#bro its time for checkmate

[wainswright]

code geass r3!!

[cranberryjuice-posts]

DARINGGGG GUESS WHO JUST ESCAPED THE ASYLUMMMM

IM BACK W ANOTHER REQUEST POOKIE (YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT JS TAKE UR TIME)

OK SO CLARISSE X PERSEPHONE!DAUGHTER (THIS IS ANGST ANGST ANGST) WHERE THEY'RE IN THE BATTLE OF MANHATTAN AND READER IS STABBED SO OBS CLARISSE RUSHED OVER TO LIKE TRY AND SAVE THEM. BUT READER ALR KNOWS THEYRE DYRING SO THEY'RE IKE "its ok it's ok. I'm ginna go see my mother, i'll be fine!

BAWLING

(clarisse is taking over my mid)

HAVE A GREAT DAY AND TAKE CARE OF YOUTSELF POOKIE

- I’ll be back -

Pairings - Clarisse La Rue x Fem! Persephone! Reader

An - just a heads up as I said in my Korra fic this will probably be my last clarisse fic For a while. The hyperfixation and excitement to write for her is slowly going away, I will be writing most all of the request that I do have for her eventually but other than that I will be taking a short break I hope you all understand!

The sky had a thick layer of grey over it. The destruction to manhattan causing cement and other forms of pollution to take over the air.

Swinging your weapon aimlessly you tried to fight off the growing hoard of monsters. It was hard, fighting for gods know how many hours, seeing people you loved and care for die in-front of you and slowly loosing your siblings.

What hurt the most was seeing kids you grew up and laughed with fighting against you. Fighting for a cause that would benefit no one, fighting for what seemed like a dream that was never going to be real.

Trudging into a hidden alley way you lifted up your shirt. Looking down you saw the poisoned arrow shot wound becoming purple; throbbing harder and harder by the second.

Muffling your scream you pulled the dirty bandages off your body, tossing them into a dumpster. Rummaging through the bag at your side you quickly tried to change the dressings.

In the middle of war a second of peace was rare, a moment to asses your injuries was non existent, a chance to mentally reflect on your surroundings ended in death.

Death that forever followed you.

Standing stiff you were almost to scared to look down. If you gas lighted yourself enough you couldn’t feel it, it wouldn’t be true. It was foolish to think that you could of hidden from war.

“Checkmate” a raspy voice behind you whispered. Tyla.. s a daughter of Tyche and a friend who you had always competed with. Simple childish competion that eventually ended in celestial bronze piercing through your gut.

You’ve never been the best fighter but receiving deadly wounds twice in one day was setting the bar low. Pulling her sword out you fell to your knees, a metallic sound swinging in the air and hitting you in the back of your throat.

Tylas rough combat boot pressed your face into the gravel, tears quickly falling out of your face. “See You in hell” sliding the rubber bottom off your cheek she spat on you. Walking away with the intent to kill another.

Laying in the dirty alley way your thoughts went from the pain slowly leaving your body to memories of her. Of clarisse.

Sitting on the doc together where you shared your first kiss at sun down.

The first argument which ended with you both apologizing and laying together.

Sneaking into the ares cabin just to get caught the following day because you accidentally grew dead roses outside her window.

The awkward confession and her asking you on a date.

… the promise you made to clarisse that you would come back alive.

You woke up laying on a mat, a few medics crowded around you and the crying face of the woman you loved above. You couldn’t help but smile, even in her worst clarisse still looked beautiful.

Will reached over and grabbed her arm squeezing it. “She doesn’t have long” he mumbled closing his eyes. “Be quick” he softly spoke, standing up and walking to another kid.

You tried to move but she quickly took your body into her arms. “Hey, hey don’t.. just rest” clarisse tried to stay strong but right now she couldn’t help but loose it all. “You gonna be fine” her voice broke.

Tears began falling from her eyes and hitting your face. Her weak expression destroyed your heart.

Grabbing her shirt as it was the closest you could Get to touching her. “I’m ok… everything’s ok” you whispered. Clafisse just shook her head, the color was quickly leaving your face. “I just have to visit my mom for a little while, it’ll just be for a few weeks ok”

Clarisse brought your body to hers, hiding her face in your neck. Your arms went lip and around you both dead flowers and weeds appeared. As a daughter of Persephone death followed you every where, even in your final moments.

It felt as though the world stopped. That the outside wasn’t real and this all was a bad dream but even the strongest warriors had to accept when the sun came up.

[captainmalewriter]

Founding Frat Father

"Whewww FUCK yeah bro! Feels good to be a part of Alpha Alpha Beta! I gotta go recruit some more brothers, then we can party all night at the house!!"

"Cody" hyped himself up in the mirror. He looked, sounded, and acted just like a typical American frat bro. It'd be hard to believe only an hour or two ago, Cody was actually a computer science nerd who absolutely hated fraternities...

***

Earlier that same day...

Cody couldn't help but pat himself on the back as he watched the last moving truck drive away from the frat house. He had been hard at work for the past year and a half getting rid of all the fraternities at his college. Some were easy to get rid of, others required Cody to join and dismantle the organization from the inside out. It took him a lot of time and energy, but now that the only remaining members of Alpha Alpha Beta had moved out, the last frat standing had no choice but to disband.

"Ha! Checkmate, losers, and don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

Cody walked around the now empty frat house with a newfound confidence in his step. As he looked around the barren walls and empty rooms, it hit him just how much he accomplished within the last year. He couldn't stand the frats. In his mind, all frat bros did was party, drink, work out, and fuck. Cody made it his mission to get rid of the frats. He had a goal, and he accomplished it.

As Cody picked up his suitcase, he felt that he could breathe a lot easier now that the all the frats were gone. No need to worry about some jock bullying the little nerds like him anymore. Life was looking up for him! Cody then began walking towards the front door, but as he approached the exit, the doors suddenly slammed shut in front of him.

Where the fuck do you think you're going?

Cody heard a deep voice and quickly stepped back. His eyes darted around the room but saw no one.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Cody called out. He was met with an arrogant, hearty laugh.

I thought you were supposed to be some know-it-all genius! All that studying didn't mean shit in the end, huh? Why, you're only as smart as the rest of us!

Cody kept scanning the room while the voice belittled him. His eyes then landed on the center of the main living room, where the former Alpha Alpha Beta's insignia was still painted on the ground. The insignia was the fraternity's code of arms, and it had all the names of the founding fathers written on it like scripture. Cody was standing directly on it, and that was where he heard the voice the strongest.

"Oh, don't tell me. You're some fraternity bro spirit that's here to haunt me after what I did. Ooooo I'm soooo scared!!" Cody mocked the voice back. The voice went silent while Cody laughed. Only after he stopped did it resume.

The founding fathers had a vision of genuine, hardworking men that were bound by brotherhood. All you see is the fun stuff and you knock us down because of that. Sure, some brothers may go a little overboard, but we also install the values of philanthropy in these young men-

"Is this gonna keep going for a while?" Cody feigned a yawn. "I've got a bus to catch, so I can't stay for much longer."

You listen here, boy! Over my dead body are you just gonna leave after destroying what we've built up! You destroyed it, now you're gonna help us rebuild it!

"Ha! Yeah, totally, and who exactly are you supposed to be? Cuz I ain't helping you do shit!"

I am one of the original founding fathers Andrew D. Matthews, and you're about to be our new founding father!!

A man's head popped out of the ground. The sight of it made Cody scream in terror. The spirit then rose from the ground and made a beeline for Cody's gaping mouth. Cody fell to the floor as Andrew began forcing its way inside of him. He gagged as he felt his mouth and throat getting filled to the brim with the spirit. Andrew slithered its way down Cody, taking control of every cell in his body as it passed them by. Then with one final shlurp, Cody inhaled the tail of the spirit against his will. He kneeled over unconscious onto the ground.

Cody's scrawny body began to inflate now that it was taken over by the spirit. The liquidy spirit filled him up like water. Once Andrew got settled into its vessel, he began transforming the body. Suddenly, Cody's body began taking on muscle mass all over. He was once thin and frail, but now he was toned all over. His baby face disappeared as a thick black beard began growing in. Within minutes, Cody had become an exact replica of the spirit who possessed him.

"Fuck yeah! Feels so good to have real flesh again!!" Andrew said with his new host body. He had successfully possessed and transformed Cody to look like his old body back when he was alive. He rubbed his pecs and gave his growing cock a tug through his shorts. He ran his hand through his beard, and felt right at home as he felt his fingers getting caught in black curls.

Andrew caught a glimpse of himself in a nearby mirror, and proceeded to smirk and flex for the mirror. At the end of the day, he applauded Cody for all the hard work he put into disbanding all the fraternities. But unfortunately for Cody, as long the spirits of the founding fathers were still around, the fraternities were never gonna go away. And now that Cody was possessed by one of them, he had no choice but to sit back in his own subconscious and watch as his own body was forced to bring back the frats.

"Alright, time to get to work."

Andrew took a moment to focus his mind. He then proceeded to transform his fleshie vessel back into Cody's image, although with some body adjustments of course. Cody was no longer a skinny computer nerd, he was now a bonafide jockhead and a founding father for the next class of Alpha Alpha Beta.

"Cody" threw on a baseball cap, gave himself a wink in the mirror, then waltzed out the front door, ready to recruit more men into the fraternity. Alpha Alpha Beta would return to its former glory, no matter what.

