#another for the imagine its shiny gang

[steel--fairy]

more stylings -- diancie and mega diancie

[itsgirlcraft]

TW gore/veins, bloodshot eye

...so guess who just made a Rainbow Pickaxe™ minecraft texture/pixel art ahaha-

This is. Specifically the Steve Labs version- yes that one-off video with Assistant Steve and everything-

And yup this is ALSO for my TWA AU lol, but I got an idea for a mod too 😅

Uhhh @its-indigos @dracl-dragon

I think yall would be interested?

Explanation under the cut :3

So like- au first-

In TWA, there's 3 rainbow pickaxes: TSS, RQ, and Steve Labs here. Currently, I'm imagining RQ to be bedazzled with jewels and is very shiny and sturdy. TSS is probably (mostly) like that one drawing I posted, but a bit more...idk, element-based? Fire n water and all that.

And then there's this one. I imagine he has a fleshy texture. You can feel his heartbeat in the handle, his anxious breathing. Sure, the other two have faces, but this...is different. Tbh, this texture is just gory bc I didn't feel like adding the limbs directly. But I imagine he has at least 1 semi-functional hand, maybe both. That's why he can drag himself around as a dropped item.

I'm not quiteeee sure how I wanna design that part, like where his mouth, other eye, ears maybe, etc, go. I'd base it off of the configuration of his body in the crafting grid (head middle-left, torso center, legs middle-right), but that doesn't quite...work well?? Idk what to do with his legs.

Yeah and so. Eventually the main TWA gang find the Steve Lab, which is like. Immediately after the video ends, so Rainbow has just escaped and is trying to get away from the lab. And the group run into him nearby, which accidentally alerts Labs!Assistant/Sabre to Rainbow's location. The unexpected company ofc makes them curious, and while the gang try to convince Rainbow to trust them, the Labs duo come over and just barely see Rain before he hides behind the group's legs.

As for the mod idea- ahahaa it's uhhh interesting? There's three variants of the pickaxe, this one is the first. You can either a, find him just in a chest/out in the wild, b, craft him yourself, or c, steal it like. From another player or maybe the lab itself. Form 1 is just called the Rainbow Pickaxe, and its little like..tag thing? Says "you can feel his heartbeat. It's very fast.." When you first mine/hit something, the tag becomes "It appears to be bleeding. Its eye is pleading in silence."

If you find him, his relationship with you is more neutral, and if you craft him, it's already negative. The more you use him, the more he bleeds, and the worse it all just..is. Sometimes you can hear crying if he's in a chest, whether or not you use him. He's probably got decent enchantments and/or abilities, so you'd *like* to use him. If you drop him, he starts running away. If you manage to catch him, the tag becomes "Why couldn't you give me freedom?"

Form 2 happens if you gather the necessary materials to transform him back, it's also possible if you simply summon him and don't turn him into a pickaxe at all. It's probably, like, decently midgame, maybe redstone-infused diamonds, idk. But whatever it is, it takes effort to achieve. If you crafted him originally, he's gonna attack and run away. You won't get to have a good relationship for a long time, maybe never. If you found him, and especially if you didn't/barely used him, he'll have a good relationship with you. If you used him a lot, you'll have a more neutral relationship.

In this form, he becomes a Steve again. Since he's not exactly well-versed in ✨️life✨️, he doesn't have a good grip on his powers, if any. He has pickaxe-shaped horns and wings/tail. If you have a good enough relationship, which requires further development once you turn him back, he'll give/trade you the "pure pickaxe." This is the diamond pickaxe with his energy partially infused, and it provides many good things for you, such as being a dynamic light, weapon, and tool, all in one. It has the tag, "he trusts you to wield his vessel once again."

In the positive relationship, he can help ofc with mining, but he prefers aboveground resource gathering, despite being better at underground exploration. He can glow, as well as use said pure pickaxe before he gives it to you. If you've talked to him, either through the chat or thru paper/books, he'll slowly start speaking to you, starting with a "Thank you" when you turn him back.

In the negative relationship, he escapes and leaves you behind, actively avoiding you. He doesn't attack much - he's more like a frightened animal. Same with the neutral relationship. In the neutral one, you can gain his trust, it's just a bit harder since he's now a person. Providing him with resources can help.

The third form happens if you decide to kill him at this point: the "haunted rainbow pickaxe." Which can only be obtained if you go thru this whole process, and is on a similar power/utility level to the pure pickaxe. It's similar in mechanics to the first form, but more intense. Sometimes it will cry out in pain. The tag on this one ranges from "his heart beats no longer. Only cries of pain are left behind." to "my wails of betrayal haunt your mind. I trusted you. Why?" to "no turning back now." Mostly depending on how much you use him.

He can't be turned back. One key difference between pure and haunted is that this has no light, and has a special attack which sometimes damages you/gives you negative effects. The haunted texture is a more gruesome form of the og variant, while the pure texture basically just removes the gore. There's still an eye on it, though. Sometimes the haunted form will grow a mouth on its handle and bite you.

[dullgecko]

Heyo so u wanted to come if on anon for a while now but also wanted to have another headcanon or idea to share when I do, but I think I’m pretty taped out for new ideas.

Anyway here I am surprise 🎉

I still regularly check out your page and I always enjoy seeing the new posts and responses plus any updates to the chaos horde au.

Also I know I said I’m out of things to share at this moment but I did have one small thing for my new favourite of Tiktik;

I remember a post about goblins having very strong opinions on fashion and the idea that once they find a look they like they stick with it and go full force with it.

So Tiktik decides to stay in elmville for a while just to visit the gang, particular her pretty cleric and see how they just generally live their lives etc.

Part of this is going to a mall or clothing store to get her solace appropriate clothing. My initial thought was to Tiktik was going full goth mode since she’s used to wearing dark clothing anyway like most goblins do to blend in with shadows and night and I imagine her loving the intricate shiny jewellery, studs and spikes she can add.

But then I thought hang on, for the first time in her life she doesn’t have to worry about camouflage or standing out to much or she’ll possibly be eaten, and now has access unlimited to all these new and exciting clothes (Fabian offered to buy her anything she wanted and get it tailored to her size later, he claims it’s just a welcome gift but secretly it’s more of a thank you for helping get me and Riz together gift).

So she goes for the brightest most gaudy clothes she can find, I’m talking rainbow leggings, several different kinds of bright plastic bracelets on each arm and necklaces along with the loudest patterned shirts and skirt/shorts anyone’s ever seen.

She comes out of the dressing room and while everyone saw the clothes she picked out it’s still a shock to actually see it all together and before anyone can say anything to try and talk her out of her fashion choices, Kristen does her best impression of a suggestive/impressed goblin growl genuinely finding the outfit she’s wearing to be HOT (she wears tie dye and a yellow tracksuit, her fashion sense aren’t the best).

Also thing honestly was only meant to be a small thing but it kinda got away from me 😅

Xx

God i love it so much but also AHHH HI <3

The goblins up in the mountains actually have fairly nice clothing. They might not have cotton, but they have a kind of silk harvested from creatures they farm in the darkness of their caves. Very strong and rip-proof so it can withstand their claws and it feels wonderful against your skin. Adventurers used to find bolts of the silk in goblin caves and attributed it to them stealing it from elven settlements.

The stereotype of a goblin wearing threadbare rags is only because adventurers were constantly encountering them after destroying their homes and trying to exterminate them. Textile arts take time and if you're constantly running for your life and moving you dont have time to make any new outfits. It gets put on the backburner even more so if your species doesnt have much of a taboo about nudity.

Its almost always dyed mostly greens and dark browns so their camoflage doesnt get disrupted too badly but it's all tailored to fit well, and tight, so it doesnt get snagged on anything.

Other than the silks they'll usually also have leather clothing. There's plenty of it to go around since they hunt for 99% of their food so its usually what smaller kits wear since they'll grow out of it fast.

Tiktik comes to Solace and there's just SO MANY different fabrics and colours, so she spends hours just wandering around a store running her hands over things to test how they feel (some of the textures are repulsive and Riz agrees). She finds some stuff she likes and goes a little wild on the colour choices ands up stepping out of the changing room and its just like

Riz is kindof glad he's wearing light-filtering glasses.

[sharpmidnight]

TSSM Pokemon Au Part 4

I watched some Pokemon videos and decided to give TSSM characters Pokemon for fun! This is also going off of @hermesserpent-stuff ‘s Spider Nephew Au. Also, there might be some people with the same Pokemon for different reasons; either they fit two people, or it’s to match with someone. I also base some of these Pokemon in different ways, from types, aesthetics, Pokedex Entries, jobs, powers, and backstories. I also won’t mind explaining my reasoning because I did a lot of research for them. Also, I tried o make sure they had diverse types, but some people might have more than 1 of the same type. Another thing is that I like to imagine that Peter and the other villains have 3 Pokemon for their civilian image and then the other 3 for their hero/villain work. 

The last thing is that I have only played up to Generation 8, and I have yet to play the other games. So my bad, if there is another Pokemon that suits them better.(let me know plz)

I will highlight their starter and their strongest. Red is their strongest, and blue is their starter. Purple is both. Any that has a * are their secret team. 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

L. Thompson Lincoln/Tombstone

(Shiny) Glaceon (Ice) 

Lucario (Fighting/Steel) *

Haxorus (Dragon) 

Golisopod (Bug/Water) *

Bisharp (Dark/Steel) *

Nidoqueen (Poison/Ground) 

Tombstone was bullied as a child as he looked different than other kids. One day, he hid from others so he wouldn't get beaten up. When the bush he was hiding in started moving. He was met with a shiny Eevee hiding from its siblings for the same reason. Lonnie took it home to heal it but had to hide it from other people. When the other kids found out, they were jealous that he had found a shiny pokemon. They bullied him about it even more for different reasons (that he didn’t deserve a shiny pokemon or that he managed to find a weird Pokemon like him). Eevee was his only true friend for a while (He also thought that Robbie was his only human friend). Next, he found a Wimpod who was also hiding from others for being weak. He decided to take care of it, too. When he was walking with Robbie Roberton, they found some Nidorans, both female and male. Robbie suggested catching them since he knows they would be strong Pokemon when they evolve (Lonnie got the female one since he liked blue more. Also, Robbie just wanted another Pokemon for Lonnie so he can be more protected from those bullies). He knew he had to be tougher so others would leave him alone. He caught a Riolu to start training himself to be a better fighter. So when he got older, no one messed with him anymore. He did get shady jobs and eventually went into crime but thought of nothing of what he wanted to do in the future. It wasn’t until he was thinking about enemy gangs that he had to deal with and wishing there was a way to stop them. He then watches a Bisharp leading a group of Pawniards to hunt and gets the idea of being a mob boss. He eventually catches a Pawniard and rises in ranks. When he was almost to the top, he knew he needed one more strong Pokemon. When his men revealed some stolen Pokemon another gang had, he watched how Fraxure never backed down. He decided to keep that one and evolved it for his image as a strong trainer as a mask for L Thompson Lincoln. 

Hammerhead

Bastiodon (Rock/Steel)

Rampardos (Rock)

Grandbull (Fairy)

Garchomp (Dragon/Ground)

Sharpedo (Water/Dark)

Mawile (Steel/Fairy)

Hammerhead had a tough childhood since his father was the one who controlled the house, and he couldn’t really get any Pokemon for a while without him approving it. When his father finally let him, they were all dog Pokemon, mostly Growlithe and Houndor. Until he found a Snubull that he liked. His father was going to order him to leave the Snubull because of its look until the breeder showed him what it evolves to and said it was okay to keep it. He caught different Pokemon, but his father never approved any of them except for Gibble. When he finally had enough, he fought his father when both of his Pokemon evolved and ran away. He later joined a gang. Somewhere, he caught a Sharpedo. As he was fighting a rival gang, he got hurt really badly and was taken by a scientist. He gave him his steel skull, including a Sheildon and Cranidos, since the scientist already tested the two pokemon for their skulls and didn’t need them anymore. He joined Silvermane’s gang for a while. He and Silver Sable were dating at one point as she managed to get them to have the same pokemon since she thought it would be cute. So they both have a Malwile. They ended up breaking up, but Hammerhead kept his Malwile. Now, he works for Tombstone.

Sable Manfredi/Silver Sable 

Mawile (Steel/Fairy)

Skarmory (Steel/Flying)

Weavile (Dark/Ice)

Beautifly (Bug/Flying)

Gorebyss (Water)

Lurantis (Grass)

Sable got any Pokemon she wanted from her dad. As a child,  her first pokemon was a Wurmple because her mother had a Beautifly, and she wanted one, too. Her father asked if she wanted fully evolved pokemon so she could have it, but she wanted to evolve them herself, so he let her. Later she she managed to get a Clampearl and a Formantis as a teen. She still didn’t know what other pokemon to get later. At one point, she dated Hammerhead a few years later. She thought it would be cute to have the same pokemon together. They both caught a Malwile. Eventually, they broke up, but Sable kept her Malwile. Later, Sable was trying to figure out what to do with herself while her father was in prison. She started training and trying to figure out what she could use. She caught a Weavile for offense. Then, a Skarmory for aerial attacks and a getaway ride. 

