#cause i joined a bit before s2 aired

[blaithnne]

AU where season 2 Kaisa meets the fandom's interpretation of her pre-season 2

[bizarrelittlemew]

fic masterpost

with links to tumblr posts in case you want to make my day and rec one ❤️ one-shots under the cut since this was getting long (yay?!)

this post will be updated as I add more!

tag for scrolling through them all | my AO3 | flowchart

Multi-chapter (7)

Something timeless going on (post) 9 chapters, ~37.3k words, E, canon divergence au (different first meeting) - COMPLETE

Where Edward Teach is 20 years old when he first meets Stede Bonnet, and they become friends with benefits (and a lot of feelings) through the years until Stede goes to sea.

Wanna share? (post) 2 chapters, ~12.9k words, E, modern au (music festival) - COMPLETE

Ed, a music festival veteran, helps music festival newbie Stede feel very welcome on his first day after meeting him in line for free condoms.

Matching spark and flame (post) 4 chapters, ~29.8k words, E, medieval fantasy au, Reverse Big Bang 2023 - COMPLETE

When prince Stede Bonnet is accused of murdering the royal family, the kingdom calls upon warlord Blackbeard, also known as the Shamer, to use his magic powers to prove Stede's guilt.

Circus Nights (post) 18/31 chapters, ~48k/? words, E, circus au, inspired by the ofmd kinktober 2023 prompts - ONGOING

In all his years with Hornigold's Circus, Ed has never had such a distressing season. The cause? Newcomer Stede Bonnet, with whom he has to share his wagon.

The problem is not that he doesn't like Stede – no, it's that he likes Stede a bit too much. And when Stede asks Ed to teach him his most popular trick, sword swallowing, new opportunities arise...

Five Birthdays and a Funeral (post) 6 chapters, ~58k words, E, modern au - COMPLETE

When Ed and Stede's friend groups merge, they meet at a birthday party, and Stede's life is turned upside-down. As they collide again and again, he not only has to figure out what Ed means to him, but what he means to himself.

Or: The five times Stede wasn't ready, and the one time he was.

In the sack (post) 2 chapters, ~8.3k words, E, post-s2 - COMPLETE

To be very honest, Ed had planned on making Stede wear the sack for like, half a day. But once Stede put it on, it was like the air changed around them.

As the latest observation in an interesting chain, Stede in the rice sack onesie is… oh boy. One word does come to Ed’s mind here, and that is obedient.

Ho for the Holidays (post) 67 chapters, ~28.4k words, E, modern au - COMPLETE

Stede needs to find a boyfriend (or at least a date) before Christmas Eve. Along the way, he finds a lot more.

Microfic & Drabbles

warmth, good food, orgasms (post) 319 words, M, post-S2E3

all gold, everywhere, 700 words (7 drabbles), M

One-shots (29)

First Snow (post) ~3.5k words, T, modern au (winter)

Edward wakes up to the first snowfall of the year. He cuddles a depressed Stede, who is totally just his roommate, and takes him to a nearby market.

Prescriptions (post) ~2k words, T, modern au (medical)

Ed is a chief physician on night shift, and it’s a big deal when the hot, new pharmacist (guess who) comes by with a question.

Out of my head (post) ~6.2k words, E, modern au (rock star)

In which Stede gets to do more than just meet his rock star crush after the show.

A dollar short (post) ~6.6k words, T, modern au (coffee shop)

A new coffee shop in Ed’s neighborhood has a Dutch auction-style book sale, lowering the price by one dollar each day. Ed gets very attached to one particular book, and one particular coffee shop owner.

Hiptyscoop (post) ~6.7k words, E, modern au (magic)

Stede takes his school team for a Hiptyscoop tournament at Queen Anne's Academy, but ends up taking on a different challenge.

Save it 'til the morning after (post) ~2.9k words, T, modern au

Ed wakes up in a stranger's apartment and needs the stranger's help to piece together the night before over breakfast.

Throw away the oars (post) ~10.5k words, E, modern au

Ed joins a rowing team over the summer with ulterior motives. The only problem is that Stede, the instructor, is twice his age. This doesn't stop Ed from trying, anyway.

From gloom to grace (post) 8.2k words, T, modern au

When Ed and Stede get lost in Iceland, they happen upon an eerie place, and have to deal with the consequences of being poisoned by a strange substance (cuddle pollen, it's cuddle pollen).

Call your wife (post) ~3.2k words, E, modern au

Ed’s best friend of several years might be getting divorced. He also might have his hand down Ed’s underwear while they sit around the campfire with their colleagues.

I adore seafood (post) ~5.5k words, T, 19th century au

Ed answers a personal ad in the newspaper, but has a hard time figuring out if Stede's intentions are what he thinks they are – and whether Stede is aware of it.

Keep your 'lectric eye on me, babe (post) ~15.3k words, E, 70's au

Glam is rocking the Sunset Strip in LA, and Edward Teach is rocking glam. But then he hears rumors about Stede Bonnet, a groupie who might just provide the excitement he's been longing for.

Who are we saying is captain right now? (post) ~6.8k words, E, 90's au, Ed/Stede/Roach

When Roach’s car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, he has to count on the kindness of the strangers who live in the only house nearby.

Overcompensation (post) ~9.2k words, E, modern au

Ed is pining for Stede, who is dating Ed's best friend Mary. While Mary is aware that Stede is likely gay (which Stede hasn't realized), she has no idea Ed is in love with him.

A Series of Cases of Penetrating Stab Wounds of the Abdomen (post) ~1.9k words, T, fix-it in the format of a published medical case report

Abstract: We present five cases of penetrative stab wounds of the abdomen (all involving the same two patients) and the care and interventions that led to successful recovery (and reconciliation).

Cashmere and lace (post) ~2.3k words, E, modern au

As far as Stede knew, men like that didn’t usually wear lace panties and garters.

Getting dressed (post) ~3k words, E, post-canon (post-reunion)

Stede has trouble finding something to wear other than his white stockings and yellow robe, Ed suggests an activity that doesn't require getting dressed.

Know real love when it aches (post) ~4.8k words, E, post-canon (reunion)

Stede Bonnet is dead, and Ed has made his peace with it.

Until Stede stumbles onto deck and right into his arms.

Five-star review (post) ~5.2k words, E, modern au

“D’you think I came all this way to not suck your dick?”

Losing count (post) ~2.7k words, E, canon compliant, missing S2E6 scene

Ed went there to talk. They don’t talk.

Out the gates (post) ~2.9k words, E, modern au, in the Throw away the oars universe

The summer is coming to an end, and as Ed and Stede share a morning in bed, Ed realizes that his crush has bloomed into love.

Testing the waves (post) 8.1k words, E, modern au, Stede/Ed/Mary

Ed is thrilled when his best friend (with benefits) from college, Mary, gets hired at the hospital where he works. He’s even more thrilled to meet her husband.

Five Hours and a Minute (post) 6666 words, M, modern au, follow-up to Five Birthdays and a Funeral

On New Year's Eve, Stede ponders his relationship to Ed and where he wants it to go. At the very last minute of the year, everything turns around.

Heatwave (post) ~3.4k words, E, modern au

During a heatwave, Ed lounges around in his underwear playing video games until Stede comes home from work.

Turning a page (post) ~5.3k words, E, modern au

Stede orders a lot of books. Ed delivers them.

The next adventure (post) ~3k words, E, modern/70s au, prequel to Who are we saying is captain right now?

Ed shows up to a gangbang set expecting a normal, boring work day, when it turns out they have hired the cutest fluffer he has ever seen.

Bathtub beginnings (post) ~4.1k words, M, modern/60s au

Roach is trying to find a new home in 1960s New York.

going down (with the ship) (post) ~1k words, E, Dickfuck Day ficlet

Ed believes he is about to go down with the ship, so he might as well see if he can get a taste of Stede Bonnet first.

Bring the boat to shore (post) ~14k words, E, modern au, in the Throw away the oars universe

Ed buys a new motorcycle, but when he goes over to Stede's house to show him—and to tell him he loves him—things don't go as planned.

Come for a ride (post) ~4.1k words, E, modern au/established relationship

OFMD Kinktober 2024 day 16: Leather // "Make a mess of me"

[luneariaa]

𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧; 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧! 𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐢.

❥︎ - ; x fem! reader

❥︎ - 𝐭𝐰 : the first half of it is loosely based on s2 ep 3; they might be ooc and not being proofread as much. gotta love emo nanamin tho hhh--

wanted to write for nanami for quite some time now, tho lack the courage to do it bef,, ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡ 💛💛

☾︎ - 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭.

-✰-

"Clearly, the mission we got isn't a mission fitting for the first second years." Nanami remarks, his expression seemingly unbothered but at the same time, tired as he walks alongside Haibara towards the airport's exit. "I'm just glad that it's over."

"Me too! Though, the latest mission that we went on has gotten me all psyched for some reason!" Haibara exclaims excitedly, clearly still full of energy despite just arriving back from their assigned mission.

"Besides--" The black-haired boy added optimistically, "-- I noticed that our upperclassmen have been wearing themselves to the bone to protect innocent people; so we have to give it our all too!" 

Nanami just sighs as a reply, turning his head to the other way once again.

Suddenly, a cheery yet silvery voice rang in the air, stopping their train of thoughts; accompanied with a series of footsteps running towards them in full speed. 

"GOSH FINALLY YOU TWO ARE BACK-!!" You call out loudly even from afar, rushing over the two of them excitedly-- glomping them into a rather tight hug. "It's so great that both of you made it back safely! I swear I MISSED you two so much!!"

Nanami just stands there awkwardly, unmoving for a while there; Haibara grins happily while patting your head with the same energy that you radiated. 

"AND WE MISSED YOU TOO, (Y/N)!!"

"Are we done here, or-? I need my rest." Nanami mutters quietly, his facial expression remains unchanged even for the slightest bit, tilting his head to the side slightly. You merely rolled your eyes playfully at his behavior, finally letting go of them from the hug.

"Anyway," You tried to ignore Nanami's previous statement as per usual, casually suggesting. "You guys wanted to grab something to eat? I'm kinda starving from all the waiting earlier."

"YOU WAITED FOR US FOR THAT LONG?!" Haibara exclaims in surprise, a concerned expression is etched upon his features-- to which you replied with a sheepish smile.

"I uhh, I don't have anything better to do earlier anyway. And besides, I just felt the hunger now, y'know.." You tried your best to give a valid reason, only to cause the black-haired male to send you the look of 'are you sure?', being not fully convinced. Nanami merely sighs at the situation unfolding in front of him, before deciding to speak up.

"If that's so, we could stop by at some restaurant if you want." He tells; his expression still not giving away much but nonetheless, the words he uttered had a certain gentleness to it.

Your eyes lit up instantly at this. "For sure! Or the bakery cafe, perhaps?"

After making a decision, the three of you have come to an agreement to stop by at the local bakery cafe instead.

-✰-

Located not too far down the streets, the bakery cafe exudes a welcoming and cozy vibes to it. The chairs and tables are being arranged very nicely; most of them are occupied as always. The three of you are seated on one of the available seats nearby, having your desired type of bread with you.

Nanami was sitting across from Haibara, and you decided to sit beside Haibara instead.

"Damn, this tastes so good!" The black-haired male states whilst eating rather quickly, due to the delicious taste of the bread. You swing your legs a bit, enjoying the taste of your own as well. It makes you feel very content for some reason, probably because the two of them are with you at the moment too.

Nanami, however, has his eyes silently gazing upon your form as he eats; not really bothering to join in the small talk that you and Haibara are having at the moment. He doesn't even know why, he doesn't understand himself at all. 

There's just.. something stirring within him whenever he sees you being all too happy while babbling about random stuff to Haibara. 

Was it jealousy, or something else? Whatever it is, Nanami couldn't really tell himself, and it seemed ridiculous considering the three of you have been friends for quite some time now. Not once had he felt this way before.

Don't tell me I'm feeling envious of them right now..

The moment your eyes make contact with his, he immediately averts his gaze elsewhere; trying his best to hide the fact that he just spent a few minutes to simply stare at you.

Haibara, despite appearing to be oblivious to the current situation, sent Nanami some sort of a knowing look. There's a small hint of a teasing-like smirk tugging on the corner of his lips, causing for the blonde-haired male to be dumbfounded, yet secretly nervous once he has taken notice of this. 

What is the meaning of this-?

Does it look obvious or something..?

"Guys, I'm gonna go to the washroom for a sec!" You excused yourself, bringing Nanami out of his trance once again. "And if I'm late-- wait I might be a bit late because I need to head out to the store for a while! I'll be back, I promise!" With that, you jogged away, leaving the two alone for now. 

Once you're quite far away from them and out of the bakery shop, the two remain in silence for a few more minutes; Nanami's expression is back to its neutral state. Haibara spares him a glance, before deciding to try something out. 

"... So, do I look good with (Y/N)?" Nanami almost choked on his own bread upon his question, looking rather confused and surprised as he stared back at his friend.

Haibara is secretly enjoying this. Nanami seems completely unaware that he's testing his reaction, and wants his true answer. 

"What are you talking about..?"

"You heard me!"

There's an awkward silence after that, which leads Nanami to start believing that this might go wrong anytime soon, but yet Haibara still looks so determined--

"You two would look great together. There." Nanami simply remarks, returning his attention back on his unfinished bread; trying to distract himself from the current situation. 

Even not realizing it himself that his tone has a hint of jealousy within it.

What he just said isn't entirely wrong either. The two of you really match with each other very well. Unlike him, or so he thought.