[mihai-florescu]

Regarding the five star four star and 2 three stars for each unit thing they tend to do my biggest wish is for himeru/kohaku and tatsumi/mayoi centre. Idk how to explain it but hiiro and rinne were the focus of the main story and aira and niki felt like they got a bit of character from that too (more than their other 2 members at least) so this just kinda feels. Right? I've seen people theorise that they'll address kaname or that he'll wake up and I don't doubt that logic, I just hope if so kohaku and mayoi can be of some significance. I think kohaku and mayoi are decent to bring attention to because despite himeru trying to be distant at first I think he definitely is most fond of kohaku, and don't ask me about tatsumi and mayoi you're talking to a ttmy shipper I'll be here all day. Basically I just think if himeru and tatsumi were to go through the horrors their unit mates would be there for them but those two in particular somewhat understand them a bit better. Before anyone tells me these 4 were in the romantic date scout I know. I've simply decided to remove it from my memory because I could never hate a story more than that one.

I've just ranted about alkakurei to you now. It's good to be back I guess

Im hoping for niki to have a really big moment in the tour personally, as well as aira, in a different light than what we've seen so far. I just...wish i cared more for them than i really do. And I wish i could make myself care, but alas, i can live with it just fine actually. The card distribution, well, im trying to keep track of when they've had cards last already/who's still due. Tatsumi still needs a ts2 so im counting him out of the possible tour 5stars (could be a 4star), but everyone else i think is eligible from that perspective. Oh......ohhhh.....it just came to mind, but you know how they did the altered and graduation tours? Tatsumi's ts2 could totally be running during the alkakurei tour, and be related to the story in that manner. Im willing to bet on this actually, nevermind, he's definitely getting a tour 5star in the gacha. And kohaku getting his fs2 then as well would be so cruel...higgles. rip alkakureiPs. Himemayo tour 5stars sounds plausible. But so does amagi bros to parallel their main story 5stars, or any other combination... idkidk im going to stop speculating until we have more information. Um. Checkmate anime is coming out first and i will be focusing my attention and obsession there, sorry. My knightspilled checkmateholic eichip swag.

Im not sure if you meant you actually hate romantic date /srs or if it was said in a "omg i hate x thing its gonna be the only thing i think about for days" way. I feel like you meant it /srs but im personally a fan of the story poking fun at fandom behavior, giving into and critiquing at the same time, as well as the insights into himeru's psyche. The game with affinity points from the other characters is just in himeru's head and a manifestation of his subconscious, where he thinks no one's love for him can grow as he doesnt let them actually know Him, the person beyond the himeru persona. Only tatsumi who loves everyone could still love him. And thats also pissing him off.

They both approach and view things, relationships, motivation etc so differently, a lot of himeru's internal monologues are filled with "negative" feelings (jealousy, pride, paranoia etc. Even the earliest we know of him is that he ran away from home because his dad remarried and he couldnt accept it, he's been like this forever. And yet, these feelings arent fitting with the perfect ido persona, so he bottles them up, with the occasional slip ups. Himeru's presence and slow opening up in crazy:b of all units, the group driven by their feelings and desires, is so so important to me.) whereas tatsumi just...has so much love and acceptance (although as much as they're an important part of his character, it's just as important that he also has his own wishes and desires and he does act on them, moreso than himeru at least. Like his hobby of driving recklessly, which he doesnt do because he cant drive well, but because he wants to do it like that and to experience the fun even if it's unconventional or incomprehensible to others). And this gap in their mentalities and approaches to life is scary for himeru. It's a hundred times harder to love and save another than to hate or break someone down (paraphrasing from another enstars quote lmao), i can empathize with himeru having complicated feelings about tatsumi's character that he doesnt understand himself, so he defaults to calling him unpleasant rather than having to unpack it. Let aside that beyond the difference in approaches they also have a complicated past, it's easier to just blame tatsumi who can take it seemingly unscathed. I think romantic date is fun to read both before and after having experienced obbligato...especially moreso after, when youre aware of the foreshadowing and further developments (this has been my experience with most of akira's gacha stories he's written in es2 era)

Im not a tthm shipper in the traditional sense of "i want to see them date" cuz i think what they have going on is much more fascinating and nuanced than that and it'd do the relationship a disservice imo. I was gonna say it's also fun to put these characters who struggle with understanding each other and actual romance and love in general actually in every sense of the word together but thats kind of the entire cast. A lot of my favorite dynamics at least, that have had varying degrees of success and development. However, it is something i enjoy, obviously, so i will always remain fond of romantic date...wah i rambled about this for a very long time, i'll stop now!

[bleedingcoffee42]

Spiersmore is gonna be my top hottest ship cuz goodamm!these lads r driving me insane.More "unborthered smirk",his tall tanned stature..that mf is sexy af nd he knows it while spiers uughhhhs bro's eyelashes*chef's kisses* nd his pretty pretty face...more can get him all hot,bothered nd irritated aahhhhh.i need fics guys !!!!!plzzz atleast share more headcanon that will give me some relife too

So I've been thinking about the overlap of Malarkey and More. We see them the first time when Speirs walks through and More gives him backtalk about moving out and Malarkey is quick to say 'Do you know who that crazy MF is?' and we go through a D Day reeneactment.

Now this scene can be taken several ways:

A) Ask why the Dog company Lieutenant is passing through this batch of Easy soldiers and assume it's to check on someone. Someone being More. More who gives him shit for a look over the shoulder. In public. There is already something going on between these two. And the interaction shows us how More is, forward and with a little bit of bite, and liking that stern look he gets.

or

B) This is when More decides SpeirMore is his goal. He gives Speirs shit for not being their Lieutenant and trying to order them around and gets that look that sends tingles to all the right places. The lore only enhances this. While the boys say 'Fuck that guy', More is thinking 'I'm going to fuck that guy'.

And on Malarkey who refers to More as "More was a rugged John Wayne type, the son of a saloonkeeper in Casper, Wyoming." and "This time, our resident scrounger, Alton More." More stole that motorcycle they were riding around on from Utah beach, got it on an LST, and then made fake gas tickets to fuel it before riding it around Aldbourne. More. So while on these adventures I can see where we can go from Markley being "I see the devil himself in Speirs" to when they take the Eagles Nest and he's popping champagne to spook the Devil who just walked into a table. And that could be because his friend, who also like steal shit, is banging the guy.

And the competing looters being a couple? Yeah, I go for that.

The photo album is also a pivotal piece. It's used to spark an argument that More clearly enjoys. This comes after he's the only one who watches Speirs pistol whip Craver. More sees something even better about Sparky and goes for it. Needs something to really piss him off, so this is where he just steals from Speirs. It's an invitation to 'come and take it' and also a invite to go all the way to Wyoming after the war to hunt him down. This is when Tab quits, he's done. Done walking in on them, done listening to shit that carries out of the office.

The album ends up being a mess, probably should have open and honest about the things you wanted in the bedroom office instead of stealing haunted merchandise, but it is what it is. More ends up having to hide it in his cot and the seat of a Jeep to keep it from not only Speirs but the French who think they must have it because it has pictures of them surrendering. (Cue Ron mumbling 'Then don't surrender assholes'.) and in a checkmate bitch move, More enlists Winter's help to help him keep the album.

Dick makes him his jeep driver and now is involved in this theft ring/mating dance More has going on.

This is also fic fodder. Does Speirs throw in his lot with More because its now Easy vs the French or is Winters enough to hold that line and he is now challenged by trying to figure out where More is hiding it and how Winters is involved. (Bonus if he goes through Dick's footlocker and wonders why the hell there is a case of Vat in there.)

OR we go post war and hunt that man down in Wyoming. Dealers choice on whether or not that album is cursed.

Oh and the Western AU where More is the Rancher and this mysterious stranger from Boston walks into his town that isn't big enough for the both of them? Yeah, I could go for that too. Even better if he's cavalry and there to buy remounts for his company. Or get mounted, whatever.

[spikrock]

my mad t party lgbt hcs explained

very messy post below! some are genuine reasonings and others are just "yeah haha trust me bro"

tarrant: bisexual & nonbinary

i mean for all the bi characters the hc is pretty self explanatory, i mean look at them yknow. hes a little too fruity with mally and thackery 🤨 but tarrant and alice are literally bi4bi couple of all time as for the nonbinary hc, i dont know! id like to know if anyone else sees him this way or if its just me :) hes just got too much enby swag 

alice: bisexual & trans

its all spiderwebs fault!!!!!!! it made her gay!!!!!!!!! /j but seriously, kissing ladypillar and different numbers such ho hey (you know how every now and then theyll switch alice standing with mally to someone else like thackery or absolem, the few times she did it with ladypillar are so funny because they cant rhyme the pronouns 😭). also ik this sounds silly but i really appreciate that in the mtp shows once ladypillar was added they didnt stop doing spiderwebs or change it to be like “haha were both girls 😵‍💫blehh this is so weird 😂”/play it off as a joke or anything because they very easily could have done that. shes trans. i already made that post with her and mally but again, if shes not trans then why is her color palette blue and pink? checkmate liberals. 