Cameleon 

Ditto (Normal)

Zorark (Dark) 

Mr. Mime (Psychic/Fairy)

Kecleon (Normal)

Castform (Normal) (Changes Types)

Oricorio (Flying) (Changes Types)

Dewpider (Water/Bug) (Abandoned)

Dmitri Nikolaievich Smerdyakov didn’t have the best childhood growing up. Living in the household of the Kravinoff family was tough, and one of the ways he tried to impress them was his acting skills by disguising himself as someone else, inspired by watching a Ditto that they let him keep but was the only one that was allowed to. Someone noticed his talents and asked if he wanted to join his brother’s group of impersonators. He also offered him a Zorua too, if he joined. Dmitri left the house, without anyone knowing, and began his criminal career. He eventually evolved Zorua to Zororark. Although he was very picky about which pokemon to get. He then decided that he wanted Pokemon that can transform or other performing types. He caught a Kecleon for its ability to turn invisible, easier for it to escape. Mr. Mime for  Psychic moves to stop people/pokemon or when Zoroark is pretending to be something else, Mr. Mime tries to use psychic in some way that it looks like Zoroark is attacking them with the “correct” moves. Castform and Oricorio came later and used their switching types as an advantage. After a while of being alone, he heard about another criminal using theatre tricks. He hunted him down and found Quintin Beck and the Tinkerer. They decided to become a group. At one point, he managed to convince Quentin to get a Zorua (in reality he was the one who needed that Zorua and did this as an excuse because he always has one slot open when impersonating someone else and catching that pokemon just to release it.) When he wanted to impersonate Spiderman, Quentin caught him a Dewpider. When his plan failed, he told Quentin to get rid of it and decided to leave the other two to go solo. 

Extra Stuff: Hammerhead and Sable’s Malwile are on good terms so they greet each other when they see each other. It annoys the other two when they are trying to battle. 

But if Mysterio and Chameleon’s Zoroark see each other, they fight since Chameleon boasts that his pokemon is stronger.

Hammerhead’s Granbull might look tough, but when they are alone it turns into a big baby. Hammerhead believes he might have pampered it too much as a child, but he doesn’t complain that much…until it needs a bath. 

Sable grabs onto Skarmary’s leg when they are flying but Beautifly likes to get out of her ball to join them. 

Hammerhead’s pokemon likes to headbutt him for no reason (affectionate) other than they know he can take it. However, Malwile bites him even though he already told them to stop. (They won’t)

Tombstone’s Glaceon would sleep next to his desk but when it’s not wandering around it sits on his desk, watching him work. 

Tombstone’s Glaceon is curious about Peter’s Eevee, since it’s been a long time since it has been near another Eevee, but gets too close to Eevee that it gets annoyed. 

Not many people will train their own Pokemon by fighting them, but Tombstone likes to spar with his. 

Nidoqueen is the Pokemon that is mostly concerned about Tombstone’s health. She makes sure he eats and sleeps. Since she did promise Robbie that she will take care of him.

[stonyponyofficial]

aw sweet! see what it says on the calendar?summer has sprung, it seems! some might say its time to show u sillies some songs for the season!

spotify link :3 :: yt link :3

full list + notes under the cut ^w^

Aluralura - Sweet Trip: this somg is soooooo fucking smooth. and cool. using the strictest definition of cool i can. perhaps cooler than cool. dk what ud even call that but this is it. sounds like i should be cruisin down the information highway to this straight up. feels like im being hit with a million little lightning bolts in. a good way? that doesnt sound good but it is. ull get it just listen pls just li

Babe of the Abyss - Girls Rituals: UGH devi.. i was so sad when this was pulled from streaming for a bit like some of the other singles from the upcoming girls rituals, but thankfully it did return :3 unlike the rest of those songs :/ eh this one is good enough to make up for it! so glittery and clicky and kinda unlike a lot of other songs devis done but it's v unique like that :3 the cover is interesting to me too bc it looks ai generated and it reminds me of a video devi made explaining her songwriting process a bit and after setting an arpeggiater (dk if i spelled that right lmao) to random she said she likes the collaboration between her and her computer and letting the computer decide some things like that :3 idk just a neat little factoid for ya

BALD! - JPEGMAFIA: was gonna put one of the tracks off scaring the hoes in this spot but, after deciding to go through peggys solo stuff a bit i liked this one even more than those ones :3 he has a very interesting and wide ranging sound tho so im really excitied to listen to more. uhh nothing else to say really. juts good song 👍

Cops and robbers - underscores: new underscores era hello anyone rockin wit it???? ME im rocking with jt thank u very much!! that one song count of three (you can eat $#@!), which ive heard is very good :3, was the end of the fishmonger era for them, where the "thing" was apparently that underscores wanted guitar on each track. still trying to find The thing about this eras sound, and maybe its the deeming it "the Wallsocket era", but to me everything just feels very buzzy, very electrically alive idk. like theres just this CRT/fluorescent light hum that backs the bass at the beginning. and the middle section just sounds like im listening to a fucking tesla coil make a pop song. shit Rocks. and Fucks. i give this one the Makes Violet Sing And Dance Around In Her Room Alone award this season, which is something i will absolutely be doing from now on and will not forget for the fall hehe :3

Dariacore Song Tutorial - leroy/Jane Remover: wait i thought there was YEAH there was dariacore on the last one, but as ive seen it so elegantly explained, this is a jane song more than a dariacore song. i mean obviously sonically right, no memey hyperpop mash up font, just some loud ass guitars n drums, but its good!!! jane literally incapable of missing.

Dress Down - Kaoru Akimoto: one of my many music moments recently has been getting into city pop more! i kiiinda only know the hits, of which this is definitely one of them, but ive seen my way around a bit B) (my cool sunglasses guy do not steal.) and even after my journey round the city.. pop, this is still one of my faves.

FELL - Varg^2™️ (im toolazy to make it superscript sowwy) & Bladee: since i began my drain journey i thought id listened to most if not all of bladees stuff besides like really old stuff that actually isnt good. like, bladee isnt good, but u get used to it as the saying goes and u kinda get to see his artistic vision unfold as he releases new stuff. but old bladee really isnt good. anyway imagine my delight and splendor when i see theres another Varg^2TM, Bladee collab... besides ecco and the rest of drain gang varg is probably my favorite bladee collaborator. in fact i almost put SHINIE, another collab from them, on some spring songs but it didnt make the cut unfortch. glad i could find something new from them to dig into mm yummy bladee :3

!¡! find the answer ¡!¡ - six impala: holy FUCK i am listening to six impala!

光の中へ (hikari no naka e)- Kessoku Band: yeah yeah i know there was kessoku band on the last one BUT THEY MADE MORE SO I LISTENED TO IT. they have such good push and pull with their tunes. like the moments of silence/slowing down before going all out. the quick drum interjections to pick things back up again. like nijikas fuckin getting it!!!! actually i read something recently about the critical reception to kessoku band, the self titled album, that makes a similar point. they were saying that although the album is just good j-rock on its own, the strength of the individual instruments and the texture of the songs themselves embodies the characters in your mind. like i listened to the beginning a bit closer one time and heard the little shreds the guitar was giving at the top and it instantly made me think like "oh shit bocchis fucking tearing it up!" soooo good instantly one of my faves from them.

It Was A Good Day - Ice Cube: fuuuuuuck i cant fucking find it i wasngonna put it here bc its the reason i added it to my playlist and have been listening to it so mch recently but. i cant find it. it was a top text bottom text cat meme edit of this song, in the same vein as that one of death grips' hacker. a very good morning walk song btw, cuz even tho it would be very easy for that situation to feel trite, im like shit. mama cooked the breakfast with no hog! todays gonna be a good day. it usually isnt with where im heading on my morning walk but. eventually itll be a good day! and the iced cube told me that.

Les Os - The Unicorns: sooooo this song is extremely horny to me sorry. also very kinda toxic t4t core but thats juts meeeeeee :3... + the singers voice is very similar in register to mine when in singing so it makes it v easy to project who daid that.... uhh anywag in the ol violet amv machine (what i call my brain) i imagine the singer with the mic stand tilted back between their legs, perhaps a cheeky little leg wrap around like sexy singers tend to do, as they stare down from the stage into yuor eyes specifically. asking u directly, out of everyone. tell me bout ur love affairs.. tell me bout ur moral resignations... so then u meet after the show and [transmission lost]

LOU - whoTF (Folie & Forget Basement), Fraxiom: [transmission regained] and from the production stylings of new hyperpop ish duo whoTF comes another lyrical miracle from the mind and pen of fraxiom music!!! includes such bangers as "I’m blowing up your car/I see Mercedes boom/I’m off four drinks of alcohol/Pissing in the ladies room!" rhyming "you can watch a youtube video" with "get your fitted tutu biddie hoe" (LIKE?) and also the amazing outro from which i could just paste the whole thing but this part resonates especially "I need to become alive, in the morning, like a rooster!/Don't talk to me until I've had my coffee and foodstuffs"..."Estradiol, finasteride, adderall, and thc im juiced up!" making rooster rhyme with foodstuff and juiced up and also everything else in that part god. they dont call them fraxiom fucking music for nothing. um but also whoTF is v good, for one without frax that is still good listen to cigs up as well :3

Natural Disasters - Enon: love me a song with a strange guitar hook! ive heard this bands like top 2 songs (which include this one) bc it was just a night of spotify surfing, but those two songs are quite good. very boucy, good energy. makes me wanna do the bounce in place dance and flail my arms as i sing only the chorus and maybe try to approximate the sounds of the lyrics i dont know. sounds like a good time to me!

Overflow - Een Glish, Tyfty, Ben Glish: eek! so ai voiced songs specifically rap is very good to me. that family ties edit with spongebob and patrick is probably one of my favorite pieces of music. but this artist is v interesting to me :3 een glish is a vocaloid (? not sure if entirely correct but u get what im getting at) made from the google translate ladys voice. and its GOOD this one specifically is very catchy but she has bars too!!! check out rap game bob ross too, and also the remix with bars from SONIC HELLO? im giving this one the Sound of the Summer distinction bc not only is it a very summery jam, but it is the one im really telling u to check out if u get the chance. lots of good jams here.

Scatman - Scatman John (DJ Kadozer 2003 Remix): (why did i accidentally type out 'evil remix' at first?) sooooo i was having a bit of a scatman moment recently, as was documented in THIS other epic music post u should go check out if u havent already hihhii :3 tho she TOTALLY STOLE the one i was gonna do, Scatman's World, cuz everyone knows scatman right? skabadaba bweebopbopbadop bop? bopbop badop bop? yeah that one! but.... have u ever heard scatman. like this???? probably not... all im sayin... scat vocals/eurobeat foundation translated to this stabbing edm remix.. its quite good. good enough that the first few seconds alone get me to smile big like this :)

Shop - Toby Fox: songs to order a You. Pick. 2... to...... haha but seriously guys this ones just a really chill one :3 i can alwasy hear the you. pick. 2. part in the song bc theyre punctuated exactly the same way its kinda hell. im chillin. like usual. listenin to undertale musicand then how boutta You. Pick. 2. with some brawwwcolli cheddah. onsecond th... and then were done with that and back to the normal undertale song! like an angle in the knight.. or tiers in the reign...... here and then gone forever. truly, ephemeral..............................

The Flag Is Raised - Asian Glow: in case we couldn't drain enough this summer, asian glow put out this really neat interpretation of one of my faves off bladee and ecco2k's recent masterpiece, Crest. follows in the footsteps of many a bladee cover for me where the cover often plays over the actual song in my head. like i expect certain isntrumentation when i listen to the original that is only present in the cover but that just means theyre both good ! the guitars and the cymbals all over this make this version feel so shiny... aww and they use the little sigil ring from Crest on the cover for it too :"3

THE FLIES - Operation Sodasteal: think i mentioned this in the tags of a post that im sure uve all read before coming to class today, but ive been listening to a lot of these guys recently! just some furry emo nightcore rock that sounds plucked right out of 2007. the one vocalist, slaney(in)famous i think? im not confident which is which, has such a good voice for it too like they have all the good vocal inflections of ur typical lead pop punk vocalist, and i usually just end up singing the lyrics like them bc im just a silly little mirror huh?

This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads: ooobh i got plany off time....... yeag ive been getting down with this jam recently :3 another good morning walk tune. been trying to get into talking heads a bit more too bc every song i hear is soooo good. like i almost put the girl wants to be with the girls here bc of that OTHER meme edit i actually dont remember if it was lolcats again. it was specifically the "girls are getting into.. abstract analysis!" OHHBB it was a rose homestuck thing bc i memba her sitting at her lappytop :3 doin some fuckin abstract analysis i suppose..

Tin Man - feeble little horse: this is another single turned favorite-song-on-the-full-album-bc-i-took-too-long-making-this-list-again-lol. i love what theyre doin to these guitars maan theyre really fuckin em up in there..... also i love that this band just calls its music guitar music. its fuckin true.