Truth to be told, Haibara was pretty much taken aback by his friend's response, but at the same time, very typical of him to do so. But then, a grin starts to be present upon his face, leaning forward a bit as if to whisper something back to Nanami; whose head is still downwards, probably having a mental war against himself.

"I knew you liked her."

"Wha-- What are you talking about-?!"

"Oh come on, it's quite obvious! Your voice tone gets softer whenever she's around!"

"I don't--" Nanami cuts himself off, sighing in exasperation, before finally giving in. Surprisingly.

"Please stop that." He almost begs again, now actually showing the slightest hint of panic across his features. Haibara smirks triumphantly at this while Nanami sighs again.

"Fine. Maybe I do like her, a bit more." He finally admits while staring somewhere else, his cheeks are getting warmer after his little admission. Oh, the things you did to him... It's a rare sight to see, indeed.

A laugh escapes from Haibara at his current expression, grinning in satisfaction.  "I KNEW IT!! I was RIGHT all along!"

Once he calms down a bit, he clasps his hands together. "Sorry, I got a bit too excited about this whole situation!" The black-haired male apologizes sheepishly, before continuing. "But yeah! You should confess to her soon by then. Unless..."

"Soon-- unless what-??" Nanami questions back almost instantly, obviously trying to get ahold of himself at the moment. His patience is slowly wearing thin by Haibara's continuous teasing. 

How can he escape this situation now--

The black-haired sunshine merely chuckled once noticing Nanami's usual irritated expression is back. 

"Unless you want someone else to take her away from you~!" It takes all of his strength to contain himself still, feeling the line quite sappy than his usual taste.

But Haibara has a valid point too. He freezes up momentarily at the possible thought, but eventually relaxes slightly while crossing his arms. At least, trying to be.

A slight blush is still visible on his face as he begins to contemplate on Haibara's words even further. 

Perhaps, he should really do it soon.

"Hey, you can do this; I believe in you! Go for it, and don't wait for too long!" Haibara reminds optimistically, gently placing his hand on Nanami's shoulder with a reassuring smile-- to which his features soften up ever so slightly at this.

-✰-

A few days have passed since their arrival; Haibara was away with Geto for now, leaving you and Nanami alone inside the dorms. More like, Nanami's dorm room since you wanted some company right at the moment. Even Shoko and Satoru are nowhere to be found, though Shoko is most likely around Jujutsu High anyway since she wasn't the type to be sent out to missions.

Thankfully, the heat from the day lessens as the sky darkens, the clock exactly on eight p.m. It feels a bit chilly at this moment, and you were resting your arms on your knees as you sat by the stairs, just near Nanami's room. 

The skies weren't very clear that night, but a few stars, at least, were visible for viewing. 

Nanami was sitting on a chair while busying himself with reading some book, trying to keep his mind preoccupied. But it didn't last long as his eyes landed upon you, who's still gazing upwards towards the sky. Your presence alone simply made him realize that he's not alone in there, and the air of peacefulness surrounds you both. It made him feel calm, honestly.

A thought suddenly crosses his mind, causing for him to have a mental debate for a while there. But after doing some contemplation, he decided to just act on it. He doesn't really care anymore; it's now or never.

Closing his book after-- Haibara's words rang through his mind as he began to slowly approach you. Taking a deep breath, the nervous feeling began to kick in within him despite his seemingly usual stoic facade on the outside.

"Hey, (Y/N).." He starts, clearing his throat a bit to grab your attention. "Do you have a moment-- there's something that I really need to tell you."

By this point, you turned your head to look at Nanami; your expression turned to one of wonder and curiosity as you gave him all the attention that he needed.

"You alright, Ken?"

He pauses for a bit; his hands tightened into a fist by itself due to his own anxiousness. His gaze is fixated forward yet downcast, clearly having a hard time with the situation that he's about to face.

Just have to say it right now.. No turning back now.

His eyes slowly shifted from the ground and to your own, gathering his courage to speak once more. The words he has been meaning to say.

"I have a confession to make."

"Actually, I like you more than a friend, if you get what you mean."

Nanami stops himself momentarily there for now, his voice somehow becomes quieter and softer as he utters the last few words. He just silently hoped that he wouldn't turn this into a regretful situation. 

It was your turn to be surprised. Like VERY surprised. I mean, who knew right? It's quite unexpected for you, yet you weren't really expecting much either.

"Wait, you do-?"

"Yeah." Nanami gradually nods in confirmation. "It's... Been quite hard for me to keep this to myself all this entire time, honestly."

"So, I figured that it's best if I let it out right now."

She needs to know.

"I always thought of you as a great friend; along with Yu, of course. But that's not the point here. Since the past few weeks, I have come to a realization about how much you mean to me."

By all the time he's confessing, you listen to everything he says intently-- letting his words sink within your heart itself. 

It's so genuine hearing all of this from him, despite his occasional struggle with his own words.

Nanami keeps his gaze on you the whole time, finding himself unable to look away. His whole demeanor changes to one of seriousness yet calm while doing so, now feeling determined all of a sudden despite his anxiousness from earlier.

"I was afraid, actually; that my feelings for you might not be reciprocated, and that my efforts alone aren't enough. I'm sorry if my words seemed out of place, I'm just--" He sounds so... Vulnerable, at this point. His voice is shaky, his hands are trembling ever so slightly.

But you paid no mind to it as you gently held onto his hands, pulling him into an embrace after.

Nanami was caught off guard by your actions, perhaps expecting an instant rejection. But that didn't happen at all as you start speaking reassuringly as a reply.

"Kento, I'm so touched, truly..." Your voice is so soothing to him, which results in his face reddening slightly as he returns the embrace slowly-- his expression becomes more serene and content, burying his face in the crook of your neck while you continue.

"I was surprised, to say the least. Who would've thought, right?" You joked a bit, rubbing the back of his head tenderly. He still has his face hidden, but a small smile is present, however.

With his grip around your waist tightens; but not to the point of discomfort, Nanami lifts his head from your neck while a small blush is still apparent on his face.

"I may not show it much, but.. I feel happier when I'm around you. I totally understand if you didn't feel the same way as I did with you, I'm just relieved that I'm able to let it out to you like this."

Nanami whispers at the end of his sentence; clearly expecting the worst. But you paid no mind to it yet again as you rather feel comfortable like this, having no reason to reject him at all.

Because you do feel the same way.

Your scent gives him a sense of comfort as always. He exhales a bit, before breathing in a slow, calm manner.

"Having to hold it in is painful for me, and finally realizing this moment myself; it's honestly the most comforting feeling I've ever felt in a long time."

You merely smiled up at him in pure adoration.

"I know, I could tell, and I'm really glad you did." You tenderly stroked the back of his blonde hair even more.

"And I love you too, Kento. I mean it." Nanami slowly lifts his head from your neck upon hearing this, his face flushes once again. 

But this time, a genuine, happy smile is plastered on his face, to which it matches with your own.

Slowly, but surely, he leaned his face closer to yours, as the two of you finally shared a rather cute, short kiss for the first time. It's so gentle as if he's being very careful and handling you with the extreme care that you deserve. 

When the two of you have to break apart for air, his hand finds its' way to lift your chin lovingly-- just so you can maintain your gaze up at him.

To which you absolutely did; your cheeks had a hint of redness on it, eyes seemed to shine beneath the moonlight itself. The smile didn't ever leave your face even for a second due to how happy you felt right at this moment, as he did as well.

Not too long after, you both shared a light laugh as the slight awkwardness begins to creep in the tender moment you two have shared; still looking flustered as ever.

Haibara's gonna have a loooot of fun teasing you both once he knows about it.

-✰-

© 𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚜.

[tharizdun-03]

Mob Psycho 100 III Watchthrough

#1: Future ~Career Paths~

Wonderful Mob Psycho 100 episode! Very strong start to this season.

#2: Yokai Hunter Amakusa Haruaki Appears! ~The Threat of a Hundred Demons!!~

I really like these episodic psychic stories, and tend to treasure them while they last before the long arcs (which are great too) come along. Hope we still get a few more this season.

#3: Getting Carried Away ~100%~

Another great episode! There was never any doubt about it, but this season is off to a wonderful start. It's very nice to have Dimple back too, his dynamic with Mob is always interesting.

#4: Divine Tree 1 ~The Founder Appears~

Fantastic episode. Literally went "holy shit" during just the first few seconds cause the atmosphere and colors just made it immediately apparent things were different. Super effective direction at display. Mob continues to be the best airing seasonal at the moment.

The first three episodes were pretty lowkey (which I also love), but it was about time that something a bit heavier kicked in. And Dimple has always been one of the more complicated characters in the show.

There's no doubt that he likes Mob and enjoys his company, but Dimple is still a spirit and has his view on things, and a goal he still wants to achieve. Those sides are clashing here. 

He did in fact even invite Mob to join him, and when he was rejected, I bet that hurt him. Angered him. Which helped spur him on to lash out like this.

And in Mob's case, he's never really dealt with not being able to rely on Reigen for emotional support like this. They had a bit of a break in S2 ofc, but this is a much more dire conflic where Reigen (seems) brainwashed to stand in opposition to him even, which is new. But every new challenge provides a new opportunity for growth.

S3 has not yet had one of those peak episodes that the series can certainly deliver, but it's just consistently excellent all over. I'm definitely hoping we can peak even higher somewhere this season, but I'm super happy with whatever we end up getting.

#5: Divine Tree 2 ~Peace~

Season 3 finally kicked things up a notch with this week's episode and reached those heights that the first two seasons did at the top of their game. Fantastic stuff.

It's quite frankly just sad, seeing Dimple so desperate to reach out to Mob, but because what the two of them value are diametrically opposed, whatever he tries to use to entice Mob just isn't effective.

They both care for each other, but in very different ways. Mob always saw the best in Dimple and considered him a good friend, while Dimple saw Mob more as a student, someone who needed him to set him straight. Ironic, how those roles have kinda exchanged with this confrontation.

#6: Divine Tree 3 ~Dimple Is~

Yeah, so pretty great episode.

I'll actually start by saying that I was slightly torn about the first half. It all felt in character and the subtext has always been there, but the whole speech just convincing Dimple, and the "I just wanted a friend", while accurate, I dunno, felt a bit cliche. 

I think the presentation sells the execution of it for the most part tho and again, it is accurate to the characters. The second half is just a glorious sakugafest. Yoshimichi Kameda, Hironori Tanaka, Yutaka Nakamura and everyone else that worked on this, bless you. 

The last sequence with Mob and Dimple was quite gutwrenching tho, and worked for me on pretty much all levels. I can't say I ever really cared much for Dimple so it's a testament that the episode still got me emotional.

Dunno if we'll see him again, but if not, this was pretty much the perfect way to go.

#7: Transmission 1 ~Winter Break~

Another lovely episode this week. I wondered how we'd follow up on last week, and while Mob is still quietly grieving, it has taken a bit of a backseat. But as usual, I really like these small, psychic SoL-like stories, and treasure them when we get them.

I'm not sure if we're gonna go for a dark twist here or if it'll keep being lowkey (I'd be cool with the entire season being this chill), but considering next week is the rumored 20k frames episode, we might just attract some aliens with less than pure intentions.

#8: Transmission 2 ~Encountering the Unknown~

Surreal episode this week. Was almost expecting it to have been a dream lol. Wonderful one-off story nevertheless.

#9: Mob 1 ~Moving~

Such a sweet episode this week (well, up until a point). I was just mentally hugging my boy the entire time. I AM ROOTING FOR YOU.

#10: Mob 2 ~Rival~

Good episode as usual. It's really more an action episode than anything, but it's setting up interesting things here. I'm mostly into how Mob will deal with all this in the aftermath.

Mob being trapped inside his body reminds me of that real-life locked-inside syndrome, which people in comas can have (went down that rabbit hole a few days ago). Sounds like the most terrifying thing, but most people report it's actually kind of pleasant.

#11: "Mob 3 ~Trauma~"

Another good Mob Psycho 100 episode this week. This final arc is a bit too much trying to stop crazy Mob and the fights that ensue, for it to hit especially for me, but it's still weaving in his struggles with adolescence and identity, so still doing an effective job overall.

#12: "Confession ~The Future~"

Mob Psycho 100 III was great all the way through. I can't say it had the same impact on me as the first two seasons did (well, I can say it but it wouldn't be true) but I really liked the mostly low-key approach this season took and respect the hell out of it. Finale was perfect.

[thewistlingbadger]

Yeah I totally understand the contradictions are a bit janky but they're not impossible to work with but at the same time should we even need to be having this discussion? One could argue the show should have made their motivations more clear and not up to audience interpretation. I agree that the idea that they split up over the death of a singular person feels a bit cheap, so it's not the belief I personally subscribe to. I am of the firm belief that they split up because of their attitudes about Felicia's death and not Felicia's death itself.

We know that Silco is the kind of person who is willing to stop at nothing to achieve his goal, and the blisters and bedrock flashback tells us exactly why. It's because of Felicia. Felicia told the both of them "I don't care if you have to carve it (Zaun) out of the bedrock, covered in blisters. You're not allowed to fail anymore. For her. For me." Felicia was a firm believer in the nation of Zaun. She died fighting for the cause. She had everything to lose, her husband, her children, her brothers, her life, and she risked it anyway. What could possibly be more inspirational for Silco? Silco promised her they'd get their freedom, and now that she's dead he has to deliver on that promise, or else her death was in vain. I think Silco saw Felicia as a hero due to her sacrifice, and some of his lines in season one can hint at the regard he views her with. When talking to Finn, Silco talks about how before zaun was an "enterprise" they had nothing, nothing except for their people. The zaunites were all brothers and sisters looking out for each other, and loyalty was what got them through tough times. "But now I'm forced to share the air with parasites like you", parasites that dishonor the memories of true zaunites. Finn is no zaunite in comparison to Felicia. Felicia, in a way, is the ultimate zaunite. Not only did she believe and fight for independence but she also led a life of love and happiness, two things that are so rare to come by when they live in a world filled with Piltover's brutal oppression. Silco also gets very upset at Vander in season 1 when he refuses to join Silco. "So you'll die for a cause, but you won't fight for one?!" Of course this is the ultimate insult to Silco, because Felicia, their sister, died fighting for the cause. A cause the Vander has completely turned his back on. Another piece of evidence comes from the mini game Jinx Fixes Everything, which is canon compliant with S2 of arcane. In one of the levels, Jinx goes through Silco's office and finds his old notebook. She reads a page in which Silco explicitly writes his thoughts on Felicia and his admiration towards her bravery is very clear.

