#and disappear (mostly) and (not be found for a while until you have more motivations to help very parallel parties)

[unproduciblesmackdown]

also if only the physical copy of how to disappear completely & never be found i first encountered & read a few years ago (sort of [roughly avg age ten] reader book, not any similarly titled How To) hadn't disappeared completely & not been found since, probably b/c i put it somewhere i intended to be For Safekeeping, which is also how my binder vanished....b/c it's one of those like. those book for late elementary/middle school readers when they just weave in this unrealism which makes for a delightful range & unpredicability? and with a cynical protagonist girl like off to the races like wow her mom is depressed asf & smoking? and it's about A Family History Secrets Mystery so blatantly a haunting that the inciting incident is basically introducing a haunted [family history secrets mystery] house. and spoilers don't matter like it's stemming from there being this missing uncle who grew up so in contrast to the Winsome Winning Sibling Who Does It All Right while seeing his own affiliation with rats that he tried to disappear completely & never be found which led to this Tragedy which led to this more unintended disappearance of his & he haunts this house & wants to be left alone & only goes out at night with this [ambiguous Is That A Giant Rat Or Weird Small Dog (protagonist affected by these family situations who expresses her preoccupation with an awareness of how fate can Strike and Get you with this interest with roving packs of killer chihuahuas. people think she's weird though she spontaneously befriends this other girl struck with this bolt from the blue & a bit weird / outcast & then Insightful who i wish was in it more)] & plays into the hauntedness danger like playing into the [something's Wrong with you then] until having to take yet more action where the urge to express the truth comes out more both b/c living that hidden is more threatened but also b/c now the niece children are more threatened as well. ft. a sort of preternatural blurring of time b/c of only being communicated with through this uncle via his comic pages (that he paints?) of dubiously accurate translations of irl events that are created so quickly it seems to verge on foresight, imagine like "hmm what's this painting. it's me standing in this room looking at this painting??? as someone ominous lurks in the shadows right behind me?" in both [now how could you know this & paint it really fast ahead of time] and [horror]

[sapphic-kpop-fics]

Cat and Mouse (Im Nayeon x Reader)

Smut

Fwb to lovers, jealousy, kinda toxic, hooking up in a bathroom, mentions of sana

Friday night, a night you go out on every week without fail, mostly because of your friend and roommate Nayeon who loves to go out and dance.

Tonight was no different though the mood in the back of your Uber was tense this time, you and Nayeon had started hooking up months ago and though the no strings attached, you can fuck anybody else you want thing worked for a while (and you were the one to place the line of just friends having fun) but you still found yourselves arguing about relationship titles every now and then. Mostly Nayeon pleading for you to just give it a chance, go on a date with her.

Nayeon was also insistent that she doesn’t really hook up with people besides you, her usual explanation being why leave the house to fuck someone when you’re right down the hall but truthfully she didn’t want anyone else.

You didn’t want to go out tonight after the fight you had earlier in the day but of course Nayeon was persistent and persuasive even when you’re upset with her.

So now you’re walking into your usual bar, crowded with familiar faces and new ones, mostly dancing on the dance floor in front of a dj with a laptop playing mediocre remixes and playlists.

Nayeon separated from you almost immediately, mumbling something about “needing a drink after dealing with you” making you wince at her cold tone. She headed off to the bar, no doubt ordering some shots along with something fruity to sip on.

You on the other hand went to the opposite end of the bar, ordering some whiskey with ice, wanting to get drunk but not overdoing it. You stand in the corner watching the crowd, mostly trying to spot Nayeon after she had disappeared.

You think nothing of her absence until you finally see her, in the corner opposite of you hanging off of a girl who has her hands on Nayeon’s waist. Their faces are incredibly close, lips practically touching. Your chest tightens at the sight, an anger washing over your body.

Nayeon makes eye contact with you and smirks at your demeanor. Whispering in the woman’s ear and nodding at the dance floor, which is almost right in front of you. They walk hand and hand into the crowd, their bodies move closely together when they start dancing.

You think two can play at that game, you let your eyes wander off to observe the crowd. You land on a girl a few feet from you who is already looking at you, you smile at her which she takes as an invitation to walk over to you. Your plan is set.

“Hi.” She says with a big smile when she reaches you.

“Hi.” You try your best to convincingly flirt, eyes flickering to Nayeon who is looking at you while dancing, she looks annoyed already and she’s now pulling the girl with her to the other corner so you can see them.

“I’m Sana.” The woman in front of you says breaking you from looking at Nayeon.

“Y/N.” A charming smile on your face, “You’re really beautiful.” You compliment making the woman, who you now know as Sana, blush.

Sana has her back to Nayeon so it’s easy for you to look past her to see your roommates reactions, and she looks pissed. Though she has her arms around the other person as they dance in the corner.

Sana starts playing with the collar of your shirt, ulterior motives clear and it’s all the better for your plan. You look up to make sure Nayeon’s watching before you lean in to kiss the woman in front of you, a bit rushed yes but it works when you part from Sana for a second and see Nayeon’s jaw clenching. Making you smile and kiss Sana again.

Your satisfaction is cut short when Nayeon mimics your actions, kissing whoever she was with as well. Though she seems more into it, her hands grabbing at the other person. You also continue kissing Sana, opening your eyes every couple moments to look at the other pair. Nayeon is doing the same, it’s a weird cat mouse game.

You stop when you see the strangers hand go up Nayeon’s shirt and definitely under her bra, even with all these people around and Nayeon has the audacity to act like she’s enjoying it.

Fine, she wins.

You part from Sana muttering a weak apology as you walk away, Nayeon opens her eyes when you’re a couple feet away and they widen in surprise. She’s even more shocked when you’re pulling the strange woman’s hand from her shirt and then dragging her to the bathroom a few feet away though she doesn’t resist.

You hear the woman yelling something after you before cutting her off with a slam of the door, shoving Nayeon inside.

“What the fuck is your problem?” She asks exasperated.

“Don’t play dumb.” You spit out looking at her as she leans against the wall.

“What? Now you’re jealous?” Nayeon let’s out a laugh, “Aren’t you the one who’s all let’s fuck whoever we want. We’re just having fun?”

“Shut up.” Is all you say before you kiss her, gripping her face to force a pucker out of them.

Nayeon is sure the force behind it instantly bruises her lips, she even tastes a bit of a metallic taste from your teeth hitting her lip. Even when the girl in your kissing is running out of breath and pulling away you keep your lips connected, not that Nayeon minds.

“Did you like the way she touched you?” You ask when you pull away, your hand now on her throat.

“Ye-“

“Don’t lie.” A squeeze to her neck

“No.” Now Nayeon is leaning in to kiss you but you pull away.

“Was she a good kisser?” You ask, it’s childish these questions but the jealousy is turning you back into a teenager.

“Not as good as you.” Her tone low and flirty as she finally connects your lips.

She also pulls one of your hands to go under her shirt, mirroring the woman who had touched her earlier.

“Fuck” She moans into your mouth as you roll your thumb over her nipple.

Stuffing a hand down her shorts and her underwear feeling how wet she is, dripping into your hand.

“Did she make you this wet?”

A violent shake of her head, knowing the wrong answer could stop you.

“No.” She says for extra measure, “Just for you.”

You push two fingers into her at her words, satisfied enough.

“All mine.” You place a dark bruise on her neck with your mouth, big enough for the woman to see on your way out.

“Faster. Please.” She pleads, something she’s good at.

Your dominance mostly real, falters whenever she begs. You can’t help it, the whine in her voice made better by the pout on her lips so you comply. The sound of your fingers going in and out of her loud in the small space.

“Oh my god.” She drags out the words, she swears she could cum just from how you look down at her.

You’re determined to make her cum quickly, wanting to leave and take her home so you can have your way with her in the privacy of your own home.

You angle your hand, making your palm rub against her clit every time you slide in and out of her. You move your fingers as fast as possible with the restraint of her shorts.

“Is my pretty girl going to cum?” Your other hand lifting her chin so she meets your eyes.

“Y-yes. Please, fuck. Oh my god. Please.” The words come out in quick succession, “wanna cum so bad.”

“Come on, you can do it.”

Her legs shake as her hands grip your shoulders, losing her balance slightly so you wrap your arm around her waist as you fuck her through her high.

“Fuuuck.” She drags, “Thank you thank you.” She says it at least a dozen times, a lot of the letters missing but you understand her anyways.

When she finally settles, hooded eyes looking up at you, breathing heavily.

“You don’t get to fuck anyone else from now on.”

“Bu-“

You cut her off by shoving your cum covered fingers into her mouth, causing a moan.

“Only if you don’t fuck anyone else either.” She says when you free her mouth.

“Sounds good to me.” You smirk before going to leave the bathroom.

You drag her out of the stall not letting her fix herself up, hair a mess, lipstick smudged and her shorts aren’t even button yet, into the bar floor, walking past everyone.

You make a look towards Nayeon’s mystery woman whose eyes go to the large hickey you left on the girls neck, causing a smirk from you especially with the angry expression.

Seems like in the end you won the game.

[icycoldninja]

Hello! I have an idea for a (fluff / angsty?) request with Vergil - might be a little long sorry abt that

Basically after dmc5 he returns from hell with Dante and he has some loose ends to tie, one of them being mending his relationship with his s/o (aka neros mother). I was thinking maybe she worked for Dante as a devil hunter and V gives subtle hints of his true self but she didn't catch on until the big reveal. I dunno if that'll be good enough so feel feel free to add on whatever!

Thanks for reading all this if you do and have a nice day :)

Nah, nah, it's fine. Have a MOTIVATED day yourself!

Lots of catching up to do (Vergil x Fem!Reader angst/fluff)

You knew something was odd about this "V" fellow the moment he set foot through Devil May Cry's door. You'd been visiting your employer and friend Dante at the time, and happened to be present when the mysterious man showed up, cane and book in hand. You recognized that book; it was an old copy of William Blake's poetry that Vergil used to tote around, occasionally reading excerpts from it during his downtime.

Ah, Vergil. It'd been a while since you heard that name, or even seen the man, for that matter. The last time you had an interaction with him was years ago on a moonlit eve as you said goodbye to him for what you thought was the last time, right before he departed in his quest for power, and just a month before you discovered you were pregnant with your son Nero.

You were lost in thought for a while, barely even noticing the fact that V was staring you straight in the eyes, a smug smirk on his face, as if he knew something you didn't. You wanted to question him, but knew it'd be better to keep your mouth shut. You, Dante, and the rest of Devil May Cry's staff had a mission to complete.

Imagine your surprise when V insisted on you accompanying him and Nero into the Qliphoth, only giving you a vague, meaningless reason you didn't care to remember. It seemed he just wanted you nearby, even though your skills would be better put to use on the front lines, with Dante, Trish, and Lady.

After the first assault failed and mostly everyone crawled back home, defeated, you found yourself being followed by a tall, skinny, emo-looking man whose name was one letter long. Why he was still following you around despite the separation of the devil hunting team made no sense, but since he was somewhat friendly and didn't seem to have ill intentions, you let him stick around.

Some time passed while you tended to your son, whose arm had been ripped off not too long ago, and over time, you two had to charge back into the fray to save the city from more demon attacks. V disappeared for a while, but you didn't mind, since your focus was on helping and protecting your son. Nero always came first in your mind, because he was the only piece of Vergil you had left.

V eventually returned, in terrible condition, bringing with him Dante, who had been found half buried and covered in blood in a hole near his shambling house. Though none of you but V knew it, the moment all four of you stood together was one of the rare moments when the whole Sparda family was all in one place.

Then V scampered off, trying to find Urizen before the others did, and while an inner instant compelled you to follow him, you decided to go with your son, because again, Nero always came first. You ended up running into V once again, except now he had all the structural integrity of a soggy marshmallow, and needed to be carried between the two of you to his final destination, where Dante was duking it out with Urizen.

After the beast had fallen, V broke free of yours and Nero's hold and scrambled on top of it, which was when he jammed his cane right through its chest and exploded, bringing forth an individual you never thought you'd see again: The father of your son and the love of your life, Vergil.

