved him and gave him A House!!

But anyway then dream shows up and oh fuck theres ink again being a bitch but cross goes nuhuh and ends up back with the bad sanses the the castle - oh and i think ink was trying to get cross to take the vials to idk see what would happen-

anyway yayay happy then oooo crossmare and then oh fuck blue is looking a little Strange but turns out ink figured out how to control ppl with his paints or something because he had this whole main character complex and was trying to assemble the perfect story cast or some shit and then ohno cross gets mckidnapoed but then mcsaved and it ends on a wonderful ambigous ending of the bad sanses convincing the omega council or something to help take down mr physcopath ink

yippiii i would appreciate help finding it plspls i dont know how ao3 works?? Was it deleted?? How do i find outtt??

[popculturebuffet]

Sam and Max Devil's Playhouse Retrospective: They Stole Max's Brain! (Patroen Review for WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy Lagomorphs and those asking what the hell's a lagomorph, it's time once again to return to the yawning horrifying void of fun that is Sam and Max: The Devil's Playhouse. I realized after finishing this chapter that.. it's almost over. This isn't the end for me covering sam and max: I intend to find some way to play the road at some point, there's plenty of the show and comics left.. but it's still the end of a project that's spanned two years, and even when not reviewing Sam and Max for the bulk of this year, I still was checking feverishly to see WHEN I could. I'm really going to miss these games, their characters and the not so ambigously gay duo themselves.

Still before we get to the thrilling conclusion we still have three terrifying chapters left, two of which i'll cover next month thanks to scheduling stuff, and this one.

They Stole Max's Brain is a weird one gameplay wise. Story wise Sam going on a noir rampage, teaming up with an ancient egyptian pharoah to defeat a psychic space gorilla and an immortal servant of an elder god , and then Max having to find some way to save reality from said pharoah warping it to his mad designs by breaking the law and stabbing a child in the brain.. is a pretty normal day for the freelance police.

It's setup continues Devil Playhouse's experimentation though as each of it's three acts, with the natural closed in climactic set piece, switches up the formula. The first has you as a vengeful sam who rather than gather items and stuff violently threatens, pummels and cliches his way through things, the second is almost buisness as usual but feels distinctly off as it's not max in max's body, and the final act, while having sam stil be the one who grabs stuff as max is down a body, has Max as our main POV character this time instead of a wise cracking sidekick, eating machine and psychic plot device.

The result is a decent chapter if the weakest so far. It's long and unlike the previous two chapters a LOT of hte puzzles are more obstuse. I mean you try figuring out you need to have max become a stormcloud so an old man can't kneel and gets taken away for treason. Thankfully as always a guide was useful here, and the writing is sharp as eve rwith only the third act dragging a bit. I"ll explain why when we get there but for now we turn the curtain to find out whose the they in THEY STOLE MAX'S BRAIN!

Act 1: Sampage

We continue devil's playhouse's tradition of picking up where we left off. In this case Sam finds Max's body sans brain and snaps. Regular Sam is taking this part of the chapter off... meet Noir Sam.

On paper i'ts just sam in a blind rage without a hat or jacket. In practice.. Noir Sam is TERRIFYING. Not kidding, not joking, this version of Sam creeps me out. It's unsettling seeing easily one of the nicest characters in this franchise, not a high bar but eh, a guy who while certainly having violent tendencies and doing some questoinable things is ulatimely a decentt person in a violent rage where all he can do, and you the player can have him do is yell, threaten or press people. It works on Flint Paper, a noir parody who in the past taught Sam how to be a hardboiled no good, because Flint while ultra violent has Sam's affablility. But Sam in this state is just agressive, his face in a snarl and the targets of his wrath either innocent people who simply slipped up, or low rent hoods. You spend close to an hour trapped with a sam who is on a vengeful rampage, a sampage if you will, rather than the chill if mildly unstable dog we all know and love. He's baring his teeth, he's angry in his delivery and the only real levity is from his supsects and his rambling noir monologues you can optionally do.

It is great character stuff as this chapter shows WHY the two need each other. It's not as simple as "they keep each other from burning the world down". It is however as simple.. as Max makes Sam happy. Sam has to likely constantly pay for bail and keep gasoline far from the office, but it's clear he geninely enjoys bantering with his common law husband: the adventure, the violence, the joys. It's just not as fun without someone to share it with. And as this show sam without any joy in his life.. is just a hyperfocused monster who will gladly point a gun at ANYONE who he's supscious of, beat them up if possible and genuinely scares people. At his lowest he points his gun at Carol who has done nothing wrong to anyone. She's just working a tad slow because old computer. It lifts up the hat to show beneath the joy Sam without max is just a sad broken man who will destroy anything it takes to get max back. And given where this story is going... it makes what's going to happen that much worse.

So noir sam interogates a few perps: first are the mole cultists who between chapters I honestly forgot were literally in the next room this whole time. They were gassed though sam finds out one did see it he was just afraid. He gives sam the rhinoplasty toy as an apology and reveals, shockingly early, who done did it: General Skunkape. He somehow escaped the Penal zone and is back for revenge.

So Sam continues his Sampage beating up three diffrent crooks and this section playing blind can get repittive as it asks you to just. .use every dialouge wheel until you get everything and unlike usual where you get a LOT of good jokes to make that fun here Sam's just beating up people. It's not bad at first as the sheer shock of seeing sam this terrifying coupled with the few jokes here are work but after a while the going back and forth and trying to find just the righ tanswer gets tiring. Thankfully by that point you'l lhave got it so i'ts not horrible , just not really for me.

The three suspects are

Skunkape's Minon: one of his minons who now works as a sign spinner and is trying to turn straight. He saw Skunkape but lies about it, but swears he's off the serving him... he just left it out because old times sake. He gives you some evidence.

Frankie the Rat: Who with a tourist saw the fight and is introduced.. just now. Why Jimmy didn't come back from his vacation for this role is beyond me. I suspect they wrote Jimmy out.. then realized they needed a weasly character and just reused the rat model. Frankie was scammin g a tourist, sending him down a crime ridden alleyway when they both saw a fight betwen Skunkape and a weird man in a suit. Who could it be now?

The Tourist: Finally we have a european tourist who just seems confused and is a hoot to watch> he stole a souvineer he tearfully gives back but is otherwise a nice guy

With these and one of the most horrible acts he's ever done, which given we sent a child to hell last game really says a lot, Sam gets all he needs to get to the museum. Good news he finds max, meaning he drops the noir stuff before my heart gives out.

Bad news... Max is being used by Skunkape to draw all the toys of power to the museum... and he's not alone. As it turns out the suited gentleman is the museum's curator and our big bad from last time Monsieur Paperwhite! While I didn't know he returned this chapter, and it was a plesant suprise, it was still nice to see him. And to make matters worse the two hate sam: Skukape for obvious reasons and Paperwhite for what his ancesotr did: so they come to an agreement: Skunkape gets the galaxy, Paperwhite gets the world and both send Sam running away.

Max now ab rain in a jar with a REALLY neat looking display of his mouth.

It looks really neat adn the broth was recollered green for the remaster. That last part isn't super important but it looks REALLY cool.

Paperwhite is alive.. somehow. HOw isn't really explained and seems like it will be later if at all, and consolidated power building a museum to yog sogoth while he waited.

Act 2: Night at the Museum

So now we need ot sever this alliance on the outside. Problem is Sam is just (counts) one man and has more problems when he meets the museum's janitor SAL. Sal.. is great, having a voice that reminds me a lot of patrick warburton, down to the casula demenaor, being happy to see sam, only wanting Max's corpse removed because it's his job, and generally chill. He's also indeed the sam Sal Girl Stinky shouted at for all of Beyond Time and Space. He's also a giant roach and I loves him. He's the best.

Thankfully the exibit has a free brain handy, the preserved brain of Sammun Mak, the pharoah whose tomb Sameth and Maximus raided, and turns out to be a tyrannical little boys who talks fondly of his slaves suffering, of murdering people and generally really isn't THAT far off from max. His voice is weird coming out of max but the dynamic is similar enough to the usual, if still keeping me off ballance: it's very weird to hear someone else make the punchilnes sam would and to hear max's body calling sam a pesant.

