#bonus points if you figure out what bugs all of them are based on

[8bitsofcasper]

some characters for an idea for a cartoon i have about bugs that work at a pest control company

(individual drawings under the cut)

[pharaohbean]

Hey, saw your Prsk Unit Shuffle AU and am very interested in seeing more.

In particular, I'm interested in hearing more about how the groups formed. It's always neat to see how these characters first meet and interact under different circumstances. And, as a little bonus, maybe what their "Untitled"/theme song is, because I feel like that's a very key part of a unit's identity that tends to be overlooked.

(Not sure if you're still interested in asks about this AU. If not, sorry for bugging you about it)

GASP HELLO I LOVE TALKING ABOUT MY UNIT SHUFFLE AU im so sorry this too forever to get u back on!! schoolwork is a pain and then i went SHOPPING (which takes forever :sob:)

okok so i haven't really thought about all the details of how they get together? so bear with me this is a rough draft lol

SSS: the idea at the core of this group is that its a family with different strengths coming together to make music. so tsukasa is the scriptwriter, saki is the lyricist, toya is the choreographer, and kanade is the composer! the group is headed by tsukasa, who's actually been putting on these shows for all of them since he was a kid. as he got older, he started taking stardom more seriously (leading into canon), but an incident in middle school ended up with the tenmas legally adopting toya, so that definitely shook things up for tsukasa (in a good way!). so i think that (+ l/n not reforming, which does happen in the SSS main story) allowed tsukasa and saki to consider banding their strengths together, since tsukasa loved putting on shows and saki loved seeing them, but she would also help put them on for toya (and later kanade, when she joins them not long after toya does). the two of them very quickly realize that they need more hands, and although recruiting kanade as composer is easy (bc 25ji never forms- dont ask why im still figuring that out lol) toya is a lot harder bc he's still active under BAD DOGS with akito. however, with akito picking up AWR around the same time (+ hatsune freaking miku appearing to toya), toya does join under their choreographer as for their untitled, their song is Wonderland and the Sheep's Song by Hachi, but I worked out their line distributions to this lovely KYO cover! you can see my color-coded lyrics for them here if you're interested :)

R/l: im gonna be 100% honest with you SSS and AWR are the only ones with any semblance of a plot rn LOL but here's the base idea around R/l: mizuki and rui both congregate on the kami school rooftop bc, yknow, loners (mizuki is never reached out to by kanamafu, so not 25ji on their part. tsukasa doesnt end up applying for phoenix so wxs doesn't have a chance of forming). at some point, i imagine they got talking about music, but never did anything concrete. but not long into the main story (probably the very start) an also joins them, her dream of surpassing rad weekend getting weaker as she struggles to find a partner (koha will be explained later) so she goes to hang with her friend on the rooftop. at some point, mizu and an both accidentally enter sekai, where they meet miku and len. those two tell them that there's still two others they need to find because they also made the sekai. mizu and an get.... maybe a little too excited over this. an takes this chance to invite her friend haruka over to kami (so she transfers) and join the group, but in their search for their fourth member they end up accidentally alienating rui (ironic). they fix that tho-- although HOW i dont know lol their untitled was one i went back and forth on (tbh only SSS and AWR i didnt lol), but i eventually decided on Untitled Hymn by shaito! their color-coded lyrics are here (i just realized you can barely tell where an is in lines but ehhh)

ATD: okay so. ATD is the group thats given the most gosh-darn trouble. ive revised their cast motivations like, TWICE now. but basically it goes like this: shizuku and mafuyu are both members of the archery club, with mafuyu trusting shizuku so much that her public mask slips a couple of times (against her will). shizuku's not dumb, but she doesn't say anything bc i think she understands that mafu has her secrets. after shizuku quits being an idol (on more of her own terms), she still wants to find a way to share the light she had before that seemed to reach mafu a few times. enter: accidental sekai trip! this trip both gives shizu the idea for an online group (which could sorta count as MMJ but i think the big distinction is they do more streamer/vtuber stuff and less purely idol stuff?? im still working on that) and lets her see mafu with her mask fully off. eventually, shizu drags nene into the business (nene never attends kami here, workin on that) bc shizu and mafu have no idea how streaming works and nene does, but nene likes hiding behind the camera but is still a part of the group bc who can say no to shizu? and hona joins at shizu's request bc they're both beautification members (and apparently hona+mafu are both honors students so i wonder if they have some overlap?? can you tell ive never attended public school lol) their untitled gave me SO MUCH TROUBLE. because ATD is supposed to be a weird mix of 25ji and mmj? but all of their songs get swiped by either R/l, AWR, or even SSS, so it was hard to find something that i thought could be specifically them. eventually, i finally decided on Common World Domination by PinocchioP! Their color-coded lyrics can be found here :)

MxC: oh boy this one's a doozy. so the idea here is like... there are underground music rings? which sounds wild but like if music is vaguely the lifeblood of this world i DONT CARE it can happen! i don't wanna make it life-threatening tho so its more like... you get blacklisted from everything. which for shiho--who got sucked into this world in an attempt to find bandmates--is VERY BAD. but shiho's given a little bit to find a band before their first performance, but with l/n definitely gone their separate ways (and she never wanted to involve them in the first place) she's kinda stuck. enter: airi and ena! both of them had been watching the music battles, unsatisfied with their current lives (airi having just quit idol/tv work, ena just frustrated over her art), but airi knows shiho thru miya, and when she heard about shiho's impending doom, she resolved herself to very quickly learn guitar and join her group, roping ena (who has a little bit of drum experience from akito and mom) into it as well. meanwhile, while all of this is going on, kohane (being the sweet soul she is) has been trailing shiho out of concern, but then is entirely horrified at the underground battles bc shes still pre-canon meek. but she really wants to help shiho, so she agrees to try and learn keyboard. after clearing the first battle, shiho and her group are safe--for now. they'll have to clear a lot more battles if they want to escape the underground their untitled is Hello Builder by UtsuP since i wanted them to have harsher rock songs than l/n (bordering on metal-ish)! color-coded lyrics here :)

AWR: funny story--all of the above units were made in the order listed! so i got to AWR and... i have ichika, minori, emu, and akito. and im like "NONE OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE ANYTHING IN COMMON". and then i went. "WAIT. THATS IT!" so here's how AWR goes: ichika still tries to reform l/n, but fails; minori is still trying to become an idol; and emu is still trying to revive the wonder stage. all three of them, all attending miya ofc, end up bonding over this and they start thinking. is there a way to satisfy all three of their dreams (band, idol, and show) at once? and at FIRST the answer is "no lol" so they go exploring. and somehow someway (workin on that) word finds out about this and some guy on vivid street dares akito to try and fix em into shape in a week. akito--being akito--accepts quite hotheadedly, then quickly realizes that maybe this wasnt a good idea?? because EVERYONE has a different music taste and its almost impossible to keep up with them all!!! but eventually they do figure it all out, and by the end none of them wanted to split apart or anything. AWR is i think the group that has the least amount of direction which might be on purpose. i think (again im rambling rn so) part of their story is figuring out what their direction is going to be! their untitled is Lip Sync by DECO*27, written as a part of holo*27 (hi no im not rlly into vtubers i just like their music) but i count it bc its written by a voca producer and this would not be the first time a non-vocaloid sung a unit song (cough cough mafumafu and tuyu). you CAN find my color-coded lyrics here.... but i did the translations. which means they're pretty much 98% google translated then bonked around to make sense. i dont know japanese please dont sue me

i hope you enjoy my indepth explanation!!! im always happy to talk about these guys :D

[saltprince]

Do you have a favorite Sandalphon unit? Or does it depend on the job you want him to do?

I need you to know I got this ask late at night and spent like 2 hours figuring out how to answer this before deciding I should go to bed instead of looking like the conspiracy theorist with a wall of print-outs and red threads at 4AM

Talking about favorite characters or units is. Genuinely so hard because I throw myself into a massive rabbit hole. Does it depend on the fight? The lore? The art? Fate episodes? Voice lines? Skills? Full auto? Release? Utility? Synergy? Meta? I'm 100% insane for this but there are too many things to consider here--

Short answer: All of them. Don't make me choose. For as much as I lean into meta there is one man who will make me go monkey regardless of meta. Job doesn't matter when I'll GIVE him a job to do. Though it is easier when his kit is either versatile/specialized or good for full auto/hard content. Either ones of those I'll make work in a heartbeat.

Long and unhinged answer under the cut.

Light Sandalphon (Event): The OG. The reason I went insane. Did you know he's actually surprisingly usable especially after his rebalance? Hit kit is fun but slightly outdated, symbolic of who he was and grew to be. This one gets bonus points for the lore (every uncap art shows a part of his joruney) and the voice lines, as you can have him be a rat for this one still. Base art and final uncap art go hard. First ringed character.

Light Sandalphon (Grand): A followup to his event SSR tbh. I get what they're going for in terms of art but it looks too soft compared to his other alts, which bothers me. It does look like a painting which fits the vibe of his lore. Voice lines sound slightly off to me, but I'm insane for this when the content itself is delicious. Kit is strong and satisfying, building on what his event ssr has except modern and miles better. Damage numbers are fun as hell. Can be slotted in the front but is always solid even in the back, which I'm eternally grateful for. Only cost me half a spark, which is nice of him.

Earth Sandalphon (Grand): A+ lore. Absolute rat. Insane voice lines. Love how unhinged he is. Cygames was insane for giving him to us in the end. Extremely usable for off-element raids, but not that great outside of that. He was on my gold brick farming team for a good while. Not so much fan of the posing for these arts. Does come with his ratty OG dialogue arts, which is a bonus. Base art is nice. He may be evil but he also only cost me half a spark.

Water Sandalphon (Summer): I went insane for him on release. Love his outfit, but didn't like the posing for this. The bonus art I love but looks too blue next to the rest of the team, which bugs me. Still great piece though. Voice lines are fine. Kit... actually kept me from using him. I used him at first and designed around him, but his kit is not great on full auto, since his buff skill isn't supposed to activate first. Thinking about it I'm going to bring him back now out of spite. If I can click Fediel's field, I can also click his sk1. Fun fact about this one: I had to wait a full year to get him because initially i only had 290/300 spark rolls. Next year he came home in 10 rolls. So technically a full spark over 1 year. I spent the remaining spark on summer Lucio to spite him for doing this to me. Have hardly used Lucio ever since then.

Wind Sandalphon (Valentine): Quite possibly my favorite outfit for him, he looks comfy and the style and colors remind me of the Eternals, which is a huge plus. Kit has a bit of everything, it's not as stacked as his Light Grand but in turn has major support options. He's on my endgame team for super ultimate bahamut. I find that he usually offers at least some things I need, so I make a point of building around him to utilize his full kit. Voice lines are fine, though I miss his bratty attitude. I think this one has a nice balance. Like his water ssr, he talks about coffee... and treats that pair well with coffee, and coffee breaks, which I appreciate a lot. He's nerding on main. Does great on full auto as well, since he helps keep the team alive. Got him right before the spark was done, and had a spark prepared specifically for him in case he would get a Valentine's alt.

I think this version of him his my current favorite, though his event ssr and earth ssr are close for their voice lines and lore alone.

[salt-volk]

since I’ve seen a few folks here mention it, I figured I might as well toss my two cents into this ring. (bonus: I don’t have to mince words quite as much here, haha.)

I don’t think the custom raffle was a scam. I don’t think that’s a wise or logical conclusion to jump to, given what we know. It just doesn’t make sense for the devs to shoot themselves in the foot so blatantly, for so little return.

1) making more customs does not negatively impact DV’s bottom line; in fact, it bolsters it.

If making customs cost anji more than just time, I’m sure the whole Irin situation would’ve been handled very differently. In fact, one of my suspicions as to why the bugged makers were not immediately rescinded (perhaps a bit conspiratory in and of itself) is that more customs = more money for DV. The more individual customs there are on-site, especially public customs, the more mirrors people will need to buy. There would be no benefit to going back on two (2) custom makers, especially when upwards of a dozen (iirc?) were previously given out at once. (I think there were obviously other factors to the irin situation, too - it would take an immense amount of time to go through logs/determine makers spun legitimately and those spun by people who knew of the exploit, they thought it would make people angrier to revoke the makers, maybe it was just sheer incompetence, etc.) Anyhow, point is: there is no reason for the devs to withhold the custom makers they promised. It’s better for them if they’re distributed.

2) As absolutely fucking stupid as a lot of the devs’ decisions are, I really don’t think they’re this stupid.

With DV, there’s a reasonable level of fumbling and bullshit to be expected with pretty much anything that comes out. This surpasses it. I mean, DV’s reputation is in the mud already in pretty much every circle I’ve seen. It’s a small miracle we get new users (even if 90% of them leave in a month, lmao.) Running a raffle that specifically asks people to advertise DV on social media, then expecting them not to tell everyone about a piece of drama this juicy, is… wishful thinking, at best. I truly don’t see staff sabotaging themselves this blatantly.

3) there are more reasonable explanations for the lack of raffle results, ones that are based on the devs’ past actions and are much simpler conclusions to reach.

Occam’s razor and all that. Staff has a history of both not knowing how to do very basic things for a petsite (I mean, they can’t get their own goddamn droprate straight enough to release. doesn’t get much worse than that) and also just… not communicating anything, ever, without the userbase begging and pleading for even a crumb. Either explanation makes much more sense than some tinfoil hat “it was all a lie for free advertising!!!!1!1” nonsense. Hell, you could even combine the two and get a pretty reasonable solution.

So, that in mind, there are three possibilities as to why there’s been no word on the custom winners.

A) The winners haven’t been drawn because staff either hasn’t finished compiling the data, or they can’t figure out how to select a winner. I think the main evidence is the sheer length of the custom entry thread on-site. They’ve run giveaways on social media before, and smaller raffles for events, but I don’t think they’ve done anything that was 1) both at once and 2) this large in scale. Capes were distributed gradually as people posted in the thread, so it would be logical to assume that entries were compiled as the thread grew, but I wouldn’t be shocked if the most crucial step was saved until the very end. Additionally, they could be short-handed due to finals or holidays, Anji could’ve insisted on doing this alone, etc.

B) The winners have been drawn and contacted, but staff has not communicated this at all. I’m somewhat less keen to believe this (though perhaps that’s wishful thinking on my part, haha) because surely at least one of them would have said something? The only reason I can think of is that either both winners are hardly active/hermits/wish to remain anonymous, or winners were asked not to reveal the fact that they won. I really can’t say how likely either option is.

C) it’s a lovely cocktail of both explanations. Winners haven’t been drawn, and staff won’t communicate because this kind of delay makes them look incompetent. I think this is the most likely option. I mean, there are threads on-site addressing this very issue. Surely, if the winners had been drawn, either the winners or the staff would step in to clear things up?

In short, take off your tinfoil hats. I think this entire situation is another example of the incompetence and ineffective/nonexistent communication that has plagued DV since its inception. Just another goddamn Tuesday on the most poorly conceived petsite this side of the 2010s. That said, I think we should keep posting about this on-site; historically, raising a ruckus and posting a few conspiracy theories has forced staff to post some kind of response in the past. It sucks that we have to force their hand for basic communication, but… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

To any staff involved with the raffle who might skim this blog and come across this: for the love of god, just say something on the matter. The only reason speculation spirals this far into the land of conspiracy is because you let it. We have nothing to go on, ever, because you refuse to give it. It’s infuriating to watch because I want to have faith that y’all have morals and half a braincell but you make it so fucking difficult. Even typing this out, I caught myself thinking, “but what if.” Your userbase’s lack of faith in you speaks the volumes that pretty art and cute npcs could never fill.

.

[bobgoesw00t]

Top 10 Video Games of All Time: bobgoesw00t Edition

OK, I’m officially gonna start listing my Top 10 Video Games of All Time now and I’m starting off with the only game from my original Top 5 that has survived the cut: Star Ocean Till the End of Time

Now I should mention something real quickly and it’s the following: I’ve played this game MULTIPLE TIMES, cleared the story at least 3-4 times, and only one of those clears was done without the use of an Action Replay… I know that’s rather sad but the first time I got to the Moon Base, without using it, that god damn Reclaimer FUCKED ME UP SO HARD that I ended up resorting to using the, “Max EXP” cheat on the entire party.

