#and it just implodes so fast and so quickly that i am terrified of any wear and tear being done to them

[rxttenfish]

dear fucking god though theres nothing more i hate than how fur and leather have become luxury items

[its-nebula]

Kokichi's S/O Saves Him From Death

Warning: Angst, Spoilers for DRV3

You weren't stupid at all. You knew Kokichi wasn't the mastermind of the killing game.

What you didn't know was why he wanted everyone to believe that he was. Sure, Kokichi had rather eccentric methods of stopping the killing game -- some, even you could admit, were a bit out of line. Still, he was planning something no good. You could feel it.

The atmosphere of the school was more tense than ever. Only 7 of you remained. One person had declared themselves as the person behind the killing game, and one person had been locked away in a bathroom. You couldn't help but get the feeling something bad was about to happen, but your boyfriend wouldn't even talk to you.

The last time you saw him completely sane was before Miu's trial. You remember his words to you just as you were travelling to the trial grounds together, your hands enterlaced.

"S/O, I promise you. Whatever it takes, I'll make sure you get out of here safely. You deserve it more than anybody."

It was because of those words you were afraid he was going to do something absolutely insane. Especially since he didn't even bother talking to you. You were prepared for the worst, just in case.

Luckily for you, the door for the hangar seemed to be open. It was odd, but you managed to very quietly sneak in. You could hear people talking, and although their voices sounded rushed and panicked, you recognized the voice of the love of your life from anywhere.

Quietly, you listened in on what was happening, hiding behind the ginormous Exisal standing near the entrance.

...

Well, that isn't what you expected at all. You watched as Kokichi and Kaito somberly made their way to the bathroom, and decided to follow them there. You hid behind the wall, still intently listening.

Your heart pounded in your chest as you heard everything unfold. Surely, there had to be another antidote somewhere! Surely, both could be saved! You needed to get out of here, and fast. However, as you tried searching for a discreet way out, you caught a glimpse of Kaito dragging Kokichi over to the hydraulic press. Your heart dropped down to your stomach to see the arrow in his back. You were out of time, and there was only one thing you could think of.

Clutching onto the piece of paper you prepared, your breath hitched as you held it to your chest. His words danced around in your head again, and you closed your eyes.

"Whatever it takes, I'll make sure you get out of here safely."

You'd never get to recite your wedding vows. You'll never get the chance to raise a family. Never again would you feel his soft lips against yours, or pet his hair while you cuddled with him, talking about all the amazing things you would do together once you survived.

Here he was instead, ready forego his life, just to save not only yours, but the people who hate him. Because that was Kokichi.

"Because you deserve it more than anyone."

The paper fluttered to the ground as you ran to the hydraulic press, just as it was starting to come down. Everything happened so quickly as you pushed him from under the press with all the strength you had.

The last thing you saw was his tear-stained face, terrified of what he thought was to come.

Kokichi didn't even know what'd happened as he worriedly opened his eyes. Was he dead? He felt all over himself, and groaned as he felt the sharp, burning pain in his spine. No, he was still alive. The cold air hit his skin, and he shivered.

He collapsed to the ground in weakness from the poison, and he heard hurried footsteps rushing down the stairs, sprinting away. The footsteps soon hurried back, and forced a bottle into his mouth.

He coughed, feeling better already, but he was still fairly weak.

"Kaito...? What.... happened?"

His violet eyes glanced over to the hydraulic press. There was blood oozing out from every crevice, dripping down the sides. Kaito's jacket sleeve hung daintily over the edge.

"Am...Am I dead?"

"Kokichi... I-I-I..."

Kaito couldn't find the right words. Whatever he said, Kokichi was going to be heartbroken.

"...I messed up."

Just hold on a minute. If he's still alive, and Kaito was the one who pressed the button, then...

"Kaito. What's going on? Who's in there? This wasn't the plan!"

"S/O saved your life. I tried to stop the press I really did, but... it was too late."

The two purple-haired men looked over at the hydraulic press in silence, unsure of what to do now. Their plan had failed.

"That dumb idiot."

Kaito turned his head as Kokichi mumbled. Kokichi grunted as he rose to his feet, almost unable to support himself as he wobbled. He avoided leaning on the press, instead using Kaito's shoulder for support.

"THAT IDIOT! WHY HER? WHY COULDN'T SHE H-HAVE JUST LET IT BE ME?!"

He exploded with anger. Tears were streaming down his face, his head pounded, his fists were clenched, and he looked like he was going to implode at any given moment.

"Doesn't she know I only did this... for her? Every time I try to plan...every time I try to help... somebody we love always dies. She was always there to comfort me through it, and now she's-she's-"

He couldn't finish his sentence as he fell onto his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, choking on his words. He placed his head in both of his hands, letting it all out. He didn't care that Kaito saw him at his most vulnerable. He didn't care that he was shirtless, and how the cold hangar air seemed to get chillier. All that mattered was that you were dead.

"I deserved to go...not her...."