Silco didn't see the bridge as a failure. He saw it as the first of many battles. But Vander disagreed. All Vander could see was the destruction of their people, the lives lost, the families that were now broken. We see in S2 flashbacks that Vander was around and present in the lives of Felicia, Connel, Vi, and Jinx before the bridge, but Silco isn't. This is very explicit, this is why Vander can't agree with Silco. The bridge, to him, is a clear sign that not only did he and silco break Felicia's promise and fail everyone, but it was also a clear sign to him that the cause was pointless. We see that after the bridge, Vander completely gives up on zaunite liberation and even goes so far as to discourage others from joining the cause. Vander and Silco split because one of them wants to continue fighting and the other one doesn't, and the other one sees fighting as such a dangerous and destructive thing that he feels the need to kill Silco in order to prevent any further destruction.

Hey guys remember that terrible letter in s2? Well, how about I tell you that it's actually worse than it seems?

Alright. For the purpose of my point being more clear I'll recite it here. *barely held in gag*

"Silco. I've looked everywhere, but it's clear that you don't want to be found. Oh, God, I'm shit at this (THEN WHY ARE YOU EVEN WRITING IT YOU STUPID IDIOT. Sorry). I'm sorry. When she died, I lost my head. I told myself that what I did to you was for the greater good, that you deserved it. But the dirt was on both our hands. Anyway, you know where to find me. Blisters and Bedrock"

So, it is obvious that Vander regrets what he did to Silco and that he doesn't view him as a "villian of the story" anymore, so to speak. His murder attempt was purely emotional rather than motivated by ideological opposition or something else. Great.

Buuuut let's rewind to the very start of the series. Right to episode one. There. Take a look at these screenshots.

So Vander says to Benzo that there's someone on their side (the Undercity) who is worse than enforcers. Not even someONE, but someTHING. This implies quite a big level of resentment if you ask me. While he's saying that, he looks at his right hand and touches his uhh...I don't. Know how this thing's called I'm sorry. Let's call it a leather cover. There's clearly a reason why he wears it now, and this seems to be connected to the "thing" they're talking about. Alright. I guess we'll find out more about this later.

Fast forward to episode three. Heeeeey, what is THAT??

So Silco cut his hand?? Well, that all makes sense now then. Something brought Silco and Vander to a conflict, which resulted in Vander trying to kill Silco, and Silco cutting Vander's hand when he was escaping from him. For now (💀) we don't know what exactly caused such a rift between them, but it apparently was something pretty serious considering that Vander even stopped referring to Silco as a person. While he does later says to Silco that what he did to him was wrong, but nothing indicates that Vander changed his opinion on WHY he did it.

Now, there could be an argument that Silco did something that made Vander hate Silco AFTER the river scene, and this is why Vander thinks so badly of him. But earlier in the same episode we see THIS reaction from Vander when Silco appears.

So here's the question: why would Vander react like that to seeing Silco if he knew of something horrible he did post their fallout? What's more likely, he hasn't heard anything about Silco AT ALL, whether he's dead or alive or what he does. So Vander's opinion of Silco ("something worse than enforcers") formed prior to their falling out and it didn't change over time.

Now that we have all that information let's go back to our dear, favorite letter.

Uhhhh so. Vander is an incredibly awful person???? Either that, or he has an extremely severe case of amnesia. Because why would he go from wanting to reconcile with Silco and not blaming him for what happened straight into thinking that he's worse than enforcers and not even a person?? Or in his mind these things can coexist somehow?? And to add to all of that, apparently he never told Benzo the truth about their falling out, and made him think that Silco is an "animal". What, was Vander so butthurt by Silco never contacting him that he went full 5-year-old-mode "Humph!! I hate you now!!" and proceeded to lie to everyone about Silco?? So much for a reasonable and peaceful leader of the Lanes, huh.

But we all know that's not the case at all. The case is, of course, that writers forgot to rewatch season 1 and made up a reason for Vander and Silco to fight which is not at all aligns with what we knew about them and their relationship before. This is, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, one of the biggest cases of negligence in storytelling that I've ever seen.

[fiveapocalypse]

NOT A STRANGER.

For as much as he’s changed, Five’s always stayed their sibling.

No trigger warnings apply, just fluff, and a bit of spoilers for S1-S2. This is an alternate universe where S3 never happened and there’s some elements from the comics in here.

On the kitchen counter, a mess of black hair pokes out of curled up arms. The Umbrella Academy uniform shows the sleeping boy to be a part of the manor, if not the child of an obsessed fan—though that thought is promptly discarded when someone walks into the kitchen, pausing to a halt and causing others to bump into their back, sending them stumbling forward. “Jeez, Allison,” someone complains, “why did you—" but the voice stops suddenly, upon the woman, Allison, pointing towards the counter where the figure moves, burying his face deeper into his arms. “Oh….oh, since when did he…” now quieter, the voice watches the small boy, noting how he tossed and turned, and how in front of him, a cup of half drunk coffee sat in an Umbrella Academy mug.

“Should we…?”

Someone else speaks, a bulky man with wide eyes and messy blond hair. He watches the boy carefully, nervously stepping forward, and then back. “He hasn’t…he hasn’t slept in a while has he?” The man tries to keep his voice low, and he freezes when the boy on the counter mumbles, face scrunching up. Allison takes a step forward, hand hovering over a mess of black hair.

“It’d be best if he didn’t pass out on the kitchen counter,” she responds, finally letting her hand fall. It passes through black locks effortlessly and the tension in the boy’s muscles ebb away when she uses her other hand to rub circles on his back. Allison feels the way his veins pop and his skin smooths over underneath the uniform shirt and vest. “He’s drooling,” she comments nonchalantly, looking around him, as if trying to figure something out. “I wonder what he’s dreaming about?”

“Maybe killing a bird,” someone says, spinning a knife in the air. Next to them, someone sighs.

“He’s not that deranged, Diego.”

“But he’s not that sane either, is he?”

In the back of the group, a slightly shorter male steps forward, apologizing to their siblings. He joins Allison, picking up the mug of coffee. “Sometimes it feels like he’s a stranger now, having been gone for so long.” His sister hums before hooking her hands under the boy’s armpits. He’s worriedly light as she lifts him from the chair, not moving an inch except to have his head fall forward.

“And he’s pretty much knocked out too, did he drink milk or something? That got him sleepy pretty fast when we were kids.”

Allison can’t believe Five hasn’t woken up to attempt murdering her as she tries her best to hold him. It’s easy, since she often had to lift a sleeping Claire out of things without waking her, and Five only shifts to bury his face into her neck and grab at her shirt with a death grip. He’s still drooling. Her neck feels all wet. “He looks like a little kid like that,” her brother comments, dumping the rest of the coffee out and beginning to clean the mug. She snorts, and the sound of it makes Five mumble and angrily pat at her face with his too small hand.

Everyone snickers.

“Look, he’s telling you to be quiet!”

“Shhh..!”

Placing a finger on her lips, Allison shushes her giggling group of brothers and looks around. “You think he’ll let me set him down on the sofa?” One of her brothers look over, gauging the situation, then shakes his head.

“With the way he’s holding onto you? I doubt it.”

Allison considers it, noting how Five was gripping at her shirt with one hand, the other one hanging off her shoulder, hand playing around with her hair. She tries to imagine setting Five down somewhere, and immediately gets the vision of the assassin gripping her hair and nearly pulling her head clean off her body. Sleeping on her would have to do, she supposed. In her arms, Five mumbles something about twinkies.

With her siblings, she walks to the living room, sitting on the couch, and Five ends up sprawled on her lap snoring when she does. “He looks cute like that,” one of her brothers whispers, reaching out nervously to move the boy’s hair away from his eyes. Five doesn’t immediately wake up to break their fingers so the sibling sighs. “It’s hard to think he was alone for so long, growing up like that…” Allison doesn’t want to think about it—tiny Five, finding their bodies, having to bury them, being alone for years and years and—no, she won’t think about it, running a hand through his hair.

“Well, he’s back now,” the woman murmurs, watching Five snore, “and we’ll make sure he gets a childhood, even if he thinks he doesn’t need one.”

Around her, everyone looks at each other, then at the sleeping Five, and nods.

[link4eva]

Kiro’s S2 Growing Troubles Company Project Translation [CN]

Hey! This is a continuation of Kiro’s Season 2 Campus Youth Company project which you can read here!

This translation was done through the power of Google Translate.

This translation contains spoilers for content that has not yet been released to the ENG. If you wish to not be spoiled then please don’t look below the cut.

Enjoy~

*Spoilers below for future content!*

[Stage 1]

Kiro: MC, did you see the notice that Teacher Huang posted in Moments? 

MC: What notice?

Kiro: Summer camp, the whole class together…. I really want to go. 

MC: I also want to go…. Sketching in the village at the foot of the mountain to escape the summer heat sounds very pleasant.

The director who came to participate in the pre-launch preparations of the film just stepped into the conference room and undoubtedly overheard our conversation.

Director: Do you mean the class that you re-lived high school with before?

MC: Well, Teacher Huang was the headteacher at the time, and we were just discussing their summer camp.

Director: Summer camp? It sounds too student-like.

Director: Anyway, there is still a while before that happens, so go if you want and take advantage of the time off to rest as soon as possible. And….

She thought about it for a moment and then gave us a smile.

Director: If this summer camp experience can be filmed, it will be good promotional material after the movie airs.

I met Kiro’s eyes and have already made a decision.

Kiro: Let me ask Teacher Huang first if we can participate. 

Kiro fiddled with his phone, typing and sending messages. I didn’t know how long he was going to be typing for so I leaned in to take a look….

It takes up more than a dozen lines of the text box.

After a while, Teacher Huang sent a voice message.

Teacher Huang: Of course, you’re very welcome to join us. Although you and MC spent only a short amount of time with us, you are still members of the class.

Teacher Huang: I will send you a registration form in a moment, you just have to fill it out and give it to me. The students would be very happy if they heard the news.

Kiro looked at me with a “yeah”, sent a thank-you reply, and when he raised his head again, he had a bright smile on his face.

On the day of departure, Kiro and I arrived at the designated place early to wait for the bus to arrive. *Changed some wording*

The departure time was set at 7 o’clock in the morning, but even still with it being midsummer, the sun was so fierce that people couldn’t open their eyes.

As I looked at the road, I put my hand on my forehead to block the sun. Kiro opened up his suitcase and put his fisherman’s hat on top of my head.

I turned my head and was about to talk to him when a blue and white bus had approached us and was slowing down.

Kiro greeted him as soon as he saw the bus number!

Kiro: 8516, it’s this one! 

When the bus stopped, he immediately took my suitcase and walked to the outside of the bus, put both suitcases into the storage, and stepped onto the bus.

Kiro: S-urprise! 

The students inside saw us getting on the bus, and at first, there was no reaction, and then burst into applause and cheers-- *Changed some wording*

Classmates: Kiro!

Classmates: Oh my God, are you coming?!

Kiro: Hey, long time no see~ Happy summer everyone~

Kiro: Teacher Huang said that this summer camp is a group activity that the whole class must participate in, and I can’t be absent of course.

Mr. Huang, who was sitting at the front, stood up and dragged Kiro and me onto the bus.

Teacher Huang: Kiro and MC, find a place to sit down and fasten your seatbelts.

Teacher Huang: Okay students,  now the whole class is here. I announce the official opening of the 3rd summer camp. *I think it was supposed to be “3rd” but I’m not entirely sure*

[Stage 2]

The itinerary of the summer camp is quite packed.

Occasionally, we would go up the mountain to sketch and take pictures with our classmates. We would also occasionally go to town to shoot some material for the film advertisements. 

By the third day, Kiro and I had collected a whole 5G’s worth of vlog material. Kiro was very satisfied with the results of this trip.

Kiro: After the fifteen-day summer camp is over, maybe I can go back to sort out the material and edit. *Changed some wording*

Kiro: By the way, are there any arrangements for the afternoon, or are we going up the mountain with them? 

Kiro and I were talking and walking to the door of the homestay. We ran into a few classmates, who we were closer to, sitting in the corner and whispering amongst each other. *Changed some wording*

Kiro glanced at me and leaned forward curiously.

Kiro: What cake? Are you talking about who has a birthday?

Classmate A: Hush! I’m staying in the same room with Shu Shu, and I happened to see her birthday when I checked it, which is today.

Classmate A: And it’s her eighteenth birthday this year, which is very important. We just want to give her a simple celebration.

Classmate B: We just took a look and there isn’t a store that delivers. So, we want to take a taxi into town and order the cake there.

MC: ….But if you leave now, you will definitely be late. Teacher Huang also arranged for the seniors in the village to tell you about folk tales.

Kiro took on this task, almost without thinking.

Kiro: It’s okay, the two of us can go buy cakes. 