The hope and joy you felt as you watched him materialize was nothing short of incredible; now you saw why V was the way he was, why it was so soothing to be around him, and why he chose to stay with you. V was Vergil. In a way, he'd been with you all along.

You thought that this would be the end of everything, that now, after so many years, you all could go home and be a happy family. You couldn't have been more wrong, for not one minute after finally returning, Vergil went off to the top of the Qliphoth to fight with Dante, Nero following after them, with you being the last to catch up. You arrived just in time to watch them dive off the demonic tree into the underworld, and felt all the happiness drain out of you in an instant.

There he goes, again, this time taking Dante with him. Oh well, you decided. You'll have to devote all your attention to your darling son, who surely needs more comfort than he's letting on.

Several months passed with you and Nero dedicating all your attention to exterminating demons that lingered in the land, feeling sad over the departure of the Sparda twins, but unlike most, you two vented your stress and worry out on demons, by killing them. You two were doing somewhat fine; Nero was still struggling to cope with the fact that Vergil was his father and you never told him, and you were still heartbroken. Then, out of absolutely nowhere, Vergil knocked on the front door right as you were getting ready for bed.

"Vergil?" You gasped as you opened the door.

"Yes," Vergil replied, expression as grim and stoic as ever. "I...I'm home, Y/N."

"You came back from Hell...but how? And where's Dante?" You asked, not entirely sure if this was reality or you were dreaming again.

"He is at his shop," Vergi, replied, sternly. "Do not concern yourself with him. Where is our son?"

"He's upstairs, why?" You said slowly, wondering if he had ill intentions at heart.

"We have a lot of catching up to do," Vergil answered, a warm smile flitting across his face for just a second. "All three of us."

"That we do," You agreed, chuckling as you took the half devil by the arm and dragged him into your house. "Nero! Come down and meet your dad!"

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Life update and general ramblings under the cut. Honestly I have no expectation of anyone to actually read all of this, I just gotta get it out somewhere.

So. I'm gonna try to continue to keep things as normal on here as I can, but if I disappear, or if I'm not responding to things as consistently or as quickly, this is why:

I'm dealing with a little bit of a health scare right now. And before anyone freaks out (like I am) it's probably nothing major to be concerned about. But for those of you who don't know, I have major health anxiety and am a bit of a hypochondriac, so I've been more or less teetering on the edge of a complete breakdown since I found out about this. It's been hard to find the motivation or focus to do much of anything, and some of the other mental issues I've been dealing with like my OCD have been majorly triggered by the stress this whole thing has caused and are running rampant.

It's been really discouraging, not only because I'm dealing with the fear that I may be seriously ill, but also because all the progress I thought that I'd made in overcoming some of my psychological issues like my OCD feels like they've gone out the fucking window.

I have another test on Friday that will determine if something actually is truly wrong or not, and I likely won't get the results until the week after. So I'm more or less in my equivalent of purgatory until then.

I'm going to try to get some comments queued up this weekend, so I can at least say that I did something productive, and so I'm not completely absent on here in case I do need to vanish for a little while. If there's anything particular you want me to see or respond to, please tag me in it and give me a little nudge if I don't respond fast enough. I promise I'm not ignoring anyone on purpose.

And don't worry about this affecting Love Me Where I'm Most Ruined. I'll still be updating on my weekly schedule. And even if things do go as badly as my brain is convinced they will and I am in fact dying, I'm gonna do my best to try to finish the series.

Anyway, I don't mean to freak anyone out or anything. Like I said, I think that this is just mostly my health anxiety having a fucking field day with the rest of my brain. But I just wanted to explain why I may be or have been a little off.

[ggomos-maribat]

6 | lost

Part 6 of Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Dead | Masterlist

CW: Depressive thoughts

After Alfred's badgering, Bruce finally retreated from the dark confines of the Batcave and brought his work up to the manor's dining room. The stack of papers rustled as he spread them on the wooden surface, and his laptop lit up again with the dust on the screen more evident in the light. Bruce rolled up his sleeves and began to read again.

In entered Duke.

"Hey B. Coffee?" His second youngest offered.

"A cup please, Duke. Thank you," said Bruce without looking up.

"What's that?"

Bruce let himself lean back a little. Perhaps Duke could give his thoughts on his search? "Remember the akumas from Paris?" He stretched his arms. "After Hawkmoth's defeat, the two heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir disappeared from the public's eye without prior notice. The League tried to track them down for a short while, but we came up with nothing."

"Why do you need to find them?" Duke quizzed.

Bruce stared at the photos of two blurs: one in red, one in black. It was no mistake that the two heroes had been on the younger side when they first started, and yet they lasted through the long battle with a terrorist. "Firstly, we barely know anything about the Miraculous and Hawkmoth's actual motives. Ladybug did announce that Hawkmoth had been caught and promised that he would be facing consequences, but she denied everyone of any other information. Secondly, we want to be allies with them, or associates at least."

Bruce heard the clinking of metal to ceramic as Duke stirred the drinks. "It's not the first time a set of magical powers are hidden away to protect those powers, right?"

"Right." Bruce nodded. "Our problem with the Paris situation is that it happened under our noses for years, and we hadn't caught on until it was over. We want to keep the same thing from happening again."

It's mostly regret. Guilt, Bruce wanted to say. It was too late when we noticed an entire city suffering. The things they dealt with were in the levels of world threats. He remembered waking up to the news that shook the entire world, not having time to register it since the Justice League needed to take immediate action.

"Is that the same thing Dick's going crazy about since he came back here?" Duke set down the cups on the table, pulling a seat for himself beside Bruce.

"It's a different but not completely unrelated issue," Bruce replied. He was also hoping some clue from the case would turn up for the benefit of his search. It was partly the reason he let Tim and Jason go to Paris.

"Hm. Any leads from Constantine?"

"Only chunks of indecipherable texts related to the Miraculi." Bruce showed him a picture of the strange symbols from a book called 'the Grimoire'. "He's convinced that the current Guardian of the Miraculous is Ladybug herself."

"What about Aunt Diana?"

"Her mother has had prior connections with the Ladybug Miraculous before, but they lost contact a long time ago. Diana's helping with my search as well."

"Sounds like a dead end." Duke sipped on his drink.

"It's not strictly an urgent case, but it's important nonetheless." Bruce skimmed over his notes. "Even with the thousands of photos of Ladybug and Chat Noir, the Miraculous Magic is able to hide their real identities very well and no existing accounts of a civilian contact exist. Well, briefly there was one about Lilia Ross, but she denied it after a while."

"What if you retrace the heroes' steps and try to figure out Hawkmoth's identity instead? If the heroes found him out, maybe that's an easier angle," Duke suggested.

It's a good strategy. But how far will it actually take the search?

"Thank you, Duke," Bruce cleared his throat. "I'll give Tim a call."

***

Meanwhile, deep under the manor, Damian strolled into the cave to find Dick finishing the call with their brother. The youngest Wayne took a seat in front of him. "What did you tell Drake?"

"I asked them to ask Adrien Agreste about his cousin, Felix Fathom," Dick answered. "He was in Paris on the day Marinette was found."

"Are you suspecting him for murder?"

"What? No," Dick said, "I'm just considering him to be someone with information, since he has been involved with Hawkmoth and akumas before."

". . . And what does that have to do with her death?"

"It's all part of Tim's theory, that maybe Hawkmoth was targeting Marinette. Felix had a lot of trips to Paris at the time with unclear purposes. Sure, we can say he's just there to visit Adrien but the timing is off."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "Would he not be comforting his cousin because Adrien lost a friend?"

"Call it a hunch, okay? It's a lead . . . aha!"

Dick held his breath—he'd just received a response from Barbara, from a request he made for the investigation. She was able to dig up the lost evidence and compile the translated file and send it to him. Oracle, you're a godsend, Dick praised.

"What's that?" Damian asked.

"I snooped around in the digital archives of the investigation team at that time." He anxiously tapped on the tablet, and sent the file to the Batcomputer for viewing. "Turns out they lost file of a key evidence to Marinette's death: her diary. The original copy went missing from the office some time ago."

The screen showed scanned pages of the diary—the words were written on lined pages in Marinette's neat handwriting, and the shape of the paper was somewhat curved. On the side of the photo was the re-typed French text, and then the translated English. The first entry was dated about three years before her death. Dick scrolled down to the last page and found that the last entry was on April fifteenth, just before her body was found by the bridge.

"Why didn't you tell Todd and Drake about this?" Damian leaned on the table to get a good look at the entry.

"I want to put together my findings here before I tell them." Dick sighed in frustration. "I really should've went to Paris too."

I have no choice but to help with the investigation from afar. He slowly and carefully read through the last entry, guessing that it should give them the most clues about her death.

15 April

These days I've been feeling 'free'. T says it's because I've been liberated at last and I've only begun feeling it now. I don't know if it's supposed to be like this. Maybe it's my way of adjusting to something new. Yes, it's a big leap, I know, but T will be there for me. T's strangely very optimistic about it. Years ago I wouldn't have thought that this will be the person I'll be. I guess time passes faster when you're older?

Dick stopped reading. Her writing is unexpectedly . . . heavy. It was like she'd already seen so much horrors in her life. He almost felt like an intruder in her thoughts.

He forced himself to keep reading.

'Freedom' feels a bit empty? Or lonely? T says it's the trauma. Adrien says that emptiness will get filled in soon. Apparently, it's the same thing he felt when his mother disappeared. If this is exactly it, I want to go back in time and comfort the younger Adrien. Maybe if you stay too long in chaos, you get used to it and find the calm strange. I hope that turns around for me soon.

The words cut off at that part.

"That's it?" Dick blinked a few times. "That's the end of it?"

"T . . . This 'T' person," Damian thought out loud. "There isn't anyone close to Marinette whose name starts with 'T', except for her father." He took over briefly and scrolled through the other pages. "But in other entries she only refers to her father as 'papa'."

"It could be 'T' for Kagami Tsurugi but the entries started way before they met," Dick added, "Also, she refers to Kagami as just 'Kagami' here, it looks like."

"So this person is another confidant of Marinette's that her friends and family likely had no idea about, and could be involved in her death."

"Assisted suicide? Is this why the police declared it a suicide?"

"It's not exactly a suicide note," Damian crossed his arms. "No farewell, or mentions of leaving possessions behind . . . If anything, it seems like she was actually hopeful for recovery, maybe from the emotional distress caused by Hawkmoth's actions in Paris."

Did we actually end up with more questions than answers? Dick wondered.

"Tim said something about Lilia Ross' transfer to their school having an effect on her that time. Let's see . . . " Dick skimmed through the entries to find a handful written a few years back:

8 November

They left me alone  in downtown Gotham.

I can't believe they'd do that. I told them I had to fill out some forms in the museum and...they got on the bus without me. I wish Adrien were here. I had to ask help from the front desk and they kindly got a taxi for me back to the hotel. What is Bustier thinking? Will anyone be on my side if I speak up about it?

No.

Probably not.

It will be more of a burden if I do. I keep telling T I'll be fine. I just have to get through one more day and we'll be back in Paris soon. Someday I'll visit Gotham on my own again and dispel these bad memories.

"What the fuck?" Dick whispered. Even if the class or Lilia Ross had nothing to do with her death, this proved that they weren't faultless either. How could this have happened without anyone from WE noticing? Who the hell leaves a teenager alone in an unfamiliar crime-ridden city?

"Grayson," Damian snapped him back to reality.

He sighed and switched to another entry.

13 May

T says I have to go to bed but I almost forgot to write here. Nothing new happened today but my body feels so heavy. If I try to rest I either can't fall asleep or I end up dreading the days to come in my dreams  nightmares. Hawkmoth has been getting ruthless each week, it's crazy. Why can't he just stop? How much do we have to give him? Yesterday I had to fend off a butterfly. Then the day before that. Then the day before that. Then the month before. I don't know what to do.

Is being brave something inherent or does it come after I face my fears? T says I look brave. I don't feel like it though. Each risk I take, I actually get very scared. I'm not actually sure what would happen. I might look confident but I'm not. I wonder what everyone would think if they found that out about me. What would they say? Will they sympathize with me or will they refuse to believe it?

