#anyway my reasoning for why I'd be suited for that kind of work is that i have an endless capacity for action

[jay-catsby]

im beginning to suspect that i would be very well-suited for urgently-paced work in a nonprofit supporting people in crisis which is unfortunate because i just spent an unbearable amount of money on graduate education for Not That which will now force me for at least the next ten years into a Make Money Career

[cowboylikefaith]

with great power...

art donaldson spiderman! au x reader

summary: stanford has a masked superhero on the loose, and you're trying to crack down on his identity. little do you know, it's your boyfriend art.

warnings: cursing, injuries, reader highkey gets mugged, art is being mysterious af, reader is incredibly oblivious, sappy at the end sorry, not proofread

author's note: HI so this is actually my first time writing a fic ever... but this au idea has been absolutely rotting in my brain for the past week or so and i need to get it out. enjoy!!!!!!

╰🕸️ ₊✧ ﾟ❤️⚬𓂂➢

"dude!" you say barging into art's dorm (not realizing that your poor boyfriend was in the middle of a nap) "look at the topic the newspaper just assigned me. some shithead on campus is doing parkour in a scuba suit, people are calling him 'spiderman'."

art is pulled out of his trance-like state when he hears the name fall out of your mouth. you feel bad after realizing you woke him up, seeing him wipe his tired eyes with a pout on his lips. "hey pretty" he says with a lopsided smirk on his face "what were you talking about? some spider-idiot?" you hop into bed next to him "yeah it's nothing...sorry for waking you up, just go back to bed, 'kay?"

you don't know what's been up with art recently. he rarely returns your calls, he's always tired, and when he's awake, he's either in a rush or incredibly sluggish. you asked patrick about it and he said that the beginning of a new tennis season is wearing both of them down. seems reasonable, right?

now, it's been a few weeks since you were assigned this story, and jess (your senior editor) wants you to photograph and interview this spiderman guy, because apparently he's some kind of campus superhero (returning stolen laptops, helping drunk sorority girls avoid getting hit by cars, the usual) however you have no leads so far.

until one day, tashi tells you a story about how he saved a freshman from the tennis team from being hazed, and you decide to ask your boyfriend about it.

"you don't know anything about a kid named steven mcdonald, do you?" you ask art as you settle down to watch some gossip girl.

"that freshman who survived a hazing incident? yeah, i know of him" he replies as he pulls you into his arms and kisses your forehead.

you pull away with furrowed eyebrows "well did he...say...anything about that night?"

"uh no. no, not really" he says (a little distantly) "anyway! i seriously don't understand why serena loves dan so much, nate is obviously the better choice for her."

you roll your eyes sarcastically "wow donaldson...really smooth transition! way to change the subject there honey."

"i'm sorry.." he replies as he plays with your hair "it's just that...i don't want you getting mixed up in that kind of stuff. if you got hurt.." he sighs "i don't know what i'd do with myself"

and so you promise art that you'll stop working on the article...until jess says she'll kick you out of the stanford star if you do.

one night, as you're walking back to your dorm after dinner with tashi and patrick (third wheel much?), a man in a black ski mask suddenly approaches you and orders you to put your hands up.

"give me your fucking heels lady...and your purse!" he demands.

"oh god no" you shut your eyes and groan "please sir, these are really expensive and- and these are manolo blahniks!! my mom bought-"

before you can finish your rambling, you can hear a thud, and when open your eyes, you can see that he's been wrapped up in some web-like substance.

"don't worry, he's not dead" a figure says as he walks out from behind the criminal. you feel like you know him, you can't even see his face but something about him is just so familiar, and you can't put your finger on it. until..

oh my god

"oh my god! you're spiderman! thank you so much, seriously. that guy could've killed me" you say excitedly, forgetting about your past opinions about him.

art- i mean spiderman, chuckles and says that it's no problem, and asks if he could take you back to your dorm.

"yeah! i would love that, thank you." you reply "actually, could i take your photo? i'm doing an article about you for the stanford star." oh and art eats it UP. he's doing stupid poses and acting silly and goofy (just to hear you laugh of course).

you get back to your dorm safely, and spiderart bids you farewell. just before he leaps out your window, he pulls a red stanford cap (one that you've never noticed, and one that looks suspiciously like art's) out of his pocket.

"hey, maybe i'll see you around" he says as he puts the cap on...backwards. something that only art would do. lucky enough for him, you're too tired to notice.

"...and those are the differences between meiosis and mitosis." you're trying to study for another biology exam when all of a sudden you hear a tapping noise on your window.

at first you think it's a bird, or some frat boy trying to piss you off by throwing empty beer cans at your window, but the tapping turns into banging and you start to hear sounds of pain through the glass.

you run to the window and see a boy in a familiar red and blue suit sitting on the windowsill. this time with a huge gash in his side.

"spiderman? oh my god, get inside, what happened?" you ask while scrambling for a first aid kit. art falls onto your bed, unknowingly bleeding all over your new floral sheets. he groans and holds his side, mumbling something about...well god knows what.

art protests as you try to patch up the very open wound by his waist. "you're just like my boyfriend art," you say with a grin "he gets all fucked up during his tennis matches and doesn't let me help him out." you can hear him through the mask but you can't tell if it's a laugh or a whimper.

"jesus- how long is this going to take? i have an econ final to study for" he says with a wince. "not very long if you sit still, spiderboy" you retort "why don't you take off your mask? you must be dying with that thing on."

you feel his face, and it feels...familiar. you slowly take off the mask, and reveal art's lips, sculpted nose, blue and brown eyes, and tousled blonde hair.

suddenly you realize. you realize the reasons for the missed calls, hurried kisses, and rain-checked dates. all this time you've been thinking that it was tennis kicking his ass, when really art was kicking other people's.

"hi honey" art mumbles, same lopsided, boyish smile that you fell in love with gracing his face "i'm sorry. i should have told you." before you can say anything, he kisses you and sneaks his hands to the small of your back. you can feel him smiling into the kiss as he pulls you into his lap.

"i missed you" you say, pulling away with a pout. you card your hands through his blonde curls. "i know, i know, i'm sorry pretty girl, it's just that...i don't want you to worry about me." art replies, pushing your hair away from your face.

you flick his forehead. "you dumbass. of course i'm going to worry about you, whether you like it or not...because i like you. a lot. no matter what kind of freaky superpowers you have." art lets out a weak chuckle, then he kisses you like a man stuck in the desert for 40 days. you can feel him drawing small circles along your hips and caressing your thumb.

you pull away one last time. "now tell me spiderboy...how did you go from tennis team captain to stanford superhero?"

[danieyells]

hi there,

thank you so much for all the voicelines you post !! if it’s okay, can i request subaru’s ?

thank you again !

You're welcome! At some point I might go back and put in the ones I leave out because they don't appeal to me as much lol but since i always end up posting 99% of them anyway I think it's enough for most people hahaha. It's all of them now! Sorry for the delay.

I WAS GONNA OMIT ONE OR TWO BECAUSE OF SPOILERS but eh i'll just warm for like. extra spoilers. since after doing more code peeking it wasn't the spoiler i thought it was. SUBARU IS A SWEETIE THOUGH. I also read Subaru's chats which were put in the code recently and. Man this guy needs anxiety meds. I have a small guess as to what his stigma is, but we'll learn in a few days anyway.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting. It's wonderful to see you again."

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"It looks like there's a notice for you. I'd be happy to go pick it up for you if you've got your hands full. Oh, forgive me if I'm overstepping."

oh no he's anxious about helping--

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"I really am so lucky to be surrounded by so many kind people like you."

"I never thought I'd get the chance to enjoy the lifestyle of a student until I came to Darkwick. Every day truly is fulfilling here."

it feels like subaru is like. . .the only one who actually enjoys school life here. . .or who really enjoys being here period lmao. . . .

"You think I'm always smiling? Ha ha, I hear that a lot. It just happens when I'm around all of you."

"I may be the captain, but it's just in name. I think Haku is much better suited for the job than me."

"I've been working since I was four, so people often said I was mature for my age. But the truth is, I've still got a lot to learn."

that makes two characters whose parents have essentially been keeping them from normal life and normal childhood for work reasons since they were four year olds. . . .

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"I tend to just have hot water for breakfast. I know it would be better for me to eat a proper meal, but it's just so much effort."

DO WE REALLY HAVE TO START WITH "I NEED THE GHOULS TO EAT PROPER FUCKIN MEALS". . . .

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I'm sorry I'm so late. The campus is so crowded I can never manage to walk in a straight line, so it always takes me longer than I think. Silly, isn't it?"

baby you're hardly the first person i've met with anxiety about crowds. you're fine.

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"What would I do without Haku's help? Hotarubi would be a mess without him."

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"I wonder if I should apply early to take out any common artifacts I might need for this mission. I'll ask Haku what he thinks..."

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Ah!  You surprised me there... I just got back from a small errand. Do you need something?"

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Ever since I was a child, the performing arts were my only focus. Maybe that's why people always say my mannerisms are so peculiar. It bothers you too, doesn't it?"

poor boy doesn't know how to act if he isn't acting. . .he doesn't know how to exist off-script. . .no wonder he made a deal with a demon. it's probably the first thing he's ever done for himself.

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I'd like to go to the cafeteria, but the line is always so long. I feel bad taking time to choose while people are waiting behind me. The bar of entry feels a little high."

i am once again suggesting subaru get anxiety meds. hell go to sinnostra and get some weed, i bet they sell that. i hear it can help.

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm just about to go and meet a friend. I hate to inconvenience you like this, but if it's something urgent, could you speak to Haku about it instead?"

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"What am I going to do? We're supposed to be meeting up in an hour... If I cancel now, they'll hate me..."

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Whew... I'll walk you back to your house, {PC}. Oh, it's no problem at all, I assure you! I wanted some fresh air anyway."

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"I have an Anomalous Ecology test coming up. It's such a fascinating subject, I couldn't help but stay up all night studying. Now I'm a little sleep-deprived."