When they released the HD Remaster of the game on the PS4, I knew that I would have to play smarter (no Action Replay will do that to you), once I got that far and I was actually able to beat her on the first try somehow…I think. ANYWAYS, what I’m trying to say is that this game is one of my three favorite JRPGs from the PS2 (one of those is in my Top 5 right now) and no matter how many times I boot the game up and start from the beginning I have a blast. The story is awesome, the graphics hold up surprisingly well in the HD Remaster (at least IMO), combat is fun and challenging at times, and the cast of characters is phenomenal (hell, my top Star Ocean OTP is from this game and they are SO CUTE AND FLUFFY AO;SDGHASOLGJAPO;STGIJLAGPO…it’s Fayt x Albel/FayBel in case your wondering). I even think the big plot twist is awesome, given how it re-frames the ENTIRE series, even with the games that got released after it. I know one of the people who work on the series said that The Last Hope takes place in an alternate timeline, but I call bullshit on that.

That’s cause if we factor in the information that the Universe as Edge and the party know it is actually a giant MMOesque creation, we can come to the logical conclusion that the Missing Procedure is a bug or virus of some kind in the Eternal Sphere that had the potential to crash the entire system. As for the impact it has on Integrity and Faithlessness, along with The Divine Force, that is a conversation for another day.

I also like how in order to get enough Battle Trophies to unlock all of the bonus content, you actually have to play through the story multiple times with different party configurations when it comes to the optional characters. You’ve got Nel, Rodger, Albel and Peppita and which ever characters you don’t pick end up becoming bosses in the Urssa Cave Temple, and you get Battle Trophies for defeating the different configurations.

I only really have two complaints to talk about but both are pretty minor for me. The first one is the lack of a “Synopsis” section in the Info part of the Camp Menu, someplace where you can look up what’s happened so far and easily figure out where to go next. If you’re like me and you’ve taken a long break from the story, chances are you won’t remember what the current objective is the only way to figure that out is to run around like a chicken with your head cut off hoping for a cutscene to trigger…which sometimes can lead into a Boss Fight that you might be under prepared for. Thankfully they added that into the next game and this is no longer an issue but it’s still a pain in the ass to have this happen.

The other complaint is the MASSIVE difficulty spike at some points in the game. The only places I can think of when this happens is when you stop the Vendeeni from getting the Sacred Orb, the start of the second disc (or the equivilant part in the HD Remaster), and when you reach a certain level in the post-game part of Sphere 211. If you have any party members that are under-leveled, the enemies here will FUCK THEM UP. But even with properly leveled characters, one wrong move will wipe them from the battle.

And that’s all I have for gripes with this game, nothing really game breaking, and once you get a grip on the tougher enemies in the main story, it becomes a breeze to get past them and move on with the plot. Great gameplay, good cast of characters, music by the BADASS Motoi Sakuraba and a theme song from the Japanese Artist renown not just for being the first J-R&B star, but also sung the Japanese National Anthem at the Tokyo Games Opening Ceremony, MISIA. Her song, “A Little Bird Who Forgot How to Fly” is GORGEOUS and I almost ball my eyes out during the ending credits every time when it starts playing.

SO for my score of Star Ocean Till the End of Time, I’m going to follow in the steps of X-Play, use their scoring system and give this JRPG a 5/5.

Lastly for my Honorable Mentions today, I’m highlighting:

Forza Horizon 3 - the racing game that got my into not only the Forza franchise in general, but also introduced me to the music of CHVRCHΞS. Even the the next Horizon game wasn’t able to top this one for me, no matter how good it was.

Tales of Xillia/Xillia 2 - I’m doing a two for one deal this time only cause I feel like you can’t talk about one game without mentioning the other. Both games are awesome, both have their merits and flaws (not many of them to be honest though) and both have my favorite theme songs in the franchise from the Queen of J-Pop, Ayumi Hamasaki.

I’ll be giving more a in-depth reviews of these games sometime next year so that’s all for today! Keep your eyes peeled for when I post the next entry in this series and I hope you all continue to have a wonderful holiday season.

[artobotsrollout]

Transformers: Harbingers

The Pirate Scream AU

Before I talk about it you guys are the best thank you for indulging me and my AU from this post xjdjd. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

@badlydrawntransformers @cosmic0de @warrioroffandoms @measlyfurball13 And a bonus thank you to those encouraging me in the tags as well ❤️

I plan to do art for it as well as accompanying written bits and maybe even an animatic but till then have some general info under the cut.

Also there is transformers: Prime spoilers below so open at your own risk.

TRANSFORMERS: HARBINGERS

So this AU comes from the same place many AUs heavily involving TfP Starscream come from: the unfulfilled potential in our boy Scream. Now deeper discussion of that is not gonna be in this post. It'd be a whole essay.

It also comes from just how salty I was that the Team's kindness never really benefitted them much and they kept getting slapped for it. And OP really wanted to win over a con and Starscream kept wanting a partner. ALSO ALSO Optimus was portrayed as keeping his emotions in check and then never really gets a message that it's okay to be emotional so... I'm doing that here.

And the Starscream Pirate AU was born...

Aka Transformers: Harbingers (maybe idk if it's catchy enough djjsw)

Why Harbingers? ''It's just a SHIP Starscream chills in for awhile in the show' ' I hear you say. WELL HANG ON!! I got two very good reasons!! .

First off: Starscream, with the help of some Cybertronians who he wins over one way or another (Ill get to that), help him essentially use the remains of the Harbinger to put together their own functional ship. It's smaller than the Nemesis and will take some pirate ship inspiration. While it is a hardy beast it's a bit jury rigged.

Second of all:

Imagine being a fictional character living in a ship with a name that basically means 'Foreshadowed bringer of change' and then going back to Megatron and his bullshit. I'm gonna grab this and run all the way with it. Highway to Hell just came on my Spotify so... That may be an omen.

---------

NOW LISTEN

I feel like Starscream and Optimus could really have had such an interesting dynamic but we never really got to see that in TfP and I feel cheated. Also both could have mutually benefitted a great deal.

So what do I do? I shove them together to be sorta begrudging Co-Captains. As a result there's a lot of shenanigans to be had!

How this happens OP has some run ins with cons and, through a way I'm still deciding, has the opportunity to extend a hand to Starscream. Starscream, being kindness starved, doesn't entirely know what to do about Optimus being nice to him one whole time with no sarcasm or ulterior motive and sorta starts trying to get his attention.

Starscream and his crew are a bit of their own team at this point. MEANING sort of new LOGOS!

I'm yoinking the crossed out Decepticon logo from the Dark Energon Starscream and Dark Energon Knockout toys cause I mean... It's right there and also kinda like a skull and crossbones. It fits too well guys.

Starscream essentially manages to win over the autobots enough so they can sorta make a mutually beneficial, if strained, alliance to aid their aligned goal: killing Megatron and revitalizing cyberton. This is aided by some slight changes to the plot of course. It's also a benefit, much to Ratchet's delight, since they finally get some cybertronian tech to work with.

And so they gotta work together to take Megatron out and there's much bonding moments esp later when the autobot base is destroyed. Starscream extends his hand to them and offers them a more permanent position onboard. (rubbing in how unfortunate their situation is and how this is such a big favour but he's paying Optimus back.)

And insert team dynamic stuff!! Like cons teaming up with Bots, Starscream and Optimus trying to stick with it leading their own teams but keep accidently backseat-leadering one another. I will write some other ex-con and bot dynamics cause there's a lot of chaos to be had.

Optimus doesn't open up to his crew for morale sake and masks his emotions well, and Starscream is... well Starscream is Starscream so he masks what he truly feels a lot and doesn't share a lot of personal stuff besides complaints with his team either. So there's a lot of tension.... That is until Starscream has had it at just how good a poker face Prime has.

Because he's absolutely paranoid got a harmless curiosity about Optimus's ulterior motives and wants potential dirty secrets he can use as blackmail to have power over the Prime, he essentially puts cybertronian booze (but kid friendly version of course fbejek) in Optimus's energon heavily expecting him to spill the beans when heavily drunk. What he doesn't expect is that Optimus is just... LIKE THAT to his core. He's smart but very sad and guilty. And maybe a bit weepy and exhausted cause this man has not shown an emotion for eons now. /s. Starscream doesn't know wtf to do but swayed by how earnest Optimus is he sorta softens up and does open up. Might have helped that he took a swig of the tainted energon to get on his level though. But it also helps that neither is the others subordinate so they don't need to maintain their image as badly with the Co-captain as they do their team.

The ex cons sorta accidently absorb some of the autobot's morals over time. The cons help the autobots have some fun. There's a lot of stuff learned both ways. Also the cons realize how cool humans can be and after a lot of argument and forced time spent with the kids, they want to protect earth too.

Starscream, helps Optimus open up a bit more and allow himself to be emotional. He also shows him how to be a little selfish. Optimus in turn helps him with self confidence and making friends. Both help each other with the shit Megatron put em both through and overall boost one another up. (This also does change the start of the war a bit but I'll get to that in another post.)

Miko tries to fight all of the cons at first but quickly changes her tune cause "BOOYAH PIRATE CONS!!"

Other bits about this AU:

Starscream will eventually get a slight design change. It'll be less scrappy and look more confident and put together. It'll be minor

Because they are on a flying ship but have less energon than the Nemesis, everyone gets equipped with mods for flight. There is a jetpack upgrade one can get or Knockout can straight up help change their alt mode surgically.

I'm working up a list of who gets what flight mod but... Ya'll should know that Wheeljack dares Knockout to make him into a flying car. Largely cause I just got the image of Wheeljack flying above vehicons and just turning into a car and dropping on them. That and driving up the side of the Nemesis and confusing the fuck out of Megatron. Out of all the characters you know that would be a Wheeljack thing.

Arcee and Knockout grieve together.

Knockout loves bugging the hell out of Ratchet. It's extra fun for him cause Ratchet often can't do shit about it since they both need the room and tools.

Knockout and Wheeljack become an insufferable duo with the nicknames they have for everyone.

Wheeljack won't leave Starscream alone and keeps coming up with worse and worse nicknames like he did with Ratchet.

Starscream and Ratchet become complaining buddies.

STARSCREAM'S SEEKER SQUAD REJOINS. Well some of them. Skywarp, Thundercracker and maybe other peeps.

Miko manages to befriend Skywarp and Bulkhead now has to watch both Miko AND Skywarp. Wheeljack refuses to help Bulkhead round them up.

Raf hits it off with Thundercracker.

Knockout: "FINALLY a team with fragging MANNERS!"

Instead of Beeftimus Prime from the forge, Optimus actually gets access to a third alt mode and.. Idk something else primely. So he actually gets wings.

Starscream and the other fliers are greatly amused because Optimus, as great as he is at his poker face most of the time, hasn't yet figured out how to not emote with the pair of wings he gets from the forge. Thundercracker is the one who eventually informs him while the rest of the crew are booing loudly in the background.

I actually do have designs of TFP Skywarp, Thundercracker, and Ironhide in the works.

Fowler and Starscream have insult battles. Oddly both grow a weird almost fondness for these verbal sparring sessions

They frequently raid the Nemesis

Miko keeps talking in a pirate voice. Smokescreen has joined her.

AND A LOT OF OTHER STUFF I'LL GET INTO WITH MORE DETAIL AND ART. I'll also talk more in depth about some of these things that isn't a ramble like this post is. xnwjskw.

Feel free to ask about anything you're curious about.

[fortisfiliae]

Promised Part 11 - Tom Riddle x reader

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Masterpost | Masterlist

Summary: In this story, Tom didn’t grow up as an orphan, but with his grandfather and uncle. Reader’s sister got very sick and the Gaunts offer their help. But not without asking for something in return.

Disclaimer: Please be aware that I don’t condone any of this in real life. (GIF is not mine)

Warnings: Arranged marriage, an unholy amount of fluff

Word count: 2.5k

A/n: This chapter is written partially from Tom’s POV and the reader will be addressed in third person. The POV shift starts in the second half, after the divider, just so you know :)

Part 11 - The Earth’s Centre

Starting to brew the antidote for Mors Grano happened to be easier than you had anticipated. The potion’s base was quite similar to any other healing draught, and so was its production. You had decided to begin the laborious process, even though the Banshee tears were missing. According to the recipe, they were the last ingredient to be added, so you still had a lot of time to find them, even if you still didn’t quite know how.

For the first few weeks, there was nothing more to do than letting the Moondew cook and stir it frequently. The cauldron stood in Tom’s room, its content simmering steadily, ready to be examined at any given moment by one of you. 

Professor Beery had denied you the bonus points for the N.E.W.T.s after you had told him that the Moly had unfortunately died. Those points were the least of your problems, however.

The plant had, in fact, bloomed beautifully, ready to be added to the potion.

And that was when the difficulties began. As soon as you let the blossoms fall into the cauldron, the potion started to smell. Very strongly. The mixture reacted in a way that wasn’t described in the book and started to produce yellow steam, as well as a sour, headache-inducing scent, which reached beyond the walls of Tom’s room. The fume filled up every last inch of his dorm and even seemed to creep out into the Slytherin common room. Other students had started mentioning the weird smell and even Dippet, who had paid Tom a number of unfortunate surprise visits, started to get suspicious.

You had sent your parents an owl to inform them that you wouldn’t come home during your semester break. They weren’t exactly happy about it; you had never stayed at Hogwarts during the holidays after all. But you had insisted, telling them there was so much studying to do until they finally let go. That wasn’t even a lie. There was a bunch of work to do. Granted, not all of it was related to school, but you still had a lot on your plate. 

Tom stayed in Hogwarts for the week as well. You weren’t sure but highly doubted that he had notified his own family about it. And to be fair, they wouldn’t really care about that, would they?

Even though the school was practically empty and only a mere fraction of students stayed along with you, those who did stay complained about the biting smell in all of Slytherin’s dormitories. On Sunday evening you heard that the housekeeper had been sent to seek out the source and Tom was informed that Mr Carpe would start his search the next morning.

So there you were, worrying about what to do, stirring the cauldron for the twentieth time within the last minutes, hoping it would steam less, the more you whisked through it. No matter how hard you concentrated, how many options you took into account, there was nowhere you could possibly drag the cauldron to, where its scent would go unnoticed. 

The Potions classroom was off-limits, even though it was much better equipped for the fumes. Slughorn would spend a lot of his time there, to prepare tasks for the upcoming semester. You had even considered taking it home and telling your parents about it. But using the Floo-Network with an item this heavy wasn’t possible, and taking the train with a simmering cauldron seemed ridiculous. Besides that, the antidote still took months to finish, so you would have to take it back to Hogwarts a week later anyway.

Hell, you had even thought about taking that damned kettle out onto the Quidditch pitch or into the forest, so no one would smell it anymore. But you couldn’t leave it out in the open, of course.

The moment you had given up all hope and realised that you couldn’t go on brewing the potion in Tom’s room, or anywhere else, he had told you about another possibility. There was this room on the seventh floor he had discovered in fifth grade. He called it the Come and Go Room and he was positive that no one besides him, not even the teachers, knew of its existence. The room must have been enchanted, according to Tom, and only appeared when you were in dire need.

So the two of you went there the same night, in a cloak and dagger operation, levitating the cauldron behind you. You had covered it with a white sheet so that if someone saw you, they at least wouldn’t know initially what you were doing. The disguise was weak and you knew if Dippet or any other teacher would spot you, you would be screwed.

Luckily none of them was there when you rushed through the halls, aside from Warren O’Connor, a Ravenclaw fifth year, who patrolled on a corridor next to their tower. He was too far away to detect the poorly hidden cauldron and didn’t even seem to look at you after he had recognised Tom. 

When you had finally arrived, chest heaving, thoughts rushing from relief and tension, Tom instructed you how to summon the Come and Go Room. You walked past the stone wall three times and imagined, very carefully, what you needed. An airtight room that allowed you to keep on brewing your potion in peace, that no one would be able to find unless you wanted them to. Suddenly, a door appeared. You looked at Tom and he nodded before you took the handle and opened it.

The small room behind the door was, simply put, perfect. Your very own Potions laboratory. Dark and nifty, it offered enough little cabinets to store all the ingredients for the antidote, as well as a worktop to put the cauldron on. Everything looked as if it had been custom made, just for this purpose. Which it was, you had just created it all yourself. 

Now that the cauldron was in a safe place Tom felt more at ease and actually thought that the semester break could turn out to be enjoyable. Why did that relax him, though? A question he had asked himself more than once. He didn’t have to care, nor did he have to help his fiancée to save her sister. Then why had he done it? 

He didn’t have a logical answer to that question, even though the illogical one seemed to wave at him from the back of his head. He shrugged it off. But there were so many questions of the same kind running through his mind. Why did he care? He had never cared before. For anyone. That girl wouldn’t bring him where he wanted to be just by marrying him. Sure, her family was respected. Of course, they were purebloods, which was why his Grandfather had taken notice of them. But it had never been Tom’s wish to marry her. So why didn’t he mind the thought anymore? The idea of seeing her walking down the aisle had repelled him immensely when he had found out what Marvolo’s plan had been. And now it didn’t. He had gotten used to the idea. It even bugged him to think about the fact that the marriage wouldn’t happen by chance if the antidote was finished soon enough. Then why did he help her?