Kiro: We visited the town a couple of days ago so we’re familiar with the route. Just leave it to us, you can go to class with peace of mind.

I also nodded and quickly agreed.

MC: We can also buy some decorative ribbons and balloons so that it will have a somewhat celebratory atmosphere.

Before they could say anything, we waved to them.

MC: Leave it to us~ Let’s keep in touch and call me if you need anything! 

(At the Cake Shop)

Shopkeeper: Our cake bases are all freshly made so you two will have to wait a while.

Shopkeeper: The cake you order is relatively big. In addition to writing “Happy Birthday” on it, you can also write 1-2 blessings.

As the shopkeeper said this, he took out a pen and paper and gave it to us.

Shopkeeper: Write the blessing on the paper and then I’ll take it to the pastry chef.

Kiro: Okay~ Let’s think about it first.

Kiro took the pen and paper and sat down with me in the corner of the cake shop by the window.

Kiro: What would be the best blessing to write to an eighteen-year-old birthday star….

MC: It’s a bit difficult, so let’s change our mindset. What did you want most when you were eighteen?

Kiro put the pen cap on his forehead and thought about it for a while.

Kiro: I didn’t think too much about what I wanted “most”. There were already a lot of things going on at the time, and there was no time to stop and think about it. 

Kiro: What about you, what did you want when you were eighteen?

MC: I didn’t really have anything specific either, it’s just that there is a feeling that it’s important to get through each day one by one.

MC: Hope that from this day on, life will change something. I hope that from this day on, nothing will change in my life. *Changed some wording*

Kiro: That’s it.

Kiro looked at the crowd coming and going outside the window. After a while, he took off the pen cap and seemed to have an idea. 

[Stage 3]

That night, when they came back from the mountain, Kiro and I had already decorated the living room with balloons and flowers.

The owner of the hotel kindly gave us several large boxes of Coke. The red cans filled the long table and made up the words “Happy Birthday”.

Shu Shu’s eyes were covered by someone from behind as she was led step by step.

When everyone arrived, the student who was covering her eyes, released his hand. She opened her eyes bit by bit and saw the lively surprise in front of her.

She was at a loss for a while as she covered her eyes in surprise and laughed twice, her eyes welled up as if she was holding back tears.

Shu Shu: Haha I knew it!

Shu Shu: Damn, you secretly planned a surprise birthday party…. Originally, I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to cause you trouble.

Kiro took out the cake from the refrigerator and put it on the table carefully.

Kiro: The eighteenth birthday is very important, so it should be celebrated! 

I drew two tissues from the tissue box on the table and wiped her tears.

MC: The birthday star can’t shed tears today, wipe them quickly and prepare to blow out the candles to make a wish.

When Shu Shu took the tissue, she smiled at me with tears in her eyes and took my hand. *Changed some wording*

Shu Shu: I’m overwhelmed with emotions right now. *Changed some wording*

Shu Shu: I actually didn’t plan to celebrate my eighteenth birthday. Growing up is a very important thing. Am I not ready yet?....

Shu Shu: Say it out, don’t laugh at me. *Changed some wording*

I couldn’t help touching her head and using the remaining tissue in my hand to wipe off the two teardrops on her face.

MC: You don’t have to think so seriously….

I winked at Kiro, and he quickly leaned over, putting on a brilliant smile to comfort Shu Shu.

Kiro: It doesn’t matter, it’s normal to have such thoughts.

Kiro: I have had similar thoughts before. I think it must be very hard to grow up. It is necessary to face all kinds of challenges in this world alone…. 

Kiro: No longer can I be carefree like a child.

Shu Shu was obviously touched by Kiro’s words. She nodded to Kiro with affirmation in her eyes, waiting for him to continue.

Kiro: But actually, did you know that growing up is more fun than being a child?

The dozen or so pairs of eyes in the living room were all looking at Kiro. It seemed that they were all confused, but they didn’t say the same as Shu Shu. 

They all seemed to want to hear the answer to the question from Kiro’s mouth.

Kiro: No matter how carefree life was when I was young, I always lived within the limits of freedom given by adults. 

Kiro: Only when we take that step into adulthood, the door to exploring the world is officially opened to us. The most intuitive is the freedom to control time and money. 

Kiro: You can book plane tickets at any time for an impromptu trip, and you can lie down on a comfortable bed for a whole day.

Kiro: You can earn money to buy things you like, and fill the refrigerator with your favourite drinks and snacks.

While talking, Kiro and I looked at each other.

Kiro: You can also confess openly to the person you like, and walk openly while holding hands on the street. 

I nodded my head, knowingly. Instead, he patted Shu Shu on the shoulder and continued to encourage her with a smile. 

Kiro: So don’t worry, if you blow out the eighteenth birthday candle, you won’t become a boring adult in an instant.

Kiro: Look at me, I have liked playing music and games since I was a child. Even now, I still play music and games in the same way.

Kiro: Believe me, you can freely choose your lifestyle and like it too.

[Stage 4]

Seeing the thoughtful expressions of my classmates, I couldn’t help but blend into the atmosphere.

MC: Do you have plans for what you want to do in adulthood?

MC: When I was a child, I always thought that I must go to an idol concert after work and buy tickets for the first row.

There was a burst of laughter from all around, and the students chimed in one by one.

Classmate A: I just want to have the freedom to drink milk tea. My mother said that milk tea is junk food and never allows me to drink it. I want to drink milk tea in my dreams. *This kid’s a big mood lol*

Classmate B: I want to own a cat. My parents don’t like pets, especially my mother, who dislikes cats that shed hair. I said I would clean up after them myself, but she still refuses.

Classmate B: Once I start working, I will move out and adopt a stray cat.

Classmate C: My parents are very supportive of me. They agree on whatever I want, so I want to be independent early on, find a better job, and earn money to be filial to them.

They talked enthusiastically, drawing up a blueprint to be fulfilled in the future.

In the middle of the conversations, the stars in the mountains are all bright, vying to flash the most dazzling light in the Milky Way.

I quietly approached Kiro and sighed softly.

MC: Eighteen is a very beautiful age.

MC: It’s great to have hopes and dreams in my heart.

Kiro smiled at me with his arms folded and his head tilted happily.

Kiro: What are you talking about, MC? Every age is like this, and the age with hopes and dreams is not only eighteen. 

I accepted his smile knowingly, opened the cake box with him, and put Shu Shu’s birthday candles on top.

Kiro: Come on, let’s get back to the task at hand. Turn off the lights--

As I lighted the candles, the classmates also stopped talking and sang a happy birthday song in unison.

Classmates: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you….

MC: Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~

Kiro: Come and make a wish.

Shu Shu was pushed to the front by everyone, there were tears in her eyes and an uncontrollable smile, her hands were folded to her chest.

Shu Shu: Shall we make a wish together?

This proposal was approved by everyone, Kiro and I were also pushed towards the cake.

The light of the candles flickered in the darkness, reflected in everyone’s eyes, and then slowly, they closed their eyes one after another.

I secretly looked at Kiro, and under the dim light, he opened his eyes and stared seriously at every face present.

Perhaps the subject of “youth” and “growth” has a new meaning in his mind.

After some exploration, it will become his superb performance in the movie.

Kiro: Shu Shu, can you blow the candles? 

Kiro asked softly, his eyes fell on a line of blessings on the cake-- Listen to the inner voice and move forward freely.

[Stage 5]

The night before we left the town, Kiro took me to take a walk outside as a final farewell to this summer camp.

Involuntarily, we talked about the confusion of the students about “growth”.

Kiro: In fact, growing up is not terrible, but the journey of facing the unknown is terrifying. 

Kiro: When I first made a movie, I was also very nervous. Everyone on the set seemed to be very experienced and skilled. Only I was a novice.

Kiro: I often couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night, and I kept thinking about what to do the next day in my head-- not deliberately, but uncontrollable.

Kiro: Every time that I feel I can’t do it, I just bite the bullet and move forward.

He raised his head, letting the evening breeze in the mountains ruffle his bangs, his eyes looking towards the night were clearer than the blue in the sky.

Kiro: Haha, if you tell the kids this kind of thing, they might feel more scared. 

Kiro: But the process is not scary at all.

Kiro: When I look back, I will only find it difficult, but it’s nothing.

He said, turning his head to see the road we have travelled.

Kiro: As it is now, I walked a long way without knowing it.

My heart was filled with the tranquillity of the night, I breathed in the fresh air and stretched out my arms.

MC: And-- There are always beautiful scenes along the road, which makes people forget the tediousness of going forward.

I lowered my eyes and looked at him with a chuckle.

MC: Maybe there will be a very interesting person who can walk with him.

I stopped and stretched out my hand to hold Kiro’s sleeve.

MC: I’ve been thinking these two days, there really isn’t a single moment when we will suddenly change from children to adults….

MC: Like me, I often forget that I am already an adult, and people around me often complain about me, just like a small child. 

MC: Maybe it’s because someone has been tolerating me….

MC: No matter what wild ideas I have, he will agree with me, understand me, and support me unconditionally.

MC: Surrounded by this kind of love, I may never be able to become an adult.

Kiro was taken aback and then curled the corners of his mouth, smiling gently at me in the quiet summer night.

Kiro: Who said so? *This line came out kinda wonky so I hope this is right*

Kiro: I have the people who support me the most, understand me the best, and tolerate me in every possible way, making me feel that I can do whatever I want. 

Kiro: Often more capricious than children, and often makes me feel lucky.

Kiro: --The world of an adult is wonderful, and the world of a child is very happy.

He stepped forward and I saw the stars, the moon, and the mountains reflected in his eyes as well as myself in between.

Kiro: And I can have two worlds at the same time. 

End

[iceeckos12]

some prompt ideas for your perusal! cold hands; lingering gaze; sharp words; an unexpected gift; walking with the wind causing your scarf and hair to billow out behind you.

a;kdjf i am very slowly working through these prompts. thanks so much for sending them! i settled on sharp words. and since you didnt specify the pairing that means i get to pick so....s2 canon divergence jontim??

thank you again to Bloodsbane on discord for helping with characterization.

cw for stalking, jon is vaguely suicidal, casual discussion of tim theoretically murdering jon

It’s two o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, and Tim is standing in front of his house, arms aching under a heavy load of groceries, staring at the person sitting on the bench across from his house. Their face is hidden behind a newspaper, but he can faintly make out the peach-colored plasters that encircle the fingers even from here, and he cannot do this right now.

He sets the groceries down on the front porch with a bit more force than he meant to and marches across the street. The fingers tighten and the paper crinkles loudly as he approaches, but the hands don’t lower, and that somehow pisses him off even more.

Tim grabs the top of the newspaper and yanks, and Jon lets out a surprised cry as half his cover is ripped away. They stare at each other for a moment, Tim so incandescent with anger that he can’t even begin to speak, Jon’s eyes wide and surprised and tinged with the faintest flush of fear.

Tim takes a step forward. Jon lets out a tiny, pathetic sound and flinches, lifting his arms to protect his head, and Tim -

Stops. Feels every bit of the anger drain out of him, replaced with bone-deep hurt and bitter disappointment and pure exhaustion.

“Well?” he asks, gesturing toward his house. “If you’re not planning on leaving, you might as well come inside.”

Jon’s throat bobs as he swallows once, then twice, and slowly lowers his arms. His gaze is still bright with fear as he tentatively asks, “Are you...are you going to kill me?”

Anger flashes through him white hot, and he closes his eyes and breathes through it. Once he feels like he’s not going to start screaming, he opens his eyes and looks steadily down at Jon. “And what would you do if I was going to kill you?” his gaze travels slowly over Jon, noting the rumpled shirt, the stark lack of anything to defend himself with. Out loud he wonders, “What was your plan?”

Jon just looks at him, mouth agape, like he hadn’t thought that far ahead. Tim sighs, turns around, and walks back to the house. Either Jon will follow him, or he won’t.

He’s not sure if he’s disappointed or relieved when he hears quiet footsteps behind him.

Jon doesn’t say anything as Tim lets them into the house, as he puts his groceries away. He just hovers in the living room, looking around warily like he’s never seen the place before, which he has. Tim, Jon, and Sasha used to have movie nights here when they were researchers, and the memory of them sitting together on the couch, laughing over some stupid plot twist or what have you, almost bowls him over.

“Take a seat,” Tim orders stiffly. “Tea?”

Jon opens his mouth, then thinks better of it and simply nods, shoulders tight as a bowstring as he sits carefully on one of the chairs.

Tim thinks about all the things that he wants to say, all the things he probably shouldn’t say, as he fills the kettle. What he really wants are some magic words that will make everything go back to the way it was before they joined the archives, when there were no worms or murderers and things were easy. There aren’t, of course there aren’t, and it’s a stupid, wistful thought, but he wants it so badly that he has to dig his fingernails into the palms of his hands to ground himself.

But that’s impossible, because there were worms, and Jon’s paranoia has a very real source, for all that his reaction to it is invasive and unacceptable. He doesn’t think there’s any possible way to fix it, but there has to be a way to make this better, to - to relieve the pressure, so to speak.

Christ, Tim just wants his friend back.

So he puts the kettle on the stove, removes two mugs and a box of tea down from his cabinet. Takes a deep breath and turns to look at Jon, whose gaze immediately snaps from the house to him.

“So,” Tim begins, then stops, uncertain where to go from there. Then, because Jon is still favoring him with that wary, suspicious scowl, “Stop looking at me like that.”

Jon’s head jerks down and his gaze skitters away, but he doesn’t apologize.

Tim lets out a ragged sigh, drags his hands over his face, and reminds himself that Jon came here despite his suspicion, which must mean that deep down he’s sick of this too. “Jon, this has to stop.”

