#but boy can i go into detail about whose hands are where

[justsomeguycore]

i love my ocs. i’d love to give them a plot to enact one day

[cat3ch1sm]

hii! could i request hcs about illumi's fiancé meeting the zoldycks? something along the lines of her being expected to be the next lady of the house and getting used to the mansion's lifestyle (having butlers, being secluded on a mountain, having the entire family living together)? it would also be nice to see her getting along with the little siblings (killua, kalluto, and alluka)

sorry if i left out any necessary details in this request :(

~✰♡✰♡✰~ hellooo! thanks for ur request :)) haven’t written for hxh in a little while so im happy to write this for you and our favorite bug-eyed assassin :3 if you’re ever unsure about what info to put in a request, just visit the pinned post! ily 💚

fem!reader

𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢’𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜é 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐳𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐲𝐜𝐤𝐬

illumi isn’t close with his family in the same sense that normal people are close with their families, but nonetheless he feels the need to inform them of major developments in his life. through a letter he tells his family of his engagement, and says that he is going to bring you to his home to see them all.

silva is indifferent, and zeno couldn’t care less, but kikyo is ecstatic that her illumi is finally going to marry someone- and that it isn’t that awful clown hisoka. she’d been seriously concerned for a second there. but she rounds up all the members of her family to be present on the day of your arrival (using excessive force because nobody really wanted to come besides alluka, who was only allowed to meet you because killua threatened to not show up unless alluka was permitted as well).

when you and illumi first arrive after the lengthy trip up the mountain, you are greeted by butlers gotoh and canary, whose presence startles you. you were aware of illumi’s great wealth and status, but it was certainly different from how you’d grown up. just getting inside the actual home is a process- illumi’s strength slightly freaking you out when he pushes open four of the doors to the entrance of the mansion without breaking a sweat and then encountering Mike, the Zoldycks’ monstrous dog. illumi does notice your apprehension, though, and plainly assures you that the dog won’t harm anybody it isn’t supposed to. you’re still visibly nervous, though, so illumi has you come closer to him and hold on to his arm. regardless, you realize it may be tougher to settle in than you thought.

at last, though, illumi brings you to his family. nobody reacts much outwardly to your presence, but you notice a white-haired boy with catlike eyes observing you closely, his expression a mixture of suspicion and confusion. standing beside the boy are two other black haired children- one with short black hair standing somberly with his hands folded in front of him, and the other an eager blue-eyed girl whose gaze sparkles as she looks at you. the white haired boy stands right behind the blue-eyed child. the tall, blonde man with a large frame illumi tells you is Silva, his father, and the slightly shorter man with white hair beside him is illumi’s grandfather, zeno.

without warning, you feel thin arms thrown around you in an embrace, and you almost jump out of your skin. but when you are released, you see the woman that can only be your fiancés mother, the only member of the family illumi had warned told you about prior to the visit. kikyo wears a large dress with an ostentatious petticoat and hat, and most notably a visor over where her eyes would be with one red glowing dot. her appearance is unsettling, and you find it a little difficult to force a smile when she greets you. illumi watches you from the side of his eye, his face unreadable.

just as kikyo is pulling away, something gleaming and silver and large is thrown right at your head, whizzing right by kikyo’s hat and slicing off a single hair from the feather on her hat. you don’t hesitate to lift your hand to your face and catch the sword immediately, the blade slicing your hand- but you don’t flinch as the blood seeps onto the blade and down your arm. you tilt your head to the side to see your assailant is silva, his arm still poised in throwing position. his expression grows less stony once he sees you’ve caught his weapon.

there’s a moment of icy silence, you lowering the weapon to your side, and silva watches you even more intently before uttering a flat “welcome to the family.” with that, he and his father turn and disappear elsewhere inside the mansion. kikyo, though, takes this as her cue to immediately grab you so you two can walk by yourselves throughout the mansion. illumi doesn’t look super pleased to see his mother take you, but he knows better than to try and stop her.

you two are navigating the long, hollow corridors of the zoldyck home. you pass many unsettling family pictures and paintings as well as various weapons like swords and arrows on the walls, and several human sculptures that seem a little too realistic. you’re also sure that you pass at least two torture chambers. it’s an eerie atmosphere, which was what you’d expected, but it doesn’t help your nerves.

kikyo either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care about your apprehension, and instead starts talking about how much she’s wanted a daughter and how thrilled she is to finally have a “daughter” to take in. but then she grows eerily serious. she talks about how you’ll be expected to be the next lady of the house and, since you’re becoming a zoldyck, how you’ll have to follow the same codes they do as a family and exhibit the same values- which makes you antsy. the woman clearly seems a bit unhinged. you’re relieved when the walk ends and you’re returned to your fiancé, who gestures for you to take his arm again. illumi’s mother’s mood changes drastically yet again and she storms off, shrieking to her husband that it’s rude for him to walk off after hardly having said anything.

now you and illumi are left with the four other children- the white-haired boy, the girl with long hair, the boy with short hair and purple-pink eyes, and a homely fat boy behind the three younger ones. he holds a small console in front of his face and doesn’t even seem to acknowledge your presence. illumi introduces them to you.

“y/n, i’d like you to meet my siblings,” illumi states in his usual manner, walking slowly towards them. gesturing to the white-haired boy, he says, “this is my brother, killua. i call him kil.” he looks down at his brother with an eerie smile and black eyes like pits, but killua keeps his stony gaze straight ahead. his hand rests on the shoulder of the girl in front of him.

“this is my youngest brother, kalluto,” illumi continues, placing a large hand on top of the boy’s head. his hands remain folded in front of him, and he gives you a polite nod. looking toward the fat boy behind kalluto, his expression slightly curling into one of disdain, illumi tells you, “and this is the second oldest, milluki.” milluki doesn’t acknowledge you at all, which seems to visibly irritate illumi, but he doesn’t reprimand the boy.

you’re confused when illumi doesn’t introduce the girl, and you glance up at him in confusion. “illumi, what about her?” you look down at the girl in front of killua, who looks surprised for a second, and so does killua behind her. “you forgot to tell me her name. she’s a beautiful little girl.” you manage a small smile, leaning down slightly to stroke the girl’s hair. her blue eyes sparkle with joy, and killua looks up at you as well, looking a little confused but also very relieved. “your mother said she had no daughters.”

illumi’s eyes lower ever so slightly, giving him a dismissive look. “she doesn’t,” he answers flatly, and his tone makes you feel like that’s the end of the discussion. you’re definitely lost- but you suppose it’s something illumi will have to fill you in on later. you glance sideways at illumi, hand still resting in the girl’s hair. she definitely doesn’t seem to mind you, and killua appears to have warmed up to you as well. milluki’s vanished elsewhere and kalluto watches the whole exchange from the corner of his eye.

suddenly you all hear kikyo call for illumi, who immediately stands up upon hearing his name. “you will remain here until i return.” he tells you, his tone no-nonsense, and heels clicking he makes his way down the dark hallway, leaving you alone with the kids.

the second illumi is out of earshot, the girl brightens up. “hi!” she chirps, bouncing on her feet excitedly. “my name is alluka!”

you’re slightly startled, but you smile at the girl anyway and tell her hi, still wondering why illumi seems so detached from this girl in particular.

killua seems to read your mind. “i know what you’re thinking,” he tells you, not unkindly. “listen, my family doesn’t like alluka much- and they refer to her with male pronouns. just go along with it in front of them. it’s safer for you.” he pauses, then looks down. “but thanks for being nice to her.”

you frown and nod, deciding not to ask any more questions about it. kalluto still hasn’t said anything, but somehow you don’t feel like this boy will be anything to worry about.

with alluka and killua having warmed up to you, you get into a conversation, and kalluto eventually offers a few words after awhile- although never acknowledging alluka directly. most of it is basically killua wondering how the hell you managed to get engaged to someone like illumi.

“No way he didn’t force you to go out with him.”

“What the hell do you even see in that guy? He’s batshit crazy- and he’s definitely not a model.”

“How’d he propose? Did he try to kill you and you survived?”

“‘Man, you really gotta be messed up for Illumi to like you.”

“What even made him wanna get married to you? What even made you wanna get married to him?”

“You gotta be kidding me.”

“And you said yes? You’re crazy!”

that’s all i got :3 hope u enjoyed <33

[cloudyyoimiya]

hi! Can you do a part two of measuring hands with bsd boys? including ranpo, fyodor, Nikolai, and sigma?

oh my word yall i’m so glad you enjoy these little scenarios! anyways yes ofc i can write these! i already did nikolai and sigma, so i’ll just write fyodor, ranpo, and jouno :)

Measuring Their Hands; Ranpo Edogawa, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Saigiku Jouno

Format: Scenarios

Quick Note: Heres a link to part one and part two

Ranpo Edogawa

It was roughly six in the morning, the world still shrouded in darkness with the occasional few lights from stores turning on, getting ready for business in the morning. As of now you and your boyfriend were currently cuddling in your shared bed, holding hands comfortably as the two of you woke up. Ranpo’s head was lightly resting on your shoulder, clearly comfortable.

You could feel him squeezing your hand softly, and that made you shift your gaze down to your interlaced hands.

“Ranpo?” You asked, still slightly sleepy.

“Huh?”

“Can you flatten your palm real quick? I wanna see something,” you said as you flattened your own palm against his hand.

“Why? What do you wanna do?” He asked, his voice still slightly groggy from waking up.

“Ranpo, you already know. You’re smart.”

He sleepily chuckled at the praise. “That I am! I just wanted you to say it so I can confirm my suspicions, but I guess I don’t have to do that. I’ll be merciful just this once!”

After he was done talking, he flattened his hand against yours. When you glanced down to get a good look, you could tell that his hands were only the slightest bit bigger than yours—maybe by only an inch. They were also rather soft considering that he doesn’t use firearms all that often. His nails also were well taken care of surprisingly. You never really saw him take care of them before, so this was new to you.

“Your hands are bigger than mine,” you said with a small smile. “That’s shocking. I thought that your hands would be smaller than mine, not the other way around.”

“I’m surprised that you didn’t know that sooner,” Ranpo spoke as he looked down at your joined hands. “I’ve known that for quite a while.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well the first time I saw you I took in every detail I could! You were so attractive… How couldn’t I?” He grumbled into your shoulder.

You giggled. “I see. I’m glad you found me attractive.”

“Mhm…”

Ranpo quickly interlaced your fingers once more and pulled your arm over his side so you could cuddle him. He then let go of your hand then wrapped his own arm around you, making sure not to hold you too tight or too loose.

“Let’s go back to sleep. It’s too early,” Ranpo whined.

You sighed. “Love, it’s six in the morning. We have to get ready for work soon.”

“Ten more minutes…”

“How about two?”

“Five.”

“Alright, fine. Five more minutes,” you said as you kissed his cheek. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Fyodor Dostoyevsky

You were currently sitting on the couch, listening to your boyfriend play the cello while reading a light novel. Fyodor was playing a piece called “Bird of Death,” and it was rather relaxing. Occasionally you’d glance up from your reading and watch how Fyodor would carefully yet so gracefully glide the bow across the strings, creating a beautiful melody.

After a while, Fyodor had stopped playing the cello. He then looked up at you, giving you a knowing look. He could see you staring at his hands, so that raised the question…

“Why are you looking at my hands?” Fyodor asked with a small smirk.

“Oh! It’s nothing really,” you said as you closed your book. “I just wanted to see whose is bigger.”

He let out a small hum. “Then come over here so we can measure them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, myshka.”

“Alright then,” you said as you stood up from your seat. You then walked over towards where he was sitting. “Give me your hand.”

He let out a soft a soft chuckle, then gave you his hand after putting his bow away in its case. “Here you go.”

You took his hand, then flattened it against your own. His hand was considerably bigger than yours, and his fingers were also quite skinny. His hand was surprisingly soft excluding the areas where he had small callouses from holding his bow. You then shifted your gaze to his nails. They were very short and uneven, most likely from him biting on them when he was scheming something. You could also see a few blue veins on the back of his hand.

“Your hands are bigger,” you simply stated. “I’m not surprised.”

Fyodor continued to smirk up at you. “Why so?”

“Because you easily play the cello. Don’t you need long fingers for that?”

He bummed. “I suppose you do, though, I do find your small hands cute.”

“They aren’t small! Your hands are just abnormally larger than mine.”

“Sure they are, my dear,” he spoke with a slight chuckle escaping his lips afterwards. “My hands are average. Yours are just small.”

“They are not.”

“Alright, alright. Keep telling yourself that, my love.”

Fyodor then curled his fingers under yours and brought your hand closer to his mouth. He then gave your knuckles a slight kiss and looked up at you while doing so. It seemed like his main goal was to fluster you into agreement, and it was slowly starting to work. He know exactly what he was doing.