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I'm going to stretch my legs a little. I might not have a show to practice for right now, but I need to keep putting myself through my paces. I'll get rusty otherwise."

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"I'm sorry my phone's been making so much noise. I recently downloaded an app by mistake, and it won't stop sending me notifications..."

awww he's also technologically incompetent. . .poor guy was probably raised with such a heavy focus on his career he just. never needed a smartphone. anyone he needed to contact or who needed to contact him was probably always very close by. it sounds like he didn't even properly go to school before going to Darkwick. Somebody please take this boy on a walk. like anywhere. take him to a library. buy him a churro. can sho make churros? this is somebody who's never had any sort of normal social experience and sees how different he is and wishes it weren't the case, unlike Ritsu who assumes everyone else is like him, i think he'd like to have some more Experiences.

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"... ...Oh! Hello, {PC}—I didn't even notice you there. My mind was somewhere else."

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"Good morning! Sorry? My hair's messy? You're right, it's sticking right up at the front... That's embarrassing. I'll fix it right away."

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I usually have lunch in the dormitory. I do eat on the terrace with Lyca every now and then, but he seems so busy these days..."

Lyca is one of the members of Obscuary, btw! Seems like he and Subaru are friends.

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I didn't take you for a night owl, {PC}. Since you're here, I suppose I'll stay up a little longer. You're sure you're okay? You're not sleepy?"

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Do you visit Sinostra very often, {PC}? I see... Oh, no reason. I was just making conversation. Ha ha."

why do you ask that. . .a certain mafioso captain wouldn't happen to be suspicious of you would he. . .or maybe you owe them money. . .or maybe you used to be part of Sinostra and moved to Hotarubi. . . .

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"It's getting late, {PC}. How about we finish this tomorrow? Thank you for keeping me company all this time."

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to come all the way to my room to wake me up—I'd feel terrible. I do very much appreciate the thought, though."

it's okay buddy jin already makes them do it, one more pit stop won't hurt.

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Oh, hello, {PC}. Sorry, I was actually just on my way out. I should be back by evening—do you mind if we speak then?"

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Lyca has seen my message, so why hasn't he responded to it? I hope nothing bad has happened to him..."

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Lyca will adapt well to human society, I'm sure of it. I'm so relieved that Darkwick chose to trust him. I can't thank you enough for your help."

he really likes Lyca huh? that is his dog.

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"You can't sleep? Then let me tell you some stories. Legend has it that evil spirits appear once you've told a hundred. Now, what number was I up to..."

BOY IS TRYNA GET YOUR ASS HAUNTED.

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"I don't want to seem like I'm testing you, I just... I get really anxious sometimes... I'm sorry. I'm being weird, aren't I?"

he's the type to ask 'are you sure you love me? are you sure you wanna be with me?' after you get married and move in together and own a house and have two kids with another on the way. he's the hyper anxious 'i'm sorry we disagreed about our favorite colors do you hate me?' friend(affectionate) I wonder though, is he apologizing for seeming like he's testing you because he's using his stigma to see what you've been up to or something. . .? Probably not lol it's more likely he just keeps asking if you like him

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"There is no time like spring. Everyone seems more relaxed this time of year. It's reassuring to see."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"I have some sakura mochi. I was just about to prepare some tea to go with it—would you like to join me?"

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"They have no control over whether they bloom, and yet they get made a spectacle of nonetheless... Oh, sorry—I was talking about the cherry blossoms."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"There are many different flowers growing in Hotarubi, but I think the wisteria are my favorites. This is the best time to see them, so you should take a walk around."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Hot today, isn't it? It's always raining in Hotarubi, so it does provide a little escape from the blazing summer sun, but... Ha ha. It is very humid, isn't it?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Summer makes me think of the ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan. The scene where Oiwa becomes hysterical, having realized her her face has been disfigured— incredible."

Yotsuya Kaidan is one of the best known japanese ghost stories! It's extremely violent, so read the summary at your discretion. The scene in question has Oiwa shown her reflection by her sister's boss to see that the cream she was given by a woman who was in love with her husband was actually some sort of poison that instantly scarred her face. She grabs a sword and goes to kill her, only for her to accidentally slit her own throat.

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Hotarubi House holds regular festivals during the summer months. If you need a yukata to wear, I'd be happy to pick one out for you."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I don't mind scary stories, but when that biwa in the tea room started playing by itself, it did make me jump a little..."

slight spoiler, although you can probably figure it out from this but. . .Zenji is a ghost. Subaru currently can't actually see him or hear his voice. . .only Haku, the pc, and, perhaps not so oddly, Towa can afair. All of his youtube content doesn't have him or his voice in it because he can't be recorded by cameras. So Subaru doesn't realize that the biwa playing on its own is actually Zenji playing the biwa.

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"The air has gotten crisper, and the leaves are changing color. I know it's only natural for the seasons to shift, so why does it make my heart ache so much?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Oh, these? They're some chestnuts I found. I know—I should give them to Sho. I'm sure he'll be able to make something delicious with them."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"That's another kuchikiri tea ceremony under my belt. It's an annual tradition where one cuts open a tea jar to reveal the tea that was preserved from the first harvest."

(between 8pm and 5am)

"On long autumn nights when the moon is shining beautifully in the sky, it's hard to resist taking a walk outside. Don't stay out until too late though, {PC}."

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"...Oh, {PC}. Good morning... I had a hard time getting up today. It must be the cold... Ha ha. Not very captain-like, is it?"

Jin, Taiga, and Ed are all prone to not getting out of bed. and Yuri falls asleep on operating tables when he has down time. Trust me Subaru you are perfectly captain-like.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Today, I'm going to order ingredients from one of my favorite stores so we can all make negima—tuna and scallion—hot pot together. Please, do join us."

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"It's cold out today. I was just thinking about lighting the fire. Would you like to come and warm up with me?"

oh subaru you don't even know how that sounds

(between 8pm and 5am)

"People say winter makes you want to snuggle up with someone, but I find that a good blanket does a much better job."

i agree that blankets are much easier to manage than people lol. probably warmer too.

His birthday: (February 20th)

"A present? For me? Thank you... I didn't expect you to do anything for my birthday, so I'm a little caught off guard. I really appreciate it."

Your birthday:

"Um... Happy birthday.  I really hope this year will be a wonderful one for you."

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. I hope I can depend on your guidance and support again this year."

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Chocolate? Oh, It's Valentine's Day, isn't it? Does that mean these are for me...?"

nah i just wanted you to look at them. YES THEY ARE FOR YOU BBY. why would you be showing him chocolate if it wasn't for him! On any day, not just valentine's day!!

White Day: (March 14th)

"These are for you, {PC}. I put in a special order for monaka from my favorite confectioner in Ginza. They're wafers filled with bean jam—I hope you like them."

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Earlier, Haku told me he was switching houses. It gave me a real shock— I'm very relieved that it wasn't true..."

i bet subaru made the most scared kicked puppy face and started apologizing for being such an awful captain and blamed himself for that haku would go to a different house and haku had to quickly explain it was just a prank for fear that subaru might burst into tears.

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Happy Halloween. I know it's nothing special, but I've prepared some treats for the occasion. Oh... But you're more than welcome to play a trick instead."

please don't trick him. april fool's day was hard enough for him.

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Merry Christmas. We already have our New Year decorations up in Hotarubi, so it has a real east-meets-west atmosphere now. I hope everyone is okay with it..."

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"Everyone seems busy at the moment. Maybe I should use this opportunity to tidy the garden..."

(13 affinity and above)

"{PC}? Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just worried because you were so quiet..."

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"You're back... I'm so relieved. I was worried I'd done something to make you feel uncomfortable..."

this man shakes like a chihuahua 24/7. like you can taste the anxiety coming off of him. i love him. he's so pathetic(affectionate). i wanna squeeze his hand reassuringly and tell him everything's gonna be okay. i wanna hug him and pat his head. i wanna take him places so he learns more about the world outside of working. i wanna watch him do schoolwork excitedly because he's never really gone to school before and it's a new and exciting experience. i want him to experience the most mundane aspects of life with wonder.

good boy. yeah. get him anxiety meds /nodnod

[hilarioushilarity]

my personal little headcanon is that Simon becomes one of the best pro-bono lawyers in Sweden.

A not insignificant part of the motivation would be something that Wilhelm (ironically) said in S2E5: "You don't understand. August would have the best lawyers in Sweden protecting him…you wouldn't stand a chance." I feel like those words would've lodged themselves in the back of Simon's mind, but that they'd begin to come back to him more and more as time went on, particularly after S3E1 when he comes face to face with August's stepfather - who is considered one of the best lawyers in Sweden.

Admittedly, the main reason why August's stepfather could force an agreement was the fact that a) The Royal Court didn't want to pursue charges against August, and b) August had the very real blackmail material which was Simon's own drug-dealing in S1. However, I also think that even if August didn't have that leverage, Simon would've been in for a very painful time trying to win against August's stepfather and his considerable resources. Without the Royal Court backing Simon, I genuinely don't know if Simon could've made much ground in the legal system - then again, I don't know much about how the Swedish legal system works.

At any rate, with what did play out, I've always felt Simon's character is the kind to have taken that loss and then thought to himself - I never want anyone else to feel so powerless. I never want anyone else to have to simply back down because they don't have access to a lawyer who has the compassion to want to help and the ability to do so. I think this would've galvanised Simon, made him think - hang on, I could be that person.

The question is, of course, whether being a lawyer suits Simon's character. My own feeling is that it would, regardless of whether he goes down the solicitor or barrister route (or any of the many other routes that are available). I think he would actually excel at being a barrister (the lawyer who specialises in presenting arguments in court), because we know he's got the confidence to speak his mind. We also know that he's great at formulating and delivering take-downs that are backed up with logic (Why is it called tax "evasion" but welfare "scam"? It's all right that rich people cheat, but when poor people do it, it's messed up.) Granted, this is when he's sixteen and in a classroom - but I'd argue that it takes guts to speak up like that when you're surrounded by people who actively, vociferously disagree with you. Imagine what he'd be like in about ten years' time, after finishing a university degree and doing a few internships.