Jon bites his lip, his shoulders tensing up around his ears. He looks two seconds from bolting, but still he says nothing.

“Christ, Jon,” Tim bursts out, slapping his hand against the counter for emphasis. He almost pauses when Jon flinches so hard he almost falls right out of his seat, but shakes his head and soldiers on. “What - what the fuck do you want? From - from me, from Martin. What can I do to convince you that I’m not some cold-blooded killer?”

“What I want is to find Gertrude’s killer!” Jon bursts out, finally. “If I can just figure it out, get some answers -”

Tim throws his arms into the air. “And then what? You - you’re not even carrying anything to defend yourself. What if I was the killer?” he looks around the kitchen frantically. Points to the kettle, “What if I poisoned this tea? Or,” points to the knife block, “Or took one of these knives out and stabbed you? What then, Jon?”

“Then at least I would know,” Jon grits, eyes wild. “At least then it would be over.”

“Well sure,” Tim retorts, sharp as anything. “And then you’d be no better off than Gertrude, because you’d be dead.”

They both freeze mid-gesture at that. Jon stares at Tim, eyes wide, mouth pressed in a firm, tight line. Tim lowers his hands to his sides, the air in his lungs escaping in one long, slow rush.

“Is that really what you want?” he asks, and it comes out all soft, less like the sharp accusation he wanted it to. “Because...even if you don’t believe me, that’s not what I want.”

Jon finally looks away, his long, clever fingers rubbing senseless patterns against the arm of the chair. “I want to believe you,” he says miserably. “I’m just....”

The kettle behind him screams, and Tim finally creaks into motion. He turns around and mechanically pours the boiling water into the mugs, watching as the liquid almost immediately begins to darken. He adds a bit of the milk that he’d purchased just that day, then some sugar, and walks over to deposit one in front of Jon.

Then he sits down on the couch, cradling the other mug between his palms, and asks, “Do you really think that I’m a killer?”

Jon turns to him, eyes wide. “No!” then cringes inward, one hand reaching up to tug at his messy curls. “Yes. Fuck, I can’t...I just don’t know, Tim. You’re, I don’t think you are, I don’t - but Gertrude didn’t either, did she? She wasn’t, she wasn’t careful enough, and someone killed her, someone got her, and if I’m not careful they’ll get me too. I, I can’t relax, I can’t get comfortable -”

Tim raises a quelling hand, cutting him off before he can spiral any further, burying the hurt that one desperate yes had caused. “So we’re all equally suspicious.”

“Yes,” Jon says, relieved. He picks up his tea, looks down into it, before setting it aside again, like he really does suspect that it’s been poisoned.

“Okay,” Tim says, drumming his fingers against his knee, thinking. Jon is watching him intently, though it’s less frightened and more hopeful, like he’s expecting Tim to magically produce the solution to all his problems. It used to be nice, when someone as smart as Jon looked at him like that. Instead he just feels vaguely annoyed, because this isn’t his fucking responsibility - except he’s committed now, so it kind of is. “...What if I helped you?”

Jon gives him a startled look. “I - what?”

Tim shrugs, trying to figure out how to word this in a way that’ll get through to Jon. “I mean, you said it yourself. You don’t actually have a plan if you find the killer, so it doesn’t matter. If I’m the murderer you’ll be dead, but at least you’ll know.” He can’t believe he’s actually suggesting this. “If I’m not, then you’ll have a second pair of hands helping you figure this all out.”

Jon looks equally incredulous for a moment, but then it fades into quiet consideration. Eventually he says, “...But why? Why would you...”

“Because I hate that you’re doing this, but you’re scared and I don’t think I can convince you to stop,” Tim tells him tiredly. “I’d rather know what you’re doing instead of you just...shutting me out.” That hurts more than anything else, he doesn’t say. “And if I help, maybe this will all be over sooner. Maybe this will finally end.”

For a moment Jon looks at him, and for a moment he gets a glimpse of what’s buried beneath all the primal terror and sleep-deprived fervor: Jon as he was, young and small and scared. That little bit of clarity lands like a gut punch.

“...I’m sorry, Tim,” Jon whispers, curling in on himself, wrapping his fingers in his sweater. “I’m sorry that you have to do this. I’m so sorry. But...yes, please help me.”

“Yeah, well,” Tim forces a wry smile on his face that probably looks more like a grimace, and feels something lock in place. “What are us assistants for?”

[nomattertheoceans]

GIF REQUEST MEME: Favorite season from The 100 - Season four

I love season four for a lot of reasons!! I think it’s the best season of the show and it should have been their last (despite my love for most of s5 ^^) I’m gonna ramble a lot but I don’t want it to take over the gifset so I’ll put it under a cut

Season four is the time of hard, impossible choices for everybody. The bomb at Farm Station, the List, the Nightblood tests, opening the bunker, the anti-radiation medicine…. Everybody is put through the ringer during this season and honestly, this is what I’m here for.

First great point for me personally: They can’t stop the radiations. When season 3 ended with the reveal of the radiations coming, I was legit disappointed with the show, I didn’t want them to spend the season “turning off” radiations miraculously, you know. So when ep 2 of the season aired and the first thing Raven said was “there’s no magic button to stop this” I WAS SO HAPPY!! It immediately got me much more hyped for the rest of the season because I was invested in “riding out 5 years of hell” much more than “let’s find a magic button”. So the season hooked me then ^^

The season is really good at re-using previous themes and twist them in just the right way

Clarke, who was so angry at the council for killing her dad, finds herself in the council’s position, and starts to understand that making such hard decisions is never easy. Making the list for instance, is so different from what she had to do before. The genocide of Mt Weather was an act of despair in the middle of a war, but making the list is a process, she has to truly chose who is “worth” more, which is what the council did when they sent the 100 to the Ground. She choses to hide the truth from everybody despite it going against what she wanted at the start of the show. It’s a really cool change for her character.

The Arkers and Grounders take the decision to test the Nightblood against Luna, the Rock Line thief, and Emori’s will. An obvious reminder of s2 but that I appreciate. I liked the Mt Weather story because of this: the mountain men were the antagonists but they also were the same as the rest of the show, they were doing whatever they had to do to survive, whatever it took, no matter how cruel it could be. We see in this season that when faced with the same decision, our protagonists reach the same result: sacrificing other people’s bodily autonomy to survive is worth it to them. It’s a really interesting theme to bring back because it muddies the waters of who’s right and wrong, and it highlights that in the end, there is no black and white answer.

This season gives us my personal favorite version of Clarke: she’s the closest she’ll get to a true antagonist (only comparable to s5 but s5 is a little bit of a mess so I still prefer her in s4). She has one conviction: saving her people. And to get it, she is ready to lie, to cheat, to kill, whatever it takes. It is interesting because I always saw Clarke in that light. She always believes that she has the right idea and she will do what it takes to get what she thinks is best. That’s where she is interesting to me (I’m not interested in her being an innocent victim forced to take decisions, that’s not how I see her at all and I find her a little dull in that interpretation haha but that’s for another post). Clarke stealing the bunker is a cruel act, but man, it’s incredibly smart. At that moment she knows she’s condeming many people (some of whom very close to her) to death, but she believes deep inside her that it’s the right thing to do so she’s willing to do it. And i really prefer her in those ruthless moments.

Octavia’s arc this season isn’t my favorite, but she is at her best during the last few episodes for me. The creation of Wonkru is one of my favorite scenes of the entire show, even though I saw it coming a mile away lmao (1200 spaces, 12 clans, it was easy to see where they were going!). I love the scene, I love the place it comes from (Octavia channeling Lincoln’s convictions was brilliant). I might not agree with her decisions (skaikru definitely deserved more spots than the other clans), but it makes perfect sense for her character to make this decision. The scene of her talking to Skaikru and telling them they’re no different from the others, and they have to choose or they all die, is also one of my favorites. Octavia received no mercy on the Ark, she had a terribly tragic childhood because of those people who are now begging her for their lives, and she doesn’t budge. The Ark, and the Ground, forced her to be that way, and she doesn’t back away. It’s also all a brilliant introduction to what Wonkru and Octavia will become in s5 (but again, that’s for another post lmao)

I love that we get the introduction of Spacekru because I love their little found family and the scene where they reach the Ring is so good!

Murphy’s speech to Clarke makes me tear up everytime I see it (it really was one of the strongest moments of acting of the entire show, Richard Harmon is amazing in it). Emori also blows me away in the previous episode, the way she’s shown to be ruthless, and cunning, and also how well she reads people. She knew they would come to test someone, and she did everything she had to for that someone to not be her. I love her ^^

I like the plot of the second dawn bunker well enough! (although I will never change my mind that Cadogan was a dumbass for putting it where it is instead of IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST WHERE THERE’S NO RISK OF BUILDINGS FALLING ON IT LIKE WHAT LITERALLY HAPPENED IN S5 OKAY anyway…..), it’s far from perfect but I like that it explains the people coming to greet Becca in s3, and I like that we expand a little on the origins of the Grounders culture (even though I wanted more about this). It’s kind of an “easy” solution, but at the same time it’s not. It was established early in the season before being abandoned, and even once it’s found, it’s not at all a perfect and easy solution. They have to fight for it, decide who lives there, it’s a pretty interesting development. What I mean is that it’s not discovered one episode before the end and it doesn’t solve everything. If anything, it creates more conflict. Which I appreciate alot.

ALSO ALSO Echo is a badass general in this season and I love it. She goes from being a spy in earlier seasons, to full-on commanding armies and being a strategic mastermind and I love it! She’s also ruthless and cunning and I lvoe that for her. It’s also such a good season for her and Bellamy!!! I lvoe all of it ^^

This season also has one of my favorite underrated quotes!!!! I’m gonna use a gif here cause I’m not at the limit yet lmao

“It’s unity day.” GODDDD it’s so good. It’s simple, but it conveys so much information and I love it:

Unity Day: the stations coming together to survive -> we’re virtually in the same situation here.

It’s a happy occasion, a day of survival and hope, just like the hope Octavia gave all the clans with her decisions

But it’s also a day of death and loss. She’s giving Kane a choice: join Wonkru with 100 members, or die in the flames.

It reminds us of the history of the Arkers, and I love when world-building does this thing where both characters are shown to have such a close cultural background that three little words are enough to convey such a strong message. It’s a detail but I love it and I wanted to ramble for a little bit ^^

Clarke’s sacrifice: This is when it gets to “meh” points for the seasons for me. Clarke deciding to stay behind to save Spacekru was a good moment. Yes, I know that if she hadn’t climbed the tower they all would have died anyway, but still. It’s a great moment for her character. She has hurt those people time and time again during this season, she was ready to let them die more than once, and I think she regrets it (although again, I like to see the extremes she’s willing to reach in this season). In that moment, she doesn’t decide that it’s too late to survive so she might as well give up. She knows she’s going to die, and she gives her last moments to save the lives of the people she hurt in the past. And I really love this. That is….. Until Clarke is revealed to not have died. I truly believe that she had reached the ending of her arc in the show, and it would have been a great ending to her character. But that’s also because I believe the show should have ended in s4 lmao. If it had ended, then maybe they could have left her death ambiguois, by showing her reaching the safety of the lab, but not showing her again afterwards. That way, we had no way of being sure she survived, but it was left ambiguous enough to make us decide her fate outselves.

The perfect ending: I didn’t choose the last gif randomly. That scene of Raven and Bellamy looking down on the Earth was in my opinion the perfect shot to end the show. At that point in time, we are left in a place that is very similar to where the show started: the Earth is destroyed by radiations, some people are waiting it out in space, some people are waiting it out on the ground. it mirrors the premise of the show (although in a much smaller scale), but this time, we’re left with hope of what might come in the future. Those two groups know (or hope) that they will reunite, especially with Octavia and Bellamy, the relationship at the core of the show, being separated. If the show ends here, we have come full circle from the pilot episode, and we can imagine how those two groups will reunite in the future. I find that ending the best possible for the show, so even though there’s so much I like about season 5, I wish the show had stopped at that moment, at that shot of Raven and Bellamy looking down on the Earth.

That got reaaaaally long, so…. sorry about that xD If you’ve reached this far, feel free to tell me what you think of this season (or the others haha) or send me asks, or request for other gifsets!!!

[the-silentium]

5²

Masterlist

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x Reader

Words: 2770 words

Warnings: Swearing.

Requested by: @justalittleb1tcrazy​ & Anon

Hi! I love your work, and I have an idea/request if it’s not too much to ask :) i’ve been thinking about a continuation of the 11 Five fic (because I adored it) where the Hargreeves go back to 2019 like s2 and the reader is a part of Sparrow Academy and she’s slightly more edgy personality wise, or something like that lol

Hi! Just finished reading 11 and I sobbed so hard ngl,, would it be alright to ask for a part two?? Maybe it could be about how five goes on after wards, honestly I just need closure :(( it was so good,,,

A/N: Here’s 11 Part 2! Hope you guys like it! @justalittleb1tcrazy​, I already had the part 2 planned in my head, but you weren’t wrong with the Sparrow Academy! (almost) Also, the Sparrow Academy is totally OC, I didn’t go with the comics.

The days following your death were the most exhausting days Five ever lived. Between running around to gather his siblings and trying desperately to find a way back to 2019, losing precious time to sleep wasn’t even an option. He was running on the last bits of adrenaline his body could give him, the determination to find you back in 2019 and apologize profusely while holding onto you for dear life was enough to keep his body functioning for so long. 

When Klaus broke the circle to go fetch the cowboy hat, Five genuinely wondered if the homicidal rage was finally getting to him because the thought of murdering his brother with his bare hands seemed pretty enjoyable at the moment. His patience was running thinner by the seconds and the lack of caffeine in his bloodstream was doing nothing to appease his pulsion. 