There was something inside of him, something that he couldn’t just pinpoint yet. Something that made him do the things he had done, even when it had gone against his own benefit. Something that made him care less and less about himself. It must have turned all of his morals upside down, because somehow, and he couldn’t explain why, the most important thing was seeing her happy. He didn’t even know when his priorities had changed. When he had stopped putting himself first. But it had happened. And that irritated him beyond belief.

She had been so easy to dislike. Back then, when they were sitting in her dining room alone. When she had stared at him, eagerly waiting for him to feel sorry for her. So conceited. Desperate for his attention. But then again, she had been so easy to like. When had he started giving in? At first, he had been nothing more than disgusted. Appalled of the uproar that had gone on inside his head. That nasty feeling in his chest and his weak knees. But once he had surrendered, it had begun to feel good.

All he wanted - no - all he needed now, was to make sure she was safe. Protect her. Help her. That wasn’t just an act of kindness though. He had figured out that apparently, he mirrored her emotions. When she was pleased, he was too. When she was angry, he couldn’t help but feel furious as well. When she was sad, his chest stung with her. It felt like a purpose. Like she was the earth’s centre and everyone else, even himself, merely spun around her. She had his full attention now and he didn’t plan on taking it from her anytime soon. 

If someone were to ask him why, he wouldn’t even know where to begin. How does one describe the meaning of everything? He could start with her glow. That devotion she seemed to radiate anywhere she was. Her relentless spirit and how ready she was to combat anyone with it. How tender she was with people that deserved it. And how ruthless she could be with the ones who didn’t. The way she moved in her sleep, slowly and gently, turning over and unknowingly stealing his blanket at least twice a night. The way her chest moved up and down when she lay next to him. How her eyes seemed to light up when she awoke and looked at him. The hours he had watched her. Held her. Felt her skin brushing against his own, just like in this moment. How could anyone experience that and not have the urge to keep it? To freeze those moments in time and lock them up, safely, for nobody to see. 

Tom wasn’t sure if she was aware of how nervous she made him. He knew how to hide it, but was ever so annoyed at how much he depended on being close to her. And he usually wasn’t the one to become jittery. That was the response he normally got. Freda Morris, for example, couldn’t seem to think straight when he had taken her out once, during their sixth year. Merlin’s beard, that lass was nerve wrenching. 

Quite contrary to her. No one had ever done that to him. She had crawled under his skin and into his head, drugging his mind until almost every single thought he produced revolved around her. But he knew his place. She hadn’t befuddled him just to make him her pawn. He knew because that was what his family had done ever since he could remember. She had never done him wrong. Maybe that was why he had helped her. And why he was willing to do anything for her, even if it meant for him to suffer. He was the antagonist in their story. And if he was poison, she was the remedy. If he was the villain, she was the treasure worth saving. 

Tom’s pitiful monologue was interrupted when she woke up, opened her eyes and looked at him.

“Morning,” she said quietly and smiled.

He looked at her for a moment. If only she knew. 

“Morning,” he replied.

She stretched her arms in the air and yawned, then turned towards him and ran her fingers along his jawline. Bliss.

“How long have you been awake?” she asked, staring at the stubble on his chin that her thumb had just touched.

“Not long,” he lied. “Just a few minutes.”

She grinned and placed a kiss onto the left end of his lips. “I have to get up and stir the potion. Care to join me?”

“Sure,” he nodded.

“Good. Oh, and I think I’m going to go to Diagon Alley in the afternoon. To buy the Foxgloves. I have to add them next week.”

“I’ll come.”

She exhaled and pulled him in, nuzzling into his neck. 

“Do you think we should go to Knockturn Alley as well?” she asked, her voice muffled. “While we’re there. I want to see if any store offers Banshee tears.”

“I don’t think they do,” Tom said and she lifted her head to look at him.

“But where else then?”

“I think I know where we could get some.”

She nodded, urging him to tell her.

“Well, I’m sure Morfin owns a flask. He had to get it if he wanted to brew the antidote, didn’t he?”

“But if they never planned on curing Elsie entirely, I don’t think he would have gotten them.”

“Marvolo never planned on curing her,” Tom said. “Morfin did. He’s a Potions master. One that doesn’t care about legality. He knows every last person that deals with ingredients like that. Even if he never intended to free her, I’m sure he got them just in case he ever needed them for himself.”

Her eyes roamed his face while she thought about it. “So what can we do now? Go to your house, search his chamber and steal the flask?”

Tom shook his head. “That won’t be as easy. They’re always home, Marvolo has his eyes everywhere. Even the house-elves would alarm him.”

She frowned, brows furrowed while she lightly tugged on his hair.

“They’ll be gone,” Tom went on. “In late March. The Order of Merlin gets honoured and they are both invited. We could go then and try to find it.”

There it was again. That spark in her eyes. 

“Okay,” she answered. “Let’s do it then. But for now, let’s stay in bed for five more minutes.”

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Masterpost | Masterlist

Oop, hope you didn’t throw up from all that fluff. Please consider leaving a comment and tell me what you think so far :) They motivate me so much to keep writing! Let me know if you want to be tagged, or untagged. Thank you for reading!

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[vg-sanctuary]

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

Moonsprout Games - Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - 2019

I don't like the core gameplay of 99% of all RPGs, but the ones I do like have been some of my favorite games I've ever played. case in point, Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling, a modern interpretation of the classic Paper Mario formula and an ideal example of indie developers adding to the legacy of a cult classic. its main feature is turn-based combat with action commands, like old Paper Mario or the Mario & Luigi series, and strategy in its intentional design and small health and damage numbers that goes way beyond "spam damage and heal every third turn, use mana items as needed". (in case you want to be 100% blind for your playthrough, past the Keep Reading link are some very minor spoilers: an item a specific cook can make after a side quest, some basic enemies, environments that are about halfway through the game, and the names of some medals.)

“wow, vg-sanctuary posting about a game that's not even two years old at time of writing? and it's an RPG? are you not a retro/legacy blog anymore? who are you and what have you done with the writer?” I still am a retro/legacy blog, mostly, just this time I thought I'd share something that its developers still get money from, and whose developers aren't mega corporations. and I just beat it, enjoyed it, and really felt like writing about it because it still doesn't have the popularity it deserves even after that puppet guy on YouTube talked about it. not that this post is going to reach any significant number of people, but still. I'll write about some more indie games sometime in the future. (and indeed I am writing about another RPG and you better believe it has a lot to talk about.)

anyway, Bug Fables starts with a brash little bee called Vi and a polite and honorable beetle named Kabbu wandering into an explorer's guild and not having a partner to join the guild with. they reluctantly decide they're going to fight together because companionship is a requirement for this guild, foiling off each other and sometimes off their third friend Leif, a blue moth they find in a cave, for the whole game. every character has a distinct personality and all the party members get some valuable character development through a side quest, which I really liked, but I'm no connoisseur of RPG stories. while I'm on story, people that come here looking for a well-made world will get what they want from the many optional lore books hidden around the world.

the plot becomes more complex and compelling as the game continues, though it generally lets gameplay take the spotlight. which is great, because the gameplay is also mostly great. about a third of it is doing puzzles on the overworld using the abilities of each character to move forward a la the Mario & Luigi series. they generally make use of whatever your newest overworld ability is, and some areas early on have inaccessible things you have to come back to, sort of like a Metroidvania except it isn't required to do this for progression. some puzzles take longer they could because they involve using Kabbu's horn to repeatedly fling an ice block many times over a distance. it's never egregious, but it could have been faster if the guy would use his arms. this is a minor caveat and not a majority of the game.

a lot of people probably don't know how the combat for this or Paper Mario works, and it's really important to Bug Fables, so I'll explain that here. it's turn based, which is typical, but basic attacks and skills need you to time a button press to do as much damage as possible. you can also time a button press when an enemy attacks to take less damage. Paper Mario and Bug Fables also both have medals instead of other equipment that give characters higher max HP or a new skill, for example. you have limited medal points and stronger medals require more points.

this is going to sound like a lot, but any RPG's combat will sound like a lot if you try to detail it in a single paragraph. the game introduces these things slower than I am here. in Bug Fables specifically, the character standing in the front of the group does one extra damage but is more likely to be attacked, and you can pass turns from one character to another in exchange for that character dealing one less damage (which is a lot because basic attacks only deal two damage by default). certain enemies can only be hit by certain attacks; some enemies fly, so Kabbu can't hit them until Vi knocks them down with her beemerang. not a typo, beemerang. and many of Bug Fables' status effects have upsides -- being paralyzed reduces damage taken everything by one, poison has many medals that make it a good thing, and being asleep heals the sleeping character every turn. there are others that are straight up bad things, though, and usually don't come until later. all of this adds up to even small encounters having strategic depth, which is great, and if you don't feel like small encounters you can just avoid them. skills that would typically be relegated to one character, like healing and support skills all going to one, are instead split between party members to make decisions more difficult in a good way. there's also a lovely medal that instantly kills any enemy the game deems too easy for you, sort of like in Earthbound.

I figure I spent more time doing housekeeping like cooking (simple A+B=C or A-becomes-B crafting), buying items, and arranging medals in Bug Fables than in any other RPG, which is because it was designed that way. by the way, cooking recipes start hidden, but a foodie at each restaurant will share some strong ones for free, which is a big help early on. anyone who's played The World Ends with You (i.e. me) will be spoiled by its excellent quality of life: no consumable items and you instantly heal to full after every encounter. it makes items seem like a ridiculous formality that RPGs only still have because they've had them for years, but in Bug Fables any item that isn't simple healing -- a lot of them aren't simple healing -- has great strategic use, and the exact way you spend your medal points can determine whether you win or lose any fight, especially bosses. for example, one character having one extra damage for two turns when they typically only do two is pretty important, especially when they use an attack that does multiple hits, and having it in item form saves valuable medal points and skill points. part of that time was kind of a waste, though, because I generally had one set of medals I use for multiple enemies and one I use for single enemies like bosses. being able to save loadouts would have helped a lot. I would like to compliment Bug Fables on allowing you to restart any boss with different medals without having to repeat cutscenes, and commend it for letting you do-over your level up bonuses late in the game when it starts to matter.

it's not like spending a lot of time on strategizing before fights is strictly mandatory. I was mostly playing on hard mode where enemies have more health and more difficult attacks, and mostly with a medal called Hard Hits that makes all enemies deal one extra damage in exchange for extra money after each fight. it can be less difficult if you'd like, but it's never mindless; even if you're doing a strategy that manages 20 or 30 damage (again, a lot in this game) in a single turn, it takes effort to choose your medals to do so much damage and actually play the strategy out in combat. the combat strategy is the best part of Bug Fables, and it makes each fight almost like a puzzle. I've typed some form of "strategy" six times so far, which is fair because it's the best part of Bug Fables. don't let it put you off, though, it's RPG combat strategy, not chess-like or RTS or something, so if you've enjoyed any other turn-based RPG it should be easy to get used to.

it's also worth mentioning the ample side content. each chapter of the game unlocks a handful of side quests, some about trading, some about combat, and almost as many bonus bosses as main bosses. you're allowed to fight them fairly early on, and a few become available after the final boss that are actually a bit harder than it in classic Paper Mario fashion. basically, if you like Bug Fables, there's a lot of it to play. there's even a trading card minigame because of course there is. it's fairly fleshed out, too, and unlike the one in Chocobo Tales the animations between turns don't take six years. the reward for the whole card side quest isn't something that's important for combat, so you can skip it if you don't like it; I didn't especially like it so I think that was a great decision on the developers' part.

rewards for some of the other side content, though, are so good it's kind of a wonder they can be completely skipped. it doesn't make the game harder to not have those skills or medals, but they are some of the best in the game and undeniably really useful. they make great side quest rewards in that sense, but it's important to know for the people that usually wouldn't do side content. I don't know if that's a common kind of player, but just in case. (this game's 100% achievement has been earned by a sky-high 5.9% of players on Steam. usually it's more like 2% or less. the point is none of the extra content is overly obtuse.)

I will complain about the forced stealth sections though. and be astounded that they fixed the main issue with them in the last stealth section. these are minor caveats and take well under an hour total unless you're really, really, really bad at sneaking, but they bothered me when I got to them. I mean, I understand why they're in the game, I understand why Zelda has them, but I didn't really like them. the main issue for all but the last stealth section is that there's no vision cone or other indication that "if you stand here they will see you" or even an opportunity to recover from mistakes which are incredibly important for playable stealth. the last stealth section does have a vision cone and does have an opportunity to recover from mistakes, which is a great step up. I would like to use even more italics to remind you that these sections total less than an hour of gameplay. Zelda: Breath of the Wild's forced-ish stealth was much worse than this.

I don't know where else to put it, so I'll add here that the soundtrack is great and the graphics are perfectly Gamecube-y and the sprites capture the cuteness of Paper Mario really well, even though they're, you know, bugs. each environment is distinct and themed well, and each one’s music matches well. I really wish I knew how to talk about music because there are a lot of different songs in this game that work well for what they go with. boss music sounds intense and boss-y and appropriate for each boss you're fighting, the not-music hits just right, and everything else feels good. some songs use Nintendo 64 MIDI instruments, which I loved. and the bee boss music has a synth that sounds like bees buzzing.

anyone that likes RPGs -- and even some people that don't -- will probably enjoy the story and strategy that make up the excellent Bug Fables. it goes beyond being a homage to Paper Mario and becomes its own thing entirely, though its roots are obvious from the art style. not that this takes away from it -- Paper Mario is a great legacy, and this manages to be even better. for all its little bad things there are a dozen great ones. I admit I haven't played the classic Paper Mario games, but this made me want more -- I guess I'll have to go back while I hope for Moonsprout Games to continue forward.

[zippers-flowers-and-wine]

"Go visit family in Oregon, they said. It'll be a blast, they said!" You hiss, hustling a little faster through the light rain with your arms ineffectively attempting to shield your thick hair.

What a crock of shit.

What they didn't tell you about this fucking place was that it rained every.

Fucking.

D a y.

...

Okay, you may be exaggerating juust a tad, you'll admit to that.

But still! The high humidity sucked for your already frizzed hair, and the rain usually rolled in out of nowhere!

As if to prove your point - or maybe even mock you, Oregon was a little bitch like that - the sky rumbles threateningly, darkening to a near black. The few drops that had been landing against your neck, speed up and you wail a dramatic curse.

Throwing your comfy coat over your head, you start hustling your step a little more.

Moving here hadn't been that much of a mistake, despite what you may complain. It was really pretty, with so many mountains that had good hiking spots, and rivers that provided you with relaxing swimming pools. Plus the always chilly water was a definite bonus, a complete step up from the metallic tang that always permeated the water in some of the hotter spots you've lived in.

The only problem you really had with Oregon was...

A low, clicking rumble from above. Your hair stands on end, and you take the steps up to your apartment three at a time, barely pausing to pull out your keys. You hear him click behind you, closer than you were comfortable with. It makes you miss the keyhole a few times, but the sound of him landing roughly on the metal railing behind you gives you small bit of extra coordination and you swiftly shove your door open.

Slamming it shut, a nervous eye peeks out of the peephole, flinching when it clashes with an overly wide, slightly compound, black eye.

God-damn-it.

Fucking... The bug beasts that liked to hang around were another factoid about Oregon that... Well, they didn't piss you off. It was just a huge leap from your last home.

Those guys weren't as prevalent in the other places you lived, most non-mountainous places only really having the arachnid-type beasts. In fact, when you lived in Texas with your cousins, the only insect based one you had ever seen was this one fluffy, brown and black... Caterpillar? He'll, he may be a fully grown butterfly at this point.

But he was a kid who had a nasty attitude, dyed his hair blue - according to rumours - and was always yelling at the humans he usually stuck around.

This place though? Practically crawling with them, no pun intended.

Beastfolk weren't new, but they were very few and very far inbetween. In fact, a lot of people had been questioning if they could really be considered "sentient"...

Well, they were swiftly shut down by a feisty tarantula, that looked kinda like an Arizona Blonde, that had become a lawyer and completely shut down a court case.

Another soft clicking makes you jump, shooting a look at the door. "Chill your thorax, fuzzbutt."

An offended click, and you smirk.

The only thing that kept a lot of people from considering most beasts as sentient and free thinking people was... Well...

You hear him jump over the railing. The heavy, almost lethargic sound of his wings flapping makes you hop to attention, darting through the house to swiftly shut your window with smug whoop.

He's gotten you like that too many times.

You see, beasts haven't fully gotten over their base instincts, and the month leading into spring was were all anti-beastfolk arguments got their evidence. Said that beasts clearly can't be sentient, they succumb to those based urges so easily!