“I know what you’re doing,” you said with a small smile creeping onto your face. “It’s not gonna work.”

“Oh? How can you be so sure? My love, you’re already cracking a smile. I think whatever I’m doing is working.”

“You’re terrible.”

“But yet you love me.”

You sighed. “You’re right, as always.”

“Of course I am,” he spoke as he kissed your knuckles once more. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Saigiku Jouno

Currently you were in your shared home with your boyfriend. He had just got home from fulfilling his duties as a Hunting Dog, and you were finishing up cleaning the house for him. It was starting to get rather dusty, and you knew that it would throw off your boyfriends senses, so you decided to clean up around the house because you wanted to stop something that was easily preventable.

Jouno sat down on the couch, then let out a rather loud sigh. You could tell today was a long one for him, so you decided to stop what you were doing and sat down next to him.

“Something wrong?” You asked as you took one of his hands into yours. You then took off his glove and put it on your lap.

“Tecchou was being more of a nuisance than usual today,” he groaned. “He’s insufferable.”

“From the stories you tell me, I bet he is,” you said with a small chuckle. You then paused for a moment. “Hey, can I do something with your hand real quick?”

Jouno’s eyebrow quirked up for a moment. “What are you thinking of doing?”

“I just wanna see if your hand is bigger than mine is all,” you spoke softly. “I have no ulterior motives, don’t worry.”

He took a moment to listen to your heart rate, then nodded to himself. “Alright. Go on then.”

“Thank you,” you said as you carefully flattened your hand against his. You made sure to go slow in order to not startle him.

Once your hands were both flattened against each others, you looked at them for a moment. They were calloused from his constant use of his saber, but yet there were tiny spots where they were also soft. His hands were also a little bit bigger than yours—maybe by one or two inches. Jouno’s fingernails were also slightly unkept, but they remained short all the same.

“Your hands are bigger than mine,” you simply spoke.

“I can feel that,” Jouno said with a small smirk crawling onto his face.

“I shouldn’t have let you find out about this.”

“Oh? Why is that?” Jouno asked sarcastically.

“Because now you’ll tease me over it,” you said as you huffed. “You always do that when you find out something that I can be teased over.”

“That I do, my dear,” he said as he chuckled. “Though, who’s to say I’ll tease you about something as small as this? I could always find something else.”

“Like what?” You questioned.

“Hm, let me think for a moment,” he said as he put his free hand on his chin, acting as if he was deep in thought. “Well, your heart rate does accelerate when I tell you how much I find your reactions cute.”

“Huh? Does it really?”

“It does. And it’s rather loud if I may add.” He smiled. “You know how much I dislike loud noises, my love. Maybe you should apologize for that, hm?”

“Saigiku! Quit it!”

Jouno sighed. “Alright fine. You’re no fun.”

“Yeah, sure I am.”

Jouno then intertwined the both of your hands and brought them to his mouth. He then gave your knuckles a small kiss.

“My dear, you make teasing you too easy. I love you for that, you know.”

[kay-elle-cee]

@jilytoberfest 31 Prompts: Day 4 || 641 Words || Read on Ao3 —

4 October 1985

Harry bounces between his parents, one hand clasped in each of theirs as they walk through the streets of Hogsmeade. “Can we go to Honeydukes after lunch?” he asks eagerly, grinning a gap-toothed smile.

“How else would we round out our Hogsmeade trip?” James asks, lifting his arm up a bit and causing Harry to kick and giggle.

“We should stock up on Peppermint Quills for the holidays,” Lily grins down at him, stepping through the door to the Three Broomsticks that James holds open for them.

“Happy birthday!” Harry shouts into the room, and Lily and James both look up to where Minerva McGonagall sits at a booth not too far from the entrance. A serene smile spreads across her face as the small family makes its way towards her.

“Thank you, Harry,” she nods, accepting the hug he offers her as his parents echo his sentiments before sliding into the booth across from her.

“I didn’t see many students milling around,” Lily muses, craning her head to look out the window. “Is it not a Hogsmeade weekend?”

“The first Hogsmeade trip for students is next weekend.”

“Well thank you for stepping out of the castle to meet us,” James says with a smile. “You know how much I hate to cause you trouble.”

This earns a laugh from the older woman, whose brows raise in interest as James slides a large envelope across the table.

“I know I could’ve owled it, but there’s something more satisfying about handing it to you directly.” He watches as she opens it and scans the first page. “I’ve been focusing on the intersection between Transfiguration and Charms theory the last few years, and would love to discuss it with you. Maybe Filius, too, if you think there’s enough merit there.”

“We brought a real present for you, too!” Harry chimes in, pushing a small, wrapped box across the table.

“My, well…” Minerva’s eyes flit between the box and the research in her hand, before settling on the small boy in front of her. “Thank you for the gift. All of you,” she adds, gaze wandering up to the parents. It lingers there, shifting from Lily to James and back again, and something in her eyes softens as she looks at them—two of her pupils, years out of school, with a horrible war behind them and a happy family.

“The thesis on this looks good, Potter,” she acknowledges, shaking the parchment and herself out of her nostalgic stupor. “Term is in full swing right now and I want to give this the proper attention. I likely won’t get to it until the students start revising for end-of-term exams—perhaps we can discuss it in detail around the holidays once I’ve had a chance to read?”

James nods. “Of course, at your pace.”

“We’d love to have you over to the cottage for some Christmas tea again,” Lily invites, raking her fingers through Harry’s hair as he fidgets in his seat.

“I’d like that,” Minerva nods, eyes darting down to the young boy. “Besides, I imagine I should be enjoying all my winter breaks while I can. With this one starting Hogwarts in a few years, I’m sure I’ll be needed at the castle over the holidays to undo his messes, if he’s anything like his father.”

A warm grin breaks out on Lily’s face as she looks down at Harry. “He’s not that much of a troublemaker. I like to think there’s a good bit of me in there.” She looks across at her old professor as her hands slip to cover Harry’s ears. “Though we do have to contend with the Sirius influence,” she adds in an exaggerated whisper.

This earns a laugh from both Minerva and James as Madame Rosmerta sweeps up to the table to ask for their order, and the birthday lunch truly begins.

[sketchedatrocities]

IT'S SLOWHOG - IT'S THE BOY

Slowhog is a gag fakemon whose stats are bad and movepool is bad and is bad. I love him. His lore is that he's highly edible, slow and weak. A slug/pig that recovers from steak being carved off it without issue. I want a plushie of him. The shiny version of him is green.

I decided he needed to be explored in every way and typed him out like an eeveelution. 

Porkpast was well received.

I know I did well when people pointed to each one and said it was slept on. Google 'Velvet Worm' and 'Sea pig'.

Having done all the types I moved onto Pre-evolutions.

Brekkie won hands down, I'm sorry P-Flop lovers but there you are. It's shiny would also be green. The Progress of: Brekkie -> Slowhog -> Porkpast is the correct line as it's: Breakfast -> Lunch -> Digestion Digestion is also Dinner but lunch is haunting you.

The Hogly Trinity

The Devs mentioned adding a new 'Strange' Type in the next update, which gave me something to new Hog with

This satisfied me at the time.

Running out of Hogs to Pork Post with I moved on to special forms. His Oinks will save us from the Kaiju.

Lack of new Hog made me plyable in my morals and I made meme material with him.

'Hogchamp' is now a server emote.

At this point someone in the discord posted a Slowhog made in SPORE which I grasped onto as a new hog to draw. I was grateful for this.

Next came Pride Month, which is a time we draw Slowhog.

Obviously. This is Pridehog and it's shiny version. You did not need me to tell you this.

It had been a while since I had hogged. I awoke from a dream about pork and sketched this out on a loose sheet of Clipstudio raster layer I had laying next to my bed. This is a sound type, I think. I imagine hell sounds like this at all times, except when you say something embarrassing, at which point it all cuts out and everyone looks at you condescending.

hink honk, honk, hinkhink honk - it went I tried to ignore it but the next dream told me I was 'needed'. I woke up uncomfortable and bussed into to the Sex Factory, where I work. My eyes were bleary after my shift (which I can't describe due to Tumblr's tos) and I stared at one of those bus seat patterns like you remember from school trips. I thought I was going mad. I took a picture.

"Do you see this?" I asked the tall and busty woman who kept dropping her keys and saying whoops and bending over in front of me. The other woman who had her keys on a loop through her jeans kept staring at her, assumably in dismay at her lack of practical key handling. "Huh?" She said. "Sorry about my keys they-" I snapped my fingers rudely (I was scared) "Do you see that Pink pattern on the bus seats?" She looked confused and dropped her keys again. "No? They're fully blue." I looked back at the seats, they were fully blue. The picture on the digital camera I carry with me as an ironic anachronism displayed the slowhog pattern in full. I got off the bus and decided to draw some details on the Slowhog Evolutions.

You can also get Porkpast by inflating Hogone enough. You can't inflate Porkpast though, he's a ghost.

I felt refreshed, cleansed. But also a touch greasy. I had another dream, but this time the dream creature was a dog who spoke in polish and I realised I was just unhealthily sleep deprived.

Thank you for reading.

Why not download Pokemon Quarantine Crystal for SameBoy or other good Emulators? Perhaps join the discord too. It's fun.

[twenty-thirty-two]

Restless

Poly!Marauders x female!reader

Warnings: mention of nightmares, brief description of mini panic attack (nothing too detailed), reader has hair that can be braided (doesn’t necessarily mean straight)

a/n: long overdue! I’m not too happy with how I ended this, had the right idea but can never figure out how to wrap it up :,)

Please understand that because I am 18+, I do not want minors on my page or reading my work

I also do not consent to my work being reposted on other sites, translated or copied

Nightmares

They’re your minds way of telling you that you’re not safe, even when you’re asleep

The sudden drop of your stomach was enough to wake you. Rather jolt you awake. You laid there, staring up at the ceiling trying to gather your thoughts and even out your breathing. Nightmares plague your nights, not one day passes where you’re not awakened with the memory of loved ones dying, or indescribable monsters attacking. No matter what it is, it’s after you, relentlessly.

Despite being recently awakened, you couldn’t remember what it was that scared you in the first place. You just felt this daunting feeling and now you’re awake, laying next to Remus, who is blissfully none the wiser of your current situation.

You debated waking him, he’d gladly stay up and hold you until you’ve drifted off in his arms.

That’s the issue- he’d do it without a second thought. You’d feel too guilty about waking him from his current slumber.

You sat up slowly, pulling your knees up to your chest. You run your hands over your face in frustration. Looking over, you see Sirius and James, entangled in one another’s arms, soundly sleeping.

Their serenity brews a feeling of jealousy in you. How you wish that was you.

You grab a nearby cardigan (you’re not even sure whose it is at this point) and slip quietly out of the dorm. You don’t even know where you’re going or how long you’re going to be out but you needed to get out of there.

Back in the dorm, Remus, half-asleep, throws his arm over to your side of the bed in order to pull you closer.

Upon hitting the empty side of the mattress, he lazily patted the area in search of your warmth. In a sleep-ridden haze, he became increasingly aware that you weren’t in bed, opening an eye, he peaked around to look for any sign of you. When he didn’t see you or your shoes, he assumed you were in the bathroom, and that seemed to calm his mind enough to go back to sleep.

You found yourself outside, breathing in the cool air of the night. A light breeze surrounded you, now ever so grateful that you brought some coverage. Ultimately, you decided that a midnight stroll around would be your best hope.

Wrapping the beige-color cardigan tighter around your body, the welcoming scent of James’ cologne overwhelms your senses. You fiddle with a loose thread on the left sleeve, no doubt the work of Remus during late night study sessions long after everyone else is asleep. The barely noticeable, yet, clear as day stain near the end aisle of buttons brings you back to the day when Sirius and James had a butterbeer drinking contest, the golden liquid dribbling down either side of the boy’s mouth, ultimately staining the cardigan, the rambunctiousness of the event was enough for Remus to chastise the aforementioned boy, going as far as to continue shoving drink after drink while you kept encouraging James.

The moon, acting as a guiding light as you make your way through the dark grounds. After some time aimlessly walking through, you decided to make your way back to the boys’ dorm.

For some reason, tonight was just one of those nights for Remus, when he simply could not get comfortable. The soft mattress has become a bed of stones, he hypothesizes that the floor would be much more comfortable at this point. As he’s dramatically throwing himself to face your side of the bed, he feels your side to be cold. This causes him to immediately sit up, messy tussles of hair standing in all directions. He throws the blanket off of him and sets out to the common room where he supposes you’d be.

Just as you’re welcomed into the common room, you’re startled by Remus’ sudden presence.

“Where’ve you been, bunny?” He pulls you into his side as you wrap your arms around him and bury your face into his chest.

“Can’t sleep.” He manages to make out the muffled words and sighs.

