#at which point they become very outward-facing...trying to please others around them and be liked/respected by their peers..trying to fit in

[bumblingbabooshka]

Tuvok says that Vulcan children are very well behaved and have a lot of emotional control by the time they’re ~elementary school aged which makes sense but also makes me want to see what a Vulcan toddler or kindergartener acts like since they can’t be reasoned with as well (can’t really meditate) + are babies and also brimming with near irrepressible violence/emotions.

Vulcan toddler is just quietly accompanying their parent along on an errand. They stop and point to a toy of some sort and ask politely if they can have it. Their parent explains that they have enough toys at home. The toddler immediately throws the tantrum of the century. Just turns into an absolute wild animal in their rage. Other Vulcans are just like “aaa I remember when my children were that age” but any aliens around are like “oh my god is that thing OK??” I imagine even older Vulcan children would have issues with emotional control given that they’re also children! Though they’d of course know they needed to control themselves and behave...sometimes you just slip up. Vulcan children are playing together harmoniously. Then one breaks the established rules of the game. “I made contact with your arm. You are now the chaser.” “You did not make contact with my arm. I dodged your attempt.” “You dodged unsuccessfully. I made contact with your arm.” “I did not.” “You are cheating.” “I believe you are the one cheating.” And an adult has to rush over as one pounces on the other and they both begin screaming and clawing at each other’s eyes. The rest of the children are watching with interest or perhaps grabbing implements to assist their friend.  Little lapses in emotional control would probably be common until they reached like....highschool age. I can imagine an eleven year old Vulcan hearing they can’t sleepover a friend’s home and immediately shattering a vase before apologizing and cleaning it up.  It also seems like bullying would be very prevalent on Vulcan. Spock is canonically bullied frequently and it seems natural that Violent, Extreme Emotions in teenagers would lead to that kind of behavior which isn’t outwardly unacceptable (like crying, laughing, etc) but still satisfies an illogical desire towards cruelty and establishing dominance.  Vulcans schools probably have so many ‘Bullying Is Illogical’ seminars that do nothing and everyone makes fun of behind their teacher’s backs. Two Vulcan teenagers bullying each other, trying to see who has the more emotional reaction. If you cry or get mad you lose. Only babies cry and get mad...seems pretty illogical(cringe).  Vulcans seem to be very focused on respectability so I’m sure that as bloodthirsty teens there would be a lot of accusations and rules...if you hang out with X then Z,H and Y won’t talk to you. If you apologize too soon then they might accuse you of behaving too emotionally and gossip about you...if you don’t apologize at all they might accuse you of behaving too emotionally and gossip about you. It’s very stressful. Tuvok also said when he was a teenager in that one flashback that he was ready to fight over the girl he had a crush on (saying he’d “issue a challenge” or something) so I’m implementing that into my personal understanding of Vulcans...like adults do NOT want these kids to fight but amongst other teens they’re like:  “Seynar is my boyfriend.” “I disagree. He sat next to me during meditation three times this week.” “Only because I was absent.” “Then he is fickle and will be mine soon enough.” And then they challenge one another to a secret duel after school. Dueling to the death is very cool and grownup v_v (teens rarely die from such duels though bc either the other teen stops or someone told an adult). It makes sense to me that teenagers with violent urges would fight one another in a way that they consider acceptably adult. (mimicking the marriage ritual thing or even pon farr...romantic and cool.) Imagine being a teen Vulcan and your crush starts hinting that they have another person who might be interested in them....hmmm.....and you know you’re gonna have to duel for them or lose em. Such is life. Vulcan teens seem like they’d either date a lot (emotional whims) very non seriously (because they’re all betrothed) or date not at all because they’re gonna get married to their betrothed anyway. Loving someone other than your fated match is probably a pretty big trope in Vulcan romance stories...or maybe the opposite? Like someone bad tries to steal your heart but you remain resolute and return to your fated match as is logical. Anyway all this to say that I think Vulcan children and emotional control is something that’s fun to think about. Especially regarding how Vulcan children would act around adults vs other children. Vulcan child to adult: I will do my best to get along with my sibling. (2 seconds later once mother has left)  Vulcan child: You may play with the red toy. If you play with the blue toy I will harm you. Bodily. Meanwhile their older sibling is rolling their eyes like ugh....threatening violence is for babies....now to prepare for my logical and very adult duel for the love of my life whom I have known for three months. v_v

[tenthgrove]

LA SQUADRA SEPERATLY FINDING OUT THEY HAVE A YOUNGER SISTER HC?

La Squadra Discovering they have a Younger Sister

La Squadra x Reader, Platonic / Familial, SFW

Formaggio- Out of everyone in La Squadra, Formaggio has some of the closest contact with his birth family, so a secret sister he didn’t know about would be a huge surprise. The only way you could possibly exist is through an extramarital affair that got swept under the carpet, but Formaggio is still going to be thrilled to hear of you. He will want an in-person meet-up within days of learning you exist, or even sooner if you’re available. His goal from the get-go is to make up for lost time, in order to strive for as close a relationship as if you had been raised together. He’ll announce your existence to the squad and happily introduce you to them if you wish. He knows it’s dangerous to involve you with them, but he’s going to make damn sure himself that nobody will ever hurt you.

Illuso- Having lived through a sad, lonely childhood, Illuso’s initial outward reaction to finding out he has a sibling is apathy. Though he will seek you out, he will insist to anyone who asks that it’s out of pure curiosity. Things start to change after your first couple of interactions. His questions turn from frivolous curiosity to genuine concern. Was your childhood any better than his? Are you happy now? Once your relationship resembles a friendship, Illuso will meet with you regularly to catch up. He won’t say anything to the rest of the squad beyond the essentials and he won’t be seen with you in public, but with his stand, he doesn’t need to. Even if you are not a stand user yourself, he wants you to know about the mirror world. He wants you to be proud of what he’s capable of. 

Prosciutto and Pesci- (A/N: I will be using my personal hc of these two as biological brothers. I know that the canon evidence for this is questionable, but making them related just fits better with the way I view them.) To Prosciutto and Pesci, family has always been the most important thing, so there is no question that they will accept you as kin no matter where you are in life. Prosciutto in particular is not surprised to learn of you- he already knew his father was disloyal because Pesci exists. Another child in the mix is not a major shock. Building bonds with people who aren’t gangsters is not Prosciutto’s strong-point, but he will be happy to support you financially or offer you protection if you ever need it. Though he may not meet with you frequently, you’re welcome to call him if you are ever in need of advice or an ear to listen. Pesci’s reaction is a little different. He desperately wants to be close with you, but he fears being despised for what he’s made of his life. Prosciutto has to tell him to grow up and face you. Once things are less awkward, Pesci will do his best to stay in touch with you regularly, frequently meeting up. He will be a very sweet, supportive older brother, always offering encouragement and boosting your self-esteem. 

Melone- The chances are, he encountered you completely by accident. It began the day he first saw you, most likely either at a bar or online, and was struck by your similar features. He did some digging, got hold of your DNA, and the results confirmed his suspicions. You are Melone’s little sister. His first port of call is to contact you and explain himself. He makes no attempt to hide the bizarre life he lives (excluding the fact he regularly commits murder) and the way he found you, which is enough to make you call him for bullshit until you’re also forced to acknowledge the resemblence you share to him. With you convinced, Melone visits you in person to find out how you’re getting on, and to shed some light on your interests and personality so he can engage with you better in future conversations. He also wants to know about your relationships. Do you have a partner? Children? If so, he’ll definitely want to be involved in their lives, offering to take babysitting duties whenever you need. If you’re single and don’t want to be, he’ll be happy to help matchmake for you. Just don’t ask about his methods.

Ghiaccio- He’s very cautious about getting you mixed up with him because if you’re his sister and younger than he is, that makes you a kid. Some of the others say he’s a kid, but he wouldn’t go that far, thank you. However, he still wants to have contact with you out of an abundance of paranoia for his own shitty, shitty childhood. Who is taking care of you? Do they treat you well? If you’re being subjected to anything close to what your parents put him through, he’s going to be angry and there’s going to be blood. The last thing he wants is for you to be lonely, so he’ll suck up his reluctances and hang out with you from time to time, to see how you’re doing. But please, for the love of god, don’t try and follow him into Passione. He could never forgive himself if that happened. 

Risotto- Another one in the ‘not surprised’ category. Risotto’s parents ditched him at birth, so he’s always known there was a fair chance they would have had other children after him. The wounds of his parents’ abandonment are deeper than he’s willing to admit, but he won’t hold it against you. You are a reminder of the peaceful life he could have lived, and for that he wants to cherish you. In-person meetings are going to be rare. He can’t stand the thought of Passione learning of your existence and using you against him. However, he will still make time for you in texts and phone-calls, listening to you describe your day-to-day life and offering advice where you ask for it. Perhaps, if everything is calm within the gang, he will sneak away for a few days around your birthday or the holidays, to spend time with you in person.

Sorbet- Reluctant, but don’t take it personally. Sorbet’s entire childhood consisted of caring for his younger siblings while his mother was in no condition to do so herself. He’s not angry to find there was another sister he didn’t know about (most likely born after he ran away), but it is going to have some bad associations for him. Gelato will be the one to push him into meeting you, but despite his reservations Sorbet will treat you with absolute respect. His ongoing relations with you will be quite similar to Prosciutto’s, offering you support when you need it but otherwise keeping a distance. Perhaps once things are easier for him and Gelato, Sorbet will be able to become closer to you. He hopes you know that he wants things to be like that.

Gelato- His first reaction is caution. The rest of the family were absolute trash to him, and if you’re just going to look down on him and criticise his choices he doesn’t want to go near you. This goes double if you were actually raised by his estranged parents, as he’ll see you as some sort of replacement. That’s a thought that absolutely disgusts him. Rest assured he will come around eventually, once he sees you’re not the same as the rest of his family. He’ll invite you to hang out with him whenever you’re in town, and stay in touch via text whenever you aren’t. Sometimes you wake up at 3am to the most incomprehensible messages you’ve ever seen, frequently followed by an apology from Sorbet. Your brother is a real highlight of your life, always sure to make you laugh.

[dahlia-coccinea]

Are the second generation really meant to mirror the first? I'm helping my sister revise for her end of unit test on it and it's mentioned quiet a bit in her notes but from what I've read (though tbf though- I'm reading certain parts for revision) I'm not really getting the vibe of that tbh. Can you help me understand why people may think this. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I'm certainly not an expert on the book and the criticisms about it - I read about it purely for my own enjoyment and there are many interpretations I’m probably not aware of. 

First, I would say they aren’t exact replicas or mirrors but are more like echos or perhaps extensions of the first generation. Certainly all the baggage of the previous generation is placed on them. Catherine Linton and Hareton Earnshaw are much easier to connect to the first generation then Linton is, in my opinion, but some critics have tried to do so - mostly in asserting that there is a love triangle between them similar to Heathcliff/Catherine/Edgar. There are a number of connections that critics make between Hareton/Cathy and Heathcliff/Catherine and some have been told a million times but I’ll try to cover the ones I remember. Let me see if I can keep this organized and not get too off topic. 

The similarity of their characters: At first glance you have the repetition of names - “C” and “H” appear repeatedly. Most apparent is that Catherine Linton is named for her mother. Hareton, although obviously an old family name since its been carved above the threshold of the Heights, it does feel intentional in furthering the connection between “C” and “H.” I’ve always found it interesting we have this scene from Cathy II and Linton in Chapter 14, that seems to directly call out the C & H connection:

“We found two in a cupboard, among a heap of old toys, tops, and hoops, and battledores and shuttlecocks. One was marked C., and the other H.; I wished to have the C., because that stood for Catherine, and the H. might be for Heathcliff, his name; but the bran came out of H., and Linton didn’t like it.”

Funnily I don’t think the H is for Heathcliff, I think its more likely meant for Hindley, but of course Heathcliff has been semi-assimilated into the Earnshaw family by being given the name Heathcliff, which was the name of a deceased child. To me at least, none of these feel unintentional, it feels fated since we have these repetitions noted by the characters themselves.

Cathy doesn’t only share a name with her mother, she lives in her shadow. We know from Nelly that, “On the anniversary of her birth we never manifested any signs of rejoicing, because it was also the anniversary of my late mistress’s death.” Edgar seems to cherish her in part because she is a remnant of her mother, even displaying many similar characteristics, although Nelly is quick to note Cathy is softer and more genteel - which makes sense considering she grows up with a loving father in a calm environment that lets her do as she pleases. She doesn't grow up with the harshness of the Earnshaw family, and Joseph's ranting, and it also seems that Nelly may have softened and become more maternal as years have gone by. I’d say she does become more and more like her mother after living at Wuthering Heights though. 

Some really great parallels between the two Catherine’s dialog have been made by Ann Dobyns - I’ve posted a few excerpts from her essay here if anyone is interested, it’s a bit more in-depth than this needs to be though.

Hareton has many parallels to Heathcliff as well - this is intentionally done by Heathcliff who, upon Hindley’s death, speaking of his plotting says, “And we’ll see if one tree won’t grow as crooked as another, with the same wind to twist it!” Heathcliff and Hareton have such an odd fated destiny, from the moment Heathcliff saves his life by catching him as his father dropped him over the bannister of second floor. Hareton from the start fears his natural father, “squalling and kicking in his father’s arms,” Nelly even fears Hindley will “frighten the child into fits.” Worlds different the description of a scene of very typical father/son affection described by Nelly during Hindley’s funeral when she says little Hareton, “played with Heathcliff’s whiskers, and stroked his cheek.” Or earlier when she had asked Hareton if he liked Heathcliff and he says:

“Ay!” he answered again. Desiring to have his reasons for liking him, I could only gather the sentences—“I known’t: he pays dad back what he gies to me—he curses daddy for cursing me.

In Hareton’s mind Heathcliff is more a protector than his father, and I suppose in many ways he is better than Hindley’s random obscene violence. As wrong as it is that Heathcliff denies Hareton his inheritance and an education, I think it does say something (not entirely sure what) that he is never physically abusive to Hareton in the way Hindley was with him. Hareton doesn’t ever show any real fear of Heathcliff. 

Heathcliff has his own complex feelings towards Hareton, definitely preferring him to his own son - he tells Nelly, “Do you know that, twenty times a day, I covet Hareton, with all his degradation? I’d have loved the lad had he been some one else.” So it seems we have the daughter of Catherine and the wished for son of Heathcliff. Lockwood even mistakes Hareton to be Heathcliff’s son momentarily in Chapter 2.

Some other parallels - Heathcliff notes the similarities between them later on in a discussion with Nelly:

“He’ll not venture a single syllable all the time! Nelly, you recollect me at his age—nay, some years younger. Did I ever look so stupid: so ‘gaumless,’ as Joseph calls it?”

“Worse,” I replied, “because more sullen with it.”

On other occasions Nelly talks about how Heathcliff liked to induce horror from those around him and “he contrived to convey an impression of inward and outward repulsiveness.” Hareton behaves similarly - in one scene after being taunted by Linton and Cathy, he throws Linton from the room to the disgust and fear of Cathy in Chapter 23:

...Earnshaw burst the door open: having gathered venom with reflection. He advanced direct to us, seized Linton by the arm, and swung him off the seat.

“‘Get to thy own room!’ he said, in a voice almost inarticulate with passion; and his face looked swelled and furious. ‘Take her there if she comes to see thee: thou shalln’t keep me out of this. Begone wi’ ye both!’

“He swore at us, and left Linton no time to answer, nearly throwing him into the kitchen; and he clenched his fist as I followed, seemingly longing to knock me down. I was afraid for a moment, and I let one volume fall; he kicked it after me, and shut us out.”

Similarly, when sitting next to him, Lockwood says, “My neighbour struck me as bordering on repulsive.” Even Nelly, who I’d say is typically biased towards Hareton, upon seeing him says he “seemed as awkward and rough as ever.”  Lockwood also describes him as being “almost haughty,” similar to Nelly’s repeated references to Heathcliff’s ego and “proud heart.” 

Heathcliff further casts light on their parallels when he says he sees Hareton as the “personification of my youth,” adding that, “Hareton's aspect was the ghost of my immortal love, of my wild endeavours to hold my right, my degradation, my pride, my happiness, and my anguish.” 

The love triangle:  I know some critics have said the dynamic between the Linton/Catherine/Hareton is similar to Edgar/Catherine/Heathcliff - I don't particularly see this. Cathy II is forced into marriage with Linton and at that point doesn't have notable feelings towards Hareton, compared to her mother who knows she loves Heathcliff more and still does have a choice to make even if it isn’t an easy one. 

Still, there are similarities in their relationship in that both men (Heathcliff and Hareton) end up feeling the need to better themselves because for their respective Catherine. Nelly says of Hareton, “He had been content with daily labour and rough animal enjoyments, till Catherine crossed his path. Shame at her scorn, and hope of her approval were his first prompters to higher pursuits.” I think this is similar to Heathcliff deciding to run away after years of abuse and to risk everything, including his life, after hearing Catherine says it would “degrade” her to marry him. Hareton does seem to show some jealously over Cathy’s attention and regard of Linton, and again with the presence of Lockwood so I suppose it is sort of love triangle-y? 

I also think Hareton shows signs of a growing devotion, similar to what Heathcliff felt towards Catherine. He certainly seems to be enamored by Cathy from the very first time they meet - Nelly says he, “stared at her with considerable curiosity and astonishment” and was, “too awkward to speak; though he looked as if he did not relish my intrusion.”

Something I’ve mentioned before is that Lockwood says about Hareton and Cathy, “Together, they would brave Satan and all his legions,” which feels like a direct parallel to Heathcliff’s assertion to Catherine that, “misery and degradation, and death, and nothing that God or Satan could inflict would have parted us.” 

Also Heathcliff seemingly attempts to play the role Hindley played in his youth when he tells Cathy, “Your love will make him an outcast and a beggar.” It seems both Catherine and Heathcliff knew their love would result in the same situation as Catherine relays this to Nelly when she says, “did it never strike you that if Heathcliff and I married, we should be beggars?” 

There is also, of course, the similarity of social stature - when Cathy first meets Hareton, he has nothing to his name and lives almost as a servant at Wuthering Heights, similar to Heathcliff’s position while Hindley was master. Cathy, similar to her mother, is better educated and has more opportunities - there is no socially accepted reason that she would choose Hareton, seeing as he can’t give her money, status, or respectability. 

The circle of events and “The Butterfly:” It does feel, in my opinion at least, that it is no accident that our happy ending is the union of Hareton and Cathy. It couldn’t happen with just any couple or in any other way. It does feel that they are made into the semi-proteges of Heathcliff and Catherine, and the elements of the Linton’s allows for there to be peace between the two families. There is a kind of resolution and unification of their energies. 

This is probably the most common narrative of the connection between Hareton/Cathy and Heathcliff/Catherine, and that is rather than just a parallel, critics have noted that the story of Catherine comes full circle with their marriage. The first Catherine wrote out her possible futures on her window sill in the names: Catherine Earnshaw, Catherine Heathcliff and Catherine Linton. Her daughter ends up reversing these different identities being born a Linton, marrying a Heathcliff, and finally an Earnshaw. That can’t be merely a coincidence.

Critic Dorothy Van Ghent deemed Catherine and Heathcliff the “original two” and she said that with the civilizing of Cathy and Hareton, "the great magic, the wild power, of the original two has been lost.” Others say that while poetically it makes sense within the repetition, Catherine and Hareton’s relationship is “improbable” but I disagree. I really liked Carol Ramsden’s take on this that incorporates Emily’s essay “The Butterfly,” and makes the parallel between the 1st and 2nd generation - I have posted this before but to save myself the time of rephrasing it I’ll just post the quote:

In Wuthering Heights, we encounter a destructive principle at work in the love between Catherine and Heathcliff. The principle is manifested fully in Catherine’s mental collapse and Heathcliff’s vindictiveness. However, the love between Cathy and Hareton is allowed to flower and they are both, in their own ways, products of the first lovers. The principle of destruction, as in “The Butterfly”, is transformed into a creative energy. Ultimately, Catherine and Heathcliff are also not deprived of this creative energy. Instead of representing a pessimistic view of life, their love, too, comes to suggest that all things work together towards good.

I think that’s an interesting take, besides just a happy ending for Hareton and Cathy it almost feels like a happy ending for Catherine and Heathcliff? In some ways they burned up only to transform into something better. Not saying that is how it is meant to be read, but I do like it (probably because I like a happy ending). 

I feel like there are other points that I’ve forgotten? But these are what I remember at least. 

[samstrugglingwithlife]

Haikyuu Boyfriends Karasuno Part 1

THIRD YEARS

Daichi 

Daichi is a responsible, mature and loving man. He is selfless and adoring.

He’s the kind of boyfriend that even your parents approve of, like they would give him the spare keys to your house and allow him to come over even if they’re not at home. They trust him that much.

As YOUR boyfriend, he’s a complete gentleman. He makes sure you’re comfortable with him, that you don’t feel suffocated in this relationship.

He would walk you to and from school. On days where practice runs longer and you have to walk home on your own he’ll make sure to text you and ask you if you’ve reached home okay. He might even show up that evening at your door with a few meat buns to share with you.

He’s the captain of a whole sports team and a third year in college preparatory classes so he’s got a lot on his plate but he’d never be too tired for you. If you want to go on late night walks, just call him. You want to go on a fun weekend date, he’s asking you before you can even think about it.

Y’know how he puts his team first and care a lot for his team mates both as a captain and as a friend. So, if you allow him he will want to introduce you to them at some point in your relationship. He’ll fall for you even more if you start to care for the team just like he does. If you show up to help Kiyoko and Yachi, if you bring snacks for everyone, if you give the boys a pep talk before their upcoming games then oh boy! Man’s a goner, he’s so in love with you that he would ask you to marry him on the spot! To him these actions of yours mean that you support him and that you want to share some of his burden with him and that means the world to him.

He’ll always tell you that you don’t have to show up to his matches, that he knows that you support him even when you’re not physically there. But if you do show up and cheer for the team, you can bet that he’ll be even more motivated and he’ll suddenly feel energized after seeing your form on the stands with Yachi. No matter what the outcome of the game, he’ll run to you after and hug you and thank you profusely and he will keep on declaring his love for you.

When you two go out on dates he won’t be too much into PDA. He’ll hold your hand or have his hand on your back, he might sneak a small peck on your lips if no one’s looking. I have a feeling that he cares a lot about ‘public decency and demeanor’, more so when he actually becomes a cop.

At home when you two are alone he’ll hold you close. He likes to just randomly come up to you and hold in a hug where your head is resting on his chest and he will kiss your head. 

Once you guys move in together, which he will ask you after you two graduate from your respective universities, he will make sure that house chores are divided equally between you two. Even though he may have night shifts and odd working hours, he’ll make sure all of his chores are done. He would never want to burden you, ever.

All in all, I think that he will never let the spark in your relationship die. He will treat every date as if it’s your first and he will tell you he loves you everyday.

Sugawara

Sugawara is a very caring and a very nurturing guy. Not that we’re going to overlook the fact that he is slightly feral too.

He’s the type to put you and your needs first. He’ll make sure you’re hydrated, he will reminded you to take breaks if you’re working to hard, he’ll bring an umbrella to school if you forget yours, he’ll help you study for an important test. He just loves you that much.

He will always tell you that he is grateful that someone like you decided to date someone like him. He tends to get very insecure about himself, please hug him and tell him he’s perfect that he has no reason to feel inferior because he really is perfect. Just as you lift him and his spirits up he will do the same for you, he will slowly but surely melt all of your insecurities away.

He knows that he is no longer a regular setter for the team so he will tell you that its okay if you don’t show up to any of the games but don’t listen to him. Surprise him by going to his games, if he is playing that day then your presence will definitely boost his confidence and he will play with more enthusiasm and vigor. You are his strength. Even if he’s not playing and you’re there he’d be happy just knowing that you’re there to support his team.

Any chance he finds, Suga will take on out on a date. They can range from peaceful coffee shops and library dates to chaotic running in the rain, playing tag in the park type of dates. Sometimes, you’ll have dates at home and you’ll make dinner together and he will make you laugh with his jokes and will just be extremely cheerful around you.

Suga doesn’t mind PDA as long as it is decent. He’ll kiss your hand while your fingers are intertwined with his, he’ll kiss your cheeks, he’ll peck your lips, he’ll hug you and sometimes playfully spin you around.

I see him as the type to love cuddles; when you two are alone, whether you’re sitting on the couch or laying in bed, he’ll have his arms wrapped around your body. Sometimes, he will ask you to hold him, he’ll nuzzle his face into your chest or your neck and croon at your gentle words telling him how wonderful and perfect he is.

Overall, Sugawara is the perfect guy. He will know how to match your moods. He’s gentle as a lake but he’s also as chaotic as the stormy sea. He’ll make you smile, he’ll make you laugh, he’ll cry with you and he’ll grow with you. You two would be the kind of couple that would be each other’s rock, the kind that builds each other up!

Asahi

Asahi is a gentle giant, he has a fragile heart. He truly is the description of appearances can be misleading.

Asahi has a soft heart and he is insecure about everything so when you two first get together he treats everyday as if its your last day together. It will be up to you to reassure him that you’re dating him because you like him and that you intend to stay.

He will apologize to you a lot about almost nothing in particular and it will break your heart but with time and patience and your love and constant support this habit will soon die!

I feel like he will rely on you lot emotionally. He will never ask you outwardly to reaffirm him but he’ll come to you first when he is feeling discouraged and depressed about his abilities as both the ace and your boyfriend.

But not everything is about that in your relationship, with you he will slowly learn to be more confident and be more vocal about what he wants. Just as you would never want to see him down he also never wants to you to feel sad or insecure, after all, you’re the strongest person he knows and he will tell you exactly that.

As far as dates go, he is well aware that his outward appearance is quite intimidating and that makes him slightly uncomfortable that people might think that this brute has forced such a sweet you to go out with him, even though you tell him that you would never allow people to say that, he would prefer to stay home most of the times. You two will watch movies, he’ll let you style his hair and he’ll play with yours. When you two do go out together he prefers to do activities that you like, and if you two go shopping he will genuinely help you out and give opinions as you try on clothes! He’ll learn that outdoor dates are fun and learn to step out more.