Our hero and guest drop into Paperwhite's office via the courtsey phone and spy him talking to a mysterious master, a "Professor Norrington". I know who it is and the clues are obvious, but i'm still curious WHY he's here and how he and Paperwhite escaped the toybox.

For now the main goal is to end this union and there's two tasks to do that. You can do them in either order and the first.. is a bit complex and i'm not sure I woudl've gotten it on my own. One of Skunkapes hired goons

Is blocking the entrance so we need to get him and sal to fight each other. Thankfully we can now finally use the putty after being built up for two episodes, and the use, while obtuse is very clever: you turn sammun mak into a model of new york using plans on paperwhites desk. Then using a mdoel of the future, i..e. yog sogoth kiling everybody, you turn it, and have the gorilla attack the city.. well mostly Sammun Mak pisses the gorilla off enough to shoot. Then it's a smiple matter of using a tourguide headset to get sal to poke a monkey in the eyes.

Paperwhite is pissed at this, and that gives us another opening as rather than the usual three, it only takes two actions to push him over. This one is also thankfully way simiplier and way more fun. Using th eputty on a zeplin painting Sammun Mak becomes a zeplin and begins a trend of the rhinoplasty forms having max's face on them. Sortta like a ditto. It's adorable and looks fantastic. It also means we can blow Sammun Mak up real good to destroy a tapestry papperwhite likes, framing the ape for it and exploding these mega powers.

Unforuntely... Sam made a huge tactical error. He made an uneasy alliance with a power mad child and didn't think to you know.. tie him up or something. I mean all the talk of murder, petty revenge, slave whippings you'd think it'd sink it but no: So Sammun Mak takes the toys for himself and thus ALL OF THE POWER MUHAHAHAHAHAHA and Sam only thinks to run.. after it's already too late, disappearing in a flash of white

Act 3: Worship Like an Egyptian

So the good news: that white flash wasn't the anti monitor destroying the unvierse. Bad news, it was Sammun Mak recreating it in his own image. Max wakes up in a new reality where everything is ancient eygypt themed, everyone worships Sammun Mak and Max never had a body. Everything else.. is the same to the point Sam recalls the chapter so far.. but then gets dizzy. Shoddy worldbuilding there Sammun Mak.

And this is our final twist on the formula: While Sam and Max have always been a team supreme, i'ts Sam usually doing most of the legwork while Max makes funny jokes and plots to burn it , burn it all. Max is never UNIMPORTANT and it's never treated like their anything else but equals, but in terms of gameplay focus we're playing Sam most of the time even with the toys of power addition. Sam is our pov character, our self insert, our guide into this strange world... and in this chapter.. he' sa brainwashed puppet of the state whose drunk all the kool aid and who Max has to hide his true intentions from. He's not an antagonist and he's unknowingly working towards our goal but h'es not the one driving the plot or making the plans like Sam tends to. Max is. Max is forced to figure out how the hell to right this world and I love how he's not happy about it. He does well but it's very clear even he thinks him being in charage of the thinking means he's screwed.

And he would be.. but thankfully he's not the only one who remembers the world that was. Doctor Norrington contacts Max, who writes it off as psychic stuff and has a plan: meet with the rebels against Sammun Mak, get the brain screw, an ancient egyptian brain removal thing we saw in the museum earlier, from them and get close enough to sammun mak they can use it.

Finding the rebels is easy: simply go down to the sewers and boom. They are a random moleman who might be harry.. and to my shock and suprise, the mole teenage girl from the last chapter, now a wise elder. I also like how Max distracts sam by just.. having him pray to sammun mak, so we get all the dialouge. The moles are prosecuted as like max they were immune to the reality change. Likely due to their magic or something. Max isn't explained but I assume it's either his previous natural mind control resitance or more likely given it also worked on Sam who still would have his hat, it's the fact all the maxs of the multiverse are linked up mentally. With that kind of backup his brain just can't be changed. or it's a toys of power thing. Honestly we get no explination but ther'es enough sitting there that you never question which one it has to be. Max's mind is messed up enough for anything to be the reason. it might just be he was thinking of roast ham. We'll neve rknow

What we do know is to actually TALK to Sammun Mak via his advisor Paperwhite, we need three accesories of privlage. Paperwhite is keeping a horrifying orwellion watch on the populus which means those who toady well enough get a shiny badge to show off how cool they are.

It also requires at times futzing with how fickle this kid is: an endearing thing about Sammun Mak is , as a hyperactive child, not helped by max's naturally hyperactive body, it's easy to switch what he thinks is good and bad. As such by using the laser lights of the museum's plantiarum, his current base, you can make him want something and acept it as his faviorite gift, and by having max transform into something and knock over his pyramid of corn dogs, you can get him to hate it. Also sammun mak really likes corn dogs and has the Stinky's endlessly working to provide him with some.

So to get these badges we need to ruin some lives. No matter how much reality changes there are just some constants to being in the freelance police you know? So first we need to sell out grnadpa stinky. This is the thundercloud puzzle I mentioned and while thundercloud max is the best and we need all the plusheies of him stat, this puzzle makes no sense. Thankfully it's target is grandpa stinky who while entertaining is so smug about his new badge and so unplesant selling him out dosen't feel bad. That and this being grandpa stinky nothing can kill him so I don't think sending him to prison is going to harm him. WIth that we get the calling out the hertic badge. Sadly we can't do this to girl stinky whose worse and also plans to date the chil demperoror when eh's old enough. Because apparently selling out the earth wasn't enough Stinky had to find a new way to be awful. Why she choose child grooming I have no idea.

The second requires little life ruining, just turning max into a toaster, having him destroy the corn dogs, then making toasters the greatest thing since the toaster company paid for a laser add back in the 90's. We simply give Max as a gift, he comes back somehow and asks us not to think about it and simple.

Finally we need the inquistion badge.. which I missed the explination on but since i'ts something bad the way to get it is off the rat, whose gambling with his cousins. The solution here is fun and thankfully brings back the future vision: their betting on gladiator fights, aka Sammunmak throwing molemen at Skunkape for his amusement, and since the outcomes predetermined to end in a pile of mole guts, they bet on his finisher instead, a clever way to bet on pro wrestling honestly. You simply have to think through the options, and pick the one none of the rats brings up angrily, and boom, you've ruined a man's life and gotten his shiny thing.

Before we close this act and this chapter I will say.. this act is the weakest of the three: Noir sam got annoying by the end, but is still a fun change of pace and it's shocking how terrifying they made sam, while still having JUST enough jokes. It got too grim at parts, but it's not too long. The middle section is fun, quick and breezy. This one.. drags out a bit and Sam being a toady for sammun mak gets old fast. Like Max you get tired of everyone saying hail sammun mak. This chapter drags way more than the last two, not helped by me being on a tight deadline on top of how dry it felt int he last act. it's one of the weaker chapters of the trilogy as a whole. It would've been better if it were JUST the first two acts and they extended the museum a bit, but they likely wanted it to match the other two chapters in length.

Still the finale is good at least. Sam does get close enough.. but the rebellion and max didn't think through the plan. Which for Max.. is fair. This usually isn't his bit. He gives cryptic hints, makes jokes, makes threats, gouges out eyes. He's not the planning one in this duo. The molepeople not thinking "gee maybe we should restrain sam" is on them. Sam stops the assination.. but refuses to kill the mole woman for it either. It's a fantastic moment and a nice contrast to the beginning: sam can go to low places when either blind with rage or brainwashed properly... but he won't kill an innocent person. Send a child to hell to solve a puzzle sure, but not kill an elderly person with a brain screw. He has some morals.

So he gets thrown in the fightin pit, where you have to ues Max's toys to get the put downs. Then simply put them in the right sequence, myf aviorite being the same one that you pick up from the future: Impliying paperwhite broke up with him. This distracts him enough to land on the mole cage, who grab himn and allow sam to beat him

Unfortuantely Sammun Mak isn't easily pleased and isnt' above floating in to finish this and Sam is still too indocrinated to fight back. The solution.. is incredibly clever and while I read it in the guide, unlike a lot of puzzles in this one it's INCREDIBLY well foreshadowed. In EVERY conversation you can give out the sammun mak's regular cheer in prayer or bow. So we have sam boy.. then give the salute.. still holdling the brain screw. Sammunmak is beat, and reality is restored. I love Sam's blaise reaction to it too "Did we under go one of those reality warping things?" and his disapointment he didn't get to do much. So Sammun Mak is removed, Max is restored.. and i'ts just about cliffhanger o clock as paperwhite comes running back in from Sam..s pecifically a bunch of near naked sam clones clad in rocky horror style briefs who surround our heroes

As I made clear this chapter is wonky, the first act almost running out it's welcome, the second being good fun and the third running longer than needed and feeling tacked on. The finale and the final puzzle are satisfying as hell, but it feels like they planned for an extra chapter that never happened and had to glue it onto this one. The result is messy. It's a disapointment in a game that's easily been my faviorite of the three.