“Had me worried when I woke up and you weren’t there.” You mumbled an apology that would’ve resulted in a quirked eyebrow and quick scolding.

He ushered the two of you up to the room and back to bed. Sleep didn’t come easy for you that night, and when you finally did fall asleep, you jolted awake every so often. The same feeling you get when you’re dreaming that you’re falling. You knew that sleep was very important to Remus, always making sure that none of you stay up late and always making sure to get an early start to your morning, much to James’ dismay.

After what felt like a lifetime, you managed to drift off. Not long before you’re awoken by screaming and Sirius shaking you awake. You can hear Remus calling your name and a caressing hand on your head. You’re quick to realize that the screaming is coming from you. Your heart beating erratically and suddenly feeling like there’s not enough air in the room. You try to sit up but the most you can do is prop yourself up onto your elbows as sobs begin to escape from you.

To your left, you see Sirius running into the room with a glass of water and some cookies, shoving them into Remus’ hands. You’re looking at the situation in front of you but you cannot seem to focus, everything is too loud, too bright, and too overwhelming.

“Y/N/N? I need you to take some deep breaths for us, honey. Here, feel my heart- In and out.” Remus is sitting next to you, attempting to direct your breathing but you can only see straight ahead, hand limp in his hand.

James’ anxiety always skyrockets whenever one of you is in distress, he finds himself never doing enough despite having done the opposite. He’ll often look to Remus for instructions but always finds himself trying by one’s side bringing in his own form of comfort.

Sirius remained stoic, scared out of his mind for you; he didn’t know what to do, internally kicking himself for not jumping into action right away. He wanted to hold you- close to his chest and hide you away from all the pain in the world.

After another couple of minutes, A single tear slipped out, the sudden wet contact against your skin startled you. Your eyes drifted between the boys, a mix of worried, scared, and overall concern pales their faces. Teary eyes lock with James, his eyes full of sympathy and kindness. One after another, tears flow and a sigh of relief is released from your lungs.

After a beat, Sirius is the first to speak.

“What happened, bunny?”

“Haven’t-” A hiccup escapes

“Haven’t been sleeping well- nightmares.”

James leans forward and places a delicate kiss to your forehead, his hand cupping your face.

“How long?” Remus’ head cocked a tad to the side.

“‘Dunno, while maybe.” You mumbled. He taps your chin to get you to look at him.

“Know you’re tired, but I need you to speak clearly, honey.”

“I don’t know, few days?”

“Is that why you weren’t in bed last night? Y’had a nightmare?” You nod.

“C’mere.” Sirius holds out his arms and you crawl right into them

“This can’t continue, you know.” You nod.

“Siri’s right, Y/N/N, you need hours of uninterrupted sleep, running on 10 hours of sleep throughout a span of a few days isn’t healthy. Tomorrow, we’re going to see Pomfrey, see if she can give you something for the time being.” Remus smiles halfway as he notices that James has pulled you away from Sirius and begun braiding your hair.

The rest of the time the boys spent doting on you, making sure you were satisfied. You were hungry? Sirius brought you a plate of fruit. Thirsty? Remus made you a warm cup of tea. Need affection and cuddles? James practically pushes the two out of the way to plop himself beside you. They felt for you, they really did, nothing was worse than seeing their favorite person in the world in misery and not being able to do anything themselves. They’d take away all of the misery and pain at the drop of a hat if it meant that you were safe and happy all the time.

[ghoastixx]

hey, hi, um hello? I don't know what to do so I'm just guessing, if this is to vague, weird and or long I'm sorry please ignore it!!!

I wanted to try to request a supernatural Castiel x reader either fic or head cannons or anything really with a reader whose the Winchesters sister? This may be to specific but my favorite trope when I was a kid was the fake dating. So maybe the Winchesters are working with a different hunter who's kind of a creep and keeps flirting with reader and he won't back off despite the brothers warnings. So in the end Dean just calls Cas and is like congratulations you're dating my sister, now get him to back off! And so the two of them just start fake dating but after the hunt and the other hunter leaves Cas doesn't stop treating her all sweet and everything? I don't know, just something fluffy please, I think I made it way to complicated 😭😭 sorry for bugging you

Winchester Sister w/ Castiel

synopsis above

notes: YOU ARE NOT BOTHERING ME AT ALL!!!! I think this is so cute and just..so Cas? If that makes sense.. Thank you so so much for sending me this request, I love detailed requests!

Author's notes: Female reader, sort of sassy. Made up a hunter to be the creep, wanted to do Gordon but that would just make you a victim </3

Tried to keep the description of the reader vague so anyone can enjoy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Winchesters' figured it would be so simple. The hunt was so simple, so why wouldn't drinks afterwards be? Mason, the hunter that was helping you all out and it went smooth, despite your brother's grudge against working with other hunters. Mason offered to take you all out for drinks. That's now where you were.

The first ick was when Mason sat next to you at the bar. You figured he was just trying to be friendly, you had just hunted together after all! But then he ordered you a drink which made you feel weird, but again, he was probably just trying to be nice. So you put on a smile and thank him.

"You really pulled your weight back there Y/N." He said, taking a drink of a beer.

"Oh- uh- thanks?"

"I like that in a woman."

"Excuse me-"

Dean, who was watching closely, was fuming. You tried to explain that you were not looking for a boyfriend currently, but he just wasn't listening. He wasn't leaving you alone. So, when Sam came back with drinks for both he and Dean, Dean looked at him and pointed this out. Sam seemed a bit uncomfortable with this, but suggested to let you handle yourself. You were more than capable and you all knew that.

When nothing had changed five minutes later and you started to look like you wanted to kill Mason, Dean decided to call out the big guns..

"Hello?" The solemn voice of the angel spoke a bit loudly through the phone.

"Yeah, Cas, listen. It's important, get here. We're at a small bar in Minnesota at exactly 777 boulevard Road."

With the sound of a flutter, Castiel was standing in front of Dean. "What's wrong?" Dean pointed behind him. Castiel turned around when Dean put his hands on Castiel's shoulders, getting close to his ear.

"Congratulations feathers, you're dating my sister. Now, see that guy right there? He's being a creep to your lady, go and kick his ass." Castiel, confused, nodded. He stood there a minute before walking in your direction. Sam looked at Dean, who had his arms crossed.

"Yeah, sick 'em boy!" Sam teased Dean, Dean looked at him with a pissy expression.

You were deep in your third beer, biting your tongue as you listened to Mason ramble on about his tastes. You were getting close to losing your temper before you heard a monotone voice behind you, you recognized it. It made you cock a brow,

"Y/N, I'm sorry that I'm late...dear." The nickname confused you, but nonetheless, you sat up straight and smiled at him.

"Cas," Once you acknowledged him, he put his hand around your waist. You looked at him with a more confused expression than you had before you seemingly got the hint. "Oh- that's alright honey. Don't worry about it. Cas, this is Mason. He just helped us with the hunt."

Mason looked at his competition with an annoyed expression. "And you are?"

"Castiel," The angel hummed, "her boyfriend." His eyes were stern, it made Mason squirm a bit. Seemingly a bit insecure because he stood up.

"I have to go. Bye Y/n." He mumbled before sulking out of the bar. You looked at Castiel, getting up.

"God- thank you Cas. You're a lifesaver." Cas's smile seemed a bit shy, which was unusual for the stern angel. He nodded. As you went to your brother's, he followed you, staying rather close.

As Dean and Sam talked to you about Mason, asking if you were okay, Castiel seemed more interested in you. Admiring you.

Whenever you guys decided to leave, Castiel actually got into the backseat with you, sitting directly next to you. He put his hand pretty close to yours, grazing against it. Dean noticed this in the rearview mirror, cocking an eyebrow.

Castiel was standing in front of the motel door, looking at you.

"So.. will I see you tomorrow?" A cheesy smile formed on your face, your cheeks a bit pink.

"Yeah Cas, I would love to.. Goodnight."

Dean groaned as he walked past.

"Cas, you know you're not actually dating Y/N, right?" he asked with a scoff.

"I'm not?" "He's not?"

[lulublack90]

Prompt 16 - Puddle

@jegulus-microfic June 16, Word count 837

Previous part First part

He watched James and his brother run off into the crowd towards the biggest ride at the fun fair. A soft chuckle from Effie reminded him that James had just left him with his parents. At least he had Remus still. He turned his head to check and his brother’s boyfriend was slowly trying to back away unseen. Regulus shot his hand out and grabbed him by the forearm, giving him a warning look, daring him to try and leave him alone with the Potter’s. 

“Effie my darling, I can see a teddy bear with your name on it,” Monty crooned at his wife, linking her arm and walking her away from them. “See you later, boys,” He winked over his shoulder as he and Effie disappeared towards the prize games. Regulus felt a sudden warmth for the elder Mr Potter.  

“What was that Lupin?” Regulus hissed as he turned on Remus, dropping his arm. “You were totally about to abandon me,”

“Hey, they're your in-laws, not mine,” Remus joked at him. Regulus raised an eyebrow. 

“Well, judging how well my brother gets on with James and his parents, my guess is soon you won’t be able to make that claim,” Joking with Remus was quickly becoming one of Regulus’s favourite things to do. “Besides, I thought you were taking me on a date. Not a great start, leaving me to the wolves when we've barely gotten through the entrance.” Remus snorted and rolling his eyes, linked Regulus’s arm much the same way Monty had Effie’s and walked him into the fair.

“So what shall we go on first?” Remus asked, turning his head to look around the place. 

“Waltzers, obviously,” Regulus drawled. Remus, having spotted them, pulled Regulus along to wait in the queue. They sat beside each other in the small space and waited for the operator to come around and check that all the doors were closed before he set them going. Regulus grabbed hold of the wheel in front of him and Remus copied his actions. 

A sudden jerk had Regulus bashing into Remus’s side before the ride started moving. Their car began to slowly turn, gaining speed with each rotation of the floor beneath them. Remus gave Regulus a wicked grin and turned the wheel they were holding, increasing their speed. Regulus accepting the challenge helped spin it too. 

Soon they were spinning faster than any of the other cars and showed no signs of stopping. They spun the wheel as much as they could before the main floor began to slow. Their car refused to stop, and the operator had to grab hold of it and yank it to a stop. Remus flew onto Regulus, pinning him on his seat. They exited and thanked the man as the world around them continued to spin, laughing their heads off. 

“Candy floss,” Remus barked and pointed at a stand. It was Regulus’s turn to grab him and drag him away. The kind lady sticking sticks into the machine and floating candy floss onto them happily added double the amount to the sticks for the smiling pair. Regulus was sure it would spoil their dinner, but at that moment he didn’t care he wanted the sweets. 

He took a bite and savoured the sweet sugar as it dissolved into a puddle on his tongue before he swallowed it. He was about to take a second bite when he saw his brother tear past him. 

“Hi, love!” James called over his shoulder as he chased after Sirius. Regulus tutted at them before releasing a groaning when he saw Effie and Monty making their way towards him and Remus. He plastered a smile on his face and gave them a little wave. 

James’s parents were torturing him on purpose. There was no need to describe the way a chocolate cake oozes in the amount of detail that Monty Potter had. He’d finally been forced to send a message to James begging him to hurry up when Monty had begun to describe how he had slathered the ganache over the cake and spun it under his palate knife to smooth it over the entire cake. He stole a glance at Remus, whose facial expressions screamed with ravenous hunger. 

“Oh, where are those two?” Effie grumbled over the missing boys. She turned to Regulus. “Darling, would you be terribly upset if Monty and I headed back to the house? I need to finish up a few things for dinner, or we won’t eat until midnight,” Effie asked him. He nodded furiously. 

“Of course, Effie. Go ahead. We’ll wait for Sirius and James,” She smiled at him warmly and pecked him on the cheek before bravely moving on to Remus. Regulus had been worried about the woman for a split second as Remus was still glassy-eyed at the thought of the mouthwatering food waiting for them. 

No sooner had the Potters driven off, than James and Sirius came bounding into view, both carrying huge stuffed animals and beaming madly. 

Next part

[risuola]

III — THE UCHIHA KID // F. READER x TOBIRAMA SENJU

The babyboy that asked you for help turned out to be a member of the Uchiha clan and it's safe to say that he was terrified to face your husband. You, on the other hand, were more than willing to help him.

contents: none, just fluff — 3k words

POLITICALLY LOVELESS || SERIES MASTERLIST

A boy, whose name was Kagami Uchiha, was a six years old orphaned baby of the clan that your husband fruitlessly warned you about many times. It was against your nature to prejudice but you understood his point of view, after reading every document regarding the history of founding Konoha and the warring period. The baby was instructed by the clan members to head to Tobirama, as he was responsible for housing issues in the village, as well as the orphanage. Unfortunately, it was stated strictly that every move or change in the location had to go through the office, because it was needed to be noted. That made it easier to keep the order or act if someone was in danger.