When you two are cuddling, I feel like, he’ll want to hold you most times because he knows how much he relies on you so he wants you to feel safe in his arms just as he feels safe in your presence. He’ll hold you snugly in his big arms, your head on his chest his cheek resting on top of your head as you two hum a duet.

He is someone who will love you unconditionally and will forever be grateful that you’re the one in his life. Everyday you two spend together you will each discover a new side to one another. And years down the line Asahi will kiss you as he is holding you close and thank you for helping him become the man he is and being patient with him and watching him grow.

[itsuki-minamy]

“K - THE FIRST STORY”

CHAPTER 5: THE LINK (Complete)

* K - The First Story (List of Chapters) * Projects & Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

For Misaki Yata, friends were the most important thing.

Since he was a child, he was good with people and was able to confirm his existence by trusting someone.

When he was young, he felt something like the importance of his existence by protecting his mother, who raised him as a single mother. Since his mother had only him, he had a strong determination to be strong in his childhood.

As he got older, his general temperament grew stronger and he came to think it was more fun to do it. He would cut the wind on his shoulder, and if someone messed it up, he would fly and wave his fist.

However, in the end his mother remarried and she had a new child with her new husband, and her mother was no longer the one he had to protect. He went on to do things like "use" instead of "trust."

Leading friends and doing stupid things together, eating alone was irrational and boring. Even if he was having fun, he couldn't laugh alone. However, Yata silently built up his prowess because he did not have the skill and finesse to match others by force, and he could not accept loneliness.

He met a boy and spent several years with him, but when he remembers him, he gets angry, so he erases it from his memory.

For Yata, it was a man named "Suoh Mikoto" who changed his world.

The "King" with overwhelming power that destroys Yata's prowess.

He was cool and he got addicted to all of it.

Yata took Suoh's hand and befriended the followers of the "King".

Friends became the most important thing to Yata. It doesn't matter if it was used, regardless of everything, he just looks at Suoh's back and follows him, and if Suoh says "Burn them.", he becomes a flame with his friends and will do his best to do so.

This place where he can hang out with friends, is the absolute only place to live in Yata.

(Totsuka. Somehow...)

Remember that while he was shedding blood, as if trying to reassure Yata, Totsuka's face tried to laugh somehow.

Two people, Yata and Kusanagi, rushed in after receiving the news of Totsuka's shooting. Fallen on the rooftop, at midnight in December, it was Yata who lifted Totsuka's cold body that was still bleeding. Totsuka touched Yata's tearful cheek and tried to smile, but in the end his hand fell limp and left a mark of blood on Yata's cheek.

(I'm sorry.)

That was Totsuka's last word.

He was a man who always laughed. He was good at finding fun and was in the center of his friends and made everyone laugh a lot. He was an executive of "Homura", an old friend of Suoh, a weak but fluid person, who took care of his friends. For Yata, he was a person whom he sometimes considered a kind brother, and other times a good friend.

That person was killed.

The criminal is now in this school.

"Hey, hurry up, get a PDA!"

However, when he saw a couple of boys walking through that area, he grabbed their chests and they were terrified, the boys made a pitiful voice.

It's nice that Anna's skill revealed the criminal's whereabouts, but it seems like they have to go through a locked door to enter the school premises. Yata and Kamamoto knew they needed a school designated PDA for that purpose, and they were harassing the boys to get the pass.

"I'll give it to you! I'll give it to you, so please forgive me!"

"You should have been this honest from the beginning."

Yata exhaled through his nose and played with the PDA he had obtained.

"Can I come through with this? Sorry to copy you."

Yata turned his harsh gaze towards Kamamoto.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

Yata, along with Kamamoto, headed back to Gakuenjima's gate. Among them, there is a person who broke something important in Yata.

Yata stepped forward with a burning killing intent that was stronger than anger.

++++++++++

After being taken by Neko and returning to the classroom, the boy feels that the situation is strange.

Kuro quickly moved the needle and sewed the costume, looking at the boy.

The boy sits alone in the back seat of the classroom, gazing vaguely out the window. The expression is clearly shaded and the outward-facing eyes are out of focus to show that his heart is not here.

He's a nice guy so he's okay to float more when he found his alibi, but the glow was gone immediately after finding that in his room. Of course, the situation has not been resolved, so it would be a problem if that were discovered, but it is a strange time to put a serious face.

Currently, Kuro's comment about the boy was trying to settle down to the point that "I don't trust him, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy." He seems to be a person who loves this school and his friends.

"Kuro-kun is amazing! The seams are straight and very tight, although the sewing is very fast."

Kukuri looked at Kuro's hand and made his eyes shine. She is a very good, hard-working and kind girl. She was the type of person that Kuro respected.

"This is natural as Ichigen-sama's disciple."

"Kuro-kun, do you have a teacher? A sewing teacher?"

"No. Ichigen-sama was a swordsman and a master of life. Ichigen-sama was not only a kind and thoughtful person, but also a wonderful person who was familiar with all things. I am a swordsman because of Ichigen-sama. I learned various things like sumo wrestling, horseback riding, car, bicycle, helicopter, boat, etc., and studying for licenses, cooking, sewing, cleaning, tea ceremony, flower trail, fishing, dancing, and investment in dance. He faced me with one thing seriously and always led me harshly with a calm heart. Ichigen-sama's beautiful heart and profound culture are reflected in the haikus that Ichigen-sama sang, and I impregnate my heart with that. It is my Favorite moment listening to his haikus. Not only is the phrase wonderful, but the depth of his voice is exceptional as well."

When it comes to Miwa Ichigen, he gets a fever. The boy said something rude, like "annoyed", but Kukuri asked him with a smile. The student next door has a stern look, but Kuro decided that he couldn't hide his surprise from her because she was so versatile.

"Kuro-kun is interesting. I'm glad that Shiro-kun has a friend like Kuro-kun."

Unable to grasp the intention of Kukuri's words, Kuro bowed his head. In the first place, Kuro was not friends with the boy, and although he did not have a single life, the boy seemed like a person with many friends.

Kukuri lowered her eyebrows and laughed, pointing her eyes at the boy sitting vaguely in the distance.

"Shiro-kun is good friends with anyone, but it seems that no one can enter deep places, so I feel like one day he will go to some fluffy place alone, and I'm a bit worried. But Kuro-kun seems to enter Shiro-kun, and I'm relieved that you don't lose sight of Shiro-kun."

Kuro was confused by the words he heard. He was surprised by the boy's reputation, and "they" were not the friends he expected, on the contrary, in some cases he felt guilty for having to kill the boy.

"Kukuri! I have you!"

Before Kuro said anything, Neko hugged Kukuri from behind.

"Oh, that's right. Kukuri-san, let's give you a special super spicy rice cake."

Kukuri laughs and walks away from Kuro with Neko. When he saw his back and sighed, he turned to his hand. He cuts the thread with which he has sewn.

He folded the finished costume, he stood up and lined it up with the other costumes.

"Are they all costumes? Okay, then check yours and report immediately if the size doesn't fit."

When it comes to manpower, he looks at the group doing other work.

"What is the progress of the decoration?"

"A little more…"

"Okay. I'll join. There are other things I can do..."

Looking around, Kuro noticed a thread extending from Kukuri's sleeve trying to open the rice cake for Neko. As he walks silently, Kukuri mysteriously raises her face from him.

"What? Kuro-kun…"

"There is a tear in the elbow of the uniform."

"Oh, really. I wonder if I ripped it somewhere."

"By the way. I'll sew it up. Don't move from where you are."

When he pulled out his own needle and thread that he had been using earlier, he repaired a small tear around Kukuri's elbow. Looking at Kukuri that she got stuck while she was holding a bag of rice cake, Neko seems to be dissatisfied.

While sticking a needle into Kukuri's sleeve, Kuro again snooped towards the boy by the window.

Surrounded by sunlight, the boy looked strangely dreamy. He felt that he would melt into the light just as he was, and when he was poisoned by Kukuri's story, he changed his mind and retreated lightly.

"Isana Yashiro! How long will you be like this!"

"Shiro, he got mad!"

Neko was happy, probably because she wasn't really mad at his voice. Kukuri said to Kuro, who turned his attention from her to the boy, with the needle stuck in her sleeve, "Ah, Kuro-kun, please don't look away now!"

She raised a terrified voice.

The boy clears the look of disgust, changes his face and turns to them.

"Sorry. Well, what should I do?"

"Let's eat Senbe together!"

"I'm telling you to work!"

"Oh, Kuro-kun, please..."

After making a discordant voice, Kukuri suddenly changed her face.

"Oh, that's right. Shiro-kun, if you don't have anything to do, can I ask you a favor?"

Kukuri's request was a small purchase, primarily for the purchase of additional fireworks.

"Will you use them again?"

"Don't complain! Generally, when Shiro-kun was working yesterday, he missed some fireworks, right?"

The lost fireworks were probably used by the boy to evade the attackers from him. The boy seemed to have no words to answer, and he was cheating and laughing.

After her sleeve was repaired, Kukuri laughed happily "Thank you." and turned to everyone.

"Everyone! Shiro-kun will take care of it, tell him what you need!"

"Oh Shiro saved us! I'm running out of nail polish, so buy it!"

"Shiro-kun, can you buy me two purple threads?"

"I want potatoes! Consomme flavored!"

"I want chocolate and cookies! In a large bag of individually wrapped packages for everyone to share!"

"I want to eat ice cream!"

"The ice will melt!"

"Then bring me wool!"

"Take a receipt!"

"Wait, wait, I'll take a note now!"

Surrounded by colleagues, the boy writes on a piece of paper. The laughing boy in the middle of the crowd doesn't seem to disappear one bit, but something is trapped in Kuro's heart.

"Be careful, Shiro-kun. Please come back early!"

Kukuri laughed cheerfully and pushed the boy back, entrusting him with a general shopping mission.

When they accompanied the boy without a PDA and left the school by the back route without going through the gate, Kuro, the boy and Neko walked together across the connecting bridge. Neko was cheerful wanting to walk. As for the clothes, she put on the school girls uniform that she had worn in the morning, and when Neko ran, the hem of the short skirt fluttered.

Neko, who was walking while her interests changed from here to there, jumped onto the railing of the connecting bridge and happily looked at the landscape from there.

Kuro and the boy also stop.

The sea reflected the light and shone.

When he arrived, he ran down the street without looking around his due to his anger and his sense of mission, but when he looked at it like that, it was a truly beautiful sight.

As Kuro and the boy follow Neko and approach the parapet, the sea breeze blows gently and makes his hair flutter.

Looking at the calm and beautiful landscape side by side, he felt calm after a long time.

When he thinks about it, peace hasn't come to Kuro's heart since Miwa got sick. Miwa's death pushed Kuro into deep pain and a feeling of loneliness. Even so, the reason he stayed was because he made a promise to Miwa before he died. Defeat the evil "King". Determination to fulfill that last mission made him walk straight even after Miwa's death.

However, on the way, he was preparing for the festival with boys and girls of the same age, and relaxing with a mysterious boy, and Neko, looking out to sea.

"It’s beautiful."

He leaked from his mouth inadvertently. The boy leaning against the parapet looks at Kuro and laughs softly.

"Right? I also really like the view from here."

"Glitter killer!"

Following the boy, Neko said happily and took a deep breath.

"Shiro, let's finish soon and go home early!"

Neko laughs with her whole face. The boy also looked towards Gakuenjima with a warm smile somewhere in the shadow.

"Yes. Let's go home early. Kukuri is waiting for us."

++++++++++

For Fushimi Saruhiko, the moment his heart moved was extremely rare.

Most of the time, his emotions only move in the direction of irritation or disgust, and he has lived by cutting off most of the joy and sadness from him. He does what he is supposed to do, but most things are lazy and annoying. Additional involvement with others is the worst of all. He is not thrilled by his daily life.

It was partly due to the quirks of Fushimi's growing environment, because he stopped waiting for others early on, and because he left most of the world.

He met one of them and spent a few years with him, but in the end he broke it into pieces with his own hands, so he is not going to tell anyone.

Tatara Totsuka was killed, and the members of "Homura" who are angry are looking for the criminal, but Fushimi was still unmoved and participated in the search for the criminal, because that is Fushimi's job.

"Scepter 4" is different from "Homura", and adapts to Fushimi's character as he is. It wasn't a hassle to get the job done quickly without getting used to it.

However, situations where easy tasks cannot be accomplished quickly, and situations where incompetence becomes a silly obstacle and makes work difficult, is purely painful.

"I am very sorry for the sudden request, but I would appreciate your cooperation. I want to reiterate; we will not cause problems at your school."

"That's right, but... given the current age, revealing students' personal information is not correct."

In the reception room of Ashinaka School, the incompetent-looking headmaster and vice-headmaster give a clear answer as they get confused over Awashima's request.

Fushimi was taken by Awashima to the Ashinaka school, also known as Gakuenjima, which the "Yoshii" system identified as the criminal's hideout. Awashima's job was to persuade the directors, and Fushimi was waiting standing behind Awashima's chair, but he was tired of listening to the careless exchanges.

"I would like you to understand that we are willing to pass through the hands of the judiciary if necessary."

"No, that's…!"

"Yes. I don't want to complicate things as much as possible, so I would like to have voluntary cooperation."

"However, when it comes to searching for a student without knowing his name or class from all the students, it is not realistic to do it right now..."

Awashima's voice also begins to sharpen with irritation. However, the director kept trying to escape with an errant word, he wanted to avoid making a decision here. It was getting harder and harder to hear the silly conversations, and Fushimi looked out the window, letting their voices flow like a distant noise. The wind is strong, he watches the clouds slide and flow.

"Are you sure? This investigation is already a decision. If your school does not have the investigation capacity, we will do it for you."

"Are you going to do it? It's too overbearing."

"I don't want to be misunderstood, but I am not convincing them. I am explaining the situation to them and telling them to take appropriate action."

In Fushimi, this whole situation became irrelevant.

Fushimi turns his back on the exchange between the headmaster and Awashima, who was making noise.

Fushimi quietly escaped from the reception room when he looked at Akiyama and Benzai, who were lined up in a polite manner, and he touched Akiyama's shoulder with the intention of pushing the rest away. Awashima didn't even look at Fushimi, although she did notice.

He walked into a quiet hall with a light humor. Unlike the area where students walk, this building for teachers and foreigners is quiet. Fushimi took out the PDA and slid his finger from it to call the spokesperson for this school. He took a quick look and discovered that the student council room is the right place to fulfill his purpose. The student council room was located in the building across the courtyard from here.

As they exited the building, the soft light of the winter afternoon sun fell on Fushimi.

Contrary to Fushimi's mood, as he walks under the clear blue sky, Fushimi feels the area around his lips twitch and he notices the quiet irritation within himself.

The death of Tatara Totsuka. Suoh Mikoto's selfishness. The Weissman deviation of the "Red King". The "Colorless King" killing a member of the clan. The revenge of "Homura". The "King" who wants to invite the slaughter. Possible consequences.

Maybe Izumo Kusanagi understands it and is on the way, and Anna Kushina knows it. But the others would not know anything. Especially that boy.

Fushimi clicked his tongue and sped up.

When he got to the student council room, he opened the door a little and looked inside the room, there was only one student. A mature woman with braided hair tied next to her head.

Fushimi thought about what to do for a moment, but it became problematic to use an indirect hand and chose a direct means.

He closed the door again, knocked gently and moved his body to hide behind the door.

The door opened and the student appeared. Fushimi presses a medicine-soaked cloth against the student's mouth from behind her. The student who took the medicine lost consciousness and was bent over.

Fushimi lifted the student's body with minimal physical contact and carried her to the student council room. If he borrows her fingerprint to unlock the computer, he will have access to all the students' data. He connects his PDA with a cable and starts hacking.

Once he has full access rights to the campus network using the student council computer as a springboard, he can begin to match the faces of all students, teachers, secretaries, and all the people who belong to this school with the face of the criminal.

Fushimi also felt irritation burning inside his chest, looking at the automatic compilation work. Like static electricity, it is annoying and disturbs Fushimi's thinking.

When he sighed sharply, an electronic sound was heard and the screen showed a screen informing her that the job was finished and the result.

Looking at the screen, Fushimi raises his eyebrows and lifts his back from the back of the chair he was sitting on.

At that moment, he heard a familiar voice far away, outside the window.

"Look closely, don't look away, fool!"

The voice yelling at someone, as soon as it enters Fushimi's ears, it turns into something that bristles his skin and spreads all over his body.

Fushimi stood up, stuck his finger into the hole in the blind that covered the window, and looked outside.

The figure immediately jumped into Fushimi's eyes.

A student intertwines with two male students and is listening to their destiny. A boy with a skateboard under his arm and a beanie that would be more appropriate for a young man, a boy with a boyish look who is lifting a tight fit.

He can understand why they are there and what they are doing without asking. He remains straightforward and can only see what is in front of him.

He remembered irresistibility and destiny.

For Fushimi Saruhiko, the moment when his heart moves are extremely rare.

But now, Fushimi twisted his mouth into a smile, feeling shaken after a long time, as if to repaint the annoyance and little irritation he had felt a while ago.

++++++++++

It was okay to invade the school, but the Ashinaka school was so big that he thought it was stupid.

It is far from Yata's school image, which he thought was at best about the school building, the gymnasium, and the school grounds. Here is a clock tower, cafes, shops like supermarkets, fashionable open spaces, etc. It could be said that it was already a town.

Of course, there is not just one school building, but several school buildings are built in a relaxed way using a sprawling site, and there are other buildings such as a research building, a teacher building, a clubroom building, a dormitory room student, etc. There is greenery between them, a mysterious fashionable bronze statue and an arch with stained glass on the ceiling. It seems that the school festival is near and preparations for the festival are underway here and there.

Yata was stressed while he wandered around such a place while he listened to the murmurs.

"Hey, don't you know this guy?"

"Don't you know where this guy is?"

"Do you know this guy?!"

He asked randomly as he showed the photo of the criminal that he put on the PDA, but he never got a good reaction. They always shook their heads if they didn't know about it, or they were scared of Yata and ran away, and he couldn't find any clues.

As he bit the impatience and irritation with his back teeth, Yata searched for the next student to listen to him, and his footsteps became wild and steady.

"Please wait, Yata-san!"

Kamamoto, who had been left behind before he knew it, shook the giant body and reached for it. Yata clicked his tongue.

"Idiot! Go shopping and eating after asking."

"Yata-san, have you eaten? Did you rest? Since that day..."

He tried to tell him not to change the story, but Kamamoto's eyes on the back of the sunglasses seemed to be more serious than he expected, and Yata was a bit confused and then smiled.

"It's okay."

He has little awareness of whether he is eating or resting properly. If he is hungry, he will put something in his mouth, and if he is sleepy, he will sleep. But since that day, he certainly has felt less hungry and sleepy. He is addicted to the excitement of anger.

The sight of that cold ceiling revives in his mind. Blood spilled onto the concrete and the eyes lost light. Totsuka will never return.

He remembers the back of a man whom Yata respects more than anyone, stretching out his hands before the Blues and being captured without resistance. There is no way Yata knows what Suoh is doing now and what he thinks he is.

With that in mind, he doesn't really care about food or rest.

Yata turned his back on Kamamoto and started walking. He heard a small sigh behind him, but Kamamoto followed Yata without saying anything else.

The inside of his chest is noisy, and Yata searches for the next person to ask as he walks fast as if he's looking for a place to hit his feelings with nowhere to go.

Yata, who was impatient, kept asking with astonishing tenacity, but the results did not improve after all. When he wandered around the big school and asked in a half lost state because he did not know where he was, he felt like a small boat that had gone out in search of a sunken ship and was in danger.

"Hey, you guys! Look at this picture! Do you know this guy?"

When they found a couple of boys behind the school building and he hit the PDA screen like he was hitting the pent-up frustration, they made an openly scared face. Yata clicked his tongue, saying this guy will scare people just by talking to them.

"I do not know..."

The boy said backing away, but it was clear that he was looking for an escape route and not looking directly at the screen.

"Look carefully!"

When Yata asks, the boys' eyes escape even more.

"You've averted your eyes right now, huh? Oh! Do you know this guy?"

"I do not know!"

"I do not know..."

Faced with the guys trying to escape at any moment, "Where is he?" Yata asked, and put his hand on his shoulder from behind.

Kamamoto grabbed Yata by the shoulder and shook his head.

Yata clicked his tongue and turned away from the student, who was leaning forward with his forehead down. Seeing Yata settled, the two boys fled as if rolling.

"Is it a dead end again? I'm angry."

"Yata-san, you can't help it. This place seems to be huge."

"Shut up!"

Biting Kamamoto, who makes a terrifying voice, Yata takes off from the front and starts walking.

"I don't want to delay another second. I will avenge Totsuka-san's death."

Yata told him to ask in a lower voice. At that moment, he heard a small woman cry.

When he rolled his eyes, he saw two schoolgirls, looking at Yata and Kamamoto standing in a way that was clearly inappropriate for this school, and huddled together.

Yata was openly scared.

He may be strong against men, but he is not good at dealing with women. A woman is a different creature from a man, who hurts himself quickly and he does not know what she is thinking. He's not good at knowing what kind of attitude he should have. Yes, he is not good at understanding it, but he is aware of women and gets nervous. Yata insisted on his heart.

"Ah, you there! Come here for a moment. I have something to ask you!"

Ignoring Yata's feelings, Kamamoto called out to the two schoolgirls with a lot of pressure. Being called out by a standing giant with blonde hair, a beard and glasses, the schoolgirls get more and more scared.

"No, oh, that..."

"Ah? What is this? I'm just saying there is something I want to ask you..."

Without saying anything until the end, Yata hit Kamamoto's head with a fist. Kamamoto makes a plaintive voice.

"Hey, don't scare the girls like that! I'll punish you."

He was so upset that his voice changed. Yata turned to the girls with a flushed face.

"Hey, sorry, that was wrong..."

He intended to act like a gentleman to the best of his ability, but when Yata screamed, the female students finally fled with a frightened voice that they could not bear.

Yata lets them go, and then slams Kamamoto's head next to him to shake off the awkwardness.

"Gya! Please forgive me, Yata-san."

"Shut up! I always tell you not to threaten a woman!"

"No, I haven't raised my hand... First of all, Yata-san, you've only asked the boys all this time."

"To find a boy you must ask other boys!"

When Yata said that, Kamamoto made an exaggerated gesture. When Yata clenched his fist again to hit him again, a voice that touched the most sensitive part of his nerve slipped into Yata's ear.

"It feels like the virgin is exposed as usual."

The moment he recognized that voice, Yata's head turned white.

It was a very familiar voice and, at the same time, very distant.

Yata slowly shakes his head and looks back at the sight that he feels like he's shaking.

First, the toes of the boots came into view. Looking up, he saw an abominable blue uniform and a saber with a blue scabbard at the waist. AND…

"Damn..."

A face with a murmuring smile. From the other side of the black-rimmed glasses, his familiar eyes stare at Yata.

"Saruhiko!"

Fushimi Saruhiko, a man who is now a member of "Scepter 4" and was once Yata's partner, was there.

A voice containing rumors flows from Fushimi's thin lips, which form an undistorted smile, and entwines with Yata.

"It's a strange situation. How is this? Ah, Anna. But Kusanagi-san can't let you listen to this recklessly. Misaki lost control without permission? Seriously, as always."

Perhaps by the way, he said the first name of him and of Yata's close friends. Throwing those friends, their spirits, into messing with them was annoying.

"Shut up! Don't call me casually! Don't feel free to talk about my friends! Traitor!"

Fushimi laughed deep in his throat.

"It couldn't be helped. After all, I am of a different race than Misaki and the others. It was inevitable to leave."

"Ah! You are not wrong about that. You are different from us!"

"Yata-san...! If you make noise in a place like this..."

Kamamoto inserts a frustrated voice between Yata and Fushimi, who are filled with tingly air. However, Fushimi behaved as if he hadn't seen Kamamoto's existence.

"By the way, Misaki. How did you sneak in here?"

"Ah? It's none of your business."

"The security level here is high. Where is your pass? Show me, Misaki."

"It's none of your business! Don't call me by my name, you make me sick!"

Fushimi also makes a catchy laugh.

"Oh, that's right, you hate being called by that name right?"

Fushimi locked eyes at Yata. His lips move slowly as in slow motion and a moist, sweet, audible voice is exhaled.

"Mi... sa... ki..."

Something snapped in Yata's head.

A fiery red light seeps from Yata's body as if anger is overflowing with a physical form.

"You asked for it..."

Fushimi lifted the edge of his mouth.

"Yata-san! This is not good! Remember what Kusanagi-san said, don't let Mikoto-san have been captured in vain! What good would fighting that monkey do?"

The word "Mikoto-san" affects the feelings and power of Yata, which he is about to attack. Yata managed to restrain his furious fist with desperate self-control.

"Mikoto-san, huh?"

The tone of Fushimi's voice becomes lower and the laugh becomes darker. It was a voice that lurked with malicious intent, and Fushimi's sheer irritation.

"He seems to have lost his bearing on him, right? After all, he decided to give himself up. I guess it means he has matured. You should learn from him, Mi… sa… ki…"

Yata was filled with an icy rage, which was the exact opposite of the rage that had blood on his head, making him feel cold and icy.

Insult Suoh. Fushimi's mouth said it, no one else.

Yata took a deep breath and threw down the skateboard he was holding. The skateboard turns vertically and falls into a position waiting for Yata to get on. He didn't want to take anything anymore. He hears Kamamoto's impatient voice in the distance, "Yata-san!"

"Saru... You are going to die!"

Yata barked.

Fushimi laughs and touches the handle of the sword.

"Fushimi, ready for an emergency battle."

As Fushimi drew his sword, Yata put one foot on the skateboard and kicked the ground. The red light that overflows from his body turns into a flame and is directed towards Fushimi.

Fushimi lightly avoided Yata's rush with a laugh. Yata spins his skateboard without killing the momentum with which he jumped, increasing the output of the flame.

The flame that rises from the body swirls and becomes a bright red pillar that stretches to the heavens. At his feet, the wheels of the skateboard with the power of Yata sandwiched the tiles on the surface of the street.

Yata, who turned into a swirling pillar on fire, approaches Fushimi again. Fushimi turned the sword with a smile and inserted it into the swirling flame with the tip of the blue light.