Not because the folk felt any urge to fuck like rabbits, as was the common misconception.

He chitters at you through the window, feet thudding against either side of the - now shut - window for mere seconds before he kicks back off. His clicks fades as you grin giddily, dancing in place. You might actually win this one!

The only reason most speciests would give for being so against beastfolks was the fact that they were "too base instinct" and it made them "feel unsafe".

And in a way, they were right.

Your grin fades when you realize you can't hear him anymore.

It's dangerous to get between any spider-types and their chosen.

The hairs on your body raise, your mind scrambling to figure this out.

It's foolish to keep a centipede-type away from their loved ones.

A soft shuffle has you whipping around, hands up in a comical karate motion.

It's down right ridiculous to separate ant-types from their mates.

Suddenly, you remember: you didn't lock the bathroom up.

"You're asking for a death sentence if you get between a moth and his love." The voice slides between you shoulder blades, accompanied by four large arms wrapping around you.

Screaming in delight, you curse, "Oh you sneaky fuck!"

Bruno laughs, allowing you to whip around and hit his shoulder. His hand comes up, wringing out some of his neck fluff while he flashes you a smarmy grin. "What? It's not my fault you didn't check the bathroom first. I didn't even land at your window!"

You gasp, pushing him away with a look of mock horror. "Yo-you..."

He leans in, large black eyes shining teasingly. "Come on, you can say it."

"I can't!" You cry in the most over the top, Trans-Atlantic accent possible, draping yourself across the bed.

Bruno huffs a laugh, antenna flicking as he quickly shucks his slightly damp over shirt. With a quick hop, courtesy of his powerful legs, he lands on top of you, grinning at you scream. "What, is it a bad word?"

"Yes! You foul man, begone He-Who- Says-Bad-Words! Begone!" His eyes light up, a near maniacal grin stretching across his usually serious features.

(You'd never say it out loud for fear of emotionally wounding him: but you kinda liked how he acted pre-spring. He was so goofy... Although serious, intense Bruno is just as pleasant.)

His wings flare up, engulfing the room in a shadow of white, black speckled wings. His upper set of arm catch your hands and you're, quite rudely, made aware of your mistake of allowing him to straddle you.

"Bruno..." You warn, wiggling to pull away from his grasp.

His grin stretches wider, fangs hooking just slightly over his bottom lip as Bruno teases back, "(Y/N)..?"

Whatever threat you were gonna say is lost as his second pair of hands - the wicked claws clipped precisely for this reason - dive in, wiggling furiously against your ribs.

Screaming, you thrash, kicking out and laughing. His hands hold you steady, with just enough give that you're continuously given hope that you can escape, but you know better.

"Saaaay iiit~" He croons, slowing so you can speak.

Wheezing a few wet coughs, you smirk at him. "N-Nuh uh. I-I don't cuss like you do."

His antenna flick up, shivering as his grin gets wider. "Me? Cuss? Now that's just slanderous talk my dear."

"N' slander, cuz' it's true."

"Hmm, I think you can speak far too well my dear." A part of you immediately regrets talking back, especially when he shifts both of your hands into one of his, the other migrating down to hold your chest down.

Flashing you a smirk, he wiggles his fingers near your kneecap.

"Now, what am I?"

You keep stubbornly quiet. Humming, the large moth brushes his fingers down the back of your calf, chattering at the full body jerk you give.

"Once again, what am I?"

"A liar, because you lied!" You squawk mid-laugh, playfully gasping in mock horror. Bruno chirps in laughter, releasing you to flip over.

"Haha, now you're a filthy cusser like me!"

You groan, rolling over to nudge his wings so you can snuggle beneath. He lifts it without fuss, purring when you nuzzle your face into his chest fluff.

"Mmmn, love you B."

His chest vibrates with a fierce purr, and you grin. Grumbling past the motor in his chest, Bruno mumbles, "You only love me for my purring."

"Well, the fuzz is a nice addition."

"I will throw you off this bed, don't try me."

"Bet."

You found yourself face down n the floor less than two seconds later and not at all pissed.

[zuffer-weird-girl]

hey sorry to be a bother but, do you think you can write a scenario with kai's s/o going to pick up kaito and haru from school? since they're mafia kids I'm sure they aren't treated the best, even by parents. how do you think a hormonal and pregnant angel would deal with the rudeness of others towards her son and haru who's practically her mom. tbh I feel like haru would slip up and call her mom one of these days XD

I woke up in the mood of beating someone up so yeah sure :v

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

Luckily Chisaki allowed you to get out of the house without a body guard for once this time.

Him and the eight precepts had some... business to take care of, so neither hin or even Kurono could get to that school and pick your deviant and Haru.

You didn't mind it though, so you simply put on some shoes, with certain difficulty due to your baby belly but whatever, and got out of the house.

You were starting to notice the judgmental or even pitiful stares already from other parents as you walked on that place... and you honestly weren't in a good mood.

Your first pregnancy were full of deadly kicks from your baby boi; but this one? You were a storm of emotions.

Seriously, just yesterday you cried in your husband shoulder because you saw Chrono killing a bug.

"They had a family Kai!" You whined while he let out a irritated sigh and patted your head.

"They didn't. Those things arent like us. Im sure of it." He answered coldly and winced a bit when you let out another sob and almost crushed his chest.

Yeah... you werent exactly the most instable person on your first few months... at least it was getting a bit controlled when the time passes and after the medication, based on plants dont worry, that Chisaki had created.

Thank heavens for giving your husband to you because dear lord not even you were atturing yourself anymore.

"Mommy!" "Mrs Chisaki!"

Both kids voices broke you out of your thoughts as you smiled down at them.

"Hey you two!" You cooed, patting Kaito's head while he went for a hug while greeting Haru with a sweet smile "Ready to go?"

"Yep. This place stinks." Kaito answered numbly while taking your hand while Haru walked real close to your side.

You were just getting out of the gate before your ears catched something that left your blood boiling in absolutely anger and hate.

"Those two are the yakusa thugs?"

"Yeah, better keep a eye on those little shits. The boy is even the child of the leader himself."

"Overhaul? Tsk. Rascal hhas the features. I figure it, while the little bitch is from his commurate or something."

"Is incredible how the school allows those things to frequent!"

Your eye twitched violently as you clenched your jaw. Your son made a confused noise when you suddenly stopped and looked up at you with stoic eyes yet qorry evidently on his voice.

"You're okay mommy?"

"Is something wrong Mrs Chisaki?" Haru tugged at your shirt with a frow, before you shook your head a bit to pur on a smile.

You lushed the kida in your front and made them get up on a bench tk talk with them eye to eye.

"Kiddos. No matter what happens, do not ever imitate my actions. Got it?" You kissed your son's forehead and patted Haru's hair, careful with the arrows, and told them to wait in there a bit since those people weren't much away.

"Mom?" Kaito mumbled a bit aprehensive for being left all of the sudden.

You walked, still a forced smile on your face, before poking one of the woman's shoulder delicately.

"Excuse me?" You said gently, making the woman turn her head a bit.

Perfect.

You punched her hard on the face, making her fell on the ground merciless.

"WHAT THE-?!"

"One nore word spilling from ANY of you that I am giving you all a reason to fear THE YAKUSA." You said with emphasis while the other two woman helped their friend to get up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" She shouted while the other comforted her friend's tears.

"Me?" You muttered coldly, your eyes piercing at each one of them "I am one who is wrong? I don't remember EVER speaking bad about your sons or their friends..." you lowered your tone of voice.

Many years marriage with chisaki kai teached you the tricks for making someone scared to death.

"Next time, think about who exactly you're talking about. Seriously, how many years do you have to be speaking like that about two childs? This is just stupid." You turned your back, sending them one side glare "If I hear about any of you speaking about ANYTHING about my son or his friend... Im going to break your bones in half and then tell my husband to finish ths service." The womans quivered in fear while getting up "Are. We. Clear?"

Two of them nodded, but the woman you had pinched tried to attack you before you turned your front to her with a finger arched up, shaking him from side to side.

"Ah ah ah~" you said almost sadisticly "You wouldn't want to hurt a lregnant woman and got into the justice would you? And besides, speaking bad about toddlers isn't exactly... sociable accepted."

The woman stared at you for a few seconds before getting pushed by their friends away from you.

"Take that!" You flinched a bit at the two voices coming from your leg to notice Kairo smirking devilish qhile Haru poked her tongue out at them.

Oh boi...

Bonus:

"You got into a fight?!" Your husband almost shouted while he jumped from his coach and cupped his face while with his other hand subsconciously went to your stomach.

"Not exactly a fig-"

"Mommy punched a miss's face becaus eshe was speaking bad about me and Haru!" Kaito exclaimed woth shinning (E/c) eyes "It was so cool!"

"That huh?" Chisaki mumbled, morw relieved then before while pinching your cheek painfully "Dont ever force yourself like that woman, you're pregnant for God's sake." He growled as he pinched and pushed even more your cheeks.

"Come ooooonnn!!!" You whined, immediatly rubbing your sore cheeks when he let go with a scoff.

Your husband tsked while crossing his arms.

"Kaito go take a shower, you're filth." Kaito went to protest before Chisaki just gave him a look, making the kid grumble before he obbeyed anyway.

The moment the kid left, Kai took a black handkerchief from his pocket before yanking your wrist with his gloved hand and rubbing in your palm.

"I swear to fucking god you could get hurt." He muttered in anger while you let out a sigh.

"Thanks for worrying about me Kai. I love you too." You said in mockness, but also not lying.

The man only scoffed and continued on his cleaning, bit he couldn't hide it from you the way the point of his cheek were a bit pink.

Adorable.

[duhragonball]

‘21

Amidst all the popular hype for seeing the end of 2020, it didn’t hit me until about lunchtime what the real highlight is that I’ve been waiting for: For the first time since 1999, the year finally ends in “numberty-number” again.    It low-key irritated me that we had to call it “two thousand three” and I was relieved when “twenty-thirteen” caught on, but it still wasn’t right because it was too short, and now we’re back in the sweet spot, and I should be safely dead by 2100, so that’s one less thing I gotta deal with.

Really, even “numberty hundred” rings true to me.    “Nineteen hundred” sounds like a year.    “Twenty-one-oh-six” sounds like a futur-y year, which is even cooler.   So did “Two thousand five”, until I was actually living in it, and it sounds even worse now that it was a long time ago and adults will talk about their childhood happening in that year.    Daniel Witwicky would be old enough to get married and grow a fancier beard than me.    That’s nuts.    My point is that, honestly, it’s the year 3000-3019 that I have to worry about, so if I ever decide to go vampire, those will be the years I hide in the ocean or force society to reset the calendar, whichever’s easier.  

I spent New Year’s Eve finishing Superliminal, which I bought on Steam after I watched Vegeta play it on YouTube.  It has a similar look and feel to the Stanley Parable, so if you liked one you’d probably enjoy the other, although Superliminal has a different theme.  I kept hoping I’d find some secret passage that I wasn’t supposed to take, and a narrator would scold me for finding the “Chickenbutt Ending”, but it doesn’t work that way.    Superliminal’s all about puzzles and awesome visuals, but it does have the same soothing design aesthetics as TSP.   Honestly, I enjoyed just wandering around in Stanley’s office, and Superliminal does the same thing with a hotel and several other settings.   It’s nice.

This got me thinking about how I kind of did everything there was to do in The Stanley Parable, and I sort of wished they would add new stuff to the game, but I’m not sure there would be much point to that.    I could play the older version, but it presents the same message, just with different assets.   The Boss’s Office would look different, but it’d be the same game.   And this got me thinking about various “secret chapters” in pop culture.  Secrets behind the cut.

I first heard about this idea in the 2000′s, when fans invented this notion that there was a secret chapter of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.    I read a website that tried to explain the concept, and of course it lauded J.K. Rowling with all this gushing praise for working an Easter egg into the book, a literary work of “well, magic.”  

That pretty well sums up my distaste for Harry Potter, by the way.    These days, JKR has thoroughly crapped all over her reputation and legacy, but in the 2000′s it felt like half the planet was in a mad rush to canonize her as a writing goddess, to the point where fans were congratulating her for writing secret chapters that didn’t actually exist.   The idea was based on lore from the books about Neville Longbottom’s parents.    They were patients in a mental hospital, and he’d go to visit them, and they would give him bubble gum wrappers, intended to demonstrate how far remove they’ve become from reality.   The secret chapter lies in those wrappers, which all read “Droobles Best Blowing Gum” or some such.    What if Neville’s parents were only pretending to be mentally ill, so as to throw off their enemies?   Naturally, they would want to stay in contact with their son, so the bubble gum wrappers would have to contain coded messages.    Said code involves unscrambling the letters on the wrappers to make new words, like “goblin” or “sword” or “Muggle” or “Dumbledore”.    The problem is that you can also use it to make other words like “booger” or “drool” or “booobbiess.”   Play with it enough, and you can make the code say anything you want it to say, which means it’s no code at all.   

But the idea was that the not-yet-published sixth HP book would reveal all of this gum wrapper nonsense, and Neville would decode the messages and discover all of his parents’ super-cool adventures.   I’m not sure why we needed a secret chapter if Book 6 was going to explain all of this anyway in several not-secret chapters, but that was the whole point.   Fans didn’t have Book 6 yet, and they were so desperate to read it that they started trying to extrapolate what would happen next based on “clues” from the previous five.    That’s like trying to figure out what Majin Buu looks like by watching the Androids Saga.   I guess some wiseguy would have guessed that he’d resemble #19, but that’d just be blind luck.  

And when you get down to it, this whole secret chapter business is really just a conspiracy.   This is literally how Qanon works.   Some anonymous jackass posted vague “hints” on an imageboard, and people went goofy trying to interpret them and figure out what would happen in the future.   They call it “research” because they spend a ton of time on this, but there’s no basis to any of it.    It took me a few minutes to figure out that you can spell “Muggle” with the words in “Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum”, but that’s not research and it doesn’t prove anything.   But all these guys keep looking for “Hilary Clinton goes to jail next week” and lo and behold that’s all they ever find.   

In the same vein, the gum wrapper thing was really a complaint disguised as a conspiracy, disguised as a “magical secret chapter”.   At least a few fans wanted to see more Neville in their Harry Potter books, they wanted Neville’s parents, or someone like them, to have cool spy adventures or whatever else.   The point is, they clearly weren’t getting what they wanted out of the printed works, but they didn’t want to turn against their Dear Beloved Author, so they started casting about for an alternative reality, one where J.K. Rowling wrote a cooler story and hid it in the pages of the one that actually went to press.    So instead of just saying “Hey, Order of the Phoenix was kind of a letdown, I hope there’s more ninjas in the next book,” they said “Rowling is a genius because I wanted ninjas and she’s definitely going to give them to me, I have the gum wrappers to prove it.”

The same thing happened all over again when the BBC Sherlock show took a turn for the nonsensical.    I don’t know from BBC Sherlock, but I watched the fascinating video critique by Hbomberguy, and it sounds like the show did tons of plot twists until it stopped making sense altogether in the fourth season.    If you skip to 1:09:00 in the video, you’ll hear about fan theories that suggested that season four was supposed to be crappy, as part of a secret meta-narrative plan that would be paid off in a secret, unannounced episode that would not only explain everything, but retroactively justify the crappy episodes that came before.    But it’s been a few years and it never came to pass, so I think we can call this myth busted. 

Most recently, I think we’ve all seen a lot of talk about the final season of Supernatural, where I guess Destiel sort of became canon but only one guy does the love confession and the other doesn’t respond.   But I guess he does say “I love you too”  in the Spanish dub, which means the English language version was edited for whatever reason.    It’s not exactly a secret episode, but the implication is that there’s more to this than what made it to the screen.    So the questions turn to what the screenplay said, what the writers and actors wanted to do, etc. etc.    My general impression is that SPN fans are a bit more used to crushing disappointment, so they’re not quite as delusional about this show being unquestionable genius, like Sherlock and Harry Potter.     Maybe this is an Anglophile thing?   Like, if you suck at something with a British accent, people will accept it more unconditionally?   

I had seen something on Twitter about how there should have been a secret Seinfeld episode in the 90′s.    Someone suggested it at the time, they tape a whole episode, then wait until 2020 to air it, because by then it would be worth a fortune.    But they didn’t do it, because it costs a lot of money to make a TV episode, and if you don’t air the show right away, you aren’t making that money back any time soon.    Yeah, you might recoup a fortune someday, but Seinfeld was making a ton of money then.    It exposes the fannish nature of the idea.    A fan would love to discover a cool secret chapter, but a content creator isn’t necessarily keen on making a cool thing and then hiding it where few people would find it.  

