#but i'm so so scared that i'll just end up writing the same (boring) story over again for 24 times 😔

[theflyingfeeling]

fanfic rambling in the tags, nothing interesting really, just me talking to myself lol, okay to ignore or read as you please ✨

[belovedcloud]

I saw one of your latest fics (PERFECT HONEY🤍) and I just thought you were a great writer and it was like so cute and soft AAARGH

and then I also saw that you were accepting requests and I couldn't help but get excited, because I had an idea the other day - BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE 😭 so...

I was thinking about a short story fluff like with re2r Leon, where he still works at the police station but kind of without those traumatizing events YOU KNOW (or idk, you decide) so,,, he already knows Claire, who works in a cozy café near the police station where Leon usually goes on his break,buttt,, a new employee arrived (reader) and became friends with Claire (and kind of attracted Leon's attention 🥀) and idk, she (you decide if you want to use a feminine or neutral pronoun;) could work as a barista or waitress and was kind to Leon, until Leon started going to the cafe more often just to see her (or babbling about how pretty she is with Claire) until he found the courage to ask for her number or talk properly with her and, I don't know, this could end in a date or just Leon being a fool in love with a kind barista or waitress :)

IDK I AM DELULU BUT I KIND OF THOUGHT OF SOMETHING LIKE THAT

so...feel free to ignore this if you found it boring hun ^^ Thank you in advance for reading this thought and if you want to accept the idea ;)🩷🩷

Sweet Treats | Leon Kennedy x Barista! Fem! Reader

Notes: My first request! I hope you like this, I honestly found this concept so cute, and I love writing for RE2R Leon.

WC: 1.7K

CW: Fluffy Leon, no outbreak, Leon just being a clutz sometimes. Claire being your wingwoman basically and getting you both together. Mention of Y/N like once.

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After his first week in the RPD, Leon managed to get himself to work early enough to not get a lecture from Lieutenant Branagh. Soon enough, he met Chris Redfield who worked for S.T.A.R.S. Which quickly led to Chris taking him to a nearby café where his sister worked. Claire was a sweet girl, Leon and her slowly opened up to each other after a few days. Promptly, he became a regular customer. Getting the same raspberry and white chocolate muffin alongside a vanilla latte. Today was no different, Leon entering the café - however, he didn't see Claire at the counter. But you.

Leon couldn't help but think you were the prettiest girl he had seen. Trying to avert his eyes from your face he felt his legs subconsciously walk over to where Claire was sweeping the floor. "Morning Claire... New employee?" He mumbled as he nodded his head over to your direction. "Yeah! She came in yesterday. Super sweet." She laughed, taking out the tea towel as she wiped down the coffee table. "You don't have to be scared Leon." Claire couldn't help but snicker as she stared at Leon mentally psyching himself up to not fuck up his order. "I'm not scared.." He yipped back, before walking up to the counter.

Your hands slowly wrapped around the mug handle as you polished the inside of it, oblivious to the man in front of you. A quiet tap of the bell seized your attention, looking up to see a dark blonde haired man staring at your movements. "Oh! Sorry, hold on I'll only be a minute." You frantically rush back to the mug stack, gently placed it on top before returning to the stranger. "Sorry about that, what can I get you?" A bright smile is plastered on your face as you tap onto the half broken machine, trying to input your worker code. "Uh.. please could I get the raspberry white chocolate muffin and a vanilla latte?" Leon asked, fumbling with his thumbs below the counter. Thank fuck he didn't mess up his sentence. His hands slowly travelled to his face as he swept the hair out of his eyes, maybe he really should get a trim...

"Yeah of course! That'll be $6.24 please." Leon fumbled with his wallet after taking out $10. "You can keep the change." Leon uttered as the cash register opened, the till jittering out. You couldn't help but smile sweetly as he offered the change to you. "Are you sure?" He nodded as he saw you put the tip in your pocket. "Thanks... I'll get that for you straight away." Your body shifted towards the coffee machine. Leon couldn't help but admire the way you performed your job, it was somehow so different to how Claire would do it. You were angelic in your movements - his thoughts soon interrupted as he felt someone tap his shoulder. "In love?" Claire teased, earning a nudge from Leon's elbow into her side. "Ouch! Okay.. okay." She laughed as she went behind the counter, packaging Leon's muffin. You couldn't help but glance at Leon's smile. He was cute, super cute.

A few minutes later, a warm takeaway coffee cup and muffin stuffed into a brown paper bag laid neatly in front of Leon. "Thanks." Leon took both items into his hand and waved off to Claire, showing you a small smile as the bell chimed, indicating he had left the store. "Who was that?" You rushed over to Claire, her eyes looking at you with playful eyes. "That's Leon, he's my brother's friend or I guess co-worker sort of? He works for the RPD." Claire responded to you with a funny tone. "Why are you looking at me like that?" You laughed out, slowly wiping down the coffee stains on the counter. Your eyes wondering over to the door, missing the stranger you just encountered. "Oh it's nothing, I'm sure you and him will get along well y'know?" She giggled, shoving the tea towel in her pocket. "What the fuck is that suppos-" Your sentence quickly cut off as Claire shouted "I'm going on my break!"

Days passed, time and time again Leon soon became a person you got used to seeing. Smiling whenever you would see that navy blue uniform. A small crush blossomed in your heart - you couldn't tell him that though. Nor could you tell Claire, but she saw it in the way you stared at him as he ordered the same thing. Soon enough, you prepared it beforehand for him to have immediately. 8:30 AM, that's when Leon would come in. With that same uniform and same hairstyle, oh and of course he was handsome every time. Today was no different, except for the fact you weren't in. Leon's day was 100 times better when he saw you, entering the café he expects to see you. Seeing Claire at the front instead of cleaning caught him off guard. "Where's Y/N?" Leon closed the door behind him, leaving the cold and rubbing his hands together as the cozy environment felt different.

"She called in sick, why? Are you lovestruck?" She poked fun at him, getting his order ready. "Oh shut up.." He chuckled, sitting down at a nearby table. Thinking about Claire's words, he knew she was right. He was lovestruck by you. Leon couldn't help but find you so attractive, the way you were so attentive to him. That small talk wasn't awkward with you. He had a crush. "Honestly, yeah." His eyes diverted to the muffin and latte ahead of him. Claire's ears perked hearing his mini confession? "Oh?" She smacked his shoulder lightly. "She's beautiful and super sweet, don't get me started on how.." Leon soon rambled on about you, from your personality to your looks, the way you carried yourself. Losing himself in time as he subconsciously sipped on the latte, finishing the muffin. Claire had to sit down for this, it was cute seeing him chatter about you. "Fuck, sorry about that." He chuckled, checking his wrist-watch, seeing the time flicker to 9:00 AM. "Shit, I gotta go. Thank you for the treat Claire." Leon hastily got up and dashed out the door. Oh how Claire couldn't wait to tell you all about this tomorrow.

"You're shitting me right?" You mumbled, polishing the mugs as you looked over to the wall clock. 8:25 AM. Leon's order by your side as you heard Claire laugh. "Why would I lie about him basically confessing his love about you?" She nudged your arm, snickering as your eyes rolled back playfully. As if Leon could have a crush on you. I mean, you were just a barista who served him his raspberry white chocolate muffin and vanilla latte. What could've been so special about your actions? "Get out of your trance, it's 8:28." You heard Claire from one ear to another as she moved to dust the corners of the room. Oh how cruel could she be to leave you with this new information? The chime of the door caught you off-guard, seeing that same man in that RPD uniform.

"Good morning Leon." A shaky voice elicited from your throat. For Christs sake, pull yourself together. "Morning.. I see my order there." He chuckled, pulling out his wallet, taking out a $20 bill. "Keep the rest." A small grin crept on his face as he passed it to you. You couldn't accept this, not for basically doing something that took you three minutes at most. "Oh Leon, I can't accept this." A breathy laugh pursued out your lips. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Please, it's on me. You've been nothing but sweet to me. And this place must be a pain in the ass to clean up at the end of the day." Leon laughed as he took his muffin and latte, sitting down at a table. That was unusual. He usually left to enjoy his snack, but today seemed different. Your friendship seemed different. Leon was right, the sticky sugared tables and coffee splatters were annoying to clean - knowing he would refuse the money if given back to him, you stuffed the change in your pocket. "Thanks Leon.. but you really don't have to tip me each day. Makes me feel guilty, like I owe you." You muttered as you came out from behind the counter. Leon's eyes wondered over you, a small smile corrupting his lips as he thought of something.

"Well.. if you think you owe me, come sit down with me for a bit?" A teasing tone was laced with his words, but who were you to deny him. Even if the blush on your face was evident. "Alright, but why are you sat down? Don't you have to get to the station quick?" Your question rang in his head, your voice melodic in his ears. "Not really, if it comes to it I'll run." He chuckled, sipping on the latte. Burning just the tip of this tongue - warming up the rest of his body. Nothing warmed him up like you though, those pretty lips that rested peacefully on your face. Your giggles enticing him as he looked at your hands slowly fiddle, it was clear you were nervous. Fuck. So was he, but to him this was now or never.

"I uh... can I have your number?" Leon hastily said, averting his eyes from you and staring into the little leaf shape carved by the frothed milk in his hot drink. Did he mess up? Troubled thoughts rushed over Leon's head until he heard you speak. "My number, sure." You couldn't help but smile, Leon just asked for your number. This was practically a dream come true. A quick exchange of each others phone numbers soon lead to a conversation. Getting to know each other was time consuming which soon lead to Leon's face dropping as he checked his wristwatch. "Shit it's 9:15." He laughed, putting his leftovers in the bin. "I'll text you later yeah?" His hand waved off to you, feeling content in yourself.

Throwing your bag to the side of your room, your back aching from the constant horrible posture you had as you bent over tables to wipe them. Your phone buzzed. It was from Leon.

Leon: Can I take you out for dinner this weekend?

likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated! thank u for reading :)

-> masterlist

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[mackjlee9]

Leon Kennedy x Afab!Reader

Author note; this is just something I wrote in ten minutes to maybe change the same thing that happens in fanfiction. You'll probably understand what I mean when you read. Oh! Reader has no pronouns bcz I was writing this with me in mind, but they're still referred to as "woman" by others. Probably won't finish this, just got to write a bit and I got bored lol.

I'll probably delete this later idk

Resident Evil

When one of your family members invited you to their wedding at the beach, your first thought was just... Make up an excuse so you didn't have to go. But then you thought...

Hey, free food!

However, this family member of yours expected you to bring a partner with you, and you only had one option. Your best friend, Leon.

You just texted him asking if he wanted to go to the wedding with you, and he was like, "Free food? Hell yeah," and laughing about how similar you two were you went to bed, feeling somehow at ease that you were gonna have someone to go to this useless wedding you didn't even wanna go in the first place. At least, you will have a feast.

//////

The car ride wasn't exactly long, you were one of the few that lived somehow close to this relative of yours, so it was only like a five-hour drive to the hotel. Being one of the first people there, you got the key to your room and went upstairs, followed by Leon who was still drowsy and sleepy from his nap in the car. No way in hell you were gonna let that man drive.

Thankfully for both of you, your hotel room actually had two twin-size beds, so no awkward "oh no, there's only one bed" trope that happened... Way too often in the stories you read.

Now, you just had to wait until noon when the wedding would start and then the afterparty in the evening, the overnight stay, and then bye-bye by tomorrow morning. So, while you waited you took a nap while listening to some music, letting Leon roam around the room as much as he liked.

A few hours later, you're woken up by a rather rough shove to your shoulder, and you end up tangling yourself with the cable of your headphones, hearing the distant laugh of Leon's laugh.

"The wedding's gonna start, you have to get ready," you huffed and sat up, rubbing your eyes and yawning as you stood up, stumbling to the bathroom while you're still trying to open your eyes, "Don't fall-" right before Leon could finish his warning, you tripped with the backpack you just tossed without a care, somehow managing to catch yourself before you fell and successfully waking yourself up with that little scare, "I'm not gonna say anything, I'm gonna jinx it- just get ready."

Leon added with a chuckle and you walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

Without much care, you took a shower and wrapped your body in a towel, shaking the excess water from your hair, and you realized you didn't bring clothes with you.

Sighing, you prepared your lungs, "Leon!" The blond man just groaned in response, "Could you hand me my bag?"

You just heard the sound of the bed squeaking under his weight before the quiet sounds of his footsteps got close to the door, a few knocks on the wood letting you know Leon was right there.

"Thank you! What would I do without you?!" You exclaimed dramatically, opening the door enough to fetch your bag.

Leon just sighed, a smirk on his face, and went back to sit on the bed, watching tv while he waited for you.

You looked around your bag, grabbing a black sports bra and a black boxer to put on your body. All the time you avoided looking in the mirror, because otherwise you were gonna worry about your body... And you hated that. You didn't come here to look pretty.

You came here for the free food. And that is it. Well... Maybe the alcohol too. You were probably gonna be the only "female-bodied" person not wearing a stupid sundress. Nothing against them, but there's other clothing in the world to wear to the beach.