As the blade was soft and flexible and entered the column of flame, Fushimi took a deep breath. The power of the blue poured from Fushimi's body onto the sword in one go, scraping away Yata's flame and scattering it.

Yata and Fushimi's eyes were intertwined as the red and blue colors mixed and danced. Fushimi's eyes seemed to be a mixture of pleasure and murder, and some emotions that Yata couldn't read.

Yata jerked it off him, focused the flames on his hardened fist and struck him down. Fushimi avoids Yata's fist with his sword, grabs his arm with a blue barrier, and stops him.

Fushimi is familiar with Yata's movements and fighting style. It was uncomfortable to realize that, and Yata enthusiastically jumped up on his skateboard and launched a nosedive attack. Fushimi received the bottom of Yata's skateboard with the sword from him.

Yata's skateboard and Fushimi's sword fight each other, and Fushimi raises the sword, deflecting the trajectory of Yata's power. However, just before being played, the skateboard wheel scraped off Fushimi's sword. His glasses flew off.

Fushimi, who exposed his true face, narrowed his eyes and looked at Yata, narrowing the distance with the lightness of taking steps, and extended his sword.

Yata jumped to avoid the sword. He flips high as he is, and at the same time he lands, he attacks again.

A fist like a bullet of fire. Kicking with the body on fire. If it's just a knife, it can be defeated, but there is also Fushimi's sword, which uses the power of blue that also serves as a barrier.

Fushimi attacked Yata. A blue light like fluttering phosphorescence. Yata leaped like a small animal and withdrew as he avoided a gentle but violent push, and used the skateboard as a folding shield.

The eyes of the two meet.

When they looked at each other they felt something emotional, and Yata kicked Fushimi down as if to shake him, and he too jumped on the skateboard and came down from behind.

"Ke, you're not as good as before, Saru!"

Fushimi laughed at Yata's provocation with just a sigh. He slowly lifts the glasses that have fallen to the ground and puts them back on.

"No... I'm stronger. Much stronger than before."

"Silly stuff!"

Yata kicks the ground again. He coiled the flames all over his body, kicked the back of the skateboard with his left foot, and jumped high.

Fushimi catches Yata attacking from above with his sword.

After taking action for a short time, Yata jumps once with Fushimi's sword power that can be repelled, regains his position, and charges immediately.

He remembered that he was rushing too much when he was next to Fushimi. However, stupid or not, Yata's haste has set in motion what is in front of him. Fushimi used to follow Yata running aside, but that is no longer necessary. Yata has both power and stamina. He doesn't need to be smart. He will push everything with just force.

He engulfed him with a fist engulfed in flames. Fushimi dodged Yata's attack or defended himself with the power of blue, but his legs slowly fell back.

Yata laughed at Fushimi, who was being pushed passively.

"What's the matter, Saru?"

Suddenly, Fushimi's mouth made a smile.

Fushimi flashes his left hand from the position where Yata becomes a blind spot. He sees a flying red light.

Yata opens his eyes to the red color that Fushimi gives off, and the reaction is delayed. The red light from "Homura" ignited Fushimi's knife that pierced Yata's shoulder.

The first thing he felt was heat, not pain.

When he realized it was a sensation of fire, Yata hit and rolled on the ground. He hears Kamamoto's impatient voice saying "Yata-san!"

Frowning, Yata grasps the right shoulder from which the knife is sticking out.

The burning pain from the wound pulses according to the heartbeat.

Yata removed the knife from his shoulder and gritted his teeth.

This knife is familiar to Yata. Originally, Fushimi was darker. Fushimi mainly used to throw knives as a weapon when he was in "Homura". Yata looked closely many times as if this knife had the power of red.

But now, Yata was completely surprised that Fushimi used a knife with the same red power that he used back then. He can tell that he was scared.

Distorted by anger and the feeling of wanting to cry for some reason, Yata crawls across the ground and covers himself.

Fushimi looked at Yata with a smile.

"Didn't I tell you? I left Suoh and got stronger. This is the test!"

The sword from "Scepter 4" that houses blue light and the knife he used in the "Homura" era that houses red light.

Looking at Fushimi, who is holding both colors, Yata's head was boiling.

"Ah, two colors?"

Kamamoto said in a frustrated voice and stepped out, perhaps trying to protect the fallen Yata.

However, the foot stops in one step. A bright red Fushimi knife flew in and stabbed into Kamamoto's feet. At that moment, the red power in the knife explodes and the column of fire rises. Kamamoto falls on his butt.

"Stay out of the way, I'm not interested in small fish!"

Yata staggered to his feet, staring at Fushimi's profile, who screamed at the impulse to change his voice.

"Saru is right… Stay out of this."

He grabs the knife stuck in his shoulder. Fushimi's red power burned Yata's palm. Regardless of the burning pain, he pulled the knife out hard and threw it.

The flames that were once shared as a partner are hurting Yata. Attacks of the same color are difficult to defend. Even if the blue power can be blocked by the red power, the same red power cannot be well noticed. It is the power of friends, not the ones that originally clashed.

Yata was unable to forgive Fushimi, who used that power as a tool while he was wearing a blue uniform. The more he felt the pain in his shoulder and the more aware he was of the heat of the blood flowing from him, the more his fighting spirit burned.

"Saru, don't get excited just because you have those powers. Do you intend to conquer this country?"

"I'm not interested in the vulgar things in the world. I'm interested i ..."

Fushimi distorted his face. His pupil opens behind his glasses.

"Blood and flesh."

Yata clasped his hands into his fists and screamed from the bottom of his stomach. He blew up a flame to squeeze all the power from the core of the body.

He looked directly at Fushimi. If he hits all the power he has now and knocks him down, that's all Yata has, and he can't see other scenarios.

Looking at Yata, Fushimi laughed with satisfaction.

Fushimi holds the sword. Yata, who has turned into a mass of flames, kicks the ground to hit Fushimi.

He didn't care if he died or killed.

At that moment, a cold, sharp blue wind blew and tore between the hot Yata and Fushimi.

"That's!"

I heard the anger of a woman.

When he looked, a woman dressed in blue was standing there with her two subordinates. Seeing her holding a sword in her right hand, he knows that blue breeze was a power cut from hers blue hers.

The wind it produced scattered the flames of Yata and the hot air between them.

Seri Awashima, a lieutenant from "Scepter 4", a blue-clad woman with an outstretched back, declared it again and sent an attentive glance at Fushimi.

"Fushimi, put your sword away, what are you doing? Where do you think you are?"

Awashima's cut seemed to have dissipated the damp heat that Fushimi was wearing, and Fushimi turned around with a fake smile on his face.

Awashima lowered her eyebrows, but she did not repeat any more words to Fushimi and turned her eyes to Yata.

"Misaki Yata, a member under the command of the "Red King". The captain of the "Homura" team who controls the skateboard, and you answer to the name of Yatagarasu."

He didn't feel bad about being called by two of his favorite names, and Yata snorted and laughed.

"I know you too. Seri Awashima, the right arm of the "Blue King". Call me a ruthless woman."

Awashima had an indescribable look, as if she was angry and stunned.

"I think that name was probably said by the owner of the bar, right?"

"Eh?"

"Anyway, it is a fact that I cannot ignore that you are here, but unfortunately it is too great a disadvantage to be here now. What if you guys postpone the meeting?"

"He was the one who started it."

"Yes? Maybe I was not clear. You are going to postpone a meeting, understood? Is that better?"

Yata looked wryly at Awashima, who was like a teacher, with only one corner of his mouth raised.

"I have no intention of obeying a Blue."

"Yata-san!"

Kamamoto called out in a voice trying to stop him, but he ignored it and continued proudly. He thought that retreating just because these Blues appeared would make "Homura" look bad.

"Your king…"

Suddenly, Awashima's voice seemed to be soft. Yata's shoulder shuddered at the words.

"All he does is complain about the food, but he finishes it and goes to sleep. I'm totally blown away."

He felt him being pushed hard in the chest.

Suoh seems to be Suoh and he's fine. He was so relieved that he wanted to cry over that fact, and he felt his strength gradually increase.

"Mikoto-san..."

Awashima smiled at Yata when he accidentally muttered. At that face, he suddenly felt uncomfortable when he remembered that Awashima, whom he had only thought of as an "enemy", was a woman.

"Let's go."

He turns around to hide his flushed face from her and starts walking with Kamamoto.

As he walked, Yata looked back just once. Fushimi kept his sword down and turned, not even looking at Yata. Yata clicks his tongue bitterly and turns to the front.

His injured right shoulder was annoying.

++++++++++

"Do you have something to say?"

Awashima said in a very calm and simple voice.

"I'm sorry."

Fushimi made an apology, but it was neither an apologetic voice nor an apologetic tone.

However, Awashima forgave Fushimi's attitude as if it didn't matter.

"So how did it go?"

Awashima asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. You accessed the school's data anyway, right?"

Fushimi was struck by the void for a moment and blinked, realizing that he was discovered.

His thoughts and actions were read by Awashima, it made him feel a bit interesting and he evaluated.

His head went cold because he faced Yata, and his emotions that trembled after a long time settled in the original place, and his head switched to working mode.

"How is he? Is that boy a student from here?"

The result of the collection of data from school officials hacked from the computer in the student’s council room revives in Fushimi's mind.

"No."

No applicable person.

After matching with the photo of the criminal's face, the system concluded that.

"The suspect is not enrolled in this school."

++++++++++

Yata thought it was done.

It was Yata who insisted, "I'll just ask one more person!", shaking Kamamoto, who was persuaded to go home after first aid treatment for the wound on his right shoulder that was stabbed with a knife.

He was wondering if he could go home empty-handed, and he was so upset that he had that conversation with Fushimi that he didn't feel like coming home, and he was worried about Yata. It was also because Kamamoto is stubborn, he would tell Yata to go home as if he was trying to calm his son down.

Yata then stopped a group of students passing by without even looking at the other person's face before being stopped by Kamamoto.

"Yes?"

However, in that group, it was a female student who stopped in response to Yata's voice. The skirt of the Ashinaka high school uniform fluttered, and the hair cut with an ornament on the side swayed.

He stopped a woman. Yata was afraid to notice. On the other hand, the student who stopped didn't seem to be scared of Yata and tilted her head with a clean face.

He can't run away, Yata averted his eyes from her so as not to make eye contact with her, but pushed forward the image of the criminal boy that was displayed on the PDA.

"I'm looking for... this guy... have you seen him?"

The schoolgirl looks at the boy in the picture.

"Kukuri! We will get ahead of ourselves!"

A student who seems to be friends with her spoke to her from a distance. The girl named Kukuri looked at her friend, replied "Oh, yeah!", and then turned to Yata.

"I'm sorry."

Kukuri said with an apologetic bow.

"Do not know him."

[destinys-dragon]

A Battle for All

Characters: Patton, Logan, Roman, Remus, Janus, Virgil

For: @littlebigmouse

Warnings: Gore, Extreme Gore, Unsympathetic Patton, Unsympathetic Janus, Unsympathetic Logan, Major Character Death, Betrayal, Body horror/gore

Words: 2,500

Hey Mouse, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! I was your gifter this year for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange and I gave you a super hero Au with a side of gore [Or rather a main course of gore] I hope you enjoy it!

This was it, the battle for all the marbles, or as Morality said, "All the cookies in the cookie jar." Whatever you wanted to call it, this was the most important battle. Here and now, would decide the fate of the world. Sure, you hear that in all the superhero movies to get the action and the thrill up, even if the heroes always win in the movies. This though, this was very, very real, and all the heroes could feel a deep fear fill them. It wouldn't stop them from protecting the entire world, and they would do everything to make sure that the world was saved. It was still an unsettling feeling, to be staring potential death straight in the face, your future becoming less clear by the second.

Sanders University, the place they were meant to defend, held the key to world domination, at least to the Troublesome Twosome that was Deceit and Logic. The university was famous for its advanced technology, some of which could give normal humans pseudo-Superpowers, putting them on an even playing field with natural born Supers. The Twosome's plan was to engineer as much superpowered technology as possible, to create an army of villains that would help them conquer the entire world. First they would start with the University itself, but with how much super-tech was in there already, they wouldn't have trouble building a small army to defend it while they work on bigger projects.

The Prince stood on one end and the Duke on the other. In between them stood Anxiety and Morality, their healer and shield respectively. The Duke was holding a thunderbolt in one hand, preparing to throw it should the villains pull any tricks. Prince was holding a pen in his hand, preparing to draw up a weapon or something that would protect them. Anxiety had his hand out, ready to heal the team and get them back to the fight. Morality was empty handed at the moment, giving the villains a smile as if they were just naïve children instead of people bent on world domination.

"Now kiddos," Morality started, holding his arms out in a gesture of peace. "We really don't have to fight today. If you would just willingly come with us we can help you," he assured, making sure his voice would sound even and calming. "Please, don't do this. It would only end in disaster and chaos for everyone, including you two."

Deceit chuckled quietly, which cued Logic to break out in maniacal laughter. Morality cringed and even the Duke shuddered, which was uncommon since he was rather creepy in his own right. Prince and Anxiety looked unamused, even if Anxiety's hand fell to his side, where a short sword, crafted specifically for him by Prince, rested on his hip.

"Oh Morality, darling~" Deceit purred, elbowing his laughing companion in the stomach, who wheezed and went silent, rubbing his stomach as if that would make the pain go away. "That's exactly what we want. Chaos and disaster are what will help us take over this worthless world. Soon, oh so soon we will rule and you will be powerless to stop us! Now, get out of our way and we may spare your lives, if you beg that is." He waved his arm in a big gesture to the building behind the trio of heroes, the one that held the key to their dream.

"Never!" Prince snarled, a sword held in his hands. "We shall never let you get past any of us! We will put our lives on the line to protect the world we love! You'll never win, so give up now and walk away!"

That made Deceit laugh again, wiping a tear from his eye with a gloved hand. "Oh Prince, foolish fool, you will be made to eat your words. I can assure you of that. Logic, if you will."

Logic stepped forward, snickering as he pulled out a remote with a single, red button. He pressed it, causing a dozen cars to crumble and meld together. After a few seconds a giant metal golem stood behind the Duo. Logic cackled, covering his mouth as he snorted. "Be-ha- prepared to meet m-my greatest creation to date, the car golem!" He announced, pointing forward. "Go! Wreck, maim, DESTROY!" He shrieked, doubling over with laughter.

The golem seemed to come to life, surging forward towards the heroes. It was coming fast, intent on ending the battle and the heroes once and for all. It had no mind, no heart, no soul. It had a purpose though, a sole purpose it was destined to complete. End the heroes and leave not even a single one standing.

Morality stepped in front of everyone and summoned a giant dome shield, covering all four of them. Prince and Duke stood behind Patton, while Anxiety put all his energy and focus into keeping Morality's shield strong, which meant using all he had to heal it.

"When I lower the shield go for the weak spots in it's limbs!" Morality shouted, crying out when the Golem pounded on the shield, putting a giant crack in it. They all heard Anxiety let out a sharp exhale, slowly forcing the crack to close. "Damage the legs and arms, rendering it useless!"

"Yes Sir!" "Yes Daddy!" The twins spoke in unison. Morality couldn't help hide an eyeroll at the Duke, but now was not the time to lecture him on his inappropriateness.

"Ready?" He asked, taking a breath. "GO!" He cried out, forcing the shield to burst outward, which made the golem fall back. Morality fell back at the force he used to push the golem back, Anxiety quick to Morality's side to heal him and boost his energy.

The second the shield went down, Prince took towards the right and Duke went left. They were in perfect sync, each summoning their sacred weapons, a paintbrush and a bolt of lightning respectively, charging forward and removing it's limbs.

Prince let out a loud cry, circling around the golem and fleeing the scene. The circle glowed green and vines, flowers, and even tree branches sprouted around it, quickly tying the golem up. The thing let out a loud, metallic screeching noise of distress, before the Duke acted.

He took the precious time where the golem was immobilized and used the pulsing thunderbolt in his hands to slice and dice it's arms and one leg off. The golem continued to shriek and cry out, thrashing around with it's one leg, until Morality came through.

He had moved forward, leaving Anxiety in the back to watch their back. He summoned a small shield, one that was a simple circular shape, save for the spikey thorns and notches in it. He threw it as hard as he could, watching as the killer frisbee cut halfway through a leg, rendering it a mostly useless, twitching lump to the golem.

It continued to try and get to the heroes, but it only managed to flop around uselessly. It was rather useless, slowly going still as it died.

"Fuck yeah!" Duke cheered, before letting out a choked cry as a large snake plunged through his chest. His eyes went wide and he coughed out a sickening mixture of spit and blood, slowly going down on his knees. He reached out, as if to beg for help, his body going still as the snake again plunged through him, tearing his throat in half. His mouth was moving as if attempting to speak, before he fell face down, poised in a silent scream.

Deceit stood behind him, wiping his gloves with a white cloth. It was covered in a layer of blood, but the cloth cleaned the majority off. He tossed it on the corpse, looking at the heroes, who were looking at them in a mixture of shock, fear, and horror.

It was broken as Morality let out an ear piercing shriek, followed by Prince crying out in absolute anguish.

"Remus!" He shrieked, struggling to breath and looking like he was moments away from fainting. "Oh gods, Jesus god WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" He cried out, Patton's shrieking sobs becoming a dull noise to him as his rage filled. "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

He charged forward, unaware that the Golem was sliding painfully slowly towards Patton. He continued moving towards Janus, aiming punch after punch, kick after kick at the monster who murdered his brother. Deceit only dodged out of the way, not even bother to strike him.

Eventually, he ducked behind Prince, sweeping his legs out from under him. "Oh dear Princey, don't worry, you'll see him soon,"  Deceit purred, stomping on the hero's back, relishing in his shrieks of pain. "But look, here." He bent down, grabbing Prince by the hair and pulling his head up to make him look towards Morality.

Morality was on his knees sobbing. The golem was squirming closed to him, using it's half destroyed leg to slowly roll itself over. Roman was shrieking and begging Morality to do something, only to watch as Anxiety sailed past him, sprinting like his life depended on it. "No Virgil stop!" He begged, not wanting to lose two friends and his brother, he wasn't sure if his heart could take it.

Roman could only watch in horror as Virgil shoved Morality, the golem landing on top of the healer, crushing him to death. Roman let out a scream of pure anguish just as Logic began cackling with glee. He couldn't see Morality from behind the golem, but he was so sure that both of them were dead.

Logic danced around, watching the golem start to become consumed by rust. After it was fully rusted, it broke apart into dust, falling to the ground in large, clumpy piles. Even the limbs that were cut off were turned to dust as well. And Virgil? He was laying on the ground, flattened into a bloody clump of human and clothes. The lump didn't even look remotely human, but Prince found he couldn't look away, and he was glad he didn't.

There, next to what was Virgil, was Morality. He was alive and well, Roman hadn't lost everything! He went to call out, only to watch as Morality spit on Virgil's remains, climbing to his feet. "God, I can't believe he was that stupid. Though I suppose his foolish need to jump into bravery was admirable," he commented, brushing himself off. He reached down and grabbed something off of Virgil's remains, but Roman couldn't tell what it was.

Morality walked slowly, painfully slowly, over to Roman, who was confused. He let out a cry when his hair was let go and his face met painfully with the pavement. He ended up biting down on his tongue on the way down, causing his mouth to fill with a metallic tasting liquid. Blood, he thought distantly, but he wasn't able to comprehend it with how quickly his brain was shutting down.

He was rolled over, coming face to face with Morality. "P-Patton?" he croaked out, spitting up a glob of blood that got onto his pure white suit, or a suit that had been pure white. Now it was caked in dirty, boot prints, and even his own blood.

"Oh Princey, sweet sweet Roman," He cooed, brushing his thumb over Roman's cheek. "You're an absolute fool." Patton slowly held up the short sword, Virgil's short sword, pressing it against Roman's throat. He let out a soft whimper, unable to stop the noise from leaving his lips.

"Why?" He choked out, spitting a glob of blood onto Patton's suit. He saw his leader, former leader, cringe but shrug it off after a moment.

"I'm so tired of being treated like the innocent little healer on your team. I can't tell you how many times you've just left me to get captured, used me as bait...you even used me as a human shield once or twice instead of our actual shield, the guy who can make them out of thin air." He grabbed Roman by the chin, forcing the hero to meet his eyes. "I'm not meant to be bait or a human punching bag to protect you selfish lot. I am my own powerful person, stronger and better than all three of you worthless buffoons. I may have been your leader, but I was treated like trash by all three of you. But now....now that won't happen ever again!" Patton chirped, a bright cheery, but equally eerie, smile on his face.

Roman heard Deceit chuckle, looking away from Patton to watch as the villain walked towards the university, Logic right on his heels. He watched as Logic's lips moved quickly, mostly likely talking about whatever wicked plans he wanted to try on poor unsuspecting people.

"Don't take too long, darling!" Deceit called, loud enough for the pair to hear. “We need to get our plans into motion, we've already been set back quite a bit."

"Yes Deceit, I understand," Patton assured, looking back at Roman, who was petrified with fear. "I'm so sorry Roman, but this is your final scene. The curtains have been called and your act is through," he whispered, plunging the knife deep into Roman's chest.

Roman coughed up blood, reaching with one hand to try and pull it out to no avail.

Patton looked rather bored, but delighted at the same time. "This is goodbye Roman, I can't say I'll miss you or any of the others." He gave Roman a big smile, his deep brown eyes looking more golden as he twisted the knife that was lodged in Roman's chest, twisting it to cut deeper into the hero's body.

He felt Roman slowly going limp, the last few strings that he used to cling to life snapping as he let out his final breath. Patton shuddered in pleasure as he felt the man's last breath tickle his neck. He felt a rush, a thrill, he felt almost drunk on this feeling. He let a small grin cross his features, cackling as he pushed the corpse off him. Rising to his feet he felt a need, a deep hunger for more. He wanted more, he needed more of this feeling.

Patton licked his lips, groaning as the few stray drops of Roman's blood hit his taste buds. That felt good. So very, very good.

He brushed himself off, walking towards the University with a smile on his face. He had a mission after all, and world domination sounded just as glorious as crushing these pitiful heroes. Maybe more would come to play with them, that would be fun. If he were lucky, Deceit would let him keep one as a treat, a very special one just for him. Patton had to prove himself, and now that he was seen as an equal, he was never going to disappoint Deceit. He was going to show he earned his spot, and earn his spot he would.

[heycallmeladytypewriter]

A Call of a Siren - Chapter 2

A/N: As you guys have noticed, I tweaked a few things to fit Delia into the story but please let me know if I missed or messed up something on the storyline. Again, looking for a beta reader if anyone is interested. Chapter three should be up soon along with everyone's favorite angry boy. I don't own My Hero Academia. I only own my own characters and the story I create within Horikoshi's masterpiece of a world I'd love to live in.

Chapter One

_____________________________________________________________

“I expect you to all to still work hard on exams even though the end of the school year is in sight!” Her teacher was lecturing them on the importance of tests or something but Cordelia had other things on her mind. 

Nine months ago, she saw the world's greatest hero and a scrawny boy her age on the beach. A day she wouldn’t forget as it was a major part of why she was trying her damndest to get into UA in a month.

She went to the beach mostly everyday on a run and also practiced in her room after her family went out or was asleep. She also tried to incorporate some strength training exercises she got off the internet as she was sure you needed more than cardio to make it in. 

One thing she found herself doing, albeit shamefully, was sort of spying on All Might and Izuku Midoriya train on the beach and park. She didn’t necessarily go out of her way but it was on her training grounds too. No matter how she reasoned it, she still kept her distance and would hide at first sign of being found. It also didn’t help that she felt she had stumbled on a major invasion of privacy as she witnessed the strong and well, mighty, All Might transform to a tall but skinny weaker man. The first time she saw it she thought her eyeballs were for sure going to pop out her skull and fall to the floor with her jaw. She would never tell out of respect for the hero but still...every time he did it was like a mini heart attack especially when he would cough up blood afterwards. Like Jesus man please go see a doctor!

“Miss Bell I hope that dazed look on your face means you are thinking of your study schedule this weekend?” 

Her head turned from the window and faced the teacher, “ Oh, yes of course!” 

“Hmm..so anyways class -” Cordelia went right back to gazing out the window. 

_______________________________________________________

“ FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO DO YOUR STUPID STRETCHES BRAT!” Angry boy yelled at her for the 400th time.

Delia rolled her eyes again but continued her stretches where she was. She was here first anyway. Not that it mattered as she always stretched here because after Angry boy decided it was his workout spot she decided it was hers too. 

“Oi, don’t ignore me! Move your fat ass out of here!” 

“No thanks I’m good. And who are you calling fat ass, big tits?” She laughed as he bristled immediately at her response. He reminded her of a cat, all puffy and angry,  when he got like that which only made her giggle more. She wished to know his name but last time she asked he flipped her off. 

Looking at her watch, she realized she was going to be late for dinner. “Oh crap. Gotta go! Bye Big tits!” 

His water bottle flew right past her head as she ran off while he screamed expletives at her. “Hey!” She scolded. She slowed down enough to pick it up and chucked it with maximum force back at him, “don’t fucking litter!” 

She ran a little quicker when she heard the little pops of his quirk which is when she realized a few months ago that he was getting more pissed. “Goddamn brat!”

________________________________________________________

“Cordelia, you are late! Go wash up.” Her mother scolded her from the kitchen as she walked in the house. 

“Lost track of time! Sorry I’ll be quick!” She hopped up the stairs and nearly ran into her father, wearing his uniform, on the way. “Oops sorry Daddy!”

 Yes, she still called her father ‘Daddy.’

 Her ‘Daddy’ was a 6’4 man with piercing blue eyes that could intimidate anybody which probably helped with his job. Her mother always liked to point out that of course all her children had to inherit his blue eyes and not her brown ones.  

“Hey,” His hand shot out to gently grab her wrist before she could keep going, “What is all this training you doing for?” 

“Nothing in particular. Can’t I have a hobby?” She lied through her teeth before continuing on upstairs. 

“Cordelia…” 

“Dad. Teenage girl who wants to be fit - not rocket science!” 

Hopping in the hot shower, Delia relaxed finally. She was soooo lying to her family but felt it necessary as they stood on opposite ground concerning her dream of becoming a hero. 