After you knocked, you peaked inside the office, seeing your husband at the desk, reading something.

“What is it?” he asked, not even lifting his head, consumed by the document.

“Sorry to bother you, my dear,” you spoke, drawing his attention to you and as he looked up, his features twisted just slightly in surprise. Last thing he was expecting was to see you with a child in your arms. “If you need to finish reading, I’ll wait outside.”

“No, come in and give me a minute.”

Giving it a nod, you closed the door behind you as he got back to the paper he was analyzing. Approaching the large, full-wall-sized window you showed the view to the boy, admiring the enlarged eyes he made, seeing the whole village and woods around it from here. But even if he was stunned, his little body couldn’t stop shaking and it broke your heart. You gave him a peck to the cheek, whispering that he’s safe here in hope that no more tears will be spilled but you suspected otherwise.

“Alright, you can sit down, I’m done,” Tobirama informed and you went to take a seat in front of his desk, when he got up, circling it and leaning against the top, intentionally placing his hands down on his sides not to scare the child further with his guarded form.

“Would you mind if I present your case?” you asked the boy and he nodded, hiding his little face in your neck. Smoothing his back, you looked up to your husband. “This little gentleman has lost both of his parents and is in need for a place to live. He asked me for help, afraid to come here alone.”

“Is that the Uchiha kid?” Tobirama asked, hinting that he knows something about the situation already.

“Kagami Uchiha, yes.”

“Earlier today I received a notice informing that his parents were assigned for a mission that failed,” he looked back at the scrolls he was reviewing earlier that day, trying to bring some details to his mind and an exhale assisted him coming to terms with the not-so-pleasant part of his work. So many years he wanted to achieve nothing else than peace where children wouldn’t have to suffer the war and yet, still conflicts result in sorrow. “Well, I will contact Uchihas to find a family for him, but I’m afraid it will take few days. Probably weeks. Up until this time, he’ll go to the orpha-“

“Would it be possible that you let me handle this issue and take care of this boy for the time we get an answer? I can pay a visit to Madara, it would be much quicker.”

Tobirama stayed silent for few moments, searching for a solution to the matter, just like he always does and you gave him the time to answer while smoothing Kagami’s back. Sensing the lack of wrath from your husband, he slowly began relaxing in your embrace, soon falling asleep on your shoulder, exhausted by everything that happened to him lately. You couldn’t imagine how distressed was that boy by losing both of his parents, losing his home and being forced to face a man that he was convinced hates him. During your previous talk, he even hinted that he’s afraid that Tobirama will kill him if he goes there alone.

“It might be slightly more efficient if you go to Madara yourself, since he has a soft spot for you,” your man spoke finally, crossing his arms over his chest, like he usually does when thinking about something. “Please, elaborate on taking care of him yourself?”

“Our home has more than enough space for this little one to spend few days in, without stressing him with the orphanage. If you’d agree, I promise I’ll take care of him so he won’t interrupt your routine.”

It was a lot to ask him, you were well aware of that but you were determined to help this baby out. Tobirama was mostly out of the house anyway, it shouldn’t be a problem to have a 5-year-old that would probably be sleeping all the time he’s back. The very thought of weighing this poor little soul with another burden such as orphanage was making your heart clench.

“Such a kind heart you have,” the man exhaled deeply, looking at the child that was sleeping cuddled to your body, feeling safe enough to allow himself to lose consciousness. “Always so keen to help the village.”

“Konoha is also my home now,” you smiled, “and this child did nothing wrong, he’s just six.”

“My schedule is full for the next days so I won’t be able to help you. Can you handle the issue alone?”

“I’m positive. I took care of many children in Yu, they always seem to like me,” you glanced at the boy, your face now stained with a soft smile. “And I’m sure that I can find a loving family to this baby by talking with people myself faster than the documents could.”

“So let be it,” Tobirama straightened up and you got up as well, happy to hear his response. “I should manage to prepare the documents by tomorrow, so they will be ready when you’re done with your search. Up until now, please make sure to provide what’s needed for this boy.”

“Yes, my Lord,” you smiled, giving him a kiss to the corner of his lips, before saying goodbye and leaving.

Tobirama stayed in place for a moment longer, his mind replaying the words you used to address him. It wasn’t out of ordinary for people to call him lord, he was hokage’s brother and arguably one of the most, if not the most important person in the village but you were the only one, who called him your Lord. He loved hearing those words, it made him feel like he was indeed yours and being yours came with pride to Tobirama. From the beginning he was focused on you staying by his side, and now, knowing how loving and pure-hearted you are, he was overjoyed to call himself yours. Your Lord, your husband, your dear. Everything you addressed him with made his heart flutter. You were really an angel sent from above and with that thought, he got back to work.

The night you spent sleeping in the guest room, next to the little boy that was too frightened to sleep alone in the foreign place, but relaxed immediately, feeling your body’s warmth next to him. To know you were a safe space for him, that he was able to find peace and security in you made your heart swell with joy.

The night you stayed alerted, sleeping lightly in order to notice if Kagami was having a calm dream and as the morning struck its light onto your face and you heard your husband getting ready to leave, you raised a little on your elbow. As if Tobirama sensed you’re awake, he peaked into the guest room, quietly approaching your side of the bed and motioning you to not leave the bed.

“Don’t get up, it’s alright,” he told you, taking a mental picture of how tenderly you kept the little boy to yourself. From the moment he’d seen you in his office the day before, he knew he won’t get the peace of mind now, his thoughts constantly circling around the depiction of you caring for your own child. Tobirama was never too keen on having his own spouse, hoping the bloodline will be passed down by Hashirama, but he couldn’t deny the image was tempting.

“I’m sorry, my dear,” you whispered. “I’ll bring you bento to your office.”

“Don’t worry about it. Was the night peaceful?”

“It was, yes”, you gave it a little nod, whilst Tobirama glanced at you two once again.

“I have to go now. You know where to find me.”

“Have a nice day.”

With a soft kiss planted on your temple, he was soon gone.

“He’s not that bad,” Kagami muttered against your chest and you smiled, smoothing his hair.

“Of course, he’s not,” you cooed quietly. “He may look scary, but has a good heart.”

Two weeks it took you to finalize the issue with Kagami and you couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The family you found with the help of Madara was a couple that couldn’t have their own children but dreamt of one. With tears they agreed to open their hearts to the young boy, thanking you, their ancestors and even gods for the gift and it thrilled you to know that he’s safe and sound now, with good people. The two were shinobi, with father that’s mid-ranked officer of Uchiha forces and a mother that’s skilled in ninjutsu, and you believed they can raise Kagami to be a powerful ninja in the future, that got to know parental love.

Collecting all of the documents and sharing few more moments with the boy, you promised him that he’s welcome to your home always and offered your help if he or his family needed anything. It broke your heart just a little to give him away, as you’ve become quite attached to him, but it was better for Kagami to grow among Uchihas, learn about their techniques and sharingan – things that you couldn’t teach him, especially when during the time you learned that a powerful ocular jutsu is coded in his blood line. You hoped that being raised with the clan will allow Kagami to grow into his full potential.

“Thank you, Madara,” you bowed slightly to the clan leader, when you were about to leave their district. “I think the family will cherish the future.”

“I think so too,” he responded. “I have to admit, it’s bold of you to involve in Uchiha matters, being a wife to Tobirama. You have my respect.”

“The child has nothing to do with the eternal conflict between your clan and the Senju. And I’m neither of those,” chuckling, you secured the scrolls into the pouch on your waist. “But I’m glad Kagami found a loving home, because if that wouldn’t be the case, I’d insist on raising him myself and that would make things a little complicated.”

“I imagine. You have a kind heart, I hope this world won’t corrupt it too quickly,” Madara lowered his head just slightly, in respect towards you. “If that’s all, I’ll return to my duties.”

“Of course. Thank you once again. I’ll leave now too.”

Exchanging quick goodbyes, you got back home to prepare food for your husband and while the rice was cooking, you tidied up a little. It was inevitable that a little bit of mess will set inside, as the child was staying there but it was nothing severe. Already missing Kagami, you sighed. The kid was just too adorable not to grow attached. He was just the right balance between quiet and loud, he loved to be hugged and often fell asleep while being in your embrace. With his little kisses on the cheek, you felt your heart flutter and grow, and even your husband, whom you wouldn’t call the best with children, liked the little Uchiha, although he would never admit it out loud. You noticed he was softer towards him; he even took the boy on his lap while in the office which was one of the most adorable moments you’ve witnessed, probably in your life. You were convinced he would agree if you asked to keep the baby, but that would be selfish of you. It truly was the best for him to be raised by Uchihas and just because you gave him to the new family didn’t mean you won’t ever see him again. You were informed to be welcome in their house whenever you feel like it and you also proclaimed yourself as the official aunt.

With the bento filled and packed, you locked the door and took a walk to the hokage office, where your husband also had his place but, in his workplace, you didn’t find him. Taking the liberty of entering without permission you approached his desk and placed the food and the scroll there, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen you sat down on his chair to write a note.

“Comfortable?” deep, familiar voice reached your ears when the doors opened and your husband entered his office. You looked up, watching him as he went across the room and before you reacted, he already pulled you away from the desk, grabbed your body like it weighted nothing and sat down, situating you on top of his thighs.

“Now I am,” you joked, kissing his cheek. “Good morning, my dear.”

“Good morning,” he took the letter you were writing and glanced over the text before putting it to one of his drawers. “How’s Kagami?”

“Safe in his new home. I already know he’ll be spoiled; they were on cloud nine taking him in. Madara was cooperative as well. I’d say everything went well,” you briefed, smoothing over the back of his neck. “All details and documents are inside those scrolls I brought you. I made sure to fill them to your standards.”

“I’m sure you did,” he chuckled. “Thank you for lunch.”

A smile bloomed on your face. “You’re welcome, my love.”

Love. That was the first time he heard this one specific word coming from your mouth and he wondered for a second if he misheard you, because surely, he had to. Love was a strong word, even though it wasn’t a confession, it still held one heavy emotional impact and Tobirama was convinced that love wasn’t what’s between you two. He loves you, yes. How could he not if you’re such a good person? A great shinobi that was ready to die for the village that wasn’t even your own, a golden heart keen to help everyone, a woman beautiful inside and outside. A perfect human being that he had the luck to marry through the political arrangement. But you had not that much reason to fall for him. You were patient and kind to him, just as you were to everybody else. You touched him, but you told him before marriage that it's your way of showing affection. You got up every day so early only to wish him a great day and make sure he has something to eat, even though you could sleep for a little longer before starting your day. Could that be out of love and not out of wife’s duty?

“I have one more meeting today and it’s possible I’ll be free a little earlier today,” he said finally, breaking out of his own spiral of overthinking, “would you want to join me for a walk this evening?”

“I would absolutely love to,” smiling, you leaned your head over his shoulder, inhaling his scent gently pulling down his collar so you could press your lips against his skin. “I shouldn’t take your time while you’re at work, should I?”

“I have few more minutes before I need to leave for a meeting and I’ll gladly give those to you.”

“In that case, I’ll gladly accept them.”

It didn’t take long for Tobirama’s lips to find yours, locking them in a kiss filled with longing. He himself was surprised of how much his body yearned for the closeness of yours, after two weeks of very limited contact due to a child in your home that consumed all of your attention. You’ve got him so used to your affections that he found himself unable to exist correctly without them. What have you done to him? All of his life, Tobirama believed that emotional attachment was a barrier; that it’s something he cannot afford in order to stay strong and reliable, but you proved him wrong. You proved that not only he needs feelings in his life but also, they make him stronger than he was before. You made him stronger; you made him a better leader; you showed him that softness isn’t synonymous to weakness and the young Senju liked who he’d become with you by his side.

You could feel how hungry your man was, how starved of affection he had become in just those few days and it thrilled you, excitement coursing through your veins as you run your fingers through his silver hair. At the beginning, although agreeing to your touches, he wasn’t keen to reciprocate your gestures. He had to learn how to be physical with you, because before that only contact that involved two bodies was confined to battle. But Tobirama being a smart man, learned quickly that it’s not unusual for couples to share touches, to kiss, to sleep together. He learned that intimacy is first and foremost for pleasure, not only to reproduce. All of it made you happy. It meant he had opened to you, dropped down his guard and let you into his world that before you was strictly restricted to laws and orders.

 Biting on his lower lip you smiled, letting your hand brush the nape of his neck. Taking in his little gasp, you broke the kiss, resting your forehead against his and smoothing the light skin of his cheek, avoiding the red dashes he painted on his face every morning.

“What have you done to me?” he whispered, calming his breath.

“You’re welcome,” kissing him once more, you got up from his legs. “When should I expect you?”

“I’ll wrap things up around 8PM.”