As soon as the circle was complete again, the time-traveler visualised the right equations in his mind, warmth radiated through his hands and soon he jumped to the old mansion along with his siblings. 

For a second, Five let himself live the joy of the moment. He finally did it. His dream for the past 45 years was now fulfilled, by his actions the people he loved the most could live in a world where the apocalypse never occurred and will never happen, where they had a real future and where he could live the life he wanted back when he was just a kid in the skin of his now-adult body. 

He dodged Klaus’ open arms and closed his fists to jump to his bedroom, where he knew you were waiting for him to come back from the Icarus Theatre, but the familiar laugh bouncing around in the living room stopped his movement. His heart fluttered in his chest, his desire finally so near. He didn’t lose a second and jumped to the living room, his eyes searching for you excitedly. 

You were seated on the second floor, your legs between the railings slowly swang in the air, your eyes fixated on a book opened in your hands, its words bringing a beautiful smile to your lips. 

He didn’t recon jumping behind you, but next thing he knew, your back was facing him and you perked up at the soft old floor’s whine. 

“Five, you’re back!” The joy in your voice got him to his knees, the relief of finally being able to hold you alive and well in his arms was too much for him to handle. 

On an impulse, Five’s hands reached for your cheeks as you were turning your head to welcome him home, his desperation of the last couple of days showing through the not so delicate kiss he pressed on your lips. 

Stars flashed behind his closed eyelids, not because of the power of the moment like he expected but because of the powerful right hook you managed to land on his temple. Five fell on his ass, stunned, hurt and utterly confused. 

He opened his eyes to see you hurriedly get up from your spot and back away from him. He almost didn’t register the fear in your eyes before you tripped on a nearby bench and fell over. Always quick, Five jumped to your side and caught you before you touched the hard floor. 

“What’s wrong? It’s me, Five!” He asked, his voice laced with worry while his eyes searched your face for any clue of why you attacked him after clearly being happy that he was back. 

“You’re not Five.” You spat with anger. “Let go of me, asshole!” You jiggled in his grip, successfully freeing yourself without much of a fight, your words paralyzing him. It couldn’t be. 

His sibling’s footsteps along with their worried voices echoed around Five but none of their words reached him, his thoughts were way too loud for any sound to break through his mind. 

The answer was obvious. His siblings always managed to fuck up his plans, creating the biggest catastrophes everywhere they went and destroyed everything they touched. They had fucked with the timeline. They had fucked his dream. They had fucked his future. 

Just as Five thought he couldn’t be angrier, a new bunch of people joined your side, one particular brown-haired man wrapping you in his arms from behind and holding you tightly to his chest. The sight of another man holding you made his blood boil in his vein, the feeling reminded him of the deadly phase seven; homicidal rage. If you hadn’t gripped tightly the man’s forearm, Five would have definitely jumped into a fight he was sure to lose but needed beyond reason. 

“Who the hell are these guys?” Klaus’ voice broke the heavy silence of the room. 

The biggest one of the new group turned his head toward his brother and Five already knew what he was going to say. 

“We are the Sparrow Academy. I am Number One.“ 

Five’s eyes were still locked with yours, wishing for this nightmare to end or for you to break out of your act and confess that this was a very elaborate prank like you used to pull on him in your younger years. His salvation never came. 

"Shit.”

Five was surprised his family caught up with the events instead of being clueless as usual. 

Turns out their dad was disappointed enough of them during their meeting in the 60s that he adopted a completely different set of children instead. Five was sure that it wouldn’t hurt that much, knowing his dad replaced him, but it did hurt. A lot. After all he did to save the world, he was replaced like an insignificant object. Oh and to top it all? You fell in love with the current Number Five who can manipulate time as he willed. Out of spite, Five decided to call him Square from now on. 

The lack of sleep mixed with his jealousy was making him very snappy and on edge. When he was trying to stop the apocalypse the first time, you were the only one able to calm him down from his cumulated frustration and anger. You’d take his hand, lay your head on his shoulder and talk to him about anything and everything. 

Maybe it was delusional of him to think that even in another timeline you would remember him if he shared enough time with you. He couldn’t stop thinking that he was the original, the very first Number Five and that you belonged with him and not a pale copy, so he jumped to the kitchen where he knew you were making yourself a drink.

“Hot chocolate.” The sweet scent reached his nostrils and the memory of you showing him how to make it just like you liked played in his mind, stretching his lips into a fond smile. “You never changed.”

“I don’t like what’s bitter.” You shot him a wary look, clearly remembering that he jumped on you earlier. “I thought my Five made it clear, you altered the timeline. Even if another me was with you, I am not yours.” You mixed the hot water with the cocoa mix and turned to get what else you needed to make it perfect. 

You stopped in your tracks when Five showed you the vanilla essence and chocolate chips in his hands.

“Thank you.” You whispered as you took the items from his hands. 

“Happy to know some things never change.” Five stated, following you near the mugs. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw you shoot him a glance when he reached on the shelves for a cup. 

“Do you remember your past and future lives yet?” He questioned as he prepared himself a pot of strong black coffee. 

“H-how do you know?” He was proud that finally your attention was completely on him. “My Five doesn’t even know.” Five tried to ignore the pinch of his heart when you stated that he wasn’t yours. 

“I know a lot about you.” He watched the black liquid fall from the coffee maker into the pot, hoping it would work faster. “Do you remember the 60s?" 

"I remember the French Renaissance, the US colonization and a bunch of other lives but no, I never lived in the 60s.” You frowned, your eyes moving away, surely trying to remember if you really lived in that period. 

“You did, you simply don’t remember it yet. If my theory is right, you won’t remember the 2019 life we had because everything changed in the 60s and erased it. This means that you’ll most likely remember the 60s some time soon and only then you’ll remember our 2019 because it happened back then.” His heartbeat accelerated at the perspective that you’d remember your affection for him and everything would go back to normal. Almost. 

“So you think because I’ll remember my past life I’ll leave my Five for you?” You scoffed. “You’re so frickin’ arrogant.” You grabbed your cup and turned around, preparing yourself to walk away from him. 

“I’m not arrogant!” His frustration exploded. 

“Oh yes you are!" 

"I’m scared!” His voice broke, but he didn’t care. Your furrowed brows relaxed and the insults on your tongue died along with your anger. 

“Why?" 

"I’m scared that I’ve lost forever the person who’s the most important to me. I survived 45 years in the apocalypse for you. I stopped an apocalypse for you. And you don’t even remember me.” At some point tears fell from his eyes, splashing into the cup tightly encased in his hands. “I’m scared I’ll never get to tell you that I love you.” His voice was merely a harsh whisper but you heard it nonetheless. He knew. 

Your footsteps walking away made him close his eyes in agony. Just like the day he found your tortured body lying in a pool of your blood. 

“Stop being an asswad.” You muttered before leaving the room. Five’s cup exploded between his hands, causing shards to cut into his flesh and blood to pool onto the counter. A small smile adorned his lips, a new flame of hope burning into his heart. 

You avoided him like the plague for the next following days, exiting every room he entered and eating outside the manor whenever you could. He found it quite irritating but he knew you needed the time to think. You were starting to remember, he was sure of it by the small glances he received from you everytime you fled to another room. 

He finally got some sleep, his dreams full of the comforting warmth of your arms, sweet words were whispered in his ears while one of your hands lightly combed his hair with your fingers. He desperately wanted to stay asleep, to never leave you again, but life was cruel and he always woke up, the reality hitting him like a brick. You would avoid him, again. He would die inside, again. 

After changing into his newly bought day clothes, Five jumped into the kitchen, his too great need of coffee controlling his actions. He found you seated on the counter next to the freshly brewed coffee pot, a book in hand, a hot chocolate cup in the other. 

“Good morning asswad.” You said without lifting your gaze from your line. 

Five noticed your grip tighten around your book as he made his way toward you. He stopped centimeters away from your knees, his gaze transfixed onto your evading eyes. He patiently waited for you to meet his gaze before bidding you good morning. 

Your breath caught in your throat when he leaned forward, his arm outstretched to grab a cup on the shelve behind you. Maybe today wouldn’t be as bad as the others. 

He poured himself a cup full to the brim and carefully took a first gulp of his liquid addiction. He sighed at the taste, strong and bitter, just as he liked. 

“So I do remember it right.” You closed your book and put it at your side on the counter. Your eyes lifted to meet his, causing Five to almost drop his cup at your tired expression. “What am I supposed to do now?” You sighed and rubbed your face with your free hand. 

Five’s stress level skyrocketed. He knew what you were referring to. You were torn apart between living your present or allowing your past feelings to guide who you are now. He had wished the choice would have been obvious, that you would choose him without an ounce of doubt, but you were struggling. 

“My feelings for you were so strong that I feel them now a-and they confuse me so much. I never felt that for-” You stopped yourself but Five knew what you meant. You never loved Square that hard and he was glad. “But what we had was in the past and what I have with him is real.” Tears gattered in your eyes just as panic flowed through Five’s mind. 

“What we had was real! It’s still real now! You feel it and I sure as hell still feel it!” He put down his cup and softly placed his hands on your knees, desperation to prove his point showing in his eyes. 

“I’m just being overwhelmed by my past.” You shook your head as tears fell down your cheeks. 

“No you’re not. You’re panicking because you remembered me and fell in love with me through your memories. I’m the same man and you are the same woman and you know it!" 

A sob passed your lips and Five reached for your waist to pull you into a comforting hug. Before his fingers even touched your form, you disappeared. Stunned, he turned around to find you into Square’s arms, his angry eyes shooting daggers at Five. 

"Stay away from her.” He growled before disappearing with you. 

Five kicked the nearest chair, pissed off by the time manipulator. He could not fight with someone capable of slowing, quickening or even stopping time. He had to put his last hope in you.

Square stayed at your sides for the next two days. Five saw how his constant presence was getting on your nerves, you needed time alone and he was denying you that out of jealousy. 

Five was scribbling into his notebook when you walked up to him, definitely pissed off. Your hands were closed into tight fists and you huffed as you let yourself fall onto the couch next to him. You lifted your feet onto the cushion and hugged your knees. 

He wanted to reach out for you so much, although it was clear that you needed your space. He waited for you to start the conversation, apprehension eating at him. 

“They say ‘You can’t just give up on someone because the situation is not ideal. Great relationships aren’t great because they have no problems. They’re great because both people care enough about the other person to find a way to make it work.’” You took a deep breath before turning your head to meet his eyes. “I want to make us work. Like we always did." 

Five’s heart stopped. Not in agony this time, but in relief. Happiness overwhelmed his senses and quickly, he reached for you to pull you against his chest and keep you close while tears fell from his eyes as the stress lifted from his shoulder. Your arms snaked their way around his waist and for a moment, he let himself melt under your touch that he needed for so long now. 

"I love you.” He whispered the words he so desperately wanted to tell you in the 60s. 

“I love you too.” You snuggled deeper into his neck, your hot breath on his skin giving him goosebumps. “Thank you." 

"For what?” He frowned, genuinely wondering why you were thanking him. 

“You stopped the apocalypse, Five. You gave so much to save the world.” You pulled away, smiling at him brightly. “Thank you." 

Five realised that he was never thanked before for anything he had done for anyone. His composure melted and more tears ran down his face, the very first acknowledgement of his actions and sacrifices hitting him right in the feels. 

"I’d do it all again for you.” He replied with a broken voice, his throat constricted and tears drowning him. 

You pulled him into your chest after letting your feet fall on the floor, where he cried out of relief that you were still with him and out of exhaustion of everything he went through so that he could ensure that you and his family were safe.

[ichika27]

Mairimashita! Iruma-kun s2 ep21

Last episode for this season!

It’s strange we’re only getting 21. It feels like an awkward number to end on since many other anime that goes on for 20+ episodes have at least 24-26. Oh well, s3 has been announced so it’s all good I guess.

It's still the Apocalypse (the last day of it) and Iruma is trying to finish all of his homework which seem to be going well. He had a lot to do due to homework being doubled.

Why was homework doubled? It's the consequence of a past action...

It was due to the bet from back at the Walter Park arc! They remembered about it (I kinda forgot about it, honestly, since so many things happened since then).

Grandpa Sullivan is the one to choose the winners and decided it was all of them making them all both the winners and losers of the bet. With this, both the prize and punishments applied - they were treated to an expensive meal but they also have to deal with a ton of homework. Kalego-sensei is pissed he had to pay for everyone’s food but was very happy to tell them that they will be suffering for the rest of the apocalypse.

Iruma worked hard and got through all the homework though.

This Apocalypse Iruma had: gone on vacation with his friends, went on a sleepover at a friend's house, and went on a date... so naturally, this time around he's spending time with family!

He and Grandpa are gonna go buy school supplies. I kinda missed when me and my family did that back in the day. I always found shopping for school supplies fun.

Due to the season's earlier events, Iruma has gotten pretty popular it seems so Grandpa gives him anti-recognition glasses for a disguise. Ain’t the boy cute? I dunno why but with anime characters, glasses actually either add or subtract from how good or bad their appearance is.

Haha this reminds me, there’s this anime called “Castle Town Dandelion” and the MC is a girl who hates standing out and in one episode, her sister gave her glasses that could allegedly do the same thing Iruma’s glasses here could. It doesn’t work like that and everyone just acted as if it does to make her feel better. Akane needed this version lol.

They're headed to Magical Street to go shopping! A new area has been introduced to both us and Iruma.