Vicinity of Obscenity - System Of A Down: songs that have done irreversible damage to my psyche and syntax. i will bust out a banana banana banana terracotta banana terracotta terracotta pie when the fuck ever just let me know the time and place my man. it is such a vocal stim for me. this whole song is honestly. some of the silliest nu metal u can get ur paws on i checked (she is lying to u again tho it is quite silly with it 😳) + had to go with the 2008 youtube editor lyric video for the youtube playlist obviously.

ahmmmmm so thanks u all once again for enjoying some more songs with me (summer edition)!!!!! <3333 see yall...... in the fall.. with some more songs hehe (or perhaps for summer......2! who knowce :3 the summers still got plany off time as some might say)

[kakusu-shipping]

Eeee im so happy you wanna know more bout my pokemon SI!! So heres some lore heheh

Her first shiny pokemon was a Eevee she caught while she was travelling with ash in johto! Until that point she had a Mareep that her parents gave her named Millie :)

Since the Eevee was caught in the snow, Amy named it Aurora, and its since turned into a Sylveon :)

At first she was only travelling with Ash and the gang to study his Noctowl, but after it wasn't on his team at that moment, Amy decided to keep travelling with them cause they actually became good friends!

Also she started falling for ash in hoenn ooh but thats another story :3

Feel free to pop by anytime!!

-@thundercloudshipping

Aaaaaaaa hee hee cross regional!!!! Multiple generations of Ash lover that's so cool!! My self ship with James is really only locked to the Alolan arc of the anime so mad respects for covering multiple seasons! (tho I imagine it's Johto-Hoenn for Childhood nostalgia reasons dkfjkd)

Thankyou for sharing!!! Super cute!!!

[brisquad-unit-4402]

ik no one requested this but YO is anyone going to talk about how luca and his s/o would genuinely be the hottest couple ever.

a huge amount of how the kaneshiro mafia carries its reputation is by presentation. they have enough money that their aesthetic is all about classy, glamorous casinos and all that goes into keeping up that glamorous vibe. even their boss is young and spry, dude, you look at his coat and tell me that's not excessive. and. well. his tits

oh and in case you forget that they're not all talk the family has dozens of lovely members dressed sharp and with custom lion masks, and if you make the wrong move the boss is ready to shoot and thrill, and will get his hands bloody if he sees fit

and let's be real luca would so pamper his partner. evening wear? you got it. fine jewelry? all yours. he adores showing you off- look at my sweet Reader, the most precious thing in the world, baby you're so gorgeous- and you get to sit in the room where the big boys make the deals that fuel the criminal underbelly of the city all dolled up and seated by luca's right hand. you and luca would compliment each other sooooo well like imagine luca's fur coat over your shoulders while drinking with some contacts and you get to add onto the deals he makes, playing the part of the shiny and stupid sweetheart. "luca, love, 500k isn't enough. i want 650 or higher." the corny old farts think young love is so cute and give you their blessing while shaking on the deal, while the overthinkers make note that you're just some side piece that doesn't know a negotiation when they see one (possibly the coldest take in existence but hey, that just means you get the advantage of surprise, you're not about to correct them)

now let's say something goes awry while a deal's being made and you're out of the room to attend to a different matter, and while luca and a few family members are holding off a threat this poor goon all by themselves from a rival gang gets you in a chokehold. "don't move or you'll get it", lame threat, yadda yadda yadda but you're no floozy. you just step low and yank their arm down. their body tumbles over yours and crushes on the floor when you throw them. before they even stand up you've already pulled out your gun and press it to their temple. oh and by the way you're still in fine formalwear and just as beautiful as ever. that's on them for underestimating you as just another pretty face when they know luca has taste. you're beauty just as much as you are brawn and brains, you're the secret weapon of the kaneshiro family

lmao imagine being the lucub that turned the hallway for reinforcements only to see that you already took care of the threat and just thinking "oh my god i can't be simping over the boss's partner like this"

i just really have this image in my head of luca in the chair from the mafia cover or some other grand old seat for business, handsome as all hell in an unbuttoned shirt and his head resting on a hand as he looks down at the poor sod that seeks audience with the boss himself. and then on the other armrest is a person that almost looks too radiant to be in the dismal criminal world just daintily draped by luca's side. oh and if said poor sod tries anything funny? luca doesn't even need to move, just utters a command and his lovely partner that looks so harmless already has that fool pinned, and yet STILL looks like the definition of beauty. oh and while they were distracted by your surprise attack luca has a gun aimed and ready to fire, and his heated glare is only quelled by how icy cold your own eyes are when the target realizes escaping your pin is futile

power couple fr fr

[patxhwrk]

hi, i recently found your blog and omg i love your writing sm! if it isnt too weird, i was hoping to rq an imagine for zhongli tartaglia ayato and itto where the reader can use abyss magic and maybe transform too? they prob fell into the abyss like tartaglia but after they returned they just wandered teyvat instead. maybe their bf figures out when they use their powers to protect them? tysm if you do! 💙

Omg this was so interesting and fun to do!!

I never thought of this concept, so thank u for requesting it!

-ˋˏ✄— Into the Abyss

ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: Genshin Men With Reader Who Can Use Abyss Magic !

Characters: Arataki Itto, Kamisato Ayato, Tartaglia, Zhongli

Pronouns: not mentioned

.navigation. // .genshin impact masterlist.

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ Arataki Itto | Hanamizaka Heroics

It was just another day of beetle fighting for Itto

He had caught a good one this time, and he knew it

You were there on the sidelines, watching him running around, hyping himself up

He had invited one of the Arataki gang members to battle with him, and they did

The beetles wrestled for a bit, before pushing at each other and then—

"WOO! That's a win for Arataki 'numero uno' Itto!"

His beetle won!

"Did you see that, Y/n!? That was cool, wasn't it? Haha, of course it was, I'm Arataki Itto, after all!"

Smiling fondly at his cheering form, you failed to notice the approaching electro whooperflower, aiming straight for the Onikobuto in Itto's hand

You only found out when it had jumped at him, startling him, and wresled with the whooperflower for his beetle

"HEY! Back off! This is mine!"

It wasn't much of a threat as it is amusing

Until the whooperflower started using electro on Itto

"Ow! Ow, ow, OW!"

You quickly sprinted over towards them, placing a hand on the whooperflower's head before it disappeared into a cloud of abyss, stars of the night sky sparkling in and out before dissapating

"Whooperflowers are always so annoying," you said, failing to notice Itto's wide eyed stare at your hand

"YO! What was that!?" He asked, standing up and staring at you

Not in fear, but in awe

You blinked, before realizing what you had done

"It was so fukin' shiny and sparkly—like the sky! But...I haven't seen a vision like that in all my life. Do you even have a vision?"

You smiled, already exhausted

But for Itto, maybe you'd take a while longer to explain

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ Kamisato Ayato | Pillar of Fortitude

Being Kamisato Ayato's partner meant you were protected by both him and the Yashiro Commission

But that doesn't mean you were meant to let your guard down

"You know, my dear, I don't see the need to carry such a weapon when I will be here to protect you," he teased

Shaking your head, a soft smile on your face, you adjusted the sheathed blade on your side

"Who knows, Commissioner, I might be the one needing to protect you."

"Oh? And why would I need protecting?"

You stopped on your tracks with Ayato right beside you, peering over your shoulder at the ever-so dark Chinju Forest, eyes squinted

"Because you might just miss enemies like that."

A hydro abyss mage, protected in its shield

Ayato wouldn't do much with his vision, but before he could unsheath his blade and tell you to stay behind him, you've already made your move

The abyss mage was quick, but you were quicker

Sprinting towards it and jumping over a bubble meant to capture you, you slid under its shield and sliced at the its backsiee, an abyss mark following your blade before the shield immedietly disspersed

The abyss mage fell on the ground, and before your blade can pierce it, it chuckled at you, and quickly disappeared

"Tch, they're getting faster," you mumbled, sheathing your blade and turning towards an awestruck Ayato

"Hello? Earth to Ayato?" You waved a hand in front of him, snapping your fingers a few times

He placed a hand on the back of your head, shoving your face on his chest

"Ah, to think my own partner has such strong abilities. It is truly an honour to call you mine," he said

"Although, I'd like to know, what exactly was that?"

He knows what it was, he just wanted you to say it

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ Tartaglia | Childe

You were sparing with Childe

That was how you both usually spent on your free time

Blades clashed, his hydro swords against your iron forged one

Even if it was just sparing, you both wouldn't let your guard down

So at the feeling of another prescence approaching, even if you were both battered and bruised and worn out from the battle, you both turned towards the intruder, ready to fight

And from the trees stepped out a lone mitachurl, a shield in its hands

Probably strayed from its pact

Before Childe could take a step towards it, you were already on your feet

The mitachurl brought its shield into the air, before thrusting it down to the ground and spinning

You jumped above its head, your blade discarded onto the ground as a swirling black hole of abyss magic formed on your hand

Landing a foot on its head, you brought your hand down to the mitachurl

It let out a cry before collapsing

Your feet now on the ground, you dusted your clothes before turning back to Childe, who stared in confusion

"Uh— huh?"

"Are you alright, Tartaglia?"

His head process the events prior, and suddenly his eyes widened

"That was abyss magic, wasn't it?" He exclaimed, finally processing what had happened

"Wait... how are you faster than me!?"

It seems like he has priorities, though

"Fight me again, Y/n! I want to see what your power can do!"

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳ Zhongli | Vago Mundo

Taking a stroll around the mountains of Liyue was something you and Zhongli both enjoyed

The calm breeze that brushed past you, the birds singing songs and the beaming sun

Although you both couldn't avoid the enemies that would cross your path

This time, it seemed to be two geo vishap hatchlings, rolling on the ground and towards you both, out of your sight

But you and the geo archon knew better

Turning around, he casted a shield around you both before preparing to make quick of the geo vishaps

Before a cloud of abyss blocked his vision

He brought his arms up, fanning the cloud away before glancing at you

Beside the two geo vishaps that now lay on the ground

Your sword, which seemed to be embedded with abyss, was clutched gently on your hand

It seemed like the cloud of abyss came from you, who had immedietly brought the sword out and attacked the geo vishaps as soon as they grew near

"I didnt know you had been acquainted with the abyss, my dear," he said

You turned towards him, a bit bashful

"Perhaps I owe you an explination..?"

"Let us finish our walk, first. You can explain once we've sat down in our own home."

—PATCHWRK !

[italoniponic]

Can i rq general friendship headcanons for ortho?

𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲'𝐬 ��𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 - 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

| Notes: Hi, anon! Yes, you can~ I hope it’s good enough. 

Thanks for the request <3 |

Ortho Shroud & gender neutral reader / platonic / fluff headcanons / friendship / use of “you” pronouns

Cherry's Harvesting event 🍒 Masterlist

Friends Forever

To start off, you're basically like an older “sibling” to Ortho. And just like Idia, you don't have the slightest control over him and it's always nice to know that from the start. Ortho is cute and an amazing friend to you, always appearing by your side in difficult times and helping you the best he can;

Videogames. It wouldn't be Ortho Shroud if things don't end up at some point being about videogames. Ortho is always happy to find a new company to play with him, no matter what game it is. And if you are not very experienced in something, Ortho is willing to instruct you in this without any problem;

You like to tell Ortho about the cartoons, manga or games that were part of your childhood and he also reveals to you some of his memories. There are many cartoons that are similar, even in these two different worlds. It's fun to talk to him about these things. His joviality makes you feel like a child too;

Unfortunately, for Ignihyde, you are like a pair of gorgons causing trouble. Even if you understand the side of the most introverted and shy students there, preventing Ortho from having some kind of party or special event in the dorm is impossible. How can they expect you to deny anything to these big, shiny golden eyes? Impossible! You have a heart after all. And if Ortho asks you all to do a game tournament, that's what you're going to do;

Ortho often helps you with your studies. He has never had many friends other than his own brother so anyone really needing his help in this matter is a unique joy Ortho wants to experience. And although sometimes he complicates your studies with more mathematical challenges or using data that you don't even know right, it's still a fun time to have;

Obviously, if you are friends, Ortho ends up spending more time with the first year gang and the friendship cycle between you expands. To your relief, Ortho isn’t jealous of having to share your attention with anyone and is actually much happier to have more friends;

You discover too late that Ace and Epel are helping Ortho upgrade his system's curse dictionary. If you're in favor of it, it's possible that you teach him more common dirty names in your world that Twisted Wonderland never imagined hearing. But if you're not... it's time to put on the “Friend Mom of the group” apron and do some good ol’ lecture;

At least once a week, you have to stop Ortho from shooting people with his Magic Beam. Whether because these people are talking badly about Idia or you, this little boy is ready to defend your honor and retribute all the affection you have given him so far;

Ortho offered to be your personal conductor. You know, literally like a transport. The metal of his gears and automail is strong enough to carry you and his foot thrusters are faster than anything. But people always look at you strangely. It's like seeing a kitten carrying a bear and another cat on its back — because Grim wouldn't miss the trip. But you start to arrive much faster in class;

And the main rule of being friends with little Shroud is: if Ortho is happy, Idia is happy too. Even if he takes longer to interact with you as much as his brother, you know from his gaze how grateful he is for the friendship between you. With how much you hug Ortho and talk to him, it makes him feel like a real boy.