Next Time: evil Dolls! Scantily clad sams! other stuff! See you in december

[steddiemicrofic]

Steddie Microfic January 15th-21st Masterlist

This has officially been our busiest month for microfics! As of this post, we are only one away from 100 microfics for the month. Happy Hole Month!

Just a friendly reminder that if you plan to participate and want your submission reblogged and added to the masterlist, it will need to be posted by 11:59PM your time on January 30th. This gives us time to check the word counts and add it to the queue. If it is posted after that point, it will not be added to the queue or the masterlist.

We can't wait to see the rest of the posts!

Wake-up Call: An End or a Beginning? by @berenwrites | Rated T | cw: past character death, angst with hopeful ending

Ahoy Sailor! by @sidekick-hero | Rated M | no cw | tags: s3 au, scoops ahoy steve, the d-word makes one appearance

gagged by @vecnuthy | Rated E | no cw | tags: doggy style, bottom steve/top eddie

A Dream Come True? by @runninriot | Rated M | cw: masturbation/hand job, watching porn | tags: and they were roommates, eddie munson has a crush on steve harrington

Roll Call by @lady-lostmind | Rated T | cw: mention of death and blood

watch the five hole by @steddieas-shegoes | Rated T | cw: language | tags: hockey au, goalie eddie munson, forward steve harrington, friends to enemies to lovers, ambigous but pretty obvious ending

Hole In One by @steddietogo | Rated T | cw: swearing

dance with me by @sailing-through-hawkins | Rated T | no cw | tags: masquerade ball, slightly other!steve

Harvest by @machtaholic | Rated G | no cw

Push by @griefabyss69 | Rated E | no cw

Strange Relationship: Of Sex & Revelations by @berenwrites | Rated E | cw: mentions past underage for US not for Europe where it happened

Troll Toll by @wynnyfryd | Rated M | no cw | tags: future fic, crossover, crack treated ridiculously

throwin' clay by @steddieas-shegoes | Rated T | no cw | tags: modern au, pottery teacher eddie, helpless at pottery steve, some platonic stobin, ambiguous ending

Trying to break through by @atimeofyourlife | Rated T | no cw | tags: pre steddie, steve has powers

Pusher by @griefabyss69 | Rated G | cw: mention of Christmas, Steve's parents

i was waiting on a different story by @zombiethingy | Rated G | cw: major character death | tags: grieving, past steddie

The adventures of Eddie Munson, jerk by @just-my-latest-hyperfixation | Rated T | no cw | tags: modern au, meet cute, HOH Steve Harrington, Eddie "foot in mouth" Munson, Eddie being a horny shit

swimmin' hole by @steddieas-shegoes | Rated T | cw: suggestive language | tags: flirting, pre-steddie, pre-season 4

Pushing It by @griefabyss69 | Rated T | cw: mention of Christmas, weed smoking

I'll remember (for) you by @katyawriteswhump | Rated M | no cw | tags: steve has head trauma/ptsd, memory loss, protective eddie

[queerofthedagger]

Got any Merlin fic recs? Any pairing will do!

Yesss absolutely do I have recs!! Imma list you a couple of my all-time favourite fics, but you can also check my fic rec tag, or my ao3 bookmark recs for merlin for more (or send me another ask, I should do more recs anyway tbqh!)

For all listed authors I can say with certainty that all their fics are absolute bangers so that's also a good place to look for more. I tried to keep the recs on the shorter side, but if you (or anyone really) wants more recs, feel free to hit me up with more specifics too!! (It might just take me a while sometimes…) Hope there's something in here for you <3

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World Enough and Time by alicephantomwise [Merthur | 18k | E | ccntuaw]

Tags: Modern AU | Spies & Assassins | Violence | Angst with a Happy Ending | Pining Arthur | Not Actually Unrequited Love | World Travel

Summary:

Arthur had had it all figured out. And then Merlin shot him in Beijing.

Notes: This is my all-time favourite Merlin fic, which is saying something because I'm usually more of a canon-era girlie. It rewired my entire brain chemistry though and I don't think there is any piece of literature that I've re-read as many times as this goddamn fic. Just. jesus fucking christ

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The King and His Sorcerer by alicephantomwise [Merthur | 1,5k | G/A | MCD]

Tags: Canon Era | Angst | Prose | Epistolary | Ambigous/Hopeful Ending

Summary:

But lest you forget, this is not a fairytale.

Notes: Same author. I would pay all my money, my first born, and probably half my family for them to return to fandom, I'm not joking. Just something about their writing that completely eviscerates me.

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Onfidan by astolat [Merthur | 15k | M | no warnings]

Tags: Canon Era | Magic Revealed | Battle Couple | Monsters and Mythical Beings | Merlin's magic loves Arthur

Summary:

Arthur didn't speak to him for a week after he found out.

Notes: Look, if anyone ever was a classic for a reason, it's astolat, no contest. All her fics are absolute bangers, obviously, but I have just such a soft spot for Merlin & Arthur hunting monsters and fighting side by side, and this one simply delivers on all fronts no matter how often you read it.

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Tintagel by seperis [Merthur, Ygraine/Nimueh | 20k | E | ccntuaw]

Tags: mental coercion | magic reveal

Summary:

They would pay any price that was asked, Nimueh whispered at the end, trembling with exhaustion, desperate, pleading, anything, anything at all. Just give her this child. Give her the son he stole from her.

Notes: This fic is single-handedly responsible for all of my absolute unwellness over Ygraine, and if you've been here for a while you know that that's a lot. Seperis is generally an absolute gem of an author though, and I can't rec all of their stuff enough!!

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Winning the Battle by @prattery [Merthur | 5,5k | T+ | no warnings]

Tags: Canon Era | Arthur Pendragon Lives | Post-Episode: s05e13 The Diamond of the Day | Arthur knows about merlin's magic | angst with a happy ending

Summary:

This husk of a man wears Merlin’s face and has Merlin’s magic, but he’s not Merlin. Merlin’s gone. Albion has claimed him as the price for Arthur’s victory at the battlefield.

Notes: This fic fundamentally changed me as a person, like, woah. I don't know what to say about this except, I love angst, from the bottom of my heart, but I've had the sequel on my tbr for over a year and I am, hands-down, terrified of it. It has a happy ending!! But christ, the angst. Her writing in general is an absolute gift which is not at all why I jumped at the first chance to bother her about it lmao, so like, recs for all of her stuff - 100/10 would recommend, just bring some tissues.

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this graveyard of forgotten love by @atlantablack [Morgwen | M | 11,8k | ccntuaw]

Tags: The Dark Tower AU | BAMF Gwen | Unhealthy Relationships | Gwen has Magic | Unreliable Narrator | Angst with a Hopeful Ending

Summary:

Gwen has never fully managed to shake her love for the lady who had once sworn to keep her safe. Now locked in a tower by that same lady, she must face a truth she's long kept buried (even from herself). An exploration of grief, anger, and the inability to let go of someone you once loved (even when you should).

Notes: If you want some stellar morgwen angst, atlanta's fics are the way to go; she single-handedly dragged me into the pairing, and I've been stuck here ever since, much to her joy and regret, so !! Also morgwen aside, if you like your Gwen with some goddamn agency, she got you <3

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Deluge by Suaine [Merthur | 50k | M | no warnings]

Tags: Canon Era | Post-Season 1 | Magic Revealed | Arthur knows about Merlin's magic | Quests & Curses | Coup

Summary:

In the aftermath of Merlin's battle against Nimueh, the rain seems a minor complication, perhaps even a cleansing influence. When the rain doesn't stop, Camelot is pushed to the brink once more. This time, Arthur may be in over his head. Contains: a lot of wet boys in emotional scenes, Arthur knowing more than he lets on, Merlin being an idiot, both of them being a bit stupidly heroic, telepathic chess, rain (lots of), war, making out against a tree, coincidental druids, co-opted history, co-opted myths, magic, coming of age (metaphorically), and more magically annoying yet surprisingly un-floody water than you can shake a stick at.