Anyway, this got super long, but it's a thought that's been percolating in my mind for the past year or so. Simon Eriksson has what it takes to make an amazing lawyer - but he can just as well go pursue something else. With what we've seen of his character, I don't think anyone can deny that he'd excel at whatever he puts his mind to.

[justacanofcorn]

Mark Hoffman fluff?

Ask and ye shall receive, dear Anon.

Rating: M

Tags: language, drugs n alcohol, Eric Matthews being himself, fluff (I tried anyway), some descriptions of facial wounds

Not an Asshole (Mark Hoffman x GN!Reader)

-·=»◆‡«=·-♡·=»◆‡«=·-

"Ah!"

You suck air through your teeth and cradle an ice pack against one side of your head while thick yet curiously nimble fingers work at the laceration on the other side. Mark has removed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Things would be different if your vision wasn't still skewed from the tussle. For one, you'd be fixing your wound yourself. Also... you'd be able to better glimpse at Mark's face while he focuses on his work. His brow furrows differently than normal when he focuses, like the usual scowl is a front and this is him in his element.

"Am I gonna have to report this?" he grumbles, setting aside a bloodied alcohol wipe and readying a suture.

"I'm probably the last person you wanna ask."

"Why?"

He's mumbling, clearly looking to fill the silent space. You indulge him.

"Because you know what I'm gonna say."

"That I shouldn't report it?"

"Yep."

"You broke a pretty strict code of conduct," he murmurs so quietly it almost registers as a hum.

You had, in fact, broken quite a few codes of conduct, and in public no less. There's a reason you're in your apartment and not the hospital.

"He had it coming."

Mark 'tsked'. "Still."

You smirk. He agrees with you.

"Get that smile off your face. He's gonna run straight to the chief and tell. I give you a day, if that. Hold still; this is gonna hurt."

You clench your teeth and grip your whiskey glass so hard you're afraid it might shatter in your hand, and then Mark will have even more to clean up. He begins your sitches and you take a shaky sip.

"Still," he scolds you like you're a disobedient animal. You roll your eyes.

"Just take me out back and shoot me."

"You're so dramatic. They're stitches."

"Yeah, and they fucking hurt."

"Well, you fucking earned em, didn't you, Ace?"

Ace. Your nickname, or rather, his nickname for you. Because no one else called you Ace. It started out mean, critical. You were, after all, a rookie, and he your mentor. He was allowed to say basically whatever he wanted to you, and in the beginning, he did. He said things that had you crying in your car as soon as you were out of sight. Any stress, he took out on you. Even the shit that probably wasn't even related to work- it ended up on your shoulders.

It was like that for a while. Then, something changed.

To put it simply, you had saved his life. He was caught unawares, him, and you managed to talk the perpetrator down. More than that, you'd been stupid, deliberately putting yourself in harm's way just to save Hoffman from a beating or maybe a bullet.

So you're Ace. Hotshot, hotheaded. Everything Mark was before you entered the picture. Now, he finds himself taking on some kind of new role to balance you out, though he's not exactly sure what it is or how much he likes it.

"Not my proudest moment, admittedly," you say with a pained groan as Mark pulls the sitches through.

"I'd really hope a bar fight with Eric Matthews was not your proudest moment, no."

"It wasn't a bar fight."

"Ace-"

"It was outside the bar and he threw the first punch."

"He missed."

"Yeah, the first swing."

"I don't feel like arguing about this- hold still unless you wanna lose an eye."

Begrudgingly, you seal your mouth as he manages the last stitch. He pulls a particularly sensitive piece of skin, or maybe sends the needle a little too deep because you hiss and shoot a hand out to clutch his leg.

"Sorry," he mutters. You can't see him, but you feel his eyes hot on your hand and you pull it away, trying and failing to mumble an apology of your own. Even though he's literally sewing your skin closed, the hand to thigh contact is somehow the most intimate thing that's ever happened.

And you have to admit: you maybe had the occasional fantasy about Mark. It couldn't be helped. He's a man in a position of power and you have enough childhood whatever that it has a certain draw. But in any of those fantasies, it's you playing doctor to him. He's the more notorious hothead, after all.

"You're probably mad I'm stealing your title," you half joke. He snips the suture and dabs at it lightly with a fresh alcohol wipe.

"Oh yeah? You think you're gonna make head detective?"

The first part of your response is a gut reaction. "God no. I meant as the biggest asshole in the precinct."

His hands slow, and for a moment, though you're still coming down from your near blackout-level of drunkenness, you're scared you offended him.

"You're not an asshole, Ace. Well, maybe sometimes. But your heart's in the right place."

You're never one for serious or genuine conversations. You always want to leave a conversation with a joke or snarky remark. But here, now...

"And yours isn't?"

After a moment, he sighs and turns himself away. You're sitting on your kitchen counter and he's on a barstool. Even with these levels, he's as tall as you. You kick your legs as he stands.

"This isn't about me."

You hop down from the counter. "I think it is about you as much as it is about me."

He shoots you a grim look. "How do you figure that?"

"Come on. Matthews is pissed that you're good at your job, and by extension, I'm occasionally good at my job."

"That's vanity," he quips.

"But am I wrong?"

He struggles for a moment, caught between lying versus telling you that you're right. He says neither.

"Not the point."

He removes his gloves and tosses them in the trash, along with the wipes and leftover sutures. There's a moment of silence, of him watching you as you retrieve the whiskey and refilling your glass.

"Want one?" You ask.

"Sure."

You get another glass and pour. Like it's a strange instinct, you touch glasses before drinking.

"To being the two biggest assholes in the precinct," he says. You half expect the phrase to be some sort of sad, but he says it with a small smile, as if to say 'yes, we are, and that's just the way it'll have to be.'

You don't mind the idea.

You down your whiskey and pour another glass.

"Slow down there, Ace. How many painkillers have you taken?"

Honestly? You don't remember.

"...some. I'm fine."

To prove just how fine you are, you push yourself from the counter and immediately stumble.

"Alright," Mark sighs and sets his glass on the counter. "Where you trying to go?"

"Couch," you point. It would seem that yes, most of the substances you've ingested in the past two hours are combining at once.

Mark comes and hovers a guiding hand at your lower back to move you to the couch. You make it, plopping down and grabbing the remote.

"Whaddya wanna watch?" You ask, not quite slurring your words but definitely not enunciating them.

"I really oughta get home, let you rest."

"Noooo!" You groan. "At least not right now. What if I have a concussion? I can't sleep, right?"

Panic starts to creep in. You have been a little irresponsible tonight.

"And the drinking, and the meds- holy shit..."

You get woozy, start to fall on your bad side and Mark catches you and sits you up.

"Okay, where's the bathroom?"

You wave your hand to the hallways behind you and he leaves. Distantly, through your haze you hear Judge Judy on the tv. Mark returns with a cold wash cloth and the small trashcan from the bathroom.

"Here," he hands you the cloth and you set it on the back of your neck. Mark sets the bin by your feet. He straightens up and gets a good look at the state of you.

"Well, now I'm worried about you passing out."

And now you feel guilty about keeping him here.

"You're fine," you mumble. "Don't wanna keep you here."

Mark sighs, looks around the room, then looses his collar, undoes the first two buttons of his shirt.

"Scoot," he instructs, and you move yourself to one side of the couch. Mark kicks off his shoes and sits beside you.

"I'm staying until we're certain you won't overdose in the middle of the night. Deal?"

You would verbally respond but you're getting sleepy. You nod.

"Hey, wake up. Can't sleep yet."

"Whynot."

"Concussion."

You turn so your body is facing inwards, towards Mark. You toss the remote onto his lap.

"Pick something."

"This is fine."

"No, you hate reality TV."

"How do you know?"

"You told me once," you mumble with your eyes closed. You roll your head back and forth to keep awake.

"Oh," he says. "Well, I don't mind this one."

You crack an eye open. "You like Judy?"

He doesn't respond, just purses his lips.

You're not in your right mind. That's what you tell yourself every day since this night because it's the most dignified way you can justify your next move.

You've pulled your socked feet up on the couch and start nudging Mark's leg with your toes. His head swivels towards you.

"What?"

You clear your throat and squeeze your eyes shut to let a stab of pain pass.

"Lap."

When he realizes what you want, Mark sighs and moves his arm so you can swing your feet onto his thigh, snuggling even closer. He tenses, but doesn't move.

"You're not an asshole," you mumble. Your forehead gets closer to his shoulder.

"Yeah, I am."

"Not to me."

"I used to be."

"I know," you yawn. "I forgive you."

As you fall asleep, you think you might hear an apology slip through his lips.

-

When you wake up the next morning, Mark's gone. But you wake up on your side, covered in a blanket, the trash can placed strategically by your head. On your coffee table is a glass of water and two painkillers. And next to them is a sticky note.

Ace,

eat first. Don't take on an empty stomach.

-Mark

You smile and chug the water, then take the pills anyway. Your stitches ache, and your brain pulses against your skull, but you grip the note tightly in your hand, content to slip it into a drawer somewhere and 'forget' to throw it away.

Yep. Maybe an asshole. But not last night. Not today.

-·=»◆‡«=·-♡·=»◆‡«=·-

Sorry if it's OOC but Mark's not a super fluffy guy. This seemed like a natural-ish way to play it. Thanks for the req, anon!!

[zorosangell]

⛥ﾟ・。 protector: chapter six

synopsis: " you were supposed to stay a crewate, just another back to watch, " he tightened his hold, " i didn't even notice the change until i woke up one day and realized i'd take a bullet for you "

cw: violence, gore, fighting, mature themes, profanity, MAJOR/MINOR ANIME SPOILERS, follows the plot of the anime, slowww burn.

a/n: reposting from another account

Everyone crash landed right next to this tree Usopp was perched in, but you managed to catch the kids before they could hit the ground. 

"My goodness, are you okay?" a girl, who you assumed to be Kaya, asked from her window, concerned.

"Uh, Kaya, don't worry about them. That's just the price of being a famous adventurer! They're just new recruits who heard about me and came to join the Usopp pirates!" Usopp nervously tried to cover.