[sweetestlamb]

Lighting Up Your Life- A teaser

A/N: I won't say sorry because I really needed a mental break from writing and I hope you all understand that but I'm back now with a lil teaser for the IOTNBO present I'd promised. Full story coming soon, this is part of the Lightning Up Your World storyline. Thanks for your patience. Sorry for typos I wrote this at a party lmao it got boring so my mind started wandering oops.

BMTL coming soon too for those waiting that just takes longer because it's a chapter fic I need certain things to connect so I'm rereading old chapters and slowly getting it together❤️

Contrary to what he's seen in idyllic movies, marriage is not the serene happy ending that's depicted. They fight, her screaming and him walking away; his defense mechanism since young and he's changed plenty since meeting her but some habits are hard to break. He doesn't get far though because at her first cry, with shiny tears running down her pretty face he crumbles, "Don't walk away from me, you're my husband!" She's always been possessive and since they met on that faithful bloody day she has considered him hers. But hearing that title, one that he hasn't shouldered for too long wipes away almost all of his annoyance with her.

He loves being her husband, adores calling her his wife. After all these years of loneliness he finally has someone who waits for him and waves him off in the morning, his person. He'd once called her a firecracker spitefully- stupidly- but he's learned that she's actually a volcano, once it erupts it changes everything in its wake. His very fiber has been enriched by her presence.

"I love you."

It depletes the flames in her eyes, another fight about him not being home enough. Between work and school he can barely find time to breathe much less entertain a certain author and she does not hide her dissatisfaction with him. No, she's never been one to hide her anger. But this time he's said the right thing and she scoffs before slinking across the distance they placed between each other, melting into his arms her small face disappearing into his chest. He snuggles her closer, planting a soft kiss on her dark head which is longer now, flowing down her back. Her mother no longer having a hold on her. He'd been proud of every inch.

"You're just trying to stop me from arguing," she whines, but he takes it as a silent victory when she doesn't push him away.

"I don't want to fight. I'm sorry I fell asleep yesterday, I'll give you more attention." He'd taken a day off tomorrow to take her on a date, but that's a surprise. Despite their fiery rows he has never grown tired of her wanting him around all the time, he feels the same but it's harder to express that. Expressing himself in general still an uphill battle.

"Mmmm what to you mean by attention?" She replies coyly, tongue in cheek.

That innocuous sentence is all it takes to make all the blood in his head rush downwards. She's not the only one who has missed that.

He groans into her dark jasmine scented hair, louder when she chuckles deeply scratching manicured nails against the sliver of skin exposed by his hip.

"I'm hungry. Feed me first before you suck me dry."

He spaced out for a second imagining just that, him sucking her dry and her squirming under him squeals and breathy moans drowning the room. It's a beautiful image. His blood boils to a simmer.

His voice is thick when he responds, "What do you want to eat?"

Deja vu hits him recalling the last time he asked that question and her raunchy reply, you. He'd almost crashed the car on that day, clamping his legs together in order to hide her affect on him with those straightforward words.

She smirks as if remembering the same moment. Damn minx.

"I want noodles."

He takes a deep breath, calming his body before releasing her. Rearranging the hardnes digging into his denim, he purposely ignores her satisfied grin. He's not ashamed of her affect on him, he's just a man. Or so he tries to tell himself.

"Okay that sounds easy enough-"

"And curry. Oh and those eggs I like and do we have brownies I want that too! And two bowls of rice."

He stands mouth gaping taking in all the food his very petite girlfriend has requested.

But in the end, he doesn't question her appetite feeding her everything she demanded to not do so would only lead to another unnecessary argument and little Gang-tae whimpers in frustration when she promptly passes out on the couch after devouring it all, barely chewing in between. He had to force her to drink water lest she choke.

It's not completely unusual he has seen her put away more food than her body weight before, yet she remains as slim as ever. It's quite the mystery.

He's able to easily lift her slight body off the couch and barely contain his coo when she automatically snuggles into him with a sigh, she can be cute when she's not raising hell. So about forty-five percent of the time give or take.

He undresses her, forcing himself to look away from the lace and silk adorning her seductive figure noting a slight bump in a belly. Maybe the food is going somewhere, finally. He pats her little belly, it's adorable.

His beautiful wife.

He strips himself down to his boxers and slides into their bed, dragging her into his arms before letting the fatigue of the day wash over him and knock him into a peaceful slumber.

When he is later jolted from his sleep, he has no idea why at first a quick check of the clock reveals that it's far too early to be awake, 5:45 the numbers flash. Pushing his hair off his face he finally realizes that he's alone in bed left with only a small indent of where his wife should be.

Then the grogginess begins to wear off and a gut wrenching sound reaches his ears. Instinctively he leaps out of bed, following the sound and winding up in the doorway of the bathroom peering through the darkness at Mun-yeong squatting on the cold tile floor retching into the toilet.

His heart instantly drops shattering into pieces.

Please no. She can't be sick. I can't lose her.

[kujox]

Hello~ So i saw that you take request for jjba,

and i wanted to ask for a small bucci gang x reader (together not seperate) oneshot where their teammate reader gets turned into a child, and as a child their were super hyper and always laughing just a happy go lucky type of kid you now? And now as an young adult their just monotone, emotionless, kinda stuck and a bit mean up and they ask themself what happened that their teammate went from such a sunshine to such a boomer pretty much.

Im sorry if my english is bad and if its too specific.

Thank you for your time♡♡

THIS IS THE GREATEST IDEA I HAVE EVER SEEN!! You have a huge imagination, anon!

{~Ray of Sunshine~}

Bucci-gang x Child!reader!

You were fighting a very strong stand user named Alessi. You’ve never seen this guy before and nobody was really around to assist you. The user was fairly strong but you felt that you were even stronger. Spoiler alert, you weren’t. You had became extremely tired and slipped up as soon as Alessi hit another attack! “I’ve got you where I want you!” He was about to kill you right then and there but he heard loud footsteps and ran off.

“Y/N!” “Y/N”

Those voices sounded familiar to you but you were so young and losing your memory very quickly. You stepped from out of your now..overgrown clothes? Wait—why are you naked?! Where is your mom?! “Woah! Y/N!” Your closest friend Narancia exclaimed. “Wait—are you Y/N? Why are you so small??” He began laughing. Abbachio pushed Narancia aside and had gotten a good look at you. You had tears swelling up in your eyes. “That’s not Y/N.” He said. “They’d never cry.” Abbachio was about to leave you in the street until Bruno stopped him. “That IS Y/N!” He said. “Look at their H/C! And their E/C.” “That’s definitely them.” You had begun crying. Why were there tall men surrounding you? Were they gonna hurt you?! Your little child brains couldn’t handle this.

Bruno’s motherly instincts kicked in and he immediately swooped you up into his arms. “We will get you some new clothes!—that’ll fit you.” He smiled gently, claiming you down. “Abbachio! Please grab Y/N’s usual clothes. We’ll be taking them with us. Abba rolled his eyes. You were always getting into trouble! Narancia cheered. “Oh my god! Let’s get Y/N the most embarrassing kid outfit!” He began cackling. Bruno shushed him. “They wouldn’t like that! Besides—instead of Fugo hurting you, soon it’ll be Y/N if you keep laughing!”

Bruno had took you clothes shopping while Abbachio dragged Narancia home for misbehaving. “Do you like this outfit, darling?” You looked at yourself in the shop mirror. Your outfit had bright colors and shiny sparkes. You adored it. “I love it, Mr. Bruno!” You jumped up and down, excited to show the world your new look. Bruno purchased your outfit and took you back to your home base. As soon as you entered the door..everyone was staring at you! You weren’t a shy child, so you gave your biggest smile and waved. “Hii!!” You sounded so cute! Mista jumped up and nearly snatched you from Bruno!

“Give them here!!” Mista whined. “I wanna hold them now!” “Tsk tsk.” Trish sighed, filing her nails. “You know—Y/N isn’t as usually happy as they are now..” Fugo had chimed in. “You are correct. They’re usually monotone and very quiet..” Abbachio nodded in agreement. “Gee—I wonder what happened.” Narancia rubbed his head. The day was amazing with your new(?) friends! They fed you snacks, sung and danced with you, you even got to meet Giorno while he was off duty!

“Who is this little one within the base?” He asked. “That’s Y/N!” Narancia said. “...Y/N?!” He said, pulling your squishy cheeks. “No way—she isn’t as a ray of sunshine like they are now.” As soon as Giorno said that, you became your normal self again. The boys quickly darted their eyes into the other direction and Trish helped you change clothes as fast as possible. “...Are you okay, Y/N?” Mista shakily said.

“...I’m fine.” Those probably were the only two words you’d be saying for the night.

“I apologize for giving you all trouble—but I am going to bed now.”

“But—you haven’t had dinn-“ You held your hand up, making Bruno pause. “Thank you, but I’ll be leaving.”

As you left, your teammates were even more curious as to why you were the way that you were. It’ll be leaving them stumped for a while—only because you refused to tell them your personal life.

This was way too fun to write! I’m sorry if it didn’t meet your requirements. I’d be happy to hear more of your requests!

[yandere-daydreams]

Kinktober - Day Thirty

Prompt: Handcuffs

Pairing: Hawks/Reader (Boku No Hero Academia)

TW: Non-Consensual Touching, Groping, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Violence, Themes of Imprisonment, and Implied Kidnapping.

“Gotta say, I never thought I’d meet a bad guy so pretty.”

You could feel his hands on your waist, gloved fingers brushing over skin-tight spandex and forming a trail from the curves of your shoulders to your lower back, where Hawks choose to linger, now. On either side, his wings caged you in, accommodating for his lack of height by making him seem bigger and, more importantly, making you seem smaller, but that wasn’t your main concern. Since the day you were born, heroes had treated you like something insignificant, something lesser. You hadn’t expected Hawks to be any different after he found you, left to serve as a distraction by the gang you thought you could trust. You knew he wouldn’t be any better. You were alright with that. You’d come to terms with it.

You just wished he’d stop talking, while he flaunted his superiority.

Another squeeze, this one to the side of your thigh. A search, he’d explained, he was searching you, but beyond forcing you to face the unpainted brick wall, it was a half-hearted effort. You were a sacrificial lamb, something meant to be captured, the metallic cuffs around your wrists were proof of that - cutting into your forearms, dangling your quirk just out of reach as he held the chain, keeping your hands pinned to the base of your spine with little more than the slightest bit of pressure and the suggestion of his weight. You weren’t sure why he bothered with the professional pretense. You get-up was form-fitting, sheer, leaving little to the imagination and even less effectively obscured. He’d noticed, and he hadn’t bothered pretending he hadn’t. Hell, he’d been eyeing you up like a piece for meat since the moment he discovered you, abandoned and restrained and just waiting to be rescued by a big, strong hero.

It was the worst when he spoke. It was the most obvious, when he spoke. “Agency’s been givin’ me the difficult ones, lately - real scum of the earth types, y’know? Not that I mind, I know it’s my job to keep trash like that, like you off the street, but…” He trailed off, his voice fading into a laugh. Slowly, you felt him lean against you, red feathers ruffling as his chest pressed against you back, his hands trailing back to your hips. You went stiff, but if Hawks noticed, he didn’t care. Not enough to stop, at least. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. There isn’t a man on the force who wouldn’t be thankful for the view, after a long day.”

You couldn’t use your quirk, couldn’t fight back in any way that mattered, but you could reel back, drive the heel of your boot into his foot, and only pull away when he let out a mumbled string of swears. His grip tightened, a small frown soon pressing into the junction of your lower neck, but for some reason, his disappointment did little to dampen your sense of satisfaction. “Eat shit, hero.”

“So mean, sweetheart.” He was whining, now, his tone pitchy, frustrating. You were used to people like him, people who’d run their drills and nurtured their strengths and polished themselves into something shiny, into something that didn’t have to take anyone else seriously, but no amount of exposure could stop your impatience from building up, simmering and starting to boil over the longer he dragged this out, the longer he held onto that innocent, careless facade and kept his face nuzzled into the crook of your neck. It was irritating. It was annoying, and he refused to make it end any faster. “Here I am, trying so hard to play nice, but you just can’t return the favor, can you? It makes sense, honestly. No one’s ever washed your mouth out for saying all those bad words, but you don’t have to--”

This time, you drove your elbow into his stomach, aiming to anger more than injure, but Hawks was faster than you. In a moment, he’d caught you by the shoulder, shoving you against the grimy wall and forcing your cheek against rough brick, your chest against a material too solid to be comfortable. “Hawks--”

“Keigo, baby, Keigo.” The correction was swift, practiced. Cooed in the same sympathetic, patronizing tone he’d use to correct a small child, if they told him the sky was green. “C’mon, can you say it for me? You sounded so precious, earlier, asking Mr. Hawks not to hurt you, begging me not to be too rough. You’ll do it again, won’t you?”