“So, I’ll pick you up at 8. We’re set. Now, focus on the meeting and don’t forget to eat, alright?”

“Alright.”

[rose-of-the-grave]

The Great War: Chapter 4

Pairing: Mattheo Riddle x Reader

Hey everybody! I know it's been a while but here's chapter 4!!! As always I'm the author (please don't repost)

Masterlist Series Masterlist Read on Ao3

Warnings: mentions of past friendships, chess, "princess"

Word Count: 1924

Description: Y/N gets invited to study with the Slytherins, plays chess with Ron, and discovers she and Mattheo have a class together.

Taglist: @sylveryfire, @undercover-smutlover, @relminnie

“So, for the project we need someone to do research on the origins of crystal-gazing and someone to talk about famous examples. I can do the famous examples?”

“That’s fine with me, I’ll do the origins.” There was sure to be a book or two on it in the library Y/N thought.

“Great.” Pansy said, “We’re all meeting up in one of the abandoned classrooms to study after lunch. If you’re free, we could work on the project then.”

“You sure about that?”

“It’ll be fine. We need as many girls as we can get. It’s mostly boys so the testosterone levels are off the charts.” She stook out her tongue in faux disgust. Waltzing off ahead, her robes swishing behind her.

Y/N walked over to the Great Hall like everyone else while Pansy seemed to be heading outside. The weather, she remarked, was nice. Bright blue skies with not a cloud in sight. Turning away she walked through the massive doorway, spotting her friends already seated. Dropping onto the bench next to Ron she set her bag down beside her, her stomach rumbled. She hadn’t had time for breakfast in the morning.

“Hey!” Hermione greeted her. A relieved look on her face. Glancing at her other friends’ faces she noticed how stormy they looked. As if they were engaging in a silent argument.

“Can you tell Harry that he needs to stop spying on Malfoy on that bloody map?” Ron asked suddenly, his gaze still trained on Harry whose eyes were boring into his plate, using his fork to move the food around. “He’s bloody obsessed with that thing!”

Harry looked up at him, a fiery look in his eyes. “I’m not obsessed!” He denied.

“Then what do you call staying up until all hours of the night watching his every move? If he were a Death Eater Dumbledore would know.”

Forever the mother hen, Hermione looked at him sharply. “You need your sleep Harry. Let Dumbledore handle it.”

He sighed, “I know.”

She looked at him, skeptical, but didn’t say anything else.

When they finished eating, she stood up ready to find Pansy so they could work on their project.

“Where are you going?” Hermione asked, puzzled. They usually hung out outside with Hagrid or went up to the common room after lunch.

“Group project for divination. See ya!”

“Bye!”

After leaving the Great Hall she headed to the library to get a book on crystal gazing before leaving in search of the classroom Pansy had told her about which was completely empty, save a few people. One of them turned around to look at her, his eyes piercing her soul. He looked slightly amused, a smirk on his face.

“Are you following me?” Mattheo drawled.

“What? No! Pansy invited me.”

“I doubt that, princess.”

Before she could assure him that she was indeed invited by Pansy, the girl in question flounced into the room and quickly approached them.

“Are you behaving?” Not waiting for a response she turned to Y/N. “I swear he’s like a dog, always snarling at outsiders. He won’t bite though. He’s really just a big softy.” She ruffled his hair. He playfully snapped at her hand causing her to laugh before taking a seat at the table.

When Y/N also sat down he leaned in to whisper in her ear, “I won’t bite. Unless you want me to.” She jerked away, scooting her chair a few inches to the left. Disgust causing her cheeks to flush. Laughing he got up and walked out of the room.

Shaking her head, Pansy turned to the task at hand. Taking out a piece of parchment Y/N began writing down some details from the first section of the book she had grabbed, ‘Crystallomancy: The Ancient Art of Crystal Gazing.’. It wasn’t long until she had some of the basics about its origins and the first practitioners of it.

At the table across the room a few Slytherins she didn’t recognize were huddled together, discussing something in hushed tones. None of them were from her year she realized, they were all second or third years. Confused, she asked the raven-haired girl sitting across from her, “Pansy?”

“Mhmm?” She didn’t look up from whatever she was doing.

“Where is everyone else?”

Pansy looked up, her eyes narrowed in confusion, “Everyone else?”

Trying not to seem too interested she responded, “Yeah, I mean where’s Malfoy and Nott?”

She shrugged. “Probably with Mattheo. Outside”

“Don’t they need to work on the project too?”

She smirked self-deprecatingly, “You’re talking about the two Slytherins who are top of the class constantly. Right up there with your mudblood friend.” She spat the word out like it was a curse.

“Don’t call her that.” She retorted but there was no heat to it. She knew how purebloods viewed muggleborns, especially those who were once Death Eaters like a lot of her parents’ friends. Y/N couldn’t bring herself to hold it against her.

Pansy shrugged and continued to work. After a while it was nearing dinner time so they all left, eager for nourishment after hours of studying.

“Same time, tomorrow?” Y/N asked.

“Sure.” The Slytherin replied before making a beeline for her friends.

When she sat down Hermione turned to look at her, “Hey, where were you?”

“Studying.”

Hermione hummed, seemingly unsatisfied with her answer but let it slide, turning to face Ginny who had asked a question. Y/N leaned in as well, curious to hear what was going on between her and Dean. They had been on the outs for the past few days and yet earlier, between classes they had been spotted all cozy in the common room. Luckily Ron hadn’t seen them. It was already awkward enough having to share a dorm room with his younger sister’s boyfriend, he did not want to hear about it.

“So what’s going on with you and Dean? Have you made up yet?” Hermione asked.

“Yeah, he finally apologized for his remark, explaining that it was meant to be a joke but that he realized he took it too far.”

“That’s good, I was getting a little worried there for a second that you two were over.”

Ginny smiled, “Nope, not yet at least.”

Too bad, Y/N thought, they were getting to be kind of toxic. Not that she would say that out loud.

After dinner they all went back to the Gryffindor tower. Once in their room alone Hermione asked, “So who were you studying with?”

“Huh? Oh, um Lavender and Parvati. Why?”

The curly haired girl shrugged, turning to her stack of homework that she was still finishing up. “You go on ahead of me, I’ll come downstairs later.

“Mkay.”

Y/N changed into more casual wear before heading back down to the common room.

“Oh, look who it is! Just in time for a game of wizard’s chess!” Ron called from where he sat by the fireplace. His favorite game had become a ritual, every night they would play at least one or two matches while the other two observed. Over time Y/N had gotten better, managing to beat him a few times.

Weaving through the other Gryffindors who were also hanging out together she sat down across from him, awaiting his first move.

“Pawn to E4.”

And so the battle began, going back and forth, taking each others’ pieces until they were nearing a stalemate.

“Ready to give up?” She taunted.

Ron grinned, “Not yet.” Before smoothly moving his last piece, save the king. “Checkmate!”

“Wait, what? Oh.” In her pursuit to win she had left her own king open for the taking. Shit.

“Better luck next time!”

“Yeah, yeah. Stop gloating.” She told him, pretending to be hurt but not fully hiding her smile so he would know that she wasn’t.

“Rematch?”

Shaking her head, “Not tonight, find someone else to wipe the board with.” Y/N stood up and wandered over to the stairs. Hermione still hadn’t come down. She wasn’t too worried though because her best friend had a habit of getting sucked into her homework, completely disregarding the time.

When she did make it upstairs Hermione was lying on the bed, her notes covering the bed, some partially tucked under her.

Knowing that she wouldn’t want to go to bed without brushing her teeth, the occupational hazard of being the daughter of dentists, she gently shook her shoulder.

“Hey, wake up.”

Her brown eyes opened, blinking owlishly. After taking a second to readjust she reorganized her notes before going to brush her teeth.

The next day she made it through Alchemy before retiring back to the dorms to take a nap in preparation for the late night ahead. Why did she think that taking Astronomy was a good idea? She barely knew anyone in the class. That question kept circling in her head as she walked up to the Astronomy tower once it got dark.

The rest of her classmates were there, mingling. Some were already at their stations. Picking an empty one on the end she gazed out into the distance. The moon was especially bright, its silvery glow washing over the ground below.

“Mr. Riddle. I see you finally found your way after a month of classes. Join Ms. Y/L/N on the end.”

The Slytherin sauntered over to her station. “Well, well. Imagine seeing you here princess. Twice in two days, you must be obsessed.”

“Says the one who came here after me. If anyone is the stalker here, it would be you.” She retorted, her finger pressing into his chest punctuating her last few words.”

“Fair enough.” He admitted, grabbing her hand before she could pull it away. “And yet, you can’t keep yourself from touching me.”

Yanking her hand out from his grasp she pulled out the star chart and began that assignment.

After a few minutes she looked over to see that Riddle wasn’t doing anything.

“Why’d you even bother coming if you weren’t going to do the work?”

He shrugged, teasing her. “Maybe I came to annoy you.” Before giving her what she could only describe as puppy eyes. He had the most beautiful brown eyes that just made you want to trust him. But she couldn’t.

“I’m flattered,” She deadpanned, giving him an unimpressed look she continued working diligently, studiously ignoring his deadly gaze.

“Well, this is boring,” He said, grinning over at her, “Wanna see something fun?”

Shaking her head in despair she turned away. Before she knew it there was a crack and something heavy fell from the castle and onto the ground below.

“Mr. Riddle!” The teacher yelled, “Detention. And 200 points from Slytherin!”

One of the other Slytherins nearby groaned, probably upset that his house had just lost so many points.

When he didn’t move their teacher came over and told him to leave, she would see about his detention task in the morning.

The troublemaker shrugged nonchalantly, slowly getting to his feet. “So long princess.”

Rolling her eyes, she shot him a look of disgust before turning back to her work, definitely not watching as he walked away.

She spent the rest of class pushing out thoughts of him. He’s just a mission. He’s a Death Eater. He’s Voldemort’s son. His dad killed Harry’s dad and has repeatedly tried to kill Harry. His friends have made her life a living hell. The devil may wear a beautiful face but an ugly soul lies beneath.

Y/N hated Riddle.

Chapter 5>>

[hypewinter]

So Barbara right?: Obviously much like Steph, much of Barbara's story happens independent of the batfam so there's nothing really to change. I'd say the only key difference is that she's moreso Jason's friend than anyone else's (you know cause it'd be fun).

It's finally Dick's time to shine: To celebrate Jason's official adoption, the Wayne's go to the new circus in town. The happy atmosphere of the night is quickly cut short by screams of terror as the flying Grayson couple falls to their deaths. Cass is the first to react, rushing over to the Grayson child and shielding him before he can see (or hear) them hit the ground. The other Wayne children are quick to follow, expertly dealing with the frightened crowd and leading them out of the tent in an orderly fashion. Bruce is the last one to take action, meeting up with Commission Gordon to detail what transpired. When all the dust has settled, the audience has left, the bodies have been taken away, and Dick Grayson is an orphan.

Naturally Bruce defaults on his trusty dusty tactic of simply becoming the boy's guardian but there's a snag this time, the state won't let him. They go on and on about how Dick is an emotional child and he needs a lot of one on one attention and he wouldn't get the proper support he needs in the manor and bla bla bla. Which would all be valid points, if the state didn't just turn around and put the poor kid in a boys home. Bruce is obviously pissed. Beyond pissed in fact. But until the courts rule in his favor, his hands are tied. You know whose hands aren't tied though? Damian's. Damian is a full scale legal adult who lives on his own and has the backing of his father (who just so happens to be one of the richest men on Earth). The state has no choice but to meekly hand the boy over.

Dick is a feral little monster. Constantly angry, constantly lashing out. He far surpasses early days Jason in sheer ferocity alone. But Damian is undeterred. He knows feral. He's seen feral. He WAS feral. This brat will not break him. Damian starts employing the methods his father used to help him deal with his emotions back in his "I just found out I'm the son of assassins and I'm so angsty" phase. Mainly the method of punching your feelings away. He gets Dick a punching bag and also trains him in every martial art/self defense method under the sun. When that proves to still not be enough, he does the next best thing, he takes Dick with him out on patrols. Dick finally starts working through all of his emotions surrounding his parents death, especially when he starts getting leads on who killed them. Eventually, he finally figures out who killed his parents and where they are and he's out for blood. He tries to sneak out but Damian is already waiting for him by the window. Dick prepares to get into a fight, only for his gear to be tossed at him with Damian already climbing out the window. He's stunned for a moment but he's also not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. So the two go to catch Tony Zucco together and the rest is history (Bruce nearly has a heart attack when he finds out Dick is Damian's sidekick. Why does no one in his family want to be normal!?).

Part 1 Part 2

[3-2-whump]

The Box

A Thomas Costa Backstory, as told by himself. Indented part indicates a flash back. Set during the Key Game era, though I don't know if any of the other flash backs will have any concrete place on the timeline.