This is apparently where shops, parks and also teacher's dorms are located. I’m wondering why the teacher’s dorms are here when back in the episodes where Iruma joined the student council, it seems he and the student council members were staying over at school. Why isn’t the dorm for faculty members at school, too then? Weird.

Iruma's Grandpa is pretty popular, too. People crowded around him as soon as they saw him but doesn't recognize Iruma due to the glasses. Makes me wonder why Grandpa didn't wear ones himself lol.

Grandpa Sullivan isn’t just popular as he’s well-liked, too.

First, clothes shopping! Iruma tried on a coat as they need some for the upcoming winter. Grandpa decides these were good and takes an entire rack. Damn they're rich lol. He tells Iruma to just wear a different one everyday.

They're buying accessories next and Opera suggest that Iruma buy a collar for his familiar which is Kalego-sensei lol. Iruma knew it would not end well if he actually did that and declines. Opera is disappointed by this... they really want to mess with Kalego, huh?

I think it’s funny but I also pity Kalego-sensei. Having to deal with his senpai’s antics long after graduating. The nightmare of many former students.

Next they're buying books! God this makes me miss going to book fairs.

Grandpa tells the staff at the desk what books he wanted and each one he lists off automatically flies down next to him (pretty cool). Grandpa explains that Iruma would need a lot of books to learn more spells. They talked about the spell Fractal (which Iruma used to princess carry Ameri last episode) and Grandpa tells him that with enough practice, Iruma could also use it to be able to fly. Grandpa takes this chance to show-off to Iruma by using it to take down a shoplifter. Everyone in the store is amazed but Iruma's praise is the one Grandpa cares about the most.

They continue shopping for stuff. This was funny cause the way Grandpa said the lollipop's name reminded me of how Doraemon introduces the items from his pocket. Also, does this mean that lollipop has no expiration date?

The day ends with the two having a talk (Opera went and got the carriage). Iruma says he had a lot of fun at school which made his Grandpa happy knowing Iruma has gotten used to living here. Grandpa tells him that the new semester would be even more eventful than this one and showed him a poster of what I assume would be the festivals the other fans have been mentioning.

In the middle of their talk, Iruma suddenly asks Grandpa about how to become a Demon King (likely cause he overheard some people wondering aloud why Sullivan, a powerful demon, didn't want to take the job despite being qualified for it).

Grandpa is surprised and speechless for a moment but then becomes happy and says if Iruma is asking cause he wanted to be Demon King then Grandpa will support him. Iruma explains he’s just curious.

Flashback! It seems Grandpa used to work for the former Demon King, Delkiller.

Too bad his face is covered. I’m curious to know what he looked like when he was younger.

Oooh... we finally see him - the infamous Delkiller that's been talked about for a long time. His face isn't completely properly shown for now, I guess but he’s shown to be pretty huge. He seems lazy but he also takes pride in the Demon World he's created. The flashback ends here though.

His hair color reminds me somewhat of Evil Cycle! Iruma’s hair color...

We get a bit of lore info from Grandpa about Demon Kings.

Grandpa explains about the 13 Crowns - representatives of the Demon World who help govern it - and that to become a Demon King, one must possess the trust of every single one since they'd be the one to rule the Demon World.

He also explains the role and power of the Demon King - their word is law and they are the Demon World itself. Demons will do as they commanded. The Demon World is a reflection of whoever ruled it and right now, the Demon World is a fun place because Delkiller-sama was a fun person.

Grandpa explains that with all these in mind, he doesn't know if he'd even get the role someday if he wanted it or if he ever did, if he'd be worthy of it. It’s such a big thing after all.

If he did become the Demon King though, he says he'd do this: make the Demon World "Iruma"-themed lol. Seriously though, he says he'd support Iruma if he'd become the Demon King and would like to see what kind of world Iruma would create.

These statements are very ironic considering who would end up being future Demon King haha.

While Iruma said he didn’t want to become Demon King, he did end up thinking about it. What if he did become the Demon King?

Hmm... for someone who isn’t interested, he looked like he was thinking deeply about it.

They get back home and later that night, Iruma checked the stuff Granpa bought him.

Iruma finally gets a hold of the Demon King Prophecy! We've heard about the prophecy before but Iruma probably hasn't yet until now. After listing the stuff about the future king, there’s a shot of Iruma’s hand with his ring haha. Upon reading this, Iruma thought more about it: What kind of world would it become if he were to become the Demon King?

You’re not the only one wondering Iruma. I’m sure the rest of the fandom is wondering that, too.

The new semester begins! The entire Abnormal class is told that they now have to attain Dalet (4) rank before their second year begins as it's the minimum they'd need to graduate - failure results in them losing the Royal One classroom!

--

Not gonna lie, the shopping part of the episode reminded me of the scenes at the beginning of the firsts Harry Potter movies with them shopping at Diagon Alley. It’s fun and I got to see more of the Demon World. I wonder if they’d show us other places in the Demon World in the next season.

Grandpa happily doting on Iruma made me think that maybe it’d have been better for him if he had gotten to adopt Iruma as a child. Iruma is already a teenager and so their time they could spend together wouldn’t be as long or as often since Iruma had friends and busy with school. On the other hand, Iruma gained a lot of experiences in his crappy life before getting here and it did help him become the person he is. I guess the problem here is that he’s human and he probably ages faster than everyone else. :P

Like I mentioned before, it feels weird we only got 21 episodes this time. I was hoping there’d be another arc before the end of the season. There’s already a season 3 announcement and for next year, I think, so its all good. It might feel like a long time but I thought the same back when season 1 ended and now the finale for season 2 had just aired. Time flies fast.

I just wanna point out that in the last scene at the classroom when they were being told about the rank raising they gotta do, Agares is shown with his eyes visible. I’m glad they never put that mask back to cover his face cause he looks good haha. Glad they kept this detail.

Well, thank you for reading this and the other posts, too if you did. I guess we’d have to wait for season 3 now. I’m glad this show is popular enough to gain another season so fast. :)

[bridgertonbabe]

I’m curious to see what role Cressida will play in s2 - if she will try and vie for Anthony’s attention even a little because if not, I can see her being a good plot driver in s3. Obviously we have the rumour that she might be the show version of Rosamund, so if she was trying to woo Benedict and get him to dance and court her and all along he a) has no interest and b) is secretly pursuing her stepsister/maid - gold 😂 Even if she proves not to be Sophie’s family, I still think she’d be fuming to miss out on a ‘second son’ of all people when she once presumed herself worthy of a prince! Also probably sets her up nicely for what I imagine will still be a villainous outing in s4 with Penelope. But that’s just my thought, is there anything you’d like to see done with her character? 😊

Ahead of the season airing tomorrow, all that we've seen of Cressida in the promos is her being one of the first to approach Anthony when Violet announces he intends to marry this season, and there was also one still of her dancing with a displeased looking Colin. Naturally Cressida is going to pounce on any Bridgerton man she can get her hands on. I don't recall Daphne explicitly telling any of her family that it was Cressida who saw her with Simon in the garden and had the potential to ruin her, but if she had told them or mentions it this season then I expect the Bridgerton bros to steer well clear of her. With that being said, I think the brothers don't even need this information to keep her at an arm's length; they can see for themselves through their fleeting encounters with her just how ugly-hearted a person she is.

I have a theory from the still of her with Colin that she's managed to snare him into a dance at the last moment and out of politeness Colin finds he can't say no. Cressida will have noticed how Colin always talks with Penelope and she can't fathom why a Bridgerton man would ever bother to humour a Featherington girl. She spies Penelope in a corner of a ballroom one night and knows it'll be only a matter of time before Colin comes to join her. Cressida gets to Penelope first and perhaps she makes some cutting remark or does something to really upset Penelope and cause her to run off. As she disappears, Colin appears through the crowd expecting to find his friend but finds Cressida instead. He's clearly surprised to find her there and as the orchestra starts up for the next dance, Cressida informs him she is without a partner and holds out her dance card to him, eyeing him up coyly. It's not gentlemanly to reject an offer for a dance and while Colin would love to excuse himself and tell her he's promised a dance with Penelope, his friend isn't around so he has no choice but to acquiesce to being her partner. Typically Cressida would show herself up during their dance, perhaps making some disparaging remarks about Penelope in order to draw his attentions to her instead; however Colin stands up for Penelope and stalks off once their dance is over.

I've also just remembered a little snippet of Cressida with her mother as they catch sight of the Sharmas and she makes a remark about a scandal, which presumably is in reference to Lady Mary's when she left the Ton years previously. The Cowpers would definitely be at the forefront of making Mary feel scrutinised and judged as she settles back into the Ton, but there would also be a bit of jealousy riling them up seeing as Edwina is the new diamond of the season with men lining up to court her. Cressida would go about making bitchy remarks constantly to belittle the Sharmas, and a theory I've seen and like is that instead of the scene in the book where Anthony walks Penelope to dinner in spite of Cressida's comments, it's actually Mary he escorts after he's overheard Cressida's cruel words.

As we go ahead to S3 I'm very much leaning towards the theory that she and her mother are going to turn out to be Sophie's step-sister and step-mother. From what we've seen of Cressida so far she and Rosamund are very much like and can be easily fused into one character. It'll be fun to see her trying to get her claws into Benedict, seeing as he's the only remaining Bridgerton available to her once Anthony's married off and Colin clearly despises her. I can see her making some tactless remark about him being the second son which does her no favours in trying to win him over. For him to fall in love with her step-sister/maid would be hilarious just to see her face when it comes out that Benedict and Sophie are to be married. I do wonder how the Bridgertons would be able to keep her silence though. I know they essentially blackmailed Araminta in the book but I feel Cressida is too spiteful a person to keep that to herself, so I'll be interested to see what happens if this theory turns out to be true. If Rosamund ends up being a different character to her however then best believe they'll pair up to be horrible mean girls together.

What I like about Cressida's character is that there is a nuance to her antagonistic nature. Like any other lady out in society she is desperate to secure herself a wealthy reputable husband and has already suffered the loss of marrying a prince thanks to Daphne. She and her mother are of the mind that the more elaborate and ostentatious a lady's hair and gown, the more likely she'll attain a rich man of noble rank. I imagine she is heavily influenced by her mother - I can't see them coming from a loving household like the Bridgertons - in that her mother married for wealth and status rather than love and this is the template Cressida is trying to follow too. She might appear to be the atypical mean girl in how she picks on Penelope and will judge Mary Sharma, but these are relatively low-hanging fruit for her to hit, and if she does turn out to be Sophie's step-sister then once again she has an easy opportunity to pick on someone of a lower position to her.

Going ahead I'll be interested to see when or if she marries Lord Twombley. I think he was a relatively older gentleman in the books (forgive me if I'm wrong) so while she might be pleased to have married into wealth, she must be thoroughly put out to marry such an older man in comparison to the handsome young men that the Bridgerton ladies and spouses get to marry. She'd realise money can't buy happiness and then when her husband dies and leaves her nearly penniless she'd find herself back to square one again except older and no longer a shiny new debutante. I can see her spitefulness increasing tenfold and if she remains the antagonist for Polin's season then she'll have her sights on taking down Penelope - and I would bloody love to see her reaction when she learns that there is to be marriage between a Bridgerton and a Featherington. She'd throw an absolute fit - how could a handsome and eligible man like Colin want to marry Penelope Featherington when Cressida can't get such a gentleman for herself? She projects all of her despair-turned-hatred onto Penelope and has it in for her. If Cressida can't land herself a Bridgerton then Penelope certainly doesn't deserve such a man. I think as well as the Whistledown blackmailing, it'd be interesting to see if Cressida actually tried to trap Colin into marriage by throwing herself at him. We've yet to see this form of trapping someone into marriage on the show and Cressida would be the perfect fit of desperately trying to get her hands on a man who clearly doesn't want her.

[im-totally-not-an-alien]

Final Fantasy prompts #48

1. Jenova moms Cloud, but he doesn't realize it's Jenova.

Everyone else recognizes her in all her purple tentacly glory, but say nothing because Cloud hasn't looked this happy in years. Maybe its OK to let him live a lie, if only for a little while...

Also, they're kinda afraid of her

2. "Why do you live all the way out in the sticks?" Cid growled, munching on an unlit cigarette.

"Cause I can do this." He said, before whistling and promptly falling onto his back.

"What the hell are you even doing-" Cid began before they were both swarmed by dogs.

Big dogs, medium dogs, fluffy dogs, dogs with small tails so many dogs. Many of whom where licking the blonds face where he lay.

Aka Cloud owns a cabin in the woods for the sole purpose of getting swarmed by wild dogs and letting them lick his depression away.

3. Time traveler Cloud, but not quite.

Its a 12 year old escaped expirement created by fusing Clouds and Sephiroths DNA. S2, as he was labeled, kidnapped Cadet Cloud and kept the struggling blond with him as he traveled to the northern crater.

He keeps referring to Cloud as Mother and Sephiroth as Father, something that freaks Cloud out and made Sephiroth highly curious.

Upon closer inspection, the silverette saw peices of himself in the boy, in his eye shape, in his fighting style, and especially in his personality.

S2 dotes on his Mother, giving him everything he desires, everything but his freedom.

Cloud just has to get used to his life of semi-luxury...and being brodal carried by S2 and every gods damned SOLDIER he meets apparently.

4. RM Cloud wacking Sephiroth in the face with a broom. The silverette just stares at his puppet and says, "Really?"

5. Cloud finding Sephiroth in a moment of weakness and deciding a bit of revenge was in order.

6. Slightly unhinged time traveler Sephiroth x Slightly unhinged time traveler Cloud

7. Yuffie stalking different members of AVALANCHE out of boredom, only to wind up saving one of thier lives

8. Reeves Cait Sith dolls go rouge and declare war on the remaining SOLDIERS, believing that the living J cells in thier bodies were harming the planet.