Notes: This is such an insanely good, insanely underrated fic! The vibe of it is just really specific in a way I can't really explain, the plot is super unique and intriguing, and the writing is an absolute gem. Also I'm just a sucker for a good characterization of Arthur and ohhh boy does this one deliver.

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Tiercel by waldorph [Merthur | 6k | Mature | ccntuaw]

Tags: Canon Era | Magic Revealed | First Time | Myth & Legends

Summary:

Arthur is constantly at war.

Notes: This is one of the most stunning pieces of writing I've come across in A While honestly, and I love love love how it kind of makes the show feel like a legend - I don't know if that makes sense tbh, but like, I think it does once you read it. Just, absolutely insane story-telling tbh.

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Right Back Where I Began by giselleslash [Merthur | 4k | M | Underage (both characters)]

Tags: Childhood Friends | Friends with Benefits | Oblivious!Merlin | Pining!Arthur | Merlin/Others | Arthur/Others | Fluff

Summary:

Arthur and Merlin are friends, and each others go to for the in between times, but maybe they were together all along.

Notes: The only other modern au on this list, but SO deserved - I love tropes that get flipped a bit, so oblivious!Merlin is already a win in my book, but then there's just... I don't want to give away too much, but there is something so damn special about the resolution of this fic, it makes me want to cry every single time. Like. god. the love, it's all about the unconditional love, at the end of the day! mwah!!!

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Good to Eat a Thousand Years by ghosttopiary [Merthur | 2,5k | M | ccntuaw]

Tags: Canon Era | Tenderness | Getting Together | Vignette

Summary:

He kisses his lover on the nape of his neck and thinks this is why men go to war. A shameful thought.

Notes: This is also pretty short, but on god this fic does something to me every time I read it, the vibe of it is just so specific and absolutely breath-taking.

[step-and-pen-bu]

I translated "Familia" by Aira!!

Translated Lyrics:

Once upon a time, the story of a little angel Who knew not of freedom nor loving favor A cog within a rainbow, the same as everyone else Noah's Ark and the Immaculate flowers Were all ripped from us By a devil of justice

Countlessly offering up My empty prayers

I beg, I beg of you. O God. Bestow to me your sweet, sweet fruit Everyone has gone far far away and I'm left all alone And exhausted I need it not, need it not. A magic spell For whose ends are these means? Where are you… my Messiah

I yearned to no avail For the happiness within picture books I would say "It was all my fault" If I were able to escape

What is heaven like? It's rather lonely but, Take up my dream The angels will sing Cross the bridge If we could meet again Let's embark on a journey to the ends of our patience It's a promise!

Within unseen walls We gazed at the same starry sky How blindingly dazzling And tender it was If I could think in terms of eternity Lies, Truth, The Righteous, The Wicked, everything-- An exit towards a splendid world

I beg, I beg of you. O God. Bestow to me your sweet, sweet fruit Everyone has gone far far away and I'm left all alone At last I've been found! Plant this flower Beneath the wide, wide ultramarine Such that it shall not wilt I'll tend to it for you

MV Translation:

The following Lines are taken from "From Heaven, Dear Boy", a song also by Aira which features the three women, presumably IA's sisters that seem to die in the MV. The translation of their lines as all garbled together beginning at 1:28 is the following:

Don't say you wish for an easy afterlife Today again, make the ambigous choice Drink in the rejoice of your imperfection and defectivity It shant end in some boring tragedy

The heart is weak, and that weakness is inevitable you see You cannot part with love nor passion Not tears, nor vomit, nor pain could erase it. I'll love your scar where it was torn

Give up, survive, and come to destroy it. Tomorrow, suffer an unnamable feeling, Just killing time like this is enough. Today, forgive yourself.

Translator's Note:

BANGER ALERT !!! oh this song has been my absolutely favorite song for about a month now. it's so beautiful & moving while also being so manic & scared... it's like. so catholic core? oh we cheered... Aira is truly one of the greatest up & coming vocaloid producers mark my words. they absolutely need to be EXALTED in their composition & tuning ability. ALSO IT'S AN IA SONG. like omg whenever i see IA get used i start to squaredance like it's so amazing to see my girl getting her love... she will always be peak of 2010s vocaloid & she sounds DIVINE & wholeheartedly unique here while also taking advantage of the improvements with CeVIO AI... oh i'm in love so wholeheartedly in love...

in other news, vocaloid songs that deconstruct christian faith? the parallels to "From Heaven, Dear Boy" truly a masterpiece of vocaloid composition!!!

[kai-and-their-mess]

Please Don't Go

Astronaut Mafuyu x Angel Mizuki

warnings for: heavy angst, character death, tragedy, ambigous endings cuz wow im bad at conclusions, and probably poor grammar. this is beta read but not edited to fix anything my beta pointed out to me.

intro: transfem Mizuki, transmasc Mafuyu. Fuyu and Yuki mostly used as names for Mafuyu. transmasc Shiho cuz cmon, have you seen? shiho? ever? thats a boy. prompt taken from @probably-not-niigo Link to the original post found here. the last time i wrote for public consumption was years ago so if POV is sloppy or nothing is capitalized or some of the sentence structure is strange: no it isnt 💕

THIS HAS TWO ENDINGS. neither of which are strictly happy, but one is bittersweet cuz i couldnt finish this until i came up with a "happier" ending.

There wasn't a single doubt in his mind that this was dangerous, sadly past trauma meant that Yuki was the only one 'brave' enough to do this. as the crew flew around in their ship, they had gotten a notification that there some damage to the exterior. Fuyu, who isn't at all the engineer, was on his way to see the damage. the actual engineer, some dude named Shiho, refused to fix the issue unless he knew more about what was wrong.

Fuyu understood his hesitation. they were passing by an asteroid storm right now. but they didn't know how bad the damage was, and they couldn't see it on any of the cameras either. the crew had no clue how bad it was and that's why they were sending Yuki out. if it was minor, they would wait until it was safer to fix it, if it was major, Shiho would take the tools he needed and fix it as fast as he could.

But they wouldn't know unless someone went to look. so Fuyu put on his spacesuit, double and triple checked the oxygen tank and once the necessary safety gear was attached, he was ready to head out. "Again, be fast but be safe, we'll be able to communicate through the walkie installed in the suit, if anything goes wrong, we'll pull you in fast as we can. just…. stay safe, be aware of your surroundings" Shiho rambles to Yuki, worry in his voice as Yuki silently nods along.

"I'll be quick, don't worry." Fuyu speaks aloud to reassure Shiho but also for himself. something in his gut just told him he shouldn't go out there, but he didn't really have much of a choice. resolve firmed Yuki steps forward into the airlock. the first door closing behind him as he does. he feels what he can only assume is a wave of anxiety wash over him as he stares at the second door, the vastness of space behind it.

when Fuyu first became an astronaut, it was because of his fascination with the stars, the way that it was so empty yet so full of life, energy. it was, literally, as far away from his mom as he could possibly be. but it was also so fulfilling, so fun. so why then was all that magic and joy missing? why was there anxiety in his gut? where was that usual excitement? Yuki found himself suddenly…unwilling.

he shakes his head. it's just a quick trip to check the hull and then right back inside. not giving himself more room to procrastinate he presses the airlock button and the door in front of him slowly starts to open. one hand firmly on his tether he works his way outside, maneuvering carefully to the area that's damaged. it wasn't super bad outside. the asteroids weren't too close to him, it felt safe this close to the ship but still he made sure to keep an eye out just in case.

meanwhile, out of sight a young angel watches, brows furrowed with concern, stress. she had hoped and done her best to send warnings but still Yuki had left the ship. Mizuki was beside herself. she had been put in charge of Yuki, she considered herself his guardian angel despite her having yet to pass the test to officially become a guardian. she was an observer right now. her job was to just watch, not intervene.

but she had… "borrowed" Yuki's book from his real guardian angel and knowing what she knew, how could she just watch? Yuki was going to die. it said so in the book. the book described every event from Yuki's life right down to when and how he brushed his teeth, there was a few possibilities for each choice he could make. but there was no avoiding this. there was no possibility of Yuki surviving this. once he stepped out his fate was as good as sealed.

but Mizuki couldn't accept that. she tried everything. even going as far as to try and influence his feelings. it didn't stop him, but it did alter the book. she groaned, watching closely as Yuki floated. part of her still hoped it wouldn't happen, but she knew that wasn't the case. helpless, she watched the young man, putting all her hopes into her heart Mizuki found herself passively wishing that she'd birth a miracle, right here, right now as she wandered off. things to do, places to see.

for Yuki, nothing had felt different, he was focused on his task, and almost to the damaged spot too. after a few more moments it comes into view. an asteroid had struck, not a big one, it seemed, but it had exposed some wiring on the side of the ship. Yuki presses a button on his collar and speaks "hey. I'm at the damage site. a small asteroid must have hit us, there's a panel missing, and some wiring exposed." there's a pause before Shiho's voice filters through the walkie.