"Nope, not me. I came here to see you. I wanted to ask you a favor," Luffy stated, standing up and brushing himself off. 

"A favor? From me?" Kaya asked.

"Uh huh. I was wondering if there was anyway you could help us get a boat," Luffy started.

"You there!" an angry voice interrupted, "What do you think you're doing?"

It was a man with slicked, black hair, and he was wearing a swirly suit. 

"Klahadore," Kaya sighed.

"Get out! I'll have you know that this is criminal trespassing," he stated.

'He looks familiar.' 

"Uh, actually Klahadore, these people are—" "Not now, Kaya. You can tell me all about this riff-raff after they've left. Now get out! All of you."

"Riff-raff?" you cocked an eyebrow, tongue in cheek as you got ready to walk up to him before Zoro pulled you back.

"Not now," he sighed.

"Leave now unless you have some business with me," Klahadore ordered, turning around and starting off.

"Alright! Do you think that you could help us get a ship?" Luffy asked.

"Certainly not! Usopp!" Klahadore shouted.

"Crap!" Usopp winced, as if the words stung.

"You have quite the reputation. You are very well known in the village. I hear you've been on many an adventure. Quite impressive for someone as young as you," Klahadore falsely complimented.

"Usually, people who admire me so much, call me Captain. So it's Captain Usopp to you," the boy smirked.

"Captain, huh?" Klahadore laughed, "Your father also had something of a reputation."

"What?" Usopp growled.

"Klahadore, please just stop!" Kaya exclaimed. 

"You'll never be anything more than the son of a filthy pirate. Who knows what sort of trouble you're up to now? All I ask is that you and your kind leave this respectable young lady alone," Klahadore smirked.

"A filthy pirate?!" Usopp angrily repeated.

"You and her are from different worlds and you know it! Is it money you're after? How much do you want?" Klahadore asked.

"Cease this at once, Klahadore! Apologize to him!" Kaya shouted. 

"I don't believe there is any reason to apologize to this savage young man, my Lady. My goal isn't to slander. I am merely stating the truth. I sympathize with your situation. You must hate your great idiot of a father for abandoning his family and his village because of his mindless lust for treasure!" 

"Klahadore, stop!" Kaya ordered.

"Don't you dare insult my father ever again!" Usopp growled, jumping down from his perch and glaring at the disrespectful butler.

"Why have you gotten so worked up Usopp? It's times like these when you should do what you do best and lie. Tell me about how your father is really a traveling salesman, or about how you aren't really related by blood," Klahadore smirked.

Usopp immediately socked him in the face.

Everyone gasped.

"Alright, Usopp!" you cheered, Zoro still holding you back.

"Case in point! He results to violence! I guess the apple never falls far from the tree, does it?" Klahadore stated.

"Shut up! My father listened to his heart an chose a life of risk and adventure! I am proud to say that my old man is a brave warrior of the sea. You're right, I have been known to exaggerate form time to time, but I will never lie about who my father is! I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage! I am the son of a pirate!" Usopp shouted.

Klahadore chuckled.

"Pirate are brave warriors of the sea, are they? That's quite a twisted way of putting things. You don't seem to understand that you are living proof of his savage blood. You run around spouting lies and use violence when you don't get your way. To top it off, you cozy up to the lady of the house to steal her fortune," he stood up, brushing himself off.

"You're wrong! I only—" "Your father is a filthy, no-good pirate! Treachery is in your blood! Of course you would hatch such an evil scheme!" Klahadore interrupted Usopp, shouting.

"You won't let up, will you?!" Usopp shouted back, grabbing the butler's shirt and winding his fist.

"Stop it, Usopp! Please! No more violence! I can't take it! Klahadore isn't a bad person... he's just—he's just trying to do what he thinks is best for me and sometimes he goes too far," Kaya pleaded. 

Usopp begrudgingly loosened his grip and Klahadore slapped Usopp's hand away. 

"Leave this place. You are never to come here again!" he ordered.

"Yeah, I get it. You don't have to tell me twice, buddy. This is the last you'll ever see of me," Usopp spat, walking off.

Just then, the Usopp Pirates ran in front of Klahadore.

"Hey! Our captain's not that kinda guy!" Carrot shouted.

"Ya stupid jerkface!" Pepper spat.

"Jerkface!" Onion growled.

"Jerkface!" you and Luffy shouted in unison.

"Shut up, you two don't have a bone to pick with him," Zoro smacked Luffy upside the head.

Klahadore shot the kids a piercing glare and they all screamed, quickly hiding behind you.

"You will all leave immediately!" 

"Hey, where's Luffy?" Nami asked.

You, Nami, Zoro, and the Usopp pirates, were currently sitting on a fence.

"Who knows? He probably ran after that captain," Zoro shrugged, sitting up against the fence post.

"He's probably in his secret spot by the shore!" Pepper exclaimed. 

"Yeah! He always goes over there when he's gotta think something over," Carrot agreed.

"Well if Luffy's goin' over there, I better go too to make sure he doesn't fall in a ditch or something," you sighed, jumping off the fence and making your wings sprout. 

"WHOA! ARE YOU AN ANGEL?!" The kids exclaimed. 

"Maybe," you smirked before shooting off into the air, seeing Zoro's smile out the corner of your eye.

You made it back over to the shore to see Usopp and Luffy laying on the ledge, spying on Klahadore and a man with heart sunglasses.

Just then, Luffy stood up.

"Hey, bad guys! You better stay away from that girl!" he shouted.

Usopp looked terrified and your eyes went wide.

'Stay away from that girl? Does he mean Kaya? What do those two want with Kaya?'

"Who are you?" Heart Glasses called.

"Well now, if it isn't Usopp, the mischievous town liar," Klahadore glared

"Oh no! I'm spotted, too!" Usopp panicked.

"So did you hear anything?" 

"We heard it all," Luffy stated.

"Shut up!" Usopp smacked him in the chest. 

Klahadore gave Heart Glasses a nod and he smirked.

"If you say so," he shrugged.

"Pay attention, boys! And watch this ring closely!"

'A hypnotist!'

"Don't look at it!" you shouted, flying in front of them and blocking their eyes with your wings, but you could still see the ring. 

"By the count of Jango, you will be in a deep sleep. One... two... Jango!" Heart Glasses exclaimed.

"Get... back to the... crew," you groaned, feeling yourself falling out of the sky.

"(Y/N)!" Luffy shouted.

You felt your head smash against something and suddenly, everything went black.

You groaned as you felt something shake you roughly, faint voices surrounding you.

"(y/n)! (y/n), what happened?!" Zoro's voice frantically asked.

You slowly opened your eyes to see him, Nami, Luffy, and the Usopp pirates standing around you.

"Oh, hey guys. What'd I miss?" you groggily asked as you stood up, stretching your arms and your wings.

"YOU IDIOT! DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!" Zoro shouted, shaking you.

"Zoro, you're gonna give me brain damage!" you exclaimed, which stopped his shaking.

"Gah! How are you alive?!" Nami exclaimed, repulsed by the dent your head made in the rock.

'My powers again.'

"I don't know. All I remember is seeing a ring, and then falling asleep," you shrugged.

"It was that Jango guy. He's a hypnotist," Zoro grumbled, firmly gripping the handle of one of his swords.

"I figured."

"Well we've got a lot to catch you up on," Nami sighed.

*2 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓*

"That's why he looked familiar. I remember seeing Kuro's wanted poster all over my village," you facepalmed, embarrassed you didn't realize sooner.

"Oh, wait!" Luffy exclaimed.

"What is it?" You, Zoro, and Nami asked, thinking it was something important.

"We need to stock up before the meat shop guy leaves!"

You smacked Luffy upside the head, "That's not our priority right now! We gotta find a way to save Kaya and the village before it's too late."

"The kids already said that Usopp went ahead to worry the town and get Kaya, don't worry about it," Nami waved off, a smirk on her face.

"We do have to worry about it. Usopp is the town liar. Do you really think anyone is gonna believe him?" you asked, cocking a brow.

Their eyes went wide.

"I'm gonna go fly ahead, I have a hunch about something."

"Are you sure? The last time you went off by yourself you almost cracked your skull open," Zoro asked as he walked up to you, talking in a low voice so only you could hear him.

"I'll be fine. I have an idea of what Usopp's plan is going to be and I need to get to the north shore," you nodded.

He sighed, still looking uneasy.

So you gave him a quick, awkward hug

"Relax, mosshead. It's gonna take a lot more than a rock to kill me," you assured him, backing out of the hug and flashing a warm smile before unfurling your wings and flying away.

He looked so dazed, you were beginning to regret your decision.

You landed at the mouth of a narrow passageway on the north shore and made your perch, sitting criss-crossed and staring out at the sea.

'If my hunch is right, Usopp is gonna make a bunch of defenses at the south shore since that's where he saw the secret meeting. But just in case they switch up, I'll post here at the north shore.'

You sighed and looked up at the moon.

'I gotta get to the Grand Line soon. For Cora.'