I thought about doing this myself recently.   Maybe Supernatural gave me the bug, but I thought “I’m writing this big-ass story, so what if I wrote me a secret chapter for it?   Wouldn’t that be cool?”     But no, it wouldn’t be cool, because it’d be the same work as writing a regular chapter, and the same stress I feel when I hold off on publishing it.    Except I’d just never publish it, I’d put it in some secret hole on the internet and hope that some superfan who might not even exist can decode whatever clues I leave.  

I mean, it’d be awesome if it got discovered and everyone loved it.    “Hey, I found this hidden chapter!   Mike’s done it again!”   And I could bask in the glory.   But what if no one finds it?  Then I just wasted my time, right?   I want people to read my work.   My monkey brain needs the sweet, sweet validation of those kudos and comments, folks.   Once I realized that, I understood why no one else would want to do a secret chapter either.    Easter eggs are one thing, but the bigger bonus features they put on DVDs were pretty easy to find, and with good reason.

I think that’s what made the Stanley Parable so appealing to play, because it teases you with the idea that you can “break” the game and find some extra content that you weren’t supposed to see, but as you go exploring all those hidden areas, it gradually becomes clear that this is just part of the game; you were meant to find all these things, and that’s why they were put here.      It’s hidden, but he secret aspect of it is just pretend.   

I suppose that what I like about games like TSP and Superliminal is the illusion of secrets more than the secrets themselves.    I like roaming through the hallways, having no idea what I might find ahead.    I kind of wish I could open all the doors, and not just the ones the game designers put stuff behind, but the reality is that there’s nothing on the other side.    I used a cheat code once  to explore the unused doors in TSP and it’s just a bright white field on the other side.   Interesting to look at, but not much of a reveal.   Honestly, the doors themselves are more appealing than anything that could lay behind them.  

And that’s probably what makes secrets so fun.   They could be almost anything, but once you open the present, the number of possibilities drops to one.   If they had ever made that Secret BBC Sherlock Episode, I doubt it would have lived up to expectations, but fans could amuse themselves by imagining what could have been in it.    In the end, though, things usually don’t justify the hype.  For every Undertaker debut at Survivor Series 1990, there’s a Gobbledygooker debut at Survivor Series 1990.   It’s impossible to manufacture a secret with a guaranteed payoff.   

[ericsonclan]

The Truth Behind the Lie

Summary: Violet shares the secret of why she pretends to be blind with Prisha.

Word Count: 4609 

Read on A03: 

“Truly a lovely day for a frolic through the countryside,” Prisha noted as she and Clementine walked their horses out of the paddock. The morning air was crisp in their lungs, seeming to hint at the opportunities the rest of the day held. Tragically they would be confined to the tents for most of the day in meetings with Lee and the rest of the leaders of the revolution, strategizing how they would deploy the troops within the next crucial months. For the moment though, they were free to do as they wished and the pair had decided to spend their time taking a morning ride together to celebrate their last few days near New York before they would need to move on.

Clementine nodded happily at Prisha’s words, stepping into the stirrup and lifting herself onto her horse with a light grunt. They were preparing to ride out from camp when they noticed Brody walking in the direction of the paddock. “Brody!” Clementine called with a friendly wave. “Care to join us?”

“Actually, I did come here looking for you, but not to join,” Brody answered, stopping beside Clementine’s horse. “You both have visitors. I bet you can guess who,” Clementine and Prisha shared a look before looking back to Brody who had a playful grin on her face. “That’s right: the Mason siblings. All three of them,”

“Three? They brought Willy to a military encampment?” Prisha asked in disbelief.

Brody nodded. “They said he begged to come along,”

“We’d better go meet them,” Clementine turned her horse away from the open fields to the camp. “They’re by the main entrance?”

“That’s right. Have fun you two – gotta make the moments count before we head out from here,” Brody teased.

Neither of them bothered to answer as they rode off. There was no point trying to deny the infatuation both of them had fallen into with the older Mason siblings. Both had snuck into the city whenever they could spare the time and run into their fellow soldiers more than once while in the company of their respective Mason. Trotting through camp, both Clementine and Prisha couldn’t help but feel excited at this unexpected visit. As they neared the front entrance smiles broke out on their faces at the sight of their visitors.

Louis and Violet were in the midst of an improv game of hopscotch. Lines had been drawn in the dirt and Louis and Willy seemed to be competing for some sort of stakes, jumping excitedly from square to square while Violet’s eyes stared blankly at the ground, a small smile on her face at the sound of her brothers’ merriment. Their attention turned to Clementine and Prisha as the pair approached and they ran up to meet them, pausing just short of running into the horses.

“Clem!” Louis exclaimed, his grin growing as he looked up at her.

“Good to see you, Lou,” Clementine replied, pulling her horse to a stop.

“Violet,” Prisha inclined her head to the blonde lass. “A pleasure as always,”

Violet simply nodded, clearly too flustered to do more.

“And I’m here too!” Willy exclaimed, popping out from behind his big brother. “Are those the horses you guys ride into battle?”

Prisha smiled fondly down at the lad. “In fact they are. I’m happy to say this girl has been with me for two years now, my right hand in every fray,” She gave her horse an affectionate pat, her fingers drifting softly through its black mane.

“Mine’s a bit younger but she’s got enough fire in her to face down all the redcoats herself,” Clementine bragged, pleased when she saw Willy’s eyes widen in wonder.

“Wow! Did you ever get to jump them over anything during battle? Like an exploded crater or a whole line of enemy soldiers?”

“Maybe we shouldn’t overwhelm Clem and Prisha with all these questions, buddy,” Louis said, holding his brother back from stepping even closer to the horses and giving his hair an affectionate ruffle.

“If you’d like, I could actually give a tour of the grounds,” Clementine offered. She loved showing off all that the revolutionary troops had accomplished so far and doing it in front of Louis was an added bonus.

Willy’s eyes practically bugged out of his head at that offer. “For real?” He looked up at his brother, tugging on his arm frantically. “Can we get a tour? Can we, can we, can we?”

“I wasn’t planning to say no,” Louis chuckled, sending a wink Clementine’s way before stepping forward to help her down from her horse.

“Wonderful! We’ll just drop by the pasture first then I can give you the full tour. Prisha, Vi, are you interested too?”

Prisha considered it for a moment before noticing the expression on Violet’s face. Though her eyes were downcast, it was clear at a glance that she was distraught. Continued public attention and the need to continue her blind charade would only aggravate her further. “I believe we shall be turning down the offer, but thank you, Clementine,”

“Alright then. We’ll see you two later,” With that Clementine walked off with Louis and Willy in tow, leaving the pair alone.

Hopping down from her horse, Prisha walked over to Violet and gently took her hand while keeping her other on the reins. “I was thinking a ride through the countryside would be just the thing to brighten my day this morning and I can think of no better company than you. Would you care to accompany me?”

“Y-yeah,” Violet murmured, glancing up at Prisha briefly before her eyes took on a blank glaze once more. She was quiet as Prisha guided her over to her horse, her only noise a small gasp as Prisha took hold of her small waist and helped lift her up onto the back of the saddle.

Climbing up herself, Prisha glanced back at the object of her affections, reaching for her hand once more. “You’ll have to hold onto me to avoid falling off as I plan to move rather quickly. Is that alright?”

“Sure,” Violet’s hands slipped round Prisha ever so softly, her fingers tentatively taking hold of the edges of Prisha’s uniform before tightening.

Prisha felt her heart flutter at the gesture. Clearing her throat, she tried to maintain her decorum. “Alright, here we go,” With a flick of the reins and a light tapping of her heels they were off, riding past the camp and out onto the open fields. Prisha had explored the surrounding area time and time again for both strategy and pleasure. She knew just where she wanted to take Violet: a secluded pond just a mile or two off the road, surrounded by a grove of oak trees that provided plentiful shade on even the hottest days. The ride was too brisk for conversation and Violet still seemed lost in her own thoughts so Prisha focused on getting them there as promptly as possible, relishing the way the wind blew back the wisps from her face as they continued at a gallop.

About a quarter hour later they had reached the grove. Slowing her horse down, Prisha continued at a walk until they reached the pond. Prisha dismounted, looped the reins over the nearest branch then helped Violet dismount as well. Taking Violet’s hand, Prisha slowly led her to the tree closest to the pond, making sure she had comfortably settled against the base of the tree before taking her own seat.

Violet still appeared perturbed; her brows knit together as her mouth pulled down in a frown. It was clear even now that they were alone the reason for her nerves had not gone away. That must mean one thing: she was nervous about saying goodbye. Prisha had been dreading it as well. She had always been able to cut previous romantic ties with ease, citing her career and her calling as reasons she must move on. But in this case, Prisha found herself loath to dust off her usual farewell speech. She didn’t want saying goodbye to Violet to feel rehearsed. It needed to be authentic. Prisha cleared her throat to begin. “Violet, I-”

“Prisha, there’s something I need to say!” Violet spurted out, her eyes widening and falling when she realized she had interrupted Prisha. “Sorry,”

“No, please continue,”

“Prisha, I… I think I should enlist,”

That statement caught Prisha entirely off her guard. “What?”

“I should enlist. All the reasons I had for faking my blindness seem like shit now and I can’t just let all of you leave and stay back like a coward,”

“If this is some ploy to ensure that you end up in the same unit as me, as much as I appreciate the sentiment there’s no way I can ensure-”

“No, it’s nothing like that! Just- just listen, okay?” Violet looked up at her love with a grave expression. Prisha nodded and she continued. “I never told you the story behind why I pretend to be blind. When we first met you called my bluff right away. I was so busy being fucking terrified that you’d tell everybody my secret that I never brought it up. Then when I started, well,” Violet spluttered a bit on her words, cheeks flushing, “When I started falling for you I didn’t want to talk about it either. I was afraid you’d be ashamed of me, of what I had done,” Violet’s eyes were on her hands which were nervously playing with one of the ribbons upon her dress.

Reaching out, Prisha gently took her hand, rubbing her thumb against it. “I could never be ashamed of you,”

Violet’s eyes brightened a bit at that statement before dimming. “Just wait and see. I guess I better tell a bit more about my family for all this to make sense. I bet you figured out that Louis and I aren’t related by blood,”

“A complete shock,” Prisha noted dryly. “But continue,”

“Louis is General Mason’s son. After the first Mrs. Mason died, my mother married his father. She’d already had me and Willy at that point. My father had passed away. I don’t have much to say about him except I’m glad his corpse is floating somewhere at the bottom of the ocean. But yeah, my mom married Louis’ dad and for a couple years everything was good. But then my mom got sick and, well…” Violet let out a shaky breath, “She died too,”

“I’m so sorry, Violet. It sounds as though life hasn’t always been kind to you,”

Violet shrugged, not meeting Prisha’s eyes. “I get by. I have Willy and Lou. That’s all I really need for family,”

“And General Mason?”

“I never liked him. When my mother was still alive he put on an act in front of her of being a caring father whenever he bothered to show up. Most of the time he was away on business trying to get even richer than he already was. But when he was home and my mother wasn’t around, I saw the way he treated Louis: always pushing him, always trying to make him do things he didn’t want to do, be things he never wanted to be. And when Louis didn’t do as he said, he told him he was a disappointment. One time I heard him tell Louis that it was his fault his mother died, that something about how he was born broke something inside her and made her sick for years. Hearing the way he spoke to his own son… I fucking hated him,”

“How did he treat you and Willy? Was it more of the same? If he hurt you…” Prisha paused, uncertain what she would threaten, but she wished to threaten the man.

Violet shook her head. “It was never like that. For some reason, he cared most about excellence in Louis, I think because he was his blood. With me he mostly let me do what I wanted and took me on hunting trips and stuff when Louis ran and hid. He always liked that I was good with a gun. Said I was a born shot. But I didn’t see much of him really. After my mother passed away, he was barely ever home. And then the revolution started, and we never saw him at all. He took Louis with him for a while. They were gone a couple weeks and then all of a sudden Louis was home. I asked him what happened, but he wouldn’t tell me. His father was furious. I heard them fighting one night in the study when he came for a visit. The next day he rode back to rejoin his unit. He doesn’t visit anymore,”

Prisha listened silently, all the while softly stroking Violet’s hand which was clenched tightly round her own. She was glad to learn more of Violet’s life even if it saddened her to hear much of it. “I’m sorry, Violet. You deserve a better father than him,”

“There’s more to tell. We haven’t gotten to the whole blindness scam, remember?” Violet gave a wry, bitter smile, her eyes locked on the still, quiet pond. “Louis had been home for a few weeks. I had gotten sick a little while after he returned since I chased Willy out in the rain to get him inside when he wanted to watch a thunderstorm. He didn’t get sick at all. Figures. I got sicker and sicker. Couldn’t even lift myself out of bed. Felt like I was gonna die. That’s when a letter came, one from General Mason. He said I was to join the 55th regiment and serve under him,”

“He didn’t know you were sick?”

“He hadn’t even bothered to check in. Anyway, I was far too sick to read or answer any letters, so Louis answered it for me. And in that letter, he lied. He wrote that I was gravely ill and that the illness had left me blind,”

“Louis was the one who started the lie?” Prisha asked in disbelief. He didn’t even seem capable of a fib.

“Yeah. I was pissed when I found out what he’d done. I told him the lie was utter shit, that there was no way I was going to pretend to be blind for the rest of my fucking life. I told him he had to write to his father and tell him the truth and if he wouldn’t then I would do it myself. Louis grabbed all the ink, quills and papers and tossed them all out the window, knowing I was still too weak to even make it downstairs. That’s when I snapped. I told him he wasn’t going to make me out to be a fucking coward the same way he had done to himself,” Violet’s shoulders shook a bit as she let out a stuttered breath. “That right there’s the worst thing I’ve ever done,”

“He clearly forgave you,” Prisha gave Violet’s hand a gently squeeze. “Your brother loves you,”

“Yeah, but you can never take words like that back. Those words broke Louis. He started crying and he told me everything: why he was banished from the 55th regiment and why he couldn’t let me join,” Violet paused, flicking a piece of grass from her skirts. “You’ve met General Mason,”

“Yes,”

“People say he gets results,”

“I tend not to approve of his methods,”

“You’d be in the minority then,” Violet sighed. “Louis said that in the weeks he was with the 55th, his father ran the men ragged. Battle after battle, never a moment to rest before marching onto the next conquest. At every battlefield more died than Louis could keep track of, but they’d always win. More troops would be sent for and it would all start again. Lou spoke to his father, asked him why he pushed so hard, said there must be a better way to win our freedom than by sacrificing the lives of all we were trying to save. General Mason replied with some flowery bullshit about the price of liberty and the glory of sacrifice,” Violet scoffed. “I knew all he cared about was power and glory, but I didn’t think he’d kill so freely for it. I was wrong.