“Bastard.” You hadn’t begged, you’d never begged. You were vulnerable, and you’d done what you had to do to keep yourself safe. You weren’t that brave, you’d rather spend a lifetime rotting in a cell than a minute bleeding out on the filthy floor of an empty warehouse, but you were beginning to regret not being just a little more bold. Even if he didn’t kill you, being shackled to a hospital bed would be leagues better than having his eyes tear into you, than feeling his smirk bite into your skin as he pushed a fleeting kiss into the corner of your jaw. For comfort, you assumed. “Just shut up and arrest me, idiot. I would’ve fought back if I knew you’d be such a creep.”

“Another bad habit we’ll have to train you out of,” He lamented, the thought punctuated with a shake of his head, a wistful sigh. Again, his attention drifted, his touch drifted, none of your muffled complaints and stifled squirming stopping him from snaking an arm around your waist, nimble fingers finding the collar of your costume. Your breath hitched in your throat as he toyed with the fabric, but forgivingly, mercifully, he didn’t move to rip through the thin material. His mind was somewhere else. “Do you honestly think I’d put this much effort into someone I’m just going to arrest?”

For the first time since he’d caught you, the panic truly, genuinely began to set in. Your pulse didn’t race, your heart didn’t pound its way through your ribs - instead, both seemed to stop. As if the implication alone would be enough to end you. “You’re not going to… What?”

“Aw, the poor thing’s speechless.” This time, when he pulled your body against his, you struggled. You fought and you kicked and you scratched, but your hands were bound, your only weapon already disposed of, and all Hawks had to do was beat his wings once before you went still, went quiet, before your blood ran cold and you realized that, handcuffs or no handcuffs, you were defenseless. “That’s it,” He praised, as you went limp against him. “No reason to fight. I’m gonna take you somewhere much nicer than prison, and you’re gonna learn to be grateful. I’m gonna be thankful for you, too.”

There was a pause, a smile soon pressed into your jugular. Giddy, unabashed. 

Just as sharp and just as sickening as any cage could ever hope to be.

“I’ve always wanted my own pretty little villain.”

[randomshyperson]

Wanda Maximoff/Reader - Land of Thieves - #ChapterNine

GIF is not mine, and i’m running out of options haha.

Summary: When you were a child, you swore that no matter how high the reward in your head, she could always count on you. Life as an outlaw in the west is not easy, but you believe that train robberies are still easier than asking a pretty girl to dance. Land of Thieves, also know as your love story with Wanda Maximoff in the Wild West.

Chapter Summary:  The one where an old friend return.

AO3> Land of Thieves

Warnings:  18+, explicit language, explicit violence, slow burn, childhood friends to lovers, cursing, blood. Chapters Warnings: Slightly smut, panic attacks.

Words: 53.380K (All chapters)

tags: @mionemymind @whosedevil​ 

You wake up to a whistling noise. Wanda moves against you, burying her face in your neck, as you open your eyes, getting used to the clarity.

- Good morning, girls! - Nat says suggestively at the entrance to your tent. Wanda mumbles softly against your collarbone, not moving from her position on top of you. 

- Good morning, Nat. - You retort, letting your hands go up to Wanda's back. 

- Good morning, Nat. - Wanda repeats the greeting, but her voice is muffled against your neck. You don't mind.

Nat chuckles, walking into the room with her arms crossed.

- You guys are adorable, and everything. - She teases. - But we have work to do, Miss Maximoff. 

Wanda grumbles, and Nat nudges her quickly in the ribs, causing her to wriggle against you and almost knock you off the bed. She keeps poking Wanda until she demonstrates that she is going to get up. You just laugh at the interaction.

- Fuck you Nat, I'm going. - Wanda retorts, pulling out of the hug and standing up. You let out a sigh, missing her body heat immediately.

She stretches and gives Nat a gentle shove that makes her laughs and exits the tent, while pointing to the watch on her wrist.

- Good luck. - You tell her imagining she was already following Nat, but Wanda turns to you and climbs into your lap as she leans her body to give you a firm kiss on the lips.

Your body warms up quickly, but as you bring your hands to Wanda's thighs, you hear Nat shout that she would throw a bucket of water on you both if Wanda didn't come soon, so you end the kiss, and Wanda leaves your tent.

You lie there for a few minutes, eyes closed, smiling with the memory of Wanda's warmth, before you get up. You know you have a long day ahead of you.

Shortly after you delivered Stephen's letter to Steve, and talked to him about the plans to steal the gold from the Rhodes families, you approached Bucky as he was sitting in his tent.

- Would you help me with something? - You asked him shyly, and he just smiled, signaling for you to sit in the chair in front of his bed.

You sat down, a bit awkwardly, and then handed over the letter Erik had given you.

- A man looked for me yesterday in Saint Denis. - You told Bucky. - His name was Erik Killmonger.

Bucky frowned, looking worried. And then he opened the letter, reading its contents. 

- Did Killmonger say how he found you? - he asks seriously. And you look at him curiously.

- No. He didn't. - You reply. - Actually he didn't have time to tell me anything. - Seeing Bucky's confused expression, you add as you look away to the floor - Someone murdered him.

- Shit. - Bucky retorted, placing the letter on the bed, and running his hand through his hair. - Did anyone see you with him?

You blink in surprise at Bucky's nervousness.

- Only the guy who attacked him. - You reply. - But he must be in jail now.

Bucky shakes his head in denial, and then stands up, closing the tent. He sat down in front of you again, looking really worried.

- You can't tell Steve what I'm about to tell you, okay? - he asks, causing you to raise your eyebrows in surprise. But then you nod, and Bucky lets out a sigh before continuing. - Do you remember the time when I was away from the gang? A few years ago? - You nod in agreement. - I was up north. Helping the Wakanda people establish a reserve there. You didn't know her, but my sister lived with the Wakanda people, and she asked me to move there with her and her husband. - You were surprised by this information, but you didn't interrupt. - Unfortunately, explorations in that area started happening, and although no one can prove it, we know that the army attacked the reserve. My sister and her family died in the attack, and I rejoined the gang.

- I'm sorry about your sister, Bucky. - You say, and he smiles sorrowfully at you.

- That's all right, dear. It was a long time ago. - he says. - But what I want to tell you is this. A year after I returned, a group of Wakanda warriors set up a gang. A gang like ours. They call themselves the Panthers. - He tells you, and you nod, knowing exactly what he is talking about. - They came to me when we were in New Austin. They needed as much help as possible to get revenge on the soldiers who killed their families. And I accepted. - Bucky confesses, and pauses for a moment, as if lost in his memories. - Erik Killmonger was one of these men. We rode together to Fort Wallace, and together with the rest of the Panthers, we killed more than fifty federal soldiers.

- My God, Bucky. - you exclaimed. Bucky just looked at the ground. 

- After that the Panthers became the protectors of the Wakanda people. They are not thieves, and they only kill in case of defense. - He continued. - The gang grew in size, and spread all over the country. What we did that day, unfortunately, only delayed the inevitable. - Bucky affirms, and then grabs the letter from the bed and places it in front of you. - Killmonger has obtained the court license issued by Captain Vasily Karpov for explorations on the lands of the New Elizabeth reservation. 

- But what does this mean for the Wakanda people who live there?

- Death. - Bucky answered simply, and you held your breath. - And that's why Erik contacted you. He's trying to repeat what we did years ago. 

You bite your lips thoughtfully. And then you turn your gaze back to Bucky.

- Erik told me to save someone. - You tell. - Maybe he wanted me to find another way to help them.

- I don't know. - Bucky rebuts. - I see no other way out but to fight. Wakanda will not leave their land, and they are completely justified in staying.

You let out a sigh, trying to think. And then an absurd idea strikes you.

- What if the land was bought? - you ask suddenly. Bucky looks at you with a raised eyebrow in confusion.

- We literally have less than $500...

- The scam, Bucky! - you exclaim, smiling. - We'll get more than five hundred dollars with those gold bars.

Bucky laughs, but then he realizes your expression.

- My God, are you serious? - he asks incredulously, and you nod. - Child, we don't even have the money yet! And we don't even know if we're going to get it. On top of everything else, the army will send troops to the area in a few days. We simply can't help them!

You don't answer Bucky, because you are too busy thinking about the whole plan.  Bucky looks at you with a raised eyebrow.

- I need a paper and pen please. - You ask him, and he hurries to look for the items in the room.

When he hands you the objects, you turn toward the table next to the chair you are sitting on, and start writing down the plan as you explain everything to Bucky.

- If we do this right, we don't need to put anyone in danger. Especially the Wakanda people. - You say and Bucky nods slightly. - I really hope Tony Stark agrees to help us, or I'm going to need someone who looks a lot like a feudal lord.

Bucky laughs and picks up the plan sheet. He lets out a sigh and looks at you proudly.

- Let's do this, kid.

You don't tell Steve about your plan. Bucky doesn't like to talk about his past, and he thinks that this operation is something that only disrespects you and him. So he asks you not to mention anything to Steve, that he would find a way to tell him about it. You feel that they are distant lately, but you don't mention anything.

You have to go to Saint Denis, to pay Tony Stark a visit, so you leave after lunch. You'd like to kiss Wanda before you go, but she's not at the camp, and you figure she's still in Rhodes with Natasha.

It doesn't take that long to get to town, you quickly realize that your mare is quite sturdy and can run for a long time.

Now that you are in town, you need to find a way to find Tony Stark. The only place you know that has information on everyone is the saloons. 

So you spend much of your afternoon pulling conversations with strangers and buying them drinks, while trying to find as much information as possible. Finally, while you are at a card table surrounded by well-dressed drunks, a man tells you that Stark lives in a mansion at the northern end of town. You say a polite goodbye after he describes the house, and then you leave the saloon in the direction of the place.

You figure that the guards standing in front of the gate, and scattered all over the entrance area will not respond to an outsider's request to see their boss, so you go around the house, looking for a way to get in without being seen.

You find a ledge in the wall, and scale with some difficulty, but finally enter. Then you walk around with your head down, and enter the house through one of the windows.

You have never been in a mansion before, but you imagine that they are all as beautiful as this one. The floor was so shiny that you could see your reflection in it, and you suppressed the urge to let out an impressed hiss.

Finding the stairs to the second floor, shortly after ducking behind a couch when I heard a maid walk by, you went upstairs.

You had to look through many empty rooms before you found Stark's.

Opening the door carefully, you frowned with confusion at the image you found. Tony was sitting with his legs spread on the floor in front of his bed. Many bottles of drinks surrounded him.

He raised his gaze to you as you entered, and let out a dry laugh.

- Are you here to kill me? - he asked, clearly drunk, and then laughed again. 

- This is sad. - You commented with a light sarcastic tone, closing the door as you entered the room.

You walked toward the closets, looking for something for Tony to wear. You threw a set of the most comfortable clothes you could find on his bed.

Then you walked to the bathroom suite, and filled a metal pot with water. 

- Sorry about that, Tony. But I just don't have the time. - You told him before you poured the water over his head.

He let out a mixed exclamation of anger and surprise, and sank his face into his hands. You put the bowl on the floor, and stooped down beside Tony.

- Did that sober you up enough, or do I need to get more water? - you asked, and Tony just flashed you his middle finger, eliciting a laugh from you. You stood up, looking around the room, amazed at the number of items there. You were going through the books on the bookshelf when Tony finally finished dressing after he had gotten up complaining of a headache.

- What the hell are you doing here? - he asked as he approached you, taking the book from your hand and putting it back on the shelf.

- You treat your friends very badly. - You sneer and he lets out a laugh, turning in the opposite direction toward the room's exit. You follow him through the house to the lower level, where he leads you into the living room, and you sit in one of the armchairs while Tony pours a drink for you, and water for himself.

- To what do I owe the honor of your visit? - He asks with a slight irony as he sits down on the sofa.

- I need your help with something. - you say. - But I would also like to know if everything is okay with you.

Tony seems really surprised that you would ask him that. He rests his legs on the living room table and assumes a lost look.

- Everything is fucking great. - He replies sarcastically. You frown, and he looks like he is going to cry at any moment. - I live in a house with twelve rooms. I have employees at my disposal twenty-four hours a day. Everything is just fine.

- Tony.

- No. - He interrupts. - I don't want your pity.

You sigh, crossing your arms and placing your legs lying on the table next to theirs.

- I don't pity you, Stark. - you say. - I was going to tell you to have a little self-respect and stop sinking to the bottom.

He laughs lightly, and you follow him. You fall silent for a moment, and you assume a serious expression.

- This is about your father, isn't it? 

Tony's gaze is focused on one point in the room, as if he is not really there at all. But he nods slightly. You wait until he is ready to speak.

- I don't... My father and I, we didn't get along very well. - He confesses, looking down at his lap. - We had different opinions about many things. I never wanted his legacy. And then he died, and all his responsibilities fell to me. 

- This isn't about you assuming his business, is it? - you ask after a moment. Tony laughs humorlessly.

- No. - He confesses, and when he speaks again, thick tears stream down his face. - I just miss him.

Tony wipes away his own tears as they fall, apologizing. But then he sobs, and you get up, and throw yourself on the couch next to him, hugging him tight. 