She had a dream. She wasn’t going to give up without a fight just because she was alone in it. Deep down she was hoping if she became a good enough hero she could change their minds about the matter. 

She even took many preemptive precautions such as designating herself as the mail person of the house. She got it every day without fail and they would get used to just depending on her to get it. She managed to get a third cordless phone for the house she’d hide in her room to check the number in case of any specific calls coming through. She even created a fake parent email and perfected their signatures if needed. She was good at lying but it never felt easier on her to lie regardless of her reasons. 

“CORDELIA!” 

With a sigh, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. At least I dry off quickly, she thought amused as she wicked the water off her body and out of her hair. 

__________________________________________________________

It was exam day. 

Delia’s nerves were all over the place as she sat in the auditorium filled with the other hopefuls. They grouped them by class it seemed though she didn’t recognize those sitting near her. Her fault, she was sure, as she didn’t reach out to others during this past year as she just assumed or more like hoped she’d be transferring after the year was up. 

She wondered where Midoriya was as he was the reason she got her butt here in the first place. 

The Pro, Present Mic, continued to shout out to the crowd of potential students but Delia figured everyone was too wound up to join in or even focus enough. He was in the process of explaining their physical test when a loud voice rang out. A boy with cut blue hair and glasses stood suddenly and practically demanded answers of a possible inconsistency regarding the robots before the Pro could probably get to it (impatient much?) and then turned behind him to yell at the very boy she was wondering about for muttering too loudly. 

She wanted to laugh but her nerves were already fraying. As they were announcing the order of tests and people were slowly being shuffled out of the auditorium, Delia took a long breath before marching outside with the others. 

____________________________________________________________

This was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. 

She went on auto pilot as soon as the doors opened. Everyone rushed forward only to be immediately greeted by a bunch of green robots with glowing red eyes. Without thinking, she looked for the nearest water source...yes, a fire hydrant!...and reached her hand outwards to pull the water. A burst of water came rushing out that she quickly sharpened into her normal water whip and sliced out at the first two robots she saw ahead of her, breaking their heads off. 

“Wow that was amazing!” A girl with short brown hair to her left shouted at her before running further down the street. Delia blinked. Holy shit, that was amazing! For a moment, Delia felt she could really do this...until about 10 minutes later.

The robots didn’t give her a minute to think anymore, which considering her extreme anxiety over today was probably a good thing, and she used her whip to maim any robot who came within range. As soon as she was finally racking up a few points, a giant shadow loomed over the street. 

It was the zero points robot. 

Holy shitballs it was huge, Delia thought, shielding her face, as it stomped its way over causing surrounding small buildings and the street itself to explode with force everywhere. 

She was about to run but she heard someone cry out. It was the really nice girl from earlier who was caught under the debris from the zero pointer. 

Everyone was running. 

Then she ran. 

Towards the girl. 

There was water running from a broken pipe so she willed it near her as she skidded to the girl and put her hand up and the water formed a water dome around her the girl as they braced themselves for the next step from the robot but it never came. 

“SMASH!” Midoriya yelled from above them. Through the water she saw him go flying at the face of the robot and hit it so hard the zero pointer was thrown back with a broken face. 

“Oh my god” she whispered. The water fell on them in a whoosh and she snapped back to the girl and pushed the rock up far enough to wiggle her leg out. Looking up, she saw Midoriya start to fall and her heart continued to race as she tried to figure out how to catch him but the girl who was stuck ran, now with a limp, touch a rock and float upwards towards him. She meets him halfway then taps him midair and slowly brings them back to earth. Then promptly throws up off the side of the rock. 

The buzzer goes off. 

Times up. 

Delia felt her shoulder drop in disappointment. She only had 20 points from the smaller robots and barely. That was it. She was stuck at a regular school and wouldn’t be a pro hero. 

The finality of things started to weigh on her and followed her as she shuffled her way home, trying not to cry.

____________________________________________________________

The wait was killing her. 

It’s been days and she’s checked the mail repeatedly. Damn near scared the mailman a few times when she ran up to him a few houses before hers.

By the time it came, she had all but figured she failed so badly that they weren’t gonna waste time with a letter. Yeah, she was being dramatic but still. 

Finally, a small package addressed to her arrived. Delia had to wait until her parents went out to the store with Henry before she could run to her room and play it. After triple checking they left, she set it up on her small desk and internally started to scream. 

“Young Bell, it is me All Might! I am here! To give you your results on your exam to UA!” 

There goes her ability to breathe. 

She started to bite her lip nervously. 

“It says here that you scored 24 points on your practical and did well enough in your written test. BUT” 

She was now on the verge of gnawing her lip off.

“While your scores were alright enough, what really wowed us was your last few minutes of the practical!”

He started a small screen next to him of the girl who was stuck under a rock talking to someone behind the camera. 

“Is it possible to share my points?!” The girl exclaimed to someone behind the camera. 

Delia’s hand went to her chest as the girl, who didn’t know her nor should’ve bothered to do this, wanted to make sure her and Midoryia earned enough points and if not, to give them some of hers. Her lip had to have been bruised by now.

“Did you really think a Hero academy judged solely on the ability to hit a robot? We look at everything! And you, Young Bell, embody just the right person we strive to teach! You went ahead without thinking or caring about anything but the girl and acted- acted heroically! We awarded you 30 more points bringing your total to a whopping 54! So, Young Bell, I want to congratulate you on your acceptance to UA! Welcome, future hero!” 

Delia’s lip was bleeding now but she didn’t care. Tears were rushing down her face before she could stop them.

She thought it was done.

But really- it was just beginning. 

She sent a silent thank you to the boy on the beach and the hero they both looked up to

[raptured-night]

Alright here are other ones that I had asked for to deathdaydungeon but they seem to be occupied for a while... There is a theory saying that Neville had a Snape Boggart because Snape had threatened Trevor, which represented Neville’s “proof” that he wasn’t a Squib, as he feared so. In this case, why didn’t he have a dead Trevor as a Boggart instead? Do you think that Snape expressing his worry over how James fancies Lily could be consistent evidence he wanted to date her or not?

I do believe that @deathdaydungeon has shared a few of their thoughts on Neville’s Boggart before that you may find of interest since they’ve not yet been able to respond to your ask. Indeed, the entire discussion following their own thoughts is well worth a read, and here’s another version where I share just a few of my own thoughts. 

That being said, I’m going to cite from a much older and very lengthy discussion post I once wrote regarding Snape as I went into a great length and detail exploring the potential symbolism of Neville’s Boggart to Neville and some of the psychological implications. Because that particular meta covered such a broad range of topics concerning Snape and that particular bit came at the very end of what proved to be a 20k word essay simply linking you to it and expecting you to search through it all to find the sections that pertain to your ask seems less reasonable than simply quoting from that portion of the meta here (although if you find yourself with a bit of time and the interest for it, here is the link to that monster of a meta all the same). So, with that said, here are my thoughts on Neville’s Boggart, Trevor, Boggart!Snape, and Boggarts overall. 

I have often challenged Harry’s narrator as one that is intentionally designed to be biased or unreliable (notably it is a limited-omniscient perspective) in order to demonstrate how it can influence reader perception of characters and even the world the characters occupy. However, the discrepancy between Harry’s perspective of how he is treated by the Dursleys and Neville’s perspective of his own family and how he is treated is revealing exactly because it is made more apparent for being presented through Harry’s narrative. From the start of HP: PS, Harry’s narrative wastes little time in painting for the reader a picture of abuse and unhappiness where Harry’s life with the Dursleys is concerned. With Dudley serving as our counterpoint to emphasize the extreme neglect, abuse and more general mistreatment that Harry suffers while under their roof (e.g. being forced to sleep in a cupboard with spiders while Dudley has a second room, being bullied and beaten while Dudley’s is doted on, even having his hair cut in a humiliating fashion while Dudley receives a new school uniform, etc.), Rowling’s narrative also expresses to the reader Harry’s awareness of the injustice of his situation and his feelings of resentment, discontent, and helplessness. When it comes to the Dursleys and their cruel treatment of Harry the narrative does function as a mostly reliable gauge for the reader to go by. Thus, when the reader is confronted with Neville’s account of his own family experiences in HP: PS I would argue that what makes it the most jarring is the fact that it goes against the precedent set by Harry and his narrative, in that Neville does not appear to recognize anything out of the ordinary in how he has been treated:

"Well, my gran brought me up and she's a witch," said Neville, "but the family thought I was all- Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me -- he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned -- but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced -- all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here -- they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad."

Notably, Neville joins the other first-years like Seamus Finnegan in very casually relating details about his home life to his new peers and the reader learns that he would appear to come from a family that would risk potentially killing him over the possibility that he might have been born a Squib (the way that Squibs might function as an allegory for neurodivergence and disability is, in itself, an interesting subject to explore; especially given the attitudes of Neville’s grandmother and uncle, whose behaviors might be compared to those of modern anti-vaccers, so-called “autism awareness” groups like Autism Speaks that promote an idea of autism as a disease to be cured, and those parents who treat their disabled children in abliest ways). Indeed, it would appear that Trevor was a gift from the same uncle who had constantly tried to catch him off guard (in the same way Dudley and his friends always forced Harry to be on the defensive) and held him out of a window before thoughtlessly dropping him, which does add a new dimension to his emotional attachment to his toad (a reward from an abusive uncle just for not being so inadequate that he failed to get into Hogwarts). The stark difference between Neville and Harry’s perceptions of their families and their unique responses to how they are treated does give us some potential insight into their insecurities and measurements of self-worth.

Additionally, it gives us some potential insight into the possible sociocultural attitudes of wizarding society and might suggest that behaviors like those from Neville’s family are normalized and not regarded as abusive so much as they are accepted as just another extension of the “eccentricity” of their world. It is of interest that when Harry receives his first acceptance letter to Hogwarts addressed to “The Cupboard under the Stairs” the Dursley’s appear concerned at being caught out and move Harry to Dudley’s second room. They are also temporarily said to have tried to seem “nicer” to him, likely for fear of being watched. Moreover, the Dursley’s do show some indication that they may be aware that their treatment of Harry is abusive and would be viewed negatively by most of their Muggle society when Harry joins them at the zoo and Vernon Dursley reluctantly buys him a lemon-flavored ice cream to save face when the vendor draws attention to Harry being excluded. Overall, the very fact that Neville did feel so comfortable openly discussing his Uncle Algie’s treatment of him and the low opinion his family all appear to share about his magical capability does seem to support a point of contrast between Muggle and wizard societies and their views on abuse and child endangerment.

Furthermore, the different ways that Harry and Neville react to Severus is also revealing. Especially as there have been numerous discussions about the psychological factors that may have contributed to Severus’s seeming disdain for Harry and Neville but fewer discussions seem to be devoted to exploring Harry’s own strong animosity for Severus or the source of Neville’s potential fear of him. Significantly, we can observe that for Harry the protection afforded by Lily’s sacrifice does create a scenario where he must return to the Dursley’s at the end of each school year (in some ways, one could observe that the consequences of Lily’s death bind both Harry and Severus to an environment where they sustained most of their trauma). Thus, we see where any outward defiance within the household of the Dursleys is complicated by the requirement that Harry must remain with the Dursleys even after he learns he has magic. Instead, Harry has to mostly resort to cunning acts of self-defense (e.g. taking advantage of the Dursley’s ignorance of the Underage Secrecy Laws to lead them to believe he can use magic against them) or we see that his resistance assumes a more passive-aggressive tone (understandable given the retaliation he can expect from direct confrontation) with the exception of HP: PoA, when Aunt Marge’s sustained verbal abuse and threats over the course of two weeks manages to trigger an explosion of magic in Harry.

Whereas, at Hogwarts, we see Harry buck against authority more and more each year and Severus remains the focal point of his more active resistance. His refusal to address Severus using his title or forms of respect, even in the face of correction by multiple sources, culminates in Harry openly sassing Severus in his sixth year (”You don’t have to call me sir, Professor.”). He becomes more openly brazen in working around Severus, confronting him, and defying him when challenged. As the series progresses, Harry’s enmity toward Severus grows until we see a rancor of mutual proportions between them that culminates in Harry chasing Severus out of Hogwarts throwing curses in HP: HBP. Thus, where Harry cannot so openly defy the Dursleys, in many ways, Severus becomes a figure of authority (one who seems to unfairly hate him and who is biased against him and his house) that he can more safely (i.e. where resistance with the Dursleys might result in real harm or consequences defying Severus results in detention at worst and lost house points at best) resist in their place. Therefore, where Harry may function as a less threatening proxy of James for Severus to project onto, so too does Severus potentially function as a more secure stand-in for the Dursleys that Harry can lash out against and rebel from.

In the case of Neville, I would posit that Severus may also function as a representation of sorts. Specifically, he may serve as a symbol of the deeper anxieties and insecurities that Neville formed as a result of the pressure that his family placed on his magical capability. A pressure that the Hogwarts environment and its preferencing of a culture that fosters competition between houses and depends upon a performance-based reward system may only have exacerbated. As Harry observes in HP: GoF, McGonagall wasn’t the only professor while at Hogwarts to seldom compliment Neville, rather it would seem that “...Neville very rarely heard that he was good at anything.” His first-year alone began in an inauspicious manner, as we see Neville struggle in almost all of his classes from Charms to Potions to Flying (which lands him a broken wrist and Harry a spot on the Quidditch team). While we can debate the extent to which Neville’s magical struggles are the result of him being on a different level of skill and/or learning curve to some of the other children, we can at least acknowledge that his anxiety may have contributed significantly to many of his mistakes (”But Neville, nervous and jumpy and frightened of being left on the ground, pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch's lips.”), just as Merope Gaunt’s magical ability was considerably hampered by the constant criticism and abuse she sustained from both Gaunt men in her household (notably, just as Neville’s grandmother implies that he was nearly a Squib, so too does Merope’s father criticize her magical abilities by calling her a Squib).

Which brings me back to the subject of Severus and the finer points of why he may have become Neville’s Boggart, specifically. Undoubtedly, for a self-conscious and anxious student, having Severus for a teacher would be a harrowing experience and I do not deny that Neville wouldn’t have found it difficult. However, as I’ve also established previously, Severus was not entirely unique in how he approached teaching nor even the only teacher at Hogwarts to criticize, be harsh, or single-out Neville. As such, one must ask themselves why it is Neville that perceives Severus as more uniquely terrible or to be feared. For starters, we could once again point to the unreliable narrative of Harry Potter and what it tells us about the public opinion of Severus, even before Harry had his first class with him, and how that may have also influenced Neville’s preconceived notions of him as well. Notably, when Harry asks Percy (a school prefect) about Severus he’s told this, "Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to -- everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape." Thus, anxious already, it’s feasible to argue that Neville may have entered Severus’s first potions class with an idea of Severus’s “infamy” as well. 

More critically, however, one might speculate as to whether Neville even consciously connects his performance anxiety and fear of being perceived as a failure with the treatment he received as a child by members of his own family. Indeed, I would submit that the true source of Neville’s fears does stem from the traumatic experiences of his childhood and what they would have reinforced for him; that is, the idea that he would be better off dead than a Squib, a magical failure who can only become a burden to his family, and the conditioned expectation that any failure his part will always be connected to harsh corrections and/or punishments (such as having your uncle constantly torment you by trying to constantly catch you off guard or even threaten to drop you out of a window). Indeed, within a society where Squibs are treated as sources of shame and second-class citizens, and where you never speak of that “second cousin who became an accountant,” (HP: PS) Neville’s fears are legitimately validated and he would be more out to view other authority figures as capable of doing serious harm to him (if only by rejecting him from Hogwarts, declaring him a near-Squib, and sending him out into the world without a magical education). Thus, he might take them at face value as a genuine threat to his long-term acceptance in the wizarding world and regard his teachers (particularly the overly critical, stern, or harsh ones) with a deeper source of anxiety rather than test their boundaries, as we see with Harry vs. Snape. As such, the boy whose family hadn’t even entirely expected him to get into Hogwarts finds himself faced with the constant pressure of not disappointing them or proving himself undeserving of his place there among the other students. Returning back to Severus, we can find evidence of an interesting symbolism in him being Neville’s Boggart and how that might lend insight into these deeper fears Neville carries.

I do not believe it was a coincidence that Rowling placed the scene where Severus had Neville demonstrate the efficacy of his Shrinking Solution on Trevor before the Boggart lesson with Lupin as the reader is shown (i.e. between HP: PS and HP: CoS Neville is only shown making mistakes in Severus’s classes that would prompt him snapping at him or we are just told Severus was horrible) in more certain terms why Neville might fear Severus enough for him to credibly be his personal Boggart. As we know, Trevor was the gift that Neville received from his Uncle Algie for “surprising everyone” in his family with his acceptance to Hogwarts, which we could argue makes Trevor a symbol of approval from a family who formerly saw him as a disappointment. Moreover, Severus also functions as a symbol in that Neville may have come to associate him specifically with his anxieties over being singled out as inadequate. Quite fitting, as Severus Snape the biased teacher and Head of Slytherin House who hates Gryffindors, fancies the Dark Arts, covets the DADA position, has exacting standards and does not suffer fools lightly is both the safe (in that it’s likely easier for Neville to fear him than it would be for him to unpack all the psychological realities of the trauma his family inflicted on him) and the most obvious candidate for Neville to focus all of the anxieties and fears he may have formed as a result of his family’s treatment of him. Treatment that his world would appear to have normalized in such a way that, unlike Harry, he may not have consciously recognized --or even want to recognize-- it to be cruel, unfair, and even abusive. Ergo, when Severus uses Trevor as his “teaching moment” the symbol of Neville’s fears (i.e Severus) is seemingly threatening the symbol of Neville’s validation (i.e. Trevor) that he is not a complete failure and a total disappointment to everyone in his family.

Ultimately, Rowling does reinforce this psychological symbolism when she has Neville’s Boggart of Severus connected to an association with his grandmother. Also of interest is the fact that prior to Lupin introducing his class to the Boggart, Severus also makes an unexpected appearance in the staff room where he seems to caution Lupin in the form of mocking Neville (something I’ve theorized before may have doubled as a veiled warning about the wisdom of exposing children, especially those like Harry and Neville, to a creature that assumes the form of your fears). So that, once again, the connection between Severus as a source of fear and Neville’s insecurities are emphasized to the reader in such a way that by that point they are very present at the forefront of the reader’s mind and it makes it very easy to accept that Severus would be Neville’s Boggart at face value and leave it there. However, upon closer examination, the symbolic connection between Neville’s fear of Severus and his fears associated with his family is also very present. Notably, when Lupin singles Neville out to lead the class in demonstrating how to handle a Boggart, Rowling makes a point to have Lupin establish the correlation between Severus and Neville’s grandmother:

"Professor Snape... hmmm... Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er -- yes," said Neville nervously. "But -- I don't want the boggart to turn into her either."

Significantly, Neville first admits to Severus being his Boggart and when Lupin brings up his grandmother he acknowledges that he does not want his Boggart to turn into his grandmother, which might support my theory that Severus is a safer focus for Neville’s anxieties and fears than acknowledging any connection between them and his family would be. Nevertheless, his Boggart does become an amalgamation of Severus and his grandmother and it is only by confronting them together that he is able to overcome his Boggart. Interestingly, one can also observe that the majority of the forms the Boggart assumed in Lupin’s class were primarily surface-level fears that some might associate with childhood or more general phobias, such as clowns or spiders. Even Harry, who Lupin expected would see Voldemort, found himself confronted with a Dementor instead, largely because his most recent experience with a Dementor unearthed the traumatic memories of the night his parents died. As such, one can argue that Harry did not fear the Dementor so much as he feared what the Dementor had come to represent to him, which, while connected to Voldemort in a more intangible sense, had more to do with the trauma of the night when he lost his parents and was a more immediate threat for Harry to process and to fear (rather than the more distant and abstract awareness he would have had of Voldemort existing somewhere in the world, the uncertainty of when he would even return, and what that, i.e. actual war, might even be like for him to experience).  

In fact, Rowling presents us with another example of the Boggart functioning as a representation of deeper fears and anxieties much later in HP: PoA, which further supports the argument that Snape was not Neville’s Boggart just because he had managed to become the sole source of trauma in Neville’s life but rather because he had come to represent the more complex fears that Neville was not prepared --or potentially of an age of maturity yet-- to be able to consciously process or really confront head-on. It is noteworthy that Rowling makes a point to draw the reader’s attention to the fact that Hermione had not had an opportunity to face the Boggart by the end of Lupin’s lesson (He seems like a very good teacher", said Hermione approvingly. "But I wish I could have a turn with the boggart --") and I would posit that it was an intentional build-up to the reveal at a later part of her book where we discover that Hermione and Neville would seem to share very similar fears:

Hermione did everything perfectly until she reached the trunk with the Boggart in it. After about a minute inside it, she burst out again, screaming. ‘Hermione!’ said Lupin, startled. ‘What’s the matter?’ ‘P-P-Professor McGonagall!’ Hermione gasped, pointing into the trunk. ‘Sh-she said I’d failed everything!’ It took a little while to calm Hermione down.

Ultimately, we might question whether it was wise on McGonagall’s part to encourage Hermione to attempt such a rigorous schedule as she did third-year. Particularly as we see the evidence of the pressure (psychological, emotional, etc.) that Hermione has placed on herself knowing that McGonagall received special permission for her to use a Time-Turner as the third-book progresses and Hermione becomes more and more frazzled and anxious. Nevertheless, one is justified in applying some scrutiny to any assertions that McGonagall was Hermione's Boggart because she was a more literal source of fear or trauma for her, so much as one might argue that she had also become a symbolic focal point for the anxieties of a student and that the Boggart merely provided a representation of those deeper, more complex fears. As a Muggle-born, one might argue that Hermione does have certain fears about being found inadequate or unworthy of belonging to the magical world and that she compensates for those fears by placing a great amount of significance on her grades and the approval of her teachers. Therefore, where Trevor may serve as a symbol of validation for Neville, for Hermione it is her grades and the approval of her teachers that similarly assume a symbolic function and help her feel she has validated her right to be at Hogwarts. Thus, just as Severus served as a representation of Neville’s fears of inadequacy when he threatened Trevor or assumed the form of a Boggart in his grandmother’s clothing, likewise, could we argue that McGonagall functioned as a representation of Hermione’s anxieties about disappointing her teachers and failing to demonstrate she belonged at Hogwarts and, more subsequently, the wizarding world.

Both Neville and Hermione might be said to be very keenly aware of their privilege in being accepted into Hogwarts and, perhaps, the most self-conscious of their right to be there as a result. As a Muggle-born, Hermione was able to discover a world of magic despite not being born into it, and we see where the impact of that does seem to instill in her a conscious desire to prove herself and demonstrate that she has a place in that world and at Hogwarts. In contrast, Neville may have been born into the magical world but the pressures and expectations placed on him by his family would appear to have made his own acceptance to Hogwarts feel less secure; as if he were on shaky ground and the privilege could be revoked from him at any moment. It’s no coincidence that in HP: PS Hermione seems to regard being expelled from Hogwarts as worse than death (even if we do allow for hyperbole) or that Neville most demonstrates his courage when standing up for Gryffindor house to preserve the points they have. Rowling could be said to have drawn some intentional parallels between these two characters as early as the first book, and the similarity of their Boggarts and the anxieties that it reveals only further validate this connection.

Moreover, it also showcases for the reader the key difference between him and Harry as two characters who came from abusive family environments. Where Harry is able to acknowledge the wrongness of the way the Dursleys treat him, Neville exists in a world where such behaviors seem to be more normalized and, as a result, he could be said to project his fears onto Severus in lieu of being equipped with the recognition that he would need to acknowledge the more complex source of his fears. In conclusion, Neville may have been socialized to accept the treatment of his family largely because he does love them and he places greater importance on their acceptance of him. Whereas, Severus is a more safe option for him to channel his fears through given he is someone who already has a reputation of “infamy” --unless you’re a Slytherin-- and could be expected to do exactly what Neville most fears; reject him and belittle his competence as a wizard (a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts). Likewise, Harry can more safely push back against Severus than he can the Dursleys, so Severus does become a more convenient outlet for his feelings of powerlessness and anger and one who can be expected to play the role of antagonist that Harry counts on (until HP: DH when he suddenly doesn’t). This is why any contemporary psychological analysis does fall short unless one is prepared to go beyond the issue of Severus being Neville’s Boggart and fairly examine the matter of McGonagall being Hermione’s Boggart and the psychological underpinnings of Boggarts as a concept overall.

In regards to Severus’s reaction towards Lily, I would argue that it could be interpreted a few ways. One could choose to read it as evidence of Severus’s romantic attraction to Lily and his anxiety that Lily might prefer James as a romantic partner over him. Canon could certainly support such an interpretation and it would be more than valid. However, given the full context of the conversation that came before Severus displayed any anxiety, one could also interpret Severus’s response more platonically. Notably, prior to Severus becoming concerned by the idea that James fancies Lily and that Lily might not mind being fancied by him so much (because she fancies him back) they had been arguing over the behaviors of people from their houses and how objectionable they might be. Lily insisted that Mulciber had used “dark magic” on a classmate (which might be hyperbole given there is never any mention to teachers responding to a student using dark magic openly enough for other students to have a conversation about it later) and that Severus shouldn’t associate with him. In turn, Severus alluded to the very real dangers that the Marauders were capable of based off his own first-hand experience. 

Importantly, although he is forbidden to discuss the incident with Remus, he does noticeably try very hard to make Lily aware of the danger but she is not convinced. Interestingly, Lily also makes a point to single-out James and defend him specifically while Severus is criticizing all four Marauders. It is ultimately this that leads Severus to the issue of James and provokes his flustered observation about James’s infatuation with Lily. Thus Severus’s anxiety and his relief when Lily denies having any interest in James could also be interpreted through the lens of Severus’s experiences with the Marauders as bullies who only recently escalated the situation between them with Sirius’s prank to new and much darker levels of malice (and that they were able to do so and received no apparent consequences from any of the authority figures at Hogwarts; in fact, one could argue that from Severus’s perspective it would have seemed Sirius nearly killed him and Dumbledore responded by protecting the Marauders by enforcing his silence). Ultimately, the anxiety might also be read as Severus’s fear for a friend who has ignored his warnings about people he has a legitimate reason to believe can be dangerous and he does not want Lily to get involved with James for that reason. So, there you have it, two different ways of interpreting that scene from the book. 