He cried for a good five minutes, just letting all his frustrations out.

"Kokichi, I found something. I think it's from S/O!"

Kaito walked over to Kokichi, and bent down, handing him the note you dropped earlier. Kokichi sniffed and wiped the tears away from his face, opening it up.

"To the love of my life, if you're reading this, it means I've successfully prevented your death. I knew you would do something stupid if I didn't stop you, because I understand you better than you think that I do. But even if the entire world becomes your enemy and turns against you, I'll always protect you, so please live on with a smile for me. I know that you can do it. Remember that I would gladly trade my life for your smile. I love you, and I hope to see you again in another life. I'll be watching over you... ♡ ~ S/O"

The tears started to flow again, and they started to fall onto the page. Still, he couldn't help but feel himself smile through the bittersweet moment.

As he read your words a hundred times over, he swear he could almost feel the warmth of your arms wrapped around him, telling him that everything was going to be okay. He was sure he'd heard you whisper in his ear so clearly; "Goodbye, my love. I love you so much." Even in your death, you'd left him feeling like he was loved.

As the warmth once again faded into coldness, he felt the shivers go down his spine. He knew it was the last time he'd feel your presence again. He was grateful to have someone like you watching over him, keeping him safe.

"I love you too, S/O. I always will."

[weighty-ghosts]

‘My Favourite Dark Creature’ (wolfstar)

My Favourite Dark Creature, by weightyghosts

“‘The flirtations were getting out of control, and either Sirius knew the effect he had on Remus and enjoyed torturing him, or he was completely oblivious and Remus would have to put up with it for the rest of his miserable, lonely life.’

A story of fantasies and fears, pining, and love languages.”

Rating: Teen

Word count: 2729

Pairing: Remus x Sirius

Published: March 10, 2021

Warnings: None

 https://archiveofourown.org/works/29950935

   “I swear you’ll be the death of me one day,” Remus grumbled at Sirius, straightening up after having almost been decapitated by the case of butterbeer Sirius was levitating.

“It’s possible,” Sirius quipped, “I am heart-stoppingly good looking.”

“‘Stoppingly’ is not a word,” Remus sighed as they continued down the underground tunnel, illuminated only by the bright blue flames Remus had charmed to float above their heads. He twisted his wand so that his own case did an elegant flip over Sirius’. They’d learned by now to put protection charms on the bottles for the hike back from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts. Sirius tended to get bored.

“At least you agree about my looks,” Sirius remarked with a casual toss of his long hair.

“What gave you that idea?”  

“You didn’t disagree,” he replied simply.

“Yeah, but I didn’t agree,” Remus countered.

“Yeah, but you didn’t disagree.”

“Considering my heart is pounding away in my chest,” Remus pointed out in a patronizing tone, “Your theory must be incorrect.”

“Oh it’s pounding away, is it?” Sirius raised his eyebrows, a teasing smile on his lips.

“Don’t make a dirty joke because I said pounding,” Remus pleaded, and neatly skirted his case out of the way when Sirius tried to knock it against the wall.

“I don’t know where your mind is, Mr. Moony-”

“Unfortunately spending too much time with you, Mr. Padfoot.”

“-But I was only going to ask if it’s normal for your heart to be pounding while walking at a leisurely pace? Or,” Sirius stopped abruptly, and pulled Remus to a halt beside him, “Is it being in proximity to an outrageously gorgeous bloke, such as myself, that makes your pulse race?”

“My pulse isn’t racing, thank you very much,” Remus lied, his voice much more stable than he felt. He was mesmerized by the way the dark lighting threw deep indigo shadows on Sirius’ face, accentuating his sharp cheekbones and alluring Cupid’s bow.

“Shall we see?” Sirius whispered. He reached out and brushed his fingers along Remus’ neck, just above his collarbone and up to a spot below his jaw, right where Sirius would be able to feel his frantic heart.

Remus cleared his suddenly dry throat. “My heart rate is faster than yours,” he quickly grasped for an excuse, “Werewolf thing.”

“Really?” Sirius asked, looking from Remus’ neck back up to his eyes as his curiosity was piqued. It was enough of a distraction for Remus to wriggle away from him.

“No,” he grinned over his shoulder as he fled the scene, trying to walk as fast as he could without it seeming like he was actually running from Sirius.

His case of butterbeer bounced off the wall as he rushed around a corner, and he finally spotted the false wall that hid the entrance to the secret passageway. Remus almost groaned with relief. He had to get away from Sirius; the flirtations were getting out of control, and either Sirius knew the effect he had on Remus and enjoyed torturing him, or he was completely oblivious and Remus would have to put up with it for the rest of his miserable, lonely life.

“You know,” Sirius remarked as he appeared behind Remus, “Lying is a huge turn off, Moony.”

“So is your massive ego, Padfoot,” Remus replied.

They set their cases on the ground, tapping them with their wands so that they shrunk down to pocket size. After straightening up with the bottles safely tucked away, Sirius pulled James’ invisibility cloak from his robes and, once again, stepped up to Remus. “I only state the facts, Moony.”