- Damn, I'm sorry. - he says when you part, several minutes later. - I am a complete mess.

You nod in disagreement.

- Stop it, Tony. You don't have to apologize for your grief. - You tell him, and then put your hands on his shoulders, and give him a smile of mixed amusement and sarcasm. - But if I see you drown yourself in booze again, I'm going to punch you in the mouth, okay?

Tony laughs, hugging you one last time. He then gets up and asks one of his employees to prepare dinner for you both. 

He beckons you to follow him to the table.

- You still haven't told me why you are here. - He says without sounding accusatory, just curious, while pouring you some wine. 

- I need your help with a job. - You say. - I need you to pretend to be interested in buying some land for me. 

- Maybe this is a good time for me to tell you that I am bankrupt. - He says, and you let out a laugh. He seems surprised by your reaction.

- Yeah, I heard. - You say. - People talk more than they should when they are drunk in saloons.

Tony laughs, agreeing with a wry nod. Two servants enter the room next, and serve you both your dinner. When they leave, and Tony sees your face toward the plate, he lets out a chuckle.

- Sorry, is this not appropriate for your refined palate? - He mocks, and you take one of the cutlery to poke at the food that has been placed in front of you.

- I don't mean to be rude. - you say. - But this doesn't look like food.

- This dish costs almost a thousand dollars.

- That's exactly why you're bankrupt. - You joke, making Tony laugh. 

- It's called Caviar, by the way. - he says, eating some of the food. - You will hate it.

You laugh, and push your plate slightly forward. Fortunately, there were also other options you liked.

- Now tell me exactly what you want me to do. - He says after you finish putting some deer meat and mashed potatoes on your plate.

You explain to Tony that you need him to open a purchase order for the land in the New Elizabeth reservation area. He needs to prolong the negotiation as long as possible, until you have the scam money. You tell him what the Wapiti and Wakanda people went through there, but you don't mention Bucky. And when you finish, Tony drinks some wine.

When he nods in agreement, you let out a sigh of relief. And he laughs at your expression, but raises his hand to the table, holding yours.

You sleep in one of the rooms of the mansion, the bed is extremely soft. And then you are surprised that Tony is up bright and early the next day, excited to help you with your plan. He puts on his best clothes, and as you say good-bye at the front door, he tells you that he will keep in touch by correspondence about the negotiations, but that you should visit him as soon as you can to buy the land. You tell him that you intend to continue visiting him even after this scam, and he hugs you before you get on your horse.

Riding back to camp, you miss Wanda. You think you would like to share a large bed with her. And you feel your cheeks flush when you think about what this implies. How far away you were in your relationship. You realize that the next time you lie down with Wanda, you will most likely not sleep at all.

- Jesus, you're making that face. - You hear Pietro sneering while you are playing cards.He is sitting in front of you, while you are sitting at one of the camp tables. 

- I'm not making any faces. - You retort, looking at your cards. Pietro chuckles.

- You can't even hide it when you're thinking about Wanda. - He teases.

You had arrived at the camp a few hours ago, and when you realized that Wanda was still away with Carol and Nat, you accepted Pietro's request to play. You had also talked to Bucky about the reserve plan just before you sat down to play.

Maybe you were too distracted, and now Pietro was teasing you.

- I'm thinking about my next move. - You hit back.

- On the game or on Wanda?

- God, Pietro. - You grumble blushing as you kick him under the table. 

Pietro just laughs, and you play again in silence. When you win for the third time, you feel someone covering your eyes with their hands.

- Take a guess. - whispers a voice in your ear that you know well. You smile, raising your hands to Wanda's on your face.

- I think it' s the prettiest girl in camp. - You play along and hear her shyly laugh as she lowers her hands to your shoulders and kisses you on the cheek.

- Who's winning? - Wanda asks and you try not to mind her touch on your shoulders. She begins to massage them lightly and you ignore the shivering in your body. 

You turn your head back slightly to look at Wanda, but she turns around and sits on your lap. You suddenly feel very aware of her presence, and try not to blush so much. The position warms your body, but you say nothing.

- You know very well that I can't beat Y/N. - Pietro grumbles, leaning his elbow on the table and his face in his hand. Wanda imitates her brother's gesture, and this causes her butt to bend over your lap, and suddenly it's hard for you to breathe normally.

- Play with me then. - She says to Pietro in a tone of defiance and playfulness. Pietro shrugs, and begins to deal the card between the two of you. You rest your head on Wanda's shoulder, watching the game, as you move your hands up to rest on her lap, hugging her.

Wanda is a good player, you watch them play in silence. And then Nat joins you next, looking tired.

- By the way, how was your work? - you ask.

- Fucking boring. - Nat mutters, looking at Pietro's cards as he observes the table. Wanda let out a giggle at her answer.

- At least we have a hint. - Wanda said a moment later, and Nat nodded in agreement, and then laid her head against the table.

- What hint? - asked Pietro, buying a card from the table.

You signaled a move to Wanda by raising your hand quickly to her set, and she smiled.

- A load of moonshiner leaving in two days. - Wanda answers Pietro after following the move you showed her. - We will follow and find the breach to steal them.

- This is cheating. - muttered Pietro watching you help Wanda again. You laugh, taking your hand away from her cards. 

A few moments later, Wanda wins the game. Pietro lets out a disgruntled grumble, and Nat laughs at his expression. But then he lets out a loud exclamation as if he has remembered something.

- Girls, I completely forgot about the bear bet. - He tells you, and you roll your eyes playfully.

- We tied, Pietro. - reminded Wanda, but Pietro just shook his head in denial, a playful smile on his lips.

- That doesn't break the bet. - He says. - One wish for each. 

- That doesn't make any sense. - Nat commented humorously, but she seemed interested in where this story was going. - Please wish him to stay in silence for two weeks.

You and Wanda laughed at the idea, but Pietro was contemplative.

- I think it would be fair if we each got a wish from the other two. - He said with mischief in his eyes. You knew he would find a way to make very good use of it. 

- That's fine with me. - You agreed, shrugging your shoulders, it wasn't as if you'd thought of anything. Wanda then nodded.

Pietro seemed to get excited, and slapped the table lightly afterwards. 

- Great! I want you two to handle all my chores for next week. - he declares, and Wanda lets out a dissatisfied sigh. You roll your eyes, and then say:

- You are so predictable, Pietro. - You comment. - My request to you is that you take over Wanda's chores for the next month. 

Pietro looks shocked, and Nat laughs. Wanda turns her head to give you a little smile, and then turns to Pietro.

- And mine is for you to take over the monthly Y/N duties. - She says, and Pietro looks really annoyed that he didn't see that coming. You, Nat and Wanda laugh at his reaction.

- Plot should be against the rules. - He says angrily as he gets up and walks out toward his own tent.

Nat gets up next, stretching.

- You two are all hugs and cuddles, aren't you?  - She teases you about your position, but you and Wanda just giggle. She then leaves with a smile.

You lean back against the chair as Wanda turns in your lap, her legs splayed out to the side, allowing you to see her face.

- How are you? - you ask as you twirl your arms around her and intertwine your hands around her waist to hug her. Wanda smiled, leaving one hand on your forearm and one on your neck, her fingers playing with the hair on the back of your neck.

- I miss you. - She says, ignoring your question. Her eyes sparkle with something that means something else, and makes you swallow dryly.

- I'm right here. - You joke breathlessly.

- I miss touching you. - She confesses softly before she brings your mouths together. Her tongue caresses yours with slowness and sensuality, making your whole body tremble. 

You kiss like this for a few minutes, and then Wanda breaks the kiss, but keeps your foreheads together. You are both breathless as your mouths part. You think about saying something, but your mind is completely blank. And then Wanda is brushing her lips shallowly against yours again, as if deciding whether to kiss you again. She licks her lips, and this makes her tongue rub against your mouth because of the closeness, and you let out a low moan.

- God, keep it PG. - You and Wanda are startled as a voice sounds mockingly from beside you. Wanda sinks her face into your neck, you can't tell if she is embarrassed that she was caught or if she is trying to calm down. You look at who is talking, and find Carol with a suggestive look in her eyes. - I hate to be a bother, girls, but I need to steal Y/N away for a little while.

You let out a sigh, and from the look on Carol's face, you know what you are talking about. The blonde nods her head for you to follow her, and walks off in the direction she has pointed. 

You raise your hands along Wanda's back, stroking her tenderly to get her attention. Wanda looks up at you next, a dark gleam in her eyes, mesmerizing you, but a mischievous smile on her lips.

- I have to go. - You mumble, clearly preferring to stay. 

- Go before I kiss you again. - She says, looking down at your lips. - If I do, you're not going anywhere.

You let out a breathless laugh, and Wanda stands up. She smiles at you before you walk over to Carol's tent.

- What happened? - you ask as soon as you enter the place. Carol is waiting for you with a cigarette on her lips, standing beside you as she looks around the camp.

- Bucky told me about your little adventure. - She says without looking at you. You can't tell if she is angry, but you are surprised that she knows. You put your hands in your pockets while you wait for her to speak again. - I've been thinking about the whole situation. Do you have any idea how Killmonger even found you?

- No. - You shrug. - He died before you could tell me.

Carol takes a long drag on her cigarette before speaking.

- I'll find out if he was following us. - She says. - I wouldn't want to end up bringing other people to us.

You nod knowing that she is referring to the feds and bounty hunters.

- You want me to come along, right?

- You'd rather stay with your wife? - Carol replies with a teasing tone and a sideways smile. You can feel your cheeks flush, but your tone of voice is also provocative when you say:

- Wouldn't you?

Carol lets out a giggle, and throws the cigarette on the floor, putting it out with her boot. Then she turns to you.

- I'd better ride alone. - She says. - I'll attract less attention. And besides, Killmonger looked only for you, so maybe it's better that you are not seen investigating.

You nod, and Carol pats you on your back before walking off in the direction of the horses. 

You return your own tent, and Bucky enters at the back, carrying a letter in his hands.

- This is for you, kid. - He says, handing you the paper. - It's from Tony Stark.

You thank him and hurry to open it. 

- He made it. - You tell Bucky as you finish reading. - We have a week until the buyer arrives to meet with Tony.

Bucky nods, looking anxious. You place a hand on his shoulder.

- It'll work out, okay? We'll do it together. - You assure him. He gives you a short smile, and a pat on the arm before leaving.

You throw yourself on your bed then lie down as you stare up at the ceiling of the tent. You feel slightly anxious. You trust Stark, and you will have to be content with that. The other alternative was to die in a gunfight defending that territory. 

You end up napping for a few hours. When you wake up, it is very late at night. You walk out of your tent, and many huts are closed, indicating that much of the camp is asleep.

You walk over to the campfire area, where Nat and Bruce are sitting by the fire. 

- Hey. - You greet them with a smile, which they respond to. 

- Hey, sweetheart. - Nat says. - Do you want to sit down?

You shrug, looking around. You are cold, but feel that you are interrupting them both.

- Not really. - You deny it and your heart races slightly when you notice Wanda several meters away, staring at the lake. - I-I'm going to...

- You can go. - Nat cuts you off with a smile and an insinuating look. You give an embarrassed chuckle, and walk away in the direction of the lake.

You hug your jacket against your body as you walk toward Wanda. She is right on the edge of the camp area, and when you are arriving, you make sure to make your steps louder so that it doesn't startle her. And then she turns her head slightly to the side, and gives you a shy smile, before looking away again towards the lake.

- Someone is pensive. - You comment with a slight playfulness in your tone as you stop beside her. Wanda is quick to entwine her arm in yours and suddenly you forget that you were cold.

- Take a good look over there. - She says without looking away from the front. - Can you see the swans?

You squint your eyes to see through the darkness, and at first you see nothing. But then, several meters from where you stand, floating majestically on the water are swans. And they are white like the moon, and completely hypnotize you.

- They are beautiful. - You remark. - Do you remember the last time we saw swans, Wanda? When we were little...

- And we ran away to get married. - She interrupts with a giggle. - Oh yes, I remember well. - You laughed as Wanda turned to you. - We ran away to get married in secret and Bucky and Steve followed us for two days. 

You laughed as you remembered.

- We were, what, fourteen? - you ask, and Wanda agreed with a nod as she laughed. - Wow, that sounds like a lifetime ago.

- Yes. - She says looking at the lake. - I think I would do it again.

- What? - you ask with a smile. - Run away?

Wanda turns to you, her eyes glowing tenderly.

- I would run away again with you. 

Your heart skips a beat, but you hold her gaze and smile

- Where would we go? - You find yourself asking as Wanda brings your bodies closer together, and rests her forehead against yours.

- I'd go anywhere with you. - she declares.

- Wow, you are loaded with declarations of love today, Wands. - You sneer breathlessly, Wanda laughs and hugs your neck, burying her face in your hair. You wrap your arms around her waist.

- I'm glad that we don't have to run anymore. That I... I can love you without worrying.

Wanda lets out a sigh against your neck, and then looks up at you with misty eyes, a shy smile on her lips.