[nugulover69]

@sunshinemoonrx's sentai suits and skirts thread got me pondering the geki suits again (I agree that the main trio should all be skirted or all not-skirted, for uniformity sake), specifically the Violet and Chopper suits

I just really like how the animal theming of both suits reflect their respective character's relationship to the kitty cat triangle

Gou being a wolf/dog, an animal that isn't a feline but is often thought of in tandem with cats works bc he has an existing connection with the trio (Retsu's dearest stacked niisan). Hence his suit following a similar body plan to the triangle (the lack of a belt and a very similar helmet shape) but with added details to indicate his different fighting style (protective cuffs and elbow/kneepads)

Meanwhile Ken is...a rhino? Which for the longest time bothered me bc well that's not close to a feline nor a canine. It's a mammal yeah but not a fuzzy sharp-toothed critter. Why not make him a fox, I'd often think to myself, he's sly and mischievous like a fox (or the idea of one at least)

But I've come around to this seemingly random theming bc consider how foreign Ken was to the main trio. Just like Gou, he also practices a style of Beast Fist unique to him, but he's not related to any of the trio like Gou, biological or otherwise. like how rhinos have hardly any relation to cats and dogs

Gou and Ken are similar in that their integrations into the team are not the smoothest (Ken arguably starting worse off than Gou bc his reasoning for attacking one of the triangle was a tiff over a pork cutlet rather than being in a werewolf fugue state like Gou)

Gou's rough start is mainly due to internal struggles, being distant bc he doesn't want to ruin the team's perfect triangle. He's too scared of losing control and failing like he did once before against Leo (still not calling him Rio you can't make me). Noble coldness, respectable brooding badboyisms

And this tension is quickly smoothed over by Jan anyways, literally calling him too kind for his own good

Ken, on the other hand, is never not causing problems or shenanigans throughout the rest of the show (selling the Virtuous Beast Sword for money, being a creep to Ran and just generally being bull headed and combative). He's a boorish vortex of mayhem, kinda like the cartoonish idea of a rhino. Basically, him having a rhino theme nicely encapsulates his personality and his outsider status

This all adds up to a suit that is thematically satisfying. The helmet again fits his outsider theme, having a whole different visor and mouth design from the other four, as well as being the only suit with a belt/clear division of the torso and legs (appropriate for the ranger who practices the oldest, karate-like style of Beast Fist)

It also just looks rad as fuck. Dare I call it sexy. My favorite sentai suit hands down no contest

Idk how to end this post, this was a lotta word salad to simply say I think the two-man eldest brother coalition are neat

[amethystjewel01]

Yuuna Birthday Suit!

Happy Birthday to me! Huh? I know it's weird to say that, b-but I just felt like doing it!

Voice Lines

Summon Line: Th-There's so many people…but that won't stop me from having fun! Come on guys! Let's play some games!

Groovy!: Thank you so much for the well wishes! Let's hope next year is just as fun!

Home: I'm not sure how well this suit well…suits me hehe.

Home Idle 1: Tsunotaro gave me these really nice set of earrings. They’re beautiful, but I don’t know if I can replace the pair I have…since they’re my elder sister’s

Home Idle 2: Grim is being extra cuddly today, I bet he's doing it just so I can let him eat more of my cake. Well…it's not gonna work, that is MINE!

Home Idle 3: I almost feel bad for sharing a birthday with Cater…but he seems to be having more fun over it. Though I wish he would slow down with the constant selfies…

Home Idle [Login]: Normally I don't care for my birthday…but seeing everyone wish me a good one makes me so happy!

Home Idle [Groovy]: Everyone is smiling so much I just can't help but smile even more! Everyone's been so kind, way more than I expected from them to be honest haha!

Home Tap 1: Yuuki has been way more guardsy today, probably because she wants me to have fun. But I'd rather she have fun too!!

Home Tap 2: Honestly it's kind of surprising how many sketchbooks I've been gifted by several guys, have I been that obvious with my sketching during class? Hey don't look at me like that!

Home Tap 3: My makeup? Oh Vil did for me actually! Yeah it's hardly noticeable but I've never seen my skin glow like this! Maybe he wasn't that crazy about a proper skin routine…don't tell him I said that.

Home Tap 4: Professor Trein also stopped by to tell me happy birthday! It was a bit of a shock. But he does remind me of my own dad a lot actually, especially in age lol. Probably why I get along with him a lot.

Home Tap 5: You know a part of me is worried about getting older, mainly because it means less time to know what I want to do with my life…I just hope I figure it out before it's too late…

Home Tap [Groovy]: I can't believe Riddle made the cake...I'm not saying that's a bad thing!! I just...really didn't expect it. It was soo good too~

Duo:

Yuuna: Tsunotaro! You’re here!!

Malleus: Of course I would be. Happy birthday Yuuna.

Personal Story

Part 1

(Ramshackle Dorm - Birthday Party Venue)

Yuuki: Happy Birthday Yuuna.

Yuuna: Haha! Thanks Yuuki! Guessin’ we gotta start the interview now, thought Yuuto was doing it this time?

Yuuki: Like I'd let that guy ask the questions.

Yuuna: I'm sure they wouldn't be that bad…

Yuuki: Not taking the chance, anyway-

Yuuki: How do you feel celebrating your birthday in another world?

Yuuna: It's…unique I'll say! I mean it's not bad or anything! Just kind of...weird not to see certain family members y’know?

Yuuki: Like who?

Yuuna: Mainly my dad, back home I was used to switching between two houses a lot of the time. 

Yuuna: But on my birthday if a party was being held at my mom's house, he would always stop by no matter what! It was always so fun.

Yuuna: I remember all of the things he would get for me even when we had money troubles. Makes me feel bad for how demanding I was as a kid sometimes, but he just wanted to spoil his princess.

Yuuki: What about your other family members?

Yuuna: Oh I can't forget about them! Especially my little sibling! They're as crazy as me honestly!

Yuuna: I remember how often they would just run around screaming their head off for any random reason. Not saying it wasn't annoying at times but they knew when to stop once someone told them to quiet down.

Yuuna: I have other older siblings too but…I didn't get to interact with them as much considering we all had a huge age gap.

Yuuki: Age gap?

Yuuna: Yeah hehe…even me and the little one have like an almost ten year difference. Some of my elder siblings are like hitting their thirties or would be forties actually!

Yuuki: “Would be?”

Yuuna: Ah…let's not talk about that…

Part 2

(Ramshackle Dorm - Birthday Party Venue)

Yuuki: Moving on then, several students have actually wondered if your hair is naturally two toned. And if not, which is the real color?

Yuuna: Really? Well it's not, but both aren't natural. All of it is dyed actually!

Yuuna: My hair is actually a dark brown? Well actually…I was born blonde, but it darkened over the years thanks to me not leaving the house often.

Yuuki: I mean I already knew that thanks to your roots popping up sometimes. But I thought it would be better to ask if you were comfortable sharing.

Yuuna: That makes sense!

Yuuki: So why do you keep it dyed? You never gave a reason.

Yuuna: O-Oh well…I don't really know. I can't really imagine myself with dark hair? I mean long blonde hair used to be my go to for my vision of myself, but after questioning my gender as I got older the vision just sort of…shifted?

Yuuki, You mentioned long hair, so you used to keep it long?

Yuuna: Yeah! Actually funny enough it was a dream of mine as a little girl to have Rapunzel length hair, so I always refused to cut it. Kind of ironic my typical look is this one now huh?

Yuuki: It's not bad, though now I'm curious what it would look like if you grew it out but kept the color.

Yuuna: That's not a bad idea, though the curls will be a nightmare to keep up with if it's longer.

Part 3

(Ramshackle Dorm - Birthday Party Venue)

Yuuki: Last question.

Yuuki: Let's just get the basic question out of the way- what's your favorite food?

Yuuna: Oh that's SUPER easy! Anything sweet! I absolutely love sugary foods and drinks and treats!

Yuuki: I'll say, I never see you drink coffee without putting almost ten freaking packets of sugar in it.

Yuuna: Hey! It's to get rid of any bitterness!

Yuuna: But yeah, I usually can eat extremely sweet things most can't. I actually have several fake teeth because of it, though it's my back ones luckily so you can't see them hehe.

Yuuki: Okay, but if you had to choose only one sweet thing. What would it be?

Yuuna: Ah…that's hard…

Yuuna: Hmm…

Yuuna: Um…

Yuuki: We don't have all day

Yuuna: I'm trying! I can't pick just one! It depends on my mood and cravings!

Yuuki: Then just say at least one you never refuse!

Yuuna: Uhhhh- Cheesecake!! Absolutely love those! The creamier the better! And the variety you can have of them too! Can't go wrong with a good plain one though!

Yuuna: In fact I'm absolutely ecstatic that you and Yuuto got me one! The kitchen ghosts did a fantastic job!

Yuuki: Actually it wasn't us or them. Riddle made it with help from Trey, said something about you mentioning it to him.

Yuuna: H-Huh?! Wait…RIDDLE MADE THAT??? IS THAT WHY IT HAS THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE???

Yuuki: I don't see how that would correlate to-

Yuuna: Oh my god- I practically gushed over it when I tried it in front of him without knowing! I'm so embarrassed!!

Yuuki: And there they go…

The End

[dyscanthe]

Butlers in Wonderland

Chapter 1: Chasing the Rabbit

This is a rough translation of the story. You may encounter minor errors on the way, please be understanding and considerate (⁠*⁠´⁠ω⁠｀⁠*⁠) With that being said, enjoy reading!

ITALICS - Narration; BOLD ITALIC - Choices

CH2⌦

[ Devil’s Palace, Private Room ]

One day in October, I returned to the mansion as usual, wearing the golden ring. The appearance of Devil’s Palace was different from the usual.

Oh this is…

Haures: Welcome back, Aruji.

Fennesz: Hehe, were you surprised?

Even the outfit Haures and Fennesz, who welcomed me, had a different atmosphere as well.

What happened to your outfit?

Haures: Actually this outfit is… In order to keep this year’s Halloween theme, Fleur tailored a costume for us.

So it's a Halloween costume.

Fennesz: Yes! Last year’s costume theme was vampires and werewolves but… This year’s theme is a story based on a famous novels from this world.

What kind of novel is it?

Haures: A girl who got lost into the mysterious world. The story is about a lady who encounters mysterious residents and tries to go back to their own world.

Haures: It's called “Aris in the Spooky Land”, do you know about this?

I know something similar…

Fennesz: Hehe, I see. But please don't worry. Even if you don't know the original work, you'll surely be able to enjoy the atmosphere.

Fennesz: Many of the butlers have never even read the novel.

Haures: Well, just because it's well-known novel doesn't mean that everyone has read it.

Haures: Thanks to my sister pestering me to read it to her every night, I have it memorized almost entirely.

Fennesz: I see, that's interesting. Anyways, this costume is based on a character from the novel. I hope you'll have fun this Halloween.

Haures: By the way, there's something I want to confirm to you, Aruji. Do you have any plans after this?

Why?