“It’s not like I was trying to turn you on,” Remus said, trying to sound defensive, but failing as his voice wavered when Sirius crowded into his space. He took out his wand and extinguished the blue flames so that Sirius couldn’t see his panicked face, plunging them into near darkness.

“Good,” Sirius retorted in a low voice, and threw the cloak over them. “Neither was I.”

“Good,” Remus echoed, and looked away under the pretence of bending his neck so they would fit without their feet showing. He didn’t know why he played this game with Sirius. It always ended with Sirius having the upper hand, and Remus blushing and running away. He could easily change the subject, talk about disgusting things like bubotuber pus or whatever was growing under Pete’s bed, but apparently he couldn’t help himself.

He could feel Sirius watching him for a moment before he turned and opened the hidden entrance. They came out onto the first floor, stepping around the statue of Gregory the Smarmy as the concealed wall silently moved back into place on its own. They made their way to the main staircase, and Remus braced himself for the intimate trek to Gryffindor tower, intensely aware of the warm air they were sharing, as well as every place their limbs brushed against each other.

“Pete’s birthday should be fun tomorrow,” Remus blurted out, desperate for something to focus on that wasn’t the enticing scent of his best mate’s hair.

“Yeah,” Sirius agreed, glancing sideways at Remus, “As long as we make sure he’s the centre of attention, he’ll have a great time.”

“You mean as long as you sacrifice your own time in the spotlight?” Remus mocked, playfully elbowing Sirius in the side.

“Oi!” Sirius protested, reciprocating with his own elbow jab, “I’m happy to shine the spotlight on a mate when it’s his birthday.”

“So all the girls that will undoubtedly be fawning over you, you’ll send them Pete’s way?”

“Of course.”

“But then who will you let out all of your charm on, Sirius?” Remus pretended to be utterly concerned by this, “I think you might implode if you don’t flirt your way into someone’s knickers at a party.”

Sirius scowled at him in a way that Remus thought he shouldn’t find so damn attractive, but then again, he was fairly sure Sirius could have his eyebrows hexed off and Remus would still want to snog him silly.

“I sense a challenge, Moony,” Sirius declared, “And I accept.”

“I didn’t challenge you,” Remus pointed out, “But I don’t think you could do it anyway.”

“You might be right.” Sirius tapped his chin as he mused on this. “I need an outlet,” he concluded, turning to Remus with a cheeky smile, “How about you, my Moony dearest? Perhaps I’ll woo you at the party tomorrow.”

“Woo me?” Remus snorted, pushing down the frenzied butterflies that had spawned in his stomach. “No, thank you.”

“I see. Well, maybe that’s for the best,” Sirius said with a shrug of casual indifference, “I doubt you could handle the full power of the Sirius Black charm.”

“You don’t think so?”

“Nope. I haven’t met anyone yet who’s been able to resist.”

Remus snickered. “McGonagall does a pretty good job.”

“Nah, Minnie loves it,” Sirius dismissed him with a wave of his hand, “She wants me.”

“What a fun little fantasy world you live in, Sirius.”

“Trust me, Remus,” Sirius dropped his voice as if he were letting Remus in on a furtive secret, “If we were in my fantasy world, this evening would have gone a lot differently.”

Remus stopped walking so suddenly that Sirius almost entirely slipped out from under the cloak. He quickly backtracked and sidled up to Remus, surreptitiously looking around to make sure no one had seen the lower half of his body.  

“What is it?”

What is it? Did Sirius really expect Remus not to pause at his remark? At the possible implication that Sirius might be having fantasies about him? He felt a hot blush creep up his neck, colouring his cheeks.

Sirius must have been able to see his flushed face even in the dimly lit castle, or maybe he could feel the heat radiating off Remus, because he smirked in a thoroughly smug (and distractingly sexy) way. “Told you that you couldn’t handle my charm, Moony.”

“No,” Remus huffed with indignation, “It’s not that.” He tried to reassure himself that Sirius was just kidding. Sure, this might have been taking the flirting further than he ever had before, but Sirius flirted with everyone. What made Remus any different?

“Then what is it?” Sirius asked tentatively. He was chewing on the inside of his cheek, a habit he couldn’t control when he was unsure or nervous, and Remus didn't know what to make of that.

“I was just...” Just thinking about my own fantasies that you star in almost every night, Sirius. No, he couldn’t do it. He didn’t understand Sirius’ feelings or motivations, and not understanding something made Remus uneasy. He swivelled back to familiar territory, “Er, just thinking what a dark and terrifying place your fantasy world must be.”

“Oh,” Sirius exhaled with a shaky laugh. “Yeah, you definitely wouldn’t want to go there,” he said, as they started to softly walk through the halls again, “Spooky stuff.”

“Full of ghosts and ghouls and dark creatures?” Remus teased.