"Got it. we can fix that once we're out of this asteroid storm. return to us." Yuki nods, though no one's around to see it and starts to follow the tether back. when he's about halfway there the ship shakes violently, bumping into Yuki, who stayed close to the hull, and sending him away from the ship. Yuki closes his eyes when the ship first shakes, gripping onto the tether the whole time. he slowly opens his eyes to see darkness.

the ship seems almost impossibly far. Yuki tugs on his tether and it goes taunt. whatever hit the ship sent him to the limits of his tether, he'd have to be careful. he pushes the button on his collar again "hey, what happened? are you guys okay? is the ship okay?" it takes a few moments for anyone to answer so while he waits Fuyu starts carefully guiding himself back to the other end of the tether.

to his relief the speaker on the walkie talkie sparks to life and a voice is heard "Yuki? good to hear your voice. the ship was hit by an asteroid, it knocked us off course but we're all safe. there's major damage to the hull now though… I'm going to have to try and fix that if we want to make it to our destination safely." Shiho's voice is hard to hear over the alarm in the background, there's others talking in the background. everyone must be worried.

"I'm on my way back" Yuki responds simply. "Stay safe" Shiho's response is short but it feels warm. sighing, Yuki starts on his way again, the ship growing closer as he moves. it feels like quicksand today, almost like space doesn't want to let him go. he does his best to move fast but it's hard to do so when you have no means of propelling yourself forward. Yuki isn't sure how long it takes before he's close to the ship but it feels like an hour.

it's probably been closer to 20 minutes. all of a sudden something out of the corner of his eye makes him freeze. eyes wide, heart stopped. slowly, his hand comes up to his collar and he presses the button "Shiho…. I... I don't think I can get back" it was moving too fast. the asteroid. He knew that if it was this close, there wasn't a thing he could do to avoid it. he hears Shiho respond. kind of. he definitely heard Shiho's voice, but the words were lost on him.

fear gripping his heart Yuki closes his eyes. he's never felt so scared so suddenly. he feels the asteroid more than anything, a perverse feeling of heat and cold consumes Fuyu. if this is what death is like at least its fast. after what feels like a lifetime the feeling leaves him. he slowly opens his eyes and is greeted by the darkness of space. distant stars shine in somewhere far off, but instead of relief at being alive all Yuki can process is dread.

the tether is cut. the tether is cut, and among all those stars, glittering and sparkling in this distance, is his ship. too far to reach, especially at the full mercy of space. not knowing what else to do. he laughs. it's a pain-stricken sound, gasping, sobbing, heart wrenching. all those times he thought 'I want to die' all those times he thought 'I want to disappear' he never could have imagined it would end like this.

he doesn't know how long he cries for, or how much time passed between his last contact. but like a fever dream, Shiho's voice is heard. panic and worry clear in the man's tone. "Yuki, Yuki! respond! fuck, say something!!! shit!" another laugh bubbles up, it's just so. funny. taking a breath, he steadies his breathing as much as he can before radioing in. "I'm… still here" a loud sigh is heard, and Yuki does his best to ground himself.

he'll need to be able to think if he wants to try and make it back. "I'm…sorry Yuki. we can't turn to come get you until I fix the hull. you should have about an hour of oxygen in the tank. I'm already on my way to fix it." Yuki chuckles, against his will. "No… I won't… the tether broke. you guys won't be able to find me." the line goes silent before Shiho responds again. It almost sounds like he's crying. "I'm…. really, really sorry, Yuki." Fuyu nods, it's no one's fault.

"One last request. Shiho... can you say to me; 'Mafuyu, you did a good job here.' and then…. can you disconnect my walkie from our closed circuit..?" It had been years since he so much as thought of his deadname, but he needed this. there's a long sigh from the other end of the line, but Shiho reluctantly complies. "Mafuyu, you did a good job here." there's a small pause as Shiho inhales, having more to say. "Thank you for your bravery, for everything you've done during this voyage. you'll be remembered with the highest honors…. captain and engineer Shiho Hinomori signing off" Fuyu whispers a small barely audible 'thank you' as the line goes dead for the last time.

it may have seemed cold or callused to just disconnect like that, but Shiho was the only other realist on the crew. he wouldn't try and comfort Yuki with false empty promises and reassurances. they both knew the odds of being able to get back the ship was really low, there was no point trying to deny that. but at lease he could have a bit of comfort as he accepts his fate. not having anything else today he 'lays down'.

letting himself just float in the nothingness of space. his face still wet with tears, unable to dry because of the space suit. Yuki finds himself wondering if, somehow, his mom knew something like this would happen. it makes him laugh a little, it's a dry, melancholy sound. his headaches a little. he's not sure if it's from the fit of hysterics or from lack of oxygen.

the stars become too painful after a few moments, their freedom and ability to thrive in this situation feeling almost mocking. he closes his eyes, waiting. for what? he's not sure. but maybe, for once, he'd be able to imagine. just an alternate world where things went right, where he didn't get lost in space. where he found happiness and love and just lived a boring life in a house he owned.

that's when he hears it. a voice as sweet as kittens, singing with power and intensity to rival the gets used to get him into space. the song is soothing, though he has no clue what language it is. it's comforting, warmth blooms slowly in his gut and creeps through his body. taking a deep breath, he opens his eyes. floating there, inches from his face was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

the sight of her alone was enough to steal his breath away, mesmerized by her. she had long pink hair that, to him, seemed to trail off into infinity, her body glowed with a soft light. she wore this milky pink colored dress that hugged her torso and ended with a frilly skirt. from her back sprouted a pair of huge wings, seeming to have glitter woven into the white feathers. Yuki didn't dare move, what if she was just a hallucination? what if interacting with her meant doom for him? not wanting to be alone again he stayed still and listened to her sing.

when her song was finished, she opened her eyes to reveal pink, glittering orbs that bore into him with a look of affection? or maybe admiration? "it's such a pleasure to meet you" the girl speaks, startling Fuyu out of his stupor. "My name is Mizuki, I'm... here to keep you company." for a while, Yuki says nothing. he only speaks when the smile starts to slip of Mizukis face, for some reason, he doesn't want her to be sad.

"Am…I going to die out here?" the question surprises even him. Mizuki hesitates for a long while, her voice tinged with sadness as she speaks.

"that's… what's fated, yes. but! I'm an angel!" she states this fact proudly, and for a moment Yuki feels a bit of hope. but. there's no way she's real. it's just a comforting hallucination in his last moments. there's no way angels could possibly be real. but he would humor this hallucination.

"So, you're going to save me?" Mizuki knew deep down that she shouldn't. she couldn't. not without offering up something in exchange. but the price would be so steep. she couldn't waste too much time, though. the longer she took the less time they had. but what could she do to save him? what could she give that would be enough to repay her disobedience?