Things came to a head between Louis and his father after the last battle Louis fought in. It was a small skirmish, but they managed to capture a handful of redcoats. General Mason believed they had valuable information on the movements of nearby British troops, but they wouldn’t talk. He told Louis to kill one of them as an example to scare the others into being more cooperative. Louis refused. He was sent home the next day. He said that night in the study his father called him an embarrassment and a coward. Just like I did,”

“Louis knows you don’t feel that way,”

“The timing couldn’t have been shittier though. Louis had one more thing to show as well: a letter General Mason had already sent back after he heard I was blind. It was short, just two sentences long. Very well. Do your best to see she is married off respectably and briskly. Now that I was blind, he had no use for me as part of his household. I was a broken tool, just like Louis,” Violet shook her head, her eyes bitter. “Knowing that, I vowed I would never allow him to use me again. He had already thrown me away, so I wasn’t about to risk my life on the battlefield in some sort of sick service toward his glory. So I went along with the charade. I pretended I was blind in front of everyone expect Louis and Willy and that’s been my life for the last few years,”

“Violet,” Prisha’s voice was soft, her expression somber. “Thank you for sharing all of this with me,”

Violet shrugged. “I had to. I couldn’t have you go away and not know the reason I keep up this whole shitty lie. You…” Violet looked down, her voice a mere mumble. “You mean too much to me,”

Prisha felt a rush of emotion shoot through her entire being at those words. She feared her own voice might betray her as she tried to summon the courage to speak. “You mean a great deal to me too, Violet. I admire you immensely, the way in which you carry yourself, strong, confident, not giving a damn what the world might have to say about you. Hearing your story, I understand how you came to be so wondrous just a bit more. And I know I show an ease with flowery language that might make it seem as though I say such things regularly. But believe me when I tell you, Violet Mason, I have never been so enchanted by any other,”

Violet’s eyes were larger than ever at those words. She looked almost frightened for a moment before the spark of Prisha’s words lit something deep within her own eyes. “The things you say about me… I don’t see them in myself. But I want to. And that’s why I want to join the revolution. Back when I decided to take on the lie about my eyes all I knew about the war was that General Mason was invested in it for his own ends and I didn’t want to give him anything. But meeting you and all the other soldiers has made me realize it’s so much more than that. You have a purpose, something bigger than yourselves that you care about. You’re all working together to build the future you hope for. I want the world to be the one you dream it will be. So I want to fight too,”

“Violet,” Prisha cautioned, “This is not a decision to be taken lightly. Your life may very well be forfeit should you take it on,”

“I know. But that’s exactly what all of you are doing each and every day you fight for freedom. General Mason was just bullshitting when he talked about liberty and sacrifice, but with all of you it’s real. I see how passionate Clementine gets when speaking for the war effort. I watch how passionate you are each time you talk about what’s being done here and that someday you’re going to do the same thing for France. If I stay here just because I’m scared of what could happen out there, then I’m the coward. And I don’t want to be. I want to be the version of me I see when I look in your eyes,”

The thought of Violet working side by side with Prisha thrilled her. If Violet joined, then they wouldn’t be parted. They could spend each and every day together, riding horses, running drills, planning for the future. They would have each other’s back in battle and see the beginning of this new nation hand in hand. It was a beautiful, perfect dream… but a dream nonetheless. It only took a moment for Prisha’s expression to wilt as she shook her head. “Violet, everything you said is beautiful, but I think we both know it cannot be,”

Violet’s brows knit in concern. “I know I’d have a lot to learn, but-”

“It’s not that. I’m certain you would be an exceptional fighter. But it’s for that very reason I cannot allow you to join,”

“That doesn’t make any sense,”

“Normally it wouldn’t. But as much as your heart on the matter has changed, your circumstances have not. If you were to join the revolution and perform admirably it would indeed put you side by side with Clementine and I on the battlefield, but only for a moment. Then your father would hear of your achievements and want you fighting by his side instead, as the trophy you were so loath to be. And considering his tactics, your life as that trophy would most likely be short-lived indeed,”

Violet bit her lip, looking aside. She knew what Prisha said was true but the dream was loath to die. “You and Clementine have sway in the army, don’t you? You both work for General Lee – that has to hold weight!”

“It certainly does, but not enough to veto the whims of a general. And should General Mason claim he wished his daughter to fight by his side, Lee would have no choice but to fulfill such a seemingly reasonable request. I admire the drive within you to join us in our cause, but Violet, I will not knowingly endanger your life when the path to its end lies so clearly before us,”

“So what do I do then?” Exasperation and desperation mixed within Violet’s voice. “Continue what I’ve been doing, which is nothing? I can’t keep living like that, Prisha! I won’t let avoiding death at General Mason’s hands mean I don’t live at all!”

“There are other ways to serve, Violet! Join the war effort like Aasim has done! Raise funds, gather supplies, write in support of the revolution! There are plenty of things needed beside soldiers. Smuggle contraband, gather intelligence, but please, I beg of you, lay this idea to rest! As wonderful as it would be to have you by my side, I need you alive. I could not bear to lose you,” Prisha’s hands were shaking as they gripped Violet’s.

The blonde looked up at her soldier in concern. “Prisha,”

“You mean more to me, Violet, than I daresay most anything does on the expanse of the earth. Perhaps some part of me has been holding this back but… I love you, Violet. That’s the long and the short of it,” Prisha’s voice quavered as she said those words, her eyes bright and vulnerable.

“Shit. I- fuck, that’s no way to start,” Violet shook her head slightly as though trying to clear her thoughts before her eyes once more met Prisha’s. “I love you too, Prisha. I think we both just fell into it without either of us really knowing what’s going on, but as crazy as it all makes me feel, I’ve never been happier,”

“Then be mine,” The words had passed Prisha’s lips before she fully realized what they were. Both of them froze, awestruck by the words.

“Yours?” Violet’s tone was barely above a whisper.

Prisha nodded. She had meant those words even if her tongue had outpaced her mind. Taking Violet’s hands, she kissed them before placing them upon her heart. “I want to be with you, Violet. I know for a time that will mean my words are the only thing that will reach you while I myself am a far way off, but my love will be present in each and every phrase. And once this war is over, we can be together again as we are now. Together in the new world that will just have begun,”

A soft smile overtook Violet’s face, her joy abundantly clear. “Prisha, if you want me, I’m yours. For as long as you’ll have me,”

“I do want you,” Leaning forward, Prisha captured Violet’s lips in a passionate kiss, the force of it driving Violet’s head against the tree. Violet let out a hiss of pain and Prisha immediately withdrew. “Are you alright? I-”

“Don’t stop,” Cupping Prisha’s face, Violet met her lips again in a deep, lasting kiss. Everything stopped within that moment, the silent ecstasy of the moment crystallizing in that one kiss. It became another and then another, small, longing, stolen kisses till both of them drew the shortest distance apart to catch their breaths, their foreheads still touching.

Prisha found herself lost in the beauty of Violet’s eyes even as she struggled to gather her thoughts. Then one clear memory broke through. The strategy meeting. It would be starting soon. “Violet, we…”

“Have to go. I figured,” Violet nodded softly before closing her eyes and leaning in for one more kiss. “Alright,” She rose to her feet, dusting some stray blades of grass from her petticoat. “Are you busy all day?”

“Throughout the morning. But perhaps in the evening I could call upon you?”

“Supper?”

“It would be my delight to join you for it,”

“Knowing Lou, he probably already invited Clementine. We’ll make a night of it then. Enjoy every moment we have before you go,”

“I think that’s a splendid idea,” Prisha let her hand brush lightly against Violet’s before taking it. “The faster we return to camp then the sooner I’ll be done with my duties and can see you again,” She led the way back to her horse, unlooping the reins and turning it round. Violet was silent, clearly loath to part after all that had just transpired. Prisha looked up at the slant of the sun. There was still some time. “Perhaps a quick ride round the meadows before we turn back,”

Violet’s eyes brightened at the offer. “Definitely,”

“Well then,” Prisha got onto her horse herself before offering Violet her hand. “Shall we?”

Nodding, Violet took her hand and with a small grunt hoisted herself into the saddle behind her. “Let’s ride,”

With a flick of the reins they were off, Violet’s arms tightly wrapped round Prisha’s waist as they galloped through the countryside. There was still much to come for both of them and neither was naïve enough to believe it would all be easy. But instead of goodbye a bond had been formed this day, one they knew would sustain them through whatever they might face till the day they could once again be hand in hand and never let go.

[inappropriatemuffins]

MD KaiJou ideas - Part 2

Kaiba: Starting scenarios

See Part 1 here

See Jonouchi Scenarios here

See Combined Scenarios here

See Mid-arc Dramas here

Generally Kaiba has to make the first move to invite Jonouchi into his life somehow (usually as a friend), as it is very difficult to convincingly shift his worldview without significant time and energy.

Because of this, there are various scenarios that are concocted to trigger this change in his life.

1) Mokuba hangs out with Jonouchi

Mokuba is developing an ongoing friendship with the main cast, with Jonouchi being a close friend. This causes Kaiba to constantly interact with Jonouchi at a consistent rate.

This is the best way to get a healthy relationship going between Kaiba and Jonouchi. Kaiba may try to push Mokuba away from the group but is likely to adhere to what Mokuba wants.

Jonouchi can start to learn more about Kaiba as a person and start to understand him. Kaiba will likewise learn about Jonouchi via Mokuba and eventually may open himself up to him.

Can get Jonouchi acting as an older brother too towards Mokuba.

For extra drama, could get Mokuba to have a one-sided crush on Jonouchi for a while.

2) Kaiba is prescribed friendship

Kaiba’s mental health is declining in some way (e.g. depression, manic episodes, etc) which is notably affecting his work. His psychiatrist/doctor/therapist recommends seeking out friendships and developing a trust system (Note: I am not a doctor - this advice is made up for the scenario).

Kaiba, who is taking this seriously and is now determined to improve himself, is now a bit more open to inviting Jonouchi (and the rest) into his life - especially now that he is making an effort it.

Can possibly even have Jonouchi be the perscriber, although that can make for an unhealthy doctor/client relationship.

3) Kaiba gets his coffee from the cafe Jonouchi works at

Kaiba gets his daily coffee from the Kaiba Corp coffee shop that Jonouchi works at. This opens up interactions with Jonouchi in a frequent manner.

This does, unfortunately, have the problematic ‘boss dating subordinate’ situation.

This also assumes Kaiba likes to get his own coffee. Maybe he uses it as an excuse to take a break from work?

4) Kaiba is an alcoholic

Kaiba is in a situation that leads him to alcoholism (not helped by Japan’s work drinking culture). A drunk Kaiba at functions can often lead to different scenarios, especially if Jou is a bartender or waiter.

Darker narratives can extend this to drug use.

5)  Kaiba starts recreating other duelists in VR using AI

This can be a space for him to safely explore his sexuality, or even to just open himself up to said AI (since he has complete control over it) 

This can sometimes lead to Kaiba simply settling for the AI and not the real person, although that in itself can make for some decent drama.

Can also explore narratives around the ethics of misusing AI based on real people.

6) Mokuba has left Domino City

Mokuba has decided to do his own thing in America (either extending Kaiba Corp or his own dream). This can intensify Kaiba’s loneliness, and thus he becomes more chatty or a bit more open to more interaction in his life.

The amount of distance between the brothers can vary. Could have Mokuba leave on a bad note and never communicate at all, or could have him chat to Kaiba every other day online.

For darker narratives this may result in the aforementioned alcoholism and/or declining mental health.

7) Kaiba is broke

Kaiba has become broke, his company has tanked, or the company has been taken from him in some way.  This can even out the wealth gap between Jou and Kaiba and have them on a similar playing field.

Jonouchi could offer him a home, and can teach him how to be thrifty (should Kaiba needs to learn)

Depending on Kaiba’s mental health, he can either be driven to climb his way back, or be in despair and lose all hope.

Bonus points if Jou is a key factor in helping him get back ahead.

8) Kaiba is having dreams about Jonouchi

This can be sexual, intense or just very personal. Reasons for this happening can vary, but sometimes there doesn’t need to be a reason

This can cause Kaiba to try to figure out why he is having these dreams, and what it may mean (if he has mellowed in his dub-version’s skepticism).

Thus leading to observations and potential interactions with Jonouchi. (Or alternatively attempts at avoidance, which Jou picks up on and bugs him about)

9) Kaiba’s new bodyguard is Jonouchi

This allows for a lot of interaction between them, however does mean Kaiba has power over him as an employer.

Potential to have Jonouchi rescue Kaiba or get injured trying to protect him - thus providing potential hurt/comfort scenarios.

Can increase drama by having high stakes scenarios with big injuries.

10) Jonouchi’s dance/singing/performance impresses Kaiba

Kaiba attends a concert and finds Jonouchi performing (dancing/singing/etc), and is impressed by the performance.  Lots of potential threads here.

Kaiba could become a secret hardcore fanboy

Kaiba could be seduced by the performance (either intentional by Jou or not)

Kaiba could sign him on to Kaiba Corp events, leading to more interactions

Can lead to private performances, and/or Kaiba listening to Jou’s music in his spare time.

11) Kaiba is in a coma / deep sleep / can’t wake up

Often attributed to faulty VR tech. Mokuba/Kaiba Corp creates some technology to allow Jonouchi to enter his mind and pull him out.

This has the benefit of Jonouchi being able to see the true Kaiba inside his mind - which can allow Jonouchi to understand and empathise with Kaiba much more.

This can lead to angst / dark narratives if unveiling some of Kaiba’s more twisted mind.

See hospital scenario for when tech can’t help.

12)  Kaiba is stuck in VR

Very similar to the coma one, but he can now access digital technology so can interact with the outside world should he need to.

Also Jou would not be delving into his mind directly but simply into the VR world to retrieve him.

Could utilise glitching for humor and/or drama.

13)  Kaiba decides to experiment with his sex life

May go out to a gay club undercover (where Jou goes/works), or go to a private sex work company (which could also be where Jou works).

In the case where Jou does sex work, could either have Jou and Kaiba meet there by surprise, Jou try pretend that he is someone else (in the event Kaiba does not realise he works there) or could have Kaiba specifically choose Jou (to Jou’s bewilderment).

14) Kaiba is competing with a rival company (that Jou works for)

Kaiba finds there is a rival company making their way into his territory and are making a name for themselves. Jonouchi, ideally, is involved with this company professionally.

This can elevate Jonouchi to a level that he can interact with Kaiba on at a professional level.

15) Kaiba discovers and befriends Jonouchi online

Can be done with VR avatars or random screen names, leading to drama at the reveal.

Bonus points if Kaiba has no idea it’s Jonouchi, and/or vise versa. Can lead to drama on the realisation on who each other are.

Alternatively, Kaiba may be a fan of Jonouchi streaming and become a bit of a fanboy (without Jonouchi knowing)

16) Kaiba sponsors Jonouchi as a professional duelist

This can lead to many potential interactions.

Main issue is the boss/employee relationship dynamic - Kaiba has significant power over Jonouchi.

Bonus points if Kaiba loses a duel to Jou at some point, causing drama.

17) Kaiba is recovering from a recent breakup

He may seek a rebound, or possibly Mokuba may seek Jou to help Kaiba recover.

Can enter into dark/abuse narratives with the ex.

Main difficulty here is getting Kaiba to trust anyone ever again after having his heart broken.

18) Kaiba is injured and is currently in hospital

This can either be for major injuries (e.g. gunshot wound, head injury) or minor ones.

This allows people to possibly visit him (like Jou). Depending on the injury he may or may not realise they are visiting (e.g. coma).

19) Kaiba wakes up, after having fallen for and started a relationship with Jou in a dream

For when you want a quick start to pining but don’t want all the setup

.A bit of a cop out, but it does the job.

Darker Narrative Scenarios

These are the more angst/dark/disturbing leaning scenarios. These are ok for large hits of drama and angst but often ends up changing Kaiba’s personality significantly depending on how his mental health goes.

1.) Mokuba has died

This would be a very traumatic event for Kaiba, so this will nearly always lead to a dark narrative often with mental health breakdown.

Can lead to suicide scenario.

Can lead to major personality shift

2) Kaiba has become suicidal

There can be a variety of reasons that lead to this.

Often the story has Jonouchi be present should Kaiba nearly attempt, opening the door for Jonouchi to help him.

This dark narrative may end up overburdening Jonouchi if not careful.

Mokuba often needs to be out of the picture somehow, or something to distance him from his brother.

Mokuba could be the person to bring in Jou and the gang to help.

3)  Kaiba is kidnapped / trafficked / trapped

Jonouchi helps to rescue him and so Kaiba feels indebted to him. This can open up interactions.

Generally it’s Mokuba who seeks out Jou to help.

Kaiba may attempt to avoid Jonouchi afterwards, depending on what state he was in when Jonouchi rescues him.

4)  Jonouchi has recently died, but has come back as a ghost and is haunting Kaiba

Usually a bittersweet scenario, unless a way to bring Jonouchi back to life is construed. Alternatively could eventually have Jou live in VR world a la Noah.

Kaiba may start to suffer from being haunted, depending on the nature of it.

Can have many ghost shenanigans such as: ghost commentary,  Jonouchi voyeuring Kaiba, awkward moments where Kaiba can’t respond because he is in company of others, and various attempts to communicate should Kaiba not hear him

Can reverse the scenario so that Kaiba is the one who has died, and Jou is being haunted. Often here, headcanoni is that Kaiba is either in denial of his death or is desperate to find a way back to life.

5.) Jou sacrifices himself for Kaiba or Mokuba

Bittersweet in that Jou is already dead. Could have an affect on Kaiba’s mental health.

Bonus points for combining with the ghost scenario

That’s all I have for now. Next will be starting scenarios for Jou - click here to view the post.

[salmonid-ink]

I don’t remember if this was asked about before, but I was wondering if you had any hcs regarding diseases in Inklings/Octolings that are caused by Salmonid bites, attacks, or just Salmon Run in general. Like, what dangers could a Salmon Runner expect on the job?

Actually I don’t think anything like this was ever asked! Bonus points for something unique, anon.

I figure that Salmonids themselves are pretty healthy, they have strong immune systems, and even stronger stomachs. However that doesn’t mean that their living conditions are exactly the cleanest, especially when compared to what the Inklings are used to. But they store and preserve their food properly, and dispose of it when it’s gotten too bad to eat. (Moldy food is considered a sin in Salmonid territory.) 

Since their “ink” sticks around for a lot longer than a cephalopod’s, and being either oil or mucus-based, it’s not exactly easy to clean, so bacteria loves to congregate wherever their ink has been. Due to its nature, most would consider it unsanitary, even though Salmonids themselves consider it natural and fine… If not a little annoying to clean away. Again, they have strong immune systems, so they won’t get sick from the bacteria that is attracted to their ink.