thackery: bisexual & bigender

yeah hes bi i dont know what else to say he and mally are in love frfr i actually just completely made up bigender. made it up, i dont know where i got it from i just remember early february drawing mad t party on my laptop and suddenly thinking “bigender thackery” and its stuck with me since then. (the two genders i hc him with are male/female though so) i wouldnt say he feels just one or the other, he feels both at the same time

mally: bisexual & trans

he is top ten bisexuals of all time,, whenever they do the pretender and tarrant and alice stand on either side of him and take turns singing he is DYING. passing away HE IS TRANSGENDER!!!!!!! we all know it. instead of coming out as trans he made up some crazy story about being killed in a war and then coming back as a man 🙄/j hes just dramatic like that

chessur: gay & trans

haha this is mostly because of @thatrandomartistjavi's hcs xd chessur is special in the sense that hes the only mtp character that never really gets a chance to flirt with anyone else since hes always hiding behind that drumset. from what ive seen he was shipped with dinah a lot, presumably just cuz theyre both cats since they rarely interact, so ive never really understood it :p i usually hc cheshire cats as nonbinary/something under that umbrella but this guy gives me transgender vibes. idk

absolem/ladypillar(? dont know if she ever got a real name): lesbian & trans

shes very much a lesbian. just. just like yeah. i think the most prominent character that she flirts with (other than alice) is mally. from what ive seen it only really happens when its el dormouse on stage but before i started seeing that i always saw mally/absolem/thackery as like, a trio. i mean obviously everyone in the band are friends, but idk. i have lots of drawings of those three hanging out so maybe thats just something my delusional brain has completely made up. but anyway the point is i dont ship those two and i sort of see them with a more sibling dynamic. mally always holds her back when shes trying to touch the little castle music box thing, at the end of sets he’ll pull her antennae to take her off stage/she'll pull him by his scarf, etc. (also theres a clip where she kisses him on the cheek and as they begin to walk off stage she turns to the crowd and mouths “no” and does the throat slitting gesture thing which makes me think theyre sorta just playing around :p)

sooo in a post a while back i said i hc her as genderfluid but ive changed my mind?? actually before i made that post i headcanoned her as trans but then switched to genderfluid and now ive uhh changed my mind again. im very indecisive like that and very easily swayed on my opinions haha,,, @ticktockteapot's metaphor for her “becoming the beautiful butterfly she was always meant to be” is very nice i like it lots. also the fact that ladypillar has a much higher stage presence than absolem (obviously not including the spiderwebs number…or crazypillar) was always so sweet to me cuz like,,,aw shes finally more comfortable being herself and performing :’)

tl;dr none of them are straight none of them are cis. happy pride month and thank you for coming to my TED talk

[seangelfish]

I LOVE WHEN THE SEEMINGLY FEW ICHIRO FANS COME TOGETHER AHHHHH hes just a guy tbh but i love him and hes so protective of his bros its so sweet <33

HAVE YOU SEEN THE ENSTARS CHECKMATE ANIME (?) YET ?? its getting me in my feels its so not fair but theyre all so pretty RAGHGUGG but i do cry daily over it 🥲🥲 that recent natsume fic,, WOAH 😮‍💨😮‍💨

also

PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE POST YOU ART IM SO SERIOUS 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 literally begging i for one would absolutely love to see it AND IM SURE EVERYONE ELSE WOULD TOO ‼️

- tired ainon (i also think we 🤨🫵 might be in the same time zone HELP ??? cause it was the same time for me last night )

I've only seen clips of Checkmate!! I haven't found actual subs yet, so I'm just going to wait it out until it's officially subbed in English 😭 but I love what I've seen so far! Arashi is so cute and pretty, Leo's hilarious, and Ritsu <333

I always get so embarrassed when I post smut fics on here as if I didn't write smut before 😭😭😭 but hehe, glad you liked it~

YESSS, I'M GOING TO TRY TO!!! I yume with a lot of characters, but Kanata (Yatonokami) is the only character I have ever drawn me/my oc with (>/////< " ) It's so much fun being an artist and a yume... and a writer, I suppose...! ꉂ (´∀｀)ʱªʱªʱª

If you're British/European, then we might have the same timezone LMAO

[sapsuckers-and-stardust]

Despite what any influencer or fitness mogul or film would have you believe, for virtually all of human history until the last ~50 years, men who looked like this were more or less the accepted standard of what an athletic man looked like. Shatner got shit for his weight especially as the show went on, but the biggest Hollywood stars and studs didn’t have abs. None of those bitches were bulking and cutting and counting macros and dehydrating themselves for days just to appear shirtless on camera and avoiding seed oils or whatever other stupid shit you see people online doing while claiming that is the only way to be healthy and attractive. That is new. And it’s unhealthy. And until very recently, it wasn’t even considered exceptionally attractive.

The reason that one specific male body— the avengers Hollywood muscle explosion— is so in fashion is because it costs tons of money and requires lots of consumption to achieve. It’s also unsustainable. When (not if, when) you fail to look Iike that, you will spend more money to try and achieve it and “fix yourself”.

Don’t.

It’s not even worth it. Read about Chris hemsworth and his stunt double describing how miserable it is to gorge yourself with thousands of calories to force your body to get bigger. Henry cavil feels weak and sickly when he’s doing shirtless scenes because he dehydrates every bit of water he can out of himself to try and look leaner and more shredded. These men can only look like this for days at a time before their bodies demand they eat normal food and drink water and stop fucking exercising like insane people. Not to mention a lot of them— even your “natty” fav— is roided to shit, at least when filming. You can’t health and wellness your way to dozens of pounds of new muscle in a few months for a film.

The standard for men’s bodies has so radically changed so quickly it’s almost unfathomable. For trekkies— imagine how hard (or impossible) it would be for any of our beloved leading men— shatner, Nimoy, Kelley— to be cast as action heroes in this day and age. We see what happens in new trek when its more important that Spock has smooth Hollywood abs than, you know, actually get written and acted like the beloved and interesting character that millions of people fell in love with.

Male body standards need more research and there needs to be more RESISTANCE to them. They are as unattainable as those imposed on women, and they exist for largely the same reasons— to extract more money from you by turning your physical body into a commodity, to keep you hating yourself and feeling insecure, and to distract you from shit that actually matters.

Sharer was hot. And despite having visible body fat, a soft waistline, and not being shredded as fuck, he was healthy. Exceptionally so. He’s active and alert at the age of 93.

Checkmates gym bros.

Please bring this kind of build back Hollywood! It looks so healthy and not miserable

[moemoemammon]

I just found ur blog and read thru some of ur stuff and im in love !! Ur writing is nice to read, and always gives a nice picture of the situation

If its aight, could u do some headcannons for the demon bros Finding out mc goes real hard on housekeeping ? Im talking fast and good cleaning, does chores without problems, propably even cleans after them (totally doesnt mother them in anyway), all without complaint, mc just cares

Housekeeper MC!

(Feat. GN!MC and the Demon Bros)

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

Lucifer

The fact that he didn't have to shove a mop and bucket into your hands like the evil stepmother has him like 👀👀

Out of every person he's met, you and Barb are the only ones that actually enjoy cleaning? And now he's wondering if you've been influenced by him in some way because got damn are those floors sparkling-

Ever since you've arrived, the house has been immaculate. But as much as he enjoys that, he worries that you aren't leaving enough chores for his brothers to do.

They're gonna be lazy at this rate, especially if you keep cleaning up after them like that. He's planning to sit you down and have a good talk about how you should rest a bit, and- D...did you polish his desk????

"MC... as grateful as I am to you, I thought I asked you to rest? You don't have to clean every little thing in this house. You're here as our guest, and more, so I won't have you behaving like a maid. But if you're that interested in keeping your hands busy, you may feel free to maintain my desktop. It looks as good as new, thanks to you."

Mammon

Oh, so you're one of THOSE types, huh? The goody goodies that like to make everything clean and sparkly, huh?? Well don't expect him to help ya!

Was an asshole at first. Made messes to see if you'd clean them, tried to dump his chores on you, etc. But now that you've stolen his heart? Yeah, he wants you to sit down.

You're messing up your hands with all that time spent scrubbing crevices and dusting ugly old paintings, when you could be spending time with him!

Tch, that's it! If it's chores that're keeping you from looking his way, he'll just finish them before you can do anything! Checkmate!

"You're always scrubbin' somethin'! Let my brothers take care of the messes, while YOU sit down and watch this movie with me! Ain't no point in watchin' it by myself, so I ain't takin' no for an answer!" "Huh?? Waddya mean 'when was the last time I vacuumed'??"

Levi

Oi oi oi...! What do you think you're doing with that feather duster?! You don't think you've got the right to approach his figures with it, do you?! WRONG!

But you quickly discover how ticklish Levi is, and he squirms out of your way while watching in horror as you... delicately handle every figure? And dust them from top to bottom, without so much as an accessory out of place..?

Wait... are you seriously okay with picking up all that trash?? S-some of it's sticky from all the junk food, and- Gah! Don't go messing around in his closet!!!

Yeahhh Levi doesn't let you clean his room lmao. It's way too stimulating to watch you carefully touch every surface in his room... I-it's like you're heaven everything with your presence, and...

"S-so yeah! The only things you're allowed to clean are the figures and the outside of Henry's tank! Nothing else, got it?! Anything more and I seriously won't be able to handle it...I won't even be able to sit still in my own room......." 👉👈

Satan

Satan found it funny how willing you were to take up every little chore there was to be done in the house and he's got to admit, reading is much more enjoyable in a tidy environment.

But what he REALLY wants to know is how you managed to dust off every single book in the house, his room included, without him?? Knowing?? And you've done every shelf as well, cleaned out the cobwebs behind it, and even repaired that little tear in the upholstery of his favorite arm chair????

Has also deduced that you're probably the maid character in the books that knows everything. Actually, you're a lot like Barbatos. What secrets are you hiding human 🔫

Just kidding. But yeah, when you insist on dusting his room, he follows you around the room and watches you. You know, just in case you fall or something falls on you! No other reason.

"As much as I like having you here all to myself, it makes me feel bad watching you do that by yourself. Why don't you we clean together? We'll get it done twice as fast, and when we're finished, I'd like to read a book to you. You remind me of a certain character from a murder mystery novel I've started."

Asmo

Eeehhh?!?!? You've seriously managed to organize both his endless skin care product collection, and his ENTIRE wardrobe?!? You're amazing...!

And you don't stop there. You were more than happy to clean his tub for him and everything, and you know how hard it is to get oil off the side of a tub, right? You're a lifesaver!