Full collection of Thomas Costa Backstories here

TW/CW: slave whump, intimate whumper, blood, whumpee turned whumper (more like whumper, former whumpee), divorce, neglect, death of minor characters mentioned

Khaled had found his box. He wasn’t supposed to go anywhere near the file box that held the physical remains of the man he used to be, but Thomas had caught him red-handed, sitting on his bed with his dog tags, his paperwork, and several old photos of him spread out across the bed. Khaled paled, visibly scooting up the bed and away from the contents of the box as he realized he’d been caught.

In hindsight, Thomas was not proud of his initial reaction. He couldn’t just beat the boy without reason, no matter how much he deserved it for directly disobeying him. He was owed an explanation, at least. Once he had calmed down enough, and once the wound from Khaled’s scalp had stopped cascading blood down his face, he decided to try a different approach.

“You know I told you not to go through that box, boy,” he said.

Khaled lowered the moist washcloth from where it was compressed against his head. What used to be a white washcloth was now dyed a splotchy pinkish-red.

“Why did you go through my box?” he asked. He caught Khaled’s face in his hand before the young man could turn his head away. “Why?” he repeated.

“I… thought it was where you were hiding the key, Master.” Khaled’s confession hardly rose above a whisper. He crossed his legs self-consciously in front of him. “I-I just wanted it off, I’m sorry,” he apologized.

Thomas shook his head. “Just for that, I’ll keep you in that thing a week longer. I will take if off when I am ready, not when you are,” he grumbled. He took the box in hand and started sweeping the stuff on the bed back into the box.

He paused as he was about to collect a certain picture. It was him, his squad –Callahan, Trémeaux, Robinson, Martinez, Kruger, and Kościelsky –and more importantly, his brother Tony’s team, standing around a crude edifice of water and sand and any bits of refuse they could find to fill in the finer details. In the sand in front of the group someone had scratched ‘Merry Xmas 2002.’

Khaled didn’t miss the involuntary smile on his lips as he remembered the sandman. “What is it, Master?” The unspoken request ‘can I see?’ bubbled just beneath Khaled’s inquisitive eyes.

Thomas passed the photo to Khaled. “We were having a slow day on the base, so some of the boys got together to make a snow man. There wasn’t any snow where we were, of course, so we worked with the next best thing!” He proudly poked at the picture with his index finger. “See the lit cigarette sticking out of his mouth? That was my idea,” he boasted.

Khaled hummed, studying the picture a bit more. He poked at the soldier whose arm was slung around the snowman’s shoulder. “Is that you?” he asked.

“Yeah. Nothing gets past you, huh?” Not that it was hard to tell; Thomas hadn’t changed his physical appearance too drastically over the last twenty years. “Think you can find my brother?”

The corners of Khaled’s eyes scrunched up as he concentrated on the old photo in front of him. It took him about three tries until he gave up. Thomas pointed to a skinny brunette leaning on Ferguson’s back. “That’s him. I know, we look nothing alike,” he said, answering Khaled (and everyone else’s) unasked question. “We had different dads, same mom.”

“Oh, um, I’m sorry, Master.”

He looked up from the picture to see Khaled’s frown. “Sorry? What do you mean?”

“Did your dad die, like mine?” Khaled asked hesitantly.

“What- Oh, no, Khaled, my dad is alive!” Well, last he checked, anyway. “My parents are just divorced is all. Same goes for Tony’s dad, he divorced and left us too.”

“Fuck your horse races, fuck your little bastard, and fuck you! Fuck this entire family! I am done, Maria, done!” Those were the last words that Thomas’ stepfather uttered before he never saw him again. In the violent deluge of a summer rain, the man he considered his father wrenched off his wedding ring and threw it at his mother’s feet. He then turned his back on her –on him, on Young Tony (Thomas’ brother and the man’s biological son) –turning away from them as if it were nothing to leave his own blood in the hands of ‘a piss-poor excuse of a mother and a self-absorbed monster without a conscience’. The sound of pounding rain muted his retreating steps.

“Oh…” Khaled’s voice trailed off.

“It’s okay,” Thomas lied. He gently pried the photo out of his hand and stuck it in the box, finally closing the lid as he rose from the bed to put it back underneath them. He redirected his thoughts from his absent father to the old photo. Only five people in that Christmas photo were still alive now, and none of them were his squad or Tony. Maybe one day he would be willing to tell Khaled about the blast. Maybe he would even be willing to tell him about his overreaction that would send him back stateside, right back into the brood of vipers he had sworn to leave behind. But until then, like every other uncomfortable thing about his past, it was just easier for Thomas to put it in a box, shove it under the bed, and forget about it.

Le Tag List: @kabie-whump @rainydaywhump @whumped-by-glitter @skittles-the-whumpee @generic-whumperz @bamber344 @there-will-always-be-blood @morning-star-whump @a-la-whump @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees

[novankenn]

The Fundraiser

Jaune was a little nervous. It had been four months since he had seen his twin sister Joan. He knew she had taken his running off... extremely badly, so he was worried about how she was going to react when she saw him. As the bullhead landed, Jaune swallowed nervously. His knees actually started to quiver as the hatch opened.

????: JAUNE!

Jaune was bowled over by a blond haired missile, and when his head stopped swimming he found himself looking into the blue eyes of his twin sister, who was firmly seated upon his chest.

Jaune: Hi Joan.

Joan: You stupid, ignorance, disloyal, jerk! How dare you!

Jaune: I'm sorry?

Joan: Sorry? You WILL be sorry! You left me alone... with them, how could you?

Jaune: I'm sorry... but Belle and Bella really like you! They couldn't have been...

Joan: I'm talking about mom and dad! Dad was convinced you had been eaten by grimm, and mom spent four weeks crying about how she lost her baby boy to some cradle robbing skank!

Jaune: Well... neither of those things happened, so...

Joan: And you NEVER did once write me! I had to reach out to Auntie to find you!

Jaune: You didn't... please say you didn't!

????: She did.

A ominous shadow fell over the two siblings. Who both looked up to see the grinning face of Glynda Goodwitch... their mom's twin sister.

Jaune: What have you done...

Glynda: So as you can see Joan, Jaune is fine, I've been keeping him safe.

Joan: Thank you Auntie.

Glynda: You are welcome. Now... you BOTH owe me a favor and tonight I am cashing it in.

Joan/ Jaune: And the favor is?

Glynda: You are going to help me with the Annual Beacon Charity Auction. I have your... uniforms in my apartment.

Joan: That doesn't sound so bad.

Jaune: Don't jinx it!

Joan and Jaune were hot and exhausted. Neither was happy with the Holiday elf outfits they were having to wear, that included bell topped pointy hats, and curly shoes. Though the short skirt that Joan had to wear was a little better than the nearly pained on shorts Jaune had on.

Joan: I'm tired. Is this almost over?

Jaune: Yeah, I think so. That was the last lot we had to move.

Joan: Good. I want a shower and to cuddle you, like we used to.

Jaune: Soon, Joan. Soon.

Glynda: Thank you all for your support of the Vale Orphanage and Food Bank!

Crowd clapping politely.

Glynda: Now for our last special client only lot... lot double J.

Joan: I though you said... ?

Jaune: It was.

Joan: Then where is this Double J lot?

Jaune: I... HEY!

Joan: EEP!

The Pair felt themselves lifted into the air and pulled through the curtains, finding themselves in front of the several of their friends and strangers.

Glynda: Now before I start the bidding, here are some of the details. Lot Double J is of a set of Arc twins. Jaune and Joan. They are and I quote "Perfect House-Husband and House-Wife material".

Joan/ Jaune: Mom SOLD US OUT!

Glynda: While their combat ratings is at E rank, that is of little concern. They both have Baking Skills at Rank A. Rank B Housekeeping. Rank B Laundry. Rank S Cooking. Rank A+ Child rearing...

The room was filled with polite clapping.

Glynda: AND Rank SSS Stamina... you know what that means...

Once again the room filled with clapping... very loud and aggressive clapping.

Glynda: This lot is to be sold as a set, and yes the marriage documentation is ready for signature. So do I have an opening bid of...

???? 30,000!

Jaune: Weiss? What the hell?

Joan: Whose Weiss?

???? 45,000

Jaune: PYRRHA!

Joan: Was that you're partner?

Weiss: Back off Nikos! Those blond angels are mine! 55,000!

Jaune: So you want him now? Pathetic Schnee. 75,000!

Weiss: Pathetic? Who was too much of a coward to admit her feelings? 85,000!

Jaune: Feelings?

Joan: I think she likes you.

Jaune: Great, but right now she's trying to buy OUR hands in marriage!

Joan: Oh, yeah right.

Pyrrha: I was scared! I didn't want to drive him away... but I can't not take this chance! I LOVE YOU JAUNE and I'll LOVE JOAN just as equally! 100,000!

Joan: Awe, that's sweet.

Jaune: Joan their trying to BUY us!

Joan: You trying to tell me, you don't want someone who is interested in us, who can provide for us, and all we have to do... is the shit mom and dad had us do all the time?

Jaune: Well...

Joan: Plus... you do know what Husbands and Wives get to do... and do a lot right?

Jaune: Oh...

Weiss: The Arc and Schnee name must be joined! With those two at my side I will fix the SDC and with their loving support, I'll make reparations to all the people my father has hurt! 250,000!

Joan: Arc-Schnee?

Jaune: Schnee-Arc? Nah. Arc-Schnee, sounds better.

Joan: Right?

Pyrrha: No... I will NOT lose to some spoiled princess, using her daddy's money! 500,000, and I'll sign over the Royalty Rights for Pumpkin Pete's to Beacon for administration to local Vale charities! That's another 200,000 per year!

Glynda: Um...

Looks over to the lawyers, administrator and observers.

Glynda: Can we accept that?

The lawyers, administrator, and observers all shrug their shoulders.

Joan: Pyrrha seems nice.

Jaune: Oh she is. She saved my life at initation.

Joan: Really?

Glynda: Okay... 500,000 upfront, pl;us 200,000 per annum... going once!

Murmurs from the crowd.

Glynda: Going twice!

Weiss just crosses her arms over her chest, and shoots Glynda a wink.

Glynda: SOLD!

BANG BANG BANG

Joan: Wow... that's a lot of money to help the needy.

Jaune: It is. But are you okay with this? I mean we're going to end up jointly married to the same person...

Joan: It was bound to happen... considering mom and auntie.

Jaune: True. Ture.

Glynda: Lot Double J goes to Pyrrha Nikos for the sum of 500,000 lien and an annual contribution of a further 200,000. Congratulations! To everyone, thank you for attending, and your support.

Joan: Jaune... why am I feeling scared now?

Jaune: I don't know... but I'm feeling it too.

[cherryhazee]

Say You Won't Let Go | Nico Hischier

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, puking, and pregnancy.

"I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old" inspired by James Arthur's song Say You Won't Let Go

The game against the Bruins had just ended when the team decided to go out, opting to get drunk rather than focusing on the loss. As they entered the dimly lit space, their presence was immediately noticed by most of the people since it was close to where the game had just wrapped up. 

Nico didn’t feel like going out but was dragged by the other boys, saying that it would help him clear his mind from the game. As expected, it didn't work, so he left the team for a few minutes and went to the bar to order another drink. When he got to the bar he sat and greeted the bartender with a nod, ordering a simple drink.

Nico's mind was replaying the missed opportunities, the close calls, and the moments that had slipped through his fingers clenching his jaw, not noticing the mesmerizing young woman a few stools from him, whose curiosity was piqued as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. 

“Rough night?” she asked, her voice carrying a sympathetic tone.

“Yeah, you could say that,” he answered with a sad smile, the tension leaving his body at the instant of hearing her voice.

“I’m Adeline, by the way,” she introduced herself, extending her hand to him, flashing a sweet welcoming smile.

“Nico,” he said taking her hand between his with an even more welcoming smile.

“So, where you the one playing a few hours ago?” she asked him, recognizing his face from the game previously displayed at the bar.

“Yeah...not one of my best games,” he said while scratching his beard, now even more conscious about his game tonight.

“Don’t beat yourself up, even the best ones can have an off night” she said trying to cheer him up.

As they continued chatting, the initial awkwardness quickly faded as they felt more comfortable with each other, making their conversations flow effortlessly. Hours passed unnoticed as they were talking and at one point even danced.

As the night grew late and the bar's closing time approached, Nico and Adeline found themselves reluctantly acknowledging the end of their night. They had shared stories, laughter, and a genuine connection that had served as a much-needed break for Nico after his team's loss, not even noticing how almost all of the team had already left.

"It's getting late and they’re closing soon,” Adeline said, her tone gentle. "I should probably head home," she said while standing up from the stool.