“Yeah, but don’t worry,” Sirius reassured, his mouth pulled into a warm half-smile, “My favourite dark creature is there to keep me company.”

Before Remus could respond, they arrived at the portrait hole, and Sirius looked around for any roaming prefects or professors, before tugging the invisibility cloak off of them. “Treacle tart,” he said to the Great Lady, who grumbled sleepily at them and opened the hidden door to their common room, which was empty due to the late hour.

Remus climbed through first, his thoughts reeling as he waited for Sirius. Remus liked to think he knew Sirius well after more than six years. Sirius wasn’t one to spell out his innermost thoughts and feelings; he hinted at things, showing his emotions through actions, not words. And how did he act with Remus?

Moments of their friendship played inside his mind, quickly flipping past like the scenery through the windows of the Hogwarts Express: Sirius’ gentle hands on him after the full moon; Sirius bringing him his favourite tea; helping Remus with his homework when he’s too exhausted to think straight; pulling a blanket over him when he’s fallen asleep reading; becoming an animagus for him so that he doesn’t have to spend the worst nights of his life alone every month…

It was hard for Remus to admit. Even though his parents had done what they could to make him feel loved, a part of him always suspected that that was out of guilt or obligation. He had spent so much of his life believing he wasn’t good enough, or human enough, to truly be loved. But didn’t Sirius spend every day showing Remus how much he loved him?

They ascended the stairs to the boy’s dorms silently, both lost in thought, and Remus’ doubts began to filter in as quickly as his hope had. Sirius would be mad to choose a dark creature over a whole, healthy human. While Sirius claimed to never be afraid of Remus, friendship was different from a romantic relationship. Wouldn’t he be scared to spend his life with someone like Remus?

They reached their dorm and paused outside it, turning so they faced each other.

“You’re not afraid of him, then?” Remus asked in a low voice, fidgeting with his shirt sleeve.

“Who?” Sirius asked, blinking as if coming out of a haze. He also kept his voice down so as not to alert James or Peter that they were there. “My favourite dark creature?”

Remus nodded minutely. “Must be dangerous, no?”

“Nah,” Sirius grinned as he dismissed that as a ridiculous question, “He’s as harmless as a crup.”

Remus snorted in disbelief, though there was no humour in it.

“It’s true,” Sirius insisted. “Besides,” he murmured, sliding closer so they were almost toe to toe, “What’s life without a little danger, Moony?”

All Remus could hear was his pulse hammering in his ears, and all Remus could see was Sirius looking up at him, his dark grey eyes brewing with a storm of emotion that was yet unfamiliar to Remus. He was pulled towards Sirius as if the gravity that grounded him to the earth had now flowed to the beautiful person in front of him, and he could feel a tectonic shift occurring under the surface of their friendship.

He moved closer, until Sirius’ breath came as warm puffs of air on his face, and just as Remus’ eyes slid down to his lips, they parted as Sirius spoke.

“I am a little afraid, I think,” he confided in a soft voice.

Remus jerked back, not having realized just how close he’d been leaning in, his eyes wide with alarm. He’s afraid of me, he’s afraid of me, I knew it.  

“No!” Sirius exclaimed, “No, Moony, not...I’m not afraid of you,” he hastened to explain. He put his hands up, as if he were going to reach out and place them on Remus’ chest, but reconsidered and dropped them lower, playing with the fabric on the front of Remus’ robes. He was chewing on his cheek again, his gaze focused on his fingers. “I’m just... I don’t want…”

Remus felt that magnetic pull again, like his heart was trying to jump out of his chest and into Sirius’ hands. “You don’t want what?”

Sirius’ shimmering eyes flicked back up to his, and he whispered, “I don’t want-”

They both jumped a foot in the air as the dormitory door was abruptly yanked open, and they leapt apart when James’ confused face peered out.

“What’re you two doing?” He asked, frowning with suspicion.

Sirius put on a smile and patted James’ shoulder. “Just talking about how much we missed you this evening, Prongsie.” He sidled past James without another glance at Remus.

James rolled his eyes and moved aside for Remus to follow. “More like plotting how you’ll get me and Wormy to go on the next Hogsmeade run so you lazy arses don’t have to.”

“We were happy to do it for our Wormy’s birthday,” Sirius refuted in a dignified voice. He stepped over to Peter, who was laying on his bed, and took out his miniature case of butterbeer to hand it to him. Peter grinned as he accepted it.

Remus walked over and did the same, watching as Peter tucked them away in his trunk with the other supplies for the party, and avoided looking at Sirius as they settled in to go over the birthday plan again.

A little while later, Remus was in his pyjamas, brushing his teeth alone in the bathroom, when Sirius came in. He wandered over to the sinks and hovered next to Remus, methodically taking out his toothbrush and squeezing on his favourite rhubarb toothpaste, a thoughtful expression on his face. Remus was rinsing his mouth and about to bolt from the room when Sirius spoke.