I wouldn’t say that Salmonids are absolutely rancid or filthy, but… They are kinda dirty… Their kids are free to roll around in the mud and all that!

Let’s just say that if an Inkling has a low immune system, they’re probably going to get sick if they hang around Salmonid territory for too long. This is a risk for many Grizzco workers, so they have to be aware and ready for this sort of thing. It’s not uncommon for newbies to catch the flu or something after their first few runs. 

Inklings who get sick on the job can expect flu-like symptoms–fever, congestion, runny nose, coughing, sneezing, soreness, and overall sleepiness. There are also cases where they’ll get a stomach bug, especially if they manage to ingest some of the Salmonid’s ink. If they consume too much… They’ll probably be hospitalized. Coming in contact alone won’t give someone the stomach flu, but it may make them sick if they don’t wash it off after a shift. 

It’s…. Stupidly common to see younger workers daring each other to eat Salmonid Ink. It ends badly every time. Any Salmonids watching get a kick out of it though. 

After some time, Inklings start growing an immunity to the bacteria, and suddenly the Salmonid ink isn’t quite as bad as it used to be. Still difficult to walk in, but they’re not gonna get sick by standing around in it for a few minutes!

As for anything transferred via bites…

If a Salmonid manages to get their teeth around an Inkling, chances are pretty high that they’re going to finish the job and try to eat said Inkling. Once they get a taste, they can’t let go! They only way that an Inkling could avoid getting eaten after being bit is by splatting the attacker. But then they’d have to deal with the rest of the Salmonids, who smell the sweet mixture of blood and ink…

Luckily for Inklings, once their body is destroyed, or they reach a certain threshold of pain, they get splatted, and if their soul has something to retreat to, they can potentially respawn, little to no worse for wear. That doesn’t mean they can’t be scarred, both physically and mentally, but after they’ve respawned, it’s possible that their immune system has been refreshed, and they don’t have to necessarily worry about getting sick. It’s the ones that haven’t been splatted that you really need to worry about…

After all, their saliva seems to be similar in consistency to the “ink” that hey produce. Any bites that weren’t healed from a respawn, or weren’t tended to quickly are sure to get infected. It depends on how deep the bite is, how exposed it was, and how much saliva got into it. So if it didn’t break skin, they’re probably fine, but if it’s deep enough to bleed, watch out. Salmonids aren’t venomous, but they almost may as well be with a nasty bite like that!

Of course this is purely headcanon–we don’t actually know how major injuries like this are handled, or what a cephalopod hospital looks like in the Splatoon world. For all we know, respawning might not be able to let someone recover major injuries! I mean, the loss of limb may not be something that can be fixed by a respawn, but can re-grow over time naturally. It’s just that respawning would make the recovery faster and easier. 

And respawning may not cure illness, either. That’s something that the Inkling would have to manage on their own!

Chances are pretty high that Grizz has fail-safes for this sort of thing. Mandatory and powerful showers to wash off the muck, disinfecting of wounds, stuff like that. Beyond that, injuries and any illness will have to be taken care of by individuals–they don’t get worker’s compensation… And Grizzco doesn’t take any responsibility for dismemberment, sickness, or death on the job.

Since we’re on the topic, I may as well discuss eating Salmonids, too. Typically when a Salmonid is killed, they want their body to be eaten by their killer. Waste not, want not, and all that… And since they’re foodies, it’s kindof ideal to go out as a delicious meal, if they don’t already have preparations to be buried in a garden. Not that they live their lives WANTING to be eaten, but if they die by somebody’s hand or fin, they’d want to be eaten, yes.

However, when it comes to Salmonid meat, they absolutely need to be cleaned and gutted just so, and cooked fully to burn away any stray ink and any bacteria that’s clung to the body. Salmonids are insanely tasty, however they can be a bit of a hassle to prepare (and kill.). Never, EVER eat a Salmonid raw, that’s just ASKING for a disease. 

[edorazzi]

Well, here we are again! Twitter said yes to a review post for a Miraculous magazine that suddenly showed up in my local area. ‘Tis the season after all, and by that I mean someone bought it for me as a joke birthday gift and I was way too happy about that.

I’ve done previous reviews of the Miraculous Christmas calendar, Easter egg set, superhero fashion dolls and action figures, so let’s dive into the unknown world of merchandising yet again!

(As always, if you enjoy my posts, please consider checking out my Twitter page or supporting me on Patreon for lots of bonus content!)

4 FREE GIFTS! PACKED WITH ACTIVITIES! MEET THE KWAMIS! PRANKS & LOLS! CUT-OUT MEMES! FANGIRL ALERT! NAIL ART! 100% OFFICIAL! I’m overwhelmed! It feels like I’m having a seizure just from the packaging!!! 

I should preface this by saying I haven’t bought a magazine like this in years. Possibly ever. I read things like the Beano, Animals & You and the odd Disney Princess zine when I was a kid but I have no idea what to expect from a free-gift-packed kiddie magazine in 2019. If the outside is anything to go by we’re in for a wild ride.

I’m noticing that it says “Miraculous #20″ on the back. Does this mean I’ve missed 19 previous issues? I’m genuinely a little upset by that. My local area is a complete dry zone for Miraculous so I haven’t had the chance to pick these up.

First step: let’s separate everything out and get a look at these freeeee giftssss. Except they aren’t free, because this magazine was like £3.99. This does seem to be the current trend - it’s kinda rare to see any kids’ zines without the excess packaging crammed with ‘free’ stuff. Is it really too expensive to just produce the magazine? Probably, in this economy.

Chat Noir is revealed on the cover! He was on the back of the plastic jacket, but it’s still nice to see the kids as a front-cover duo. Apparently we’re going to learn to draw Pollen, too, which sounds fun. I’m actually liking the look of the gifts as well, but we’ll get into those in a minute.

This hairbrush............. is adorable. Oh my god. It’s pretty cheap and flimsy but it functions the way it’s supposed to, and the Ladybug design has been taken into account in a better way than “it’s red/black, that counts” (lest we forget the UTTER BULLSHIT of the Christmas calendar, and YES I’m still mad about that). I don’t know how well I expect the outer sticker to last, but if it can take a bit of wear and tear this would be an adorable little travel brush. Nicely done, lads!

These nail stickers? Also adorable. They remind me of the kiddie makeup sets I had when I was little, back in the early 00s when plastic stick-on nails and decals were all the rage. Are they still a thing? That’s nice to know.

There are 13 designs (that I can count) - a Queen Bee mask, Chat Noir pawprint cake, macaron, cupcake, heart-print cookie, Ladybug stud, flower, lightning bolt, love heart, Marinette heart, bee, fox tail and star. The majority are directly related to the show and that makes them feel special. No Carapace though? :(

I’ve put a little Marinette heart on my furthest finger. At the time of typing this up (about a day later) it’s still firmly in place. I haven’t really knocked it around, granted, but it’s not flimsy enough to fall off after five minutes either. It’s also really cute to look at. Guess I’m still a decal-loving 2004 girl at heart......

These stickers though!!! Wow! They’re those holographic and slightly-puffy kind and they feel like pretty good quality, and the designs are so cute! I can’t fault these, they’re absolutely adorable. I immediately want to stick them everywhere.

So I’ve stuck them everywhere. I’m especially proud of the light switch pun. My room looks GREAT.

I saved these “mystery stickers” for last because I’m weak for the thrill of mystery bags, and there wasn’t anything on the packaging to indicate what kind of designs to expect. And OH!!!! OH, IT’S MY BOY!!!! Look at him!!!! 

I made jokes with the Christmas calendar about all the Chat Noir items being stolen ahead of time, but that’s definitely NOT the case with this magazine. I have been SPOILED with the presence of my cat son.

These stickers are similar to the sticker sheet (and the Chillin’ Out design is reprinted), but they’re puffier and non-holographic. I’m deeply allured by the “decorate your phone or tablet” suggestion on the packet, but I’m going to see how the previous stickers withstand the wear-and-tear of my laptop lid before adding any more. If I damage these beautiful Adrien stickers I’ll be devastated.

Those are our free gifts! They’re actually very fun and cute, I’m really happy with them! I guess now it’s time to get into the magazine itself...........

I genuinely almost forgot the magazine was the main part of this package. I figured I was done, but we’ve barely even started! Here’s a splash page of the kwami. Kwami with a capital K? Kwamis? I still feel like it should be singular-lower-case-k-kwami. I’ve never been happy about this “miraculouses” business either.

But is that--

It IS!!!! It’s Nino!!! 

I guess this is the new flavour of Miraculous tie-ins. Now they’ve broadened out to a full team we’re seeing a lot more of Adrien alongside the girls, and Nino is the elusive hero who shows up once in a blue moon. At least this time his name isn’t in the title of the gotdam show.......

Anyway, I can see I’m supposed to draw my “fave Kwami”. Better get to it.

Felix just wants a break. Just one break. But not in this magazine.

Speaking of seeing more of Adrien (and, tragically, less of Nino), this is the kind of splash page I want to see! Both kids are here! The banner themed with Marinette’s signature flowers is a nice touch too; that’s associated with her arts ‘n’ crafts in the show already and it makes sense to apply it to the creative portion of this magazine too.

I LOVE the promotion of Chat Noir nails as something the little girls buying this magazine will definitely want to try. I’d expect them to do Marinette vs Ladybug nails, but instead we get a boyish option! Hell yeah!

I’m a little confused by the Queen Bee masks apparently going on the Chat Noir nails though. I guess they’re friends? Is this secret AdriChlo confirmation? Watch out, Marinette, Kagami’s not the one to be worried about.

SURE WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE SOME TURTLE STICKERS FOR AN ALL-BOYS THEME BUT I GUESS NOT HUH

Next up is a short merch catalogue (why would you put the big bold arrow pointing right to the underoos.....). Would those Chat Noir socks come in my size? Asking for me.

Then there’s......... this page. FANGIRL ALERT. God. It’s like the Ladyblog, if only the Ladyblog ever gave a heck about reporting what Chat Noir’s up to.

THE SPELL WAS BROKEN AND THE FANDOM IMPLODED WITH JOY.

I really have to wonder what age range this is meant for. Do kids know what a “fandom” is? Do little girls consider themselves “fangirls”? I guess most kids have enough internet access to figure it out these days (all the hashtags and LOLs and memes speak volumes), but I can’t imagine being young enough to fit the target range of this magazine while also knowing these terms. I dunno.

(Also, the definition of ‘implosion’ is ‘an instance of something collapsing violently inwards’, so I’m not sure that’s the word they’re looking for. Unless the return to the status quo in Dark Cupid and the continuing stagnation of the love square was enough to make people quit in frustration? Probably.)

I’m filling it in, of course. Because I must.

I gave up on the pre-approved ratings system pretty much right away, but I think this is an accurate rating of my LadyNoir opinions. 

I might be kinda cynical about it here, but I am actually pretty fond of how this magazine sells Ladybug and Chat Noir as a couple. The show’s portraying it as very onesided lately, with Chat pining over Ladybug who has absolutely no interest in him (Glaciator was a TERRIBLE episode and I’m still hurting from it), but reading this zine I’d guess they were already dating. It’s cheesy, but in a nice way.

I have to laugh at “the most amazing thing about this super duo is that they always look out for and protect each other” though. Chat’s usually pretty focused on LB, sure, but there are endless instances of LB using Chat as cannon fodder and just generally abandoning him to get mauled by akuma while she carries out her personal private plan to save the day. Maybe we’re just focusing on the better-written episodes, huh?

Moving ahead. I’ve been dreading this page since reading “Plaggs Pranks & LOLs” on the back of the packaging. I feel hatred in my very bones just looking at it.

I like that there’s ONE instance of the term “ladybird” in the joke column. This is a UK-based magazine and that IS the word we tend to use over here - “ladybug” is an Americanism - but it’s like they’re worried kids could have got to the middle of this magazine about a superhero named Ladybug and then not understand the bug jokes. Maybe whoever was writing this page slipped up?

OH NOOOOO. MARINETTE, NOOOOOOOOOO.

THIS IS WHY FELIX GOT RID OF YOU, PLAGG. THESE ARE ADRIEN’S PROBLEMS NOW.

(mmm whatcha saaaaay)

I mean........... YEAH, I guess, but we absolutely did see Plagg destroy Felix with an entire shelf of heavy books. I guess he’s nicer with Adrien. It’s all fun and games until someone has a nervous breakdown in the library.

I do love the concept of Tikki getting glitter-bombed by Plagg through the mail. She just curiously opens up the little letter which got slipped into Marinette’s purse, and-- WOOSH. One entire wall of Mari’s room is glittery except for a little Tikki-shaped silhouette. 

Next up is a two-page comic which is absolutely adorable! Look at those little chibis! The warm and soft colour palette! This is nicer than most of the official Miraculous comic book art I’ve seen, I hope they keep giving this artist work.

Nino’s here too (and he looks great!), and I like the touch of Marinette and Adrien playing as each other’s superhero characters. Adrien even wins the match, though I guess there’s something to be said about Ladybug beating Chat Noir (again)...... 

It does raise the question yet again of where this tie-in merchandise is coming from! They’ve had action figures, a movie, music video features, now an arcade game... Who’s getting the royalties here? Who’s profiting? Is this how Fu can afford to buy all those rare ingredients for the magic potions?

Over the page we have an activity to Design your Secret Lair! Right away I love the Marinette theme of the page, the soft pink and flowers, and the drawing space looking like a page in a binder with marker tabs and everything.

I have to design my secret lair, of course: 

What do you think? I’m very creative. I’ll need an adult to send in the drawing of my hideout but I think I’ve really got a shot at those unicorn headphones.

Now we’re on to puzzles and character pages. I don’t know what ol’ Gabe is doing trying to meet a 13 year old girl in the dead of night without telling anyone, you’d think if he’s got that much free time on his hands he could be spending it with his son.

I don’t know how those points in Ladybug’s power profile are awarded or what they mean, but you can tell this is a fan magazine. Official sources would have put her at a 10.

Standard House of Villains page! Most of these were good episodes but I’m deeply offended Riposte isn’t on here. Maybe her motives weren’t dramatic and cartoonish enough to be up in the ranks with Glaciator and Gorizilla?

“Cat Noir’s dad is also the evil Hawk Moth”, huh? I mean that’s not WRONG, but is it really something to put in his power profile when Adrien doesn’t even know yet??? Feels like we’re kinda jumping the gun on the poor boy. What if he picks up this magazine?

Apparently he’s one point weaker than Ladybug (seriously???), two points faster, equally as agile, one point less skilled and two points less cool. Despite all those lesses he still comes out at an equal 9, which is a relief! These kids are a team, putting either of them below the other would have been a big no.

I did the colouring page too, naturally. Je suis un artiste.

Now we’ve got a page fresh from the Ladyblog, a Miraculous quiz! Not a lot of excitement, but it’s nice to see Alya getting her own section.

I like that the qualifications of “you could be Ladybug herself!” are knowing what city Marinette lives in and what school she goes to. Well done, Mari! You’re doing your best!!!

TEACHER I AM SO HUNGRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I gotta say, I’m not so sure about decorating donuts with fondant. I’ve never tried it so I could be wrong, but it feels like rolled icing instead of frosting(?) would be too heavy for an entire donut. The texture is totally different.

I mean I guess if you’re going to load your kids up on sugar you might as well go all the way. They’re going to look like they’ve eaten something horrible with all that black fondant, but they’ll have fun. Adrien would love these.

WHERE’S NINO. THIS IS JUST UNFAIR. You’ll have four out of five heroes, then a double of Marinette and Tikki? Maybe this just goes to show how little memorable dialogue Carapace has.

Though if “Spots On!” is Marinette’s dialogue and not Ladybug’s, why are the other transformation phrases attributed to Rena Rouge and Queen Bee instead of Alya and Chloé? Surely they could have picked something better for Marinette to justify having her on this list twice instead of Nino.

The next page brings us one of those flowchart quizzes! And ouch, yet again the absence of the other heroes is obvious. I can understand not including Chloé here since she’s technically not a “friendly” character yet, but no Nino? Alya and Marinette are close friends, but Adrien doesn’t really hang out with them without Nino around. Having the three of them together just seems strange.

I do like the little fashion page! They’re all cute and affordable and easy to find on the high street here. I’d love to see how other issues of this magazine are structured; is there a different fashion spot every time? Styles to channel each individual hero would be adorable.

Moving on to a tutorial for a Ladybug notebook! I would have made this, but I didn’t have the time nor a notebook to stick it to.