Once again, thank you for your ask! 

Regards,

Raptured Night

[tu-mint]

“The Lemonade” Guy Pt. 1

When Jade realizes her feelings for a certain schoolmate go beyond a friendship, she makes a tremendous effort to rid herself of it.

Song Inspo(s): Wicked Games - Kiana Lede; I Won’t Say I’m In Love - Hercules

International AU!

Word Count: 4k+

~

There was rarely ever something Jade tried to avoid other than the topic of Manu. The reactions that came upon his death were much too triggering to her anger, and she refused to allow that level of rage to overcome her again; thankfully this was not the case. Now while that was a relief, the actual issue being avoided proved to be almost as troubling, and the foreign girl did not realize the matter until recently.

UA High was bustling with noise and movement, people curious about the UA students from different parts of the world. Jade was blessed to have been shown secret entrances and passageways by Ren as to avoid news reporters. While it wasn’t anything she wasn’t unfamiliar with, the second year student knew uncomfortable and personal questions would turn up if given the chance, so she decided staying in the shadows would be safe for now. Stepping onto school grounds, Jade found Maeda, Kubo and Ren chatting with two students she could not recognize. One was a girl with long cyan hair and a bright expression, and the other a boy with his head turned away from the trio. Hm...maybe they're new kids? It was difficult to tell whether or not they were around the same age as her, but Jade concluded they were older looking at their height. The girl craned her neck to look over her shoulder then gasped loudly.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshisthisher?!" She sped towards the international student and stretched a hand outward, grinning widely. "Nejire Hado, third year here at the original UA! You must be Jade, I was just asking your friends about you, and I heard you were from Los Angeles! Tell me what it's like! Is the food really good? What about the school? Is it different from the UA here? Ooh, what about your father? Is it true about him being a Pro Hero? What's his quirk? Is it like yours? Wha--"

"Easy Hado, she just got here," Ren intervened with a light chuckle. "Well, she already introduced herself, so that leaves the guy hiding behind her, Tamaki Amajiki, also a third year student. He's a bit shy as you can see." Jade leaned on her side to find the indigo haired male from earlier, head hung low and arms crossed tightly. She gave a small smile when he peeked up from the locks curtaining his face, pleased when he gave a single nod.

"It's nice to meet you both," chirped the foreign girl with a bow to which Hado squealed.

"And she's respectful! Ah, such an intriguing new person to meet--oh! I have to introduce you to Mirio, you'll love him, most girls do. Now where is he--" She scampered away with Tamaki in tow, slipping into the sea of students and staff members. Jade watched on with a scowl on her face. Most girls do? What is she trynna say, that I'm gonna be part of some bandwagon? She felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her out of her thoughts.

"She didn't mean it like that," came Ren's voice again. "Hado has a very blunt and unconventional way of speech, don’t mind her."

"It's something she can work on considering she wants to pursue becoming a Pro Hero," Maeda interjected, her tone flat but firm. Jade hummed in agreement and looked amongst the other pupils. Upon seeing the many faces, her eyes became fixed on one that stood out.

In a large crowd of females stood a tall and bulky male, his smile gleaming and proud. He appeared to be speaking to them, a round of giggles following soon after whatever he’d said. There were a few international students Jade recognized taking pictures with him and handing him slips of paper, presumably with some kind of social contact on it. That must be who the girl was talking about seeing he has an entire--wait a minute! It wasn’t until he looked up that she realized why the male seemed familiar. That’s the guy who I ran into at the entrance! The one who gave me that stupid nickna--

“Gemstone!” 

Jade cursed inwardly as he advanced in her direction. She glanced at the entourage behind him, their faces surprised or annoyed, and it didn’t help that some of them were now moving closer too. Her feet were glued in place as the male stood before her, a cheeky grin evident on his face. Blonde hair, blue eyes, nice body...definitely the same guy from the first day.

”Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten my name already,” he chuckled, crossing his arms. Jade noted how the gesture made his already defined muscles tighten. An odd tension arose in her abdomen, but she quickly dismissed it and cleared her throat.

”Togata if I remember correctly.” The foreign girl bowed, remembering her manners. It was best to keep a respectful image considering the person before her was not only older, but one of the most skilled students attending the original UA. “It's good to s—“

”Togata, I need some help getting to my classes," a voice suddenly cut in. It came as a realization to Jade that a majority of the girls from earlier were now surrounding them. The person who had spoken was an international student herself, but she didn't look too pleased that all the attention was on someone else. Her hand crawled up Togata's arm in a suggestive manner before resting at his shoulder. "I'm not too familiar with UA Japan's complex," she continued, "so it would help a lot."

"Ooh wait, I think I need help too!" someone else from the crowd piped.

"I do as well!"

"Me too!"

Soon numerous hands were tugging at the tall male with pleads and demands of showing them around the school. Jade watched as Togata weakly smiled and tried to talk amongst the bunch with reason; it proved useless as they continued to grab at him from every direction. An unusual feeling rushed to her torso again, but something felt much different from earlier. In place was a strong stinging sensation, not enough to hurt but enough to generate irritation. What in the hell--

"Something wrong, Lofota?" Maeda's voice snapped Jade back into reality. Ren and Kubo were before her, curiosity etched on their features. From her peripheral line of vision she could see the bulky third year being dragged away with a familiar cyan and indigo haired duo following close behind.

"We saw Togata and his groupies approach you, but you looked as if you were ready to jump at one of them," Kubo remarked. "I personally don't mind, just give me a heads up next time so I can record it for memories." Maeda rolled her eyes at this.

Jade chuckled and shook her head. "It wasn't anything like that, guys, I think my mind was just occupied with something else. Let's try and get to class before news reporters start breaking through the gates." She walked alongside the trio and listened to them explain UA Japan's school system and the events that were set throughout the year. Despite her nonchalant attitude, the sting remained in Jade's stomach; she figured it would go away after some medication and rest.

~

It took a little over a month for the second year to realize that the peculiar feelings in her system were not an overnight situation. Jade took matters into her own hands and recorded when her stomach fell into any eccentric sensation, noting what, when and how much she ate and any possible patterns. When food appeared to be free of guilt, she tried looking at her sleep patterns and clothing for clues but was met with the same result. Her concern had caught Ren's attention when the medic pupil found her seated on a hospital bed speaking to Recovery Girl.

"Hon, I've ran multiple scans and checkups and found nothing," sighed the elder. "Your health is in great shape and according to your own data, it seems like you're doing just fine. Maybe try laying down, it seems this issue with your tummy is stressing you out." Jade complied wordlessly, but Ren could see that she was still in heavy thought. When Recovery Girl exited the office, she took a seat beside the bed and peered up. "Thinkin' real hard over there, aren't you?"

Jade turned on her side with a groan. "I just wanna figure out what the hell is wrong with me, it's starting to piss me off."

"What've you been doing?"

"School, hero training, eating, sleeping, the usual."

"Any foods you can think of that caused that pain?"

"No, but that's the weird part!" The foreign student sat up and pulled a leg to her chest. "This feeling I keep getting, it doesn't hurt. It just--it doesn't...I never had this before, but I'm not sure if that means I'm doing something wrong that's causing my body to react the way it does."

Ren arched her brows in search of an answer. "Can you maybe describe this 'feeling' by comparing it to something? Or perhaps using a metaphor? Just so I can understand this better."

"It...well, there's usually two kinds of reactions. At one point, my abdomen feels light but constricted, like it can't take anything in because everything is squeezed out. When that happens, I also feel my heart rate pick up, and my body feels overheated." The medic nodded and gestured to continue. "The second feeling is more like a stinging one, or like a burn--yeah, burning would be a more accurate comparison. When my stomach gets like that, I get really annoyed, but there's only so much I can do when the problem is internal. I tend to get more of the first reaction than I do the second, if that helps."

It was an interesting explanation given, and Ren understood why Recovery Girl struggled a bit providing help. She was quiet for a long time, but just as her friend was about to speak, she asked another question: "Does this ever happen around a specific time? Specific person? Maybe a certain group of people or things?"

Jade blinked before lying down again, her attention focused on the ceiling. Is there somebody or something always near me when this happens? She reeled through all the faces and names she'd ever interacted with, staff members, students, strangers, but no exact nouns came to mind that she could recall triggering this reaction. The foreign student shook her head.

"Huh, well...what's the earliest you recall first feeling these sensations?"

"I think the earliest I felt it was when I was talking to Togata and--" Almost immediately the rest of Jade's sentence died on her tongue. Ren quickly caught the abrupt end and tried to make understanding of what had just happened. The memory was clear as day in her mind, meeting Hado and Amajiki, Togata walking up to her with immaculate bulging muscles, the crowd of female students hauling him away and the indefinable feelings in her abdomen, it all began to click. However, looking over the details of that time, Jade realized that the sensations ultimately activated when she was around--

"Togata."

She whipped her head in surprise.

"Togata is the cause behind your odd abdominal feelings," Ren smiled, "which tells me this is definitely not a medical issue." She bit back a laugh at the disbelief on Jade's face. It seemed she understood what was being implied as she began shaking her head feverently.

"No no no and no, you better not say what I think you're about to say, Ishikawa."

"Aw, c'mon now Jade, you can't be upset at me! I was just trying to help you understand the cause of your stomach issues, looks like it was just butterflies the whole time."

The foreign student grimaced. "Ren, please don't."

"But it's actually cute! I personally think that you both--"

"REN I GET IT, STOP."

Jade sat in irritation until her friend ceased laughing, then hopped off the bed and brushed off her uniform. The medic pupil stood up immediately and pulled her into a hug, chuckling lightly. "Well, now that we found the root of the issue, what are you gonna do? Am I helping you plan a confession?"

"I'm gonna get rid of it.” Ren's snickering stopped. Jade's face and tone was enough to say she wasn't kidding.

"Heh, I uh...I don't think I heard you correctly?"

"Get rid of it. I'll just distance myself from Togata so that my mind can adjust it's thoughts towards him." She hurried after her friend down the hallway. Students buzzed around them, lively chatter and activity surrounding the pair.

"Wait a minute Jade, I'm not understanding how this is being helpful."

"Ren, the more time I am not near him or able to visibly see him, I'm more than a hundred percent sure that whatever these annoying feelings are will dissipate. When that happens, I can go back to being in the guy's presence without any weird aura surrounding me, but until then, I'm following a strict 'No Togata' routine."

The medic student scoffed in amusement. "Routine? Jade, that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard a UA student say. I say just let it happen and see where it goes from there. Who knows, maybe he possibly could return--"

"Ah--" Jade stopped and held a hand up. "I'm gonna stop you there for two reasons. One, the sole reason anyone should attend this school is to pursue some kind of a career, and this applies especially to me. I was sent here as a representative because UA Los Angeles trusts me to execute and display my skills as a potential Pro Hero, not to go messin' around with Japan's kids, let alone the top students. I have an entire city depending on me, Ren, I can't mess this up." She sighed and took in another breath. "Two, if anything, I am far from his type."

"His type? How can you even know that if you only ever said hi to the guy like, three times?"

"Context clues. If it isn't directly in front of you, look at everything around to find your answer."

Ren deadpanned. "And what exactly did you look at to find your answer?"

"Upbeat, lively girls," Jade replied as if it should've been an obvious answer. The pair entered the cafeteria which was more cramped than usual. Staff members were present, most likely by Nezu's word to have travelling students feel more welcomed. All Might stood among the teachers with a countless number of admirers already circled around him, all different years, sizes and appearances. A certain green haired boy appeared to be of his utmost interest as he practically shouted in the student's face. Ren chuckled at the sight, but she noticed her friend's attention was focused elsewhere.

Her gaze was closed in on a table swallowed by a swarm of students. Some were people from earlier that were practically throwing themselves at Togata, and it seemed no different as he sat at the center of the table enjoying his lunch. Hado was seated across from him, her expression as bright as ever, and beside them was a shaking Amajiki, his head rested against the structure’s surface. His nervous movements ceased, however, and Ren smiled seeing the cyan haired girl had slipped her hand into his, returning to her conversation with ease. Jade also noticed the subtle gesture, but she wouldn't help feeling a pang of annoyance at the audience surrounding the blonde boy. She didn't realize she was watching so intensely until his eyes crossed the room to meet hers. Crap! Immediately Jade looked away, unsure if she was more embarrassed about getting caught or feeling irked over a guy. You're here to represent your school, show your worth of an upcoming Pro Hero. Stop getting distracted! Distance! "Ren, let's get some lunch. I'm sure Tokoyami and the others are awaiting your presence."

"Our presence." Jade smiled as they strode across the cafeteria. The medic always made sure she felt included no matter what the situation was; it eased her thoughts greatly, which was something she needed.

~

Another month passed and Jade had almost become like a second Maeda, so intently focused during school hours and hero training. Even on off days, the international student went about her own activities, only ever seen for meals or rest. Her bond remained close with Ren, Maeda and Kubo in various ways, however, and she was present whenever a hangout commenced, so it seemed like everything was completely fine. Ren's teasing had become more discreet (much to Jade's relief) and she created a codename for the blonde third year.

"'The lemonade'?" Jade cringed. The two met up for a walk through town one day, and it seemed safe enough to discuss the matter since they weren't near school grounds.

"I think it's pretty subtle, and keeping the word 'the' in the codename would have people assuming we're actually talking about a beverage. Plus," the medic eyed her friend, "the guy is a tall glass of lemonade if I do say so myself, heh."

"Ren don't--"

"Lemonade sounds good right about now." She froze. It took everything in the foreign girl to not begin speed walking as soon as she heard the familiar upbeat voice behind her. From the look on her friend's face, Jade's assumption of Togata's presence was true. Unfortunately true. She slowly turned around, a faux smile in place until her eyes fell upon something hiding behind the male.

It was a little girl, she could tell that much, with long snowy locks spilling from behind Togata's calf. The child peeked up from her spot, red irises meeting Jade's indigo ones. The foreign girl was locked in place as she suddenly recalled her family. She thought of her parents' cooking and singing, her brothers' livelihood for sports, but she was especially reminded of her sister. Youngest and the only other girl in the line of siblings, they did a lot together. From shopping together to painting to singing to sightseeing, Jade realized how much she'd missed them. The exchange of words between Ren and Togata were a muffed noise as she crouched down, entrapped by the little stranger.

"I'm Jade, it's nice to meet you." The words slipped out like butter, and thankfully it didn't seem to frighten or discomfort the child. She looked up to the male for approval, then stepped forward and let his hand go. 

"My name is Eri, it's nice to meet you too," she squeaked with a bow. Jade was awestruck by her politeness and shifted onto her knees to bow in return. When they both straightened up, Eri bore a wide smile and returned to Togata's side.

"Gosh, Gemstone, thought you were ignoring me for a sec." Reality hit the foreign girl immediately when she met the blonde's gaze, and her stomach felt tight again. Damn it, not now! Calm down, breathe, breathe, don't overreact. She stumbled getting back on her feet and managed a sheepish expression.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized more aggressively than she meant to. "I was just so surprised seeing you with a kid, and she just--"

"Oh? Do you think I'm not good with kids?" He raised a brow. 

Crap, why does he have to look cute doing that. "I never said that," Jade rolled her eyes. "I was just surprised seeing you outside of your whole entourage, that's all." She cursed at her choice of words. Now I just sound like I'm hating on him.

"My entourage? Sounds like someone's a bit jealous."

"Ha! Boy, ain't nothin' to be jealous of." The second year held her ground as the bulky male challenged her with a smirk. Ren cleared her throat, acknowledging her presence and causing Jade to force herself back. She didn't realize how close she'd gotten to him during their small banter, but it was definitely closer than what she was comfortable with. "Ren, uh, I believe you were talking about something, yes?"

The medic peered over in amusement. "Yeah, I was talking about lemonade, which since you're here Togata with little Eri, I believe we can all get some together." Damn you, Ren!

Eri gasped before tugging on the male's sleeve. "Can we please, Mirio?"  The sight made Jade's heart swell, and she couldn't be upset if it was an adorable child asking to accompany them. He beamed down at her and nodded his head.

"Ladies, you may lead the way." During the walk to a mini cafe Ren knew of (thanks to Tokoyami), Jade observed how attentive and caring Togata was with Eri, playing games or cracking jokes that made her laugh. Citizens passing commented on their closeness in adoration, many praising the third year for looking after the child with such passion. Even when there were those who tried to flirt with him, the boy paid them no mind and brushed off their efforts. Jade didn't know him too well, but she knew it would be difficult to want to be away from the guy, especially after seeing this side of him, away from the crowds, away from the hero limelight. Togata truly was someone to admire. A familiar tightness returned to her torso, but for now, she was okay with it.

She was pleased being able spend time with Eri herself, learning more about her likes and hobbies. A lot of what the young girl enjoyed Jade discovered was also liked by her sister. "What's her name?" the child asked, munching on a pastry. The horn atop her head glimmered in the sun while she finished up coloring a drawing.

"Her name is Carolei," the international student smiled, "but my family and I just call her Lei."

Eri dropped her coloring utensil on the table and leaned forward. "Can I call her Lei, too?" Jade looked around as though someone was listening to their conversation, then nodded with a wink, much to the child’s delight. They giggled and chatted, forgetting about time and enjoying getting to know one another. The second year felt as though she wasn't in Japan, but back in America with the people she'd cared about and loved; it felt good to bathe in the comfort and reminisce of home. Someone had gripped the back of Jade’s chair; she turned assuming it was Ren until she was face to face with a broad chest and the strong aroma of musk. Her heartbeat boomed in her head and she slowly turned back to Eri, allowing her nerves to calm. Ren bit back a laugh, but a tug on Jade’s hand distracted her from making a slick comment.

"Jade," said Eri in a small voice, "I have to leave now, but...do you think we can hang out another time?"

A sudden idea popped into the second year's mind at the young girl’s request. With a kind smile, she squeezed Eri's hand reassuringly. "We'll have plenty more days to hang out, hon, just me and you."

"Ouch, and what about me, Gemstone?" Togata whined, a hand on his chest in offense.

"Ah, I'd rather not be attacked by your fangirls. Besides, you have Amajiki and Hado to hang out with, and I know you see Eri almost every day." Both parties waved goodbye before continuing on their own paths. Ren and Jade were in a comfortable silence until the medic let out a sigh.

"You literally just missed your opportunity."

"Girl, what? If anything, I'd say I just opened the door for an opportunity."

"Opportunity for what? You literally shut the guy down."

"With good reason," the foreign student argued. She wasn't rude in her response to the older boy, and it was honest! The last thing Jade needed was rumors tainting her name simply for the fact that she hung out with one of the big three alone, especially if they were of the opposite sex. "Anyways, back to the opportunity I was talking about. I think Eri can help me out with this."

~

Happy New Years everyone! Thought I would just drop by with this little piece since I have been lagging quite a bit lol, anywho, just a little bit of love for our favorite blonde boy since I don’t see too much on him. Be safe everyone! Like, comment & share!

OC Creds to: @gureii (Ren, Maeda, Kubo

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Rumor Has It {8}

Chris Evans x Famous Reader Uriah “Riah” Tyler

Warning: Plot, Cursing, Angst, Grief, Talk of miscarriage, Potential miscarriage trauma trigger

Word Count: 4.5K

Summary: You and Chris have been married for four years after a whirlwind romance. You are both happy and trying to navigate marriage in the public eye while balancing your successful careers. In the entertainment industry, not everything is as it seems, the flash of a camera lens impairs vision. As scandal and flashing lights put a strain on your once fairytale marriage is it possible your Hollywood marriage can stand the test of the rumor mill?

**Inspired by a video seen of Chris and his co-star Ana De Armas on their press tour for Knives Out at TIFF where she kept touching his chest and face standing about five inches apart.

**Loosley Edited/Proofread**

**Interactive**

Thank you guys for reading!!!! If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. 😊 ❤️  ❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-Four and a Half Weeks Later-

  “Okay, Chris, Uriah, welcome back. How are things going?” The therapist Dr. Danquah sat across from both of you in her blue high-backed armchair with a pleasant smile on her face looking over to the two of you on the yellow couch.

  She pushed her hair to the side with one hand and readjusted the clipboard in her hands. “Good, things are—,” Chris began then looked to you for confirmation. You gave a smile and a nod as reassurance. “Good,” you finished.

  It wasn’t a lie. It had been a good four weeks. After Chris suggested therapy, he wasted no time finding a few within the area. They were all outside Boston, so both of you could keep your anonymity and keep the gossip from the magazines. He decided to take some time off traveling as much as he could. You felt bad because he was right in the middle of promo for Knives Out, and you knew he had obligations and contractual responsibilities. Chris persisted though, stating your marriage was more important than some contract or even his career. It was sweet, but you hated feeling like a burden, and that was what you felt like even though it wasn’t his intention.

  You stayed in the townhouse together, you both spent time with his family and developed a routine together. It was nice, and something you’d almost forgotten how well you operated as a unit. You’d missed it—missed him. While the anger between you about the things in your relationship had faded, it was now replaced with something else, an eerie heaviness. When you spoke, it wasn’t about anything significant; you kept it lite and never went beyond the surface. It wasn’t that neither of you had nothing to say to the other; it was you didn’t quite know how to say it.

  “Just good?” Dr. Danquah looked between the two of you and assessed your movements and posture. Chris sat with his back straight with his hands folded over his lap with his legs spread and pointed straight. You, on the other hand, had your arms wrapped around your midsection with your right leg crossed over your left one pointing to Chris’ open ones. You nodded your response.

  “Okay, we’ve made some great progress over the last few weeks, progress that I am hoping the two of you can see.” Chris nodded his agreement. “We’ve addressed each of your maladaptive behaviors and how those behaviors trigger others and then fire off until everything has spiraled out of control. Chris, you learned your way of inadvertently dismissing Uriah’s fears and concerns as her being crazy or irrational triggers her anger and further hurt, which brings out what you call her callousness. Uriah, you learned your way of miscommunication mainly through your callousness triggers Chris’ frustration of not being heard or respected and further fuels his fears of your unhappiness with him and your marriage. You both have learned how your disappearing acts harm your relationship more than help it. All of these little choices and actions build up and turn into major points of contention between the two of you. You both courageously expressed yourselves these last few weeks and let each other in so the other could not only see the effects of their words and behavior but really take in that effect to make a plan to rectify it. You two had homework in the week to write an action plan that would be used to combat the current behaviors you each take part in. I’ve taken the time to go over each of your plans, and I am pleased with them. It shows you both put great thought and time into them. You both should be very proud of yourselves and your progress.” She took a pause and flipped a page on her clipboard then cleared her throat.

  “Let’s talk about the pregnancy.” You took a deep, shuddered breath and looked down at your shoes.

“We’ve touched on it here or there, and every time we did, I’ve noted that when we bring it up you both have very different outward reactions. Chris your jaws clench, brows burrow, but you keep your eyes on me. Uriah, your eyes fall away, and your breathing noticeably changes, it seems as if it has become that much harder to get a breath. Those reactions tell me more than enough. Uriah let’s begin with you. Why look down? Why avoid my eyes?”

  You wrinkled your nose and looked to the beautiful blue paint on the wall and the ornate floral mural that wrapped around the room. You didn’t know if you were quite ready to go there. “It’s easier, I guess.”

  “Okay, I can understand that. Looking at someone applies some form of pressure of scrutiny, looking away usually signified feelings of inferiority or shame. Are you hoping to avoid feeling scrutinized? When we bring it up does it make you feel inferior? Shame?”

  Your throat was tightening, and your heart was pounding. The palms of your hands felt slick with sweat, and you didn’t know how much longer you’d be able to hold before you cried. You didn’t want to cry.

  “Uriah,” Dr. Danquah gently breached.

  Shaking your head, you looked to her. She looked at you with gentleness with the compassion shining through her eyes. You could feel Chris looking at you, and your strength faded as a tear rolled down your cheek. Quickly you wiped it away and looked back down to your shoes. “I’m sorry.”

  “No need to be. Tears are never something to be ashamed of. If neither of you cry, we’re not successful. They are the raw emotion that we need to get to--the emotion without any of the fears and anger.” You nodded and took the piece of tissue she offered. Using the soft sheet you dabbed at the tears on your cheeks and took a few breaths in hopes of gaining some composure.

  “Why wouldn’t I feel shame?”

  “Why would you? This is something that happened to you,” Dr. Danquah interjected.

  “Because it’s my fault. Yes, it happened to me—us, but it’s my fault it did,” you rushed out before using the tissue to catch the fresh tears that dropped from your eyes. No one spoke; they allowed your words to hang in the air for several moments.

  “By referring to the event as “it,” we’re just going around it, avoiding it. Let’s refer to it by what it was. A miscarriage.” Chris sucked in a breath and sunk deeper into the couch. “Why do you think the miscarriage was your fault?”

  The word felt like a slap in the face, followed by a punch to the gut. It hurt. It happened months ago, and you should have been over it by now, but it hurt. You sniffled then took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

  “I just—what if—maybe it is my fault. Maybe if I would have wanted it more, like him then maybe things would be different. Maybe it happened because of me.” Saying the words were like looking it right in the eye and now that you’d said it, it was scarier than ever.

  “It?” You made up your face knowing you’d fall apart if you said them.

  “I can’t imagine how incredibly painful and difficult this is for the both of you, but when we began I gave you my word to help you on this path that you chose to rebuild your marriage. I gave you my vow to be your advocate and your biggest supporters, but that comes with a double-edged sword, I also have to be the one to walk you through the pain, walk you through the dark and it will not be easy, but I can assure you that you are not walking through this alone, I am walking with you. if you do the work, the work will work for you.”

  Chris sniffled, wiped at his nose then crossed his arms over his chest. You took a breath and flared your nose. “The miscarriage.” A defeated, painful sound came from Chris, and it chipped another piece of your heart.

  “Did you want the baby?” Your eyes snapped to her, a little surprised she’d ask you something like that. You wanted to lash out, but you knew that was your fear and anxiety. The feel of Chris’ hand sliding into yours startled you. When you looked down you stared at his fingered laced with yours, and the damn broke. You’d missed his touch. He’d touched you over the last few weeks, but it was always in passing a shoulder touch here, a looped arm there, but this was neither of those. This screamed solidarity, screamed empathy, screamed intimacy. Once you got the courage you looked to him to find his eyes on you.