“I was thinking, Moony,” he garbled around his toothbrush, looking up into the mirror so their eyes met. “I don’t know if we have enough butterbeer for tomorrow.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Sirius nodded earnestly, “We might have to go back to Hogsmeade before the party.”

Remus saw a glint of a promise, a secret, in Sirius’ eyes, and he felt those same frenzied butterflies migrate back into his stomach.

“‘We’ as in…”

“You and me, of course,” Sirius stated, as if this were obvious, and leaned down to spit into the sink before rinsing his mouth. He turned towards Remus, their faces inches away, and Sirius reached out to tug gently on the hem of Remus’ shirt, “That tunnel is spooky,” he continued in a low voice, “I’ll need my werewolf there with me.”

Remus could see in the mirror that his mouth had popped open in surprise, but he couldn’t seem to get his brain working again to do something about it. He should respond, but his mind was completely empty, except for the vague thought that Sirius still looked gorgeous with toothpaste on his chin.

Sirius suddenly dropped his hand and stepped back, beaming at Remus. “‘Night, Moons,” he said cheerily, then dashed out of the room, leaving Remus staring after him.

That night, it took Remus a long time to fall asleep, but when he did, it was with a smile on his face, and the words, ‘my werewolf,’ playing on repeat in his head.

*

[maluminspace]

Overwhelming Pain

Genre: angst

Pairings: n/a

Word Count: 992

Requested: by my lovely @sexgodashton (love you Laura 💗) for spooky!sos 2019

Trigger Warnings: road traffic accident/ambiguous main character death/ambiguous minor character death

A/N: okay I am incredibly sorry! I haven’t written in a while because I’ve been ill. Of course my return fic is angsty and sad and I hope you will all forgive me...

———————————————————————

It was cold. Even after the copious amounts of alcohol Ashton had consumed, the cool wind seemed to chill him to the very bone.

He pulled his leather jacket tighter around himself before realising he couldn’t hear his friends chatting tipsily anymore. Despite his inebriated state, Ashton knew that he should be able to hear them. The lane they were currently walking along was quite and otherwise deserted...

Glancing up, Ashton noticed that all three of his friends were much further ahead of him than they had been a moment ago. Maybe he was a lot drunker than he first thought.

The brunette man tried to pick up his pace, not wanting to be left behind in the cold and the darkness. Ashton’s legs felt heavy beneath him and the harder he tried to walk quickly the less his body seemed to want to obey him.

The sparse street lamps lining the narrow pavement started to flicker inexplicably. Ashton could see that his friends were still laughing and joking; Calum pulled Michael into a one armed hug as he scruffed his hair playfully and Luke looked on with a bright smile adorning his handsome young face. Not one of them seemed to notice the odd things happening around them or the fact that Ashton was no longer next to them.

Convinced that these strange occurrences must have something to do with that extra shot of whisky he knew he shouldn’t have had, Ashton opened his mouth to call out to his friends. Before he could even form the first syllable of his sentence, a high pitched wail cut through the silence that seemed to have enveloped him.

The shriek was almost deafening, surrounding Ashton so that it was impossible to know which direction it was coming from.

Trying to block out the ungodly noise by pressing his palms over both of his ears, Ashton whirled around, aimlessly trying to locate the source of the screeching.

Just as it felt like his head was going to implode, Ashton caught sight of the silhouette of what appeared to be a young woman standing under a large tree on the embankment on the opposite side of the road.

The flickering street lamps and weak moonlight made it difficult for Ashton to see the stranger clearly at this distance. It was obvious by the way she was leaning forward, clutching her chest, that she was the one screaming.

The woman’s face was angled directly at Ashton and as he took a few tentative steps towards her, he noticed just how tragically beautiful she was. Long strands of fiery red hair were trying to escape the loose hood of the old fashioned grey cape she was wearing. Red circles surrounded the woman’s eyes, like she’d been crying uncontrollably for longer than Ashton could even contemplate.

Fighting against the extreme fatigue in his muscles, the brunette man stumbled closer to the stranger. The tip of his leather boot was just about touching the grass verge when the shrieking stopped.

Just as suddenly as the hideous sound had started, it ceased, leaving nothing but a faint ringing in Ashton’s ears. He glanced up, locking eyes with the beautiful young woman for no longer than a few seconds as she whimpered weakly. She seemed exhausted from the crying but her pretty face was deathly pale, still saturated with grief.

Ashton wanted to help this stranger more than he could ever express. He wanted to soothe her pain and be there for her in any way that he could.

When Ashton was almost within touching distance of the beautiful redhead, she gasped, seemingly in fear as she flinched away from him.

Ashton opened his mouth, hoping that some comforting words would formulate and help calm this poor soul down a little.

No sound escaped him, though. The woman screamed again, even louder than before as she turned to look at the brunette’s three friends.