Between this and the donuts, it seems weird that these designs are based on, like... an actual beetle, eyes and antennae and all. Shouldn’t it be Ladybug’s symbol? These come across more like “fun animals” arts ‘n’ crafts instead of themed after Miraculous specifically. I think if I made this (or decorated the donuts) I’d miss out the head and match the spot pattern to Ladybug’s symbol. 

The hidden message design is adorable though. I can see this being a craft kids are super proud of.

Another activity page! I didn’t have a go at these but they’re pretty standard. It’s cute that the coded message designs are the same as the stickers and nail decals!

Also, apparently Ladybug’s ‘secret’ is “LB mask + heart + CN mask”, which was (somehow) stolen by Volpina. Is that the secret Hawk Moth was talking about earlier in the magazine? Is he blackmailing Ladybug with revealing she has a crush on Chat Noir? How did Volpina ‘steal’ this secret? Is LadyNoir finally reciprocated???? THIS IS A WHOLE EPISODE IN ITSELF, I NEED ANSWERS--

Next page we have an ad for another girly magazine (Quizzes! LOLs! Celebs! Cringes! Puzzles!). I think I’ll pass, no matter how appealing that giant microphone pen is. 

And a “Miraculous Identity” quiz! Tikki’s apparently super fickle with her wielders, three seasons of relentlessly praising Marinette and now she’s telling us we’re the Chosen Ones. You can’t fool me with those big ol’ eyes.

My inner superhero is Marvellous Fox, by the way. Though yet again I’m noticing we don’t have turtle options...................

And on the back cover... the memes. Oh, sweet lord, the memes. They’re hashtag-SoRelatable! And I can cut them out to keep! Oh boy!!!

Is this what kids do when they have limited internet access? Cut fresh memes out of magazines and carry them around? I need to know.

That’s a very sinister Ladybug at the bottom of the page though. What’s-- What’s she going to do to me if I don’t cut out and keep these memes. Ladybug what are you going to do if I d--

Well that brings us to the end of the magazine! And yet again I’m surprised by how much time it takes to just put a bunch of photos together and write about them.

This is a neat little magazine all in all! The ‘free gifts’ are pretty nice, there’s a fair amount of content and the whole thing is pretty cute for young fans of the show. I could see myself buying this again - if it ever shows up on shelves, Miraculous is so scarce around here that I fully expect it to disappear again after this one issue - just for the free junk, but it would be interesting to see how they’d structure different issues too!

I notice we never did get that promised tutorial on how to draw Pollen; the one advertised on the cover. Was the “draw your favourite Kwami” activity supposed to cover that? I’m not sure that really counts.

If you got this far, thanks for joining me on this Miraculous journey! We’ll meet again whenever I get another piece of weird ML merch to cover. Bien joué!

[ultimate-angst]

Can you please do a scenario where Shuichi is dying and Kaede does everything in her power to save him, but ultimately fails he spends his final moments in a lot of pain? Bonus if Kaede indirectly lead to Shuichi’s death. Not really killed him herself, but she’s the main reason he’s in his position.

First request!! I’m still just getting back into writing, so there may be some mistakes. The setting is up to you, but it’s either post-game or in a non-game AU. I hope this is to your liking, anon. :)

It’s quite long, so I put it under a cut!

I’m Sorry I Couldn’t Save You (Saimatsu)

TW: character death, lots of pain (emotional and physical), probably inaccurate medical stuff (what, do I look like a human doctor to you?)

Shuichi had never really been a fan of hiking. It was always too hot, or there were too many bugs, or he got tired too fast, or some imagined predator would scare him back to civilization. His mind was always able to find some excuse to turn back, to return to the cool air and safety of their shared apartment.

Kaede, however, was stubborn as a mule and a master at talking him into situations he’d rather have no part in. It’s my birthday, she’d begged, doe-eyed and pouting, I’ve always wanted to go hiking. I don’t have anyone else to go with. That last bit was a lie, but he’d caved in to her demands anyways. He never could resist her.

That was how he’d ended up at a nearby trail, hat settled firmly on his head and a rucksack full of supplies on his back. Kaede sported a triumphant grin, squeezing his (admittedly sweaty) hand as they prepared to start their trek. 

“Come on, Shuichi, this’ll be fun,” she insists, starting to tug him along. Although embarrassed at the contact, he doesn’t fight it, plodding alongside her with all the enthusiasm of a wet dish rag. 

“I’m sure it will be,” he replies. He’s not sure if it’s to appease her or to reassure himself, but it sounds like the right thing to say either way. She seems satisfied with the response, and they fall into a steady pace as they make their way up the trail.

The atmosphere around them is calm, peaceful, quiet aside from the chirping of birds and Kaede’s gentle humming. She looks so content, and suddenly Shuichi doesn’t care that it’s too bright outside, that it’s too hot under his hat, that the pack is getting heavy on his back, that they’re slowly getting farther from the nearest town. Kaede is joyful and practically bouncing on her feet and still holding his hand, and that’s all he can bring himself to care about.

He listens as she points out the birds and squirrels that cross their path, the flowers she thinks are pretty, the trees she wishes she could climb. Occasionally, she pulls him to the side to examine a butterfly or a pretty beetle, and though he doesn’t want to be out longer than they have to, he doesn’t mind the little pauses, the moments where she grips his hand just a little tighter as she pulls him to her side.

They reach the marked halfway point, and Kaede pauses to awe at the beautiful valley below them. She releases his hand, and Shuichi doesn’t tell her that he misses the warmth as he watches her pull out her phone. She snaps a few photos of the view, then turns to him with a bright grin. 

“Here, let me take your picture.”

The words throw him off guard, and he’s left stammering for a response. She giggles, reddening his cheeks further.

“Come on, please? I promise I won’t post it, I just want a picture of you,” she pleads, batting her lashes in a way she knows he’ll give in to. And he does, sighing in resignation as he averts his gaze.

“Alright, fine.” His voice wavers against his wishes, but Kaede doesn’t seem to care, perking up immediately with a little squeal of joy. 

“Yay, thank you! Okay, I guess you should stand here?” She guides him closer to the edge of the path, squeezing his arm reassuringly when she notices his apprehensive gaze.

“Don’t worry, you’re fine, just don’t move too far back.” She takes a step back towards the path, studying him. Lifting her phone, she instructs him to smile. He obliges, tipping his hat back and flashing a shy grin. He feels a bit awkward, and he hates having his picture taken, but maybe he doesn’t mind as long as she’s the one behind the camera. 

“Okay,” she says when she’s finished, lowering the device and skipping towards him, “now one of us!” She slides into place beside him, casually throwing an arm around his shoulder and pulling him against her side. His mind freezes momentarily, and he can feel his face heating up at the sudden close proximity. He forces his thoughts back to the present moment just as she raises her phone, trying to find a good angle. She grins, and she doesn’t even need to remind him this time as he flashes the camera a sheepish smile. She snaps a few pictures and then lowers the phone. Quickly, she presses a chaste kiss to his cheek before pulling away.

He feels his entire chest heat up, breath catching in his throat. The sudden release of his shoulders causes him to stumble, and he tries to find footing behind him. 

He doesn’t have time to react. His heart drops to his stomach as his foot finds nothing but air. He blindly reaches out for something, anything, to hold on to, but he’s left flailing wildly as he falls backwards.

The first impact as he falls forces a strangled yelp from his throat, tears burning his eyes as pain shoots through his back to his extremities. The next impact hurts even more, and so it continues, each one stinging more than the last until he finally blacks out.

The first thing he registers when he wakes up is pain. His whole body burns with it, and the sudden force of it all causes him to gasp. The motion sends a stabbing pain through his chest, and he lets out a low whine, his breathing shallow.

He doesn’t even attempt to open his eyes until he hears a frantic voice crying his name, accompanied by footsteps and the skidding of rocks. The sound is unfocused, fuzzy, and he tries to push back the pounding of his skull as he attempts to open his eyes. The sunlight stings, and he squints at his surroundings as he tries to take them in.

He’s laying mostly on his side, facing a wall of rock and dirt. If he shifts his gaze a bit, he can see bushes and other small plants. Something on his head is warm. He starts to move his head, and his vision darkens as the pain returns tenfold. He whines, immediately squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to make it stop.

The whine is quickly followed by the same voice repeating his name, more urgently this time. He can’t seem to remember who it is, but it’s so familiar. He responds immediately to the voice, letting out a high whimper. The footsteps speed up, and through the haze of pain he can hear them growing closer.

“Shuichi? Oh my god, Shuichi!” The footsteps skid to a halt behind him, and he can hear how heavy her breathing is. He winces as a gentle hand is placed on his shoulder, a soft noise rising from him.

“Shuichi, can you hear me?” He groans in response, his mouth unable to form a proper response. He hears what is either a sigh or a sob, but his fuzzy mind can’t figure out which. “Oh thank god, you’re awake, you’re alive, you’re-” The words turn into a choked sob.

“I’m gonna take off the bag and turn you over, okay?” The voice is shaky but kind, and he lets out a small sound in acknowledgement. He feels the pressure on his shoulders being relieved, the weight against his back disappearing. The hand that had been on him slips to his upper back, just below the base of his neck, and the other moves to the front of his shoulder, applying a gentle pressure as she rolls him onto his back. 

The movement sends a sharp pain through his chest, and the strangled gasp that escapes his throat quickly turns into a sob. He can hear the voice apologizing repeatedly, smoothing their hand over his shoulder in an attempt to soothe him. One hand reaches up, tenderly brushing the hair from his face. It feels sticky, and he can’t think well enough to wonder why.

“Oh, Shuichi, I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry,” the voice sobs. The hand presses against his cheek - gently, as if terrified to hurt him further. He forces himself to breathe shakily through the pain, wishing it would subside quicker. As soon as it’s back at a manageable level, he cracks one eye open, squinting at the light before adding another.

It takes a moment for his brain to realize who the girl above him is, and he doesn’t even register the whimper slipping past his lips.

“Kaede-” His voice is pitiful, pleading. Pleading for what? For her to help him? For her to take his pain away? Her thumb rubs his cheek, wiping away the tears that are starting to build.

“I know, I know, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” The hands pull away as she sits back, turning her attention to their bag. “I’m gonna call for help, okay? Just hang in there. You’ll be okay, okay?”

He closes his eyes, listening to her search for her phone. He breathes shallowly through the pain, his chest burning with each inhale and exhale. 

After a few moments, he hears a groan. Another moment passes, followed by a frustrated cry. He can hear Kaede’s breathing quicken, her voice shaking as she holds back tears.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, this can’t be happening......” Shuichi pries his eyes open, glancing over at his companion. She’s frantic, pulling at her hair with one hand as the other holds her phone. She’s biting her lip, tears sliding down her cheeks, her face flushed with panic and frustration. The cycle of quiet and panic continues until she’s at her breaking point, letting out a sharp cry as she throws her phone in the bag. She hangs her head, her hands grasping tightly at her hair, allowing herself to fall apart for a moment.

It hurts him to watch, especially knowing that he can’t move to comfort her. His voice is low and strained as he speaks her name, but it makes her jolt noticeably, her head shooting up to look at him. Guilt washes over her features, and she quickly moves over to his side to soothe him.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, there’s no signal down here,” she sobs. Her hand rubs his shoulder in a feeble attempt to calm him, but that doesn’t stop the panic that shoots through him.

No signal. No help. He’s going to die here, scared and hurting and-

He’s jolted from his thoughts as she slips her hand behind his shoulder. She’s wiped the tears from her face, and she looks like she’s trying hard to stay strong.

“Shuichi, you’re going to have to move. I’m going to get us back to the trail and out of here, okay? This is going to hurt, but I can’t call for help and I’m not leaving you here alone.” She pauses, allowing him to take in her words. Her hand smooths over his shoulder, hoping to keep him calm. “I’m going to start sitting you up, okay?” She waits for him to give her a pained nod, then starts to move. She shifts towards his head, both of her hands moving to his shoulders. Slowly, trying to be as gentle as possible, she starts to lift his torso, moving him to a seated position.

If he was hurting before, he can’t even fathom what threshold of pain he just crossed. His chest burns, the pain shooting through his body as he gasps for breath. Kaede doesn’t move her hands from his shoulders even after he’s sitting, rubbing her thumbs over the cloth of his shirt and muttering reassurances. Once his breathing becomes less ragged, she shifts.

“We’re gonna try to stand, okay?” Shuichi feels panic run through him, knowing how much this will hurt. He knows he doesn’t have another choice, though. He doesn’t want to die here. He feels himself nod.

Kaede is quiet for a moment, and one hand disappears from his shoulder. He hears the rustling of their bag, and he figures Kaede has put it on herself. After a moment, the hand returns to his shoulders, gently pressing against him.

“Ready?” He forces himself to nod, and he feels her arms slip under his armpits, starting to lift him up. It strains the ache in his ribs, and he instinctively cries out, tears burning in his eyes. 

“I know,” she says, trying to soothe him. “I know, I know, I’m sorry.” She remains steady and strong behind him, lifting him to his feet. As soon as he’s mostly upright, she wraps one arm around him, the other hand guiding his arm around her shoulders. He’s gasping for breath, sobbing through the pain in his ribs. It’s getting harder and harder to breathe, and the realization of this causes panic to shoot down his spine. His shallow breathing grows rapid, and the tears begin to fall, dampening his shirt and the dirt below him. Kaede’s free hand finds his shirt, pressing against him to try and soothe his panic.

“Kae- I can’t- I can-” He hardly manages to push out the words before a cough bubbles up his throat. The force of it burns his chest and his throat, and he sobs as he inhales. Another one tears at his throat, and they continue to come until he can hardly catch a breath between them. He vaguely registers Kaede starting to panic, and he feels himself being lowered back to the ground. The pain shoots back through him as he sits, his back propped up against the wall of rock. Once he’s settled, Kaede removes her bag, digging around before pulling out a bottle of water.

“Hey, okay, breathe, Shuichi, can you do that? Just breathe for me.” He feels a hand on him, rubbing his shoulder gently. He tries to do as instructed, forcing back the rising coughs and drawing in a shaky breath. Light coughing pushes its way through as he exhales, but it starts to calm down enough that breathing doesn’t feel like a fight. He’s exhausted now, though, the exertion taking whatever energy he might’ve had. He becomes acutely aware of the taste of iron on his tongue.

“Here, drink some of this, okay?” He feels the rim of the bottle pressing against his lips, and he parts them, swallowing the water that pours out as Kaede tips the bottle back. The cool liquid helps soothe his throat some, but it’s not long before he coughs again, spilling some on his shirt. Kaede is quick to pull the bottle away, screwing the lid back on and putting it back in the bag. Shuichi gazes at her through teary eyes, his vision becoming fuzzy. Kaede is watching him, looking worried and scared and thoughtful, and he accepts the moment of silence as she thinks.

“I’m gonna go back up the trail,” she says slowly, sounding for the first time uncertain with her decision, “and see if I can catch a signal up there. You stay here and rest, okay?” He feels himself nodding slowly, though the movement hardly registers. His eyelids flutter.

“I’ll be right back, okay? I won’t be long. Just hang in there for me.” Her hand presses gently against his shoulder, soothing and warm. He wishes she didn’t have to go.

“I’m going to leave this here. Just in case you need anything from it.” He vaguely registers a weight against his side, and he figures it’s their bag. 

A hand brushes his hair from his face, and soft lips press against his forehead. He’d be embarrassed if he weren’t about to pass out. 

“I love you, Shuichi. You’ll be okay. Just hang in there.” Her voice is distant, foggy, and he exhales slowly as his eyes fall shut. His ribs still ache, pain hitting him with every shallow breath, but her words bring enough warmth to soothe him momentarily.

And just like that, her warmth is gone, her footsteps retreating as she runs back towards the trail. He feels himself falling, darkness clouding his thoughts, until he falls unconscious once more.

When Kaede finally returns, paramedics in tow, she’s quick to rush to his side, her eyes scanning over him to make sure he’s okay. She glances over the blood dried on his head, the red staining his right side, the scrapes and bruises decorating his arms and legs.

The last thing she notices is how still his chest is. Her heart drops, and her whole body goes cold. Without thinking, her hands find his shoulders, squeezing them worriedly, before sliding up to his cheeks. She cups his face, tears blurring her vision as she sobs, pleading with him to wake up, to open his eyes, to do anything at all.

Choked sobs turn into hysterical crying as an EMT pulls her away, giving the other paramedics room to examine the bloodied boy. Her chest feels so tight that she thinks she’s going to burst, and she screams as if that’s going to relieve the pressure. She can’t bear to think that Shuichi, her Shuichi, is gone, dead, that she’d left him to suffer his painful fate alone.

That final thought is what breaks her. He died alone. No one there to comfort him, to hold his hand, to wipe his tears and hold him close as he passed. 

She was supposed to be there for him through thick and thin, through sickness and in health. And she’d failed him.