Asmo casually pawns off his chores too you. Oh, he just did his nails! Can you do the dishes? Ah, he just bought this outfit. Can you take out the trash? He's about to go out with his friends to a party, so be a dear and take care of the common bathroom for him?

Lucifer scolds the shit out of him every time he catches him doing that. You're welcome. But don't think Asmo won't repay you! He'll give you so much love, you'll be drowning in it! Figuratively or literally, depending on your preferences-

"Fufufu... if you wanted my attention, you should've just told me! You didn't have to go tidying up my shoe collection, but I'm happy you did~! If you keep spoiling me like this, I might not be able to keep my hands off of you! Unless... that's what you wanted?"

Beel

Things tend to get pretty messy with Beel around, with the trail of crumbs he always leaves in his wake, and how he manages to get every surface he touches sticky. But you must be a miracle worker...

You're like a living roomba, and his ravenous appetite is no match against your cleaning skills! You seem to predict when the food bits will fall, and it's thanks to you that he can eat without a care in the world!

It's actually kind of scary, though. He'll drop a bite of his sandwich and move down to retrieve it to eat, and... it's gone. Poof. Into the ether of the garbage can...

You can still rest once in a while though, you know? Beel offers to help you with the cleaning, and he's more than happy to let you climb up his shoulders to reach those high places. It makes him happy to know he can lend a hand.

"MC, I already cleaned over here so you don't have to do it. I cleaned there, too. That means you don't have anything else to do, so why don't you have a lunch break with me? It's not good to work so hard all the time."

Belphie

Belphie's one for the more observant brothers, so your clean freak habits didn't go unnoticed. He didn't know if you were obsessed with cleaning, or if you genuinely enjoyed it, but at least you were doing it without a fuss?

And man did you do a good job. Everywhere you cleaned was left with the lingering smell of vanilla and lavender, and... you know, the smell is making him sleepy.

Every pillow his head touches seems especially fluffy, too! When he found out you made a regular habit of washing and fluffing them, and they smell amazing... He feels like he's laying on a cloud...

He won't admit it genuinely, but he really does love what you're doing with the place. It makes him feel a little fuzzy inside when he finds his pillow on his bed, freshly laundered and soft to the touch. He clings to it extra tight those nights.

"You know if you keep this up, I might prefer the pillows to your lap. Ah, but don't worry, I don't really mean it. There's no way a pillow could replace you, no matter how good it smells. I think."

[averlym]

hello omg this reply is so late i'm so sorry but

beiguang??????? beloveds?????? omg omg omg your fic is like. god-tier i love it omg omg the feels. the imagery. the metaphors fhdfhdfdhfdf

“i dislike losing what is mine,” she repeats, voice softer, “but i do not mind, once in a while, losing to you.”

aaaaaa????????? it's literally. i. screaming crying they are SO sweet i just. aAA ‘i am yours but also my own person’ BEST SHIP DYNAMICS HONESTLY

crying screaming the feels it's so tooth-rottingly fluffy omg

bro i would love to play liyue millenial. i want to play liyue millenial so badly you have no idea it's like. i need to play it. mihoyo drop the board game omg i would give them all my money for liyue millenial

it's like. it's my dream chess game. because i absolutely suck at chess and monopoly (omg ningguang basically invented monopoly didn't she) but games that mirror society?? are so beloved??

like. oh you checkmated my king but while you weren't looking the pawns overthrew the monarchy and live under a republic now. nice try. 5d chess vibes.

modern ning dominates 5 dimensional chess you can't change my mind

adgshjdsfhj but also. chess where halfway through the rules swap and suddenly the pawns are the most important part because viva la revolution. you have a set timer and when before half the time runs out, you have to grab the king. otherwise, when the halfway mark is reached the rules flip, the monarchy falls, and if someone has no more pawns, they lose. if both players have pawns the most important objective now is to remove all pawns before their revolution breaches country borders.

(my sister refuses to play chess with me because a) she's better than me and b) i keep instigating a prison break and she gets mad)

-🍵

beiguang is dignified fluff idk how else to put it they exude knowledgeable 大姐energy even though beidou is the more approachable one. big sister/ cool aunt vibes.

also yes!!! liyue millennial!!! i imagine like the pieces ninguang owns are like handcrafted wooded works of art in their own right and it's terrifying but also so cool and pretty :OOO

modern ningguang would be so good at any kind of strategy game i think. the real question here would probably be zhongli because is he going to do scary good because of mr god of war and contracts rex lapis??? or is he going to fail spectacularly because of mr funeral consultant with as much common sense as he has mora (none. the answer is none.)

i am so so terrible at chess but also that sounds hilariously fun. bestie! the chaos of that is so genius. also also, how do country borders work in chess?? i'm just imagining all the black squares are black territory and all the white squares are white territory. after the pawns take control, do all the other pieces except the king attempt to work against them? do the pawns turn against the nobles on their side attempting to get rid of them? do the nobles regardless of black or white work together as a whole to reinstate a king? (a pawn makes its way across the board, confused, and turns into a queen. it's queen, equally confused, just accepts the new queen as a spouse. alternatively, enemies to friends to lovers arc as they vie for queenship, with the new queen as leader of the revolution. no one else knows which queen is which because they look exactly the same, leading to some identity theft shenanigans. i'm overly invested in this subplot.)

speaking of games that mirror society i have never played it but dnd sounds quite fun

... jean related ficling under the cut? hurt/comfort vibes?? lowkey a character study?? here u go anyways? (i have written three fics in the past year and here is the last one)

a/n: au where signora is a bit more violent and venti protects mondstadt from her and saves his gnosis-but gets badly injured during the fight and dissipates into wind (he's recovering! elsewhere! it's just... thousand year naps where you come back mean that your mortal human friends have lost you for the remaining less than a century of their lives and you're essentially, well, dead.)

basically, the gnosis falls into jean's hands. temporary anemo archon/ acting grandmaster jean gunhildr adapts.

dandelions

jean, in the aftermath of becoming an archon.

vision holders, allogenes- they possess the power to ascend to celestia and become gods, like venessa's legend. but archons have no need for visions. as anemo archon, venti's vision was a fake glass ball, gifted to him by the anemo archon. himself.

when jean became an archon, as the gnosis became part of her, her eyes and hair glowed. her vision did not.

there is a funeral for venti the bard, held under the windrise tree, after all has been said and done. customary as it is to pass visions to family for safekeeping, the wind has no blood relatives, and a gray vision lies dull in the ground as they cover it with dirt, the body having dissipated into wind. the traveller lays some cecilias nearby, while jean places dandelions beside the grave. at her waist, a glass ball glows the same colour as the flowers.

buried that day is the anemo archon, and the gift he once gave her. what do you lose when you attain godhood? a vision. a gift from a god, now gone. a friend.

craving some semblance of normalcy, jean resumes her position as acting grandmaster, and just sort of lets the worship of the anemo archon continue as if it wasn't her.

perhaps this denial is unhealthy. jean buries herself in too much work to care. venti lost himself in songs and wine. she loses herself in helping the people of mondstadt. her people now.

in the disaster that strikes mondstadt, the statue is broken. jean remains the one that the citizens look to for advice, and following said advice, they rebuild the statue as it was before. resting under the hood with the traveller, perched on the reconstructed shoulders of barbatos, jean learns of the nameless bard. of how the shape venti took was to honour his friend.

maybe, in the quiet of her room, jean stands in front of a mirror with twin braids. the traveller showed her how to do them, murmuring something about getting to braid blond hair again. jean looks in the mirror, makes herself shorter, considers dying her hair dark until teal ends are the only bright parts left. then, she leaves for her office in her usual form, orders for rebuilding the statue of barbatos on the tip of her tongue.

she cannot, will not take the shape of venti and his long-dead friend, so she will just have to make sure their legacy carries on in a different way. in the water that surrounds the statue, jean glimpses her reflection, and she feels both guilty and relieved.

she chooses to leave the statues of the seven in the shape of venti. when she visits windrise, she sits by the statue and his grave and thinks about simpler times.

by the time the statue is built, mondstadt has settled down, and people are once again attempting to climb up the statue to blow dandelion seeds. jean doesn't mind, actually kind of likes the hopes and dreams of her people floating through her winds. it's a direct feedback loop to better take care of the citizens of mondstadt, probably better than the sheafs of paperwork reviews she sometimes has to go through.

the thing about being an archon is human needs are a bit less necessary now, so jean often finds herself fulfilling these dandelion wishes instead of sleeping.

this doesn't go unnoticed by the knights- one morning the wind floats fluffy seeds by her desk, and the dandelion knight stops writing to listen. amber's voice earnestly wishes that "jean remembers to take care of herself", and this becomes a daily occurrence, with kaeya's teasing, lisa's flirtatious threats, and klee's childish lisp flying on dandelion seeds. a smile in barbara's voice, and even an occasional reminder from a certain darknight hero. every morning, the winds whisper this into her ears, and jean loves her friends so so much, loves this city so much, that she sometimes forgets the anxiety that came when venti pushed his gnosis into her hands.

at night, when the city is asleep, jean sits in the palms of the statue, feeling held and feeling small and pondering immortality. how mortal venti was, how immortal he was. the absentee god who led their city to freedom, a wind spirit who took the shape of his lost friend, and- the bard who sung in front of his statue, who mimicked paimon, who tried to scam diluc of wine and would accept payment in apples. so very human.

jean feels a quiet sort of sadness, reconciling the image of the anemo archon who gave her her vision and the happy-go-lucky bard who was her friend. sitting in the palms of this statue is the closest thing she'll ever have to being near venti again. she looks up at the giant face, and then looks down below to where a young bard would have been strumming his lyre.

if the traveller notices the anemo archon using the winds to carry her high enough to hug the statue of the seven at windrise, it's never mentioned to jean.