"I…." her voice is hesitant. she has about less than 30 minutes. "I… yes. I'm here to save you" she smiles, her voice becoming more sure as she speaks- "I'm here to save you, Yuki. don't worry. help will come. until then, I'll sit with you." Mafuyu stares at her, not sure if she was being honest or not.

hell, he wasn't even sure if she was fucking real. this whole thing- it was insane. but hey, it was the end of his world. so, what the hell? letting out a soft sigh he reaches out to grasp at her hand. "Please don't go" he speaks. not sure if she can even hear him through his space suit. regardless, she grabs his hand and holds it tightly in both of hers. he watches as Mizuki closes her eyes again, singing another song. warmth envelopes Yuki once more and he smiles.

(Here is where the ending splits!!! You can stop here if youd prefer for this to be the canon ending. as for the actual endings themselves you can find ending one here and ending two here hope you enjoy!)

[jeanmoreaux]

Just finished to read If we were villains (thanks to you). I really loved it. Don't know if I'll ever be able to form coherent thoughts on it (maybe after exams seasons), but I wanted to thank you for the discovery. I really loved the ending, and the way the author of saying nothing and everything at the same time. We have to form our own conclusions, but they are evident and not that ambigous. The characters are amazing, I loved the dedication of Oliver, the fragility of James, the benevolence of Colburne ( and his intelligence) and Filippa. I loved the strong, unfailible bond between James and Oliver, it's one of my favorite dynamics betwee characters, we are our own thing. ( you also introduce me to aftg, and it has been in my brain ever since). Just some thoughts at past mignight, hope some of it make some sense <3

ohh i am so happy you liked iwwv!! ((and even happier to hear i had a hand in you giving it a chance. it’s always nice to know i could help someone find their way to a book they enjoyed.)) iwwv is truly one of my personal favs—the writing, the plot, and the characters all work so well for me. it borrows from shakespeare in most satisfying way and still tells an original story echoing the familiar. the vibes, too, are just immaculate. i think the decision to keep the ending open adds a lot to the entire experience and lets people draw their own conclusions. and i totally agree with what your saying about the characters!! and yes, the james and oliver dynamic is soooooooo compelling. they are so close yet so far from each other in a way…… very two sides of the same coin as well.

((and aaaah screaming about the aftg thing dfkfjjsg makes me very, very happy too. those books mean so much to me.)) thank you so much for the message, i love it!! you’re always welcome to leave random thoughts at midnight or any other time of day <3 i’d love to hear them.

[swiftletinthecloud]

I'M SORRY BUT WHAT EVEN WAS THAT ENDING? I KNOW THAT IT WAS LIKE AN OPEN/AMBIGOUS/MAYBE EVEN HAPPY ENDING SINCE WE SEE CHAE WOON OPENS HIS EYES AND HEAR JA YU'S VOICE, BUT WE DON'T EVEN GET TO SEE THEM INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER IN THE SAME SCREEN!

AND THE FREAKING PRIME MINISTER GOT WHAT HE WANTED, HIS DAD OUT OF THE WAY, HIS COMPANY, AND BF'S STOLEN RESEARCH WITHOUT ANYONE KNOWING OR BRINGING HIM TO JUSTICE! HE EVEN GOT RID OF HIS TEAM OF HACKERS!

[astroboots]

Now that EYEM is finished I thought this might be fun to bring back around again. Please send in asks!!! (it can be for any work I've written) 🥰🥰

Hello Cici 💞 how are you? I chose the very last paragraphs, I want to know what was behind them!

This isn’t the end, but if it were, it feels like it's a good one this time. Miguel walks out towards the ledge of the building, turning back to reach out his hand to you.

"Let’s go, Cielito."

💕💐

DVD COMMENTARY ASK GAME

AAAH HELLO BABES! thanks for this one

When I sat down to write the ending I was very conscious that I wanted the ending to feel fulfilling and that many of the mysteries I had raised had looped and felt satisfying. However, I also wanted to make sure to keep that open-ended feeling of: these characters lives go on, and that is the happy ending that they've worked so hard to achieve, to get to live on and go about their days.

It was a bit inspired by one of my favorite tv-show of recent years Fleabag, that moment where we the audience as the camera tries to follow her, but she shakes her head and tells us we have to stay while she moves on.

I wanted to capture that (although this ending is a lot happier and less ambigous than Fleabag's in that Miguel and Cielito stay together) we cannot follow them where they are going and the endless possibilities of the multiverse is their new reality and so it is up for us readers to imagine what their days, living out their lives together will look like.

[kizzyedgelll]

15 questions, 15 friends! tagged by @torturedpoets, thank you!

Are you named after anyone? thankfully, no! i was, however, ALMOST named after the SURNAME of a family of singers my mom is a fan of. tragedy.

When was the last you cried? hmmm last week?

Do you have kids? thankfully no! i do not trust myself with being full time responsible for a child <3

What sports do you play/have you played? none! was never a sports kid.

Do you use sarcasm? sarcasm, me????? never!!1 /s

What is the first thing you notice about people? always their hair (or lack of it).

What is your eye color? very dark brown.

Scary movies or happy endings? scary movies with bittersweet endings. those kind of endings like "yeah, we won, but at what cost?" or ambigous endings like "did we actually win, though?".

Any talents? well............................... i make gifs. i think that's it.

Where were you born? i am not about to doxx myself, but i was born in a city where the winter nights don't ever sleep where i thankfully don't live anymore. also one of the biggest cities in my country.

What are your hobbies? giffing, watching movies, listening to music, mindlessly scrolling through tiktok to avoid thinking about things, reading (sometimes), playing games (when i have the energy for it).

Do you have any pets? not really, but my uncle's cat loves me, so i like to pretend she's mine sometimes. i also miss her dearly :(

How tall are you? 169cm. idk what's that in feet.

Favorite subject in school? geography!

Dream job? being paid to do absolutely nothing <3

tagging (no pressure): @binatalia @bruceewayne @bazkrekkers @miwtual @gr63wdc @bisexualsfromouterspace and whoever wants to do it <3

[katzynia]

Thanks for the tag @bittercape <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

27 published, one of which is a WIP as of June 4th.

2. What is your AO3 wordcount?

203,862 words (by June 4th 2024)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Batman corner of DC, and mostly even further corner of Slade Wilson/Jason Todd, with only a few exceptions.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Let it fade, let it linger Sound of falling trees First and then Let it build, let it settle Every piece of you

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes. I adore comments, each and everyone really makes my day. I will reply, though it might take a little. Typically I let them accumulate for a couple days (or to the nearest weekend) after publishing before replying to a whole bunch (time spend basking in the warmth of people liking what I wrote :D)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

..I don't really do that angsty endings. I am a softie at heart, so I don't care for hurt/no comfort fics much. Good bittersweet is great thought! With that in mind, I guess my angstiests would be Sound of falling trees (bittersweet is a good word for this ending I think) Turn your dream to shame (my angstiest/darkest fic, ambigous ending)

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my endings are happy. Let it build, let it settle is maybe the sweetest thing in general... Though I do have very sweet oneshots.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, not really. I think Slade/Jay for which I mostly write is still so much in its own corner, not popular enough to attract hate. At least not where I would run into it.

9. Do you write smut? If so, which kind?

Yes. ;) Pairingwise M/M so far. Kinkwise, many kinds and I'm open to many more :D There aren't many kinks I would absolutely not write. I've found it a lot of fun to try out different things and Jayde Agenda discord server's Kink tag challenge has been loads of fun. I think my kinkiest is probably Straddling the line (in discord and rhyme) as I wrote it with "yes and":ing a whole bunch of kinks, starting with the tag challenge of "Possessive sex". Also Call me maybe, with dirty talk being the whole point of writing it

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest crossover you’ve ever written?