21 July

I'm happy to have Adrien to talk to now. I know he still has his hands tied, but it's getting easier to talk to him since last week. We both told each other that it had been a huge weight off our backs. This feels too good to be true. The younger me would've been ecstatic. I'm ecstatic now too, but for different reasons. I hugged Adrien very tightly this morning and told him 'thank you'. He hugged me back and whispered more 'thank yous'. It was sudden but we both knew what it was for. T helped me wipe my tears after.

Things are going to change from now on. Is it bad that I feel ready to face those changes because I have Adrien on my side now? I used to think he put too much faith in me before. No, even now. I used to be scared I won't live up to his perfect image of me. But now his trust is something I really need. I'll put my faith in him too.

How can her words be so vulnerable but so secretive at the same time? Marinette didn't seem to be straightforward in her writing, and yet she completely conveyed her thoughts and feelings. How much more do we have to read to get a clearer picture?

"This mystery person is strange," Damian concluded, "Our best chance at figuring their identity is to ask Agreste."

Dick nodded in agreement. "Looks like he has the most answers right now. It says she was almost akumatized multiple times too, which supports Tim's theory."

"Wasn't Hawkmoth caught before her death?"

"He might still have other ways," Dick considered. "Ladybug never clarified what exactly happened to him. How was he punished? Imprisonment? Weird magic ritual? Death? We don't know."

His phone suddenly buzzed at the same time that a notification appeared on the computer.

Another Lilia Ross scandal has blown up.

***

The first few rumors were matches being lit, and the one that assumed Lilia Ross to be a killer started a forest fire. This one was gasoline, Tim thought. Just as the internet was getting quiet, posts showed up again, this time attacking Lilia's company.

"So, someone saw pictures of Marinette's old clothes designs that she submitted for competitions," Tim recapped, while Jason listened beside him and Dick and Damian watched from the screen. "And compared them to Lilia Ross' current brand's designs. They look like carbon copies, but with just a few tweaks. Now Lilia's being accused as a thief. Others are saying more of the designs were stolen by Lilia, based on the accounts of their old schoolmates."

"It should be recounted in her diary if there was theft," Damian chimed in.

"Diary, what diary?" Jason asked.

The screen pinged, receiving an encrypted file from Dick. "Babs found a digital copy of her diary that the police used to keep, but the original one went missing. There's a lot of things here, including accounts of what Lila did and said in their class."

"There. February first," Dick pointed out as soon as Jason scrolled to it on their screen.

1 February

My missing sketchbook returned to me in my locker. There were tears on the paper and burn marks and liquid stains and pages ripped out and pages crossed over with a black marker. It was one of the first sketchbooks I've ever completed and it's full of draft designs. How do I prove it's Lila's fault? I knew I shouldn't have left my bag in the room for that short while. I knew I shouldn't have brought it to school.

I want to throw it out.

T says I should keep it, and use it to finally shed the truth on her.

But what evidence do I have? Is this enough to make her face the consequences?

I locked it away under my bed. Whatever. I'll fill up another sketchbook. I'll remake the designs. If Lila sees me crying over it, she wins. If the world sees me crying, Hawkmoth wins. If I fight back, they get the upper hand anyway. I just have to be more careful next time. It was just hard not to let my emotions spill when I found it. Lila was nearby waiting for my reaction earlier, I know it. She seemed proud of what she had done.

"What the fuck?" Jason seethed, "She stole her designs!"

Tim's lips drew into a thin line. Was this what Marinette had been feeling the whole time? He couldn't imagine it . . . the suppressed emotions, the feelings of helplessness, the manipulation. She readily gave up.

"Who's 'T'?" Tim brought up the other point about the diary entry nagging at him.

"Some friend of Marinette's who's always mentioned in this diary," Damian replied, "They seem to be very close."

"Does that ring a bell for you?" Dick leaned in.

"No, not at all. Is it a codename? An online friend maybe?"

"Based on this diary, T is always close to her, like, physically."

"Is it . . . a psychological thing?" Jason said softly.

"I wouldn't immediately conclude that." It was already in Tim's jumbled thoughts—a guess. A wild guess. "With the Miraculi in Paris . . . " He sucked in a breath. "Fuck. Ladybug's kwami's name was . . ."

The others seemed to realize it too at that second.

A muffled buzz rang out.

"I got a message," Dick suddenly said, frowning. "It's Babs. She says she found who ordered the investigation to be closed."

"Who?"

"Adrien . . . it was Adrien Agreste." 

Taglist: @hammalammadamdam @toodaloo-kangaroo@missmadwoman@afanofmanyships@atomicherringpersonjudge-blog@wheredostarsgowhenyoudie

[canmom]

Animation Night 190: the UPA

The history of animation is long and many, many different schools and traditions can be found within it. Perhaps you might recall a few we've covered: the Kanada school, the Zagreb school, the 90s realists, not to mention all the different styles that are associated with this or that studio or director.

We could imagine perhaps them all being arranged in a great tree. Something like this, perhaps, but more international. If you were to create such an animation cladogram, one of the most significant speciation events would surely come in the 1940s, when a group of disgrunted Disney animators went off to found United Productions of America.

What made the UPA so unique? One aspect is how they drew: inspired by Soviet animation of the era and contemporary artists they leapt to highly graphical, modernist styles. Big, simple shapes, flat colours and exaggerated proportions, lines blending into shapes and vice versa. All in huge contrast to the strict 'solid drawing' that prevailed at Disney, which took its inspiration from more 18th and 19th century styles.

But more important still, for animation history, was how they moved. 'Limited animation' is an unfortunate term, drawing a circle around anything that isn't Disney or close to it, but it's the term we have: more limited drawing counts, held frames, irregular timings that fit the composition.

And while this no doubt helped save costs, that was not the primary motivation. It was a distinctive style which the studio pursued even when they had animators who could draw in the Disney way, like this example of Art Babbitt's animation actually discarding many of his original drawings.

The UPA was not seeking to create an illusion of life and make you forget that you're looking at drawings - but to compose the movement in time in a new, expressive way.

Equally novel was its subject matter. While Disney had, at the time, mostly created affirming fairy tales or slapstick comedies, the UPA focused largely on modern settings and subjects, with the slightly cynical edge that had largely disappeared from animation since Fleischer went under - as well as a much stronger sense of left-wing politics, producing iconic anti-racist films for the unions and satirising reactionary old dudes in one of their most popular series Mr Magoo.

And this new, radical approach struck a chord. Disney was old hat; the UPA were the new avant-garde, making animation proper to the modern 1950s, or even radicals defying the bourgeois sensibility of Disney. When Richard Williams moved to a more classical full animation style in contrast to his earlier modernist work, he was decried by the young animators in Zagreb as betraying the movement.

In modern times, when the UPA style feels just as dated - something to parody in 50s styled retro art like the Fallout series - this probably all seems a bit wacky. But it is pretty safe to say that modern animation was pretty much made in this conflict. Even if the 'UPA style' itself is old hat, its DNA remains in just about every living style of animation. It's like... the Tiktaalik of animation. (Only the most obscure evolutionary biology analogies here on Animation Night!)

Indeed, the UPA was a huge influence on many parts of the world: early anime in the hands of Osamu Tezuka, whose approach to limited animation would give rise to everything anime; the avant-garde Zagreb school; midcentury British animation like Yellow Submarine; and perhaps more familiar to animation fans today, it continues to influence animators like Craig McCracken (Powerpuff Girls, Wander Over Yonder) and Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Primal etc. - see AN35) whose approach has been dubbed a UPA revival. In its time, it incubated artists like Faith and John Hubley.

But, in modern times, it's hard to find out a lot about the major works of the UPA... or at least it used to be, until my animation writing senpais at AniObsessive wrote some excellent guides: one on the early UPA work in the 40s and 50s, another on three mid-fifties cartoons, on the 'UPA style', and even on specific pieces. Thanks to them, I don't have to do any homework at all!

I won't list everything here - it would be redundant to the AniObsessive pieces! - but here's the plan tonight. We'll dive into the vaults and explore the defining pieces of the UPA, from the classic Hubley pieces like Gerald McBoing-Boing and Rooty Toot Toot through the 50s developments like Tell-Tale Heart and Mr Magoo. Basically, the program is everything listed in AniObsessive's An Intro to the UPA piece.

I'll go live now and hopefully start rolling the films pretty soon - see you at twitch.tv/canmom!

[cheetochip]

I’ve been so embarrassed to post this, but honestly I’m too fixated on both it and GF rn

This AU is literally just the events of Gravity Falls with OC-inserts (There’s change tho I promise)

SO. Without further ado, introducing: Falling River AU

What is “Falling River?” This universe essentially takes place within the universe of Gravity Falls, although it’s years before Weirdmageddon and the Mystery Shack altogether. In fact it doesn’t even take place in Oregon.

In 1974 within the small town of Falling River, Arkansas (Population of 101) Beverly Cliffs visited his close family for the Fall season, the town is infamously known for strange activity including people just disappearing altogether. But, Falling River is a very religious town. His uncle, Orion, is the priest of the church down Main Street. He’s mostly excited to spend time with his cousin Dahlia and meets others along the way. He himself is an Atheist and doesn’t believe all the things happening until he actually sees it for himself. He meets friends, foes, and makes reconnections as he tries to piece together the history of this town. Luckily his family has his back.

-

Now I’ve left a lot of things out, and most of it is on purpose-

Why the 70’s? Personally the more vintage tone is a nice contrast to modern day media.

How is this related to Gravity Falls? Well, I’ll get to that in a moment.

To clarify about Bev himself, he’s trans, but was closeted through the first half of this AU (Age 14) But in the future he finally goes by the name Benjamin in 1981 (Age 21)

-

You may have seen on an earlier post about an OC of mine, Ritch- Basically I created all of this just because back then, Ritch’s voiceclaim was Bill Cipher and I found it funny that they looked so similar anndddd boom: Here we are!

But who the hell is Ritch? This guy:

To how this relates to GF is because Ritch knows of Bill Cipher, and Bill knows of him. But they just haven’t crossed paths.

Because Bill was from the 2nd Dimension (Flatworld!) Ritch is from the 3rd

-

I would also love to clarify that I myself am not religious so there are EXTREME out of proportion and inaccuracies all over the board. I mean, Ritch is literally a demon disguised as an angel that just doesn’t happen.

-

Anyway, the reason why Ritch is such a threat, is due to his origins- He came out of nowhere, and was titled as a being of tranquility and peace, but he’s nothing close to that. No one has ever summoned him until one person: Orion. After leading him to believe that he could give him the peace he’s always wanted, Ritch tries to snuff him out and reveals his true nature. The whole reason for his television appearance was because when he was summoned for the first time- He needed a physical form. Before he was simply just a pair of eyes and wings, so an item sacrifice was necessary for him to become corporeal.

What makes Ritch different from Bill is morally, Bill wants to make a world where there are no restrictions, rebuilt for his own entertainment and for no one to get in his way of that (From what we know- Not TBOB compliant)

When it comes to Ritch, while he’s playfully and snarky he is way more sinister in what he does. Turns people against one another, leading them into insanity, considers himself above anyone and everyone, rather than toying with people he tries to wipe them out as FAST as he can. He enjoys inflicting pain on others, and it shows.

The only reason he hasn’t destroyed the dimension is due to the fact that a select few within Falling River placed a curse on him, sealing him away until the present time. Bill may have anger issues, but it takes even less to irritate Ritch, not as humorous either.

Why he exists is a complete mystery in itself, though some have theories that a warp in time caused a split of dimensions and brought manifestations of different emotions. Only the vessel they sprouted from has no emotions, just motives. Bottom line? Ritch isn’t supposed to exist.

-

Oooookay that’s enough of me yapping, I have WAYYY more info and art but if anyone is actually curious just lmk

[captain-mj]

I know you said you were working on it but I'll send another ask bc of your box clearing out but more zombie Roach (I offered you baby teeth lol) and I really would love to be all detective-y but I just got home from work and am kinda fried lol

Can I be a victim in a detective case tho that sounds fun

Absolutely! I have found the murder weapon (my motivation to write it) that killed you and will now finally put this case to rest (update this after over a month I am so sorry thank you for your patience)

Roach had cleaned up in the back of the restaurant and left, making sure to flip the sign for closed before leaving. He felt guilty for killing two civilians, especially one that had been so kind to him. The taste of them lingered in his teeth and he tried not to think about it.