- I love you. - she confesses. - And I'm happy with you.

You nod slightly, your heart racing, and then kiss her. Tenderly and softly, just savoring her taste. And when you part, you remain holding hands as you watch the swans migrate away.

[serendipitous-magic]

Luke and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad 72 Hours

Imagine you’re a 19 year old working on a farm, and one day you buy some new animals from traveling merchants to help out around the farm - let’s say a goat and an ostrich. You’re cleaning them and getting them ready to work when you notice that the goat has a message tied around its neck. It sounds like the message might be intended for the kooky old guy who lives by himself out in the wilderness. You’ve met the guy a few times, you might even consider him a friend, but he’s mostly a mystery. You ask your uncle if he knows anything about it, but first he denies any knowledge and then he says the intended recipient of the message knew your dead father, and then he abruptly tells you to forget all about it.

Okay, weird???

That night, the goat runs away. The ostrich is freaking out about it. You go after it with the ostrich the next morning and find it making its way towards the old hermit’s house, but you’re attacked by a local gang and knocked tf out. When you wake up, the old hermit is there, and he takes you back to his place and drops the bomb on you that apparently your dead dad wasn’t who your family told you he was?? Apparently he wasn’t a navigator on a fishing boat, he was a pilot and a samurai warrior, and he was fucking murked by his samurai buddy??? And while that earth-shattering revelation is still fresh in your mind, Hermit Dude reads the rest of the Goat Message. Apparently it’s from a princess, and she’s asking Hermit Dude for help in a massive civil war that’s been going on. She says this goat is a Very Important Goat, and it’s carrying information that’s essential to the war effort that could restore prosperity to the entire world.

Hermit Dude then immediately sits back, looks you in the eye and without preamble says, “You’re going to have to learn how to be a samurai warrior if you’re gonna come with me to the big city and help this chick and save the war effort.” And you’re like “??? learn?? to be a samurai?? Big city?? What in the frick frack paddywack are you babbling about? Listen dude I got shit to do, I can’t just go off on this wild goat chase. But look, if it means so much to you I’ll give you a lift to the nearest town so you can go on your own.”

But on the way to town, you come across those traveling merchants you bought the goat and ostrich from - all dead, their caravan trashed. “This wasn’t the gang,” Hermit Dude says, “The government did this, and made it look like it was gang activity. They were looking for your Goat Message.” You race back home, only to find the smoldering remains of your farm, and the charred skeletons of your family laid out on the doorstep.

With nothing to do, nowhere else to call home, and a newfound revenge-driven fury in your chest, you return to Hermit Dude and say, “Make me a samurai like my apparently-murdered father, yo-yo master Hermit Dude. I’ll go help the war effort with you like the princess asked.”

So you all head off to this shady-ass small town run by crime lords. The government is already there, looking for the goat, and Hermit Dude hypnotizes these two military guys like it’s no big deal, sooooo apparently he can just do that? Okay, neat, neat, neat. Hermit Dude then chops somebody’s fucking arm off right in front of you in a bar fight (what the fuck), and long story short you end up selling your car so you can hitch a clandestine ride to the Big City in this fast-talking cowboy’s RV, which looks like it’s held together with spit and duct tape. Cowboy Guy’s best friend is this 7-foot-tall dude with so much hair and beard that he could probably hide weapons in it. The military arrives and you barely make it out of the parking garage, and you end up in a fucking car chase before you make it to the highway and get the hell outta dodge.

BUT THEN you finally arrive at the Big City, and it’s gone. There’s nothing there, just the ruined wasteland of nuclear rubble where the government dropped the bomb (which by the way was JUST invented). And as far as you know that’s??? Never happened before?? So, that’s terrifying. (Also keep in mind your home was razed and your family was brutally murdered like less than 24 hours ago so THAT’S still fresh.)

There’s one little government truck that sees you and takes off. Cowboy is like “Let’s shoot their tires out before they go report to somebody,” but there isn’t anybody around to report to. EXCEPT FOR THE CITY-SIZED BATTLE STATION ON WHEELS THAT ABDUCTS YOU, RV AND ALL. What the fuck is this? Since when did this exist??? They pull the RV into their parking garage, but you hide under the floor panels, surprise-attack some soldiers and steal their uniforms. You sneak into a control room, hoping to shut down the station’s power and escape, but while Hermit Dude goes to cut some power cords, you notice some records lying around. And, hey, what’s this? The princess that wrote the Goat Message? She’s here on Massive Battle Station? SCHEDULED TO BE EXECUTED??? Well, of course you can’t let that happen! Cowboy is grumpy about it but you manage to convince him.

Using your military disguises, you manage to find and save the princess from her cell, almost get crushed to death in a trash compactor while escaping from the prison section, and arrive back at the parking garage pursued by hordes of soldiers - only to witness Hermit Dude, your only remaining link to your home and your old life, get sliced in actual half right in front of you. 

There’s another one for Trauma Bingo!

(P.S. you’ve also now killed several government soldiers in your escape. You’ve now killed people. You’re a killer.)

You manage to escape in the Duct Tape RV with Cowboy, Beard, Princess, Ostrich and Goat, but you’re followed by some government cars. You climb up on the roof to engage in an at-speed shootout with them, because after the last 36 hours, this is the least weird thing you’ve done. Firefight with government forces? Yeah, sure, what the hell. No big deal, honestly.

So now not only are you family-less and homeless, but you’re DEFINITELY on some sort of government list of known criminals. Guess there’s no going back now; you’re part of the rebels whether you want to be or not! Thankfully you’ve still got that grief-driven justice quest going on, doubly compounded by witnessing the murder of your mentor.

The RV makes it to the secret base where the rebels have been hiding. The Very Important Goat is finally delivered, and it coughs up plans for the gigantic battle station. So far, so good. Except, curses! The government tracked you here! Looks like the fight happens now. Game on, jackass government. Game on. “That’s impossible!” cries one pilot, to which you reply, “Nah, I basically did it all the time back home.” You sign up to fight: a pilot, like your dead samurai dad. 

Why was a 19 year old civilian with some bush-plane experience (??) allowed to sign up to fly a fighter plane? We’ll never know.

Also, the goat comes on the plane with you.

Cowboy collects his payment and takes off, which you’re not happy about, but at least you’re reunited with your BFF from back home. So at least you have one single connection to home left.

Until he dies. RIP.

You try blowing up the Enormous Battle Station the normal way, but the disembodied spirit of Hermit Dude appears in your head and tells you to use your Magical Samurai Powers. You do, and succeed in blowing up the Big-Ass Battle Station just as Cowboy arrives again to take out the Big Baddie who killed Hermit Dude. The Traveling Nuke Factory is destroyed, the evil government has taken a big blow, and you get a shiny medal in a ceremony with your new friends.

So, let’s recap. In the last, oh, 2.5 days or so, you’ve gone from living your everyday life to seeing everything you know and love destroyed, to becoming a traitor to the evil government and a rebel, to fighting in (and winning) an intense military battle thanks to your fledgling Magic Powers, to now being the poster child of the rebellion.

You need therapy.

But at least the goat’s okay.

[hawklanstargazer]

Fractured Diamond Chapter 4

(TW: Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault)

Mondo didn't know how long he sat there. He could see no indication of light anywhere in the room, although the cloth tied around his eyes didn't help either. The gang figured a blindfold would provoke more fear, thus better reactions, better screams. Not that it would even matter, Mondo couldn't even see if he wanted to. His left eye was swollen shut, and his right was sealed under a thick line of blood from his forehead. He figured the gang preferred it anyway for twisted aesthetic purposes. The cement chamber had proven to be soundproof, so it wasn't like he could call for help anyway, his throat felt like sandpaper. Every breath he was forced to take was agonizing, even shallow ones were labor. Every time his chest expanded was as if his ribs were stabbing him through his lungs and sides, fractures creaking against each other like an old wooden door. Breathing through his mouth would result in him gagging blood from where his rear teeth used to be, only furthering his burning chest. Breathing through his nose was his only choice, forcing him to take in the horrid stench of blood, sweat, and urine that lingered in the air. He remembered their jeers before leaving him in his "pigsty". He should've been humiliated, but breathing was taking up all the energy he had left. 

No one was coming for him. And why would they? What samaritan would wanna fought off one of the most dangerous gangs in Japan to save some lowly biker who probably screwed them over somehow? Was this the price for being in a gang? For being a Diamond? No, he wasn't a Diamond. Not anymore. Or maybe he never was. 

'Just a shiny piece of glass, shiny piece of glass, shiny piece of glass...'

Intrusive thoughts were nothing new to Mondo they were his only company at this time. Every taunting word stuck to his brain like a hair on honey. Not once did he try to shake them out. At first, he did, but eventually learned to like it. Like a dog learning his name, Mondo learned his place in the world. 

A faint but alerting metal clashing against a concrete wall crawled its way through Mondo's intrusive thoughts, he was too familiar with it by now. His body instinctively curled in on itself as much as his bindings and injuries would allow, which wasn't much, prepared to take whatever beating he was about to receive.

'...notadiamondnotadiamonddnotadiamondnotadiamondnotadiamond...'

Mondo wheezed in a small whimper as inside and outside voices blended in his skull. "..Okay...I...I get it..!" he slurred in a half-sob "I...I'm not a Diamond..! Okay..?! I get it...! You were right..!"

'notadiaMondnotadiamOndnotadiamoNdnotadiamonDnotadiamOnd..'

He jumped as something or someone grazed his bruised face. He cried out as loud as his broken ribs would let him. "S-stop...! I'm sorry, okay?! Jus...just lemme...lemme...d..!"

"--MONDO!"

He felt something touch his cheek again, but something felt different. Familiar. He hadn't realized his blindfold had been removed when he forced his swollen eye to open. He almost believed what he saw was real. 

Daiya, his brother, standing before him at eye level. His figure was silhouetted from the illuminated doorway, but there was no doubt it was him, Mondo recognized those sunset-orange eyes anywhere, glistening like dim but burning embers. But something was off about his face. It seemed to be stretched in an expression Mondo wasn't familiar with. Panic? That wasn't a face Daiya was known for. He always kept a cool front, no matter how fucked the situation was. His thick, black eyebrows were always furrowed, and his lips in a permanent half-smile to assure anyone he's ready to take on anything. So why does he look so scared? Mondo could see his lips moving, and it only took a moment to finally snap out of his daze and hear his brother.

"--ondo! Can you hear me?" he moved Mondo's crimson-caked bangs from over his eye, and Mondo was finally able to open it. 

"Gnhh...D-Daiya..?" he said in a hoarse whisper

Daiya rested his chin on his chest as he heaved a brief sigh of relief. "Thank god, thought I lost ya there, Lil bro." he half-chuckled, "It's okay, you're safe. We're gonna get you out."

'We?', Mondo thought.

As if hearing his thoughts, Daiya turned behind him and called out. "Michi, guys, he's over here! Come help me out with this!" 

"Got it!"

Another voice. Mondo recognized it; Takemichi, their youngest brother. Mondo was still trying to fathom it all, but there wasn't any room for doubt. This was all real, happening right before him, and he could not be more ashamed. 

Takemichi's darkened figure appeared through the doorway and froze where he stood, eyes fixed on Mondo. "Holy shit..." he breathed. Michi hasn't been in the gang for very long, probably less than a year now. He was still a middle schooler, still had some childlike innocence in him that was reignited after he ran away from his abusive household and found a new home with the Diamonds. Daiya wanted to preserve that innocence as much as possible, keeping Michi away from the action when things got bloody. So much, he wanted the boy to stay at the base while they rescued Mondo, but his stubbornness was like that of an ox. He was a Diamond, after all. Most times, Mondo believed him to be more so than himself.

An orchestra of boots stomping grew heavier and heavier until the room was flooded with Diamonds, all exchanging looks of shock and even concern when they saw the room and Mondo's fragile form. It was overwhelming, for them to see Mondo so pathetically mounted like this, like a prisoner, the fact that this image of him will be burned into their brains forever, Mondo felt as though he could just die right then and there if the universe showed him a glimmer of mercy. 

"Woah, stand back, guys." Takemichi directed the other gang members, "Give him some air. We only need a few men in here."

Daiya peeked over his shoulder to meet eyes with the gang. "You heard 'im. Clear out," he said in a stern tone, firm enough to command his team but soft enough not to frighten Mondo. Understanding the order, most of the members left while only a select few remained. Michi turned to Mondo and have him a reassuring smile before going to help Daiya. 

Mondo felt the two crouched on each side under his arms as the other Diamonds cut through the rope binding his wrists. Losing the support of the rope, he fell and would've crashed onto the concrete if Daiya and Michi weren't ready to catch him. He wished it was comforting as it was, but their support reignited his bodily pain. Crouching forward brought agony to his ribs, but straightening up burned the cuts on his back. He let out a dry painful groan. As if remembering, Daiya quickly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a water bottle, offering it to Mondo's lips. Mondo winced at the sight of the object, visions of past events screamed in his head, but his thirst screamed louder as he chugged the bottle. 