I have not written any cross-overs. I might if something strikes my fancy.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I was asked once, but I said no. I don't like the idea of my work being translated so that I can't understand it. I'm writing in my second language anyway and I have thought a lot about how different I would say things if I was writing on my actual language. It's the connotations! Idk, I just felt... weird about it and didn't want to to happen.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Jayde is my current love and fave in DC, not surprisingly. I also like Jason/Roy Harper, and certain variations of Jason/Dick. In other fandoms, I used to read *a lot* of Steve/Bucky. Arthur/Eames is a lot of fun. I also had fairly intense phase of reading everything for Jyn/Cassian in Star Wars.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Well. I have kind written a Mummy AU for Jayde for about two years now... Hard to say if it ever sees the light of day, i periodically write some and then lose interest/get desperate that it's too complicated and write nothing. I honestly don't know if I get it finished or even if I'm wiling to put the work in.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at dropping information in interesting and not-exposition-y way, drip-drip-dripping it so that it's curiosity inducing. I am good at implying things. I also really like and think I'm good at playing with relative knowledge. I've been told I'm also pretty good at character voices. But honestly, it's hard for me to say what are the strengths, I'm too close to it. So I am in fact, open to feedback

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Grammar, stupid English. In all seriousness, I get pretentious. I usually catch most of it in editing, but I have a tendency to get too flowery and for example, say the same thing in too many ways in row which blunts the impact. As flipside of my information dropping skills, I sometimes get too stingy with information, so that I assume something is clear when it isn't. I'm not very good at narration further way from the POV character, I do very close POV and that doesn't always work for the story I'm trying to tell. Again, I am open to feedback. Could be interesting.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'm on the fence about it. I do tend to get annoyed if there's no translation *very* easily available. I think it comes back to my preference for close narration, so if the character doesn't speak the language, I prefer sticking to "Somebody spoke in language he didn't recognize" or something like that. Singular words, especially for affectionate nicknames are cute though. I'm not a language person :D That said, I don't get annoyed in "nobody should ever do this" kind of way. I firmly believe that every writer can do what they want in their story. It's just a preference for me.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Jayde. Surprise :D

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I am incredibly, excessively proud of Kindle and char, my pirate fic. I honestly think the concept is great and it turned out very close to what I wanted. It's the longest story I've written and I had so much fun doing it.

Tagging, very close pressure, but if you'd like to jump in @nonbinaryjaybird @notherdeadrobin

[dreamingsushi]

See You in my 19th Life - Episode 3

I’m a little concerned with what I saw in last episode’s preview, but I’m going to think that it’s going to be alright. Like I mentioned, I’m not a fan so far of the casting for Seoha. It’s still a little early to judge, so I hope it gets better and I can get used to it. So far, I’m enjoying this, I’m just so happy to see this Webtoon as a live action, because it’s just that good. Hopefully they turn It’s a Good Day to Be a Dog into a live action too, because it was even better in my opinion. But now, let’s focus on this.

For the first time, maybe, Ji-eum can witness the people she left behind grieve her, which gives her a bittersweet taste I guess. She thought Seoha didn’t think of Juwon anymore. She tries to cheer him up with flowers, I mean cherry blossoms. Then when they are bout to leave, she needs to stop the car because a white transportation car comes their way which triggers a panic attack for Seoha. He gets out of the car, having trouble breathing and... NO! JI-EUM IS SMART! SHE WOULD NEVER DO THAT! She gives him... a... plastic bag... This is so wrong. It’s already outdated to breathe in a paper bag, because it could cause the person to actually pass, however... A PLASTIC BAG??? He’s going to choke, I’m sorry. Please, don’t do that in real life. That’s dangerous. Thank you.

Ji-eum thinks a little about death and while she drinks with Aegyeong, she thinks back on when she died as her uncle. That moment actually made me really emotional, because she wondered how she made it through all of it and actually thanks Aegyeong for surviving. But Aegyeong is also thankful that she got to meet him-her again and to see her grow into a beautiful person.

Then she realizes that the anniversary of Ju-won’s death is also Seoha’s birthday. The accident happened on their way to the amusement park. So she rushes out to grab a taxi to get to Seoha’s place. Good girl. She drank so she doesn’t drive. Even not alcoholized she’s a rather agressive driver, I wouldn’t want to see her drunk driving. I mean, she’s definitely not drunk, but you get it. When she gets there, she confesses to Seoha. Before she died as Juwon, she told him that she’ll tell him if she likes him on his birthday. But then they are interrupted by Chowon who came to celebrate Seoha’s birthday. But she gets kicked out quite quickly. Ji-eum waited for her outside, to ask if she likes Seoha. But Chowon answers to the question ambigously.

Thinking Chowon might like Seoha too, Aegyeong tells Ji-eum to tell her that she’s Juwon and that she liked Seoha first, so they don’t end up being two sisters fighting for the same man. Ji-eum isn’t too trilled by that idea. It’s complicated to be reincarnated right after dying and she supposes it might mean she perhaps was murdered and had her life cut short, that’s why she came back that fast.

I love how Subway is still the restaurant by choice in Kdramas. Like... Of course super rich business men buy their lunch at Subway hahaah. I love it. I hope there won’t be fried chicken though, because then I’ll crave it. They decided to go with Chowon’s company for the landscaping of the hotel. Well, at least they want to meet her. In the end when she came to the office, she didn’t even get to pitch for her company. Ji-eum follows her out and ask out on dinner because she wants to get closer to her. Then she’s so relieved when she hears that Chowon actually likes Ha Doyun, not Seoha. But then, she also tells her that it’s going to be rough, since Seoha can’t overcome his first love, Yoon Juwon. Then Ji-eum takes her back home, very drunk. Chowon’s mom comes out to take her inside the house and she spots Ji-eum. And... why is this happening? She recognizes her as Juwon? Chowon was the first one to know, i don’t remember her ever telling her parents. Why did they add this? Ah! She’s just imagining it. And is hugging the air. And ends up being seen by Seoha. She must look like a total weirdo. And then he interrupts her, but when she looks at him with her teary eyes, he seems to see something relating her to Juwon.

And that is all for this episode! I was so shocked at the mother thing, my brain froze for a little while haha. Thank god, it was just her imagination. Anyways, I’m still not convinced by Seoha, which makes me so sad, because I really like that character, but I’m in love love love with Ji-eum and Chowon and also Aegyeong. So that’s going to have to be enough for now. See you soon!

[merryfortune]

Sharing My Cute Little Sister

Written for Femslash Friday Prompt by @femslash-friday-prompts

Prompt: Share

Title: Sharing My Cute Little Sister

Ship: Hippolyteshipping | Asuka/Gloria/Grace

Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V

Rating: M

Word Count: 2,165

Tags: Secret Relationship, Sibling Incest, Love Triangle, Love Confessions, Polyamory Negotiations, Jealousy, Possessive Behaviour, Cult Deprogramming, Sexual References, Ambigous Ending

   It was nice seeing Grace come out of her shell and out of the shadow of Academia.

   It was a huge task but Asuka was doing her best to lend a hand. Paying forward the kindness that Sakaki Yusho had shown her. He was still the one leading the charge to help everyone affected by both sides of the Interdimensional War spearheaded by Professor Ababa. He did, admittedly, spend more time with those of the former Fusion Dimension and soldiers of Academia because he thought they would be harder to rehabilitate than their victims. Something Asuka agreed with being a defector…

   Still, it was great to see the student body of her beloved Academia start to come around against what they had been taught. The Hunting Game was becoming what it should always have remained: a fun game between friends with no hard losses. 

   And again, Grace was doing great in shedding the cruelties of Academia. All for Sajaki Yuya, Asuka supposed. Like Father, like son: both made an impact through their love of Duel Monsters. It was good to see him recover from his own hand in the War as well.

   But going back to the Tyler Sisters, where Grace was flourishing, Gloria most certainly was not.

   Grace had the motivation and innate good heart. She was socialising with XYZ decadent no problem, always with a smile on her face as she helped in soup kitchens or the infirmary. Gloria, meanwhile, was helping but her heart remained stalwart.

   Asuka supposed it made sense. Despite being twins, the two were chalk and cheese in demeanour. Grace, as the younger twin, had always been the happy-go-lucky one with a smile on her face and without a care in the world. Gloria, meanwhile, had the exact air of sophistication expected of an older child. Even when the time between both girls was negligee at beat. She had always been the serious one with a no-nonsense policy that she only ever made an exception for when it came to Grace.

   Then, there was the matter of their prowess at duelling. The two were lethal as a combination. Some of the best that Academia had ever seen, solo or as a pair, they dominated many a battlefield – er, duelling arena. As a result, they enjoyed quite a few privileges that the regular soldier student did not. Everything from fine dining to better clothes to having a unique deck. They were a part of Professor Akaba’s envied upper echelon and inner circle.

   Asuka could understand if Gloria was unwilling to forgo the hierarchy in which she, and Grace, had been at the top of. It was likely a survival mechanism for her. She worked hard, she wanted to continue reaping those benefits that she had earned, quite literally, through blood, sweat, and tears. To have that reduced to nothing? For all the effort she had put into protecting herself, her sister, and her allegiances become meaningless in this strange new world in which all four dimensions were fused?