Ghost had woken up at some point. He searched the entire base and when he saw Roach sneaking back on base, he ran to him, hugging him to chest until he felt Roach's bone start to creak.

Roach lightly tapped his shoulders and Ghost let go. "Don't disappear. At least for a little while." Ghost patted over him, checking for some injury that didn't exist. He fixed Roach's mask and then squeezed his face.

Roach saw it. This desperate, empty space behind his eyes. He had always been... aware that Ghost had issues. From his father, from Roba. Ghost had gotten drunk one night and spilled more to the man than he had probably told anyone in his life.

How awful he must've felt, thinking he lost someone. Roach gently squeezed his biceps before starting to signing to him. "You're okay, Ghost."

Ghost laughed. It wasn't a sound Roach heard often. "Am I okay? I'm not the one who died."

"Not recently." Roach joked, watching Ghost's eyes soften. The desolate place disappeared from him.

"Fair. Though I was just buried."

"How tragic. Glad I wasn't buried."

"May think you were a zombie if that happened." Ghost laughed.

Roach frowned under his mask. Zombie? Fuck. He might be actually. Determined not to let Ghost know about what happened, he quickly nodded. "Luckily not."

"Yeah. Luckily not."

~~~~

Price cornered Soap eventually. “His body is missing.” 

Soap didn’t even look at him. “Who?”

Price grabbed Soap and yanked him up. “MacTavish. You know who’s fucking body. Roach. Fucking Sanderson. Where is it?”

“How would I know?”

“Did Ghost take it?” 

A beat of silence and Soap sighed. “No. He didn’t take it. He’s been with me mostly. And I’ve been in his room. No bodies.” 

Price stared at him for a moment. “Look, if either of you are… dealing with feelings about this.”

“I don’t need a grief counselor, Price. Trust me.” 

“And you’re sure Ghost didn’t take the body?”

Soap turned to him fully. “What would he, or I for that matter, want with a dead body?”

Price stared at him and Soap got it.

“Jesus Christ. No.” 

“You understand Sanderson would not be okay with that, right?”

“I’m not a fucking corpse fucker.”

“I’m not accusing either of you of anything. Just… there’s a missing body. You guys were together.” 

Soap shook his head. “Wait. Wait a minute. Together? We weren’t together. None of us are together.” 

Price stared at him. “You guys weren’t? I was doing the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” thing.” 

Soap frowned. “I mean… I don’t care about that.” 

“Not because you’re bisexual, you fucking idiot. You’re a captain, Ghost is a lieutenant and Roach is… was a sergeant. The power dynamics are a big problem. I knew none of you guys would ever take advantage of each other, but it wouldn’t be a good look for any of us involved. I just assumed that’s why you all weren’t open.” Price started to drink his coffee. “Did you want to be?”

Soap paused, having to think. Yeah. He did. But he knew if he said that, Price would take it as a sad trope. Poor Soap. Didn’t get to tell him he loved him until it was too late. He wasn’t sure he could handle it knowing that Roach was alive and well in Ghost’s room. 

“No. I never really considered Roach more than a friend.”

“And Ghost?”

Soap blushed. “You know how he is. I would never want to push him. If he came to me, I would in a heartbeat.” He decided not to tell Price about that kiss. Part of him wanted to. Wanted to gush like a teen. But they were adults in the military and while Price may occasionally act as a father figure for him, Soap wasn’t quite willing to debase himself that much. 

“I got ya, son. Promise me you’ll tell me about any change with him. This isn’t an order, its a friend asking a friend. You know I worry about him too.” 

“I know, I know.” Soap patted his arms. “I’m keeping an eye on him, preventing him to do anything to himself or others.” 

Price nodded and left. 

Soap went straight to their room. “Price is suspicious. Roach, you need to be careful.”

Roach nodded and gave a thumbs up, laying on the bed. He was eating slim jims. 

Ghost was on the floor, staring somewhere else.

Soap gently tapped him and he looked up. With his sunglasses off, he could see his eyes. Soft brown. Giant doe eyes. Reminded him of the cows on his ma’s farm. 

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Can you watch Roach a while?” 

“Course. Where ya heading?”

“Just… out.” 

Soap dropped it, knowing Ghost was a mystery even more confusing than Roach’s revival. They were camping in his room as well, he probably wanted some privacy finally. 

Ghost did care a lot about his privacy. He was getting away from them to get a second alone, but that wasn’t the only reason he had stepped out. 

The bar it happened. That man had to know something. He’d ask around, see if anyone saw him. Surely someone must’ve. He was gorgeous, rather tall and he hadn’t really been discreet about himself. 

Ghost entered the bar, noticing the air smelled sweet again, like the cologne. He stepped further in and glanced around, a sickness rolling in his stomach. Something felt wrong. 

When he found them in the backroom, he knew he was right. The bartender he recognized, but no one else, even if he had a sneaking suspicion that all of them were present that night. It had been two days now. Rot set into their bodies. The perfume of it. 

Ghost stepped back. That man had smelled like death and rot and Ghost had been too drunk to piece it together. His coffin in Mexico had reeked of it from Vernon’s body. It tickled at his sinuses until he finally just a took a deep breath and relaxed. 

This wasn’t the other night where he had been too drunk to even think. Too drunk to calm himself. 

Whatever he faced had given him Roach back. If there was a cost, well. Ghost would pay it. Strip himself down to the bone for him. For it. 

He turned away and poured himself a bourbon. Next to him, he put a shot of tequila. The night it happened, it had been a virgin pina coloda, but he didn’t know how to make one of those and he had a feeling if this thing wanted to talk to him, he would. 

And there he was. Dark eyes staring at him from across the bar. He didn’t bother to hide himself as much. Dark circles were the only real indicator there was something wrong. That and the fucking smell. 

“Enjoy your gift?”

“So that was you.” 

“Course it was.” He smiled. His fangs jutted out. 

Ghost downed the shot. “What do I call you?”

He thought for a minute before smiling. “Grim.”

“Grim?”

“Like Grim Reaper. Yes.” Grim replied, touching the tequila but not drinking. 

“Why?”

Grim laughed. “Why not? You are my most dutiful servant. You’re only competition the Scottish man you follow. Why not reward you?” 

Ghost didn’t trust him. It felt too easy. “Servant?”

“Killer. You bring me so many souls. It’s perfect.” “Why him? Why not other people I lost?”

“Easy. You wanted vengeance for them. If you got them back, you would’ve stopped. But with Roach… the men responsible were already being punished. Didn’t need you. You were going to stop killing. So I gave him back to you. Dripping in blood. Reborn.” Grim purred. “When you die, he’ll die too. But your death won’t be for a while. I’ll make sure of it.” 

Ghost stared at him. “When I retire?”

“You’re so entertaining. We both know you’ll never retire. You’ll keep going until you die in the field. Born in violence, die in violence. That’s what you’ll do.” 

Ghost looked down into the liquid. “You say it like its fated.”

“No. Not fated. There is no fate. Nothing is written in stone. Things do not come to be because they’re meant to be. It’s why I need you alive. But I know you. I know you intimately. And you’ll keep going until you can’t.” 

Ghost grabbed the bottle and continued to drink. “Thank you for giving him back. Will I be seeing you again?” 

“Probably. I hope not. For your sake.” Grim grinned. Too many teeth. Stunningly beautiful. 

Ghost paused. Is this what Death was like to everyone?

“Nope. Just you Simon.” 

Ghost shivered and continued to leave.

~~~~

Roach told Price. Ghost saw Soap’s sleeping form and knew immediately what happened. Could feel it in his fucking bones. 

He dragged Soap up and he started profusely apologizing. Soap almost started to freak out before taking a deep breath to calm himself. 

They ventured into the hallways and started to look. Ghost went to all of his favorite spots: rafters, roof, the top part of the closet where he cleaned the space out for himself. Nothing. He knew where he was, deep down. Knew he went to Price. But facing him was… Ghost didn’t want to.

Soap tugged them there, frustration clear on his face. 

Sur enough, Roach was there in front of the desk.

"We're going to have to do tests. Psych evaluation. You must've been in a coma or something. Yeah. Somehow the embalming didn't kill you either." Price muttered the last part to himself. His normally put together attitude was fraying at the edges.

Roach stared over his head, somewhere else right now.

He looked fine. Color back in his face. Not much though, the man  was still British. He only had a slightly darker complexion than Ghost.

Roach looked at Ghost and smiled, the scars tugging slightly at his skin. The burn scars were more prominent now that he was no longer so pale. Ghost wanted to trace them.

"I've already scheduled them." Soap wasn't Soap right now. He was Captain MacTavish. Large and in Charge. Ghost and Roach thought he was hot when he acted like this, both having talked about it before. His back straight and shoulders set. "I'm also keeping him out of mission work until further notice."

Roach looked up and made a displeased noise.

"You knew?”

“Was just… trying to figure out how to tell you, sir.”

“When?”

“36 hours.” Ghost paused, doing the math. That didn’t sound right, but he hadn’t slept much. Maybe it was. 

Price just stared at him before staring at Roach. “Bloody fucking hell.” 

Roach quickly signed. “Didn’t go to hell actually. Didn’t go anywhere. It was a quick blink and I was in the morgue.” He grinned and made a frankly perfectly timed joke. “I’m undead.” 

[free-for-all-fics]

Squid Game prompts and thoughts. Yeah, I know this fandom may be dead, but these are old and have been sitting in my notes app for a long time so I figure I might as well share them here anyway. Maybe it’ll be revived at some point with season 2, who knows. If anyone is inspired by or uses these, pls tag me. I’d love to read it 💜

1. Since In-ho gave Jun-ho a kidney, what if you, In-ho’s spouse, have an unspecified life threatening disease but couldn’t afford treatment. You’re the motive for In-Ho becoming a dirty cop who takes bribes and later entering the games. After winning and becoming the Frontman, he secretly transfers you to his private quarters on the island while you’re cared for; mostly bedridden, closely monitored, hooked up to tubes and wires with all the medication you need, etc. Maybe you’re put in a medical coma or are otherwise in and out of consciousness/disoriented and lethargic. He spends years using his resources and power as Frontman to cure you. Even if he keeps you sedated to take that edge off reality and make things sort of a blur for you. So you’re in an almost constant stupor where you think you’re dreaming even when you’re awake, etc. He’d try to keep you in the dark about the games and what he does, but what if you know more than you let on? What if Jun-ho inadvertently found you while snooping in the Frontman’s private quarters during his investigation into the disappearances of both you and his brother? (Ep. 5 & 7)?

2. “Isn’t the idea supposed to be ‘you saved my life, now I owe you a debt’?”

“Nope. You saved my life, now I’m your problem.” With either Salesman or Frontman.

3. It’s been a few weeks since your (relative, friend, neighbor, you choose.) went missing. You hear a knock on the door. As you open it, you realize that the man in front of you is not a typical solicitor or salesman. Before you can say anything, he says, “They said you’ll pay the debt.”

4. He’s one of the best recruiters for the games. A mastermind of persuasion and manipulation. He could sell rocks to jewelers, woo any man or woman, and even get away with murder. Until he meets you, his match: The most obstinate, unyielding, stubborn person whom he’s ever encountered. Your personal records tell him you’re not in the best of situations, and yet you’re not falling for any of his tricks or games. There’s nothing you seem to want or need that he can offer you. You keep turning him down, declining everything he claims he can give you, totally uninterested and not falling for any of it. But that just makes you all the more intriguing to him. As frustrating as you are, you’re a challenge. And neither of you are ones to give up easily. Maybe he won’t recruit you to play in the games after all. Maybe your resolve to resist temptation shows him you have potential for something even greater.

5. You’re one of the most aggressive salespeople alive; you steal money from your “customers” but leave an item they want, of equivalent value, behind. You’re threatening the Salesman’s “business” by taking away his “customers”. He has to decide what to do about this. Would he try to get you out of the way? Or Perhaps you could be a useful “business” partner?