Of course Ashton followed her gaze. Despite the terrifying wailing surrounding him for a second time, he couldn’t help but smile. Luke, Michael and Calum were still laughing carelessly, he knew that, because of their joyful expressions and exaggerated hand motions. He still couldn’t hear them, though. All three of them still seemed oblivious to Ashton’s absence and somehow, not one of them showed any signs that they could hear the beautiful woman screeching.

For a moment, time seemed to slow down, almost as though Ashton was watching this little corner of the world in slow motion on TV screen. For those few seconds, everything was okay; the stranger stopped screaming, the street lamps stopped flickering, the moonlight seemed a little brighter...

It took a moment for Ashton to realise that the light the lane was suddenly bathed in wasn’t from the moon. It got brighter and brighter until Ashton realised with a jolt of horror that it was actually the headlights of a vehicle.

The vehicle was much too large for the narrow road and moving far too fast to manoeuvre safely to the nearest main road. Ashton knew he was far enough away from the road to be safe but the three most important people in the world to him were directly in the path of the oncoming truck.

Calum, Luke and Michael remained oblivious, huge smiles on each of their faces as they continued to make jokes that Ashton couldn’t hear.

Without hesitation, Ashton forced his legs to move as fast as possible. It was almost like he was traipsing through mud, his limbs were so heavy and useless and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t yell out to his friends either.

Just as he reached the road, time seemed to return to its normal speed without warning. The ‘slow motion’ effect vanishing suddenly along with the ringing in Ashton’s ears. All of a sudden, his world was a whirl of confusing movement, bright light, laughter turning to screaming and overwhelming pain...

Tag list: @clffrd @byxthexway @afuckingunicornn @lukesahoy @thrillchaser @moonchildsblack @calumbbyyy @h0tsos @valentinelrh @sexgodashton @megz1985 @stonedahlia-deactivated20191001 @myfalsedevotion @aulxna @honeyedlashton @tea4sykes

[tokyovisualife]

So, it seems I completely forgot about this update I wrote about in my previous post. Life honestly got in the way of me writing pretty much anything. Thus my stories are currently on hold though my head is happily plotting along, all while the memories of past lives slowly sink into the deeper corners of my heart and soul to rest there peacefully. I spent the majority of the past year in Australia, taking advantage of my visa that let me live there for a while, and so I only spent three months in Japan in total, visiting friends, some of whom I consider family, and going to various lives and events.

I have long since decided not to write much about lives and events here, since it’s a personal blog and not meant to be followed by half the fandom, so while various events last year were definitely beyond amazing, I’ll stick to the few I do like to mention here. AKi is a personal favorite, whom I have followed for about a decade. He has come to represent a lot of good things for me and my love for Japanese music and performances, and seeing him live makes me incredibly happy. So if you ever see him live and find a girl silently crying into her hands in a corner afterwards, don’t worry, it’s just me overwhelmed with my own happy feels.

This year I found a special love for the b-side song ‘Skyfall’, that is a very sweet, emotional song live. When he first played this, Aki told us about how much it really means for him, sharing his music and his time with us. He told us, for this song, he wanted to leave the lights on during the chorus so he could see us as we all sang together. It really was a very special moment. For me at least. AKi surely has his flaws, but I have always found him very genuine, sincere and quite sweet. Seeing him live, seeing him happy and smiling and doing something that he loves, makes me so happy. He represents so much good for me, and I wish all the best for him.

So here is the thing. I love and adore AKi and his music because of what he represents for me on a very personal level. I hold this very close to me. It’s special and sacred. Seeing him play and sing tears down the walls around my heart so fast I fear I’ll drown in my own feelings. I literally cry for him. So while I love seeing him play I do tend to stay in the back as to not have a complete meltdown and splashout of sobby happy feels down there on the front row. Last year, however, I had a few incidents where this became a bit complicated.

First has to do with that other favorite that I like to mention in here more often than not. Kenzo is a personal favorite for completely different and yet somewhat relatable reasons, and I tend to attend at least a few shows with him when I am in Tokyo. The best one last year was definitely his birthday live. There is something so personal and intimate about Kenzo’s little get togethers when he just invites all his friends to come play with him and it is always an absolute pleasure to be there. I missed him singing, because I quite love it when he does, but he made up for it with all the awesome things they played for us.

And then AKi came in with his birthday cake. It was just one of those things bound to happen some day because they pretty much consider each other family, and yet it was so completely unexpected because AKi is usually never there, not even as a guest. So while my friends were cheering excitedly up close to the front, I counted my blessings, because I am always in the back for Kenzo. All while trying not to cry my happy little heart out. It also really did not help that they played my favorite song from the one project I have not yet seen Kenzo perform with. ‘Mr. Shadow’ is an excellent song by Karasu and had it actually been Tatsurou on vocals as it is supposed to be, I would have surely died.

That was one thing. Then there was Jack in the Box. Now, while they are not one of the bands I talk about here, I am a massive, long-time fan of MUCC. So as a member of their fanclub, I had pretty damn good tickets to this event. More precisely, I was on the third row. Way waaay too close to AKi. It was a great show, it really was, but I think my heart imploded. However, it also allowed me to see something that made me so so happy to see. Kenzo, at the side for AKi’s solo performance, cheering, singing and playing air drums for the song he recorded with AKi, with the biggest smile on his face. Their friendship makes me happy, albeit slightly terrified due to the proximity it brings AKi into at times.