Ugh, the beach. The main reason why you didn't wanna come all the way here, if there was something you hated, was the fucking beach. But meh, you were already here so might as well.

You put on a tank top, a zip-up hoodie, and black jeans, deciding if you should wear your Converse or boots... Decisions, decisions~.

You walked out of the bathroom and you heard Leon snort, making you look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Something funny, Kennedy?" You definitely sounded like a teacher but you didn't care, you were trying not to smile as you saw him holding his laugh back.

"You're gonna attend a wedding... Dressed like that? Damn, that's why you're my best friend." You looked down at yourself, not really seeing anything wrong with what you were wearing... Maybe a sweater would look better rather than a hoodie... No! It's the beach! And it's warm outside! It'll be fine.

"Well, you don't look too dressed up either, Mr.Scott," and now you were using the middle name. Sometimes Leon wondered how he met someone so funny and kind like you, you were one of a kind, no doubt about that, "Anygay- we should go now."

//////

Walking out to the beach was already exhausting, more so mentally than physically. You could already see your cousins and aunts talking amongst each other, other ladies that you didn't recognize so you guessed they were your relatives' friends. You walked closer enough to get their attention and you instantly heard the teen girls sneaker when they saw you.

Oh~ here we go~ little insecure girls that try and make others feel bad about their appearance just to feel better about themselves...

You were already hating being here and you haven't even talked to anyone yet. You would rather keep it that way but-!

Your annoying aunt was coming your way. That annoying aunt that does not know what personal space means and loves to gossip about everyone's lives.

Thankfully, they hadn't seen Leon yet, he had to go back to the car to get his sunglasses.

You frowned as you watched your aunt approach you, rolling your eyes and keeping your hands in your pockets when she hugged you.

"Oh my~ look at you, you're such a beautiful lady now! You've grown to be a gorgeous woman, sweetie," there comes the expression of disgust, what part if you was a "beautiful lady" and/or "gorgeous woman"? Did she not see how you were dressed?

Your hair was still wet, no makeup on, no painted nails, and dressed as if you were going to the store and just put clothes over your pajamas... You definitely weren't the lady she claimed you were. And you liked that, otherwise she was gonna start with the-

"And~? Did you get a boyfriend yet?" -There it is.

You sighed and walked past her, heading to one of the empty tables at the back, but she held your arm and dragged you to the table she was sitting at. Well, at least you could see the buffet from where you were.

"I don't have a boyfriend, aunt," the giggling on the teenagers came back and you were so pissed. You would actually leave the next time they do that.

"But- you said you had a partner," you looked at her as if it was obvious.

"Yeah, for this," you nodded your head toward the empty altar, "I'm not interested in dating."

With that, your aunt frowned, perplexed at your words.

"You would never have kids with that attitude, miss, you have to settle down someday," oh, well now she was getting on your nerves.

You turned toward her with your jaw clenched and a fake smile on your face. You were about to tell her off when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"Sorry I took so long, had to help an old lady cross the street," you looked back and up, Leon making a good job at blocking the sun from your eyes.

"About time," you said with fake sarcasm, making him let out a fake laugh and nudging you a bit, "Well," you stood up from the table and grabbed Leon's wrist, "We're gonna go to our seats now."

You didn't miss the way every woman, young or old, stared at Leon when he made himself known to them, and when you sat down on the table at the back, you could feel glares on the back of your head, making you feel rather uncomfortable.

"Damn, I hate it here," you groaned, feeling the heat of the sun on your skin, making you sweat. At least you had the shadow of a three for now.

[rusakkowrites]

If it's okay, for the Fanfic Writer Ask Meme:

B, K, M and O

B: What was the first fandom you read fic in?  Which was the first you wrote fic for?

The very first fic I ever started reading was an Artemis Fowl fic that I came across when I was maybe 12 years old. I remember thinking that it was good, but I just couldn't get over the fact that it wasn't actually canon, so I just stopped reading partway. The first fandom I really actively read and wrote fic in was a webcomic called Stand Still Stay Silent (which I have mixed feelings about these days for creator-related reasons but which I really loved at the time).

K: Do you have a guilty pleasures in fic (reading or writing)?

Oh, this is a tough one! Fanfiction is generally a pretty guilt-free pleasure for me (except when I end up reading or writing instead of doing some boring but necessary adulting task - I definitely feel guilty then). I wouldn't necessarily want to share all the smut I read with, like, my parents or my coworkers, but I feel like that's more about personal boundaries than about guilt or embarrassment. I do remember having to kind of psych myself up for writing and sharing my first shippy fic, so I guess that was initially something of a guilty pleasure?

I think that I really overthought the question and that I'll probably think of an obvious guilty pleasure as soon as I post this, but it is what it is. :D

M: What’s the weirdest AU scenario you’ve ever come up with?  Did it turn into a story?

I have the unfinished beginning of an Animorphs AU of Pride and Prejudice in my WIP folder and a whole pile of notes for a series of stories in that AU, including some that would involve a crossover with Persuasion and some visiting characters from other Austen novels. However, I had so many ideas for it that the scale of the project turned kind of intimidating and scared me off. Maybe I'll get back to it someday... (I know that someone has actually posted a P&P Animorphs AU on AO3, but the premise seemed pretty different from mine.)

I've also got some notes for a Mayday/Air Crash Investigations AU of P&P, which I envisioned as a sort of fake episode transcript. The problem is that writing it to my satisfaction would require quite a bit of research into all kinds of aviation stuff that I know nothing about, so that's why it's languisihing in the same "maybe one day" pile as the Animorphs AU.

O: What are your thoughts on people writing fanfic of your fanfic?

I would be beyond delighted if someone did that! I've got a permission statement in my AO3 profile stating that transformative works and translations of my fics are welcome as long as they're not monetized and I'm appropriately credited.

Thank you for the ask! <3

[sugarwyns]

Just a fun idea

   If Nova was a romanceable npc in mtas then what dialogues would she have ( like one for each relationship level (Acquaintance, Buddy, Good Friend, romance), you can skip levels or add more lines if you want )

Introduction:

Hiya! I haven't seen you around yet, so I'm assuming you're new - I'm Nova, one of your fellow builders! Come find me if you need a buddy to go ruin diving with.

Birthday:

My birthday's on Summer 15. When I lived in Seesai, I spent every single birthday at the beach. I can't really do that anymore here, so my new thing is just sitting by the oasis.

Acquaintance:

If you ever need to get ahold of me, ask Kor or Daphne where I am, they'll probably know! Oh, wait, but...what if you don't know where they are...hmm. I'll get back to you on that!

Kor told me you're from Highwind! That's cool, I've always wanted to visit. You think I'd be...blown away?...Sorry, that was bad. Ignore that!

Uh oh! I forgot my pass to the salvage yard expires today...you think Rocky will let me extend it for, like, a discount...?

Buddy:

Moving to Sandrock gave me a bit of culture shock. I do miss Seesai a lot, but I really think I'm better off here than I was there.

There you are! Daphne stopped by earlier to give me a few melons from the Moisture Farm...care to share some with me?

I love collecting minerals and whatnot from the desert, but I am so intimidated by the Boxing Jacks there. Every time I see them coming from the corner of my eye, I can't help but yell!

Good Friend:

My brother lives in Walnut Groove. He's a real successful Builder there. To be honest, I don't care for building that much, but...it's a stable job, at least. Don't know if I'll live up to the expectations he's set, though.

I used to be the apprentice of a well-known Builder in Seesai. She was really kind to me, even when I made mistakes all day. I was so sad when my apprenticeship ended! In fact, she made me my bandana and pickhammer as a parting gift. I try to write to her every few weeks.

I have a really small collection of Old World stories and movies. It gets boring watching and reading the same things over and over again, though, so I hope I'll find more stuff in Sandrock to mix up the collection!

Romance

Confession Accepted:

Oh? I can't believe it, you beat me to it! Of course I accept.

Confession Rejected:

I'm...really flattered, I promise, but...I'm so sorry, I just don't think we're at that level with each other...

General Lines:

I made you this bracelet the other day. You don't have to wear it, if it's not your style! Buuut...I do have a matching one, sooo...

I've wanted to visit Seesai for a while, but I was always too nervous to go through with it. I think if you're by my side, though, I'll be able to manage.

Hey! What are you doing today? You wanna go eat at the saloon? I'll pay, don't worry!

Honey?...mmm, no. Sweetie? Hmm...Oh! Sorry! Just trying out nicknames for you...baby?

When I first got here, I felt like I had something to prove. I don't even know who I was trying to prove something to! But now that you're here, I feel like the last of that pressure came off of my shoulders.

Festivals

Day of the Bright Sun:

• I put in a few accessories I made over the last couple of weeks. I hope whichever person ends up with them likes them!

Showdown at High Noon:

Wow, the atmosphere is amazing! Everyone is so amped up for this. I didn't participate in anything like this back in Seesai, so I can't wait to see who comes out on top!

Day of Memories:

This festival has different ways of being celebrated in other cities, but they all have one thing in common - they're all so beautiful.

Tour de Rock:

I'm so bad at sandrunning. Maybe I'll just...watch and cheer everyone on!

Running of the Yakmel:

Can I tell you a little secret? I'm kind of scared of Yakmel! They're cute, but they're huge! I try to avoid the ones around the outskirts of town when I can.

Winter Solstice:

I've been looking forward to eating some skewers all day! What better way to kick off the start of a new year?

[brokendeathangel]

Have you read Tanjiro's Status chapter? (takes place Post-story)

HNGGGGGGG!

I want to write a 50 page essay regarding the bonus chapter of KnY because I have a lot of mixed feelings about it (mostly anger and disbelief) and kinda lowkey disappointed how the bonus chapter turns out. I thought the timeskip/next generation ending chapter was super bad but no! The bonus chapter actually surpasses it; which shocked me! I wish it didn't even exist.

But I'll just do a super short comment regarding the bonus chapter to avoid scaring people away. Lol!

xxxxxx SPOILER!!! DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED READING THE MANGA!!! xxxxxx

First of all, the bonus chapter did everyone dirty! Especially the main characters! Like seriously? Gotoge-sensei, do you hate your main characters so much?! The main characters don't have any future life plans at all after demon slaying except Zenitsu (which we all know right from his first introduction that he wants to get married and live a normal life). I mean, I can understand that it's hard to think of something up for Inosuke but for Tanjiro to not have any future plans at all after demon slaying? Your main hero? Seriously?! Also, the poor boy mentioned that he can't sell coals anymore in the long run because people are switching to electricity and ... that's it. We were left hanging on what happens to Tanjiro's future after that. Yes, he will later on marry Kanao but even then, we only know this fact because it was mentioned by Gotoge-sensei outside of the official comic! Also don't get me started on Tanjiro and Kanao pairing. It is so out of the left field (It's like Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley pairing all over again but even more random!). Tbh I think Tanjiro should've married Mitsuri or maybe even Shinobu instead of Kanao because they have more chemistry and character interaction (at least in the anime). Gotoge-sensei could've made Tanjiro/Kanao work by showing how they fall in love after their demon slaying days ended, but nope! It's just one page (if I'm not mistaken) of Tanjiro visiting Kanao for medical check up in the Bonus Chapter. How are the readers suppose to pick up on the fact that they're in love and will live happily ever after just based on that one page?! Both Tanjiro and Kanao deserves a better love story.

Moving on to Nezuko. My poor dear Nezuko. Even when she's turned into a human with free will once again... she has no character growth. She's just nice. That's it. Just a nice girl. A nice and hard working girl. She's so nice everyone! And helps her brother and her friends around the house. Wow, amazing! Gotoge-sensei should've written the Bonus Chapter based on Nezuko's perspective instead. Write about how she felt when she was a demon all those long years and the anger/sadness/trauma it caused her. Or if you want to go for a more positive story, write on how she overcame her trauma with the help of her brother and friends. Alas! Nezuko ends up being just The Typical Nice Shounen Girl Character in the end.

Next, Inosuke. First of all, I just want to mention that when I was first introduced to this character in the anime; I immediately thought that he has the best and interesting character design and personality. Sadly, he ends up being the most boring character out of the main three because Gotoge-sensei really doesn't know where to go with Inosuke. He's just a loud wild child and... that's it really. In the Bonus Chapter, he remains relatively unchanged even after all the tragedy he went through. I mean it's not a bad thing to remain the same person but personally, I think Gotoge-sensei could've pushed the character to become more than just a loud wild child. What a waste of good character design. Also, I think Inosuke and Nezuko should've been the end game. Yes! I went there.