“It’s okay, Dragonfly.” Your lips trembled as your tears freely streamed down your face. Turning your head from him, you wiped your face and tried to refocus the barrage of emotions that swept through you. After almost a minute, you cleared your throat.

  “I’ve always been a little apprehensive, I guess.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s a big deal. If you do it and make even the smallest wrong decision, you’ll screw up an entire person. It’s a huge responsibility, a huge—thing.”

  “Did you fear you weren’t ready when you agreed with Chris to start a family?”

  You thought back to the weeks of discussion between you and Chris, then your visit to Australia to visit Summer and Chris, and the night the two of you finally committed to the decision. You remembered the conviction you felt with your choice, the excitement bubbling in your belly, and the love swelling your heart to capacity. You were scared yes, but you were ready.

  “No. When we agreed and really agreed I meant it.” You looked to Chris squeezing his hand firmly. “I was ready Chris I promise. It hit me in Australia what was important. Seeing and talking to Chris and Summer and our god babies showed me that nothing will ever fit into a neat box, and no plan ever goes one hundred percent accordingly. You know me, I am such a control freak that I want everything to be perfect, I want all of it including a guarantee, certainties and I was never going to get that. I was so apprehensive before because I didn’t want to screw them up. Because we fell in love and got married so quickly, you see all this good and beauty, you see this perfect model, and I’m not that all the time.” Chris turned his body to you and took hold of your other hand.

  “Uriah, I know you’re not perfect. Any idea of perfection I had about you flew right out the window the night we sat on those steps talking until the sun came up. You’re far from perfect, and that is what I love, I’m not perfect, I don’t want you to be either. I see you, Uriah, I’ve always seen you. The fact that we got married quickly means nothing. It just means I knew what I wanted then and there and didn’t need to waste time. When you can see forever with someone you want forever to start right then and there. I want forever Uriah.” The two of you peered into each other’s eyes for long minutes, and neither of you seemed to remember you weren’t alone.

  “Did you want the baby?”

  “Yes,” you whispered. “Very much.” Chris gave you a small smile and dropped a kiss to your knuckles.

  “So how could it have changed the outcome if the conditions within your heart and wants were optimal? How could you have held such control over something that was out of your control?”

  You dropped your eyes again and sighed. It was irrational; you knew it. You knew it was your love of control that had you thinking these thoughts. Though you knew it, they were hard to shake.

  “It’s the one thing he wanted more than anything, and I couldn’t give it to him. What if I can’t give it? What if he married me for nothing? Your voice was low.

  “What? Wait, is that what you think? You think I married you for the prospect of having kids?”

  “Did you, Chris?”

  “Absolutely not. I married her because I fell hopelessly in love with her.”

  “Talk to her,” Dr. Danquah advised. Again Chris’ body trend to you, you didn’t meet his eyes.

  “Riah, I married you because I couldn’t not do anything else. I couldn’t leave Paris until I knew your name. I couldn’t leave that night until you agreed to dinner, I couldn’t stop at just one dinner it needed another and another. I couldn’t go back to the States and just keep working after meeting you. All I ever wanted was you. in the past I’ve been anything but quiet about my want for a family yes, but sweetheart you gave me a family, you gave me a wife, a partner, someone to go through life with.” His words were beautiful, sweet, and so touching. “I didn’t marry you so you could pop out kids. I married you so I could kiss you whenever the hell I want.” You smiled and looked at him to see a smile that mirrored yours. It was an inside joke between the two of you.

  “A little girl with your eyes and smile is the icing on the cake.” You searched his eyes and felt the truth of his words.

  “Chris, do you blame Uriah for the miscarriage?”

  “That’s insane, no.”

  “What do you feel about the miscarriage?” You held your breath and waited for him to gather his thoughts. You’d been so scared up to this point to hear what he had to say. If it was anything like what he’d already said, then you were in for even more pain. Chris released a breath.

  “I guess I’m in shock still. I—I didn’t even know she was pregnant. I—can’t help but feel robbed, and I know that’s a little insensitive because of what she went through.”

  “You are entitled to your feelings, Chris. Nothing you feel is right or wrong, they are your feelings, and you have a right to them. When you say robbed, what do you mean?” A few moments passed without a sound; you could feel his reluctance to speak whatever he felt.

  “Chris, if we have any hope, you have to stop biting your tongue around me. I want to hear what you have to say just as much as you need to say that you have to. We’re not doing each other any favors by keeping quiet. I’ve learned that much.” Giving his hand one last squeeze for reassurance Chris nodded and dropped his head then looked to Dr. Danquah, who nodded her head to you. Your eyes met once again.

  “I feel robbed of finding out you were pregnant, robbed of experiencing that with you, feeling that with you no matter how short a time it was. I feel robbed of being a husband to you, your best friend. I know this happened to you, your body, you experienced the pain and everything associated with it, but you robbed me of my grieving period, of being there for you. now I’m here in this weird place, a place of playing catch up, and I honestly don’t know how to act, or what to say or even how to be there for you.”

  Nodding your head, you saw the pain in his eyes. You didn’t think it through entirely when you decided just to push pause and bury everything. You didn’t think of after effect. Somehow you thought he’d never have to know, he’d never have to feel the pain, and it wasn’t your choice to make.

  “Do you think that the reason why you’ve been—standoffish emotionally with her is because you feel resentment towards her?”

  Well fuck, that’s a loaded and fucked up question, you thought. You couldn’t look at him though. You feared he did resent you and would for the rest of his life. “I resent her need to always be in control. If I’m honest, I understand why she did it. Coming here, I’ve learned some things, and I’ve been able to put myself in her shoes. Though I don’t think I can ever put myself in her mind frame, I can empathize because I feel what she feels. I feel the loss, the sadness, the pain, the uncertainty, the regret, and fear. I feel it, Riah. You took it upon yourself to go through it alone, that breaks my heart somewhere in you that you didn’t trust me with your pain, didn’t trust me with your fears. It speaks volumes about me as a man, volumes about the kind of husband I’ve been.”

 “What do you mean, Chris?”

   “I’ve been a horrible husband. We’ve been married for almost five years, and I’ve been away for most of the time we’ve been married. Somehow I got okay with not living a life with you, somehow I was okay with having a wife but not being a husband, and that clouded my judgment. The time apart—it didn’t help us. I had a part to play in it and your fears about the women, I listened to them, but I didn’t hear them. I didn’t hear your fears, and I should have. No wonder you didn’t trust me.”

  “Chris, stop. Of course I trust you. You are the only person I trust explicitly. I never told you of the fears for you to hear them. I just expected you to know them. That was wrong of me; it was unfair.”

  “Uriah, do you think Chris has been a bad husband to you?”

  “God no. He’s been the best. He is there for me when I need him, shares my dreams, calms my fears, works with me for the future we both want, he doesn’t stifle me, or force his way, he is kind, giving—he is not a bad husband. You aren’t a bad husband.” His tears slipped down his cheek, and you cupped his jaw and wiped them away.

  “I didn’t trust myself with the pain. I didn’t want to face it. I was so convinced it was my punishment for something, and I shut it out.”

  “Why did you get back on birth control?”

  Sighing, you began idly playing with Chris’ hand. “I was scared to have it happen again. I knew if it happened again I couldn’t hide it, and you’d find out about the first one and--.”

  “This is a safe space, Uriah, finish it.”

  “And it would destroy me and our marriage. I would lose you.”

  The silence that fell between you again was an uneasy one. You could tell Chris was struggling with absorbing this new wave of information. You felt guilty pushing all of this onto him so suddenly. None of what you felt was sudden, but it was for him to hear it. You’d kept a tight lid on all these fears, and you saw now, you’d made a mistaking in doing so.

  “Chris, can we talk about the birth control? How did that make you feel to find out that not only had Uriah experienced a miscarriage but that she’d been further preventing any future pregnancies?”

  His hand fell still, before he was tracing the lines of your palms but now nothing. You knew the surface of how he felt. He’d explicitly expressed it before.

  “I felt betrayed. That is the best way I can describe it.”

  “Can you elaborate?” Chris released another puff of breath and kept his eyes low.

  “We’d made a plan together, came up with a plan, and decided that we were ready to move to the next step together. We made all of these decisions and plans together for a future, a life. Then she went through this and changed the plan, and I’m not angry about that at all, I get why now. I get it now, but when I first found those birth control pills my heart broke. I went through so many thoughts and insecurities.”

   “Like?”

   “Like if she’d changed her mind about wanting her children to be with me, if she’d decided she didn’t want me anymore and just didn’t know how to say it, if she found someone else, if she’d gone back to him--.”

  “Him?” You sighed, then rolled your eyes.

  “He means nothing, Chris, you know that.”

  “Do I? You loved him a long time Uriah, you told me your history; you were with him before I saw you in Paris, hell you were with him in Miami.” He spoke through clenched jaws.

  “Who is him?” Dr. Danquah slid to the edge of her seat, hoping to regain control of the session.

  “My ex.”

  “An ex she is still friendly with, an ex she partied with mere weeks ago,” Chris blurted out.

  “It’s not like how he’s making it sound. We aren’t friendly. I hadn’t seen him in person in months. We hadn’t interacted in a long time. Yes, I saw him in Miami last month, but it was nothing.”

  “Okay. Chris, by you bringing him up—what’s his name?”

  “Chris.” You narrowed your eyes at Chris before you rolled them.

  “Christiano,” you corrected.

  “She thinks I married her for kids; maybe she married me because I was the Chris she could get.”

  “Excuse me? Do you think I can’t get him back with the snap of my fingers? Do you think that it would be so hard for him to be with me? I can easily get him.”

  “Is that right, Uriah.” The look he gave you was a defiant one, one that said go on.

  “Okay, eyes on me, please.” You both looked to her.

“Chris, why is Christiano an insecurity for you?” He didn’t budge to answer the question.

  “He’s like this black cloud. They run in the same circles; they have the same friends, his business is to be seen. They have plenty of chances to interact. He’s always tried put himself in our relationship. He annoys me,” Chris explained.

  “Why?” Chris clenched his jaw again and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He used his fingers to toy with his beard.

  “They have years between them. She could have easily married him.”

  “Chris, are you afraid Uriah will cheat on you with him?” You stared at him, very interested in his answer. Chris rubbed his forehead and groaned.

  “It is a fear.” Your jaw dropped.

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “It’s an unfair one; she’s never given any indication that she’d ever be or has been unfaithful--.”

  “Because I would never be unfaithful. I have never been unfaithful to you, Chris. I have no reason to be I love you. There is no man in the world that has what I want. I didn’t marry Christiano because there was always something missing, something I didn’t know was missing until I sat and talked with you that night. Do you know what was missing?”

  He didn’t answer; he didn’t even look at you. You’d had it with the distance. You slide to the edge of the couch, sank your fingers into his hair, and turned his head to you holding firmly to those strands as you stared into his piercing eyes. Within seconds you felt the familiar connection and warmth all over you. “Do you feel that Evans?” Stubbornly he tried to look away, but you weren’t having it; you held tighter to his hair. “Do—you—feel—that?” He nodded.

  “This is why I didn’t marry him. In the years of breaking up and getting back together, this was never between us. You’ve never given up on me once, and you’ve had plenty of opportunities. I’ve never wanted to give up on you when all I’ve ever done was end relationship after relationship. I don’t want him. There was no temptation in Miami, none. There has never been temptation. I married you, Christopher, you.” You could see how emotional he was and tried to keep your emotions in check, I so he’d fully understand the depth and breadth of your absolute love and devotion for him. Your thumb wiped a tear that fell, and he nodded.

“Chris, do you see the similarities between you and Uriah. You both are so afraid of losing each other to others that you’re not focusing or communicating enough to be able to see that in each other’s eyes, there is no one else.” Chris reached his hand out and wiped your tear-soaked cheek, but he didn’t remove his hand.

  “Sitting here across from you I can see and feel the love you have for one another, I can see how much you mean to each other, and because I can see it and feel it I can tell this path back to one another to rebuild your marriage is not as lost as you think. There is a bright light ahead of you, you both just have to want it enough to do the work.”

  Dr. Danquah looked between you and Chris, you could see her in your peripheral, but you only had eyes for Chris.

  “Do you want it enough?” Chris’ hand slipped to the nape of your neck and gently but firmly held you steady. For some reason, you loved it when he did this. You always felt safe and under the intensity of his eyes, your belly always filled with butterflies.

  “I want it more than enough, dragonfly.” You nodded and held his hand at your neck.

  “I want it too.”

   “Wonderful. Just one last question for this session. Do you still want children with Chris, Uriah?”

   The shock of the question was evident, it took your breath away. Closing your eyes, you tried to push everything to the side, tried to ignore every disparaging thought and voice. It took longer than you expected, but after a few minutes silence filled your head, and you were finally able to think. You took a deep breath and slowly released it.

  “I’m scared, but yes.”

  You heard Chris sigh out as if he were relieved. Your eyes met his red ones, and without words, Chris wrapped his arms around you pulling you into his comforting embrace. You wept together for long minutes. The heaviness you carried within your chest broke apart and brought back the lightness and love you’d always felt for him. You still felt the sadness of what you’d lost, but you didn’t feel alone anymore.