Haures: Actually, I'd like to invite you to participate in a certain "recreational activity.” I'm afraid it will take some time… Will it be all right if I start now? Though if it isn't an convenient hour for you, we can do it some other time.

We can do it now.

Haures: Thank you, Aruji.

Fennesz: So without further ado.... Let me explain about this recreation.

Fennesz: First of all, take a look at this ring.

Fennesz holds out his hand and places a beautiful ring on it. The red diamond-shaped jewel on the ring reflected the light and seemed to glow like a flame.

Fennesz: Well then, allow me.

He took my hand and gently placed it so that my fingertips were stretched out, and placing another ring on my finger that already had a gold ring on it.

How beautiful…

Fennesz: Hehe, is that so? But this isn't just a normal ring.

Is that so?

Haures: Aruji, now look at this ring.

Looking closer, I saw a beautiful ring shining on Haures’ palm. This time, it's a heart-shaped jewel with a bright red color that looks intense.

Haures: Well then…

Just like Fennesz before, Haures places a ring on my finger. As a result, three rings are now worn in my finger in addition to the gold ring I have beforehand.

What on Earth is this?

Haures: It suits you, Aruji.

Haures: Actually, that ring… I got it from a jeweler who had helped me in the past. Not only is it a real gemstone, it also has an unusual feature.

An unusual feature?

Fennesz: Yes, in fact the jewel is removable. Please excuse me for a moment.

Fennesz takes my hand and touches the gem on my ring. He gently held the jewel and gave it a slight twist. With a clicking sound, the jewel on the ring fell off. Haures also removed the gem from the other ring and showed it to me.

Haures: Now they Aruji just to test it out, could you take off the ring you just put on?

Do I just take them off?

As instructed, I tried to remove both rings from my finger. For some reason, the ring, which should have fit easily on my finger earlier, just wouldn't come off.

Eh? It won't come out?

Haures: It's a strange device, isn't it? I don't know how it works, but it seems that when the jewelry is removed, the lock is activated. Even though it's not that tight on your fingers, it seems like it won't come out.

Fennesz: That is, unless we return the two jewels we have on the ring.

Fennesz: Aruji cannot take off the two rings they have on. This means that they can't return to their original world because the golden ring that you're wearing won't come off.

What..?!

Haures: Rest assured, Aruji. This is purely recreational.

Fennesz: The main character in the original story is also searching for a way to return to their original world. We wanted you to experience that same thrill. That is the purpose of this recreation.

I see…

Fennesz: Now we’re going to take the "key" jewel with us and head somewhere in the mansion.

Fennesz: Aruji, please follow us and take the "key" to return to your original world.

Sounds interesting…

Haures: “Hehe, Well then…”

Haures: “Shall we leave now, Half Moon rabbit?”

Fennesz: “That's right, Full Moon rabbit”

Haures: “A very merry unbirthday to you”

Fennesz: “Happy Unbirthday!”

The two of them acted out some kind of character and then left the room. I don't know how similar it is though, seems to be based on a novel similar to "Alice in Wonderland.” Anyways, I went to take part in the "recreation" that the butlers had prepared for me. Just like they told me, I decided to follow the "rabbit.”

[sunnyy3d]

Hi again

Ok so I am currently obsessed with Matt smith and Alex Kingston so I wanted to know if you would write a 11th/river/reader fanfic where the reader is a companion that just started travelling with them but for some reason she is immortal and always finds them but she doesn’t totally understand how the meeting keeps happening between them all so she just jumped from a new tune where she was happily married to the doctor and river but now she meets river/melody who doesn’t know her yet and she gets jealous bc she over heard them talking about another girl(her just younger) and it leads to the doctor having to explain to her that they aren’t at that time yet and river gifts her a journal so she can write down where and how they keep meeting hopefully this makes enough sense and you would want to write it I just want some fluff/cuteness along with confusion on time travel

Timeless Love| 11th Doctor x River x Reader

A/N: Requests open! (Obviously)

God, I'm so nauseous. Will I ever get used to that? I really wish that I had my own TARDIS; it'd be so much better than a vortex manipulator. The Doctor calls it "cheap and nasty time travel," and he's not wrong. Of course, I'll never let him know that, though.

I let the dizziness subside before opening my eyes. I'm facing a wall? I've gotta go through the checklist. Okay, first is smell. It smells... old? Like antiques and dust. Why is smell first anyway? The second is hearing. I hear sirens, which leads to the next part: sight. To go with the sirens, I see a red flashing light coming from a bulb farther up the wall. That's always a good sign! Last but not least, the 360. Well, it's more like a 180, but that's beside the point. I spin only to find a gun pointed at my head. My smile immediately drops, the excitement of being in a new environment being replaced with dread. What have I gotten myself into this time?

"Oi, don't touch the fez! Wait, no, don't take it," I hear from behind the brute holding the gun.

"Don't listen to him. Please take the fez," I'd recognize those voices from anywhere. Especially the sarcasm... It only makes sense that they're around when I find myself in trouble. I can't let myself get distracted; this is a life-or-death situation. Just do what The Doctor taught you. Be rational and observe.

Peering past the gun, I see a creature I've never seen before in my time with The Doctor. This thing is enormous, at least a foot or two taller than me. They (it?) have on a suit of armor--similar to what would be found back on Earth-- that obscures its face. Maybe it's a security guard? It would make sense, considering that behind it are glass cases that hold artifacts.

Regardless, this creature's sheer size means I can't fight it. At least not successfully. That throws all of the self-defense skills River taught me out of the window. I really wish she was here. Oh wait... she is. I'll just have to play the innocent card. It shouldn't be hard, considering that I am innocent. I put my hands up beside my head as a sign of surrender, careful to go at a speed that's not threatening. "I just got here, I swear. I have no idea what's going on," I reason. I have a feeling that it's not gonna work well.

"Oh, look who it is! Where have you been?" Looking past the guard, I spot The Doctor and River being led in by another guard.

I sigh, "It's not what it looks like."

"It's exactly what it looks like!" The Doctor interrupts with his stupid smile.

"Honey, can you shut please? I kinda have a gun in my face right now," I plead.

"Oh right..."

"Excuse me, sir?" River distracts the guard in front of me.

"We're going to have to ask you to put that gun down. Darling, you might want to duck." Without even thinking, I follow her instructions. I trust River and The Doctor with my life. What kind of wife would I be otherwise? Being stuck between the wall and the fight, I have no choice but to crawl away.

I'm hiding behind one of the cases when The Doctor comes around the corner, disheveled and panting. It's a good look at him. His hair is messy before he runs a hand through it and flashes his signature smile. God, I could kiss him. But now's not the time. We're in the middle of a fight. I say we, but I really mean River. "What are you doing?" I yell.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Loud shots hit the walls around us. I peek around the corner and see two more guards have shown up as reinforcement.

A bullet flies past my head, and I quickly take my retreat behind the case. "Look! We'll have to save this conversation for after we get out of whatever situation you got us into this time. River needs help." The Doctor gives me an offended look.

"River does NOT need help, no thanks to you guys," she says sarcastically.

The Doctor and I come out from behind the case. "What are you guys even doing here?" I ask with my hands on my hips.

"Uhh... we're picking something up," The Doctor answers nervously. I nod, my lips drawing into a thin line as I give him a skeptical hum. It's probably not worth questioning, and I probably won't get a straight answer.

"And you are?" River questions, looking me up and down. Even after being with her for a while, I still get butterflies when she looks at me like that.

But the butterflies are scooped up by my confusion. "What do you mean, River? We've been-"

"SPOILERS," The Doctor interjects. "If you'll just give us a moment, please?" I nod as he drags River away. They huddle together with their backs facing me. Clearly, I'm not supposed to hear this conversation, but it doesn't stop me from trying. Unfortunately, they're just out of earshot, so I can only hear a few words.

Focusing on their conversation, I piece together some parts. "She's... beautiful... amazing... younger... she's like..." The Doctor explains with expressive hands. Occasionally, River glances back at me with a smile.

Who are they talking about like that? It has to be someone special. Why else would they keep it a secret from me? More importantly, why is River saying she doesn't know me? Has she had her memory wiped? Clearly, The Doctor knows who I am, but he's also acting weird. What has happened to our marriage? Did all of the intimate moments that we shared go down the drain? All the adventures forgotten?

I'm so lost in thought that it takes me a second to realize that they've finished their conversation and have started walking back towards me. I quickly stand straight, suddenly incredibly self conscious. I cross my arms and frown, "So, who's this mystery woman and why did you have to talk about her in secret?" I know my words reek of jealousy, but I can't help it. We've been married for so long, and yet here they are talking about some other woman.

The Doctor sighs, thinking about how he should respond. "We were talking about you. I know it might not make too much sense right now, but River and I aren't in the same timeline as you."

"This is actually my first time meeting you, I'm afraid. Though I'm sure it won't be the last," River looks me up and down with a smirk. I blush and look away. Even if this is her first time meeting me, she still has to flirt.

Everything is starting to make sense now. All of the times when The Doctor or River thought that they had done something with me but hadn't. Or when they'd forget simple things. It's not that they forgot; it just hadn't happened to them yet. Why didn't I think of this before? And why hadn't they explained this to me earlier? Why does time have to be so complicated?

"This happens all of the time with me and River. It's honestly quite annoying to figure out," The Doctor chuckles.

"You know, that actually makes a lot of sense. Things are starting to come together now. That explains why you guys are so confusing sometimes. Sorry, extra confusing sometimes." The couple laughs before River holds up her finger, saying hold on and grabbing her bag off her back. She rummages through it momentarily before letting out a small 'aha.' I look at The Doctor with my eyebrows scrunched in confusion. He only shrugs. River pulls out what she was looking for. I see a look of recognition flash across The Doctor's face before I can tell what it is.

"Here," she holds out a book. It's a royal blue and has squares on it like the TARDIS. It looks naturally worn, its deckled pages ready to hold a story. "I have a smiliar journal. I use it to keep track of my encounters with this idiot. Maybe you can do the same?" She suggests with a warm smile.