Lastly, my beloved Zenitsu. (Warning! I will be super biased here because I love my Zenitsu ok?) You would think that I should be really happy and pleased that the Bonus Chapter story actually revolves more around him. But no, I am actually angry that the Bonus Chapter focuses on him at the expense of destroying his previous character growth. WTF GOTOGE-SENSEI WHY YOU DO THIS?! I'm mad that he reverted back to his old personality after all the hardship, hardwork and trauma he went through. I mean sure, Zenitsu was suppose to be the comedic relief character (aside from Inosuke) but I think he no longer matches that role in the end; especially not after experiencing a life changing tragedy. Plus, wasn't it his goal to be a better person than before? Shouldn't that be Zenitsu's happy ending (besides marrying Nezuko)? Nope! Gotoge-sensei basically whacked Zenitsu back to the starting point in the Bonus Chapter. Come on man! The dude just killed his step brother and lost his grandpa; pretty sure a person would definitely grew leaps and bounds in terms of maturity after that (or breakdown...). But nope, Zenitsu is just a silly crybaby again. Back to square one. I tried to rationalize that perhaps due to all the trauma and tragedy he faced, he reverted back to his old lazy and crybaby personality but then, that would make Tanjiro look bad because in the Bonus Chapter Tanjiro was (in my opinion) very harsh on Zenitsu. He basically confronts Zenitsu; telling him he needs to grow up and start acting like a man if he wants to get married. To stop whining about the leg pains he still feels and to stop writing nonsense stories. Remember, the Bonus Chapter happens a few months after they defeated Muzan. Zenitsu has just experienced the craziest shit ever (i.e. killed his step brother, lost his beloved grandpa, watched his comrades die, watched his best friend Tanjiro died and later turned into a demon and witnessed his future wife Nezuko being hurt by his turned demon best friend). I don't think Zenitsu even had the time to process and heal from all the traumas he went through and here comes stoic Tanjiro; basically just flat out telling him to grow up and stop being useless which is so out of character of him. Yes, Tanjiro can be blunt sometimes but he's not cruel. I dunno, maybe Tanjiro is also not over his horrible traumas and is lashing out on Zenitsu but then again this would also be out of character. So yeah, it's bad writing all around. Yishhhh...

Also, I think Zenitsu should've end up with Kanao. Yes, I went there too! Lol!

Ok, I'm definitely gonna stop here. I could go on and on but... it's almost 2.00 am and I have work tomorrow. Lol! ;w;

Actually, I have another interpretation on why Tanjiro is super harsh towards Zenitsu in the Bonus Chapter but it has a more Tanjiro x Zenitsu flavour to it. More like, a conspiracy theory that actually Gotoge-sensei wanted Tanjiro x Zenitsu to be the end game but can't because of shounen anime reasons. If you guys want to hear my crazy theory just lemme know. Hehehehehehe hahahahaha!

[thebitchforjemcarstairs]

i love both Wessa and Jessa and i just wanted to know where you stand on the two dynamics. I love Will and i love Jem for different reasons. Jem for me represents this feather light airy love that shines while Will represents that really deep cacophony of love that is deeper then any witching well.

If i were to describe the two different dynamics via swiftie songs it would be-

Jessa: invisible string, wildest dreams, clean, timeless, snow on the beach, my tears ricochet, the lakes

Wessa: red, maroon, midnight rain, dress, i see you, false god, cruel summer

Where do you stand in all of it? Do you feel like there should be one finite endgame for Tessa? Or do you think its balanced and both should end up with Tessa at certain points? Do you like Jessa post-TID?

I'd just love to know your stance on it all :D xxx

I LOVE ANY VARIATION OF HERONGRAYSTAIRS, LITERALLY.

Wessa 10/10, Jessa 10/10, Heronstairs 10/10, HERONGRAYSTAIRS ++ 10/10

I remember reading TID for the first time and being as confused as Tessa, and I remember being scared she would choose one, and I would have been pissed for the other. I was like, If she chooses Will, I'm pissed because Jem is the real man in this book, and if she chooses Jem, I'll be pissed too because Will deserves the world. IT WAS A MESS IN MY HEAD, and I am extremely happy CC chose this ending. If Tessa had ended up with one, it would have been like all the other boring love triangles we are used to, and the series would not have been as loved as it is right now.

I love your descriptions of both dynamics. For me, Wessa is bantering, it is crazy adventures (they go on vacation in old gothic castles), it is big gestures of love, the shameless PDA couple, but when they are alone, they are laid back, they read books, and I don't know, they just enjoy the company of each other in front of a fireplace. Will is a very loud person, but only when he's surrounded by people, once he's alone with Tessa, he's pretty chill.

Contrary to the Jessa dynamic, which is very calm, beach vacations and on the quiet side, but once they are alone, it's very passionate (ex: the make-out scene in cp1, after the bridge, the proposal, etc.), that's because Jem is a very intense character, even though we don't get his POV, and he's written to be seen through the eyes of Will and Tessa, (something I'm still pissed about, but that's for another post).

So yeah, I'm a Wessa/Jessa stan. The funny thing is that I follow people who cannot stand Will, who find him the star that outshines everyone, just because CC loves her Herondale boys (which he's not, I actually find him very reserved, he's just loud around his people). And I also follow people ( I highly appreciate) who cannot stand Jem, because for them he's everywhere, (which is also wrong, because let's be honest, GotSM was all about Will, they literally go after Kit, because of Will). Modern Jessa, if they don't mention Will at least one time, they die. Some readers also think that Tessa moved too fast, after the death of Will, and was ready to throw it all for Zach and find this out of character and disrespectful of her life with Will. AND I'M LIKE, GUYS WE DON'T HAVE THE SAME READING OF TESSA, SHE LITERALLY FUCKED WILL AFTER SHE LEARNED THAT HER FIANCÉ/BESTIE OF HER OTHER CRUSH DIED. If there is one thing CC is good at, and did not ruin, is the continuity of these 3 characters through the series.

To each their own, I guess, it's not a dictatorship lol, but it's been more than 10 years, and if readers still don't understand that they are a three-package deal, it's their choice. It's Jem, Will and Tessa, they all love each other waaay too much, but it's them. I would have loved to explore more of Will and Jem when they were kids though, because my babies only had 5 years together. Too bad CC is only writing romance stories in her upcoming 10-story novella. I would have loved to have a story of young Jem and Will.

Anyway, I will finish this really cool question with my two fav quotes about these three characters, who have been in my heart since my teenage years.

"Is what difficult?”

“Sharing your husband’s heart so entirely with someone else,” he said. 

“If it were different, it would not be Will’s heart,” Tessa said. “He knows he shares my heart with Jem as well. I would have it no other way—and he would have it no other way with me."

"I could not have loved Will so much if I had not loved you as well. And I could not love you as I do if I had not loved Will as I did.”

[azzie-tangerine]

📓

Sweet more unused Azzie fics to talk about!

This next one is just as old as the previous fic idea, and I even mentioned it in my previous ask here (linking it in case others wanna read that one too!)

Like I said, in 2020 I had a lot of pretty boring Kirfluff aus. Mostly just me throwing Prince Fluff into stories where ship hijinks can ensue. This one was the first of these aus I did. And I also considered making it a fic in the past so the prompt works here.

So time for me to talk about how much I love Smash bros and how I wanted to write a kirfluff focused au on it!

Like a lot of people I assumed, the story of Smash Bros Ultimate didn't make a lot of sense to me? Don't get me wrong, I love Ultimate. I love the Smash franchise as a whole. Forever Kirby main here. But I wanted to perhaps, rewrite the story a bit to make it make a little more sense in my eyes. And to do that? why, add Kirfluff of course!

So in this au, everyone but Kirby still dies to Galeem. Galeem wipes out every single universe while he's at it. After all, all the heroes are gone. Who's gonna stop him? He wants to recreate the entire world that fits his view of perfection. None of these mortals fit that view in his eyes. Including a Yarn planet with a Yarn prince.

Prince Fluff dies to this attack too, and is actually the first spirit Kirby ever comes across. After a typical smash fight, Fluff joins Kirby as an ally, and gives him buffs like a Spirit does in the game (but for this au, Fluff would have a way better buff.)

They gather together every smash fighter like in that game, and I would have it that at least in the cutscenes/basic story mode (if my version of events were a game, you could choose with fighter had which spirit still) every fighter is paired together with a Spirit. Like, for example, Mario and Geno. They could be from the same series or they could be more mixed up to create some interesting and fun dynamics.

The main plot would be how to fix the ruined world and restore the universe- as well as all the spirits- back to normal. After all, the Spirits can't pass on. They're often stuck in monster's bodies and extremely vulnerable.

Kirby in particular becomes very, very scared of losing more people. They're upset they never got to confess to Fluff before he fell in this... state. He's worried if more of his other friends are in worse situations. This makes him kinda clingy to Fluff. And Fluff, in return, mostly wants to help Kirby to be able to be in peace. He would love to be able to return to an actual body of his, but he's more pessimistic than Kirby. so he wants to be there for his friend and help him save the world. If he can't revive, he can pass on knowing Kirby is safe.

But don't worry because the story would end with all the spirits being revived and the worlds being reset, lmao.

I don't know if I'll ever reuse this story for another one, but I'm leaning towards no. Even if I do nothing with this au, I still hold it dear. Like I said, I love smash bros. Idk, maybe I'll give this au a little more attention in the future.

also like the previous au I did have some art for it. I think I may be able to find the art for this au though. I'll look and reblog if I find it.

[wuxian-vs-wangji]

Okay but what is this class?

So, within the film school were 3 areas of study, and you had to pick ONE to do:

Telecommunication law and policy.

Media Sciences (The academic studies. If they could show you something and put electrodes on your head to read your brain, they're happy)

Design and Production-- actually making shit. Scriptwriting, studio, field production, sound design, editing, etc.

I did a self-created hybrid major, bridging Media Sciences with Design and Production.

----

Laid that ground information because I can only describe the classes from the way I approached them. The media psychology students got something totally different out of it and my brain just doesn't stop where theirs stopped.

If I mention the sex class, I'll end up writing that 100,000 word essay on how it is applied to LITA, so let's talk the horror one (my fav).

What the class does is get into physiologically, what happens to a person while watching horror? A lot of that is really obvious- you can become tense, anxious, your stress levels actually go DOWN overall (which is not how it feels in the moment), and you experience a rush of adrenaline.

Then you dig deeper. What is contributing to the tension? The human brain processes things at different speeds, sight is slower than sound. So sound mixing becomes both critical to creating a horror atmosphere, and also a cheat code. Anything becomes spooky if it SOUNDS spooky.

Monkey brain hear spooky, monkey brain no like spooky. Now it's dark. Monkey brain cannot see danger approach. Monkey brain fight or flight grow big.

Now, if you don't have a valve to bring the tension down (something scary, jump scares are the most lazy way), monkey brain get bored. Monkey brain start adapting to the adrenaline and your adrenal gland is like "Guys this party sucks".

And that's why M. Night Shamalan movies blow. Level tension. So at the end when he tries to ramp it up your brain has already gotten bored and gone home so it's just like "Who the fuck cares".

What else is in horror movies? Violence!

But guess what? Monkey brain feel things if they see gruesome stuff. Boy monkey brains especially.

But what's this? Girl monkey brains are different than boy monkey brains. Girl monkey brains have SO MANY MORE nerve endings (that equals empathy). You show gruesome to girl monkey brain, girl monkey brain is like "childbirth and periods are more gruesome than this" (girl monkey brain not the most feminist, the feminism comes from evolution and enlightenment).

But you show a girl monkey brain the FACE of someone in pain- the agony and the terror... That's going to slam into those nerve endings and activate Empathy Mode- and now you can imagine how that violence FEELS.

Know your demographic- based on your subject matter, the likely ratio of boy monkey brains to cater to vs girl monkey brains. Set your balance of violence and face shots to keep both on the same page with that tension you are rising and lowering.

And I did say I didn't want to get into the sex one because I don't want to rabbit hole, but sex and horror tend to walk hand in hand because they're such primal triggers.

That's the "monkey brain" theme up there. They are not speaking to you as a rational human person. They're speaking to the root code of your DNA (do not try to hijack my post to argue anti-feminist things because of monkey brain, I'm talking horror and sex).

They're poking at instinctive responses you do not consciously control on average.

So yeah

I created a hybrid major track for myself within the department (I love that my uni gave students the freedom to do that) to study media psychology and apply it not to research on the human condition, but to learn to basically brain wash and mind control my audiences.

To reach into the monkey brain and hypnotize them until they end up- as the video game design majors would say- in a flow-state where time stops existing. Just the story is left. Like a dream you don't realize you are dreaming.

... ... ... When my professor realized how I was mixing the two tracks, he started calling it the Super Villain Major.

I have no regrets.

[you-are-forever-special]

I Am Your Mother's Keeper

\\×AU where our goofball boys make a new... "friend," and Taiga's life is caught up in another whirlwind.×

<Set to take place the same time as the episode 'Doublebookedklok'>

If you don't know who my OC Taiga is, this is her original story: https://www.tumblr.com/you-are-forever-special/723792412034662400/tenacious-me?source=share

But I wanted to put her in the Metalocalypse universe, and some of my great friends encouraged + inspired me to get here today.

So here we go!//

TW: Cussing, Alcoholism, Implied drug abuse + self-harm, Animal death, Mentions of blood/injuries, Spiritualism + Related ritual

(It's not in great detail, or graphic, but still!

This story gets kinda silly, then action-packed, and suddenly really intense and emotional. But I tried to end it on a more hopeful note.

I hope you enjoy! This was so much fun to make!

I'm open to constructive criticism, and any other comments, as always! And I tried my best to catch any errors, but if you spot any yourself, please let me know and I'll fix it!