[gender-i-hardly-know-er]

your stitches are all out, but your scars are healing wrong - chapter 9

<<First...<Prev...Next>

AO3 link

warnings- surreal dreams, kinda unreality? idk how else to put that, lots of swearing, mild logan negativity (we’re in ro’s perspective for a bit), mild sexual jokes/innuendo (nothing huge)

lmk if i should add anything else!

chapter and taglist under the cut

Arthur chewed on the cap of his pen, fingers tapping on the doodle-covered notebook page in front of him. Red, glittery ink was smudged on thon’s fingertips, rubbing streaks of pigment over the paper as thon lazily dragged them across its length. He stared at the page, forgetting what he’d been trying to do…

This happened to Arthur a lot. Zoning out had been an issue for him for years, especially in school. Thon knew it was an ADHD thing, he’d been diagnosed years ago, but knowing the cause doesn't always help fix the problem. Thon rubbed thon’s eyes with the heels of his palms, attempting to restore any focus he once had.

His mind just kept wandering, no matter what thon tried to do to bring it back to the task at hand, which was… what was it? What was he writing? All that was on his page were little doodles of random stuff. Crowns, swords, snakes (that’s a new one-), but no words. Words words words…what had he been planning on writing? Probably some kinda list, there was a tiny star placed at the first line on the notebook like a bullet point. A to-do list? No, Arthur had never made one of those in thon’s life. Grocery list? No, he went yesterday, he should have everything he needed…milk, eggs, bread, extra snacks for the party-

PARTY! That’s what the list was for! Thon needed to write down who he was inviting to his new year's party. He searched for his pen, finding it behind his ear (who knows when that happened), and started mumbling his way through possible attendees.

“Hmm… Hybris, obviously,” thon scribbled thon’s friend’s name down next to the top star. “And that Theo guy, from Puffs! He’s a sweetheart… Oh! Hajime! They’re cool,, I mean we haven’t ever really hung out outside of work, but they’re fun to be around- aaaannnddd I can never tell them I said that…”

As Arthur jotted down Hajime’s name, he found himself at a standstill. Thon couldn’t think of anyone else- did thon really only have three friends? Granted, he hadn’t ever had a lot of friends, but he rarely sat down and counted them like this… thon could’ve sworn that there were a few more-

Eh- not a big deal…at least not an important enough one to dwell on right now. He had people to call!

“Hey Hy-bro!” Arthur instantly regretted that one, cringing at himself.

“... What the hell did you just call me?” Hybris was snickering over the phone, a sound that made Arthur feel all warm inside, but also like he wanted to sucker punch a dickhead (affectionately …mostly).

"Yeahhhh, not my best work, I’ll admit. In my defense, I’m a bit out of it today-”

"Ohhh, your brain’s doin the fuzzy thing? Yeah, I get that all the time, then all I can think about is what it’d be like to have literal cotton for brains. I think I could get along pretty well, plus I’d have a defense if I was ever charged with something! You can't convict me of murder, I wasn’t of sound mind, fuckers! You wouldn’t send a man with cotton for brains to prison, would ya? Checkmate! I would have permanent fuzzy brain- Would you still be my friend if I had cotton for brains?” Hybris spoke faster than the speed of light, hysterically laughing through every word.

Arthur blinked, sighing a bit, “I’m gonna be honest with you, bud, I understood basically nothing you just said.” More cackling on the other line. “Anyways- I had an actual reason for calling you,” he glanced back at his list. He wasn’t gonna forget his task this time, absolutely not. “I’m having a New Year’s party, wanna come?”

Arthur didn't miss the little chuckle Hybris made at the word “come”. Stars forbid crypt grow up even a smidge-

“‘Course, dude! Obviously?” Hybris sounded offended at the idea of rejecting Arthur’s invitation, why would he ever do such a thing? Arthur bit back a smile as Hybris lamented the perceived attack on his character. Hybris was the fucking best. Making friends was never really Arthur’s strong suit… Most people thought he was “too much”. Plus, thon was accidentally mean sometimes, and he hurt people without even realizing it- He knew he was a nice person, but sometimes it felt like there were unspoken rules that everyone else just knew, and no one gave him the memo. Hybris didn't care- He was “too much” for a lot of people, too. It listened to Arthur when he was talking a lot and didn't make fun of him for being loud, it understood when Arthur was joking and wasn’t actually trying to be mean, and it explained stuff that Arthur didn't understand about other people’s reactions to things. Crypt was just so good, even if crypt was a bit eccentric. We all have our eccentricities, right?

They finished up their call with “smell ya later”s and offended prince noises, and Arthur looked back down at thon’s list. Next was… Theo!! He went into his contacts and pressed the call button, barely having enough time to bring the phone to his ear before Theo answered.

“Cedric! How’s it goin’, kid?”

“Same age, friendo, and it’s going pretty well. Ya like parties?” The excited squeal that came over the phone could’ve been heard miles away. So much for perfect hearing, huh?

“I love parties! Are you having one? Can I come? Do you want me to bring anything? I’ll make cookies! Where? And also when? And also who’s gonna be there? And-” Man, Arthur’s friends had a lot of energy.

“Slow down, hashbrown,” hashbrown? “I just processed literally none of that, start over,” Arthur shook his head, still trying to get rid of the terminal fuzzy brain.

“I said that I love parties! And asked if you were gonna have one, ya know, since you kinda asked out of the blue.”

“Oh, yeah I’m having one! And I was calling to invite you. My place, on New Year’s Eve.” Arthur bounced on his toes, Theo’s infectious energy getting to him.

The rest of the call went by in excited squeals and insistent offers to bring cookies (which Arthur only half-pretended to decline, Theo’s cookies were fucking divine). Arthur hung up with a smile, about to call Hajime. No, wait… ne specifically said not to call unless something was wrong. Ne hates phone calls, texting should be better-

He opted to text his work friend instead.

ARK

Would you happen to be doing anything on New Year’s?

elevator boy

no

why

ARK

I’m gonna be having a party. Wanna come?

elevator boy

depends

can i bring my partner 👉👈

n my new… friend? i think? its unclear, but yk

ARK

Ofc! What’re their names and pronouns and such- just for future reference?