6. The world’s most arrogant salesman meets the world’s most ignorant customer.

7. In-ho and Salesman, or In-ho and Jun-ho prompt: After years of struggling to pay off your college tuitions, all your debts are taken care of. Relief grows into suspicion when you come home. An unfamiliar black vehicle is parked nearby. Two men in expensive suits stand up when you enter. How did they get inside? “You’re not an easy person to track down. You know that, right?”

8. You’re behind on payments. A salesman recruits you to do a “housekeeping” job to clear your debt, handing you a card. His “colleague” (The Frontman) will act as your benefactor if you accept. It isn’t until you’re kidnapped and wake up on an island that you find out your task is to act as a forensic cleaner. You’re expected to wash away, disinfect and sanitize every game’s messes, removing all traces of murder and death after bodies are disposed. Not a drop of blood in sight. No human matter or fingerprints left to be found. You haven’t officially met the Frontman, but from what guards have said, you don’t want to know what would happen if he found out you missed a spot. The pink guards and surviving players leave you alone to do your job at the end of each game. But something is wrong. It feels like someone is still there, watching you at all times. What’s also weird is you’re assigned a room close to the Frontman’s quarters and kept separate from the other guards. He doesn’t trust the other guards to leave you be. Basically, you’re the only masked guard who’s a woman during the games. In-ho and/or the Salesman is interested in you and purposely sought you out. What happens?

9. You’re deep in student debt with no hope to pay it off in your lifetime, so you do the logical thing: Fake your death and move to South Korea to live an inconspicuous life under a new identity. The bank can’t really do anything since you’re “dead”. All your paper/online trails have been expertly wiped. So you thought. Some years later, door-to-door salesmen in your area start asking to be let inside. You know that’s not how salesmen do things. Something’s up. This prompts you to move around the country, never staying still too long. Seoul, Busan, etc. you’re on the move the second you feel they’re onto you. Until a man in a gray suit enters your train compartment and slides the door shut behind him. He sits next to you despite there being empty seats. His polite demeanor becomes unnerving. Small talk becomes invasive. He asks rhetorical questions - already knowing everything about you. He’s backing you into a corner. He opens his briefcase to display damning evidence detailing your “past life”, a sly smile on his face. Well, shit. Can’t run or hide on a moving train. And it’s a non-stop trip that will take a few hours. What do you do now?

10. Being In-ho and Jun-ho’s younger sister would include, before and after In-ho’s entered the games? Or maybe a fic where you’re their younger sister and unknowingly in a relationship with the Salesman (as in, you don’t know what exactly he does for work and are in the dark about your eldest brother’s involvement with the games. Your other brother doesn’t tell you much, if anything, about his investigations into In-ho’s disappearance, claiming the less you know the safer you’ll be. To you, your eldest brother is still missing after so many years and Jun-ho is still trying to find him. You haven’t heard from either of them in so long. Recently, Jun-ho has stopped responding to your messages. Now you’re getting worried. You may have to go out there and find your brothers yourself, to hell with the risks.)

[truckreincarnation]

fragile icy anger || yuliya || trial 2.2 || attn: frank, nao, harriet, avery

Immediately after what Frank says to Esmée, Yuliya’s head snaps up. And her gaze is cold, an unrelenting glare as he childishly shifts the blame to Esmée, who’s clearly grieving. And even when other people chastise him for it, not for a single second does her gaze move away from Frank, her blood boiling with genuine anger directed at someone for the first time.

“Don’t talk to Esmée like that. You never gave a shit about Perry, so don’t waste your breath and pretend you have any right to blame her. Instead of dragging out pointless and childish arguments, perhaps you should make yourself useful instead. So let’s ask some questions then, shall we?”

She very well knows that Esmée can easily take care of herself, judging from how she responded to him herself. But it still doesn’t change the fact that Yuliya is angered on her behalf for one, but also the fact that she does have some things she wants to direct at him. 

It just so happened that it was at a horrible time where her temper had been ignited, instead of how she was just moments prior. And from there, she addresses Frank again.

“Considering your timing for when you were at the orchard, it doesn’t matter if you were still there the moment she fell. The proper time that needs to be accounted for is the duration after that. There needs to be a direct time frame. Luz and Germain only saw you in the orchard at 10:30pm, so unless Harriet and Avery can attest to your specific time over there, seeing as they didn’t show up in the orchard until 9:30pm, then that’s reasonable enough of suspicion for me. To which, I would appreciate it if either of you can answer.”

A brief glance at Avery to see if he can at least confirm that. Sorry Harriet, she’s still not looking at you, but she’s at least addressing you as well. With that, she continues, or voice tensing more.

“I think Perry herself did get a hold of the shatterstone because of the blood smear that was on the shelf. The emerald and sapphire could be on the ground because she knocked them over when she tried to grab the shatterstone.“

“Personally, I don’t think she would’ve dropped it. Most of her shard wounds were at her torso. If she had dropped it while standing, her wounds would have mostly been around her legs. And if she was on the ground while reaching for the stone, it would’ve likely been on her side. The wounds centered at her torso suggest that it was directly thrown at her. And if she had it in her grasp, she would’ve been too weakened to fight back. This was no accident.”

“Whoever took the shatterstone as a result, likely has good aim. Perhaps… some proficiency with a sport such as baseball? And isn’t it awfully strange… that your motive punishment specifically had to do with violent, intrusive thoughts?”

She likely sounds incredibly cruel, but considering his comment to Esmée, shifting blame onto her, and partially in extension to herself as well for not being found, she finds it reasonable enough to regard him with enough suspicion. Not without confirmation from Harriet or Avery. And it’s only when Theophania brings up the point about Nao that she moves her gaze away from Frank at last, before she presses her lips thinly together in contemplation.

“On the other hand, the only part of Nao’s whereabouts that we know of is when Shinjuku saw Nao in the training hall while he was checking the entire first floor. We all know that they are able to disappear from sight as well, so it is still possible for them to head to the second floor without being spotted. Nowhere with what you have said suggests a clear timeline of where you have been, only that you claim to have never seen Perry at all for the entire night.”

Even before had been said, both Frank and Nao had been her own prime suspects, the former more so over the ladder. But now with Theophania’s new point, her suspicion has been completely evened out, her shoulders tense as her eyes narrow.

“I would suggest you both to be as specific as possible.”

[starorbitsworld]

In Another Lifetime

Request:  Heejin has been in love with you for years but has to watch you be in a relationship with Hyeju?

Genre: angst

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: cursing, mental self-harm

Notes:  Hi stars! It's been a long time since I wrote, wowww... Finally, I am done with school for the summer and I have more time to write! Not going to lie, I cried a little writing this fic so be prepared. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy reading and please remember this is ALL fiction. Once again, stay safe you wonderful stars and I appreciate the never-ending support! - Rora

Without officially addressing it to herself, Heejin grew a silent crush on you. The feelings started to develop slowly during middle school, specifically after your middle school graduation. At first, she thought it was just annoying hormones that were making her feel bubbly whenever she saw you. Or how flustered she would get around you. However, that didn't explain why she frequently caught herself getting jealous over you due to the smallest things. When she did, she'd mentally slap herself as a way of correcting the belief that friends shouldn't feel or act that way towards their best friend. 

In order to combat those feelings of jealousy and confusion, Heejin decided to spend less and less time with you during high school. In her time away from you, she met a new friend, Kim Hyunjin. She was a weird girl for sure, but one that was kind and fun nonetheless. 

Those feelings seemed to leave in the presence of Hyunjin and her studies. She found herself laughing again and finding a bit of motivation whenever Hyunjin was there. However, all that changed during her sophomore year of high school. The day Heejin's life fell apart. The day during the last season when the colorful leaves began to fall off the dry trees. Only then did she realize the gravity of her resurfacing feelings. 

It wasn't unusual for you to put your grades and achievements over menial and fleeting crushes. That was until you met Son Hyeju, a transfer student going into sophomore year with you. She was mysterious, sarcastic, yet extremely thoughtful which undoubtedly caught your eye, as well as many others. She had dark eyebrows, shiny black hair, and her eyes were as piercing as a wolf. She was captivating in so many ways, and you caught yourself wanting to get to know more.

As if the gods were on your side, you got paired with the newbie for an English presentation on Shakespeare. To your surprise, she wasn't as quiet as you thought she would be. She stayed focused on her work but made jokes about how dumb Romeo and Juliet were every now and then. 

Although the gods seemed to have an endeavor against Heejin. From across the room, she could see you lightly slap Hyeju's arm after a stupid joke she made, which made Heejin gag from cringe. And she saw how Hyeju made quick glances towards you when you were focusing on reading. Every little action between you two made her want to gouge her eyes out and scream into her pillow at home. 

While the sun beamed on you and Hyeju, Heejin was left in the shadows with a cloud over her head which looked like it was about to burst. Knowing that she couldn't drop her pen and run home, in disgust and annoyance, she turned her head away from the cavity-aching sight and focused back on her work while drowning out your laughs to her pathetic jokes. 

After a few weeks, Heejin had the pleasure of witnessing you and Hyeju getting closer and closer. Which meant the friendship you once had together started fading faster. In the meantime, Heejin continued to spend her time with Hyunjin, mostly studying but occasionally going to cafés, since Hyunjin had a liking for bread and other pastries. The time spent together was nice, almost calming. Although at times, she couldn't help but think of you holding the hand of someone else. 

Unfortunately, those intrusive thoughts never went away. No matter how hard she tried to ignore them, they never seemed to disappear. Maybe it was the feeling of regret or even disappointment that didn't allow her to be at peace with herself or in anything that she did. Hanging out with other friends didn't feel the same as hanging out with you. Playing sports didn't feel as enjoyable to play if you weren't there cheering her on in the stands. Even her guitar led her to strum somber melodies written along with lyrics that somehow were all about you. 

It ate her up inside to pretend to feel something artificial and in unison with suppressing her true emotions. Her heartstrings pinged so loudly it made her flinch when she saw you holding Hyeju's hand in the school hallway. Her heart wrenched every fucking minute she saw you. The jealousy she pushed down only grew, and now bit the tip of her tongue. No matter how much she wanted to ignore the feeling, it came back tenfold. She was angry at herself for feeling this way and even more upset she couldn’t be honest with herself. 

The following week, Heejin noticed Hyeju wasn’t at school, although she didn’t question her sudden disappearance. Instead, she quietly yet happily assumed she had work or some family matters to attend. Heejin saw this as an opportunity to finally talk to you, even if she was anxious and had second thoughts. Although, she knew deep down that she was done regretting things in her life. She was done telling herself that her feelings were nothing when she knew the truth. She was done living a lie she made up in her head out of pride and stubbornness. 

During free time that afternoon, she assumed you would be sitting under the Dogwood tree near the open courtyard. It was a secluded but underrated area on campus. It was a quiet place and today was the best day to be out in the cool breeze. When Heejin saw a figure’s back pressed against the bark of the tree and white petals spread around the ground, she knew it was you. She smirked a little at the memory of her running to you after late classes just to see you waiting by the tree seeing you give her the biggest smile you could muster. Although the memory was sweet, it was just that, a memory and that bitter feeling brought her back to reality again. 

Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back and started reciting the exact words she was going to tell you in her head. She knew she was prepared because she's been thinking about saying these drawn out sentences to you for months. The sentences that caused her so much anxiety to realize but so much relief to say out loud. Reassuring herself once more, Heejin started to lightly trud over to our peaceful figure, hands clenching the straps of her book bag. 

“Hey… Y/n. Long time no see, huh,” Heejin said, coming up to your side with an apprehensive and awkward wave.

“Oh, Heejin! What are you doing he-here?” You looked around the area quickly, indicating that this was a place you both knew well. Well enough to have some deeply rooted memories tied to the ground. 

“Ah well, I just wanted to see how you were!” She knew she shouldn’t back down now but seeing your confused and innocent face caused her to panic. 