Nico nodded, his gaze meeting hers. "Yeah, me too. Can I at least offer you a ride home?" Nico found himself asking, genuine concern in his eyes noticing that Adeline had had a considerable amount of drinks.

Adeline’s smile widened, and she nodded in agreement. As they were headed towards his Uber, she couldn't shake off the feeling of familiarity and peace she had shared with Nico during their time at the bar. The conversation had been easy, and she found herself intrigued by the man who had been upset by a recent loss yet had managed to be so gentle and charismatic in their encounter.

When they reached her destination, Nico noticed that she was a lot more drunk than him so he also offered to walk her to her apartment. By the time they were right outside her door, she couldn’t contain her sickness, and as she opened the door she ran to her bathroom, returning the remains of alcohol that were in her body. She then felt a gentle hand reach for her hair and hold it up, the soothing feeling caused her to send him a grateful smile over her shoulder. When they made eye contact Nico felt stone-cold sober for a moment as he watched her beautiful eyes since there was not enough light in the bar to appreciate them in detail. 

When Adeline felt better she rested her body on Nico’s chest, causing him to hold her closer to him. "Thanks for being here, Nico," Adeline said, her color returning to her face.

"It's too late to be out, you should stay the night. I have a spare room” she said regaining consciousness and a growing concern in her tone.

"If you don't mind, that would be nice actually," Nico replied, as he was now also feeling too dizzy to return home.

As the night went on, Nico stayed by Adeline's side, watching movies and chatting to keep her company, making sure that they both had taken pills to ease their hangover the next day.

“I should go to bed now, see you in the morning,” she said tiredly while standing up from her couch, sending Nico a sweet smile before going to her room.

As the next day rolled around she felt so much better than the night before. She entered the living room noticing the delicious smell that was coming from the kitchen, When she entered the space she saw Nico making breakfast. “That smells really good,” she said as the smell intensified.

“I hope you like it,” he said while giving her a shy smile. Nico said his goodbyes after having breakfast, leaving with a new number on his phone.

Their relationship blossomed over the years, starting with friendly conversations and shared interests, eventually evolving into deep affection and a strong bond. That led them to where they were now, as the sun set over Newark, Nico took Adeline to a secluded spot overlooking the city. He gazed into her eyes, his heart brimming with emotion. With a trembling voice, he expressed his love for her and recounted their journey together. And then, with a nervous smile, he said, “Adeline, from the moment I met you, my life changed. I knew I loved you the moment I saw you at that bar. You've become my inspiration and my love. Will you be mine forever?” Tears of joy welled up in Adeline’s eyes as she nodded, her heart overflowing with love. "Yes, Nico, a thousand times yes!”

Their love story continued. But like all relationships, challenges emerged. Nico's hockey career demanded his time and attention, and even more now that he was captain and they were in playoffs. As the team battled through intense games, the weight of expectations sat heavily on his shoulders. The stress was taking its toll, affecting not only his performance on the ice but also off of it.

Adeline stood by his side through everything, offering her company and someone to listen. But this time, as the pressure mounted, Nico found himself becoming increasingly distant and irritable. One evening, after a particularly hard practice, Nico returned home to find Adeline waiting for him. She had prepared his favorite meal and had a warm smile on her face, hoping to ease his tension. However, as he walked through the door, fatigue and stress clouded his mind and he brushed past her without a word, heading straight to the couch to watch game footage. Adeline's heart sank because of his dismissive behavior.

She followed him into the room, gently touching his arm. "Nico, is everything okay?" she asked softly.

He let out a frustrated sigh, his eyes still fixed on the screen. "I just need to focus, Adeline. Can we talk later?" She grew even more worried but she let him have some time alone, understanding the pressure that he had currently.

As dinner time came around Adeline confronted Nico after a particularly tense meal. "Nico, I understand that you're under a lot of pressure, but that doesn't excuse ignoring me like this," she said firmly, her voice tinged with hurt.

He sighed while he started speaking ”I know, Addie. I'm sorry. It's just… everything feels like it's closing in on me. I can't escape the stress, and I end up taking it out on you." he said while his voice cracked for a moment. “And I feel like you’ll soon realize that you deserve someone much better than me. I’m just so scared of losing you that I close myself not showing all of my emotions”

Adeline's expression softened as she approached him. She placed a hand on his cheek, making him meet her gaze. "Nico, I'm here for you and I will be until we’re grey and old. I’m gonna marry you in a few months because I can’t live without you, Don’t let the pressure overcome your thoughts,” she said while placing a gentle kiss on his lips, he hummed soon melting into the kiss.

“Thank you for always knowing what to say in the right time. I love you” he said while placing another kiss on her lips. “I love you so much more” she replied while continuing the kiss.

As the playoffs continued, Nico's performance on the ice improved, and his relationship with Adeline grew stronger. The New Jersey Devils made an impressive run, and even though they didn’t make it past round two, Nico was calm knowing that he had such an understanding and loving fiancée by his side.

5 years later… Gently setting the breakfast tray down on the nightstand, Nico leaned over and placed a delicate kiss on Adeline's forehead. The touch was feather-light as if he was whispering his love without words. Adeline stirred awake, her eyelashes fluttering open to reveal her sleepy yet beautiful eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful” Nico murmured in a soothing tone that filled the room.

“Hey, handsome,” she said while pulling him down by his shirt, capturing his soft lips in a much-needed kiss. He moved his body so that he was now towering over her with his body between her legs, his hands found the hem of her shirt and slid under it, unable to contain his hands to himself, How could he when he had such a beautiful wife underneath him? Her hands tangled in his hair causing him to involuntarily roll his hips into hers, a moan escaped her lips creating a space for him to slip his tongue into her mouth. The soft sound of feet entering the room instantly separated them.

“Dad! We’re gonna be late for Nana and Papa’s house!” their son shouted as he entered the room.

Nico grunted while getting up from the bed “Sorry buddy, I got distracted with my girls” he said while rubbing Adeline’s stomach, her tummy was barely visible as she was currently 4 months pregnant.

“Hurry up! Nana said she would be the one taking Noah and me for practice” their other son said while they both got out of their parent’s room.

Today would be the day that their two 5 year-old sons, Theo and Noah started hockey classes in the same rink that their father started since they were in Switzerland for the winter holidays.

“Your mother will take them?” Adeline asked her husband as she took a sip of her tea.

“Yeah, she suggested it because I wanted to spend some time with my girls,” he said while pecking her lips one last time before taking the kids to his parent's house.

When he got back home, Adeline was on the couch watching the TV. Nico didn’t know how her wife got more and more beautiful as time went on. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.

“I wanna dance with you right now,” he said to Adeline while entering their living room.

“Now? But I haven’t even showered and I’m still in my night clothes” she said confused.

“I don’t care, you look as beautiful as ever,” he said while taking her hand. “I’m so in love with you,” he said while placing a kiss on her temple making her blush. Somehow, over the years, they made the other feel many more things than when their relationship began.

“You know that I still thank my lucky stars for that night? Every moment with you has been the best. I love you” she said while thinking how far they’ve come, with their two beautiful boys and their daughter on her way.

“I’m going to love you until my last breath, Addie” Nico said while holding her closer to his body, swaying to the rhythm of their hearts beating in sync.

[vergess]

sorry if this is an odd ask to send out of nowhere but i thought your mlp post was really interesting! could you go further into detail about what you think the show does wrong in later seasons? you don't have to, i'm just curious since i really like the show and it's been one of my hyperfixations for a very long time & you have really interesting takes/meta on things in general

thank you for your time!! :3

It very much gets "less about girls" as it progresses. People's background friends/family are suddenly almost always male, for example, with Fluttershy getting a brother, Rainbow Dash's other school friends being male, her dad being more prominently played than her mom, things like that.

This isn't even a bad thing!

While I would argue, and have before, that a show almost exclusively about women is an important thing for the media landscape compared to the glut of All About Men shows?

The reality is that any artistic lens that focuses exclusively on a single gender is going to be worse for it, if for no reason other than where are the trans people.

A truly "gender neutral gaze" would be the ideal, but to be honest I don't even know what that might look like. I can at least conceptualize the female gaze out from existing, limited examples of female led production for a female audience.

But in terms of, IDK, a trans-led production for a genderqueer/neutral audience, I don't even know it that kind of thing exists. It must, because well, trans people are everywhere in the indie arts, but I have never seen it.

Certainly I've never seen it around a kid's show. And one of the things that makes kid media so easy to analyze is, the "allowed" topics are fairly limited. When sex is off the table, you can devote that time to deepening friendships. When men are off the table, you can spend that time deepening female characterization. etc etc.

So anyway, while I would say a female gaze is preferable to a male one in this male dominated society, both have their deep shortcomings. The way MLP handled male characters in S1 by either not having them, or having them be kind of the butt of the joke (Spike) isn't actually a good thing, just a very different one than is common. And there are plenty of ways that the show mistreated Spike particularly for Being A Boy that would make me hesitate to suggest season 1 to, say, trans masc viewers.

But then there are some ways that I can safely say later seasons are just worse.

The fat jokes, for example, were Not A Thing in S1 and as a fat viewer that was a huge relief at first, which became a sharp slap in the face as characters began making fun of heavy eating or using obese background ponies as gross out gags, etc.

On the other hand, the racism very much was present from the beginning, as evidenced by Over A Barrel's portrayal of native americans as literally another species. And that's before we get into the sheer racism of pony colonialism in the first place. Also Zecora the Zebra's... situation. Which was okay as a one off bit in S1, trying if not succeeding at the message of "different=/=bad."

But, like many of these early flaws, the later seasons magnify the problem, especially when the show tries to approach real world issues. Just off the top:

Zecora becomes the magical negro whose mystic knowledge transcends that of the pony gods.

Gryphons become antisemitic stereotypes, obsessed with cash hoarding and isolationism.

Yaks live in technologically inferior wastelands of Yakyakistan, where they are loud, rowdy, and even dangerous.

Dragons are... just... really fucking bad, like by nature, with rare "good ones" going to live among ponies to become civilized.

The fucking saddle arabians apparently just Not Having Perfomance Art and needing to be taught by Trixie.

The kirin being very literally silent to show how zen they are, needing Westerners to give them back their voices.

The sheer audacity to bring Little Strongheart back in the fucking finale and "assign" her as Applejack's token buffalo friend (not even RD???) after AJ and her family nearly wiped the buffalo out and fully never fucking apologized

There's definitely more. Basically every single non-pony species shown to be sapient ends up some kind of a racist mess. At least cows are just like... white people from wisconsin so there's less racism inherent to their depiction but even then...

There are also ways in which the attempts to cater to a male audience weaken the show's overall presentation. Ponies with adult men's human meme images as cutie marks started popping up, for example, which is again not a bad thing, but weakens the overall fantastical world building.

Likewise, the attempts to modernize the setting are... um. Let's go with uneven.

In S1 technology is firmly pre-industrial Euro-Fantasy. I'd put it around 1770-1800 in the human western world.

By S2 there is an electrical grid even in "small" towns like ponyville, something which in the human world didn't take place until about150 years later, with another 50 years to roll out things like video games, which also start appearing.

But only for ponies.

Never for the other species.

I get why they did that. It's a "have your cake and eat it too" scenario where they can keep the pre-industrial fantasy tech level sometimes, but use a modern tech level at other times. It opens up more storytelling options. And it's not like the magical horse universe needs to obey our physics and timelines.

But then why only ponies.

All that does is deepen the racial division between ponies and other species. Which the later seasons LOVe to do. Deepen racial divieds.

After all, in S1 most other species (cows, gryphons, etc) were shown to live in equestria too. But in later seasons, are revealed to live in cloistered ethnostates nominally self ruling but in practical terms subservient to the equestrian state if they want basic rights like the fucking sun.

Which acts to retcon Spike's hatching and adoption from something very heartwarming into something very horrific.

Honestly, the "male gaze" is not the issue I have with late seasons of MLPFIM. It very much comes down to "this show got SO fucking racist SO fucking fast what the FUCK."

And that probably would have happened with all female writers and directors, too, if they were mostly white.

This all makes me sound like I hate MLP, but I promise you, all of this criticism comes from a place of utmost love. This show is really, REALLY good. It is charming, beautifully animated, excellently directed, with passion poured into every aspect of the visuals, the audio, the stories, the characters...

That's what makes these constant missteps so painful to encounter.

Because the highs are so high!

I mean, the movie easily constitutes the best 2D animation out of the western world in DECADES and every track on the album is a banger, and that's just the movie. Cartoon movies aren't exactly noted for their stunning quality, but MLPFIM sure as fuck stuns.

And when the highs are that high, oh man, the lows look lower by comparison.

[kidcapes]

Shin Megami Tensei's Canon Ending

Happy 31st birthday to Shin Megami Tensei (10/30)!