elevator boy

athena’s my partner, the one we talked with in the elevator

she/they/moon/pix/this/that

n the other ones alvara

also from elevator ig lmao

they/she/drac/vamp

ARK

Splendid ! ╰(*°▽°*)╯

Okay. Okay! Five people then. Arthur could work with that. He went to the kitchen to take snack inventory and began preparations for the gathering, making a mental note to clean at least a little in the next few days, before people were gonna be here. This place is looking… not entirely fit for a prince- I gotta start vacuuming…

~~~

“…well, why not try expressing your feelings in a way that makes sense for you?” Patton’s puppet might not have been able to show a smile, but his tone was comforting enough for Roman to consider this. Maybe just talking wasn’t the best move here. Maybe it’d be easier to express himself in a different way… perhaps… through song?

“Well, that might work… let’s see…” Roman cleared his throat and prepared himself for sharing, the comically large chin of his puppet sticking out prominently. “Maestro?” the music started, and Roman took a deep breath. This may be a little harder than he thought…

“Oh. Uhh, what? No-” Logan, being a little bitch as always. Why did he have to shoot down every idea Roman had? Why was nothing good enough for him? No matter. He’d continue on, no matter what Dr. No-Funsen Honeydew thought.

“🎵 So you’ve gone and called someone stupid…🎵” Roman shot a pointed look at Logan, so that dense asshole would know what he was getting at. He needs everything spelled out for him, that prick. “🎵And in response, they damaged your eye,🎵” he pointed at his eye. If Logan wanted overboard clarity, he’d give it to him.

“🎵 But there is where the conflict must end, lest you both end up blind, 🎵” Roman found himself wishing he’d thrown something at Logan first, especially given his response.

“Another song? Really?” DUDE, this is for your benefit! What the hell is your problem?

“🎵 Sometimes, the problems at play are not all plain to see…🎵” How did Logan not see his fault here? Roman did everything he could to please him, and yet nothing was ever good enough! Logan was the reason Thomas was feeling bad, not him, no matter what anyone else said.

“🎵 So we lash out at our loved ones, disregarding our bond’s sanctity!🎵” Even if Logan was an asshole sometimes (most of the time), Roman still loved him! Did Logan not feel the same? Did he not see Roman as one of his loved ones? Roman looked over to the paper bag to his side, asking for his friend’s help.

“🎵There are several sides to us that may seem abstract at first until we discover where everything fits,🎵” Patton danced around a bit, his words seeming to resonate with Thomas, judging from his expression. “🎵 and people can be like a half-missing puzzle set. As we find the pieces, things make more and more sense!🎵” Patton brought up some good points. Thomas and Virgil still seemed a bit confused, the latter tilting his sock-puppet head questioningly.

“Nice imagery, but I’m not sure I follow-” Thomas seemed to be getting more confused as the conversation went on, asking for clarity.

“Well, I’ll give you an example…”

The room started getting all fuzzy. Where the hell was Arthur? What was up with the puppets? Why were they singing? Where was that beeping coming from?

What in the sweet name of Darren Criss?

Arthur woke up with his brow furrowed and his brain spinning- none of that made any goddamn sense. Thon was having puppet dreams. PUPPETS. Ones that he knew the names of for some reason. Why was he a puppet? And why were they calling him Roman? He’d never gone by his middle name. One of them seemed scarily similar to Theo… Their voices even sounded the same. Arthur bit the inside of thon’s cheek, bringing thonself back to reality. He had a party to prepare for, thon didn’t need this puppetry fuckery to mess that up! Thon could worry about this later. He turned off his alarm and stretched, the puppet song still ringing in his ears.

Thon spent most of his day cleaning, putting together snacks, and waiting (somewhat) patiently for the set arrival time of his guests, 6 o’clock.

Theo was the first to arrive, almost an hour early (no surprises there), and he came bearing gifts.

“Fuck yeah! It’s the cookies! Gay Finch, you never disappoint," Arthur grinned as Theo handed him a Tupperware container filled with specially made double-chocolate chunk cookies, the top open for thon to take one. He munched on his cookie as he gave Theo a brief tour of the place, pointing out all his favorite posters (an Encanto poster with the whole family and signed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, a MARINA poster he got at his first concert, and a Princess and The Frog poster with Doctor Facilier, thon’s childhood crush, and some of his friends from the other side) and telling Theo all about each one.

They spent the rest of the time together discussing their first and favorite concerts, Theo's being a Kidz Bop show when he was six and his dad taking him to a Fleetwood Mac concert. Arthur’s were both MARINA, but two different shows (he had his first kiss at a later one, that was his favorite).

They were in the middle of reminiscing about their first time seeing a theatre production when Hybris burst through the door, blurting out “HEY PISSY! IT’S ME, YA BOY!”

“Excuse me, Hybris, we were in the middle of a conversation,” Arthur struggled to keep his laughter from bubbling up through his faux annoyance. Thon shot Hybris a half-assed glare, to which the latter paid no mind as it picked up the (slightly) shorter man and spun him around.

“Come on, you love me. Helicopter, nyyooooomm!” Hybris giggled as Princey’s legs fanned out and pinwheeled around the room, narrowly missing Theo’s face. Arthur went slack in its hold, helpless to the whims of his captor.

“Woah, sorry, Lovitz, didn't mean ta’ put Arthur’s Disney Princess socks that close to your face, I’m sure they’ve gotta reeeeeek,” Hybris stuck his tongue out at Arthur, who dramatically crossed his arms and pouted.

“How could you insult my honor like this, dearest friend? My brother in arms, transgressing upon that which I hold unthinkably close to my heart- a betrayal I shall never forget, good sir. What did my Disney Princess socks do to you to deserve this defamation? Apologies are in order, methinks,” Arthur placed the back of his palm on his forehead, looking down in mock disdain. Thon had to bite his bottom lip to hold back his rising smile.

Hybris looked down at the socks, loudly declaring, “One million apologies, my fibrous cotton friends. You may smell just a bit, but then again, what socks do not? T’was an oversight on my part, and I beg for your forgiveness, oh Great Disney Princess Socks.” It finished with a flourishing bow and plopped down in the middle of the couch, taking up way more room than completely necessary.

“I have no idea what just happened but I love it!” Theo’s eyes were wide with wonder at the odd expression of brotherly love shown between the men, his smile splitting his face in two.

It wasn't long before there was a rapping knock on the door (five knocks, and what sounded like a snap from outside). Arthur rushed up from his place on the couch, knowing it must be Hajime and ner buddies. Thon loved meeting new people, and he was especially excited to meet these two. If Hajime thinks these people are cool, he probably would too.

He opened the door to find Hajime standing between two wildly different people. One of the said people was shorter than Hajime (somehow), wearing a black polo and a tie, entirely overdressed for the occasion. Their shirt was tucked into a short and form-fitting navy pencil skirt that showed off their full figure, and the blue on their simple flats matched the color of their tie. Their blue and orange split-dyed hair was woven into an intricate braid that fell delicately over their shoulder, their bangs falling ever so slightly in front of their glasses. They looked put together; sensible, even as they rocked back and forth on their feet, barely noticeable, but there, showing visible apprehension. Their Saturn-shaped earrings swayed with their body, back and forth, a hypnotizing pendulum. Arthur felt cold just looking at them.

The other person was way taller, towering in comparison to their two companions. They fidgeted with their hands, picking at their black painted nails and chipping them more than they already were. They wore a graphic tee from a band Arthur had never heard of under a purple-checkered hoodie, skinny jeans tucked into laced-up combat boots, and a black beanie over their faded purple hair. They had lesbian flag earrings hanging from their heavily pierced ears (Arthur counted at least six different pieces of jewelry on each ear). Their makeup was simple, black lipstick and sharp eyeliner. Not something Arthur would wear, but it looked perfectly right on them. They kept their gaze on their hands, pointedly avoiding the gaze of others around them. Arthur could sense their nerves, and he didn't blame them. They didn't know him, so it was perfectly acceptable to be nervous. He was the first to speak, cutting the brief tension.

“Hajime! And you two are Athena,” he pointed to the taller person, “and Alvara,” he pointed toward the smaller one, who had their head in their hands. The tall one held back laughter as Hajime smiled at Arthur, shaking her head.

“Other way ‘round, dear. Athena,” ne tilted ner head toward the short one Athena, “is my partner. Alvara,” head tilt in Alvara’s direction, “is my…friend? Have we established that?” Alvara gave them a “so-so” gesture. “Ah, well, Alvara is my acquaintance, then.” Hajime looked up at Alvara, who shrugged.

“Sure, that works, I guess.” Alvara shifted their gaze to Arthur, “and you’re Arthur? Like, elevator Arthur?” drac raised an eyebrow.

“The very same,” Arthur gave a small bow, which made Alvara laugh. This is going well, fuck yeah! Arthur was getting a little lightheaded, though thon was unsure why. He just felt weird- the more thon spoke with people today, the weirder thon felt. Nerves? No, he wasn’t nervous, maybe it was just excitement. Either way, it was getting to him. His vision was getting blurry around the edges, just a bit, and thon barely saw Athena’s outstretched hand, ready for a handshake.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Athena looked at him expectantly, her hand slowly lowering as she registered the lack of response. Arthur rushed to shake moon’s hand, jolting his head back and forth to restore his waning focus. He felt a shock run up his arm, painful and cold. Judging by Athena’s reaction of yanking her hand back, she felt the same thing. They glanced at Hajime, who nodded subtly, an unreadable expression on both of their faces.

“...Come on in, we’ve got snacks and stuff, help yourselves to anything your hearts desire,” Arthur stepped to the side to let the trio by as he stared confusedly at the ground. That was… odd. Thon’s “just shake off the weird confusion stuff till it goes away” philosophy was failing thon, and he had no idea why. He rubbed his eyes and shut the door, turning around to see everyone staring at each other, wide-eyed and puzzled.

Arthur’s vision went foggy as he turned to look at Hajime. And then it happened; thon’s head strained with the pain of memories that weren’t his- thon saw a room he’d never been in, people he’d never met, hands and legs and arms and a body that wasn’t his-

“We can't trust him! He’s asking us to go back on things we’ve known for years! Rights and wrongs, shoulds and shouldn’ts! How can we trust him?!” Roman was exasperated. How could Thomas listen to him? He’s literally Deceit! He’s the bad guy! What did he ever do to earn a seat at the table?