“You wanted to see how I was? After how many months of ignoring me?” Your  words struck her, causing her to choke up. Although she should have expected it, she didn’t want to prepare for your backlash. Heejin knew she hurt you, but she wasn’t ready to hear how much she hurt you through your own words. 

“Yeah.. I know my timing isn’t perfect and I’m sorry but.. I guess there have, just been some things I wanted to get off my chest. Words that I wanted to let you know.”

“And why should I listen to you?” There it was, the question Heejin was afraid you would ask. It caused her so much fear because there wasn’t an answer. You could simply tell her to leave and she would, living with the guilt of never telling you how she felt. 

“You don’t need to. I mean.. you don’t need to listen to me, if you don’t want to,” Saying those words left her defeated as she knew you could just say one thing and it would leave her empty. 

“I think if it's one thing I know I deserve, it’s an explanation,” You closed your laptop and looked at Heejin. Heejin couldn’t read your expression, your eyes, like she used to. Looking at you face-to-face after so much time passed where she avoided you, brought back an even deeper feeling that left her understanding more about herself. 

“You do Y/n, and that's why I’m here. I know I hurt you because of what I did. I know I’m an awful person, even a friend, for making you hurt as much as I did because of some selfish reason that I wasn’t ready to confront myself with. I wasn’t ready to tell myself that you, you made me feel something so strong. Something I was terrified of letting myself feel because I knew I would lose myself losing you. I was ignorant and self-deprecating. So.. I’m sorry I allowed those things to be more of a priority than you,” Heejin gulped back a tear and tried to remain as professional as she could.

“Now you realize? After how many months, if not years? You were my best friend since middle school Heejin. You fucking left me! So no, I don’t think you understand how much you hurt me. I felt all that you felt and more. I felt betrayed or like I did something wrong, said something wrong. But no matter how desperate I tried to reach you, you pushed me away before I could say anything,” Heejin saw you clench your jaw and noticed how stren your face had become. She was taken aback by some of the things you said but nonetheless understood where you came from.

“I know.. I know, that's why I’m here apologizing. Because I know a couple of words from an apology won’t fix everything, but at least you know how I feel. At least you’re aware that I’m sorry and I could help create a small closure between us,” The words you wanted to hear for years finally found you but caused more pain hearing them come from Heejin’s lips. 

“Even if I wanted to believe you, I don’t. You’re here apologizing to me because YOU can’t handle it. I found my closure a long time ago, Heejin,” Every time she heard you say her name it was a jab at her soul. She knew you were right, everything you said was valid.

“You don’t have to believe me or trust me. But everything I’m saying right now is true. I know I can’t make you feel something I want you to feel, but please know at least.. I’m sorry.,” And she knew that's all she could do. 

“I couldn’t handle how you made me feel for years. Now finally, when I’M happy and have come to terms that we aren’t supposed to be, you run to me in tears asking for forgiveness and for me to pretend a simple apology will make up for the pain YOU caused me. If you believe that, you truly don’t understand how much you hurt me,” In the middle of your lecture you stood up, rage filling your blood and tears filling your eyes. 

“I-,” Heejin felt the torment in her chest where you pushed her away with your pointer finger and where your words drove deeper into her heart like a rough dagger. 

“Now I think you know how I feel too.”

Your words, once sweet, were filled with bitterness. She honestly should've expected the response. But subconsciously holding on to the least bit of hope that maybe you felt a spark between the two of you, kept her going. However your words caused all that hope to dissipate in thin air. Merely a thought that brought tears to her eyes, a feeling she was terrified of feeling, the reality she was afraid of facing. 

All Heejin could do was look down to the ground. An overwhelming feeling of numbness washed over her, unable to let anything escape her throat. 

A loud ping shot through the air and both you and Heejin looked at your bag. You picked up your bag scurrying to grab something and lifting your phone out. You saw a text from Hyeju and Heejin saw your eyes glint while looking at the screen. Once against reminding her of the way you used to look at her with such adortion, but being too blind to notice it at the time. 

“I need to take this,” You looked up at Heejin, wiping away your tear stained face with the back of your hand and clearing your throat. You picked up your book bag and slung it over your shoulder getting ready to walk away from your childhood best friend for the last time. One last time you looked into her deep brown eyes. “Maybe in another lifetime it will be different for us,” And with that, you left a void in Heejin’s heart, as she did yours. 

Heejin watched you walk away until she couldn’t see you anymore. Sitting there under the dogwood tree, she silently let tears fall down her face until she felt her neck wet and her nose stuffy. 

“Heejin…” 

[hanazuma-inactive]

Hey, thinking back to your “conversation” with the Kaminari anon, I got an idea.

Basically- Y/n (M! Reader) and Kaminari are having a competition at work, and the winner will get to top that night. The competition is pretty simple; at the end of the day, they will count up how many civilians they helped and how many villains they took down each. The one with the highest number, is the winner. The two had done this challenge quite a few times before, and Y/n had won almost every time due to Kaminari’s quirk’s side effect. But this time, Kaminari had made sure to prepare. He had trained with Bakugou to try and build his tolerance and had also gotten help from Kirishima to figure out which streets were busier and full of people during the day. And after convincing his boss to let him patrol that particular street, it had all worked out. He had won the competition, and what was waiting at home was a long night.. kinky-

Take your time and don’t rush it, Rei. Have a nice day/night! :>

lust games (nsfw), denki x reader

pronouns: he/him (FEMALE ORIENTED DNI!!)

warnings: edging, flirty denki, vibrator, light bondage

a/n: i love denki sm ty for this request, this was also an amazing prompt

_____

pro hero chargebolt and h/n, always arriving at the scene just in time and occasionally a little late. the citizens could always depend on the couple to save the day with their amazing synergy and playful manner of defeating the villains. you and denki mostly patrolled near each other during work so the two of you usually help each other out when needed. or y'know, the blonde hero might casually stroll over to your area with a cup of coffee in his hand and lay a few flirtatious words on you.

"i'm winning today! and there's no doubt about it!" is a sentence you hear from your boyfriend almost every single day but never fulfilled his promise. he came close before but it never actually happened. this little game of yours started when the two of you started to lose motivation to work in general. knowing denki being the horn dog he is, you proposed this game. whoever helped the most civilians, or captured the most villains will get to top for that night. and ever since then, you've been winning everyday without fail, leaving denki as the bottom for the night.

he didn't mind as long as it was with you but a competition is a competition and he tries everyday to reverse what usually happens. little did you know today was the day it finally happened. denki had been training secretly by himself so that his quirk wouldn't overload himself as easily. it might also count a bit as cheating but he asked his friend, kirishima, to leak him all the locations near his area where civilians need help. in a way it's kind of sweet to think about all the things that he would do just for you. at the end of your patrols you tallied up the counts.

"56...57 and 58, how bout you denks?"

"56, 57, 58 and...59. i won! i won! you know what that means?! denki shouted and jumped in joy.

"alright alright! good job, i knew you could do it. i'll be waiting for what you have in store then~"

"oh just you wait baby boy, i'll give you the night of your life!" denki said while shooting finger guns at you.

you weren't expecting anything special, just usually what you do to denki but in return. what tricks could he have up his sleeves anyways right? you headed home with denki after that and enjoyed a hot bath and dinner together. you cooked denki's favorite hamburgers to reward him for doing so well at work today. the two of you watched some tv afterwards and relaxed in each other's arms, almost forgetting the big event for tonight.

"hey babeeee~" the blonde cooed in a flirting tone.

"hm? what's up."

"did you forget what i won today?"

"oh yah, you did win that huh. well, i'm ready for anything you're gonna do to me so…do your worst."

"with pleasure~"

denki picked you up with his arms bridal style and carried you inside the bedroom. he settled you down the bed and sat you up as he towered over you. not fazed by his actions you giggled a little at his attempt to top but it was still cute. your boyfriend gave you an angry pout and placed his lips onto yours. caressing you and stroking your arms gently while he was at it. you were usually rougher with him so it was a surprise to you how gentle he was.

the kiss ended with denki blushing and a smirk from you. despite all the preparations denki made he still gets flustered whenever he shares a kiss with you, it was adorable of course.

"a-alright! you won't be ready for this!"

"oh? let's see what you got, baby boy."

denki moved his lips down around your nipples. lifting your shirt up enough so that your abs and pink nipples are exposed, kaminari started to work on them. he was surprisingly well with his tongue. the blonde has been on his knees many times sucking your dick, but this was a different type of pleasure. it made you more sensitive than usual and you felt your cock start to rise inside your pants.

"wow~ look what we got here baby?"

you look down to see the bulge in your pants. unable to contain it any longer, denki took off your pants to reveal the cock that's been throbbing ever since he got started. he reached for your cock and started to stroke it while kissing your nipples. the stimulation from both below and above felt so good it didn't take long for you to start leaking some precum. seeing this, denki rubbed the tip of your cock and spread the precum onto the rest of your length for lubrication. he started to speed up his strokes and just when you were about to cum, denki stopped stroking your cock and focused on your nipples, making you orgasm from them instead.

the cum got all over your abs and some on denki's face. he gladly licked it all up and gave you a grin in return.

"just wait baby...if you felt good with that you won't be able to handle what comes next…"

you were a little scared of what denki was about to do next but excited at the same time. the blonde reached into the nightstand and grabbed a small rope to tie your hands up with.

"h-hey denks! what's this for?! you're kidding right!"

"ah uh uh~ this is to make sure you stay still for later hehe…"

you realized resistance was futile against your boyfriend and he had entire control over you right now. you let go of your defense and let him tie you up to the headboards. he reached into the night stand again to pull out an egg looking toy with a remote around it. you knew what it was but you didn't know when and how denki got his hands on it. denki placed it on the side and licked two of his fingers. lifting your legs up right after to prepare your asshole. he reached your prostate so fast and it felt amazing.

"f-fuck denki, right there...that's the spot o-oh fuck-"

"hehe~ these are just some tricks i learned by myself, glad to know it's making you feel good baby."

denki continued to loosen you until his fingers can enter and exit smoothly. it also wasn't a surprise your cock was hard again and dripping with precum. denki's eyes lit up seeing your hard cock and he grabbed the egg shaped toy he put out earlier. carefully, he strapped the toy to the tip of your cock and grabbed the remote control himself. he tested some different levels of vibration and found the right one judging from the volume of your moans. you started panting after denki finally settled down with the remote but you realized he wasn't done there. he won the game and he hasn't got what he wanted yet.

"alright baby boy! time for the main course, get ready for the night of your fucking life…"

denki took off his pants and stroked his cock a little. aligning the tip with your ass and slapping gently a few times before entering.

"oh fuck baby...didn't know you were this tight."

"hnngh…denki a-ah~"

denki struggled to fit in his entire length in your ass but managed after a few min. his cock immediately hitting your prostate and the vibrator on your dick getting you close.

"denki...please start moving, i want it…"

"you asked for it baby, here i go, hnngh!"

your boyfriend slowly started to move his hips, thrusting his cock into you again and again, deeper and deeper every time. you've never felt this type of pleasure before being the top and it left you speechless. it was a little painful at first but eventually felt heavenly. denki began to move faster because your moans became louder. his flirty attitude disappearing as he gasped for breathe in sync with you.

"f-fuck y/n, baby, i'm gonna cum soon, your ass feels too fucking good."

"please d-do, cum inside denki, cum inside!"

denki leaned over to you and connected his lips with yours while you wrapped your arms around his neck. his cock pumping cum into your ass while you came as well from his cock. both of you left breathless after the new experience you had. denki gave you a faint smile, glad to know you enjoyed it as you grabbed him back in for a kiss. leaning your foreheads together you two giggled, laughing at each other. he layed down next to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, you were pretty tired too so you let it slide today without cleaning up. denki snuggled into your back as you gave him one last kiss on his forehead before heading to bed.

[astaroth1357]

Brothers with an Insanely Lucky MC

Lucifer

Honestly, that kind of takes some weight off of his shoulders…

It’s a lot easier to keep a lucky MC alive, even if they’re only dodging death by the narrowest margin.

He really wasn’t sure how to take their impeccable luck at first… It was more than the fact that a weak human somehow surviving within the world of demons. Small things always seemed to go their way…

If he set them on a task, it would always somehow get done even if they forgot about it. Lesser demons could try to eat them, but they'd narrowly avoid their waiting teeth every time...