So, the year quickly came to an end after that. I stayed around in Tokyo for another month, though not for any of these boys. I came back, just a few days ago, but that story I will write in another post, this one is already insane.

[aion-rsa]

Latour Predicts an Action Packed 2017 for Southern Bastards

The fictional setting of Jason Aaron and Jason Latour’s Eisner-winning “Southern Bastards,” Craw County, Alabama is a powder keg waiting to explode. The fuse was lit in 2014’s series’ opening arc when Euless Boss, the local crime lord and high school football coach, murdered a man named Earl Tubb. It’s been a slow burning fuse, especially in 2016, when the series only released three issues. But Earl Tubb’s Marine Corps member daughter Roberta has finally arrived in Craw County, and will soon enact her plans for vengeance.

RELATED: Latour On Finally Tying Up His Loose Ends with Brunner & Renzi

2017 is sure to be a big year for the series, as Boss contends with Roberta, several new and soon to be introduced power players, and his team’s losing streak. We spoke with Latour about the plans for the book, why Roberta Tubb was given a slow burn introduction into the larger story he and Aaron are telling, and how important it is for him to have a book to draw, especially now that he’s known for his work as a writer on books like Marvel Comics’ “Spider-Gwen.”

CBR: There were only three issues of “Southern Bastards” published in 2016, and I imagine that’s partly because you and Jason Aaron are really busy guys. Was it also because you guys want to give the series the time it deserves?

Jason Latour: Yeah, we went into this never expecting anybody to really buy our football-murder comic. [Laughs] We knew we had a chance to do something interesting because we were both so invested in it, and because people who knew Jason A’s work knew that “Scalped” was really good. But the book has been about 10,000 times more successful than I ever thought it would be.

Part of staying the course, to keep it on the level of what we both expect and get out of it, is to put the comic out that we feel comfortable with. Like you said, both of us are very busy with our careers, so we’ve got a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. That hasn’t helped our schedule, no, but there was definitely an organic story-centric need for a recharge at the end of arc number three.

We’re just very committed to making sure this comic is served when the meal is ready. [Laughs] There’s a lot of comics out there that people can consume like fast food. They can get them on demand. They can get them when they’re greedy for them, but this is a comic we try to treat exactly like good barbecue. You cook the pig until it’s right; when the pig is done, it’s done. When it’s gone, it’s gone, and you close up for the day. I’m certain that frustrates some people, but I’m also confident in the product and the effort that goes into making the comic that only we make, the way only we can make it.

That said, I really thank people for being patient because the readers that have been loyal to this comic have gone above and beyond normal fandom. I can’t speak highly enough about their passion for it. It’s really endearing and gratifying and energizing.

November’s #15 focused primarily on the imploding world of Coach Boss, but we did see a little more of Roberta Tubb, who is in Craw County doing recon. What made you and Jason want to give her such a slow burn introduction? And will we finally see what Roberta is capable during the current arc?

Yes, the end of this arc is probably conceived as the most action packed thing we’ve done. It will heavily involve bringing Roberta to the forefront and her enacting the first step of her plan. Hopefully, everything draws together, and by the end this story will have one of the most explosive arcs we’ve done to date.

Easing Roberta into the story was really necessary, because this is a story where the premise has always been that the bastards have won the day. They’re in charge. Wanting to see people like Coach Boss toppled, or feeling conflicted about Coach Boss and not knowing if you want him to fail or not is all very important to the way this comic works. That needed to be set up slowly.

We sort of introduced a white hat early in Earl Tubb, but introducing the real protagonist so soon would have done the comic a disservice, especially considering that, thematically, a big part of this story revolves around setting up this a very toxic and masculine environment. You have to see the consequences of that and get to know the players and the lay of the land before you introduce the person who could potentially up end it in Roberta Tubb.

It was a big gamble on our part where we knew that our fourth issue threw people a curve ball, and then we asked them to wait a long time for any real release. But I think the small releases people have experienced do seem amplified by that.

With “Southern Bastards,” you can always expect us to be true to the story that we’re telling, whether that takes a little longer to actually make the comic, or it takes a little longer to play out some elements. Sometimes what you expect isn’t necessarily what you’re going to enjoy.

Issue #15 also introduced readers to a new power player in Craw County, the mayor’s wife, Leddy. What can you tell us about her? How big a role will she play in the series moving forward?

We’ve plotted through a lot of the next two arcs, and more and more, Leddy keeps popping up in conversations. Where she comes from and her actual hold over things are stuff that certainly needs to be explored. She’s an interesting antagonist or foil for Coach Boss. I am a little hesitant to go into how much we’ll see of her, but she’s definitely going to be a player moving forward. In many ways, she seems like a good mirror for Roberta.