"Woah, hey. Easy, bro, easy." Daiya cooed softly, as he directed Mondo to drink slower. He didn't blame him one bit but knew Mondo would only feel worse if he chugged it. Taking his time savoring the liquid, Mondo had finished the bottle, sighing a relaxed breath as best as his burning lungs would allow. 

Daiya returned the empty bottle to his pocket. He gazed at the rope still loosely binding Mondo's wrists and gently removed them. He winced at the raw ligature wounds, old and new blood alike, coating Mondo's skin. He heard Mondo weakly hiss in pain. He only dared to look at the rest of his body. That didn't matter now, the only thing that did was getting his brother out of this hellhole. "I'm sorry, bro..." he breathed softly. 

Letting Mondo's head rest wearily on his shoulder, Daiya scooped him up in his arms as if he were carrying him to bed when Mondo was a little kid. As they left the room, Mondo felt Daiya nonchalantly step over something, probably some fallen furniture, though judging by the disgruntled expression plastered on Daiya's face and the faint groan under his feet, Mondo figured it was more like someone. The hallway was littered with limp beaten figures of Reapers, only Diamonds standing above them, pinning them down under their feet, giving them a boot to the face if they so much as twitch. Mondo glanced at Daiya's bruised and bloodied knuckles. Of course, his brother wouldn't go on without caving in a few faces of his own. Daiya stopped in his tracks when heard a wet cough behind him, his scowl grown deeper.

"Hey, Owada..!" Several feet away from the Diamond leader lay the grey-clad Reaper leader, beaten and broken. One of the larger Diamonds stood above him with his foot on his neck, although judging by the man's unnaturally bent knee, it was apparent he couldn't return to his feet even if he wanted to, the stance was more for physical empowerment than provided security. The grey man spat out a few bloodied teeth before continuing. "How does it feel...when you lose a brother..?" he wheezed painfully but sternly. "Bet it makes ya feel...fuckin' powerless, knowin' you... coulda done some'in ta prevent it..! My brother...is gone...and so's...yer's. Tell me...how does it feel..?"

Daiya stood strong and firm as a diamond, his expression hadn't faltered. Barely even breathed.

The grey man growled, face contorted in hatred. "What? Ya don't remember me..?" his scowl turned into a sinister smirk. "He does."  

Daiya glanced down at Mondo's body curling up in reminiscent fear. He could only pray those words had an empty meaning. Still, he couldn't help but recall how fragile and painfully Mondo fell to his knees as if he were suffering from a terrible stomach ache. Bile crept up Daiya's throat. 

The man noticed the reaction and his grimace twisted further, showing bloodied teeth. "He knows my name. I...made sure...he never forgets it. He was...beggin' me ta stop, y'know. Beggin' for you...ta save 'im. His whimpers were so...beautifully pathetic. I wish...I recorded it for ya. But I figured it'd be better if ya...imagined it yerself. If ya didn't...drag ya feet, maybe...he'd still be your brother. But now...he's my pet." he let out a wet chuckle as he saw Mondo tremble like a leaf in Daiya's tensed arms. "Go on, boy...tell 'im..! Jog 'is memory..! Say my--" 

"Sasaki!"

Came a deep voice. Mondo would've thought he said that if his throat wasn't already so torn up from screaming that cursed name, his lips couldn't even form the word. He looked up at his brother's discontented face. Surely, he didn't. Another wet laugh from behind. A sharp pain shot through Mondo's heart. 

"So, you do know! Good boy!" the grey man cackled. "Try an' remember that now...! Remember the name...of the man who destroyed you and your brother..! I would say we're even...but there's no reason I can't still have fun with your gang..!" Daiya could feel Sasaki's eyes shift over to Takemichi. "Like him. He's fresh. Doesn't matter if 'e's...just a kid...He's in a gang...an' is better to...learn the hard way. Are you broken yet, Daiya Owada? Or do I...have--"

"Just shut the fuck up and listen, Reaper," Daiya growled, making it clear he wasn't finished talking. The grey man listened on, slightly disappointed at the white-clad man's retaliation. Daiya turned to gaze down at the man with eyes burning like the sun.

"I killed your brother Chisaki." his words flew from his mouth as if it were the most natural thing ever to be said. No hesitation, no remorse, not even a hint of regret. Mondo blinked and looked up at his brother. He couldn't remember the last time Daiya said something so cold, or if he ever heard him speak that way at all. Still, Daiya's eyes hadn't left his target. 

"He didn't seem to get my last message about staying out of our turf. He knew what he was risking when he crossed our path. And he paid for it. I pulled the alarms, I alerted the cops, and I left you all to die. I trust you and your colleagues have enough pattern recognition not to follow in his footsteps. Do what your brother couldn't do, and stay out of our way. If I ever see you or any Reapers on the streets again, it's kill on sight. Consider this business and personal." 

The grey man shuddered but let out a low, blood-curdling growl. "Do it, then!" he coughed and wheezed. "I ain't goin' nowhere, so...ya might wanna finish the job now! Kill me, an' there'll be no more Reapers, no one ta take my place..! So, do it! Kill me!" 

Daiya didn't turn back, nor did he respond. He just walked away, his gang followed, leaving the grey man broken on the ground. 

"Come back an' finish this like a man, Daiya Owada!" Sasaki cried, struggling to pry himself from the floor but to no avail. He heaved in one shaky breath after another as something wet splashed on his hand. 

Daiya heard one last pathetic scream as the door slammed behind him.

"OWADA!" 

[perfeggso]

every fortress falls (AKIRA x NCT)

Please enjoy this anime-kpop crossover for the Lights, Camera, Fanfiction event hosted by @supermwritersnet​! I chose to write for Shotaro and one of my favorite fictional universes ever, Akira’s Neo-Tokyo. If you know Akira, my story will run parallel to the canon plot. If not, I hope you give this a try and enjoy anyway and I highly recommend the source material! <3

If you’re interested, here is my AKIRA playlist. 

Setting of Akira: It has been thirty years since the end of WWIII, begun due to the detonation of an unidentified superweapon known only as “Akira” over Tokyo. The incident and subsequent war decimated the city which was rebuilt into Neo-Tokyo, a corrupt and crime-ridden megalopolis centered on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay.

Characters: Shotaro, Sungchan, Yuta, Akira main characters, other NCT members upcoming. 

Genres: cyberpunk, sci-fi, action/adventure 

Warnings: drug use/abuse, gangs, some swearing, eventual graphic violence

Rating: mature but not explicit 

Chapter length: 1.3k

Chapter 1:

The capsule cradled in Shotaro’s palm is red and white and shiny, like the earrings that Noriko would wear and which, when Shotaro asked, he found out were supposed to look like “blood and come,” respectively. The drone of Tanaka-Sensei’s voice from the front of the classroom barely penetrates the cloak of sullen disruption shielding Shotaro’s wooden amphitheater seat in classroom 12 of the Eighth District Vocational Training School. Even though realistically no one is paying attention, Shotaro tries to hold the pill so that his hand is obscured by his row’s shared desk. He doesn’t know why he’s so nervous; Tanaka-Sensei is barely commanding control of the room as he attempts to explain how a carburetor works, the closest kid to Shotaro is reading a girly magazine, and everyone at the school is well aware that you can buy as many of these pills as any broke student could afford from the nurse’s office.

It’s just, Shotaro reasons as the patent-leather-like curves of the capsule glint in the jaundiced combination of natural and fluorescent light, he’s always been a good kid. He doesn’t do things like this – at least that’s what Yuta constantly tells him. He doesn’t buy drugs – no matter how cheap they are – from Kaneda’s girlfriend of all people, and he certainly doesn’t take them. Kaneda, Shotaro has always felt, is inextricably linked to him. For one, Shotaro Kaneda’s family name is the same as Shotaro’s given name (though they use slightly different kanji if anyone ever cared to notice). For another thing, the two boys have known of each other since early childhood, having come up in the same orphanage and school system for boys deemed by the state to be “lacking in future prospects.” (Shotaro doesn’t think this label really applies to him; it’s not his fault he doesn’t really like academics and the one activity he really enjoys – dancing – is far too expensive for him to pursue). For a final, crucial thing, Kaneda is the leader of the Capsules, the rival gang to Yuta’s Clowns. The fact that Kaneda could very literally kill Shotaro’s adoptive brother of sorts any day now understandably precludes him from feeling much of an affinity towards his classmate.

Shotaro has been taunted more times than he can remember for being the “boring” Shotaro. But if skating by under the radar to receive his vocational high school diploma, getting out, and not being sent to Jaws for discipline twice a week is boring to his classmates, Shotaro doesn’t really care.

Well, he didn’t care, until he had gotten to thinking one day last week. It started when he’d found Yuta’s stash of drugs. Yuta tries very hard to keep any evidence of his dependency from his little brother, but he’s not always great at it. Over the years, Shotaro couldn’t help but notice the blissful calm which comes over Yuta when Shotaro has caught him thinking he was taking the stuff in private. Nor could Shotaro help but register the ensuing boost in energy and motivation. It had always made him wonder even if Yuta categorically forbid it and he was good at smothering his curiosity. When Shotaro came to school the next day and mentioned finding Yuta’s pills offhand to Sungchan, the younger boy proved less adept at quashing his hunger for new experiences, and Shotaro had begun to truly let his imagination get the best of him.

“Hey!” The harsh whisper startles Shotaro out of his preoccupation with the look and feel of his capsule, to the extent that he almost blunders and drops it down the five graduated rows of seats below him. But fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, he holds on.

The voice is as familiar as the backseat of Yuta’s motorcycle and coming from the level of seats behind Shotaro, so he turns around. Class has devolved to the point that having a full conversation stage-whisper style is about the least disruptive thing occurring.

Sungchan’s oversized frame and comforting smile loom over Shotaro from above, like a benevolent version of the mechanical surveillance vultures Sungchan had once gushed in horror that the American government was trying to build.

“Did I scare you?” Sungchan asks.

Shotaro fakes a glare at his best friend, but only ends up chuckling.

“How could I be scared by a 185cm walking teddy-bear?”

Sungchan tries to look hurt but giggles right back.

“Did you get the stuff?”

Shotaro nods, angling his hand so Sungchan can see the pill.

“Why were you so late to class?” Shotaro asks, feeling irrational panic nipping at the edges of his mind for the first time all day to suggest that maybe Sungchan was held up because someone caught him with drugs. Shotaro wonders why this thought hadn’t occurred to him earlier, hoping that’s an indication of its ridiculousness.

“I got caught up talking to Sawako in the nurse’s office,” Sungchan explains, and Shotaro relaxes a little. “She was very chatty for some reason and I felt bad. I think she’s lonely. Did you know Kaneda got her pregnant?”

“No, what?” Shotaro makes a face as disapproving as he feels. “That asshole. Of course he wouldn’t use protection. Ugh, anyway. Did you get what you wanted? Everything go smoothly?”

Sungchan pulls a button-size plastic bag from his pocket and displays, not quite covertly enough for Shotaro’s liking but he’ll live, the identical red and white capsule within.

“Perfect.”

“I was thinking,” Sungchan continues, “Sawako said she thinks there’ll be a battle between the Capsules and the Clowns tonight. Should we try to catch some of it?”

Shotaro leans his elbows onto the desk in front of his friend and smiles, indulgent.

“While we’re high for the first time? Sounds like a shitty idea.” Sungchan pouts like Shotaro knew he would, so he adds a “we can feel it out in the moment, though,” because he is a weak man when it comes to Sungchan’s wants and needs. They are both that way towards each other, even when it gets them into trouble. But as Yuta always says, “memorable trouble is worth it”; i.e., if it makes a good story in the future, might as well go for it.

“Yuta would kill me if he found out though,” Shotaro wagers, “and I mean that literally.”

The last class of the day ends as he’s speaking and he and Sungchan make plans for meeting in the evening as they filter out of the musty, chipping paint, brutalist structure which is supposed to pass for a place of learning.

Shotaro finds Yuta where he always does after school: unsheathing his motorcycle in the back parking lot.

Yuta’s bike is a souped-up Honda painted to look like a 1940s bomber. Yuta wears a black leather biking suit he probably slipped on in the men’s room before heading out and pulls a helmet decorated with clown makeup over his black mullet as he greets his little brother, following the exchange by offering a similar helmet to Shotaro.

They hop on and head out onto the streets of Neo-Tokyo. Skyscrapers tower grey in the daytime light what feels like miles above the litter-strewn street and block out the sun. They’re so massive they could probably each hold an entire city’s worth of people, Shotaro reckons, and they move sluggishly in opposition to the trajectory of the bike, like cargo ships trudging against water.

“Good day?” Yuta asks when they stop at an intersection next to Flower Alley Mall.

“Yeah,” Shotaro assures. “Sungchan heard something about a battle tonight? What’s up with that?”

“I don’t want to get into it, but he’s right,” Yuta admits. “But don’t try to tag along or I’ll murder you.”

With that, the light turns and Shotaro grabs hold of Yuta, mumbling “I know” fondly into his shoulder. They zip away like that the rest of the way to their apartment, the capsule burning nuclear in Shotaro’s pocket as he’s left to ponder his next move.