When he finally noticed that his brothers' plans wouldn't fail quite so horrendously in their presence, he actually started to encourage them to be around them more.

Don’t get him wrong, this wasn’t out of some brotherly desired to see his family succeed or anything. There'd just be less mess for him to have to clean up later... 🙄

Mammon

MC is his new religion.

You think I'm joking? After he discovered that the MC was like a talisman of luck or something he started worshiping them like a living deity.

Man waits on them hand and foot, if they need a drink then he's got it. If they need food, he'll feed them. Rest? How about a back-rub?

Of course, he's not doing this for nothing. They're his ace-in-the-hole baby!!

Pretty much uses the MC like a good luck charm of sorts. He makes them do a whole bunch of weird superstitious rituals when he goes gambling like blowing on his dice or picking numbers for him.

It all must work, because he starts getting into winning streaks more often than not!

Even MORE possessive of them if you can believe it. He almost never lets them leave his sight, lest they disappear and his future riches with them...

Pretty much proposes to them every time they net him another jackpot. He's only half joking...

Leviathan 

It took him longer than Mammon to realize how lucky they were (largely because he was mostly in his room) but even he could see it.

He started catching on when he began taking them to his merch giveaways. Any time he brought them with him, he always got something no matter how rare, how scarce, or how astronomically unlikely it was...

More or less converted to the Church of MC along with Mammon after their presence got him a limited edition Black Mage Ruri-chan figurine, of which only 10 of its kind in existence... 

After that point… well, he was almost as possessive and demanding as Mammon.

Chances are at any point of the day, Mammon and Levi are squabbling over who gets to be with the MC, especially if there's a drawing or contest happening soon.

He can, will, and has summoned Lotan against his brother before and is not sorry about it. Merch is serious business!!

Satan 

Doesn't believe in luck… or at least he didn't at first.

But after watching the MC for a while he did take notice that things often went their way… If they hadn't studied for a test, the teacher would be sick or they'd always be just in time for the last dessert in the cafeteria.

After some time he just couldn't ignore how… "lucky" they were. So he had to run some tests…

He spent a whole week doing little experiments with them. At one point he gave them a coin, told them to pick heads or tails and then had them do a 100 flips…

It was heads 90% of the time. That… that just shouldn't happen… And the rest of the tests went similarly. By the end of it, he was utterly astonished. It was like they were a black hole warping the statistics of the world around them!

In truth, they converted him to a firm believer in luck… not that he planned to use them nearly as much as Mammon or Levi.

He was more than happy to use them to his advantage when pranking Lucifer, thoug. Get the MC in on his schemes and 9 out of 10 were always successful (in some way or another). Good luck, Lucifer!!

Asmodeus 

Didn't think their luck was anything major until they started scoring the attention of even Devildom nobles…

And it’s not like they were some master of flirtation or anything. They’d just happen to be in the right place or say the right thing to become the center of attention without even trying! They could be having a completely unrelated conversation and then bam, whole room laughs! What kind of social sorcery is that??

He tried asking for their secrets but it turns out they’re just that lucky… Good for them.

Not nearly as obsessed with their luck as Mammon or Levi, but still thinks that it comes with its advantages all the same...

Asmo likes to take them out when he's looking for hookups because even he has better luck if they're backing him up.

Shopping trips are also a must. Sometimes they’ll walk into a store right as it has a sudden flash sale on his favorite brands and it makes him want to kiss them right then and there!

For Halloween, he helped them dress up as one of those Lucky Cats he sees in Levi’s anime sometimes, but that backfired hard because all it did was make Satan carry them off for the night... That was supposed to be him, dammit!

Beelzebub 

Honestly the last to notice how lucky they were, even behind Levi.

Beel’s a very “take things as they are” sort of guy so he didn’t expect that there could be a pattern to his human’s surprisingly charmed life.

Sure he noticed that he won more games when the MC attended, but that could have been anything right? He’d joke that they were like a good luck charm, but he never meant it.

Then he started to notice that the kitchens would mess up and give him bigger (than usual) portions when he’d bring the MC along…

Again, that could have been anything right…? Right?

Finally started suspecting that the MC had something to do with it when he saw Levi and Mammon fighting over them like some kind of deity meant to give them blessings… Huh…

Even after he figured it out the most he ever asked of them was to attend his games. He figured that his brothers Mammon and Levi would take enough of their time as is... Poor human.

Belphegor 

Couldn’t have cared less if they were lucky or not. He’s not a scumbag like Mammon or pathetic like Levi so he wasn’t about to go begging for them to “bless” his shoes or something.

Of course, he did get some passive benefit from it like everybody else. They were sleeping buddies after all.

He found out that on the nights they slept together something would usually happen in to the school the next day to cause either a late start or early out…

Pretty neat, but unfortunately he’d have to literally pry them out of Mammon’s whiny, irritating grasp to do so which meant it didn’t happen often.

Similar to Satan, he picked up that his pranks usually went better with them around. They didn’t even have to do much, they could just poke a tube or something and bang! Instant success.

Between Satan and Belphie, Lucifer really started to regret letting the MC help his brothers with their schemes...

Also realized that a more motivated man could try them out at the stock market, but that wasn’t him and he figured Mammon was so dumb that even luck couldn’t fix his stupid so he never brought the idea up to him. His loss.

[stillness-in-green]

Idk if my other ask went through but it was What do you think of the AFO saved Touya and nudged him to the path of villainy theory? Or something like that I forgot what I said exactly. I don’t think it’d be as explicit as Tomura more like AFO saved Touya and he, or Garaki more likely, somehow let Touya see what Endeavor was saying and doing at home with Shouto. And Touya is like F that and stays away all depressed until he was inspired by Stain. Giran the memory guy probably had something to do with him too.

(Sliding this in the day before Leaks Day, so laying out the clown costume in advance.)

Thanks for the question, anon! Though as a note for context on my perspective in the rest of this post, I admit that I’m unsure what you mean about AFO and Ujiko showing Touya what Endeavor was saying and doing with Shouto at home. After all, the canon suggests that mostly what Endeavor was doing in the immediate wake of Touya’s disappearance was…looking for Touya. Usually when I see people suggest this theory, it’s based on the idea that AFO and Ujiko somehow misled Touya into thinking that his family didn’t care that he’d gone out and self-immolated, not that they showed him some horrible truth. I rather doubt there’s much they could truthfully reveal to him about Shouto’s situation that a) he doesn’t already know and b) would change his mind about any of the extremely negative conclusions he’s already come to.

So that angle, the idea that AFOUji somehow manipulated Touya towards villainy, is what I wrote the bulk of this response in regards to.

Spoilers: I don’t much care for it.

Hit the jump for the rest!

I certainly recognize why it exists: Dabi’s missing ten years raises eyebrows because he had to have been hideously wounded, and we know Endeavor kept looking for him for some while after the fire, and he was all of thirteen years old, yet even with all of those factors in play, he was somehow never found, and just vanished for a full decade. It’s a puzzle whose answers require resources, medical care, and, some people believe, a desire to twist Touya towards hatred.

Personally, I don’t really think the child we saw in the flashbacks needed much help to get to where we find Dabi psychologically. The resentment, the violent tendencies, the misanthropy; it’s all there.(1) And Toga was only two years older when she went on the run—less than two, even, since Sekoto Peak happening in the winter would have meant Touya was right on the cusp of his fourteenth birthday.

There’s really no getting around the need for medical care, though, and the number of people we already know who have both the skill to save Touya and the willingness to keep his identity a secret is pretty much one.

That said, seeing as my primary interest in the manga is the way in which it depicts Hero Society as a flawed institution that creates its own monsters, I would really prefer Ujiko and/or AFO to not be involved at all, or at least for their involvement to be as minimal as possible. Shigaraki is one thing, but the people he has attracted to his cause (such as it is) are quite another, and every speck of the blame that you allow to fall on All For One is another handwaved excuse for Hero Society to refuse to examine itself and change its ways.

And okay, All For One isn’t terrible as a metaphor for the dark forces that prey on vulnerable people when law-abiding, “normal” society fails them, but the trouble is where the story's focuses lie, and what it presents as the proper way to resolve its ultimate battle. There is an inestimable difference between a final battle against Shigaraki that revolves around saving him while also confronting his truths and a final battle against AFO that revolves around saving his voiceless and subsumed victims from him before defeating him once and for all. Saving Shigaraki in a battle against Shigaraki means acknowledging that he is his own person, with his own motivations and his own crimes, and that he deserves to be saved anyway—that he always deserved to be saved, because everyone deserves to be saved. Conversely, saving Shigaraki in a battle against AFO prioritizes saving people from villains without ever acknowledging how society wronged them for them to wind up in a villain’s hands to begin with.(2)

To bring this back to Touya, if AFO is in some fashion responsible for making him, it reduces the weight of Endeavor’s sins and those of Dabi himself. It puts the blame on some outside force and lets people get away with saying, “If it weren’t for him, poor innocent Touya would never have become the villain Dabi!”

But that’s dodging a much harder and crueler truth. The actual message of making AFO responsible for Dabi while simultaneously focusing the endgame solely on defeating him is, “If it weren’t for him, poor innocent Touya would never have become the villain Dabi—because he would have died on Sekoto Peak.”(3)

In both scenarios, Dabi was empowered by someone, and he’s sympathetic either way. However, the scenario in which he finds his voice because Stain/Shigaraki stood up to draw society’s malcontents out of the shadows allows Dabi to be sympathetic while preserving his agency and the accusations he levels at Hero Society. It asks the heroes and the readers alike to consider the question, “How did this innocent child become so warped as to become such a dangerous villain?”

The scenario in which Ujiko and All For One set him on the path to villainy, meanwhile, maintains the sympathy but throws the rest in the garbage to instead say, “This innocent child became so warped because these villains did it to him.” It conspicuously avoids forcing the heroes and readers to confront the question, “And what would have happened if they hadn’t?”

Shigaraki just gave Touya a platform; what he said once he got up there was all him. But in the scenario you’re asking about, All For One didn’t give Touya the platform; he handed him the speech. And if Hori tells the audience that Touya’s words are All For One’s words after spending two hundred and ninety chapters telling us that All For One’s words are nothing but manipulative lies meant to lead people astray, it strips those words of all but the barest veneer of their power.

I pretty much laid all this out here two years ago, and, barring us having more information on Mr. Compress now than we did then, and me having adopted a more nuanced view of what quirks are valued in HeroAca!Japan’s heroes,(4) I still stand by that post. AFO shaping Shigaraki is one thing, but the more he’s involved with the backstories of everyone else, the more it undercuts the legitimacy of the villains’ grievances. I see no reason for Dabi to be the exception.

All my ranting about the narrative themes of the series on the whole aside, Giran’s quirk only affects five minutes on either side of him making physical contact with the victim. Not to say you couldn’t do some damage that way, certainly, but it would hardly have let All For One reshape Touya’s entire mental landscape according to his nefarious whims. At most, if AFOUji kept the contact short and had Giran on hand to begin with, they could make sure Touya couldn’t remember their faces clearly—but then where’s the guarantee that anything they revealed/manipulated him to believe would stick, either? Again, he could have been involved, and one might even say, “Why tell us his quirk if it’s never going to be relevant?” but all the scenarios I can imagine off the top of my head seem awfully convoluted.

Sorry if any of this came off as too negative! It’s tied into a lot of the places where I am most Ornery and Opinionated about this series and how it handles its villains. But thanks again for the ask!

---

1: Which is not to say that I think Touya was born twisted or anything; that’s 100% on Endeavor’s head.

2: Much like All Might being completely ready to beat Shigaraki into a paste right up until the instant he finds out Shigaraki’s real name. Or Deku seeing inner-Shigaraki as the crying boy clutching his dog instead of the furious boy covered in his father’s blood. Or Deku blaming All For One for Lady’s Nagant’s fate while disregarding the fact that it was the HPSC who set her on that path to begin with. Or lots of things, many of them about Deku, that have me very worried about where this story is heading.