Deceit sighed and looked at Roman. “... I don't have a simple answer to that question,” he seemed to be considering something, taking a pause and moving his gaze to the ground for a moment. “... but here’s a start.” he started taking off his glove, all eyes on him… what was he trying to do?

“My name…” No. No, no no no no no NO! Roman looked up at him in disbelief. Names were like… a whole thing! What kind of game was he playing? Thomas would be more inclined to trust him now. It had to be a trick. He was toying with them… right?

Deceit raised his hand, like an oath. He took a deep breath. Was he-? Was he really gonna tell them?

“My name is Janus.” No way. That’s a fake name. Absolutely not. Roman didn't believe that for a second.

“PFTTT!! Janus?” Roman laughed, “What are you, a middle school librarian?” More laughter. “It’s a stupid name.”

Listen! Roman wasn’t trying to hurt him! It wasn’t his fault that Janus took offense to his statement! And it especially didn't warrant his response-

“Oh, Roman, thank god you don't have a moustache. Otherwise, between you and Remus, I wouldn’t know who the evil twin is.”

W-what? Evil? He wasn’t? …Right? He was just joking around! He didn't-

Arthur tore his eyes off of Hajime, head pounding as the ache of remembrance flooded through his body. Thon didn't know why that comment hurt him… thon didn't know what any of that was. Who was that snake-face dude? Janus, he said his name was. Why did he hate him so much? Thon moved thon’s gaze to the right, his eyes settling on Alvara and oh fuck I guess we’re doing this again-

“Oh my goodness, do I have to? I mean, like, so many changes… I just told you my name.” Virgil looked apprehensive, but what else was new? Shit, Roman had been trying so hard to be nicer to him this time, and he still ended up making him feel bad- he didn't mean to put any pressure on him! Even when he was trying to be better, he ended up making others feel worse. What was wrong with him?

“No, no, you don't have to. I just thought-” Roman quickly tried to do damage control, but he was cut off.

“I actually… agh, I actually had this idea, but, like… it’s a little out there. So, um…” Virgil? Had an “out there” idea? Man, Roman really did misjudge him.

Thomas smiled reassuringly, “Go ahead, I mean, if you don't like it, you can always change back.”

Virgil sighed, considering it. “Well, alright, but, um… Before I do, I should probably confess that uh…” He blinked out for a moment and reappeared in a wildly different outfit. A purple patchwork jacket sat over a ripped t-shirt (also purple), displaying an emblem of a stormcloud. It was so, very …Virgil.

“WOAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-”

Arthur rubbed his eyes, bringing himself out of… whatever that was. He brought thon’s attention back in front of him, to Alvara. Thon only now noticed the smudged black eyeshadow under her eyes. It was strikingly similar to that of one of the men he had seen. What had they called him? Virgil? No, they never said that… but Arthur knew that was his name, somehow. Shifting his gaze to Athena, he almost expected the tumbling feeling that took over him as thon was yanked into another unfamiliar (but not too unfamiliar) memory…

“Well…” Logan looked incredulous, giving Princey a confused glare. Who cares if he wants to do a rap battle or not? They were in daydream mode! Princey’s mode, Princey’s rules.

“Too bad, you’re doing it.”

“AGGRESSIVE BOUTS OF BEAT POETRY! LOGAN VS PRINCEY! GO!” No, wait, why did Logan look so ready? He just said he didn't want to do it! Whatever, Princey was gonna crush him.

“Ladies, Lords, and Nonbinary Royalty! Watch me as I beat this geek, and do it joyously!” Ha! Logan looked so mad, giving him the side-eye. “I’ll vanquish any villain with the gall to try to toy with me. Ask the Dragon Witch- she knows the drill. You’re screwed royally!” Princey smiled, satisfied with his performance.

“Stricken with clairvoyancy, events occurred as I’d foreseen,” shit, Logan was kinda good- “Your verse was weak, your rapping stinks, flamboyantly employing these- Trisyllabic rhymes?” Logan did a fancy little hand move. No! That was Princey’s fancy little hand move! How dare! “PSSHH, I can match that easily,” Princey glared at Logan, getting angry now. He watched Anxiety look between them, clearly surprised by Logan’s unexpected skill. Ughhhh! “I’ll beat you every time, so you do not want beef with me, Princey!” That bastard! “I drown out lesser emcees when I flow, there's no avoiding me. Under pressure, I rise up- holler at your buoyancy!”

“Woo!” Morality yelled out in encouragement. Betrayal of the highest order! Even Anxiety was vibing… this isn’t how this was supposed to go!

“Diadems are worn on Capita. I had this battle on lock like Attica! You're through; go home, Princey, pack it up. I claimed to be the better bard, and I backed it up!”

What the fuck was Princey supposed to do with that?? He looked at Logan incredulously.

“Wow.” Clearly, Thomas had no idea what to do with this either.

“Wher- where did that come from?”

“I have an appreciation for poetry.” LOGAN. LOGAN WHY? LO-

Arthur cringed in embarrassment from his loss. That was- wait. His loss? That wasn’t him… was it? Why did all these memories have moments that made him feel like shit? Let’s go again, I guess, he thought as thon moved thon’s eyes to Theo. These memories were connected to these people, somehow, since they changed as he looked at each of them. How they were connected, thon didn't know. He let thonself fall into another scene-

“I…” Patton started glitching out, his voice getting garbled and distorted. “Don’t…” He was distressed, almost crying. “KNOWWWWWWWW!”

They were suddenly in another video game scenario, a Mega Man-style scene. Roman saw a bar labeled “PATTON HEALTH” shoot up as Patton’s screams filled his ears. “MAYBE?!”

Patton grew and grew, smashing the apartment. He became a monster, a giant… Frog? The health bar changed to “LILYPADTON HEALTH”. Wonderful pun, terrifying context.

“Patton! It’s okay- Please calm down!” Thomas was frantic now, horrified by the situation in front of him, but he was still trying to help Patton. Of course he was.

“ We do all think of people who lay down their lives for others as the greatest heroes, so... I-I-I don't know!” Pat’s voice was lower pitched now, he didn't sound like himself. Roman stood, petrified, watching his friend’s reality shatter into pieces, helpless to intervene.

Logan popped up in his box, speaking to Patton, “You don't know? Earlier you suggested that all people naturally understand right and wrong. So? Should Thomas die so that others may live?” This was too far. Patton was in pain, how could Logan be concerned with proving his point? He sunk out, letting Patton respond.

“Yes? Uh- I mean... Maybe? ...Or maybe not! What do I know? What do you think, Thomas? If it's your life..” Patton held up Leslie Odom Jr., who was writhing around in his grip, “or Leslie's!”

Not again! “By the slow wit of Heracles, Patton, leave Leslie out of this one!” Roman yelled. What was it with him and Leslie Odom Jr.?

“B-But how is Thomas supposed to feel empathy for this person if he has no one to visualize?”

“Is there no one else he can feel empathy for?” Leslie had been through enough!

“You're right, Roman.” he tossed Leslie aside, opening an inventory box. Thomas' life…” He grabbed… no- “...or Lee and Mary Lee's!” They shifted back to the trolley problem scenario, Thomas tied to one side, Lee and Mary Lee on the other. “What do you say, Thomas? Uh, I don't know the right answer here! It's up to you!”

Roman looked on in awe. This was not the Patton he knew. Patton would never willingly put Thomas or his friends in danger. He’d never make Thomas do this. What happened to him?

Logan popped up again, angrier than Roman thought he could be.

“ENOUGH!-”

That was definitely enough of that one. Arthur was getting more confused as he went on. Thon kept seeing the same people in all these scenes, in the same room, wearing the same things. They all looked the same, too! They all looked like one guy in different outfits, but thon thought of them as individual people somehow. It didn't make any sense! He glanced at Hybris, being pulled into what was (hopefully) the last memory-

“Obviously, she wasn’t a ghost, ghosts are evil! Except for Moana’s grandmother.” Roman couldn’t believe he had to explain this to Virgil. The emo one! No one should know more about ghosts than him!

“Well, there's one thing I know; Reese Witherspoon isn't-” Patton looked toward Roman. “EVIL…” his voice cracked out of nowhere. What was that about?

“Ha! I resent that. Ghosts aren't evil. They just scare people because you never know when they're gonna-” Virgil turned to Roman- “SHOW UP!” His voice did the weird thing it does when he’s having a bad time… What happened?

“Okay, okay! I take back what I said about ghosts!-” Roman felt something heavy hit the back of his head-

Arthur fell to the floor, his vision going black.

Note: sorry this one has taken forever,, holidays are hard and school has been a lot

this chapter was also just really hard bc arthur’s/roman’s perspective is super difficult for me to write, plus I had to rewatch a bunch of eps, it was just a lot more work than the others have been, but it’s important, yk?

i’m pretty satisfied with how it turned out, though!

thanks for reading, and stay frosty :)

-duck

taglist

@azorii-tulip @will-wood-fan-01 @anonymous-gremlin @whatishappeningrightnow @simplestoryteller @trash-bastard

[ducktollers]

tagged by @dickpuncher420 to answer 8 prompts with 8 songs <333

favourite song at the moment: [redacted]

a song you associate with a favourite character or ship: BRO i have endless zukka songs but thoughts from your car by nodisco. makes me wanna draw them on a roadtrip so bad

a song that could be about you: ngl i dont rlly pay attention to lyrics but i always wanna die (sometimes) by the 1975 rlly gets me 🤪

a song you think is overrated: sorry but heather by conan gray 😫 i like his other songs so im not a hater i just do not understand how thats his biggest song 😞 checkmate is superior

a good song that reminds you of a specific memory: god i associate nearly every single song w/ what was happening in my life at the time to the point where it ruins the song BUT.. the strongest is probably waterloo sunset by the kinks 😞 good ass song but i listened to it while walking across campus in the dark after failing my first uni chemistry midterm and i was so dead inside LOL :^) so the song reminds me of that very vividly smh

the last song you listened to: [redacted]

a song that makes you laugh: stay safe by tiny meat gang LMAOOO any tmg song makes me laugh tbh

a song you want your mutuals to listen to: come back 2 me by carter ace bc its a bop but doesn’t have a ton of attention </3

as usual i dont tag anyone BUT if u wanna do it pls feel free!!

[hongism]