Thank you very much~!)

-Took about 12hr40min to write out-

~~~~~

It all started with a plan to begin their infamous drinking bender.

But the guys in Dethklok were especially going to up the ante this time.

Mostly because...

They were bored out of their fucking minds.

They've played shows in Minnesota before, but each time, they wanted-

No, NEEDED to spice things up, and at least not be sober for their time spent here.

Besides, it's not like it affected their success much, right?

Everything always turned out fine.

And it continued to go that way...

Until they got stranded.

They just wanted to stop at a nearby gas station for a bit, and ended up accidentally being left behind.

And the boys forgot their Dethphones on the Dethbus they were on, and now they were freaking out because they were most likely going to DethDIE(Hamburger Time) out here with no supplies.

All they had with them were their current drinks that varied in levels of completion.

The boys tried to internally calm themselves down.

They each had a drink in their hand. That was something.

And Nathan assumed that any kind of drink they consumed meant that they were being hydrated, so it was ok for now.

Everyone else agreed, or at least in Skwisgaar and Pickles' case, didn't bother to argue with it.

Still pretty inebriated, the thought of going back into the gas station for shelter, and a phone, etc, to use... Didn't even occur to them.

And they figured that ultimately, the woods that they spotted nearby would be their best bet, because there was probably a shortcut to make it back to their bus.

--

None of these men were scared.

And if they were...

Fuck you, they weren't going to admit that.

...

Thankfully it wasn't cold outside.

And even if it was,

"Hey, at least we have booze, amirite?" Pickles pointedly swished the liquid around in his bottle as he was the first one to break the silence that fell upon them and say what they were all thinking as they trekked deeper into these woods.

He smirked before taking another swig from it; seemingly without a care in the world.

And amongst each other, they all agreed that alcohol + the cold totally cancels out the chances of getting frostbite.

Pickles then recalled what Nathan said earlier while they were still traveling on the road to get here.

About how they'd all get "so damn sloppy, that we'll have to make a new word in the dictionary just for this moment in history."

And he even made a note to himself after that statement to ask Charles how to get something put into the dictionary in the first place.

As usual though, Pickles got a head start on their little "party;" being much more than just drunk before they had even planned to have this so-called "Ultra Doubly-Brutal Bender Extreme," as Nathan had ultimately previously put it.

He seemed pretty proud of himself for that name. So, he just let Nathan have that one.

It could be called the "Party of the Piss Platoon" for all he cared...

He was obviously down for it either way.

But Pickles being Pickles was handling it supremely well, and just going with the flow as they walked; Along with starting to wonder who out there in this world even made dictionaries and chose what got put into them anyway.

Regardless, it'd sure take a lot more than this to get him to the point of sloppy Nathan talked about.

Toki, on the other hand, was currently trying to just win his battle with "stupids gravi-tees."

He was winning so far.

However, it was getting pretty dark, and much harder to see anything.

Toki felt that pit of uneasiness blossoming forth in his chest and rising, but he just tried to keep an eye on his bandmates.

Tried is the keyword here.

Because for now, he could only look up enough to spot the silhouettes of their heads, or legs, depending on how he was able to hold up the upper half of his body as time passed.

His worries subsided a bit since they stayed close by as he stumbled along behind them.

Toki's vision was swimming, but he was grateful that he didn't feel like he had to puke anymore.

As the other members chatted, Toki didn't make out a word since he was too busy grumbling mostly to himself about how he already emptied his new bottle; even swinging it upside down and shaking it like that would magically make more of the feel-happy juice flow out.

Toki sighed, but then he immediately was distracted as a different feeling rose within him.

He suddenly called out to the boys.

"Ah, waits, guys!!"

They all froze and turned to face him quickly, because he basically screamed that out.

Most of them seemed annoyed at the jolting disturbance, besides Pickles who was inquisitive, but overall was just vibin'.

Nathan seemed the most irritated by the sudden piercing pitch that Toki's voice could sometimes reach.

He may be used to loud noises in his profession, but certain ones like that just hit a nerve within him.

At least it wasn't as bad as certain fangirls' who have basically screamed right in his ear before.

And not in the ways that he'd prefer.

Still, Nathan was patient and just asked:

"...Why are you screaming...?"

Toki just swayed a bit and slowly blinked as he stared at them, before he remembered why he got their attention in the first place.

"OH.

I's gots to go pee!"

...

...

...

"Oka-?"

"Yous all waits for me here! 'Kay bye!"

And before they could even attempt to refuse, Toki went off past some nearby bushes and trees, humming to himself.

Murderface spoke up after he left, saying:

"Their'sch schomething scheriously wrong with him. I schwear."

Nathan just grumbled and debated continuing to walk ahead, but the softer side of him relented and decided to wait for Toki after all.

"Don't want him to somehow fall and, you know... Ugh... Something..."

Nathan half-heartedly sent his shoddy reasoning into the air before he shut himself and his feelings up with more beer.

Skwisgaar was the most antsy looking one out of them all; holding onto his bottle like it was his lifeline.

He didn't have his guitar, and needed to hold onto something before he snapped himself.

He couldn't even bring himself to make a snide remark this entire time despite his anger, but he did dramatically let out a heavy sigh; making it clear how much he didn't want to be here anymore.

Skwisgaar mumbled to himself, shaking his head.

Why did this have to happen?

It was so annoying having to deal with things like this all the time.

Some "bender" this was turning out to be.

He didn't realize how much he was truly exaggerating, or how hypocritical he could be.

He would usually tease others for complaining whatsoever. Toki overall. But if even one little thing didn't go his way, Skwisgaar was the one who would technically have the biggest reaction out of them all.

His pouting was unmatched. Especially once he could no longer keep it bottled up.

Sometimes he'd snap and yell, but for now, he tried his best to not hit anyone over the head with his-

OH RIGHT. HE DIDN'T HAVE IT.

Maybe his bottle would be good enough.

Skwisgaar could feel his eye barely twitch and he started weighing his options once Murderface yelled out to Toki about hurrying up, even though he was probably too far to hear, which made Nathan internally groan. Speaking of annoying sounds...

They might end up killing each other before actually partying at all.

Before Nathan decided to say something harsh that would require many types of guitar riffs, Pickles tsked first and sat down on the ground for now; resting an arm over his one bent knee.

"Ehh!

Calm dahwn, dood."

"Oh schorry!! I'm scho schorry for schpeaking and wanting to get out of here, Picklesch!"

Pickles deadpanned and just sipped at his drink, seeing where this was going by Murderface's expression and miffed tone.

"Maybe I schould just go off on my own and get eaten by a bear or schomething!

I betcha'd like that, huh!?"

"OH MY FUCKING GOD-!!!"

Nathan interrupted by shouting in frustration.

--

Toki finished up his business eventually and somehow didn't leave a stain all over his pants, or hurt himself, despite his clumsy movements.

He internally cheered for that and instinctively picked up his bottle, even though it was empty; almost toppling over as he bent down.

But he caught himself.

As he stood back up, he perked up more at the sound of...

Squeaking?

No...

Mewling?

As soon as that clicked in his head, Toki dropped his bottle and immediately started searching in excitement for where the noises were coming from.

He didn't care or even think about the scrapes he got as he looked around; eventually stumbling upon a den after getting by some bigger branches.

Toki's pupils dilated even more as he saw a baby kitty.

It was a pretty big kitty, but a kitty nonetheless.

It wasn't long before they were in his arms, being cradled and gently rocked like you would a human child.

He cooed down at them, and despite his drunken state, he was extremely careful with the baby.

"Oh you poors things. Alls alones down here.

Don'ts worries!

I'll takes care of you!"

Toki started telling the kitty every thing that they would do together once they got back to Mordhaus as he got back out of the den.

"I can'ts wait to shows you to my friends!"

Toki was heading back, but then he froze and his eyes widened when he heard a scary growl behind him.

He slowly turned around...

And his eyes widened as he saw a cougar.

He didn't know the English word for this animal, but he wasn't stupid.

All he did know right now was that this kind of "kitty" meant danger.

And one swipe from their claws could mean Hamburger Time for good.

That sight alone basically sobered the man up.

He became even paler than usual and started to back up a bit.

"N-Nice cat..."

Toki muttered, letting out a soft, nervous laugh.

But as the cougar got down even lower like it was going to pounce, Toki's eyes darted around and he thought quick on his feet, suddenly throwing the bottle he spotted that he left behind earlier.

It hit the cougar on their side, even though he was aiming for their head.

But he didn't stop to think any longer on it as he turned back around and booked it; screaming loudly as he ran.

He didn't even register it as he ran past the rest of Dethklok.

Toki just continued to scream and hold the baby cougar close to his chest; leaving them in the dust.

---Meanwhile---

Taiga was strolling around the woods she lived in, going through her usual rounds of checking the area to make sure everything was safe and secure.

It honestly never got boring to her...

And it was pretty much her duty, after all.

But she'd happily do this even if she ever moved for some reason.

It was all such an honor to be able to do this.

For herself, and for others.

And so far, everything seemed to be peaceful, as per usual.

Taiga smiled and took in a breath of fresh air as she walked.

She looked around, adjusting her duffel bag and gripping tighter onto her nata.

There was one more area to check before she'd head back towards the babbling brook where her cottage was by.

A soft melody flowed from Taiga's lips as she went around.

All was well until she heard what sounded like terrified screaming.

And she immediately tensed up, but kept her composure as she stopped humming and quickly made her way towards the screaming.

Hopefully whoever it was was ok-

"Oof!" "Agh!"

...

Next thing Taiga knew, the wind was almost knocked out of her as Toki barreled into her like a linebacker; knocking her over and onto the ground.

"Ugh...!"

Toki fell over too, but he quickly flipped onto his back and rolled a bit as he did; trying hard to not injure the little cub.

Thankfully they were fine, but in his still adrenaline-fueled mind, it took him a second to realize that he hit someone.

His shocked state amplified as he looked up and took in this stranger's features. His wide eyes blinked a few times.

Was he hallucinating again?

...No, they were still there.

Maybe he just went insane.

Unless, that was just a costume, or-

Toki got lost in thought and was dazed as he blatantly stared.

Taiga held her head in a hand and carefully got up.

She was fine, and didn't land on her nata at least...

So that was good.

She put all that aside for now and looked over at Toki, seeing his expression.

"A-Are you alright??"

Taiga asked, but Toki was silent.

She tilted her head as she waited to see if this man would answer.

As she glanced over his features though, something about him looked familiar...

And...

Oh god. Did he have a cougar cub in his arms!?

---

Back with the rest of Dethklok, they all had stopped arguing as they heard Toki's scream getting closer moments before, and were extremely confused as they watched Toki go off into the distance without halting, or falling.

Their looks of confusion changed to more tense ones, and Pickles got back up on his feet, his guard now raised like the rest of the guys.

They were expecting something, but not THAT.

The mama cougar roared and quickly shot out of the bushes not long after Toki did.

"OH SCHIT."

The guys scrambled, collectively throwing their bottles/cans at the animal, but that didn't do much to deter it.

Pickles and Skwisgaar yelled and decided to run too, off in the same direction as Toki did.

Murderface was about to run as well before he saw the cougar decided to try and jump on Nathan first since he was the closest.

"NO!!"

He dove in front of Nathan as a first response, and was successfully taken down.

They flew over a bit and rolled past the surprised, raven-haired man.

The cougar got a couple good, deep scratches on Murderface's back, but thankfully Murderface kicked and squirmed enough before the animal chose a time and spot to hold him in a tight grip and bite down into the meat of his shoulder, instead of getting his neck.

It still hurt like a bitch, though.

As Murderface screamed, Nathan grunted as he kicked off the animal quite aways off; stunning it temporarily as he grabbed Murderface, pulling him back up so they could run off.

He tried to ignore the pain as he ran, and Nathan just tried to focus on getting somewhere safe as they went.

---

Before Taiga could continue her thought, she heard more yelling and turned her head towards it.

She quickly got back up, trying to keep her resolve despite her own fears; holding her nata at the ready.

She came to find that her suspicions on who Toki might be were correct after all as she saw Pickles and Skwisgaar running over. Were they all here?

The pair saw Toki on his knees on the ground and...

Whoever-the-fuck not too far away with a big-ass sword or something.

The two stopped running for now and were hunched over some, panting, as they looked at each other like:

'What the hell is going on???'

They didn't ask questions right now, and heard the sound of other footsteps approaching and heavy panting; Murderface and Nathan coming from the treeline with differing levels of intense panic on their faces.

Since Taiga realized what was going on, she got a firm voice and spoke up loud enough for them all to hear; directing them to follow her once they were all looking her way.

It was obvious they all were confused and questioning the obvious despite their fear, but that would have to wait.

"Come on, this way! We'll be safe! Just don't. stop. running!"

She said with urgency as she heard the mama cougar's roar getting closer.

No one argued as they followed close behind. Except Toki was still frozen in shock. Nathan had to act fast and take the kitten out of Toki's arms and used his other arm to hoist him up; draping him over onto his shoulder.

Toki didn't struggle, but Nathan thought:

'How many times will I have to do this?'

Taiga instantly felt more relieved once her cottage came into view, but didn't get ahead of herself.

She quickly got the door open with her key and let the guys go in first.

Afterwards, she entered as well, slamming the door shut behind them all and locking it.

She knew that the cougar would most likely hang around, trying to get her baby back. But she would worry about all that later.

Eventually the growling died down when they got closer, but she could see them stalking around the cottage still, as she figured.

Taiga sighed heavily; happy she didn't have to hurt, or kill any creature today.

They were lucky to have even gotten that head start on outrunning the pissed off animal.

But now...

The world famous Dethklok was currently in her cottage.

She was too frazzled to even think about the ridiculous of all this, and more importantly, she took note of how badly Murderface was bleeding.

Taiga set down her stuff then got moving and went to grab her first-aid kit.

Nathan sat Toki down onto the nearby couch and saw how he was mostly just staring into space for now, so he just left him alone.

Pickles was the first to speak up again inbetween huffs and puffs as he tried to catch his breath like everyone else; his hand over his heart.