I’m curious about another new character who appears on the cover of “Southern Bastards” #17. He looks a lot like an older Burt Reynolds, and appears to have a pet monkey. Who is he?

[Laughs] That’s Colonel Quick McCluskey. He is a character who we both very quickly (pun embraced) have fallen in love with. I told Jason Aaron that there will be a point in the future where people might look back on this comic and instead of saying that’s where the book jumped the shark, they’ll say that’s where they introduced the monkey. [Laughs]

He is a rival crime boss that supports a rival football team. I’ll leave it at that. He’ll definitely be a major player in this next arc, and maybe even moving forward beyond that. He’s been a lot of fun.

When things are very serious, they sort of reflect how absurd life is. So to me, McClusky fits that sort of Coen Brothers vibe we’re both big fans of. So ridiculous, he’s terrifying. We’re always trying to feed stuff like that into this comic because that’s the way I think we both feel about real life.

One of the things we’ve been reminded of throughout “Southern Bastards” is how big an impact the past has on the present. It looks like March’s issue #18 will show how the past impacts Roberta.

Yes. It was Faulkner who said, “The past is prelude.” That’s the most educated book learned thing you’re going to ever hear me say. [Laughs] I think that’s true of both “Southern Bastards” and “Loose Ends” [a series by Latour, Chris Brunner]. Both Southern fiction and Crime fiction share this obsession with how the ripples of past mistakes can become this tidal wave in the present.

Issue #18 is by me and Chris Brunner. That’s a chapter I’m writing and he’s drawing. What Roberta is going to be weighing in that issue is just how much her father, Earl Tubb, actually got what he was looking for in the end. And how much of the impact he made on her growing up has led her to Craw County — and to this seemingly inescapable momentum that’s put her on a collision course with Coach Boss.

Chris is drawing issue #18, but you’re the regular artist. How does it feel to have a book where you can go and draw when you’re doing so much writing these days?

It’s very difficult, but also invaluable. As somebody who’s drawn his whole life I need that gear shift. Writing is something that I take very seriously, and I’m very fond of . . . when it’s going well. [Laughs]

For me, there’s sort of a meditative quality to drawing. Once I’ve done a lot of thinking about the storytelling on the page I then actually have to execute it. That’s a very time intensive process where you have to sit there and basically break your back over the board for a couple hours every night. It can be almost mechanical at times— but I think it really helps me think through what I want to do creatively. So writing and drawing are two things that are very intrinsically linked for me. I may eventually scale back on drawing some (as if it’s even possible for me to do less, right?) because it’s a lot harder, but I don’t ever want to quit. It’s all storytelling, and that’s what I love.

Does being a working artist improve the collaborations on the other books you’re writing?

I definitely think it has. I’m very fortunate to say that I’ve done every single creative task when it comes to making comics, except being an editor… at least formally. I even lettered “Loose Ends” by hand. I’ve done every one of the jobs on both a creator-owned and professional basis, and I’ve done them to varying degrees of success.

It certainly helps when you’re collaborating on a comic, because on one hand, you know what you’re talking about, and on the other hand you know how it feels to sit in that chair and be that other person. I imagine there have been some times when my experiences doing those other tasks have gotten in the way, but more times than not they’ve helped with communication and the empathy you need to keep those relationships alive.

You know how they say directors should take acting classes so they know exactly what to yell at the actors? [Laughs] That’s sort of what it’s like.

What else does 2017 holds for “Southern Bastards?” The Image site suggests the next issue will hit in January and we’ll be getting one issue a month for the next several months.

That will be the attempt. We don’t want to have too many long gaps on this next arc. Issue #15 is out now. Issue #16 has gone to the printer. There’s issue #17 and then Chris Brunner is drawing #18 from a script I wrote. The last two parts make the arc an even six issues, and will put us to right around the end of Spring for the conclusion.


Then there’s talk of me potentially tackling a floating issue all by myself, on both writing and art. If that happens or not is contingent on lots of stuff, but it’s something I’m very excited about. Then we’ll probably take a break and assess when we’ll come back for Volume 5 from there.

So I can’t stress enough that we’re far from done with this comic. 2017 is hopefully going to be a more productive year. I’ve been joking that we did less issues in 2016 because we knew it was gonna be a bad year and we want people good and ready to tear shit up in 2017.

Truthfully, I’d say we’re roughly approaching the midway point to the series and I’m very hopeful and excited about what’s to come because every time Jason and I have creative jam sessions about where we’re headed, I leave feeling more and more excited about it. Which is strange for me, given that I never thought I’d draw a comic bigger than a one shot. [Laughs]

So staring down the barrel at a series that could potentially run 30-40 issues is really intimidating, but also exciting. I’m just very grateful for everybody who supported us at this point and I hope they continue to enjoy the little football murder comic that could.

The post Latour Predicts an Action Packed 2017 for Southern Bastards appeared first on CBR.com.

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