   That had to be terrifying.

   Grace could look after she leapt, and be fine for it since the other side was a much kinder world than the one she had come from but Gloria very much did not have that temperament.

   Or at least that’s how Asuka understood it and she was choosing to be understanding in good faith. Asuka wasn’t totally oblivious, though her track record may very well imply that she was since she had been on Professor Akaba’s radar as a student who may have use beyond being one of his foot soldiers hence why she had never been put on duty as such. There had been rumours about just how close the Tyler Sisters were.

   And these were not flattering rumours, either.

   According to these sources that Asuka had happened upon here and there during her own Academia days, the closeness between Professor Akaba’s two top dogs (though, tigresses may be more for them) was illicit. Their touches, their caresses, all signs and symbols of something much deeper and darker than simple sisterly love. It wasn’t weird for sisters to share beds or meals but the way they did it, there was something uncomfortably flirtatious about it. More than just Big Sis doting on Little Sis…

   Yes, according to these rumours, they were…

   But that simply could not be the case, Asuka was certain.

   She had always thought contrary to it. She thought that these talking mouths were being cruel and jealous because the pair made for good fodder as being tall poppies for the common students to cut down out of envy. There simply could be no way that they were a couple in transparent secret. It was too... wrong, too taboo, too transgressive. It clearly could not be because it was so defamatory, especially towards two girls in such an enviable position in the student body of Academia as the Tyler Sisters.

   Finally, after all this time of these rancid rumours going around, Asuka had proof that they were untrue. Grace could not be in an illicit relationship with her sister if she was flirting with people who weren't her. Specifically, Asuka and Asuka was actually quite flattered by that.

   Grace was quite a commendable young woman - and an attractive one at that. She was an excellent duellist with a heart of gold, she was taking to flight this next chapter of her life with joy. Asuka really, truly admired that about Grace and often found herself looking forward to the time she spent with Grace.

   Not just that but Asuka wasn’t daft. She knew what sweaty palms and a racing heartbeat meant. Especially when it happened only and exclusively around Grace or thinking about Grace.

   Moreover, this crush appeared reciprocated, if Asuka could be so bold as to presume. Grace did have a naturally flirtatious personality. She was just that kind of girl. Smiley, giggly, oh so effortless. No wonder Gloria had to be so protective of her since Grace didn’t seem like she was aware or an active participant in her flirting. It just happened naturally, with each curl of her hair falling out of place or how she batted her eyes.

   Now that Asuka thought about it, no wonder those rumours got things so twisted. Grace’s affections were innocent, pure, even, it was just misread because she was that way with everyone. Her true feelings were never too far from platonic but Asuka was seeing the signs. Up front. She was certain that she was the exception.

   Though, like with most things, Asuka thought direct clarification was best. It wasn;t necessary regarding those unsavoury and obviously untrue rumours but something like this, Asuka found her own courage. She wanted to confess her budding feelings to Grace. If there was something more, she would enjoy it tremendously but she knew when to be a gentlewoman if they were not requited.

   So, Asuka picked out a day to meet up with Grace. (But of course Gloria came along). So that she could get her feelings out into the open and express herself. (With Gloria in earshot).

   They really were tied at the hip, Asuka observed, not thinking much of it as there was plenty of opportunity for her to have some precious one on one time towards the end of their meet-up. 

   Looking ahead on the weather report, Asuka thought she picked out of a nice, sunny day for her to meet up with Grace (and also Gloria) but not so much. She had been hoping for clear skies of azure, a soft breeze but it turned out much, much cloudier than any of them had been expecting. Gloomy. The waters of the sea which surrounded Academia, being slowly restored to its former identity as a lackadaisical school, were still and slate-coloured. Asuka didn’t want to call it foreboding but it got darker and darker as the afternoon wore on until she decided it was finally time to ask.

   As a trio, two and a third-wheel and Asuka hated to say the latter applied to her, they’d done all the usually girly things. They chatted, they gossiped, they did some homework here and there as well as got as much as their toes wet in the ocean, their shoes and socks high and dry on the sands but they were all getting a little bit tired.

   So, Asuka tried to split Grace and Gloria. She asked Gloria to give them a little bit of space and Asuka could see in Grace’s eyes, how they pricked confused, that seemed a little out of the ordinary but it was ultimately allowed. Gloria hung back whilst Asuka took Grace a little further down the beach, where the breeze blew and the tide lapped at just to the side of them as they walked.

   They chatted some more but as though struggling with separation anxiety, Grace had them circle back closer to where Gloria was. Asuka didn’t mind too much but she really had wanted some privacy… She just hoped that Gloria couldn’t overhear, so she spoke low just in case.

   “I’ve been wondering this for a while…” Asuka mused. “But do you like me?”

   “Huh? Oh, um…” Grace replied. “It's complicated.”

   She glanced over her shoulder and made eye contact with her sister who had been sitting in the dunes. Bored, her eyes sharp. Just that was enough to prompt her to get up, dust herself off and shake sand loose from her clothes.

   “You don’t owe me an explanation if you don’t want…” Asuka tried to console her but she felt her heartbeat spike in a way it never had before.

   She didn’t like it. It felt more like fear than being lovestruck. Asuka had gotten used to the latter. The butterflies in her stomach, the feeling of risk but it was romantic for lack of a better word. This was far blunter. Far heavier. She didn’t like it.

   “It's not that, I do like you, but there’s someone I like more…” Grace confessed.

   Asuka blinked, “There is? Who?”

   Grace fidgeted again. She looked over her shoulder and like an apparition, Gloria was there. She was protective, her eyes fierce and her demeanour possessive. She laced her arms over Grace’s slender shoulders to embrace her from behind. Gloria held Grace close and Grace blushed. She smiled this adorable, tiny smile.

   “Me.” Gloria said.

   Her assertion took Asuka aback faster than she could feel sick over it. That feeling in the pit of Asuka’s stomach warped. She couldn’t believe her ears. So the rumours were true after all.

   “I do like you, Asuka, but I love my sister, you know?” Grace nervously elaborated but it didn’t help much.

   Asuka could taste bile at the back of her throat and something else, too, as she watched Gloria oh so possessively kiss the side of Grace’s face. She blushed. Asuka’s discomfort continued to warm her, though now between the legs - and she couldn’t believe such a reaction, that reviled her, too.

   “I’m not one for sharing my cute, little sister,” Gloria mused, “but people talk. Even to us, about us. I’m sure you're aware.”

   “I am.” Asuka confirmed.

   “So, you have use to me.” Gloria said, she jutted out her chin slightly, and her face turned very shadowed as clouds overhead moved to darken the sky above them all but exactly.

   “I see.” Asuka mumbled. “You want to use me as a smokescreen to better hide your, ahem, affiliations with Grace.”

   “Exactly.” Gloria replied, her tone was brisk yet proud. She was shameless, it should have revolted Asuka and yet, she found herself strangely intrigued as she was drawn into the twisted blood between the twins.

   “We’re a matching set. You can’t have one without the other.” Grace said. Diplomatic. Placating both Asuka and Gloria, Asuka realised.

   “I can’t help myself,” Gloria lamented as she caressed Grace’s face with one hand, and allowed the other to snake down the side of her body to hold her closer, “it's no wonder people have become aware of just how deep the bond Grace and I have goes.” Watching her touch Grace, Asuka got the impression that Gloria would really like to be fondling her right now. 

   “I can’t help myself either, Older Sister.” Grace giggled, she sounded utterly cherubic.

   “You must understand, too, Asuka? To be infatuated also with my dear Grace?” Gloria prompted her, her eyes flicking up to meet Asuka’s.

   “Right.” Asuka replied. Her voice stilted and dry.

   “So? What say you?” Gloria asked.

   They were two halves of a whole. Gold and silver. Attack and defence. There were legends which stated that twins were lovers reincarnated, perhaps it wasn’t all that unnatural for them to carry on that love. Asuka swallowed a lump in her throat and before she could reply, there was a spate of thunder. Bang, crash. The ordinance drowned her out as she replied to Grace and Gloria what exactly she would say to that.