"Gahddamn, dat was close...!"

Skwisgaar agreed, before the room fell silent aside from their panting.

They all eventually looked over at Taiga and took in her appearance more clearly.

The giant swishing tail was especially what caught their attention.

It looked so real.

Taiga could feel their eyes on her, and she tried to ignore it.

She understood. Truly.

But this was always so uncomfortable.

So, she tried to break the tense atmosphere around them.

"I know what you're thinking...

But just let me get this real quick, and then we can talk."

She set down the first-aid kit on the table in front of where Murderface stood, near her dining area.

"Here...

Not assuming you need my help, but this offer's on the table if you want it...

I understand that I'm just some stranger, but I know what I'm doing when it comes to patching up wounds.

That looks pretty bad, but I'm sure you'll be fine."

Her tone was soft and sympathetic, but she wasn't lying...

From what she could tell, if he stopped the bleeding and cleaned it up well, he could get it stitched and heal up just fine.

Murderface knew he had gotten injured pretty badly, but hey, he didn't feel like he was going to die or anything like when he had that accident on the highway.

When he snapped out of his own stunned state, he defaulted back to his signature frown.

He looked down at the kit and back up at Taiga skeptically, but eventually decided to take the kit and tried fixing himself up.

Wounds from his own knife that he would treat back at Mordhaus could get pretty deep, so maybe this wouldn't be much different.

He avoided any further eye contact.

Taiga could see his attitude towards her, but still understood and didn't push it.

She stepped back and looked over at everyone else as they stared some more.

"...Is everybody else ok?"

They looked between each other, seeming fine, before looking down at Toki.

Now that he was in a safer environment, by a cozy fireplace, he had a bit of time for his anxieties to lower some and feel more grounded again.

He blinked and saw he was instinctively just petting the kitten repeatedly.

Toki smile some at seeing their content, sleepy face as they squeaked a bit.

"...You ams okays..."

He sounded more surprised, yet relieved; closing his eyes and hugging them close, so gently, like they could break at any given moment.

Taiga took that as a relative yes and nodded, mostly to herself.

"Good. I'm glad I came across you all in time. Cougars are pretty rare around here...

Only a few sightings have ever been documented before apparently, but..."

She watched as Toki cooed more at the kitten.

She understood completely why the mother chased them.

But she wouldn't scold them. They already went through enough.

"...yeah.

Either way, it's a good thing we're all safe now. But we might have to wait here a while. If you need anything, just let me know."

Taiga offered and was met with more stares.

She sighed a bit.

"Yes, I know I must look different-"

Murderface suddenly spoke up again, making good progress on the wound he could see. It was almost impressive how well he could handle the pain.

"Moscht furriesch do."

Taiga paused and blinked, then looked floored.

"What the- I- Ah- No, I'm not a furry!" Taiga stumbled over her words a little from how baffled she was at what she just heard.

He shrugged.

"Whatever you wanna call it-"

"I'm SERIOUS, look at me!"

Taiga suddenly yanked a bit on her tail enough to prove a point, along with doing the same, but a bit softer, to her sensitive ears.

"This is just how I am!"

"...Yeah, ookay."

Taiga facepalmed and gave up, realizing she wasn't getting anywhere with this.

She didn't need their validation, but she's never been accused of this before.

She had heard the term in the past, but didn't really consider herself one after learning what it meant.

At least, she thought so???

One of her ears then instinctively flicked over at the sound of a tape recorder click, along with Nathan saying a song title that he thought up just now from witnessing this:

"Feral Contusion"

Taiga looked up in confusion at the man's now more softened features as he seemed pretty pleased with what he just did, but she didn't question it as she sighed and looked down; closing her eyes for a second.

Pickles seemed intrigued once he got past his own initial shock.

"...Okay well, either way, ya gotta admit, dat's pretty cool."

He grinned a bit and glanced at the guys, gauging their reactions.

"I used to think it would be awesome as hell if I had a tail."

"Oh! Or wings!"

Toki suddenly spoke up, looking significantly more excited after all of that.

"Or horse legs."

Most of them paused and looked at the blonde. Besides Toki, who didn't seem perturbed at all as he kept playing with the kitten.

"...What?"

Nathan spoke.

"What!?"

Skwisgaar quickly said, somewhat defensively, and turned away slightly as he crossed his arms.

Back to his deep frown.

He regretted throwing that bottle now, as he tapped his fingers on his arm.

Taiga was so surprised as they all seemed to be less and less concerned about her appearance.

The last time anyone reacted so relatively positively to finding out the truth, was Luci.

Taiga's eyes glazed over a bit as she remembered her best friend's visage again.

It felt bittersweet.

But she took a quick breath and refocused as Toki suddenly asked what her name was.

She didn't even notice he was staring at her this time, but it wasn't from awkwardness, more from awe.

Like he couldn't believe she was real.

"I go by Taiga."

She smiled a tiny bit as her nickname was complimented and called pretty by him, but Murderface snorted and not so softly said behind her:

"Of coursche."

Taiga deadpanned, but pretended she didn't hear that.

Pickles chuckled as he got a big smirk on his face and slyly said:

"Like you have room ta talk, Murderface~"

Murderface was almost done fixing himself up already, but almost botched it as he stood up from the chair he sat in, knocking it over with how fast he moved.

"OH ALRIGHT, PICKLESCH!"

He didn't seem phased and glanced away, snickering at how easily he could make Murderface angry.

Taiga couldn't help but smile a bit more as she rolled her eyes at their antics; seeing Pickles lazily poke his tongue out the side of his mouth.

She didn't want to be weird about it, but still made herself ask once the noise died down, even though she knew the answer.

"And... You're Dethklok, right?"

They each perked up again for once at being recognized, but then nodded/confirmed as such verbally for her as they realized it's truly not that surprising with how big they were.

All types listened to them.

Nathan put his focus back on Taiga; his intense look piercing through her, but she didn't cower at all.

Just looked right back at him.

She realized he was just trying to remember something when he asked if she was at their show.

Taiga almost laughed.

She would have been hard to miss if she did.

"No, but it would be fun to get to go see you guys one day."

Skwisgaar looked slightly surprised and raised a brow as he looked back over at her.

"You've never beens tos a concerts?"

"Just not your guys' before."

Taiga dramatically put her hand up to her head and pretended to be distraught.

"I'm too poor."

But then she stopped and laughed.

"Maybe one day, though!"

Nathan was relieved that Taiga didn't start trying to guilt trip them into giving her a free ticket or something. As soon as he heard it, he was starting to tense up before he realized.

Because even if she technically saved them, they didn't owe her anything.

Toki quickly spoke up again, however;

"Wowee. Maybes we cans gives you a ticket!"

Nathan wanted to tell him to shut up, but he didn't have to, because Taiga waved her hand in disagreement.

"No thank you.

That's very generous of you, but I'd rather actually pay for my ticket like everyone else. Besides, I'd feel bad having you guys do that."

She held one of her arms and giggled a bit as she awkwardly looked to the side; some of her hair covering her face.

She still wasn't used to it whenever so much attention was on her, and sometimes, she just needed a break.

But she wasn't really uncomfortable right now, thankfully.

Especially since most of the tension in the room seemed to be gone by this point.

Which made Taiga relieved.

Toki shrugged, but didn't look offended before he then carefully held up the kitten in his hands; looking underneath them before he moved his focus back up to their face, happily saying to no one in particular, that he was going to call them Aksel.

Taiga liked the name.

Understanding that it either meant "Father of peace," or "Mighty God," after wracking her brain for her knowledge of the Norwegian language.

Although, she didn't want to burst his bubble by telling him that he'd eventually have to give the baby back...

Especially since he seemed to start to feel much better.

So for now, she just stayed quiet.

Her eyes softened, and she couldn't help but feel bad for the man.

He probably just wanted a pet but didn't know what he truly got himself into.

Taiga then saw that Murderface was pretty much finished with his self patch job.

At least, for now.

He knew that he would need help later on with his back, but he really wasn't comfortable with taking his shirt off right now and letting someone do that to him.

She didn't question him and put the first-aid kit away when she saw he was for sure done with it.

He soon kept staring at Taiga's nata that was propped up against the floor.

He went over and picked it up to examine it; his love of weapons, especially the more stabby ones, getting the better of him.

When Taiga noticed, she immediately tensed up and wanted to snatch it out of Murderface's grip on instinct, but she resisted that urge and just stayed off by his side as he looked at it with a mischievous grin.

"...You like it?"

She asked, glancing anxiously between him and her beloved nata.

It couldn't be replaced.

Especially not Luci's ribbon tied to it...

So she didn't want anything to happen to it.

"Yeah. Could I have it?"

Taiga's breath hitched for a second.

"Eh-

No. Sorry.

But, I know where you can get one."

"Aw, c'mon!

I'll give you a hundred bucksch for it right now!"

Murderface had an expression like he had this in the bag, until Taiga immediately said no again.

He frowned and kept raising the price.

Until Taiga got tired of saying no and sighed, pinching her brow.

"It's not... for sale.

You can look at it, but just please, be careful."

Murderface grumbled and mocked her a bit, but surprisingly listened, looking very intrigued with the design of her nata, along with its finish.

Taiga lowered her arm and was about to get something to eat, but then she stopped when she heard what sounded like...

Helicopter blades?

Oh wow, those were getting loud, and extremely close.

Her eyes widened and she looked out one of her windows.

One of the most daunting and intricate looking helicopters she had ever seen was currently making a landing in the clearing, but was too big for the surrounding trees, effectively knocking them down.

Taiga fumed; she still owned this land after all, but tried to keep her cool.

At least it didn't damage her cottage, she thought, trying to be positive.

As soon as the guys heard and saw their Dethkopter, most of them immediately went to bum rush the door; Murderface even forgetting about the nata for now right after he put it back, and Taiga was about to shout after them to remind them of how the cougar was probably still biding its time, hiding out there despite the noise...

Before her ears picked up gunshots.

Taiga felt dread flowing through her core and she chanced looking back out the window.

She quickly looked away again, letting the guys leave her cottage.

She knew it was self-defense in that moment, as the hooded men shot the cougar, but she couldn't help but feel terrible...

All she wanted to do was protect her baby.

No one else seemed to care.

Like they were used to this.

But Taiga knew that this was a pretty fucked up world they all were in...

People even got killed on damn game shows these days.

Though...

That still didn't mean she had to just roll over and accept it like most everyone else.

But... Now what?

How could she even try to make this better?

They cheered and Skwisgaar mumbled out something along the lines of:

"Finallys."

And Nathan spoke up as they each started to leave,

"Fuck yes! Where were you, Charles!? We could have STARVED."

"It's been, ah, less than an hour."

He wasn't too worried anyways since he had trackers on the boys, but it took longer than anticipated, and he knew that anything could happen in any given amount of time.

---

Earlier when Charles was first informed about what happened to the boys, a sudden Supercell thunderstorm of seismic proportions had come out of nowhere, and wasn't spotted as they were making their flight, despite the weather radar they had installed.

The winds from the violent tornadoes it had caused, along with the severity of the lightning and size of the hail that came with it, was strong enough to even throw the Dethkopter repeatedly off course.

It was one of the worst, and most unnatural looking that Charles had ever seen.

In other circumstances, he may have even thought it to be beautiful...

He knew it wasn't impossible, but from the cyclone, the form of dark blues that flashed from within quickly morphed into a harmonious tertiary mix of purples and reds; a gut feeling tearing through Charles, telling him that this storm, like all the others he had seen happen before, was no mere coincidence.

And it had sent him further into his own level of frantic searching.

Yet he kept his cool. As he always did.

He had to. Especially in the position he held.

It was a difficult fight with mother nature, and some Klokateers were blown out of the aircraft, but he had to stay focused so the entire flight crew would not end up the same way.

But thankfully this battle seemed to end with a truce.

With the assistance of their complete avionics system, along with the Klokateers who were each trained and handpicked as the best of the best for these jobs, were able to make it back on the ground to their destination.

Although, Charles made a mental note to see to it that Dethklok's driver that accidentally stranded them would be replaced immediately.

And effectively "fired" after this fiasco.

But he'd worry about the messy details later.

---

The guys talked a bit louder as they left, to compensate for the loud noises from the Dethkopter.

Taiga didn't hear the bandmates animatedly trying to tell Charles every little thing that happened to them as he saw Murderface's injuries and urgently tried to have him looked at, but he wouldn't budge and said not to worry about that right now because he wanted to finish what he had to say too.

Funny though, because any other time, he'd be annoyed, because usually no one would pay his injuries attention at all.

But Charles just relented and "listened" to them as they talked over each other for the most part, and they had to keep starting over.

Even though he looked emotionless right now, you could see the exasperation in his eyes if you looked hard enough.

But eventually Charles started getting the gist of it throughout the rambling; beginning to fully understand more and take it all in after deciphering their...

Well, basically word spaghetti.

He got used to having to do that.

At first he thought they were all extremely high once again, but then he spotted Taiga through one of the cottage's windows himself.

He didn't physically react much, but it definitely gave him pause for a second.

Then again, not much phased him after the certain things he had witnessed before...

---

In the meantime, Toki stayed a bit behind as he stood up with his new kitten.

He still looked so happy and didn't see what happened to the baby's mother.

Or...

He just pretended it didn't happen.

Taiga had her arms crossed and was hugging herself a bit as she tried to calm down from that image that was burned into her memory when she looked out the window.

Guilt started coursing through her veins like the contents of a chilling IV drip...

Could she have saved the poor creature?

She tried not to beat herself up. It's not like she could really do much...

Taiga shut her eyes for a bit, but re-opened them and looked back up as Toki suddenly thanked her. He was the first one to.

She forced a small smile onto her face and nodded.

"Of course. It was nice to help, and meet you all."

Her voice wasn't as light anymore, yet she still tried to be friendly.

But she could start to see the glint of the unsure look bubbling up in the young man's eyes as he stared down at the new life that he was now responsible for.

It was a crushing weight, and the feeling was pretty terrifying each time that he got a new pet.