From this distance, I can see how young she is. Though she doesn't look much different, her eyes tell a different story. They have more youth to them, more innocence. Let's be honest: River has never truly been innocent. But she is more innocent than the River that I know best. I smile as I take the journal in my hands. It's perfect. It'll be easy to carry around, and it is absolutely gorgeous.

So much has yet to come for The Doctor and River, both terrible and happy. And even though I have lived through things that they haven't, they have lived through things that I haven't. This book will hold stories that cannot be shared with the ones I love the most. If I were to share it, it could ruin everyone's timeline. Time is a delicate balance of... wibbly, wobbly, timey, wimey... stuff. Okay, I'll admit that wasn't the most eloquent I have been, but it'll have to do.

With a smile, I look up at my husband and wife (well, future for them), "Thank you. I have a feeling that I'll be using this a lot."

[featherwingfox]

The first real villain of the Steve Saga! Why was it that when I drew THIS dude of all characters that I have a difficult time? IT REALLY WAS A NIGHTMARE!!!! For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to pose him! This was a terrible day for drawing, my art was not arting! WHY?!?! Why must these days happen at all?! Hang in there fellow artists that have a day like this one when your skills just aren't activated...

Anyway, I drew his face, I'm happy with it, I drew his hair, also happy with it. I got his darkness pattern, happy all around! But the rest of him was just not working, not happy about it, so I did the only thing an artist struggling could do. I covered it up. It was my only solution! 😭 Don't worry! You WILL see what he looks like without a kingly cape. I plan on making some digital art after these traditional drawings. These traditional drawings are to introduce what everyone looks like without shading or other details, just a general image of their appearances. The digital art gives me more control of the colors and I can adjust space to draw, so even if I, for some reason, have another nightmare of a time drawing him, I will eventually get him done right! He can't escape the MIGHT OF MY PEN forever!!! ✨🖋️✨

A little iffy about his cape design. It looks fine and all but I think I can do better. So now he has multiple capes! 🪄👑👑👑(There isn't a cape emoji, just pretend it is...) What kind of king would he be if he didn't have more than one? I'm sure whoever the tailor is can make enough robes that suit his high quality taste. It is also because I just want to draw a bunch of different designs for his capes. It would make sense if he had that many too. Now the real question is, does he have a new cape every day or a cape specifically made for different things? A cape for attacking people, a cape for sitting on the throne, a cape for looking over his malicious experiments, a cape for fighting in, eating, perhaps he even has a cape he sleeps in?

Despite my unfortunate day of drawing, I really like his face... (Never thought I'd say that about him 😑) I wanted his face to look sharp and his expression cold and intimidating. Look at him, how colder can you get? He doesn't care about anyone! Exactly how I wanted him to be. If anyone who hasn't seen the OG series and doesn't know how bad he is, one word: genocide.

I can't wait for the day I'm ready to post the comic, I plan on making him a worthy villain to fear! More feared then the next design I made. It wasn't a nightmare, but there was something I wanted to reverse. 🙃 See you tomorrow!

Story: Steve Saga (Fan Rewrite)

Character: Nightmare Steve/King

Abilities: summon lava, lightning, can fly, has super speed, can give you nightmares (how fitting), darkness, and created his own dimension. It was named after him. (The Nightmare Dimension)

Personality: Menacing, cruel, evil, domineering, intimidating, and corrupt.

[sirenlioncourt]

Part 3 of my lil fic for shadowheart x astarion

"Have you been watching Chilling Adventures of Sabrina for too long, darling?" Astarion clicked his tongue after listening to Shadowheart's Halloween ideas.

"More like Founder of diabolism" Shadowheart answered. "And anyway, no one said anything about couple costumes, but if you really want to, you can always dye your hair green and become Beetlejuice, and I'll become Lydia. Although, Lestat de Lioncourt would suit you best out of all the movie universes. You love vampires, don't you?"

"Well, of course!" Astarion playfully smoothed his hair. "Ma sheri".

"Your quasi-French sounds terrible" Shadowheart commented. "No, seriously… in his rock star era, you're just perfect for it. Vibe is similar. I'll help you put on makeup."

"So who will you be then?" Astarion inquired, starting to play with her hair. They were hanging out at Shadowheart's place again. He liked the atmosphere of her occult room too much. And Shadowheart's mom was very happy to see him as a guest at their home and always tried to feed him. The house felt like… a home, not a prison.

"I'll temporarily dye the white half of my hair pink and become Draculaura from the new Monster high".

"Ah, so we're both vampires, even if they're from different universes! How lovely!"

"Yeah, Draculaura is just a witch. It suits me. You know, I'm even glad that I have such a reputation among my classmates. They're all some kind of normie cringe, with whom I don't even have common topics for conversation."

"But now you have me" Astarion reminded her, at the same time exaggerating his importance in her life. "I'm not some kind of dull normie. See, I'm even ready to go do all sorts of rituals with you at the cemetery!"

Shadowheart couldn't help but laugh at him. Finally, someone understood her hobbies and didn't judge her for them. The girl simply hugged him in a friendly way, although she didn't deny that somewhere deep down she liked him a little.

"The hugs last longer than they should," Astarion mocked her, but he didn't push her away, only laying his curly head on her shoulder.

"And then what?" she hugged him a little tighter, as if hinting that there was nothing wrong with that. "I can't hug my best friend as much as I want?"

"Quite right," he didn't deny it. All he got from his stepfather was a slap on the head for bad grades, and not even a kind word or parental affection.

"Okay, that's enough… Now you're getting cheeky" Shadowheart snapped at him, wildly embarrassed.

"No, darling" he carefully adjusted the blanket on the bed and laid Shadowheart on it, and he settled down next to her, resting his head on her chest. "And now - yes!"

Her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

"It's… late… It's getting dark, all that…"

"My stepfather knows where I am. Do you really think he can't get me if he wants? I've run away from home so many times that I can't count them on my fingers. I've gotten beaten by him so many times for no reason… He beat me, locked me in the basement and didn't feed me for days. It's like a meme. Only memes are at least funny, and my life with him is not so much."

Shadowheart listened, holding her breath:

"Now I at least understand why you hang out at my place all the time. I wouldn't want to go back either."

"And he's read some magic nonsense and wants to implement it. So… I need your help. If you really know that much about it… help me. I don't know how true all this is, but if it is, then I might not survive his experiments."

"It sounds really creepy. But I'd like to at least know what exactly he read and all that. So that I have something to work with. Just don't turn into Edward Cullen. I understand that he sparkles in the sun and is also kind of handsome, but still…"

Shadowheart extended her little finger to him to cheer him up and get a playful, almost childish oath.

"So you'll come to me as my girlfriend and sit in our library. Its cool, by the way. And he won't get suspicious. If your parents keep telling him aboutus, he'll believe it even more."

"Okay…" Shadowheart was slightly confused. "What wouldn't you do for some unknown magical crap… In any case… thanks for your honesty. At least that explains a lot."

Astarion intertwined his little finger with hers, shaking it slightly like a handshake.

"Yeah. It made me feel a lot better too, darling… So who was your childhood crush? You know, if it wasn't Edward, then who should I be?"

"I'd be lying if I said Valtor from Winx Club," Shadowheart joked, having more or less gotten used to him lying on her and calmed down. "So let it be Faust from Shaman King."

"…

"What? He's really cool…"

"I don't blame you, I don't blame you at all. And my childhood crush Sailor Mars was…"

[soma-shitposts]

Hello!!!!!!!! Hope you're having a nice day!!!! I'm insane about your SOMA au, it's so nice to see an au where Simon is spared from The Horrors

Your au has so much potential and I think that's really neat, was anyone there when Simon woke up? Imagine how scary it must be if you're a pathos employee just chilling and then one of the dive suits gains sentience and starts freaking out, I'd hate to be the one to explain to him that he's not human and he's 100 years in the future

You said in one of your posts that he becomes the poster guy for robot rights, what did he do to become that popular? I'm genuinely curious about what some guy at the bottom of the ocean can do to become a major figure in what sounds like a civil rights movement

*emerges from the salt marsh covered in conference presentation abstracts and barnacles* oml I haven’t thought deeply about my beloved Paranoid Android of Pathos II AU in too long… I’m so glad that goofy little concept has been fun for you too!

1. Was anyone there when Simon woke up?

Kind of? In my head the diving suit+scanner was an abandoned pet project of Catherine’s that was quite literally shoved in a closet somewhere when other projects began to take priority. (The world isn’t ending; research is just Like That sometimes.) The closet happened to have a structure gel leak which contaminated the suit and bam! Simon is Very Confused and concerned about suddenly being in a closet. Catherine is in her office at the time, so hyper focused on her work she doesn’t really hear him come out of the closet and when he asks where he is/what’s going on she kind of assumes he’s a technician that got lost until she turns around and promptly Nopes Out. Explaining to him that he’s not human and 100 years in the future is Ross’ job (AI psychologist - that’s kind of in his job title, right?)

2. Why does Simon have international acclaim for pioneering android rights?

I’m not gonna lie that was a joke based entirely on the crack premise of him getting arrested for stealing from the on-station Panera Bread restaurant (which is entirely my own ridiculous invention for silliness purposes). I guess the reason why the world would care is because like…you arrested a robot. Does the robot’s ‘creator’ get prosecuted or does the robot? I imagine the case was dropped because it was so absurd and had never happened before but it technically set the precedent that a) AI scans are independent of their physical ‘creators’ and b) are entitled to basic rights insofar as the legal system and its proceedings.

A bit of a stretch to call it a civil rights movement since Simon is the only scan that’s ‘awake’ although I’m sure the Carthage Industries Ethics Committee is having a hell of a time figuring out if they need to stop using such scans/should they try to make more androids like Simon for profit/etc. Bad day to be in the corporate offices.

…although I reiterate that factoid was born from the joke premise of Simon stealing from Panera. A restaurant on Pathos II. At the bottom of the ocean. Because Carthage Industries has taste. So this is all a goofy crack scenario anyway lol

[dollsonmain]

Oh randomly reminded of something.....