OK, new MOC chapter, here we go. First off, Yunho, please stop eye-fucking Hongjoong. He’s trying to give a lecture, and you are being distracting. Just stop, bro. Hongjoong just ripping straight into yn while disregarding Yunho, though. XD But like, Joong, love, can you not be that beautiful while giving this lecture? What was that little exchange about keeping yn in line? What were those two talking about beforehand? The respect thing, though. Sir, you are a mystery we love to dwell upon. Hongjoong pointing out yn’s inability to act like an actual elitist. Wooyoung, you little dorky baby. YEo’s hair is not the priority at the moment no matter what you may believe. Rofl. But the way he’s speaking up more, such growth. So proud of you, Woo. So proud. But what is the special case for San? I’m curious, do tell me we get some more details on that later on? he revelation about the pardon papers? Also, calling her out on San being a weak point when it comes to Jisung? Oof. Sir, calm down. The idea of Jisung getting payback for messing with yn’s memory? Would that truly give her closure on the subject, seeing as she would never really be able to trust memories prior to meeting the crew? Oh, oh god, the scene in the brig. Joong, can you stop being cruel and beautiful at the same time? It’s hardly fair. Poor Hwa, though. I wanna put him in my pocket. The casual ‘have your talk in this time’ and then leaving? I can’t say I laughed, but it was more of a sigh, cuz the brig didn’t really seem like the place to have that talk? But it was had, and while I’m sad about it, I’m still hoping for sanhwajoong foursome as the ending ship. Lol. Woo being so excited that Mingi is home! So sweet, he’s such a wonderful boy. Oh no, what just? Woo just reached a new peak and I am for it. Go, baby, go. I have loved watching him grow from that quiet little shy thing to where he is now. And getting a little on the cruel side for him with Jisung over yn? Can’t say these boys don’t consider her a part of the team at this point. Especially to Woo. But Mingi is back, which is a relief in the middle of the joy of Jisung getting just a little bit of what he has coming to him. These boys are not going to let her go without a fight, and I feel like San is gonna be at the front of the line. Again, the checkmate line? Probably one of my favorite lines in the whole chapter, and I loved a lot of lines. This was so good. I’m so excited to hopefully get San back.-🦋

OKAY SORRY IM LATE!!! took me a bit to sit down and answer this i'm so sorry flkjsldfjslkdf but !! our dear yunho HAHAH props to hongjoong for ignoring him and continuing on with ripping into y/n tho :3 unfortunately we all simp for hongjoong even when he's lecturing mc ;;-; him and yunho talking about things beforehand hmhmhm 😏 but hongjoong is always there to remind her of her shortcomings mhm

wooyoung is learning and growing and being more open ! and lots of growth to come as well! what IS the special case for san hmhmhm we WILL get more details on that in the next chapter indeed ! we couldn't have thought that hongjoong DIDNT know what was going on hm?

there shall be a lot of deliberation and moral dilemmas and personal dilemmas when it comes to the situation with jisung and i think that the resolution of it will be one that may not be expected and perhaps not even make a lot of sense at first glance but i promise it'll all work out :3

the scene in the brig was very ?? bittersweet i hink is the right word for it. and honestly for a talk like that, the place and situation they were under cant be too much of an effect on them as its been a convo they've needed to have for a while ! but its still FARRRR from endgame, nothing is over for certain yet so do not worry ! there is still plenty of time !

our sweet wooyoung is truly best boy (along with mingi of course) and seeing him go from tiny shy scared lil thing to more confident and stronger and ahhh it's so lovely to see the way they're growing over time and its exciting as the writer to see how you guys react to it ahhhh i hope im able to keep it up and continue to show their growth well over time <3

heh im glad you enjoyed the checkmate line, i wrote that line a long time ago actually and before i wrote anything else for this chapter so ! it was one i was excited to share for sure :3

[aangfanclub]

liveblog s1 ep20: the siege of the north pt 2

liveblog of part 2!! this one is intense and my brother is currently crying hysterically due to ~events~ and emotional support is appreciated

Where is aang’s spirit??? I am uncomfortable when we are not about aang

Zuko pls know i say this with as much love as possible but you’re so stupid. You stole the avatar and he isnt even awake to keep u alive

Bro: steal ur face? Ha. how would u breathe. Checkmate

Zuko has a sister?????

ZUKO HAS A BROTHER????

[then followed a debate in which i swore i heard zuko say he had a brother. My siblings told me i was wrong and i made us go back and watch it again. I was completely wrong. I’m a fool and now we all know this]

WHY IS EVERYONE SO MEAN TO ZUKO!! STOP TRAUMATIZING ZUKO CHALLENGE

Bro: Everytime i see sokka im just like. Man. i wish i had his hair.

Zuko needs a therapist and like one healthy coping mechanism

REMOVE THE MOON?? Ok gru djskfskjd

Yes YEET that fiance

How is aang gonna not emote. Hes so excited all the time! He’s so baby!

BRO THAT THING IS SO CREEPY ITS LIKE IF THE MONSTER FROM INFINITY TRAIN WAS ALSO A CLOWN

Bro: Aang is so strong for being able to keep a straight face. If anything i would laugh

Lotta talk about the moon,,, im feeling like someone’s in danger of losing a gf

Sis: ITS THE POLAR BEAR bro: that is a PANDA are you okay????

whats happening?? Hows he gonna get to his body? Oh he just yeets back jdskfks ok

Bro: Zukos voice sounds like a boy whos going through puberty but he doesnt want his voice to crack so he just whispers

Bro: Sokka and yue are my marichat. Sis: theyre your MARICHAT?? THATS SUCH A WEIRD ONE TO PICK bro: uhhh maridrein?? OH ADRINETTE

THE MOON IS A FISH??

Jsdkfkjs the moon said im outta here yall figure this out on your own

SICKO MODE AANG I MISSED U

Aang HELLO??? Where did you GO YOU CANT JUST GO SICKO MODE AND LEAVE WHAT IS THAT LIZARD THING 

AANG IS THE MOON SPIRIT??? TALK ABOUT FLOWER GLEAM AND GLOW

Sis: NOBODY BETTER EVER MESS WITH AANG EVER EVER AGAIN I SWEAR

Bro: NOOO IM GONNA CRY IF SHE DIES IM GONNA CRY I CANT SHE WAS MY MARINETTE THIS ISNT FAIR

Bro: Did she DIE NOOOOOOOOOOOO

[at this point bro is crying hysterically and punching the couch in anger. We are all yelling]

Bro: I swear i want to kill whatever that commander dude is he killed by GIRL AANG YOU BETTER DELETE HIM

Bro: NOOO SOKKA NOOOOOOO

She IS the fish???? She became the moon???

At least he got to kiss his dead moon gf one last time,,,,,

I swear i hate you sooo much i dont even know your name KILLHIM ZUKO

Begone i dont want you to EXIST

Bro: He killed my girl.... He killed my girl... this is so sad.. She was my marinette

Sis: THIS GIRL WAS IN THIS SHOW FOR LIKE 3 EPISODES CHILL

Bro: I JUST LOVE SOKKA SO MUCH AND SHE WAS HIS EVERYTHING

[bro is crying real tears. His spirit is crushed. He just wants yue back. His voice is cracking a lot]

Let zuko take a nap challenge. Let zuko be loved and cherished challenge

[bro is screaming into a pillow]

Post-episode: sis: should we watch an episode of miraculous ladybug to lift our spirits? Bro: NO. NO ONE ELSE GETS RELATIONSHIPS IF SOKKA DOESNT

Bro: i have two theories and one of these NEEDS to happen or else im canceling the show. Either aang goes into the spirit world and goes ‘bro sokka is destroyed come back please’ OR sokka dies and becomes the water spirit so they can be together forever

[bro has been going on for half an hour about why sokka and yue should’ve gotten married bc they would’ve united the two water tribes. It’s sad boi hours. He and my sister are yelling about the virtues of yue and adrien agreste for reasons i dont understand. Love is dead.]

[starswornoaths]

Prompt 22: Argy Bargy

Sometimes the only thing to do when your brother is arguing with his ghost boyfriend is to play chess with your ghost bro.

Word count: 630

“They’re arguing again, aren’t they?” Branden said tiredly, ghostly finger attempting in vain to poke at a bishop on the chess board.

“That they are.” Serella sighed and leaned over to pick up the bishop piece and held it in waiting. When he tapped at the space he wanted to move the piece to, she set it down for him. She frowned as she observed the board. “Damn, that’s a good move.”

“Oh, you think you’re so clever, do you? Think you’re makin’ a good argument for yourself?” Uthengentle’s muffled voice roared through the solid brick wall. “Well I came prepared for this argument!”

“Check.” Branden chirped.

Serella crossed her arms, her frown deepening. She had some few options on the board, but her prospects looked bleak. He’d been a better opponent than she had anticipated. After a few moments, she settled on shifting her knight to take the bishop, even knowing she put it in the path of the queen.

Decisive sacrifices must needs be made, in difficult times.

“Yeah, I have a fucking list! It’s even alphabetized! I have a lot of reasons for thinking my chocobo is the best!”

“Wait, that’s what all this argy bargy is about?!” Branden bolted up from his half slumped position, wide eyes looking over at the wall connecting the two rooms.

“As Uthen tells it, Ardbert had started commenting on how much more Seto had done compared to Momotoko.”

“Who?”

“His chocobo. Apparently this is grounds for a heated debate on who is better.”

“Oooohh, so your feathered friend can talk! Whoop-dee-fucking-doo! That don’t make him smarter! You know how many idiots I have to talk to in a day?!”

“Lad’s got a point.” Branden mused, pointing down at a rook and gesturing for Serella to move it to the far right corner.

“If Ardbert could hear you, he’d be scandalized.” She replied flatly, and set her chin in her hands as she contemplated her next move.

“Momotoko can eat whole fucking tin can! He’s capable of turning anything into good fertilizer, even if it’s an ordinarily inedible object! Can Seto do that, ya incorporeal pissant?!”

“Probably, actually.” Serella mused, moving her pawn two spaces out of its starting position.

Branden hummed and shook his head. “Sensitive stomach, from the neglect before Ardbert got him.”

“He was neglected? I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Regrettably, I’d been the first one to speak up on there being no point to keeping him.” Branden turned wistful, half paying attention when he asked Serella to move his queen forward. “Check.”

“That doesn’t sound like me.” Serella winced, though saw the opportunity to move her other knight to take the queen and readily took it.

“YES HIS NAME IS MOMOTOKO AND YOU WILL RESPECT IT!”

“Didn’t sound like me, either, looking back on it.” Branden sighed and leaned back against the chair he was oddly permitted to sit in. He crossed his arms thoughtfully as he studied the board. “I wasn’t much myself, after I left Voerburt. And I was even less myself after I had returned again, as you saw.”

A cacophany of noise— akin to furniture breaking, vaguely— could be heard through the wall, along with shouts of unbridled rage. 

“You got better.” She mused.

“I had help.” He gave her a wincing smile that turned apologetic as he tapped at his rook. “Checkmate.”

Wood splintered from the other side of the wall, followed by the crash of pottery shattering and metal utensils clattering to the floor. With a sigh, Serella dutifully moved the rook to block her king in.

“Good game.” She said in good sport.

“OF FUCKING COURSE I FIGURED OUT HOW TO FIGHT YOU. WHAT KIND OF MHIGAN WOULD I BE IF I COULDN’T PUNCH A FUCKING GHOST.”

“Aye, good game.”

[thesexypanda-boo]

bro okay i was hearing ashes by stellar cause smiley told me to listen to it and its a totalllll jurdan song-

pretty sure other people would have realised this by now but i heard the song for the first time today-

OMG YES. I'VE HEARD THIS HECK YES.

"I ain’t Hades, but I’m the King"

fuck yes

and also the she drove me crazy part-

"Now that I got a taste, I’m gonna hallucinate

I think that I am trippin' off your love

I started playing your games, you got me in a checkmate

Now you are the queen, and I'm the pawn"