Would he mess this up as well even more... Without trying?

Toki felt like an idiot for being so impulsive lots of times.

Taiga tried not to hold any resentment towards him for taking the cub.

It sure wouldn't help anything.

Besides...

Everyone made mistakes.

No one was perfect.

She never forgot a lot of her own past regrets, as they continue to haunt her.

And she wouldn't wish that on anybody.

So she decided to at least throw Toki a bone before he got too deep into his head again.

She knew that feeling all too well, and didn't want to stand by and do nothing overall.

Taiga hurriedly found and handed him one of her favorite and most educational conservationist and ecology books.

"Here. This should help you out... I hope that it all works out for you."

You weren't really supposed to have cougars as pets, but she meant that. Hopefully the cub could be taken care of properly.

Besides, she felt like they'd each already be given lectures of some form at some point before the night was over.

She tried to inform Toki on what sources to look out for as well as those to keep in mind, especially if he ever went looking online.

She thankfully was able to save a bunch of animals out here before, and a few in her travels outside the country. And she was grateful for that, but she was only so knowledgeable.

Regardless, Taiga tried her best to explain it the best she could.

And Toki seemed to genuinely be listening.

His eyes lit up the more she went on, and he borrowed a pencil to write some things down in one of the books.

His handwriting was all over the place, but he seemed to understand it, and that's what mattered anyway, so she didn't say anything.

Taiga almost giggled a bit at how enthusiastically he kept saying "Wowee!"

But she held it back.

She got so into delving into this information, that she almost forgot about the terrible parts of today's events.

But then when she turned a bit, her eyes widened and she almost jumped when she noticed Charles standing in the doorway with a briefcase; the shadows cascading over his features making him look almost ominous.

She saw him a bit before in the media, but she knew even less about him than the band. Besides the fact that he was their manager.

Not that it was her business to know more anyway.

Taiga calmed down and sighed as she stared curiously at the man.

Toki was excitedly finishing up writing as he leaned over the table.

His tongue poked out absent-mindedly as he focused on it; licking his lips a bit.

Charles was almost surprised at seeing him that intensely focused, but once he saw the cub he held in his free arm, he held back a sigh.

"Toki...

What do you, ah, have there...?"

He was dreading asking; figuring he already knew the answer since he had gotten pets randomly before.

He knew how much it could mean to him, but despite his warnings, Toki wanted to keep him, and promised to give him the best "habipstaps."

"Hab... itat."

"Hambitets!"

Taiga shook her head a bit as she just smiled a little again. She looked a bit defeated, but didn't judge.

Toki's confident smile was beaming too brightly, so she just let him have this.

"You ams nice ladies!"

He then faced Charles again to reiterate that he promises he would take good care of Aksel.

He gave up this newest battle.

Toki was obviously dead set on this.

There were worse "pets" out there that he could have tried taking home, he supposed.

Then Toki asked if he could ask Taiga for more "cool" tips if he needed them in the future, or if she could even come to Mordhaus at some point to oversee the structure and layout of the habitat since she knew a lot about it.

His tone was very convincing, and he even tried to say he wouldn't have to hire anyone to do it.

She raised a brow for a second, wondering why he didn't just ask her directly since she was, you know... Right there.

And the fact Toki just assumed and insinuated she'd do it.

For free.

But she just let it go.

It was kind of amusing in a certain way how each member of Dethklok held their manager in such high regard, yet also treated him with such disregard at different points in time.

But it probably wasn't like that for him alone.

Either way, she actually wouldn't mind doing all that, to a point.

It would put Taiga's mind at ease being able to check in on Aksel in some form or another, however.

Even if it wasn't her fault, she still felt like she was responsible, no matter how much she knew she wasn't.

...Not that she had no semblance of trust in these people, but...

At the same time, she didn't actually know really them as individuals.

So it was hard to say.

And today was definitely a rocky start, putting it lightly.

But she tried to keep an open mind at the very least.

Charles stared at the girl.

More calculating than anything.

It was usually a liability concern when deal with who each individual who entered Mordhaus, who wasn't either an employee or a part of the band.

But he knew simple fixes to that...

And hey, if this person could actually keep Toki happy without giving him or others any extra problems to deal with (like a certain clown did), even better.

Not that he wouldn't be keeping a close eye.

Just in case.

So he ultimately said that that would be fine.

However, Taiga could tell that this conversation wasn't truly over yet.

Toki smiled even wider, like a kid in a candy store, since he was told that it was alright, and his top lip twitched a little; his mustache swinging a bit with the movement.

Charles did have a sense of exigency though, and reminded Toki that they should probably get going as well, as soon as he saw the chance to.

He agreed as he politely returned the pen.

"Thanks..."

Taiga sighed out a bit as she leaned over some and carefully wrote out her phone number in his book as well.

But she didn't seem frustrated.

More so, worn out.

So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and it was all catching up with her.

She internally hoped to at least get some rest later on, but she doubted that greatly.

Taiga put the pen down after she was done, and Toki beamed as he picked up his books and thanked her once again.

He happily said goodbye, gently moving Aksel's little paw to make it look like he was waving at her, before he quickly bounded away; off in his own little world as his tall figure went over towards the Dethkopter.

Taiga could see him through the window; his mouth quickly moving like he was excitedly talking to the cub before covering their tiny ears as they got closer to the aircraft.

It was pretty adorable, but she still couldn't bring herself to feel very chipper right now.

Charles didn't waste any time though as Taiga faced him once again.

Before he left, he wanted to make some things clear.

Taiga suddenly felt the shift in the air, like she should really watch her words, and actions while with this man especially.

She crossed her arms as he spoke, and she made eye contact with him.

"I must say that you, ah, certainly have our gratitude..."

Taiga figured he was half-heartedly attempting to save face in regards to the band, since most of them didn't really show the gratitude he mentioned, but she shrugged a bit.

"I'm just glad I could make it in time. I hope they'll be alright."

He curtly nodded, but took note of her genuine tone, before pulling out some papers.

Taiga could see this is what he actually wanted to get to as she put her arms back down by her sides. He brought the papers over to the table and neatly placed them out for her; his gloved fingers moving precisely, like he's done this routine a million times before.

She took note that he didn't seem affected in the slightest by her appearance, but that was honestly a relief at this point.

Charles explained that he would also greatly appreciate it if Taiga could fill out and sign an NDA, along with a waiver of liability.

She thought, but then paused for a bit.

She wasn't surprised by either option. Especially from the things she's heard happen around Dethklok as a whole.

And she didn't argue, but brought up something.

"Okay. I'll sign the waiver, but...

Actually, may I offer something that could potentially help us both...?"

Charles had to admit, he was taken aback, but he didn't show it.

Most people didn't even think to challenge his offers, but he was actually interested in what this girl had to say.

A slight sound of acknowledgement came from the back of his throat.

"...Let's hear it."

Taiga explained her situation in this city, and how she had help in keeping it under wraps with NDAs as well from her friends Ali and Cait.

Charles continued to make mental notes as she spoke, and she could tell, but continued on; giving over the information he may need if he wanted to confirm the details with them  too.

He didn't think that she was lying, but it was best to cover your bases when legalities were involved.

Taiga figured since there was going to be a contract signed regardless, she may as well just be completely honest, and go out on a limb here for her own sake, as she asked if they could go through with an MNDA specifically.

But she didn't give him a sob story.

Just stated what was most prevalent to the situation.

Besides, she knew that afterwards she'd be looked into more thoroughly anyway.

By either Charles, and/or others.

It was inevitable, but also understandable. Despite how intimidating this all was, she wasn't going to be difficult.

It would be stupid to even try such a thing.

What would she even be able to do, that wouldn't end in disaster?

Especially with the status Dethklok held...

They were legitimately global superpowers.

Not worth it.

Charles understood, and he was glad she actually knew what she was talking about in this regard, and cut to the chase.

Either way, he didn't see how this could really have any negative consequences, so he agreed on it.

Taiga relaxed a bit more at hearing that.

She didn't expect today to end up like this at all...

But if it could end somewhat amicably, with her safety intact, she'd take it.

As Charles set it all up, she wrote down what she needed to and instinctively organized each of the papers before handing them back over to the practically inexpressible man.

He would make sure to keep his end of the deal. If anything, he wasn't the kind of man to go back on his word.

And Taiga didn't know that about him of course, but she felt like she could actually trust this all to not blow up in flames, or worse.

He was critically acclaimed to be preeminent in what he did.

So, she tried not to worry too much about it.

At least for now.

Although, she did have one more prominent issue to bring up before he left.

But she tried to make it quick.

Taiga was confused on how she would even make the commute to and from the citadel itself.

She stated how she would use the money she had been saving up and putting away from her job at the day care Cait ran, but it still most likely wouldn't be enough.

And Taiga's job running the homeless shelter, she didn't get paid for that, and didn't want to.

She loved helping out no matter the circumstances.

She already felt bad enough having Cait pay her at first for something she'd happily do for free, but she insisted.

Charles waved it off, and decided to make a deal with her.

She wouldn't have to pay them any fees, as long as she could make sure not to cause any trouble.

For Dethklok, or him.

Charles said he would have a packet sent to her that would be filled with all of the important guidelines she would have to follow whenever stepping foot onto the property of Mordhaus.

And she wasn't the kind of person that wanted to cause some sort of scandal.

So she especially knew the obvious things to not do.

Again, from a rational standpoint, why would she?

Celebrity or not, there were just some things fans, or others did, that she could never even think of trying.

Also...

The members who made up Dethklok were grown men at the end of the day, and she wouldn't try and play babysitter, or be controlling...

But she heeded the warnings, regardless.

And would try her best to respectfully keep things in check when needed.

Even if something out of her control happened, she would just try to work through and accept it as she paid the price.

Taiga still thought it was extremely fair, and surprisingly generous of him (even if he was mostly being smart and covering his ass) given the circumstances, but she could see that overall, despite his uncaring demeanor or the monkey business that ever took place, he just wanted to keep the guys happy.

At the very least in ways that wouldn't be self detrimental, if he could help it.

So after getting past her stupefaction, she signed off on that agreement as well.

"...Thank you."

Charles glanced briefly over the papers for now before tucking them away once again.

"Yes, well...

Thank you for your time and, ah, cooperation, Ms. Taira."

Taiga nodded as she internally cringed at her real last name being said, but didn't bother saying anything about it.

Charles simply then bid her a good night and farewell; not making any grand gestures, or wasting any more time with further pleasantries as he hastily left her cottage and made his way back to the Dethkopter.

...

Taiga tried to reflect on what all happened today.

Actually, she didn't have to try.

It wouldn't leave her brain.

Especially as she went outside and was left with the mother cougar's body after everyone flew off.

Seeing these kinds of things never got any easier, but she tried to stay strong for what she needed to do next.

Taiga knew that she should take a few moments for herself later on...

It would be healthy.

Not selfish at all, she reminded herself.

And maybe, just maybe, she could successfully get a good rest afterwards.

With no nightmares.

...

But this would continue to itch away at her until she cracked...

She couldn't just leave them out here, anyway.

She wouldn't be able to live with herself.

...

So she got started.

--

As she finished burying the cougar,

Taiga knew the cycle of life would continue, no matter how she felt.

And she took her gloves off, putting them away as she got lost in thought once again.

The body would decay, feeding other lifeforms, just as others that perish.

But each time, she wanted, no...

Needed to give a proper burial.

And when possible, a ritual for it.

It was always such an intense experience.

Emotional and otherwise while going through each ritual.

But Taiga would do it again and again.

In her eyes, it was deserved.

She didn't believe in "perfect," but tried her best to carry this out in the closest way to it as possible.

Taiga closed her eyes, and tears fell down her face as she inhaled; wishing the cougar farewell, and honoring her.

If her spirit wished to remain in contact, she would gladly accept that and try her best to appease them just as she did for any others that came her way...

Whether they made a connection or not, she wanted to be a safe guide, no matter the duration of the stay.

Taiga made another protective charm, similar to the ones inside and around her cottage, and placed it over the grave.

Despite her inner turmoil about how this turned out, she tried to move forward.

Staying stagnant in this moment wouldn't change much.

She would not ever forget this experience of course, but wanted to do right by this being, no matter the cost.

If that meant watching over the cub, so be it.

Taiga would try and help whenever she was called, even after their final breaths were taken.

So after saying her final goodbyes, she got back up, dusted the dirt off herself a bit, and headed inside her cottage again to get on her new computer; immediately getting started on researching more.

She wanted to go above and beyond trying to expand her knowledge on the care, and overall ways of these creatures themselves; highlighting key DOs and DONTs.

Even if she already knew quite a lot about felines as a whole, it wouldn't hurt to read up on them even more.

Focusing on this helped distract her mind for a while...

Easing any pain that came with thinking too much on the events that transpired, or when they would suddenly flash into her head again.

But she also tried to steel herself and not push herself too hard again; taking some breaks inbetween, and trying to just...

Breathe.

When Taiga was able to open her eyes and look back up again, she let herself feel, but reminded herself of what was the utmost truth...

And the end goal she was striving towards.

Strengthened by her new resolve, she took a few more breaths, and was able to set a timer for herself to stop for tonight before trying to get some sleep afterwards.

And as Taiga finished up her current study session and jotted down her notes in the much more silent, coiling vibrations of the now recessing woods that surrounded her...

She couldn't help but wonder what the future may have in store for her from here on out.