To celebrate, I made a video called "Shin Megami Tensei's Canon Ending" investigating the events between SMT1 and 2 and discussing the evidence for the popular fan-theory that the Neutral route is the canon ending to the original Shin Megami Tensei.

For the video, I had a short Q&A interview with ATLUS contractor  Nobuyuki Shioda, who's worked on several MegaTen books since 1992 to see his opinion on the topic. If you're interested, I'll be posting that discussion below.

I'd recommend watching the video before coming to any conclusion based on the following information. The interview was premised around me just going over all of the evidence that points to Neutral being the canon route before asking his opinion on the topic, so there's no mention of any counter-evidence in this discussion. This will also feature minor spoilers for SMT1, 2, and Raidou 1. ——————————————————————————————————

Context

I’m not familiar with the Japanese fanbase, but the Western fanbase generally considers the Neutral route to be the only SMT1 ending that could lead directly to SMT2. 

This idea is largely based on story events introduced by SMT2. Its manual talks about how between the events of SMT1 and before the Messians gained power, Tokyo was a free society where both Messians and Gaeans were welcome. 

In SMT2 Game Boy Advance's Visionary Items, the character Madam's butler talks about having a master who was opposed to the Center and helped build Valhalla. This is assumed to be referring to the Hero, SMT1’s protagonist. In the original game, he has a statue dedicated to him in the Valhalla Colosseum and Madam is shown to work with Cerberus, the Hero's pet demon. 

Later, in "Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army" in the Akarana Corridor, there is a spirit in the year 203X who says, “Thank goodness for the unification. My wife was a Messiah [Messian], y’know. We owe a lot to that schoolboy with the gadget on his arm, who defeated all the gods and demons.” This mention of God and the devil may be referring to Law and Chaos. 

Finally, there is an English guide for Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne titled “Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - Official Strategy Guide” that contains a detailed history of the series which says: “It [SMT2] presumes a world where the original game’s protagonist took a Neutral alignment and founded a utopian society whose citizens were free to follow whatever beliefs they chose.” However, when I went to check the Japanese version of this guide, this entire section of the book was missing.

This is all of the evidence I can think of that points towards a possible “true” Neutral ending for SMT1 into SMT2.

Questions

——What’s your initial opinion of the idea that Neutral has to be the route that the SMT1 Hero chose which led to SMT2?

“Since Neutral is presented in a way that can be easily perceived as a so-called ‘true ending,’ it is probably only ‘theoretically possible’ that the sequel is an extension of it.”

——Do you think this evidence points towards the Neutral route making the most sense?

“As mentioned above, it is likely that regardless of whether or not the story of SMT1 ends 'in the extreme', it would have stabilized in a way that would lead to SMT2, even if the outcome appeared to be different at the end of SMT1. Likely, whether or not it ‘makes sense’ is a low priority.”

——If you agree with the previous question, why do you personally think the staff would've chosen this?

“I believe that each staff member has different views. However, I suppose they might consider it ‘undesirable’ to announce it in an official statement.”

——In MegaTen Maniacs, what did the writer mean by “royal road” [王道] in this passage: 

“If the existence that created the world is lost, the survival of that world would undoubtedly be called into question, but it can be said that daring to do so and opening up the future with one's own hands is the “royal road” to take in the story. However, the route structure of ‘MegaTen,’ which branches off into ‘Law,’ ‘Neutral,’ and ‘Chaos,’ is a severe constraint that prevents the story from being summed up in terms of the “royal road” alone. For example, although the ideal model of the Neutral route may end up on the “royal road,” an ending that is biased toward Law or Chaos would be unacceptable from the player's perspective unless a ‘different ideal’ can be presented.”  

How is Neutral similar to this “royal road”?

“The term ‘royal road’ is used as a general pattern of storytelling in ‘other (non-MegaTen)’ RPGs. I think that the form of story that the creators wanted to write is close to ‘royal road’ as the ‘ideal model’ of what should be presented.”

——If Neutral can be viewed as the ideal route, can we assume that the SMT1 Hero chose it?

“Although it is an imaginative story, and not everyone will agree with it, being unbiased is a kind of virtue, and even Buddhism respects it by calling it the ‘Middle Way,’* which I understand is appropriate for a protagonist.”

——In MegaTen Maniacs, you mentioned that you could not comment on what ending the Hero chose in SMT1. Did you have a specific reason for saying this?

“‘MegaTen Maniacs’ is an official book, but it can be said that in Japan it is difficult to appreciate this kind of content in a text. This is especially true for such a young culture as video games. I also think that ATLUS did not have enough time to examine this writing (mainly due to the lateness of my manuscript), given the limited time available for publication. In that sense, these texts are my texts that I wrote. They may be officially approved considerations, but they are not identical to what the production staff had in mind.

To answer your question, I could say that 'it was better without it,' but since the book was a publication of material that allows players to understand that such points were considered in the production process, I believe they would have deeper gaming experience if they were to play the game again with that understanding.”

——In Ayakashi Monthly Special Final Issue, a comment on the Nocturne draft mentions that SMT2 is a parallel world to SMT1. It is sometimes said that if... or Devil Summoner and Persona are parallel worlds to SMT1. Is this a similar scenario to those games? 

However, I can also see this statement metaphorically referencing ATLUS staff explaining about how SMT2's setting was purposefully meant to be vaguely set after SMT1. 

What is your opinion on the idea that SMT2 is in a parallel world of SMT1?

“This one had a generous editing period, and Atlus also took the time to check the text on top of the content checks by ‘Famitsu,’ which was also editing the book.

From the viewpoint of game development, describing it as 'parallel' means that it can be influenced by the actions of the player. This is what the use of 'parallel' means in this text, and is separate from a parallel in the narrative itself. The expression 'SMT2 is a parallel world to SMT1' has been used in promotional materials since the release of SMT2 on the SNES, and I also use it in my articles, but I think it means that SMT2 can accommodate any state of personal swing** [or outcome chosen] by a SMT1 player.”

——If we assume that it's specifically the Neutral ending of SMT1 that actually led to SMT2 based on the previous statements, do you think that this retroactively makes Neutral the "true" ending for SMT1?

“Close to it, I would say. Not completely, perhaps. I think it is something that has never existed in the history of Japanese game software.”

——What opinion concerning SMT1's "true" ending do you see the most among the Japanese fanbase?

“I think the majority of Japanese players see a 'True End' as a 'longer (in a sense) and more compelling ('favorable') ending' than the other endings. In that sense, I think SMT1's Neutral route meets the criteria. It is also, even if not consciously, the 'Middle Way'. I think that many players who enjoy MegatTen like to think about the significance of such works, but I don't think that there are many who exchange and examine their opinions (each Megaten fan may have their own unique interpretation).”

——Just to clarify, do you have any opinion on how a canon route for SMT1 may relate to those specific quotes from SMT2 or Raidou 1?

“Raidou 1 is cleverly made, but I don't think it's anything more than one part of the multiverse, as it was retroactively added to the initial conception of the narrative framework. 

SMT2 is also a story that was considered from the beginning to some extent, but changes occurred during its production, so fundamentally, there is no perfect continuity. 

It can be said that there is no such thing.”

* The Middle Way is a Buddhist concept that preaches moderation in everything as the key to enlightenment. This is referenced in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse by Stephen. **  The word used here is 振れ幅, which means imprecision or variance, so when he says “personal variables” he’s essentially referring to someone's headcanon or fan-theory.

Original Text

——What’s your initial opinion of the idea that Neutral has to be the route that the SMT1 Hero chose which led to SMT2?

「 Neutralはいわゆる「真のエンディング」と捉えやすい形で提示されているため、続編がその延長線上にあるというのは、「理論的に可能」ということに過ぎないのではないでしょうか。」

——Do you think this evidence points towards the Neutral route making the most sense?

「 前述したように、SMT1の物語は「極論すれば」どう終わったとしても、SMT1の終わりの時点では異なるエンディングに見えても、SMT2に繋がる形に落ち着いていた、とも考えられます。恐らく、「理にかなっている」かどうかは価値観の順列としては低いのではないのでしょうか。」

——If you agree with the previous question, why do you personally think the staff would've chosen this?

「スタッフは人それぞれで異なる見解を持っていると思います。ただし、公式なステートメントではそれを発表することは「望ましくない」」と考えているかもしれませんね。」

——In MegaTen Maniacs, what did the writer mean by “royal road” [王道] in this passage: 

“If the existence that created the world is lost, the survival of that world would undoubtedly be called into question, but it can be said that daring to do so and opening up the future with one's own hands is the “royal road” to take in the story. However, the route structure of ‘MegaTen,’ which branches off into ‘Law,’ ‘Neutral,’ and ‘Chaos,’ is a severe constraint that prevents the story from being summed up in terms of the “royal road” alone. For example, although the ideal model of the Neutral route may end up on the “royal road,” an ending that is biased toward Law or Chaos would be unacceptable from the player's perspective unless a ‘different ideal’ can be presented.”  

How is Neutral similar to this “royal road”?

「王道という言葉は、一般的な「他の（メガテン以外の）」RPGにおける物語のパターンという意味で使っています。制作者たちの書きたかった物語の形が、提示すべき「理想形」として「王道」に近いのだと思っています。 」

——If Neutral can be viewed as the ideal route, can we assume that the SMT1 Hero chose it?

「 イメージ的な話で誰にでもそれが好ましいというわけではあせんが、偏りがないことは一種の美徳ではあり、仏教でも中道と呼んで尊重するところがあり、主人公としてふさわしいと理解できます。」

——In MegaTen Maniacs, you mentioned that you could not comment on what ending the Hero chose in SMT1. Did you have a specific reason for saying this?

「公式の書籍である『メガテンマニアクス』ですが、日本ではこうした内容の文章を評価することが難しいと言うことができます。特にゲームという年若い文化では余計にそうだと思います。また発行まで時間のない中ではアトラスさんには、この文章を吟味する時間が足りなかったと思います（主に、私の原稿が遅かったことに原因があります）。そういう意味では、こうしたテキストは書いた私の文章だと思います。公式に認められた考察ではあるかもしれませんが、制作スタッフの考えていたことと同一ではありません。

質問の回答としては、「それはなくても良かった」、とも言えますが、制作していく上でそういった点も考えられているということが理解できる資料を公開した書籍ですから、理解してまた遊んでいただけるなら、より深いゲーム体験になるのではないかと思います。」

——In Ayakashi Monthly Special Final Issue, a comment on the Nocturne draft mentions that SMT2 is a parallel world to SMT1. It is sometimes said that if... or Devil Summoner and Persona are parallel worlds to SMT1. Is this a similar scenario to those games? 

However, I can also see this statement metaphorically referencing ATLUS staff explaining about how SMT2's setting was purposefully meant to be vaguely set after SMT1. 

What is your opinion on the idea that SMT2 is in a parallel world of SMT1?

「 こちらの方が編集期間には余裕があって、テキストについても編集をしている「ファミ通」の内容チェックの上で、アトラスさんも時間をかけてチェックをされています。

ゲームを制作する上では、「パラレル」と表現することは、プレイヤーの行動によって左右されることも含みます。物語じょうにあるパラレルとは別のものといえます。このテキストでのパラレルという表現は、そうした意図で書いています。「『真II』が『真I』のパラレルワールドであると」いう言葉はSFCの真IIの発売当時からプロモーションの中でも表現としてあったもので、私も記事中で使っていますが、真Iのプレイヤーによるパーソナルな振れ幅のどの状態にも真IIは対応している、ということだと考えています。」

——If we assume that it's specifically the Neutral ending of SMT1 that actually led to SMT2 based on the previous statements, do you think that this retroactively makes Neutral the "true" ending for SMT1?

「 それに近い、とは言えるでしょう。完全に、ではないかもしれません。たぶん、日本のゲームソフトの歴史の上にはなかったものだと思います。」

——What opinion concerning SMT1's "true" ending do you see the most among the Japanese fanbase?

「日本人のプレイヤーの大半は、『トゥルーエンド』は他のエンドよりも「（ある意味）長く、説得力のある（好ましい）エンディング」といった考え方と理解していると思います。そういう意味で真IのNEUTRALは条件に合致していると思います。意識してはいなかったとしても、「中道」であることもです。メガテンを好むフレイヤ―はそういった作品の意味性について考えることが好きな方も多いと思いますが、意見を交換したり考察したりする人は少ないと思います（メガテンのファンは、それぞれ独自の解釈をしているかもしれませんね）。 」

——Just to clarify, do you have any opinion on how a canon route for SMT1 may relate to those specific quotes from SMT2 or Raidou 1?

「超力兵団は非常に巧く作っていますが、当初から考えられていた物語構造に後付けで作っていることでマルチバースのひとつ以上にはなり得ないとは思います。

真IIもある程度当初から考えられてきた物語ですが、制作している間に変化は生じていますから、基本的には完全な連続性

はないと言えます。」