3: An outcome people like Gran Torino clearly and explicitly would have preferred.

4: I used the phrase “flashy and offensive” because it’s pithy and I was seeing it around everywhere, but these days I tend towards thinking it’s overly reductive. Crust alone disproves that you need a flashy or offensive power to be a top hero.

[goingmorry]

Trafalgar Law [NSFW: A-Z Alphabet Kink]

Synopsis: How is Trafalgar Law like as your sexual partner? 💖

Count: 1329 words

Aftercare

Tender. Law's hands caress your body, leaving featherlight touches across your skin, focusing on your more sensitive areas.

If he comes inside you, he'll grab a rag/paper towels to clean you up. He'll get rid of any areas that were exposed to external bodily fluids.

If you're exhausted, he'll cuddle with you while you rest. He's not one to fall asleep easily, but your warmth lets him relax.

Body part

His hands. Law's hands are littered with tattoos from the D E A T H on his knuckles to the tribal signs at the back of his palms. He especially loves to watch as his fingers disappear inside of you.

Your mouth. He loves motioning for you to open up your mouth wide and struggling to take all of him.

Cum

Creampies. Law's go-to. He loves feeling you clench tightly around his cock while he finishes deep inside you.

Cum in your mouth. Alternatively, he likes to finish inside your mouth and watch you swallow all of him.

Dirty Secret

Orgasm denial/ruined orgasm. Law would never outright say it, but if you approached him with the intent to edge his cock until he was begging to cum, only for you to ruin his orgasm... He wouldn't say no.

Experience

Law is inexperienced. For the past decade, he's been focused on avenging Cora-san, leaving no room for romance or sexual encounters.

Despite his sexual inexperience, he's a skilled doctor. He's knowledgeable in human anatomy, which also extends to an understanding of his and his partner's body.

What better way to learn what turns him on than hands-on learning? He's a great observer. Moan his name, tangle your hands in his hair, grip the bedsheets. He can't please you if you don't show your appreciation for him after all...

Favorite Position

Prone bone. Law enjoys being on top, entering you from behind while you mewl in delight. This position allows him to freely fondle your breasts and firmly grip your ass whenever he chooses.

Cowgirl. Watching your face contort in pleasure is something Law will never get used to as you control the pace and depth of his thrusts. He usually likes to be in charge, but for you he'll make an exception.

Goofy

Serious. There's no time for laughter when he's overstimulating you to the point of tears.

He's the one smirking as you struggle to maintain your composure.

Hair

Well-groomed. Aside from his lack of sleep, he takes care of himself. Law showers regularly and trims his pubic hair.

Intimacy

Law enjoys watching your facial expressions as he brings you pleasure.

Interlaces your fingers together as he fucks you into the mattress.

Kisses, nips, and licks your sensitive areas (e.g. neck, ear).

Jack Off

Prior to meeting you, Law masturbated semi-regularly. Since then, you and Law found a good alternative.

Phone sex. When you and Law are apart, you both make an effort to mutually masturbate via a Den Den Mushi.

Kink

Bondage. Law prefers to do the restraining.

Creampies. He loves to see you covered in his cum.

Edgeplay. Law likes to watch you lose your composure as you grow increasingly frustrated at his teasing.

Spanking. He likes to inflict pain with pleasure and enjoys spanking your ass when you misbehave.

Location

Captain's Quarters. There's no other safe place in the Polar Tang with a zero percent chance of being interrupted.

Law values his privacy and yours. The last thing he wants to worry about is for one of his crewmembers to stumble upon their Captain and his partner getting it on.

Motivation

Back and shoulder massages. They help alleviate his tense muscles and allow him to relax. When Law is in a relaxed mood, he's able to focus his attention on you and making both you and him feel much better.

Tights/fishnet stockings. Law loves it when you wear these as they hug the shape of your ass and accentuate your legs. He can't help but let his eyes wander as they drink in your form...

NO

Asphyxiation/breathplay. He understands the dangers of restricting one's airflow—perhaps better than anyone as a doctor—and cannot find it arousing due to fear of permanently injuring his partner.

Oral

Law prefers to receive oral sex. The sight of your luscious lips wrapped around the head of his cock and the way your head bobs up and down to take him in your mouth. There's nothing better. However, Law is not opposed to reciprocating the gesture.

Pace

Sex with Law is mostly slow. He loves to tease you so expect to be edged for a long while. You can expect a lot of foreplay. He orders you to orgasm only when he wants you to so be prepared unless you want to incur his wrath.

When he deems you ready to take him and when he can no longer help himself from taking you, his pace will switch to fast and rough, pounding into your hole until both of you cum.

Quickie

Not a fan of quickies. He needs to be in the proper mood for sex. He loves to tease you and duration is one of the best ways to build up sexual tension.

Risk

Moderate risk-taker. He's open to experiment and try new things if he's in the mood for it.

If you have any ideas, be prepared to discuss it with Law beforehand. You can expect the same from him.

Stamina

Two rounds. Expect the first round to take an hour. He'll take his time and tease your for the majority of it. When he's ready for you to take his cock, you won't last long. A few pumps of his cock inside of you has you reeling in ecstasy as you're tipped over the edge.

"Is that all you can take?" Law's smirk is visible behind the tears in your eyes. He'll let you bask in the afterglow of your orgasm for a while but remember... There's another round to go.

Toy

Seastone handcuffs and blindfolds. You used them to restrain Law at one point when you were feeling feisty and wanted absolute control over him.

Unfair

Basically a god at teasing. Surgeon of Death? More like Surgeon of Torture. Prepare to sob and beg if you want release. Then, and only then, will he maybe grant your wish.

Volume

Occasionally makes noises. Soft moans when he's buried deep inside you that escalate when his thrusts become sporadic.

Curses when he's near or at release. "Fuck..." when he watches you take in every last drop of his cum.

Law prefers hearing you make noise, so he holds himself back. You really need to make an effort if you want him to be more vocal... Maybe try restraining him?

Wild Card

Although Law prefers fucking you in the privacy of his quarters, he's not as careful to ensure that the sounds of your lovemaking can't be heard by the rest of the crew. He doesn't ask you to stay quiet. If you're loud, so be it. The crew would have found out at some point anyway.

X-Ray

7.5 inches. Thick girth. You can't even hope to fully wrap your hands around him. A long vein protrudes from the base to the tip of his cock.

Law can't control how his cock twitches every time you pleasure him with your hands and mouth.

Don't worry. Law always makes sure you're well-prepared to take him all the way to the hilt. His tongue and fingers are eager to do so.

Yearning

Low to moderate sex drive. As the Captain of the Heart Pirates and an ally of the Strawhat Pirates, he has enough stress to last him an entire lifetime, which hampers his sex drive.

When he happens to be in the mood for sex, however, Law finds that quality is more important than quantity.

ZZZ

Sleep? What's that? He suffers from insomnia. He's always had trouble sleeping, but your presence has certainly made dozing off more plausible.

[magic-is-something-we-create]

Hello! You can call me Pax, I use he/him pronouns, I'm 21+, and this is my hybrid writeblr/artblr! I use the name P. K. Finn for writing, and most of my art is marked with an @alittlewarlord​ tag.

I’m always tag game, ask, and random DM friendly, so long as you’re respectful! I’m particularly fond of worldbuilding, last line tags, and any games that have to do with music.

While I literally won't stop using Tumblr until the servers go down permanently, I also have a Cohost and Pillowfort if/when that eventually happens. In general, if you want to find me anywhere online, my username is alittlewarlord!

- NAVIGATION -

[+ About Page] | [+ FAQ Page] | [+ WIP Page]

(+ About Tag) | (+ Braindumps Tag) | (+ Answered Asks)

(+ My Writing) | (+ My Art) | (+ Weekly(ish) Writing Updates)

Writing liveblogs are tagged as #writing liveblog mm.dd.yy (e.g. #writing liveblog 1.2.23 for January 2nd, 2023). Feel free to block the day’s tag if you aren’t in the mood for my spammed reblog chain the first time you see it, you won’t miss out on future ones if you do like it on occasion.

-

Most of the posts on here are queued. The most common navigation tags are below if you ever need to find a post you lost or just want to go exploring.

(+ Others’ Work) | (+ Prompts) | (+ Positivity/Motivation) | (+ Resources) | (+ References) | (+ Inspiration) | (+ Publishing) | (+ Misc. Reblogs)

- HOW TO SUPPORT ME -

If you particularly like my art, I open 8 commission slots at the start of every month over on Ko-Fi! (Closed for the month of June, 2024)

Pricing for those can be found here.

Note: This pinned post will always have the most accurate information outside of the Ko-Fi listings themselves when it comes to remaining slot count.

I also have membership tiers on both Ko-Fi and Patreon! Benefits range from weekly write-in livestreams to early access for shorter projects, and higher tiers even get exclusive commission discounts and complementary monthly art requests!

(+ Ko-Fi) | (+ Patreon)

- WIPS -

All of my writing includes majority-queer casts, often in the “gender is immaterial”, “polyamory and asexuality are more common than you think”, and “family isn’t bound to blood” directions.

Most is meant for adult audiences, as I tend to tackle violence, trauma, horror, and the like with explicit detail that may make some uncomfortable; please keep in mind that the trigger warnings I give to excerpts are always “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat” in the sense that everything I tag is going to show up within the post.

My eternal main project is...

- THE MILLENNIUM SAGA -

(Titles link to intro posts, tags link to all content posted thus far.)

Book one: Firebreathers (+ tag) - Book two: Echoseers (+ tag) - Book three: Goddess-Touched (+ tag) - Book four: Fate Weavers (unintroduced) (+ tag) - Book five and beyond: Titles Undetermined - Avatar: the Last Airbender x Red Rising x The Search for WondLa - High Fantasy/Steampunk. A socially anxious and PTSD-ridden revolutionary gets dragged into helping the Chosen One who supposedly saved the world 1000 years ago, and with the help of their showy acrobat boyfriend, the son of a banished noble, and their mostly-found family, they might just save it for real this time. Set in the Ehlverse. | (+ Character Intros tag) (+ world tag)

Firebreathers is complete and edited multiple times over at 158k words. I am waiting on querying and further beta reading rounds until I can get further into the series drafting-wise.

Draft one of Echoseers is complete and edited once over at 146k words.

Drafting of Goddess-Touched is on its third attempt as of April, 2024.

-

In early 2023, I also returned to...

- WHISPERS -

Formal Intro | Comic Sans Intro (+ tag) - Six of Crows x Carrie x The Magnus Archives - Dark Fantasy/Noir. Three unwilling lackeys of a Sorceress crime lord dealing in life debts and terrorism-friendly morality try to escape, and one woman across the continent searches for answers to her sister's disappearance thirty years after the fact. Set in the Ehlverse, ~11 years after Firebreathers. (+ gen. worldbuilding wednesday tag)

First editing pass is complete at 176k words; it's now with beta readers, and I will begin querying as soon as the critique period is complete in July.

-

- THE LOST - @thelost-comic -

INTRO - (+ tag) The Hunger Games x Dimension 20: A Starstruck Odyssey x Iron Widow - Space Opera/Dystopia. Webcomic. In this corner of the universe, the term "Media Empire" is extremely literal; the Watchers control the entire galactic filament with their broadcasts of coliseum fights, mindless attention fodder, and propaganda. But when something goes horribly, horribly wrong during the latest fight, they lose their Champion, their opponent, and one of their most prized war criminals in the chaos of the moment. And everyone knows the Champion was champion for a reason.

Read it for free now! [X]

-

I also have a couple side projects, but their updates are few and far-between right now. The only one previously introduced here is an Urban Fantasy road trip, so take a peek behind the cut for the blurb and a link to the intro if that intrigues you!

DEITY COMPLEX (+ tag) - Percy Jackson and the Olympians x NADDPod: Trinyvale x American Gods - Urban Fantasy/Roadtrip. Evading the government while trying not to become a cryptid sighting meme on social media, and also you might have an ancient deity of death hitchhiking in your brain and occasionally turning you into a wolf. Set on an Alternate Earth where everyone has a little magic.

Currently drafting/planning at 5k words..