~~~~~

[flieslikeamoron]

Okay, here's the rest!

20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

I'm not going to tell you the words I use too much because once I point them out you won't stop seeing it lol. But I do have recurring things. I write a lot of people getting drunk. I don't drink so that's kind of funny, but it's a useful way to write people at their silliest or their most truthful or to loosen up a tough nut, make a control freak lose control, etc. I write a lot of secret relationships. I write a lot of us against the world stuff, and I do love it when that relationship is a bit too close to be "healthy." I like making people who don't want to, or are scared to, fall in love fall in love. I write a lot of pining. I love pining while fucking especially. I'm sure there are others. 

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

Characterization always. I'll never sacrifice character for a plot point. And I think my characters are distinct. Like the characters I write for one fandom aren't the same ones I write in every fandom. Dialogue that sounds like how people talk. Porn is my art etc.

64. Something you love to see in smut.

Specificity. I don't mean specific sex acts, or some specific description of them. But smut that's specific to the characters in that story. I feel like a lot of people write generic sex scenes. The same generic porn dialogue. The same generic tab a in slot b stuff. No matter what fandom or characters, it's the same scenes. I don't mean writers need to come up with more creative, weirder, kinkier sex acts. (I'm pro-kink but that's not what I mean.) No a simple blowjob, a handjob, ass fucking, whatever. Even if you're talking about the basics those things shouldn't be generic. All sex shares some basic building blocks, but the sex you have with different partners is different! If the smut could be cut/pasted into any fic, that's boring. That's why people talk about skipping over smut scenes. It's because it's the same scenes we've all read before. It's because it's like you've stopped telling your story to "INSERT SMUT HERE" instead of making the smut part of the story.

What's actually hot is thinking about how these characters, these very individual and specific ones, would get each other off.  So what I love to see in smut are little things, little intimacies that feel specific to these two people. I like it when the way they're talking to each other and touching each other and turning each other on feels specific to them, and also specific to the situation. Like in Sleight of Hand the first blowjob Eddie gives Steve is a very different vibe from the first blowjob Steve gives Eddie, and it's because those are different characters in different situations. Just... Specificity.

76. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of Sleight of Hand? 

Yeah, some of the ones I can remember... There was a thing where Eddie finds the nail bat. There was going to be a thing where Eddie and Jonathan talk, and Eddie asks him if he's ever worried Nancy will go back to Steve. There was going to be a thing where Steve and Eddie fuck on ecstasy. I took a thing with everybody at the diner out of chapter 18. IDK lots of things. Most of them never got fully written anyway, but I had like four or five versions of the nail bat scene. In the end I needed Eddie trusting Steve to put on the cuffs, and no matter how I tried to write it, it just introduced too much doubt. I spent a few days writing all these versions trying to get them back to status quo by the end so I could get on with the rest of the fic. But I was trying to force it so it wouldn't affect the rest of the plot, and that always plays false.

Since I'm already all up in my cut folder, here's a DVD deleted scene. It was going to be either when they're going to Dustin's or when they're going to the lake. Either way it doesn't work.

---

“Um, Steve?” Eddie says. “Why is there a bat with fucking nails through it in your trunk?” Ah. Steve had sort of forgotten that was back there. Eddie hefts it in his hand, and swings it experimentally. “This is like post-apocalyptic, man. It’s like Snake Plissken shit.” He looks at the nail end more closely. “Does this have blood on it?” 

Not human blood. Steve takes the bat out of Eddie’s hand and puts it back in his trunk. Closes it like if he can’t see it, Eddie will forget about the whole thing. He grasps desperately for a believable lie. It’s for emergencies? It’s for car trouble? Self-defense? “It was for Halloween,” is what he comes up with.

“Halloween was forever ago,” Eddie says skeptically. “Why’s it still in your trunk?”

“I forgot it was there.”

Eddie keeps looking at him, sharp-eyed. Seeing right through him. “What costume was it?” 

Jesus. If this is going to be a whole interrogation, Steve’s not going to hold up under questioning. “That guy,” he tries. “Snake Pimpkin?”

Eddie snorts. “You know I can tell when you’re lying, right? You’re fucking bad at it.”

“Can we go?” Steve says. “You can keep bugging me in the car if you want.”

“I’m not bugging you,” Eddie says, but he gets into the passenger’s seat. Thank God. Steve quickly follows and starts pulling out so Eddie can’t change his mind. “It’s a little weird that you have an apocalypse bat,” Eddie says. ”But it’s very, very weird you’re lying about it.”

“You lie about stuff.”

“Not stuff like- Weapons.” He frowns. “Is it- Billy? Or those guys?” Steve tightens his grip on the steering wheel. Eddie looks at him disbelieving. “You’re really not gonna tell me?” 

What if Steve just said it. Just- Monsters are real. They killed Barb. They killed that guy who worked at the Radio Shack. Maybe Eddie would believe him. He’s into all that fantasy stuff. He knows what a demogorgon is. At least the version in his D&D books. But- Monsters in books is different. Steve doesn’t know if he could tell it well enough to make Eddie believe him when it sounds fucking crazy. Demodogs and government conspiracies and possessed little kids and underground tunnels and things coming out of the fucking walls… Hell, he barely believed it himself the first time, and he actually saw it.

Steve looks at him, agonized. 

”Wow,” he says. “You’re really not. I’m-” Eddie pulls some of his hair in front of his mouth, looking at Steve like he’s never seen him before. Studying him. “I think- I need a minute to adjust here.” 

“What do mean- Adjust.”

“I mean this is bigger, and it’s fucking weirder, than the kind of secret I thought you were capable of keeping. So if I was wrong about that-” He shrugs. “Who fucking knows.”

“So you can’t trust me if I don’t tell you,” Steve says. “But if I do, you won’t fucking believe me.” 

“You don’t know I wont believe you.”

“I wouldn’t,” Steve mutters. He  looks over at Eddie. “I don’t- Ask you about your mom or your dad or-” Or where you learned to suck cock or why you don’t want me to tell you how I feel about you.

Something hard ticks over Eddie’s face. “Yeah?” he says. “And I don’t ask you where your bruises come from, or why you have nightmares so bad you came looking for me in the first place, or why you’re not okay even though you keep fucking saying you’re okay-”

“I get it,” Steve breaks in.

“I’d say we’re pretty even on the mind your business front.” Eddie kicks at the footwell, his arms crossed defensively. Steve keeps his eyes on the road. He doesn’t- He can’t think of anything to say. To make it better. “We all have our secrets,” Eddie finally says, relenting. “You can have yours. But this feels different.”

“I want to tell you,” Steve says. “But it sounds crazy. And I can’t- Prove it.” And the gate is closed. “And the reason I have that,” Steve says. “It’s gone now.”

Eddie cocks his head. “If it’s gone, why is the bat still in your trunk?”

Steve swallows, jaw clenching. Why does he still have the bat? He knows why. He just- Tries not to think about that. He dips his head in acknowledgement. “Because, I don’t believe it’s really gone. For good.”

Eddie rubs at his face with his hands, looking up at Steve a little wild in the eyes. “None of this is inspiring faith, man.”

“If the reason I have that bat ever becomes a- Thing you need to know about. If it does ever come back, I’ll tell you everything, I promise,” Steve says. “Can you trust me?”

Eddie looks at him for a long moment, looks at him like he’s trying to see all the way inside him. And then gives a one shouldered shrug. “Fine. Keep your secrets."

[featherhasaface]

I have a sort of introduction if thats what youre looking for! ^^

Note; These AU's are also shared with my sister, @violetisderp , so you'll probably see me say "we" or "us" instead of "I" or "me" when referring to these story things. I also refer to her as Violet, Cosmic, or Lilac.

So here's a list of our AU's and the basic summaries.

1. Stardust // Galacta adopts Meta Knight after Nightmare attempts to have him kill him.

2. Fading Shadows // Meta Knight is given a severe head injury from Nightmare (Yes, he's still functional, it just affects his ability to control his own emotions, so he gets angry and sad easier.)

3. Kitty Orbs // More of a concept, but my sister says it's an AU. It's the same as Stardust, but Kirby and Meta Knight are fluffy and have ears and a tail.

4. BabyGala // Galacta shows up on Popstar between episodes 8 and 9 of the show, he sticks with Meta Knight.

5. Crossing The Stars // Galacta is the same age as Meta Knight and they grow up in the GSA (so they like brothers).

6. Midnight // Tiff gets possessed after the events of the show and gets horribly deformed. She returns to normal when Kirby uses the Star Rod. (Also, there's an alternate ending where the monster dies, but she's left deformed from it.)

7. Dawn's New Star // Escargoon makes more monster serum and accidentally injects Tiff with it. She turns into a monster if she gets too angry or scared and is a general menace even when she's not.

Other posts that are important to our AU's

Similarities in each AU -

Game events in our AU's -

[kidge-planet]

any kidge headcanons?!!?? ( nsfw is oki too ;3 )

I HAVE SO MANY KIDGE HEADCANONS !!

Let me give you some of them !!

( I'll keep some for the future of the blog but here you go with a few that I have in mind ) :

Starting with some soft stuffs ;

- obviously , Pidge steals Keith's shirts and he doesn't say it out loud but he thinks she is cute when she wears them

-keith secretly adore pidge and admire her , same for pidge ! keith admire pidge because she is brave , smart , and she seem to never be scared or to never give a fuck . She have charisma . Pidge admire keith because he is such a good figther and a good pilot . She also like the fact that he is realy courageous . Like Bex tk said , " they secretly adore each other !"

-for their lunch date that we can see in the atlas when Nadia and kincade come to a table where pidge and keith are sat together , it was keith that asked her to have lunch together :

they where solving a problem in the maidbay and when they finished , keith turned to pidge like ;

-pfiouuu .. im starving .. wanna go have lunch or what ?

pidge agreed kindly .

He realy enjoy her presence because she always say realy interesting things and also because she is funny . ( he also likes her voice ..)

-pidge and keith where hanging together a lot in the atlas because the other paladins were busy .. lance and allura having some time for them , hunk cooking or baking and shiro ruling the atlas .. they are not realy out going so .. they just stayed together . Like , all the time . People in the atlas were even thinking that they were more then friends .. nadia loved to ship them ! One day , pidge's family got an hold of what was going on so this same day , colleen went to see her daugter and asked her :

-hey , is there something between you and Keith ?

-WHAT ?! NO !!

-don't lie .

-im not lying !...

-mhhh....You like him ?

-mom !!!

-Come on ! You can tell me !

-why are you asking me that anyways ?!

-rumors in the atlas ..

-those are rumors !

-just wanted to be sure..

pidge was angry that some rumors were talking about her but she was secretly happy that they were talking about her and Keith .

- after the war , pidge stayed on earth and keith went back to space but all the time he come back to earth , he invite pidge to non official dates without the other paladins . ( he takes her to bars or restaurants and never let her pay even if she insist hard .)