It's not work related but a cut anyway for TMI

That Guy insisted on having an inappropriate conversation during my birthday dinner where I was like "Hey. Not in front of our kid. Not in public." but he kept going. He was insisting that he gets a percentage of my Only Fans income (I don't have an OF) and then started joking about me being "a-framed". At dinner. In front of our son.

Anyway at one point he said he wasn't sure he should send me a joke comic that he had sent and I'd sent back a laughing emoji.

It was The Thing minding his own business, then he glances over, says "Hi, Invisible Woman", she says "How did you know I was here?" then the scene pans out a little to show a butt plug floating in the air (at the wrong angle).

He thought I am such a prude that I wouldn't know what a butt plug was and wouldn't get the joke.

And I'm like.....

Just because I don't enjoy sex with him and don't want to do anything "interesting" with him doesn't mean I don't know anything about non-vanilla sex.

He was like "If you know about that kind of thing why don't you ever buy them for yourself?" Two reasons: He whines and complains about me having a dildo at all because that means I'm getting off without him (only way it ever happens...), and because I don't want them? Just knowing about something doesn't mean I'm going to want it. I have chronic pain and sex is already more uncomfortable than it is fun, I don't need to add to the discomfort.

Either way it was a kind of baffling conversation, I guess. Very annoying that his assumption was that I just didn't know instead of that I do know and made decisions about it that suit my needs and wants.

But it does prove again that he doesn't know me at all. That's kind of by design. I've withdrawn from him a lot over the past few years.

[arom-antix]

Yuri!!! On Cards collaboration!

So, I know I've been pretty inactive recently, at least in posting my own art but for good reason! In the Yuri on the Web Discord server artists and writers alike have all collaborated to illustrate a deck of cards and write stories for each of them. And as a resident artist myself, I couldn't not take the opportunity to draw for this project UuU

Oh and if anyone was wondering, yes, I am to blame for inflicting this giant project onto the server BUT I REGRET NOTHING AND NEITHER WILL YOU IF YOU CHECK OUT EVERYONE ELSE'S WORKS. Trust me, they are amazing! The masterpost can be found here!

GIANT thanks to @lines-on-ice and @yaoiconnoisseur for helping so much and being amazing co-administrators and basically making this entire thing possible! You really saved me from my own overambition XD

The guidelines for this project can be found on the Yuri!!! On Cards blog as can the masterpost with all the links to everything. All the art that gets posted to Tumblr will also be reblogged by the blog.

With all that said, here's the actual art I made! (Break for those who don't want their dash to die UuU)

Okay, I lied. First, I'd heavily recommend for you to check out the guideline posts, both the general and artists' and even the writers' if you're up to it to get a grasp of the perimeters of this project. There's also some vague lore and AU stuff about the whole thing to find which will give you context for why the art looks the way it does to a certain extent.

You can also just jump right in and take everything as I ramble about it which, I mean, I won't stop you, the guideline posts aren't short. I will not blame you. You can still just look at the art. If that's your choice, go on ahead!

First up!

Ace of the Kingdom Otabek, The Deep Shadow

Being of the Kingdom of Diamonds, he's skillful and sharp. He moves quietly as a shadow and is just as mysterious.

Okay, I can't comment much on how he actually is, you'll have find that out by reading his fic(let?). They were supposed to be ficlets but as writers tend to do, none of us could manage that so take "ficlet" with a big grain of salt for every written work.

I've, by the way, not read any of the ficlets for this project beside my own so I'll get to experience the reveal with y'all and I'm gonna perish waiting.

Anyway, about the art. The yellow of course comes from the Kingdom of Diamonds' designated colour. As for the outfit, it's based on this handsome fellow I found who's supposed to be a Kazakh archer which I thought fit Otabek's whole shadow thing perfectly (and Writingfromtheshadow's fic Equivalent Exchange has me in an iron grip and I don't want to be released).

If there are any Kazakhs in the audience, you are free to laugh at me for any inaccuracies or missteps, I am but a humble little not-Kazakh, I don't expect to have gotten it all right UuU

Next up!

King Yuuri, Wanderer of Dreams

The ruler of his realm, he is as the mind flows. Kind and benevolent yet of fickle thoughts, the spirals of the subconscious are ones he both masters and bows to.

Again, gonna be waiting for his fic with everyone else but like. It's Yuuri. Anxiety is kind of a given.

In terms of art, I don't know if you can tell but this was where I started writing my will because oh my stars, what did I get myself into. If you follow me or my art, you'll know that I don't draw lineless. Like ever. And apparently I decided this project on a deadline that others were depending on me making look nice was the place to go all out.

And the worst part is that I'm not even mad at it so I have no argument to not do it again.

Anyway, the blue is from the designated colour of spades and yes, you've guessed right as to why this colour was picked for this suit. I'm predictable, leave me alone. As for the rest, the outfit is inspired by traditional Japanese dress that the Internet told me about (again, Japanese may laugh at me all they want UuU Your culture is very cool but also there was so much info, I hope I got it at least a bit right).

Also I spent like eight hours looking at hanakotoba for this and I've never been this happy about a decision I regretted so much while I was having to draw that many flowers. And you know I had to include The Gay Flower^(TM).

The Japanese iris is now Yuuri's btw.

All the flowers used are: Japanese irises, Jasmine flowers, Forget-me-nots, cherry blossoms, white roses, green carnations and blue roses (Viktor's flower. Read: I am predictable).

And finally!

Queen Minako, Tamer of Minds

Of the Realm of Dreams, she sees your fears, the snares laid by the subconscious and, strict and blunt as she is, she clears a path for the motivated and lets no potential go to waste.

Again, haven't read a word of the fic.

This one was by far the one that I made the fastest and I would've loved to do more with it but like deadlines. I'm gracefully skipping over the fact that I set the deadline and am fully to blame for being late.

But, as with Yuuri, blue is for spades. And since I wanted her to have a leotard but still match Yuuri and make her outfit look even slightly Japanese inspired, sheer fabric to the rescue! With cherry blossoms, of course, because CSP had the pattern preinstalled UuU

And I don't know if it worked but I tried to make her hair both look like her signature style, traditional Japanese hairstyles I found on the good ol' Interwebs and then kind of a spade by having that middle stick be the stem and the hair the spade's butt.

Also this probably goes without saying but the ranks of the characters are just titles. Yuuri is not married to Minako, she is just the Queen and he the King, don't worry.

Again, a BIG thank you to everyone who also participated, it was so fun to work together on this and see everyone's progress! Nic and Lil, you're amazing, thank you so much for everything you've done for this!

And to everyone who's made it this far, thank you for sticking around and please go check out all the other art and the ficlets! I promise it's worth it!

Masterpost | AO3 collection

[recklessracoon]

I thought I'd share my Saiki K playlist. It's just a bunch of songs I like that I think fit him roughly arranged by where I feel like they fall on his character arc. Justifications for my selections under the cut.

I Am a Rock by Simon & Garfunkel: This song really strikes me as affirmations of a deeply lonely person trying to convince themselves that they're better off this way. A good fit for Saiki at the start of the series when he's closed himself off from other people.

The Beast by Spectacle-P: It's about a someone who's been lonely for so long that they've forgotten how lonely they are being offered love but being too proud and full of fear to accept it. I'd quote some of the translated lyrics but I'd just end up putting most of the song here I think. Please watch the subtitled video on youtube and tell me if don't think this isn't a good fit for Saiki.

Nothing at All: Reminds me of early series Saiki's tirades about how much being a psychic sucks where he just describes the symptoms of depression.

Loveless by Steampianist: Honestly I don't remember why I put this on here. Probably because of the feelings of alienation it conveys and how it seems to be about the ace experience of not being able to experience love in the way that society tells you should.

Are You Satisfied by Marina: I think this ones pretty self-explanatory. If I was better at drawing I'd like to make an animatic about the Saiki brothers using this song.

Star of Show: I'll admit this ones a bit more of a stretch and honestly it's mostly on here because I like listening to it when plotting out my fanfic but also "I'm not a freak/I'm not an act/I'm not a deity's performance!" kind of fits with his issues about how his powers affect people's perception of him.

404 by Pinocchio-P: It's about feeling unable to connect to people and like your true-self will be rejected. I also think the little alien guy in the music video for it looks a lot like Kusuo. I actually forgot how good a fit this was until I went and looked at the lyrics again and yup past me was correct in putting it on this playlist.

A Hundred Years Unresolved: It's lonely sounding and I came to associate it with Saiki because like listening to it when I play the Regentquest segment of See You in the Dark. No deeper reason then that.

Oh No! by Marina: Kusuo is the sort of guy to go "I know exactly what I want and who I want to be." You know, like a liar.

The Chattering Lack of Common Sense: I'm not sure how to explain it but I feel like the theme of falseness that runs through the song fits him. It's also worth mentioning that this song is also on my Kuusuke playlist that I'm not sharing here because it isn't as good and frankly it's kind of shameful that I even have a playlist for that guy.

I Am Not a Robot by Marina: Kusuo is vulnerable and lovable even if he doesn't believe that about himself.

God-ish by Pinocchio-P: I'm not sure how well this one fits because frankly this is one of the Pinocchio-P songs I don't feel like I have as solid a handle on the meaning of. I mostly chose it because of the name and because it seems to be a pretty cynical song.

Fear and Loathing by Marina: "Now I see, I see it for the first time / There is no crime in being kind / Not everyone is out to screw you over / Maybe, yeah just maybe, they just want to get to know you" I feel like this is fairly self-explanatory

arms by Christina Perri: I listened to my Pandora stations for the first time in ages recently (well back in August, apparently), heard this and thought "Kubosai song?!" though frankly it would also work well for Nensai or other Saiki ships or even platonically if you ignore some the more romantic lyrics. Though I think it's best suited to the first two listed. Anyway I think this fits Saiki's relationship issues pretty well.

Soap by The Oh Hellos: It's a very hopeful song about how people need other people and you are not unlovable. So I think you can imagine why I thought it was a good song to end the playlist with.