  When you came up for air, you pressed your forehead to his and embraced the intimacy of the moment. You’d both gotten so lost and had come so close to losing it all. “I’m sorry,” you whispered. “I’m sorry, too,” Chris echoed. Both of you sighed in unison, and for the first time in months, you felt as if you were both converged once again.

~~~~~~~~~

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[grimweaver]

                                                             ~*~

            Lucien and I were met first with a washover of festive sounds in the streets, muffled no longer once the heavy doors of the smith shop groaned outward; a few common percussion and wind instruments playing along with loud, happy-drunk singing, laughing, and cheering. As it had at roughly the same time the previous nights, the air was beginning to thicken with a mostly pleasant mix of the usual scents; smoke billowing from grills and clay ovens, charred and baked goods, perfumes, and hard-partying bodies.

            Immediately in front of us was a little more than a dozen laborers that were sent out for us, and standing out amid them was a stout figure— a bosmer with slicked back brown hair, wearing a brown cotton vest over a white peasant shirt that was tucked into dark brown capris, and a pair of doeskin shoes. He gave himself away when he bounced up and down as he pointed at us, shouting:  “LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!”  It was Dorandil, assuming the role that he had already been playing since the start of it all, except under a different name: Norabil Windthorn. “  BY AZURA! BY AZURA! BY AZURA!  It’s the G—!” One of the female workers gave the bosmer a firm and deserving smack upside the head. At least he had enough brain cells to understand the message in the scolding strike and come up with a decent correction.  “...Great Dancing Duo !” he finished, rubbing the back of his head, then joined the workers in helping Jahruu and Hennia with their things.

              “Ah!  Master Atterius and the lovely Lady Nelvani !” the voice of Ocheeva called out from our left. We turned to see four people in bronze scale armor, with burgundy cloth wrapped around their shoulders and faces, and draped over their heads to cast dark shadows over their eyes—not an inch of flesh could be seen.

Each individual called out their name.

            From Ocheeva: “Stone-Scale!”

            From Teinaava: “Ebon-Claw!”

            From Bremman: “Denarius Saxtus!”

            From Farwil: “Sreth Rellintilys!”.

            In perfect unison, they saluted by pounding their right fists against their chests, bowing their heads, and shouting together: “ At your service! ” 

            It attracted some attention from some celebrants nearby. Those who understood that the masked man was Atterius whirled completely around and cheered ecstatically as they pointed at him. Lucien gave them a smile and wave, then urged us all to get a move on before some real crazies started coming out of the woodworks to commence a blocking and grappling frenzy— that was part of the reason why he wanted us to leave so early. The other part was the fifteen-minute walk quickly becoming a forty-minute one— there was very little flow control on the public grounds, so the pathways had become a jumbled mess far worse than anything we had encountered before— people, shoulder to shoulder, jumping and bumping into each other as they threw marigold petals into the air and at each other. The vendors were a bit more aggressive in their efforts to grab attention from people walking by—instead of just sitting behind a counter, they were actually getting in front of people and intentionally blocking their path. Thankfully, our ‘bodyguards’ did an excellent job of getting a pathway cleared for us and shielding us from an onslaught of zealous Atterius fans.

            When we got through the bulk of the crowd, just a little ways past the Guild Traders, a cool flush of gratefulness went through my being and relieved the swell of rage mixed with nausea— our amusement of the inner-city partying had disintagrated when we entered the outer rim of the bulk, where the cloud of stagnant air had a mild undertone of bile, curry flatulence, and undiluted beer-sweat.

            “Thank All the Powers !” I blasted as I gasped for air. I owed gratitude to military aquatics training as well, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to hold my breath for 2-3 minutes at a time. “A second longer in all of that and one of you would be wearing my eggs and bacon!”

            “T’h-h-yeah!” Farwil chuckled with a cough. “Agh… I think we’d all have worn each other’s breakfasts!”

             “There they are,” Lucien said, pointing to a group gathered near the first lamppost beyond the market square. All but one kept their gaze fixed on the plateau ahead— an effeminate male with long and wavy platinum-blonde hair, wearing a robe made of quilted white silk, jeweled rings on every finger, layers of necklaces made of gold and glass beads, and a steel-plated belt over a dark red sash. He motioned to the rest and pointed back at us. “By the Black Nights of Boralis! What breathtaking beauty!” he cried out, and that’s when I knew who it was:  Vicente!

            “Speak for yourself…  Fabiere ,” Lucien replied, suppressing a chuckle he looked him up and down. 

            “Oh!” Vicente blasted, grappling at the shirt of his robe. “Are you talking about this old thing?? It’s  so-o-o-o  last week. And this sand-caked bird nest that used to be lovely locks of pure sunshine??” He fussed with his hair and looked at it with feigned disgust, before daintily slapping it away from his face with a light, hauty grunt. “I am rather embarrassed by it all… but thank you!” 

            There was an eruption of laughter all around, even Lucien couldn’t hold back his. Vicente was doing a good job of getting into his character. 

             “Astaunne is right,” Gabrelle said. “You two look amazing !”

            The whole group voiced their agreement.

             “Indeed… Nine still my heart,��� Farwil said, “you… um… no others among us… could accentuate the finery so well.”

            “Thank you, Sreth,” I replied, trying not to think about all the unshareable things that were probably going through his head, and turned to face him directly. “ Please  … promise me that you’ll stick to the plan and remember  everything  instilled in you...by… um… your training at the Fighters Guild—our survival depends on it.”

            “I’ll promise to  try ,” Farwil replied, returning the back-pat in a respectful friend-and-comrade sort of way that did not give me the creepy-crawly cringes. “I’ll do what I must, if I have to do it. I’ll not forget the good point you made… about… our ‘top priority’.”

            “Ah… right. Well that’s… good.” I sighed. “I just… that thing I was going to tell—“

             I was interrupted by Lucien nudging me with his hip.

             “What??” I snarled at the Speaker, and I was cheeky enough to glare up at him too. “I wasn’t going to actually say it yet.”

            “Say what?” Farwil asked.

            “Never you mind now. Just… just try to stay alive, please… please. I will… I will tell you after uh…  our ‘performance’.”

            I couldn’t see his face, but I sensed confusion and annoyance rising in him again. But he nodded and replied, “Alright.”

             “Let us be on our way ,” Lucien said, this time using an insistent tone of voice to nudge me, and gestured for me to hook my left arm around his right. With noble grace, I accepted his arm and kept deep beneath the surface an immense thrill over its feel.

            “Atterius, ” Farwil seethed.

            “For the sake of appearances, sir,” Lucien whispered to him. “Please... do permit me.” Even then he preserved diplomatic humility, conscious of the Cheydinhal Sanctuary’s dependence on the Dark Brotherhood’s good relationship with House Indarys.

            “Agh-h-h-fine,” Farwil replied. I sensed there was more he wanted to add to that, perhaps something similar to what he had said before back in Taneth:  “Just don’t forget what I told you back in Cheydinhal!”  But he probably remembered that I was short on patience with his threatening words towards LaChance and swallowed them.

                                                               ~*~

             Where the road began to curve towards Sentinel’s northwest entrance, we joined the steady stream of guests and entertainers making their way up the wide sandstone walkway that was built into the side of the plateau. Most arrived on rickshaws, elephants, camels, and horses, but our unit remained on foot— one of the things that Atterius was known for was his humbleness.

            We were cheered on by crowds of people lining the path to the gates of Surraiah’s property. Bursts of marigold petals, several dozen at a time, flew out from people's hands and cascaded from the treetops and the ledge of the cliff wall. I almost wished I had taken my sandals off, thinking about what a wonderful textural experience it would’ve been to feel the supple flower petals crunch beneath my feet. I was distracted from the temptation by the massive drums and horn instruments blaring from the center of Surraiah's party, which could be heard from a mile in every which way; it lifted my spirits up to a height untouched by the fears that had me minutes ago, or any regard to the true identity and reality that I had left at the doors of the smith shop. I felt as though I was truly becoming the person that I was pretending to be, to the point of not giving any second thought to tightening my grip on LaChance’s l arm and giving the parent shoulder a few affectionate pats to express to him my excitement over a welcome fit for royalty.

            “Enjoying yourself, Lady Nelvani?” Lucien asked, drawing up a small grin as he mildly gave return pats to the forearm hooked around his right.

            “Damn right I am!” I cried out, bouncing a bit like a school-aged child as I waved back at the crowd. “Come on, Atterius! Let yourself be raptured up into the moment! We might never know a night like this again!”

            “Actually…  we might .”

            My head snapped from the crowd and to Lucien’s masked face. “Oh? What—?”

            “Hush, now,” Lucien barked through his teeth as he faked a smile, giving a quick nod to the upper end of the walkway. “We’re almost there. Get your head out of the clouds and focus on the task at hand.”

            “My mind can occupy multiple places at the same time,” I argued. “Stop worrying.”

            Lucien’s head whipped around and I could feel the heat of his intense scowl permeating through the mask. 

            I corrected myself. “I mean…  yes, sir .”

             We all kept an outward calm as we reached the top and followed the line of guests, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only one with a head full of hornets, watching the guards without blinking or breathing as the distance between us and them shortened, two people at a time. Whenever I felt the surface give slightly to the pressure, I smiled and acted as though the shakes were caused by sheer admirition of Surraiah’s home; the grandeur and mesmerizing details in the moulds, ceilings, and floors that spoke of a wealth that had been accumulated and preserved throughout generations.

             “What’s with all the extra security??” asked someone ahead of us.

            “A necessary precaution; that’s all we’re at liberty to say,” answered one of the guards, holding a clipboard up to the couple’s faces. “Negative. Move along, and enjoy your stay.”

            “Thank you!”

             To ease my mind, I turned my attention to the beautiful multicolored metal embellishments along the wall made of sun-bleached sandstone. But just as I was beginning to relax, Farwil gave my arm several frantic jabs with his elbow. 

            “What, Sreth??” I snapped at him, at a volume just under that of the surrounding clamour. 

            “Remnants…  all of them,” he hissed.

            “Remnants? You mean…  daedra ?” I whispered.

            “Yes.”

            “Are you sure?? How can you tell??”

            “It’s something they all wear to generate an illusion. I’ll explain later… when or if I can.”

            I nodded, then turned to Lucien. “Did you hear what Sreth said?” I asked him.

            “Of course I did," Lucien answered, phenomenally calm. "I hope he’s mistaken… but… he's likely to be right.” 

            "Do you think that means…  you-know-who  is also here?"

            "It might. But that doesn't change anything. Do not, under any circumstances, deviate from the plan unless I instruct you to. Understood?"

            "Yes, sir."

(CONTINUED)

[dailyaudiobible]

11/24/2020 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 47:1-48:35, 1 Peter 2:11-3:7, Psalms 119:49-64, Proverbs 28:12-13

Today is the 24th day of November welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is a great joy and deep comfort to be here with you around the Global Campfire as we take the next step forward in the Scriptures and take the next step forward in the year and toward the end of the year. So, we are reading from the New International Version this week. We have been camped out in the book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament for a while now. Today we will reach its conclusion and finish the book of Ezekiel. We are also in the New Testament working our way through first Peter. And, so, we’ll continue that journey when we get there. We’re reading from the New International Version this week. Ezekiel chapters 47 and 48.

Commentary:

Okay. In first Peter today we’re seeing glimpses of how to face marginalization and being sidelined and even being persecuted, how to resist that by not being what is being said. In other words, people are being stereotyped. The way to resist that is to not be that, to not be the stereotype. So, Peter’s writing to people who have fled marginalization and persecution, who are trying to find a place of peace to live out their faith in harmony and they have run. They are all over the place. This is one of the primary ways that the gospel of Jesus Christ spread around the Roman Empire, the known world of the time. But, you know, if you move to an a new place, a new city and you’re trying to get established and get a job and find a place to live and…and then there's this stereotype that gets…that…you get labeled…you get labeled something, then it becomes really, really difficult to navigate. And if you're labeled, “you’re part of a strange religious sect. Like if you hear that about anybody, “oh…they’re…they’re…they're part of a strange religious sect,” well, we really don't have any information whatsoever to go on other than it sounds really bad and negative. And, so, the stereotype is there, and that person is looked at a certain way. And, so, followers of Jesus were considered untrustworthy. They were considered really, really strange, religiously. Like the observance of the Eucharist or communion was…was considered very weird, like a very weird ritual to people who had no experience with it. Basically, it's…it's like it's not a secret that here in the United States…this has been a year of…of unrest as special…especially racial unrest in the exploration of systemic racism and the implications. And one thing that...well it still goes on today…but was much more prevalent in previous generations would be the use of the N-word. A derogatory word used at African American, black people - a label, a stereotype, a word that can be used to marginalize. We have to remember that people, early followers of Jesus, they were perceived as coming out of Judaism. Jews had been marginalized and persecuted and had been labeled for a long time at this point, and that continues in the world until this very day. So, like in some places to be called a Jew, that’s a bigoted label, like that's not a good thing. So, for people following Jesus to be called Christ followers or disciples of the Rabbi, Jesus, or Christians, this is the same kind of labeling that's going on. So, in…in a lot of ways what Peter's writing in what we read today is, “don't be that. If you’re going to be slandered or mischaracterized or stereotyped, then don't be that. Rise above that. Live your life higher. Raise the bar. Be better than that.” So, we see him like, “submit to the local authorities, submit to the national authorities, submit to your employers. Like, live what you say. Live the faith that you claim. Live it because if you're living it, then you will rise above the stereotype and show that there actually is a better way of navigating humanity because of Jesus making that better way of being in this world visible by resisting the stereotypes, by not receiving the labels, by being better than the labels. And, so, I quote Peter here as he kind of concludes some of…of…of his encouragement. “How is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and you endure the beating for doing wrong, but if you suffer for doing good and you endure it this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps.” And, so, that we’re on the same page, this is…Peter's not writing about things that might happen or that could happen or that may be on the distant horizon. He’s talking about…the letters written because these things are happening. And, so, he's counseling how to battle things that are happening and as it turns out it brilliantly, it's so perfect the way he turns the corner and helps us understand that these kinds of…kinds of marginalization's, these kinds of things even happen inside people's homes because maybe one spouse, here's the good news or maybe they both hear the good news, but one spouse believes, and the other one doesn't. And, so, I quote Peter again, “wives in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that if any of them do not believe the word they may be won over without words, by the behavior of their wives,” right? Rising above the labeling. “They may be one over without words by the behavior of their wives when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.” Yikes! What's that doing their in a discussion about how to behave in the face of being marginalized? Isn't it in our homes between our spouse and ourselves that we really actually do have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling? like isn't that the ground zero for however we might go out into the world and resist by not being what we've been stereotyped as? Like doesn’t that have to start at home? Is there any other way to live out what Peter is talking about if it's not there, present in our home? And when Peter says about “hindering your prayers”, he’s speaking to husbands here. That doesn't mean it doesn't apply to both spouses, but husbands may we pay attention. Our homes are places where we…if it's a bad day and things aren't going well and well-worn paths that lead to terrible arguments are being walked down, well we can we can marginalize each other and diminish each other and hurt one another and suppress the voices of each other more dominantly and more awfully inside the walls of our house than we ever would outside. So, for this to…for this whole conversation to land back at home is something we ought to pay very very close attention to. “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

Prayer:

Father we come into your presence. It would explain a lot. It would be like James saying, “how can you bless the Lord out of your mouth and curse your brothers and sisters who are made in His image out of the same mouth? Surely this isn’t right. Surely, this shouldn't be happening.” And, so, we are confronted with these things and once again you've landed some things in our lap that we cannot look away from. It won't help. And, so, we’re looking to you for guidance in the ways that we've marginalized each other beginning inside our homes and working outward from there. We read yesterday, “we are to be holy because you are holy”, which means we must rise above the stereotype. We must rise above being labeled. We must be the light of the world. And we have a ways to go, we confess. We are not where we should be, we confess. And it's easy enough to know that globally. It's easy enough to know that we are all part of something that has some work to do. Its way different when we understand inside of the four walls of our houses is where that work begins. Come Holy Spirit we need you now. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base, it’s the website, it’s where you always can go to find out what's going on around here. It's where the Prayer Wall also lives and thrives. Always an opportunity to pray for one another or ask for prayer there. So, check it out.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that at dailyaudiobible.com as well. There’s as a link on the homepage. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, and all this, the Prayer Wall and everything is available in Daily Audio Bible app as well, but if you’re using the app you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or the mailing address, if that’s your preference, is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement there are a number of ways to reach out. You can hit the Hotline button in the app, which is the little red button up at the top or there are phone numbers you can use depending on where you are in the world. In the Americas 877-942-4253 is the number to call. If you are in the UK or Europe 44-20-3608-8078 is the number. And if you are in Australia or that part of the world 61-3-8820-5459 is a number to dial.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Good morning Daily Audio Bible this is Diane Olive Braun and Jeff my husband is here with me. It’s so wonderful the two of us listening together. I want to share with you something really special to me. I have been repenting a lot and things I thought that were really special were not pleasing to the Lord, mostly that I wasn’t taking time alone with Him and just focusing on other things more important than Him and I’ve been repenting and…and taking quality time each day. And because I hadn’t been giving special time to the Lord I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t sleep at night. And, so, one night I told the Lord I was so tired because I couldn’t sleep. And I said Lord I’m going to try for 5 or 10 minutes to sleep and I put on Brian’s album, Heart and I said if I don’t fall asleep in five minutes I will get up and clean the house. And, so, I put on his album, Heart and I laid my head on my pillow and three hours later I woke up refreshed and renewed and inspired. Thank you, thank you, thank you DAB community and Brian. Shalom, shalom…

Hi DAB family this is CS from SC. A close friend of mine’s son was in an accident earlier this week. He was driving and with his passenger, I believe his girlfriend, was killed in the accident. He’s been charged with…my friend’s sons been charged with vehicular homicide and driving under the influence. They were both college students both in their early 20s. I would just ask prayer for her family. This young man has…has made some bad choices now. He…he’s always been such a good kid, but he’s made some really bad choices at this point and it’s ended up with some horrific consequences for his girlfriend’s family. So, I would just ask prayer first for her family, for comfort and peace. I don’t know how you get through something like this. I just…I can’t imagine but I would also ask prayer for his family for my friend, just to know how to work through all the challenges that they’re going to have now, the legal battles. And, of course, there’ll be some incarceration I’m sure. So, anyway I would…would just ask that you be in prayer for both families, that they can see God’s will and everything that’s going on and just be there to comfort everybody that’s involved in this situation. Thanks, and have an excellent…

Good afternoon new DAB family God bless you all. Woman who called in in regard to ovarian cancer and her husband suffering from MS, I am believing and thanking God but first and foremost first and foremost for your total healing from the inside out, that every molecular cell that’s in your body is going to be eradicated. I am thanking God for the children that you have that has been helping you fight this. I know that this has been hard for you, but I also know that God is a God delivers and I am believing in His might. Susan from Osceola, Osceola Florida you know the way you’re thanking God in the midst of you losing your son and you yet you’re thanking God for all of the small blessings. Sister I bless you in the name of Jesus. You know that the Lord is going to heal your son Keith. I am so grateful that it’s…you’re in the season with Keith, that you have become so much closer but I am believing that nothing is too hard for the Lord. God bless you. Running Desperately Staying Connected to Jesus. I totally get it. You know when you say that you felt strong when you connected to your DAB family and when you disconnect that you seem weaker. I totally get that. That’s how I felt. You know in my dark seasons you know I felt like Moses you know without with Aaron and Joshua. I totally get it. God bless you. We are still praying for you and I’m praying and believing in your victory. Michaela from Gloucester. Beautiful beautiful song. You know how you’re meeting us in our darkness. That’s exactly what the Lord does. He meets us in our darkness. But I am telling you sister in the name of Jesus I am believing that the Lord will give us the strength to face our tomorrows and to do what’s in front of us because that is the God we serve. And knowing the name of Jesus He is gonna do the same for you in Jesus’ name. I love you. Esther from Orlando.

Thank you God for giving me everything I asked you freed me from my demons and my true self’s now unmasked time is running short now as they say this too shall pass I pray and thank you constantly and there’s not much that I ask the relationship that I have with you I pray will always last last is first and first is last a simple little verse but some men go from good to bad and some from bad to worse help me just be patient God and follow where you lead help me not be selfish Lord and consumed with pride and greed wherever two are gathered I know that you’ll be there keep my mind’s eye simple God and strip my ego bare make me in your image God I’m flesh but still I’m clay fill me with your spirit Lord and renew my strength each day one and one are usually two but you and I are one finish God the work in me you clearly have begun

blindtony1016@gmail.com. I’d like to give a shout out to Terry the Truck Driver and also Melisa. I hope you’re still hanging in there. Know that you are both in my prayers every day and very much loved and thought of and missed. And once again Brian and the Hardin family thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit flow keep it flowing y’all. All right. Bye-bye.

Hello, my dear DAB family this is Terry the Trucker calling this evening. It’s Saturday, November the 21st. Today we had a eulogy for my wife’s aunt Marilyn that passed away a few weeks ago just suddenly. It was not expected. This is also the birthday of my oldest stepson Mikey. Died in a car wreck at the age of 14. This is also the day that my wife when we left the church, she told me she had chills that she had a fever and wasn’t feeling right. We took her into the hospital. They tested her for the flu and been with my wife of 32 years. I’ve only known her to be sick one time out of 32 years and they suspect it’s the virus. I just ask you all to pray for my wife for my family and myself. I’m spending the night in my truck less than a block from the house. So, I know I’ve been exposed to her but why take the chance of spending the night if maybe I don’t have it. We’ll know in a couple days if she has the virus for sure but I ask you all to pray for me and I continue to pray for each and every one of y’all as I drive up and down these highways. Terry the Trucker.

[missstormcaller]

BLEACH JET Artbook Talk Vol 1 - Translation (Q1-15)

ABOUT BLEACH

Talk 2>>

This section exhibits new information never before explored in the original work through an assembly of questions which address several characters that appear in "BLEACH" as well as its grand scale world building.

In preparation of conducting this lengthy interview, we invited fans from all over the world to tell us what they "want Tite Kubo sensei to talk about", 51 questions, which were carefully selected from among a pool of over 1000 submissions sent in every language, were divided into 5 categories and discussed.

Q.1: At the end of volume 1, it is stated in his character introduction that "William Shakespeare" is a person Ichigo respects, but is there any particular reason why?

Kubo: Well, as for a particular reason… (laughs). I simply like him that's all. However, if you were to ask me whether I was an avid reader of his works to the point of calling them my favourites, I'd say that isn't really the case, it's more of an appreciation for the dialogue rather than a fondness of the tale itself, there's many pieces of dialogue I like. —— J: Have you ever put them to use within 'BLEACH'? Kubo: I believe I have not used them, but there are many lines that have stuck with me for a long time. —— J: What sort of lines? Kubo: Let's see, I suppose it was lines like the one in "The Merchant of Venice". One of the first lines I remember well is "Beshrew your eyes, they have o'erlooked me and divided me. One half of me is yours, the other half yours", that sort of thing…. —— J: I'm sure there are aspects of 'BLEACH' where the mood of this dialogue may be somewhat applicable. Kubo: The first time around you're made to think “maybe it's like this?” then after it's flipped around with dialogue that has an opposite meaning. The sort of impression that is left on you with the same words repeating itself a second time is one that takes great skill.

—— J: I see. This is information you're revealing for this first time is it not? Kubo: That's right. Though, I think it probably goes without saying.

—— J: But when they hear something like that, I think the audience will also try reading Shakespeare. They may come to think something like “he habitually adopts that sort of dialogue based viewpoint”, details like this is exciting news for readers.

Q.2: In the novel "WE DO knot ALWAYS LOVE YOU", there is a description which mentions that Uryū is at medical school and Ichigo is also said to be attending university, but does Ichigo study a general university course?

Kubo: Yes he does. Though I didn't specifically depict it within the story, based on the setup, I feel he would be studying English literature.

—— J: There's speculation among other questions too that perhaps Ichigo had gone on to study medicine.

Kubo: Of course. I felt it's probably expected that he would become a doctor. But I considered "how would it be if Uryū and Ichigo both became doctors?" I said perhaps it's better to let Ichigo take his own path.

—— J: So no one will be taking over the Kurosaki clinic?

Kubo: It won't be changing hands. Their old man is still there! He runs it by himself (laughs).

—— J: Maybe someday Yuzu and Karin will?

Kubo: It's possible that they might inherit the clinic in the future.

—— J: That will rapidly expand the horizons of our imagination!

Q.3: When did Ichigo and Orihime start dating? Or from which point in time did Ichigo start to like Orihime romantically in the first place? I was elated to see that these two got married, so I wish to extend my gratitude for any details around this topic!

Kubo: With regard to these two, they were about to start a dating relationship when Ichigo was a university student, they formally started dating after they both became working adults. However, given that bleach is not a romance manga, the romance is drawn purely as a supplementary component. That's why I won't go into too much detail about other characters too, nevertheless, it makes me happy if I can catch the reader's attention through its portrayal.

—— J: Do you hope that readers will form their own visions through the spatial senses that was portrayed between fellow characters?

Kubo: Yes, exactly. I think making speculations about that aspect is probably the fun part.

Q.4: After "Shiba Isshin" became "Kurosaki Isshin", did he ever reunite with Hitsugaya and Rangiku?

Kubo: Since becoming "Kurosaki Isshin", Hitsugaya and co. happened to catch sight of him when they arrived with the advance party. Then, it was established within the framework of the original story that the pair recognise him in that moment. It's because he had noticed Isshin's presence, that Hitsugaya came to the World of the Living together with other squad members in the final stages of the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc, as well as then uttering the line "I'm glad that guy [Ichigo] was the next substitute shinigami."

—— J: Did both sides harbour a somewhat 'nostalgic' sentiment at the time?

Kubo: I'd say that must have been the case. I mean, they did come to Ichigo's home after all (laughs).

—— J: Is it also possible they caught sight of him while hiding in Ichigo's room?

Kubo: They must have caught sight of him somewhere. They would absolutely notice him.

—— J: Did they intentionally avoid stepping foot into his life?

Kubo: That's right. Because it is the case that Isshin was going about his daily life whilst concealing his true identity, Hitsugaya and Rangiku are the type to think "it's better not to touch upon the matter", and also because Isshin himself was no longer captain, for him to make contact like "it's me, your former captain!", He'd be one to believe that it would do the pair more harm than good.

—— J: I'm going to get a complex array of feelings when rereading the story after learning that they were feigning ignorance with each other.

Kubo: If I remember correctly, there were proposals seeking to bring them into contact one time in an anime side story or something like that, but I hadn't drawn it in the original work, until he reveals his true identity Isshin isn't the type to initiate contact to begin with, so I had a discussion and ultimately told them to abandon the idea.

Q.5: What was Rukia's family name before she was adopted into the Kuchiki clan?

Kubo: During her time in Rukongai, she didn't have a family name!

Q.6: Could you please tell us about Kazui and Ichika's profiles and their theme songs? Would you also be able to tell us if there was anything you paid special attention to, or were particular about when you were still in the process of creating these two?

Abarai Ichika

Birthday: 10/28

Favourite thing: My dad

Dislikes: Monsters

Theme song: → Pia-no-jaC ← "Typhoon"

Kurosaki Kazui

Birthday: 4/29

Favourite thing: Hoodie

Dislikes: None

Theme song: Schroeder-Headz "Newdays"

Kubo: Their Zanpakutōs are a secret. There isn't a particular aspect I paid extra attention to when creating the two, but if I had to choose I'd say it was blending elements of both parents in a balanced manner. —— J:  You mean a balance appearance-wise? Kubo: Both in terms of outward appearance and inner character, I considered things like "which elements out of the two parents would be more interesting to amplify?" I flipped around the personalities and genders for both. —— J: Kazui certainly does seem to take after Orihime, there's that easygoing aura about him. Kubo: At a glance his hair colour is that of Ichigo's, but his facial features come from Orihime. —— J:  And Ichika seems to take after Renji. So then, does that mean the opposite pattern was also a possibility? Kubo: That's correct. If they had a girl, in all likelihood she would have a personality resembling Ichigo with hair that resembles Orihime. —— J:  A boy that takes after Rukia too? I reckon that in itself is something we'd like to catch a little glimpse of. Kubo: The opposite would have been interesting too. However, with regard to Ichika, I had decided upon making her a certain way from the very beginning. In the first animated movie "Memories of Nobody" the female character Senna is introduced, but this girl herself was originally designed with the mental image of Renji and Rukia's child in mind. She is depicted as an ordinary human girl within the story, however, during the design stage, my intention was to design her as the child of Rukia and Renji from a parallel universe. Her colouring is different from Ichika's though. —— J: When you compare the two they certainly do look similar. Kubo: Senna has Rukia's hair colour. Ichika was made with this sort of design as the base. —— J: When Ichika was first introduced, people did note that there was a similar feel to Senna. Kubo: They were originally based on the same concept after all. —— J: Amazing, that's a real inside story.

Q.7: I would like to enquire about the sort of ideas you envisioned around the battle scene between Zaraki and Unohana.

Kubo: It's one of those scenes I've been planning to draw for a long time. That Unohana was the first Kenpachi is something I decided from very early days, I was always thinking “for how long should I keep it a secret?” and “how do I handle its reveal?”

—— J: Did you decide on it from the point of her first appearance?

Kubo: That is so. It was decided from the very onset that the design of Unohana's hairstyle, was also for the purpose of concealing the scar on her chest.

—— J: In the captains' introductions from "KaraBuri+", Unohana was said to have the same combat efficiency as Genryūsai, so at the time I thought "how the hell is this person so strong!" I said to myself "there's definitely something more to this, I wonder what it is?"

Kubo: Just to be on the safe side, when her hair is tied back in my drawings, I never had her facing towards the audience. I would make her turn to show her side profile or have her back turned, and that way the scar remained hidden.

Q.8: How was the idea to deck Kurotsuchi Mayuri out with ultra-distinct makeup and accessories born? Was there something that inspired you to do so?

Kubo: Originally Mayuri's face makeup came to be designed in such a way because I liked Marilyn Manson back in those days.

—— J: Ah~! I see!

Kubo: However, I didn't want to do it exactly the same, so I altered the effect of the makeup. That was all I needed to change the impression by a considerable amount.

—— J: That makes a lot of sense!

Kubo: Since Marylin Manson's makeup is unique, if I had left it untouched, people would end up saying "it's literally Manson!" (Laughs)

—— J: Mayuri had the most variation in costume did he not?

Kubo: That's right. It's fun getting to do that (laughs). I think it was probably around the time of the last chapter, but I couldn't make up my mind about his design, so I got my niece to chose for me. When my niece was still one or two years old, I was making a new series of designs at the family home, I placed them side by side in front my niece and got her to pick one out saying "which one do you like?"

—— J: (Laughs). The other contenders for Mayuri's attire at the time, are now recorded in the booklet [included with JET.]

Kubo: That is probably the only time I was so troubled by his design.

Q.9: I started reading bleach, and when I realised it, I had already become of marriageable age. Come to think of it, what's the marriage situation like for the old-timers among the captains?

Kubo: Now that you mention it, I've never given it any thought.

—— J: That Byakuya was forthright about being married among other things, and for a cool/good-looking character of that sort found in manga to actually be married, it's surprisingly a rare sight.

Kubo: I guess I do get the feeling that they could all be married, but that sort of ambiance doesn't seem to apply to the captains all too much…. Even so, I'd feel sorry if someone like Genryūsai, for instance, wasn't married (laughs).

—— J: Would their children come into contact with Kazui and Ichika?

Kubo: The thought of perhaps a son belonging to Genryūsai sounds like a rather interesting topic to explore. I reckon he'd be quite formidable.