-when keith come back to earth , if he doesn't take her to a restaurant , he just come to her place and they are just chilling out and watching some movies . They like to play in each other's haires . Pidge tangle keith's haires and keith just play on her haires with his fingers . ( pidge doesn't say it but she enjoy when he touches her haires ..)

-when they are having paladin's sleepovers , pidge and keith are always realy close to each other . He likes to cuddle her sometimes and when they are doing face maskes ( as lance always want to ..) pidge always helps keith to put his maske on .

And now a little nsfw here !! (A boring one because I'm kinda keeping some stuff for later ;D )

- Pidge and Keith did their first time on earth the night just before the launch of the Atlas . They had planed to spend their last night on earth together ever since they were the only paladins that didn't had anything special to do .. it was supposed to be a chill night with pizzas and and movies but it kinda ended up in an other way...

That's all for now , stay tuned on this blog for 'ore Kidge HEADCANONS !! More nsfw too lol !!

(also , some of the HEADCANONS I gave are coming from my Wattpad where I write Kidge storys , I will put my Wattpad in the bio of the blog annnd .. here ;) @MILLI_greenity )

Have a nice day and enjoy Kidge !! ( Send your Kidge headcanons and Kidge stufs here !!💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚❤️💚)

[thecyrulik]

15 Questions, 15 Mutuals

Tagged by @ceph-the-ghost-writer! Trying to get back to being more active here. One day I will write a chapter of one of my stories, I swear.

Let's start!

1. Are you named after anyone? Ostensibly not! My parents had a Talk TM before I was born and they both decided that I should not be named after anyone, to make my life my own etc. They found a name that hadn't appeared on either side of my family till that day. And then my aunt named her child the same name 🙃

2. When was the last time you cried? Sad Moment TM - it was my grandma's funeral last year (the exact anniversary is due in a couple of days), and before that, my other grandma's funeral a couple of years back. I'm not a big crier, though I sometimes wish I were. Lets feelings out.

3. Do you have kids? No, but I'm cool with having them one day, with the right person to raise them with. Love the fact that those funky creatures turn into actual taxpayers with careers one day.

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot? not really. In text - perhaps. With people I know well - yes. Generally no, I'm not that kind of a joker. In fact, I am a little dull IRL.

5. What’s the first thing you notice about people? How they react to other people, I think. Their relations with coworkers, how they talk to customers, people above and below them in the company hierarchy etc. I love analyzing that too. I also adore trying to figure out where they're from based on their vocab/accent.

6. What’s your eye color? Greyish blue. The dullest colour there is, though one person (very dear to me) called it "like winter sky on a frosty morning". Not cool enough to be "steel eyes", not blue enough to be compared to aquatic formations. There's no such thing as ugly eye colour though, and mine isn't either.

7. Scary movies or happy endings? Def both. Scary with a happy ending. I'm not a fan of jump scares but I think characters have to fight (and sometimes suffer) for their happy ending sometimes.

8. Any special talents? Hah. what does "special" mean? I'm stubborn in all the wrong ways and it makes me end up in some odd situations. I am rarely lost and read maps very well, and if you give me a simple task that needs to be repeated 1000 times, I'll happily do it without getting bored. I will just imagine my blorbos suffering during that time, so any negative moodlets cannot affect me.

9. Where were you born? Poland! In a small town I've only ever been to twice in my life, including my birth! The local hospital used to have a wonderful maternity ward and all, so my parents went there every time they had a baby on the way.

10. What are your hobbies? I write and I read, I find out weird stuff on the internet. I like crafts like stitching and knitting, I make my own beer, cider and fruit liquers, and work in the garden a lot! Oh, and I love languages an awful lot.

11. Have you any pets? I have two cats that live with my parents now - one of them is an idiot and also quarter European wildcat - he has 2 braincells only. The other one is his domestic cat momma, a black demoness that loves staying in the shadows and attacking you when you step on her (she doesn't have a non-black hair on her body so you can imagine she is stepped on quite often).

12. What sports do you play/have played? Used to be into handball in high school. Right now I mostly swim, usually when I have to think about stuff. I can't listen to my music in the swimming pool so I'm forced to listen to y thoughts. Other than that, I juggle! And it's fun and satisfying and you can make your own juggling balls with balloons and sand/rice!

13. How tall are you? 164 cm. Not great, not terrible. I get +2 in sneaking though, and exploring basements, mines and medieval castles is generally safe for me, at least when it comes to bumping your head on low door frames.

14. Favorite subject in school? Foreign languages and biology. I also enjoyed maths a lot, but I had good teachers all the way. In uni - history of Greece, pharmaceutical botany, infectious diseases and ethics.

15. Dream job? Coming up with new blorbos to torment and put in Situations TM and talking about them. Since I have no discipline to be a full-time writer, my current job is a very nice second-best option.

Tagging @whumpsday @kim-poce @whump-cravings @andordean @hold-him-down @whumpy-writings! feel free to ignore any questions that feel too private for you, and swap them with a fun fact about one of your OC!

[lucithornz]

Least Favorite Fanfiction Tropes

I recently shared my favorite fanfiction tropes to read and to write. Now it's time for my least favorite. I don't hate these, they just are not my thing. I don't always exclude them from my searches(some are inevitable). But these tropes are usually a no-go for me. And I struggle to write them if they come up in my fics.

I'm actually not picky with my tastes, if a fic has like the perfect tags, but one of these is included, I'll probably give it a try.

Holidays - I don't know what it is, but there are always too many characters. I'm not a fan of holidays in general, so I don't really get much out of this situational setting. Having to write a holiday is even worse for me. I just don't find it to add the spice I want. Or it's because I am the spawn of Satan and just don't like Christmas(we may never know)

Domesticity - This is one I dislike because I usually end up having to write it at some point(goes hand in hand with fluff). Just all those little moments feels like I'm describing nothing. Also a bunch of nothing happening. I want plot. I do not care if they are making pasta together.

Mafia/crime AU - this is probably my least favorite of the common trope AU's. Probably because I don't like original stories that are about this either. I will probably never write this trope.

Fluff - I struggle to write this, and if there is too much in a fic I'm reading I just die. It's an unavoidable trope, and I write it because I want to tell a well-rounded story, and those soft moments are important. But it's hard. No conflict, just things going well, no one's feelings are getting hurt, what's the point? I do think it has it's place, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

Hanahaki - as someone who is very into omegaverse there's only so many niche fanfic tropes I can invest in. I find it hard to suspend my disbelief for this. The art is always really pretty though.

Amnesia - this trope is overdone in original fiction, and I haven't really seen it subverted well in fanfic either. I find it has a very predictable plotline for 99% of the stories it's present in.

Baby fic - no children. I like characters to be on birth control thank you. Pregnancy scares make for good angst, but I do not care about the baby(unless it's a canon compliant type deal) I don't like writing babies so I don't think I'll ever touch this(unless I need to really traumatize my readers).

Gen fic - sorry, it has it's place. But it's not for me. I almost am always reading rated M or E. I write those same ratings, every now and then something rated T will sneak in. But those are too wholesome for my cold dead heart.

Sick fic - this is a tricky one for me. I do use injuries and illnesses as plot devices in my work, but more secondary plots. If the whole fic centers around an illness or disease I'm probably out(especially if it's serious) I think one problem is just a lot of domesticity goes along with this, and also because one character is sick, they can't do much else, so it's a bit boring.

Bonus number 10! Miscommunication - this one is tricky. I either love it or hate it depending on the execution. I write this a lot. But where it can break a fic for me is if there isn't a good reason or foundation for the miscommunication. Give me a good reason why things went wrong and I'm all there, but if characters aren't talking "just because" I will get pissed.

[demonsfate]

// If you could write Jin's arc in T8, what would you like to see?

Funny enough! Altho we got little information, T8 feels like it's already heading toward the direction I wanted to see Jin's character go. So, I feel that most things I'll say is what they're likely going to do, anyway. But I suppose I'll still elaborate! Especially in case they don't end up going with my hopes.

Here's a quick run of what I'd do.

>Retcon Jin's actions in T6. Altho I feel they might be heading this way - albeit I have a feeling they're gonna do something with Azazel to explain this. (Mostly because T7 made Azazel relevant again with Zafina. AND Kazuya appears to be wearing Azazel's face on a clip on his tie) But obviously with my own blog's direction, I'd have it to say Devil was in control, and he simply lied to people about doing the Right Thing. I know many people do see Devil Jin as simply an "alter ego" of Jin. Buuuut - I always viewed him as a different being. But just because of T2 and T4 where Devil directly speaks to Kaz as a different person. And T6 DJ talked about Jin as a different person. I'm more interested in the devils being "parasitic beings" just because so MANY other fighting games tend to have the "dark versions of main character they must not become." Like Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat. So it's a concept I got a lil bored of. While it can still have the same symbolic meanings - I still prefer it more as a parasitic, bad influence relationship LOL.

>HOWEVER... I'd still have Jin be guilty about the actions of T6. Even if JIN didn't actually cause it, he has that "hero guilt" where he'll feel as though it is his fault. For if he was strong enough, then they would've never gotten into that situation. The T8 trailer for Jin felt like it was SCREAMIGN "Jin's a good guy now!" Which I am ELATED about. But Jin just being **good** isn't his style. It's why I love Jin, he's the unconventional protagonist. He's a good guy, but far from perfect. Therefore I don't want Jin to just be all like "I'm good, I have friends I won't push away anymore, etc. etc" No, I want him to slowly develop this all from the start of the game. I want him to be this depressed ridden man who has no hope in himself and still scared of his abilities and what he is. As well as guilty as hell for the war - even if he didn't cause it.

>Afterward, I want him to develop from these. He'll learn further how to control his powers. Which T7 SHOWS he's in control. But I want him to really learn to accept them and use them more often. Like at first he's still a bit hesitant, but then it becomes more natural to him. I want him to become less scared of harming his friends, and slowly becomes less distant (BUT NOT in the bloodline anime version where he's all smiley and stuff at ppl. Because that's just not Jin.) I like that Lars seems more supportive of him. And ppl are saying he seems to have more "lars" and "lee" like moves. But it'd be cool to see him develop his relationship with his uncles rather than the game just starting with them being Buddy Buddy with each other. And of course, though it seems like he still has his "suicidal tendencies" nearer the end, as the FIRST T8 trailer feels more near a final boss scenario. I'd like to see Jin rise from this and become happier. Jin is indeed intended as a tragic character, the writers have said this for years. But it'd be very inspirational to watch the tragic/depressed character rise above it all.

As for his endgame... I honestly don't know WHAT I'd do with that? T8 Jin is feeling A LOT like T4 Jin - in fact, he's going through a lot of the same development and story as T4 Jin (which is cool, imo, T4 Jin was Jin at his best characterization) And with Jun's presence - it's somewhat likely that eventually, Jin will get his "is killing Kazuya the right thing to do?" But honestly... I don't know what I want for Jin to decide in the end. Whether to kill, or not. Many people think Kazuya may die. But... I'm not so sure? One of the reasons I first fell in love with Jin as a character so much was when I watched his Tag 1 ending, where he nearly killed Kazuya - but stops, seemingly terrified by what he was about to do. Howeverrr... whilst I do acknowledge that Jin was raised pacifistic. He's both a Kazama, and a Mishima. I feel it should be a long mission for Jin to decide what's best; to not kill, or to kill when necessary. And I think depending on how it goes - he could go either way (as "killing" a BAD GUY isn't necessarily an evil thing. It's a moral debate) And as for little things - I wouldn't mind if it is revealed the Kazamas have the angel gene. Because like,,, there MUST be an explanation for why the Kazamas can repel the devils. And Angel's presence in T2. And plus Jin in T3 and T4 had HINTS of him being something "angelic." (in Hwoarang's ending, he suddenly GLOWED WHITE and could jump 30 ft up. When we've NEVER seen that again. And in T4, when he flew away, a single white feather floated down.) So I do want THAT to be revisited. Maybe see an AJ instead of a DJ if you know what I mean lol.

And honestly, I wouldn't mind if this is a closing chapter. Even though I'd REALLY love to see Jin as our Tekken protagonist in future games. I just... don't really know what more we can do with him after this. As a protagonist, at least. If he conquers the devil gene, learns to accept himself, absolved from T6 crimes bc he didn't do 'em, and then gets friends, and defeats Kazuya, and no more Mishimas to deal with. What else can be done? Yes, you can just make him the protagonist that protects the world from any new evils (like if another Ogre like being appeared) I personally wouldn't mind that. Plus seeing him develop his relationships further. But I also have a feeling that the Tek team would rather just have another timeskip and in the end, we see Jin's son or daughter (I'd rather a daughter tbh! Just because Kazumi was the first ""Mishima"" (only by marriage) we saw. So I'd like another!) and they be the main character.

I wouldn't want DJ to be completely gone either. Which funny enough. I already thought he was gone because I theorized that's why Jin was in a coma for so long in T7 - because he was gaining control of the devil gene. Hence why in the BEGINNING of T7, he COULDN'T control it (as he STILL didn't share memories with DJ in T7) but then suddenly in the very end - he can. Howeverrrrrr... T8's second trailer did show Jin seemingly being saved by DJ... so who knows! Maybe we'll see DJ again, too. Storywise.