Q.10: Who is the lieutenant of squad 13 which is captained by Rukia ten years later? I wonder if by some chance Renji had transferred from squad 6 to squad 13?

Kubo: Since there's an impression that the appointment of a vice captain is on hold, I suppose you could say it's Sentarō and Kiyone. It's just that I have not yet depicted that scenario, what am I to do… whether one likes it or not, If some other person was to become vice captain out of the blue, it would be a lonely affair, and I think it's best that those two individuals undertake the responsibility for Ukitake's sake as well as Rukia's.

—— J: It seems that by successfully inheriting the final wishes of the deceased Kaien and Ukitake, the pair are fully dedicated to assisting Rukia.

Q.11: I wonder if the Arrancars continue to do battle as unchanged as before, even after ten years?

Kubo: Hollows in Hueco Mundo cannot survive unless they continue eating, that being the case I think they're still locked in a struggle for existence, but… what about a power struggle you ask? Harribel has become leader you know.

—— J: Given that they're being governed for now, do you feel there's not as much brutality as before?

Kubo: They are gradually being made to come under control, I mean perhaps by some chance they are in the process of constructing a system whereby Hollows are able to constantly absorb soul matter.

—— J: In Ryōgo Narita's novels, Harribel and Nelliel have both become leading figures.

Kubo: It's great that those two are leaders! And both of them are voluptuous too (laughs)!

—— J: Hueco Mundo will become awfully peaceful now won't it (laughs).

Q.12: It seems Kubo sensei takes such a liking to Mayuri to the point of even cosplaying him, but if there is anything regarding the Shinigami Research and Development Institute which didn't appear through the setup in the original story, I would like for sensei to reveal it for us. I believe they're fairly involved in events that occur behind the scenes in Soul Society which were brought to light in the novels.

Kubo: They perform a variety of tasks in the background, I wonder if "performing tasks" answers your question (laughs).

—— J: Are they still secretly conducting human experimentation or something?

Kubo: Mayuri doesn't consider human experimentation a bad thing to begin with.

—— J: Some people also are also eager to learn "why Mayuri was imprisoned" when Urahara entered the Nest of Maggots.

Kubo: Now that were on the subject, It seems I didn't get to address that area.

—— J: He was the only individual to be kept behind a sturdy cage. Could this mean for example, that he was arrested on the assumption that he should be locked up in order to prevent the spread of any further harm due to his carrying out one too many danger fueled experiments.

Kubo: I won't go into detail here, but it's something like that. Mayuri isn't the type that goes "I will overthrow Soul Society!" after all.

—— J: It appears to be nothing more than the result of going too far with his intellectual curiosity.

Kubo: There's no criteria as to whether or not Mayuri is "going overboard". He has a sense of values when it comes to 'good and evil', but his standards of 'good and evil' differ dramatically from others anyway….

—— J: I get the impression that if it weren't for Akon, squad 12 would be quite capable of proceeding in a risky direction.

Kubo: You're right about that. Akon has just about become the perfect stopping mechanism.

—— J: That must come with great difficulty right? (Laughs)

Kubo: There's a lovable side to Akon when he's taking on trouble.

Q.13: Are the birthdays belonging to the Arrancars and Shinigami of "BLEACH" also the anniversary of the day they passed away as human beings?

Kubo: I puzzled over this a fair amount. Should it be the moment in time they were born, or the moment they died…? Since pure-blooded Shinigami came to be born as a Shinigami from Shinigami parents to begin with, their case differs from that of humans. Conversely, Rukongai citizens were born as humans and still retain their memories when they go to Rukongai…. And that was how the stage was set for Shibata wasn't it?

—— J: Yes it's like that.

Kubo: Their memories will gradually fade, that's how it seems.

—— J: It would feel rather odd if Shibata's birthday was the anniversary of his death despite the fact that he surely retains his memories.

Kubo: Thus, the birthdays of pure Shinigami or Arrancar indicate the point at which they came into being. As for Rukongai citizens, their birthdays indicate the day they were born as a human being.

Q.14: I'm curious about the economic activities of the Shinigami! I would like to ask if you have any such details regarding the sort of purchases they made after receiving a pay rise and so on. I'd especially like to know how Soifon put her starting salary to use.

Kubo: I think her initial salary was used to purchase something for Yoruichi (laughs).

—— J: After she became a captain, what would her affluence have looked like when speaking in terms of human society.

Kubo: The captains' chambers that are supplied is like a home in the first place, and the salary itself is also a fine amount of income. If we're speaking in terms of the Yen, a captain's initial salary is around ¥2,000,000 per month, from there a raise is issued through each fiscal year and a performance based merit system.

—— J: It was noted that Renji also has something of a hobby collecting high-end goggles.

Kubo: There's a general impression among vice captains that they don't earn very much, but their salaries still start from ¥700,000 per month. Hisagi for instance, undertakes responsibilities such as editor-in-chief of “Seireitei Communication”, so he also earns a salary from that. It seems he uses up a considerable amount of his money.

—— J: On buying things like guitars huh.

Kubo: In any case, when you become a captain, you even get an executive allowance and thus a steep increase in earnings.

—— J: Do ordinary squad members take home enough to support their families?

Kubo: It's tough because a new recruit earns just under ¥200,000, however, once they begin to climb the ranks little by little and earn a seated position, they can afford to do so.

Q.15: What did you consider the most challenging aspect while in the process of constructing the story of "BLEACH"?

Kubo: The most challenging aspect, was the deadlines I had every week! I had no difficulties with the drawing phase however.

Translator’s notes:

Ichika does indeed refer to her dad as “Tōsama” (All those Japanese fan arts became true it seems.)

In case my translation isn’t clear enough, Kubo isn’t saying Sentarō and Kiyone are the vice captains of Squad 13, but rather they handle the vice captain duties. And even with Kiyone as squad 4 vice captain, we know it’s possible to undertake duties from other squads, in WDkALY Nanao was able to handle squad 8 vice captain duties in addition to her own because Okikiba takes a share of squad 1′s vc duties. With Sentarō taking a share, Kiyone should be able to manage the load from squad 13 (she seemed pretty good at paperwork in WDkALY... if she has sugary stuff!)

[asgardian--angels]

Calling All LOTR fans! Why aren’t you on LOTRO yet??

Hey everyone! It’s Molly here - aka, Sauron’s #1 fan lmao. 

Now, we’re a big fandom, between LOTR and the Hobbit and the Silm, there’s millions of us out there, and thousands on Tumblr! And we’re always looking for new ways to experience and interact with Tolkien’s legendarium. Plus, many of us have an overlapping interest in gaming, of any sort. But even if you don’t - read on, I implore you! 

There’s an incredibly awesome free MMORPG out there, one that I’ve been playing for years. It’s called LOTRO - Lord of the Rings Online - and it’s gotta be my absolute favorite interpretation of Middle-Earth ever. 

For those not aware, an MMORPG is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game, basically an open world PC game that has thousands of other users you can interact with within the confines of the game’s universe. And in this case, that’s Middle-Earth! 

Everything you know and love about Tolkien’s world is brought to life in stunning thoughtful detail, from the rolling hills of the Shire to the eaves of Fangorn and beyond. You become an integral part of the story of Middle-Earth, assisting the Fellowship both directly and in the littler ways that count most of all - staving off the forces of darkness by doing good deeds and helping the folk of Eriador, Rhovanion, and Gondor. Everything you do ripples outwards to influence the fate of Arda itself! Without you, there would be no hope for the Fellowship to succeed in its dire quest. Traveling from land to land, you become beloved and treasured as a hero by all the free peoples of Middle-Earth, royal and common folk alike. While you may start out small, soon your path will bring you to the feet of great lords and kings, and onto the very doorstep of Mordor itself, where the Dark Lord awaits. Fight the fell beasts of Sauron, skip through the Old Forest with Tom Bombadil, and ride your warsteed across the vast open plains of Rohan - the world is yours to explore, and to save, if you can. Middle-Earth depends on you.

I truly can’t overstate how much I love LOTRO. I’ve been playing for five years now and I am just as much in love with it as the day I first started. It’s always a little dicey, as a Tolkien fan, especially if you’re a highly devoted one, trying to judge and decide if an interpretation of his work will enhance your experience or ruin it - you just want to see justice done by him and everything he stood for. Trust me, I’m like that too (there’s no need to talk about a certain upcoming Amazon series...). So believe me when I tell you that the spirit of Tolkien comes alive in this game. The creators, writers, and designers of LOTRO have put so much thought and care, and heart, into staying true to Tolkien’s vision and messages. Great attention and care is paid with respect to accuracy to the lore and languages Tolkien created as well, something that cements the authenticity of LOTRO for diehard fans. You just feel good playing it (and honestly, I feel like it’s helped my self-esteem?? Those little virtual hobbits are so grateful for everything you do). Warm fuzzies all around. With a fair helping of angst, can’t forget that. Not all stories can have happy endings, but with your help, a whole lot of them can. 

So... maybe you’ve read this far, and are a teensy bit interested? Or at least intrigued. This is a chance to expand the world of Tolkien to something you can actually immerse yourself in, be a part of, explore like never before! Wander the cobblestone streets of Bree, smell the pipe-smoke in the Prancing Pony, feel the chill winds of the icy wastes of Forochel upon your face. Do you have the guts to face the Witch-King himself? 

LOTRO has so much to offer! Whether you are interested from a gaming perspective, or a story perspective, it’s endless fun. Before LOTRO I’d never played an MMO, and I certainly would not consider myself a gamer. I came from a love of Middle-Earth, and came for a chance to see that story brought to life. So don’t count it out if you think you’re not up for some hardcore gaming lifestyle - this game has the pace that you set for it. Whether you join a social kinship and roleplay, a raid group to do skirmishes, or go it alone and fish the day away, the possibilities are endless. 

Plus, I feel like it’s worth stating that the scenery in LOTRO is astoundingly beautiful. It’s not uncommon for my friends and I to ride around just for the view. And you know what else? The music, guys. Just, the music. LOTRO has been blessed these many years with composer Chance Thomas, who has crafted some of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard - comparable to those of the Lord of the Rings films themselves. He truly encapsulates the emotions, the grandeur, the coziness, the uneasiness, the dread and the joy, of every corner of Middle-Earth. (It’s so well-loved by players that TWO official soundtracks were even put out, and I play them in my car all the time, ngl. Check out one of the Rohan tracks here!)

So, for the nitty gritty that you may be wondering about! This is a great time to join LOTRO. Over the years, the game has grown tremendously, adding more regions of Middle-Earth to quest in, building more storylines, and expanding the characters you can have, the clothes you can wear, and the activities you can do! Currently, you can play several races - Man, Dwarf, Elf, High Elf, Hobbit, and Beorning - as well as a wide variety of classes - hunter, lore-master, rune-keeper, burglar, champion, minstrel, captain, guardian, and warden- each with their own unique stories and abilities. Multiple characters can be created for free on one account. There’s a wide customization capability for characters and cosmetic items, for housing, steeds, emotes, pets, and more. That’s part of what makes LOTRO so fun! Most expansions can be purchased in-game using points earned by completing deeds, making LOTRO affordable and FTP (free to play) for a large proportion of its content. Additionally, we have an incredibly thorough and comprehensive Wiki-style website for all LOTRO-related information. This is an incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming community.

...Did I add that there’s maiar in the game too? If you have a keen eye you’ll spot them.

Molly why are really you making this post?

Now, earlier I mentioned kinships. Traveling Middle-Earth can often be more fun with others, and having friends can help you learn the game and offer advice and insight. They can be roleplay partners, band members (yes, you can play instruments in the game!), or just buddies to talk to. Many LOTRO players are in kinships, and each is different, depending on what you want to get out of the experience. You can find a kinship within the game, or on social media - in fact, I found my kinship, the one I’ve been in all these years, right here on Tumblr! I want to extend that hand in friendship to potential new players that are in the position I was all those years ago. 

Our humble kinship is called Dwarrowdam. You may recall this is the name for a lady-dwarf! While many of our members are dwarrowdams, that is by no means a prerequisite. We welcome players of all races and classes. Dwarrowdam is a casual social kinship, where we enjoy helping others out, from learning the ropes to festival activities, deeding, raids, concerts, and much more. We host weekly kin nights, where we get together and have fun for a couple of hours. This kinship has been going almost since the start of LOTRO itself, and we are eager to meet new people! A few of our higher-ranking members have had to depart after many years, due to real life commitments, and we hope to build our ranks again. We all thoroughly enjoy mentoring new players, myself included. Dwarrowdam would be a great choice for kinship for any player just starting out, or a continuing player looking for a relaxed social atmosphere as part of their gameplay experience! We are located on the Landroval server, which itself is known for its friendliness and its roleplay opportunities. It is our hope that gaining a solid handful of new, active members will allow our kinship to return to its former glory. Kinships can fizzle out and dissolve if too many players leave, and that is the last thing we want to happen to Dwarrowdam. It’s been like a home for me and many others, and I believe we can restore it.

I am an officer in the Dwarrowdam kinship, along with Badari and Daerhovan. We strongly encourage you to contact us with any questions you might have, about the kinship or LOTRO itself, or if you would like to join Dwarrowdam. 

Anyone who loves Tolkien and Middle-Earth should give LOTRO a try. For me, finding it was like filling a hole in my life I never knew existed. It’s thrilling, peaceful, emotional, hopeful, all in one - basically, everything that the stories we know and love already are, but brought to life in front of us. I’d like to think that if you tried it, you’d love it as much as I do. And if you’re in need of a kinship, please consider Dwarrowdam. 

And besides, look at Gandalf and his bushy eyebrows. You can’t say no to that.

[throwaway-sinfulwriter]

The Same - Chapter 5 - Martin (1/2)

From 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM patients were allowed to have phone time.

Martin didn't use this privilege before, as he had stopped trying to call Malcolm after his transfer from the prison.

But now.. now he could talk to his son! Whenever he wanted. From 9 to 5, of course. A bit of sweet talk, nentioning his son worked with the NYPD, and a compliment had Martin everything he could want.

Because he was such a "high risk patient", they brought the phone to him.

He didn't even have to move! Martin could read and write while being on the phone all he wanted. From the comfort of his own cell.

He had planned on calling Malcolm that morning, to speak and cherish his boy's voice.

However, his thoughts became much more interesting, much less perverted when the morning paper was delivered.

Dr. Whitly glances up from the paper, at the guard sitting in the corner. David, his nametag said. He smiles, pointing with his free hand to the television poised above the phone.

"Do you mind turning it to the news, David? I do believe my daughter is on at the moment."

Martin sits back as his guard does as asked, raising his eyebrows as his daughter was indeed reporting. A quadruple homicide, huh. How intriguing.

Malcolm was probably already on the case.

Just a bit longer until he could call Malcolm, ask him about this quadruple murder. How exciting, killing four people at once.

It had always been much too risky for Martin himself, but he silently applauded the person who pulled off such an act.

Of course, when he talked to his son, he would act indifferent. Horrified, even. Martin smirks, setting the paper to the side.

Picking up the Peter Pan book and running his fingers over the cover idly as he watched Ainsley speak with another person on the news channel.

"Ring my son, please, David." The doctor requests, smiling politely as the guard dials for him.

"Hello?" His son answered quickly. He must already be doing work for the case.

"Malcolm, my boy, it's dad!" The book rested on top of his crossed legs, his finger intertwined with each other and moving as he spoke. A grin on his face.

"What? How the hell do you have a phone?" His son sounded baffled at the concept, and it was hard not to beam like the cat who caught the canary. He was so very proud of his manipulations of the staff here.

Really, it was almost too easy.

"Oh, I don't, I have "phone time." A critical distinction. My calls had been exclusively reserved for my medical consultations, but I was able to pull a few strings to help the NYPD and their newest profiler.." He teased lightly, like it was a private joke. Both proud and resentful of his son's occupation.

Martin placed his feet on the floor and moved the rolling chair side to side without disturbing the base.

"Sooo, I heard about this quadruple homicide." He crooned, sounding entirely too smug and comfortable.. Martin whistles, tapping the side of his left leg as he spoke.

"That's quite a story." He says conversationally, trying to get more information on the case. Figure out where he was, what he was doing.

A silence follows, and then his son asked him very meek voice, "How do you even know I'm here?"

To the outside eye, Martin would look very surprised at this question. But the devil inside of him was roaring with triumph, proud at successfully manipulating his son into telling him his whereabouts.

"Oh- my, you're actually on the scene?!" He rocked forward, sitting up higher in his chair. Pointing to the television. "Oh, that's great! Go, go stand behind your sister- go on, I bet I'll be able to spot you." Martin grins at the concept, wishing he could see Malcolm.

Yes, he had his picture. But it wasn't the same as seeing him move, seeing his eyes dart around and his brilliant mind work.

"No." His son shuts him down, sounding dark and irritated now.

Perhaps he got too excited.

"No, oh, you're busy. Of course. I get it." He sat back, hands folding neatly in his lap. Getting quieter.

Closing his eyes for a brief moment.

"So, tell me about the bodies." Martin says, trying to sound casual. But sounding all too excited. It had been so long since he saw a corpse, a crime scene. He so craved the art of it.

"Every killer leaves their.. own unique signature." His face scrunched for a moment, a tick he had developed. Martin dearly missed placing his signature. It was always his favorite part of the murder process.

"Now, I want to hear all the details." He inhales sharply, his hands coming up to fold at his stomach. Scrunching his eyes shut and unfolding them, holding them up.

"I want to really," Martin sniffles, mind coming up with thousands of possibilities, each one messier than the last. "Be able to see it in my head."

"I don't need your help." His son said slowly, enunciating each syllable. Martin couldn't help but inwardly preen. Oh, Malcolm. How wrong he was..

His eyes opened, smile turning into a slight frown. "Oh, don't be a killjoy. I have so much to offer." Martin changes his relaxed stance, sitting forward. As if to get closer to the phone, let his words sink in deeper.

Like knives, corrupting Malcolm's thoughts.

"We're both obsessed with murder; like father like son."

He expects a response, but all he gets is a dial tone.

His smile falls immediately.

"Call back, David." He orders, voice cold as he brings his fingers up to his chin. Resting them there. Glaring at the phone.

The calls go on all day. From 9 to 5, without any breaks. David is becoming irritated with him, but Martin doesn't care. He wants to speak to his son.

"Hello, Malcolm, it's dad-"

"Hey, kiddo, it's your father again-"

"Hello, Malcolm, it's your dad. I heard more about the case. Ooh. Gruesome stuff. Anyways, if you want to bounce around some ideas, give me a call."

"Dad here. I have thoughts on the case."

"I respect that you're conflicted about picking up, but as Oscar Wilde said, "The only way to fight temptation is to yield to it."

"Remember Bradford Bishop? Killed five members of his family in '76 and was never caught? I've always wondered.."

"Dad again. It's almost 4:30."

"Hey, kiddo, it's your father. Sun's beginning to set."

"Dad here. I really would like to speak with you."

His irritation grows and grows, slowly building up after every failed call.

"Sir, I really think-" David tries to tell him, and Martin turns his withering gaze onto the guard.

"I do not care what you think, David. This is between my son and I. No one else. Call again. Now."

He tightens his fist, knuckles cracking and David calls and the voicemail ("Bright here.") rings once more.

"I really would like to speak with you. You sounded tired on the phone. You know, maybe I can help with that."

"I don't know. Help with anything. I JUST WANT TO HELP, DAMN IT!" Martin started off sounding calm, but he quickly descended into screaming, standing up and going towards the phone, his tether pulling him back at the last moment.

It's like a switch flipped, completely normal one moment and homicidal the next. The sign of a true psychopath.

David stood up, much taller than him. Glaring down at him. Martin falters, stepping back.

"Well, Malcolm, phone time is ending for the day. A total bust. Thanks for that." Martin sighs, squeezing the top of his nose, feeling a killer headache coming along.

"Well, hopefully we can speak tomorrow. Goodbye, my boy." The phone clicks off. Martin is left feeling jarringly empty. And angry. So, so very angry.

 

The doctor doesn't sleep well that night, worry and anger eating away at him. Why didn't Malcolm answer his calls? Sure, he had asked about the bodies, but his son knew him well enough to know his obsession with corpses.

So it couldn't be that.. What could it be?

Martin doesn't get an answer until the next day.

He rises with heavy bags under his eyes, feeling fatigued and having even less answers than before. No one could make him so exhilarated and bothered at the same time.

Malcolm was the only one.

After his outburst yesterday, the doctors are refusing to let him see Malcolm without handcuffs around his wrists. It's quite an unnecessary precaution.

He would never hurt his boy.

Well, with his hands, anyway..

As custom, Martin puts his back to the door as his son enters. Turning and smiling at his exhausted, pretty face.

"Malcolm! You got my messages. Come, let's solve a murder." He says eagerly, only to have his son hold up a hand, stopping him.

"There's only one thing I want from you, and that's the truth. Tell me what you did to me." Martin sighs, bringing his rolling chair over and sitting down in it.

"All right, take a seat. Ask me anything." His son complied, and while Martin was incredibly on edge, he felt calmed by his son following his orders.

"I've been remembering things about my childhood."

"Good things?"

"The girl in the box." Alarm ran through Martin, though he displayed an outward expression of indifference. Had he remembered?

"After I found her, did you drug me so I wouldn't call the police?"

The doctor deflected, twisting his expression into one of concern to hide his alarm. "Malcolm, when was the last time you slept through the night?"

"You used chloroform, didn't you? On a ten year old."

Martin swallowed heavily, scratching at his arm nervously.

They make it look so easy in the movies, but it's tricky stuff, you know? The wrong dose can easily kill you," Malcolm opened his mouth with a defiant expression, but his father continued on. "Which is a long way of saying, "No, of course I didn't drug you."

"The girl that I saw-" His son began, and Martin once again shut him down.

"Wasn't real." He says firmly, unwilling to change his stance.

"I may have done some.. bad things, but I never did that."

A silence followed. Malcolm was glaring at him with a resentful expression. It made his stomach turn. He never wanted his son to look at him like that.

Malcolm would understand, once Martin was able to break him down and make him see things from his point of view. The doctor had no choice, he couldn't simply allow Malcolm to go crawling to the police so soon.

For now, he would deny the accusation until he was blue in the face, if he had to.

"Well, don't take my word for it." Martin continued on. "Ask the police, ask your mom. We all agreed there was no girl in the box."

Malcolm stood, stalking to the door. Martin could barely restrain himself from standing and going after him.

"They're wrong and you're lying. Goodbye, Dr. Whitly."

Martin reached out to him. "Wait! Your case." His son turned back to him, looking at him out of the corner of his eye.

"You're, uh, after a family annihalator?"

"What?" Malcolm asked him coldly, almost not willing to follow his father's train of thought.

"Your suspect, this, uh, Liam character on the cover of The Daily News.." Martin grabbed a folder off of his desk, holding it up. "Isn't this your profile?"

"My profile is constantly evolving." His son said snarkily, and Martin couldn't help but smile fondly.

"And your method is a mix of psychology and on-the-fly improvisation. I love it." The doctor looked down at the folder for a second, looking up at his son through his eyelashes.

He prides himself in the deep flush that blooms on Malcolm's face.

"Oh, I've always been fascinated by familicide. To.. love one's family that much." Malcolm flinches, barely noticeable to the outside eye. But his father knows all of his little signs.

Signs of attraction, that is. And signs of deep rooted shame.

"Perverted? Yes." Incredibly perverted, the two of them. Playing this little game of cat and mouse. Martin pushing his son until he broke.

"Narcissistic? Sure." Malcolm had developed narcissistic tendencies at a young age, a by-product of his father's methods of caring for him.

Yes, Martin had been delighted when his son first showed signs of being a sociopath. It wasn't quite what he had planned, but it would do.

Afterall, there was only a single type of person who could understand, sympathize with psychopaths. Sociopaths themselves.

His plan, even after being put on hold for a decade, was still running smoothly. Malcolm was still exhibiting emotional responses; guilt, remorse, and sadness.

It would only be a few more years until Martin fully purged those needless emotions from his dear boy. Death was something beautiful, it wasn't something to feel guilt over.

"But it's most certainly love." He tells Malcolm, his tongue poking out to lick his lips.

He doesn't get quite the full reaction he was hoping from his son, only a small flush and a shifting of his feet. Averting his gaze.

"Love? What are you talking about? You didn't kill us."

"Well, I'm not an annihalator. Love didn't drive me to kill anyone. No, it drove me to have you." That was a blatant lie. Malcolm's conception wasn't formed out of love.

It was formed out of lust, and the anger at being trapped with the woman he married. Of course, he wouldn't tell Malcolm this. Yet.

The boy finding out his parents marriage was little more than an act on his father's part would only damage his psych more than it already was.

His son looked disturbed. "I'm leaving." He turns to the door again, and once more falters in his steps. "And you're wrong. It's not always about who they love. It's about who loves them."

Standing in front of him, Malcolm's (Now grown) little boy looked so beaten, so broken down. His eyes staring into his father's soul.

Martin wanted to heal him. Wrap him in his arms and tell him how much he loved him. That he could never not love him.

While he thought this, Malcolm seemed to have a breakthrough. "This annihilator was consumed by his hatred for Aristos, but but Aristos didn't love them back..."

"What's that now?" Martin asks, eyebrows furrowing together as his son went on.

"Liam didn't care enough about his family to kill them. He wanted out. He-he even changed his name! Our killer wanted in." His face lights up, and even though he was doing police work at the moment, Martin was just as excited as him.

Invigorated at the passion in Malcolm's expression.

"Oh, that's good." He says, standing nodding as his boy went on, figuring out the case.

"That's why he made Aristos watch the others die! He was punishing him, taking the one thing that Aristos never gave him, a family."

Malcolm was practically bouncing in place, and Martin wanted to grab him by the shoulders and kiss the living daylights out of him.

"Oh, my goodness, are we solving the crime right now?" The doctor asks, unbelievably excited at the process he got to watch just barely 5 feet away from him.

[purplexflamingo]

Flying high above flapping it's wings was a black raven. Searching the range above for potential threats. It had been trained to do so.

Extending a finger, a small child awaited for his companion to land. Once it landed, the dark long haired child looked up at his temporary guardian to respond.

" Brynn has confirmed the passage is clear."

 Shifting the bird to his shoulder where it was soon to remain. The ginger male, Glaedwyn, that sat behind the child on his steed, seemed to almost ignore the child. As he had usually done. 

Elidor paying no mind to the human's plan to almost ignore him, not letting it discourage him. At the pace the horse had been, it was enough to sight see. Which the half-elven proceeded with.

Sensing something strange as the furthered down the path. Quickly pointing a wild horse that had fallen. Raising his voice he called out.

"Darth-, dár. See there....please, stop."

The youth often spoke in half Sindarin. Well aware Glaedwyn was not familiar with the tongue nor bothered to care- trying his best to refrain from it. To prevent a language barrier. Yet it just slipped naturally. It was to be expected.

Alarmed Glaedwyn did in fact commanded the horse to come to a halt. Before he knew it Elidor dropped right off onto his feet and Brynn flapped it's wings trying to stay on his shoulder.

" Elidor!"

Before Glaedwyn could even inquire what it was Elidor was too far to hear. Causing him to grumble in irritation, leaving the steed behind as he followed after. Shaking his head in the process. Looking after someone so young was not something he was used to. Recalling how he never really looked after his younger sibling.

Taking the moment to just stare at the child rushing to the poor creatures side. Someone so small striving to care for something so large.

Hands stroking the beast's neck in a soothing manner. Cautious not to stand directly behind the creature as they're known to kick. Examining the horse with his eyes he was quick to spot the wound that took it down. On the very front like was a gash, nearing it’s chest. 

 Glaedwyn made it close enough to observe the child tend to the horse's injury with no help required. Elidor sensed her hesitation when the human grew closer.

" She'll be alright....approach her with caution...she is afraid."

Almost amazed by the child's compassion. More than what he had at times. An issue he wish he could change. Scuffing his foot upon watching. It was still strange to him, being around Elidor. It was different. He was much like his sister, their level of care for creatures of all kind.

Though a pit in his stomach grew. It washed over him with disgust. Something he couldn't stand dealing with. Elidor began to softly speak to the wild horse in his native tongue. Before he knew it the four legged creature rose up on it's wobbly feet. Which brought a smile to the youth's face especially when the creature made eye contact with him. Reaching into his satchel, he with drawn an apple- one that Glaedwyn had given him earlier. Holding it outward with his palm flat. Curiously the horse began to slowly come near, sniffing the fruit. Then slowly taking a bite.

" Be careful on your journey."

Elidor soon bid farewell to the wild animal. Watching her trot onward away from them. Turning to meet the human behind him, looking upwards. Observing the man closely. Noting the darken circles and near exhausting he was in. Though he refrained from asking Glaedwyn how he felt. Their relationship was strange, Elidor knew and did not want to become some burden to him. 

 Walking past the human he began back to their horse. Brynn tilting it's head to look back toward Glaedwynn when he spoke.

" Where did you learn that?"

Stopping once hearing him ask, Elidor glanced back at him. It would've been rude to ignore. Being the obedient child he was. 

" Mother taught me."

" Of course she did, I should've known. I am impressed."

Soon he offered to help the youth on to the high horse. Which the young one was grateful for. Then proceeding to saddle up next. Continuing their journey it remained silent, Elidor even slept a small while. Leaving Glaedwyn alone with his thoughts.

Consumed by a feeling he kept fighting so often. It didn't feel right escorting a half-elven. It was against his own beliefs. Humans and elves should never come together in a way man and woman should. It happened in his family once and he refused to associate with them for many years. 

For his sister's sake, he did at least grow to respect Rilian. Over the years he had seemed to be more accepting, but now he felt himself in disbelief. Recalling meeting Elidor for the first time a few days ago.

---

A shadow appeared as Glaedwyn kept to him self away from the commotion, residing at the bottom of a stair case. Elidor sitting beside him, searching the human over. Curiosity getting them best of him. Recognizing the display of emotion he shown when Elidor was introduced moments before.

“ Did I upset you? I apologize if I did.”

For being so young this child spoke so well, better than most human children. The fact he understood so much and can pick up on minor things was amazing.

“ No, I apologize for leaving that way-- for what I said. It was rude of me...”

Pained to admit it, but he felt he owed the child one. Especially since he displays so much concern. His foul language could’ve scarred the child. Resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“ You’re forgiven.”

 Elidor would never understand what it was like to return to see your family continuing on without you. Growing, expanding, leaving him wondering they cared. It was a jumbled mess in his head. Feeling nearly lost in the mix. Well aware how there might be tension between Lord Elrond and himself. Yet Elidor extended his hand for a second chance. He never viewed him as lesser, he never viewed him as something evil. He viewed him as family. Guinevere expressing how he wanted to meet his uncle. Releasing a chuckle, he ruffled the young child���s head. Earning a gentle smile in return

“ Thank you.”

----

 Now being entrusted with his life-- willingly. Frightened him....

To be trusted after what he had done in the past out of sheer anger. No he refused to cause harm...he’s changed. Dark hues shifted down to look at the pale faced child. He promised to protect and return home safely.

Suddenly a few arrows spiraled past, spooking the horse throwing them off. The raven quickly took off sensing the horses distress. Glaedwyn tumbled back and Elidor met with the ground. Off the steed ran out of harms way, out of pure instinct. It took Glaedwyn a moment to come to, to realize what had occurred. How his body resonated with a bit of pain from the contact. Hearing the sounds of orcs rustling in the woods not too far off the trail. Looking around for the child.

 Elidor had rolled half way off the road. Rising to his feet he rushed over to the child, turning him over. At first unaware, an arrow had struck him in the shoulder. Panic ensued and his first thought was to put pressure on the wound. Ripping a cloth from his tunic and creating a makeshift bandage. Frantically looking around in case an enemy appeared why trying to get Elidor to come to. His eyes remained shut. Checking his pulse he was still alive, it was possible he may have hit his head on the fall.

Scooping him up into his arms he hustled down the trail as he heard footsteps. Brynn soaring after them and even more so ahead. Pressing further on until met with a group of elvish guards securing the boarder, further down the line. Noticing the male they lowered their weapons and shouted to another for aid when spotting the injured child. As Glaedwyn hollered showed them and hollered. 

Surrendering Elidor to another elf guard, as he felt himself slowly collapse- requiring aid himself. Eyes growing heavy as he met the faces of many elves, who were willing to help. Much to his very surprise. Blacking out from exhaustion.

-----

" You trusted him. He is unpredictable. This could've been the end for both of them."

 A strong voice tried to remain silent. Soon was accompanied by a softer one. In order to sooth the distress.  When it comes to kin some become more protective than others.

" He would've never meant him harm. It was reported he carried him on foot for sometime and he bandaged the wound on his own. I'll speak with him after he has rested. He’d never hurt him...."  

Hands descending to caress the others cheek. Aware how frightening the situation was especially when first addressed about it. While he held himself well she knew he was terrified. Something he would never come to express verbally, but in his actions she was able to tell. There was a whole level of understanding that didn't require words.

Feeling what he felt. Spending an hour sobbing at most herself once alone. Elrond harbored some sort of frustration in regards to Glaedwyn. As he had shown no signs of respect in the past. Needless to say Glaedwyn has shown the negative sides of corruption that humans fall victim to often.

" Is Glaedwyn here? Is he.....alright?"

Rising from the shadows, walking into the blue light that was cast through the pillars. Elidor stood there, perhaps happening upon hearing their voices. Hand hovering over his shoulder that had already begun to heal quickly.

He should've been resting, last checked he was asleep. Guinevere turned to him, lower herself to his level. Stroking his straight hair. As if to calm his thoughts.

" He is quite alright, dear. Do not trouble yourself. Go get rest--"

" May I see him?"