Reeve doesn't want to hurt his sons. But Cloud has become something of a baby brother to him, and he would never forgive himself if something were to happen to the stubborn blond

9. Time traver Cloud coming to Aerith for advice after he lands, but she immediately sensed the Calamity from the Stars in him and started screaming bloody murder.

He had to fight Reno and Rude and easily defeated them, but by the time he was done, Aerith had escaped, leaving a confused and distraught blond.

He gives Reno an alias to protect his younger self and then promptly decides to GTFO.

Aerith winds up running into Tseng and Angeal, and she spills the beans about the Cetra and her heritage, as well as the Calamity and her child.

Angeal tries not to vibrate with excitement, after all, it looks like his lifelong dream of saving the world might be coming true. It seemed further reinforced by the fact the blond broke into the tower and freed several expiraments and killed many of the scientists. He was seen running off with a red lion-wolf creature before they lost track of him.

He, Aerith, Genesis, and Sephiroth wind up joining a party together to stop him. They essentially blackmailed the company to keep them off thier backs while they saved the world.

Cloud however, joined up with Nanaki and Vincent, but was also being targeted by the AVALANCHE of this time as well as thier own mad scientist, Fuhito, who's almost giddy that three of the esteemed professor Hojo's powerful expirements have escaped and are "Up for grabs"

Cloud may or may not also have a deal going with Jenova, who is offering him guidance with his new abilities as well as love. He knows she's manipulating him, but he feels so lost and vulnerable. He let her in and he wasn't even sure if he regrets it.

Also Jenova manipulating Sephiroth and his group by convincing them that she's "The Goddess Jenova" and revealed that she's Sephiroths mom. She convices them that the blond is evil and must be stopped. No one questions why she only speaks to them when Aerith is away.

Yeah, Clouds not having a good time. Kinda based off of another prompt of mine and I felt the need to expand on it. So, yeah.

10. The president, his son and the directors are killed off by Reeve, who has finally taken a stand and did a hostile takeover of the company.

11. Time traveler Reeve?

Better, Cait Sith gains sentience and time travels

12. Sephiroth revives again after the events of DeepGround and grabs up Cloud, embracing him like a lover as he flies into the air with him.

He basically tells Cloud that he's defeated him three times in a row, he's fascinated by him, and that Clouds going to be his bride.

Cloud is not okay with this

As it turns out, neither is Tifa, Clouds girlfriend.

The ensueing catfight is glorious

13. Cloud gets catcalled more often than anyone in thier little group. Apparently, he's a living creeper magnet, he couldn't tell you how many times people have just disregarded his personal space, bought him crap expecting a 'favor' in return, randomly touched his hair, bugged him for his number or a date, strait up tried to follow him home, ect.

The sheer entitlement both men and women seem to think they have over him is astounding. It's gotten to the point everyone has noticed and became protective of him. The blond himself? He's not afraid to make someone swallow thier teeth, regardless of gender.

14. Angeal loves photography, everyone knows that.

What people don't know is that he takes pictures of anything he deems beautuful. Birds, trees, flowers, clouds...406 pictures of the moon and even more of the stars. That was fine.

The problem arose when Genesis snooped through Angeals computer/apartment and found his secret photo collection. He swiped it and brought it to Sephiroths office to go through it with him.

Everything was normal, until they found a gorgeous picture of Genesis igniting his surroundings in flame.

Then they found some pics of Sephiroth standing in the moonlight with Masamune drawn. They were both extremely flattered by how lovely these were...until it got wierder. There were pictures of monsters, Cadets, Angeal's pup, Zack, several a few pictures of a blond trooper, an anthropomorphic cat with a cape and crown and...Turks?!

The worst part, however, was when they noticed that not a single person, not even themselves, where looking at the camera.

The fact they didn't remember having thier picture taken chilled them further.

Aka Angeal might have an addiction. Or an obsession.

15. Cloud has had a crush on Zack for a long time, but when Zack starts play flirting with him he thinks he has a chance and makes his move...and is promptly rejected.

Cloud plays it off as a joke and Zack buys it. The heartbroken blond finds a place to hide and quietly sob his eyes out.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, for him, he gets found and comforted by the Lord of Loveless himself, Genesis Rhapsodos.

Genesis had followed the subtle sounds of sorrow with the intention of either taunting the individual or reciting Loveless to them, as he adored a literal captive audience...but this...this was different.

He found himself rocking the pretty lovesick fool in his arms and mentally kicked himself for winding up in this situation.

On the other hand, he managed to score a date.

Bonus: Time traveler Sephiroth causing a scene by hard core flirting with CC Cloud and destroying a building and a man with a single swipe of Masamune, thus getting the attention of the entire Shinra army.

Fortunately the battle between the Sephiroths was cut short when Time traveler Cloud intervened with a spray bottle full of Aeriths holy water and essentially held him at gunpoint (spray bottle point?) as he retreated.

He fled before anyone could do much of anything, thus leaving everyone involved with so many unanswered questions.

[the-fallen-order]

devil eyes.

I’ll be honest with you all, I’ve never posted any of my writing. Super nervous, honestly. I was sent a Star Wars fic by a friend and I kept getting the urge to write.. Between me and two friends (they helped with ideas), this is a bit of what we came up with. I’m going to post it on ao3, I think, but I’m a bit self-conscience and kinda scared lol. 

This isn’t the whole thing, just a bit - I’d love some (constructive) feed back..

While Hera is an OC, I tried to leave her fairly ambiguous, so you can view her however you want. I have an idea in my head of what she looks like, but I will leave that up to the reader (unless anyone is interested in what I envisioned). 

(PS. Yes, I know there is a Hera in Rebels, completely unrelated)

I’m also up for collaboration, or doing one shots! I tried really hard to keep stuff canon, but I’m not perfect.  It doesn’t look like any formatting copied over, so I apologize for that! 

This is set AFTER the ending of S2 of The Mandalorian. I don’t believe there are any spoilers...

................

Tattooine.

A wasteland the Huntress was certainly not keen to be on again. It was hot, almost unbearably so, with more sand than she had ever cared to see in her lifetime. An unremarkable planet with twin suns, once home to Jabba the Hutt and his palace. She had visited the palace once, had watched someone – a slave that had done Jabba wrong, she presumed – get dumped into the rancor pit, and she had never wanted to return. The only saving grace of the planet was the podracing.

Yet, money talked, and she found herself back on the awful planet once more, tracking a quarry through the vast desert wasteland of Tattooine. She had narrowed her search down to a small village sitting at the bottom of a mountain - an interesting place to hide, she thought, considering there were much better places to play hide and seek with a bounty hunter. The tracking fob in her hand was blinking more steadily now, indicating she was in the right place. Placing it back in her pocket, she reached up to readjust the hood of her black cloak before pulling her binoculars off her belt to get an idea of what exactly she had gotten herself into.

She knew there would be more bounty hunters coming – Greef Karga, who had given her the bounty puck – was notorious for handing out more than one puck for the same bounty, especially when they were high priority. Most hunters within the guild dreamed of getting bounties like this, but very few were qualified for the High Risk, High Reward type of bounties. Which led to a lot of resentment towards the hunters that were qualified.

The village seemed devoid of any natives. The Quarry had most likely captured the ones that inhabited it or had them killed if they resisted. The beings left milling about were undoubtedly guards hired to protect him, most likely heavily armed, too. At least ten, from what she could see through the binoculars, with an unknown amount inside the huts. It would be challenging, but doable.

“Don’t move.” A modulated voice from behind her broke her train of thought. Her breath hitched as the tip of a blaster was pressed against the back of her head. Another bounty hunter, no doubt. How did I not hear him?

She slowly raised her hands. “I’m in the guild.” The Huntress said.

“I know.” He replied. “This is my bounty.”

Uh huh...

“Maybe we can make a deal,” She suggested, “There’s at least ten guards down there, with who knows how many inside the huts waiting for us.”

He was quiet, watching her. The Huntress slowly turned around to face him, hands still raised in the air, her eyes widening at the sight of Beskar. Oh, fuck. A Mandalorian. Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is not good.

There had been talk of another Mandalorian bounty hunter, one that wasn’t Boba Fett, one that was ruthless during his hunts and never backed down from a fight. He had been Blacklist approved.  He seemed to be following in the footsteps of the one and only Fett, with some kind of vendetta against the galaxy fueling him.

“What’s the deal?” He asked finally, blaster still pointed at her head, his finger on the trigger.

“We can split the bounty.”

Dead silence.

Her heart was racing. She had had plenty of blasters pointed at her, had been shot at plenty of times, shot a couple times, but never by a Mandalorian. They were deadly warriors, not ones to be crossed or stand in the way of. Rare as they were nowadays, when one did show up, it was never a good sign.

“We do this my way, then.”

“Your way?” She shot back.

“Yes.”

“I was here first.”

He stared down at her cloaked figure, contemplating.

“I could kill you and have the bounty all to myself.” He said, almost passively, like he was toying with the idea.

Oh fuck. Think…think!

“Even that Beskar of yours can only protect you from so much, Mandalorian. Half of the pay is still better than none if we are both dead.”

“We do this my way, then.” He lowered the blaster to his side, kneeling down beside her, pressing a button on his vambrace that changed the view mode of the visor in his helmet. The Huntress lowered her hands, putting her binoculars back on her belt.

Stars, he was intimidating.

“Quarry is in the far -right hut.” The Mandalorian said, “With more guards hiding inside. Let’s go.”

She sighed quietly, mostly to herself, before following him down the side of the mountain. What am I thinking?

The Huntress stayed low, quietly making her way to the first hut, listening intently as the sound of enemy footsteps came towards her. Vibro-blade in hand, she moved swiftly, her free hand covering his mouth to muffle him as her other stabbed the blade into his neck, pulling him back behind the hut as he struggled against her. She twisted the blade in deeper, his body going limp in her arms as she pulled the blade out, dropping him to the ground.

She continued to make her way through the small village, quietly taking out guards with her vibro-blade as she went. As she set another now-dead guard on the ground, blaster fire suddenly erupted around her. She peaked around the edge of the hut she had snuck behind, watching as mass chaos unfolded in front of her.

Ah, the Mandalorian has been seen.

Guards were everywhere now; she had quietly taken out five, but those five had been replaced by another twenty and they were all shooting at the Beskar-clad target. She couldn’t blame them, though; he was a truly enticing target to shoot at.

Sheathing her vibro-blade, she pulled her blaster from it’s holster and open-fired at a few of the enemies, watching as the Mandalorian disintegrated one with his long rifle.

Impressive.

She kept her gaze on the Mandalorian whose cover was quickly becoming compromised. Turning her attention back to the guards, she began firing more rounds at the them to draw their attention away from him and onto her. The Mandalorian gave her a quick nod - she assumed it was his way of saying thank you - and used the opportunity she had provided to him to move his position and disappear behind the other huts.

Pulling a thermal detonator off of her utility belt, she armed it and threw it in the direction of the guards, peeking her head back out after it had detonated, eliminating the group. It was stupid of them to congregate in one area like that, but she supposed that’s what you got for hiring bandits to protect you, rather than highly trained mercenaries. Even with them being heavily armed, idiots could only do so much.

The blaster fire had mostly ceased after the blast, with one or two guards left trying their best to take out the two bounty hunters. She almost felt bad for them. Watching as one was disintegrated, she took out the last one standing and moved to join the Mandalorian in the last hut on the right.

Walking through the door, blaster drawn, she watched as the Mandalorian cuffed the bounty, who was pleading and crying to let him go, that it was all a misunderstanding. “Whatever you’re being paid, I’ll double it if you let me go!” The Huntress rolled her eyes at that - that was like the go-to statement of the century for quarries when they knew they were caught. She holstered her blaster, continuing to watch the Mandalorian. He pulled the bounty towards the door by the cuffs, stepping past her as if she didn’t exist.

“What are you doing?”

“I told you this was my bounty.” He replied.

“We made a deal.” He stopped, looking over his shoulder at her.

“Deals off.”

“Fight me for it.” She taunted, clenching her fists in preparation to fight. Her blaster was no use against the beskar, this she knew. The Mandalorian let go of the bounty, pulling the long shiny spear from off his back and turned to look at her. His body language conveyed the message to her very clearly; he was pissed.

“We had an agreement, Mandalorian.”

He charged at her, taking a swing at her with the spear. The Huntress crossed her arms at her wrists, letting her own beskar vambraces take the impact of the attack, the sound of beskar-on-beskar rang through the air as he pushed her backwards towards the wall. She stumbled a few steps backwards, regaining her balance as he swung again. She ducked, throwing a punch at his unprotected side, making contact. The Huntress quickly stepped back, activating the flamethrower on her vambrace, forcing him to step back away from her.

“Where did you get those?” He asked harshly. She disengaged the flamethrower, watching him cautiously, both of them poised to continue fighting. Mandalorian’s took their armor very seriously; especially when it was a dar’manda wearing the armor. This she knew all too well.

“This is my arm--“ Was all she managed to get out before he used the grappling line in his vambrace to constrict her, watching as it wrapped around her, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground with a thud.

She struggled to get loose from the line as he pulled her towards him, only stopping once she felt the familiar sensation of a blaster being pressed against her forehead. The Huntress stared up at him, fully expecting him to pull the trigger on her this time.

The silence between the two was almost palpable.

“…Kandosii?” It was almost a whisper, barely audible through the vocoder in his helmet. Her heart skipped a beat at the nickname - she hadn’t been called that in years. It was foreign, almost, the familiarity of it just out of her reach. The sound of the Beskar spear hitting the ground echoed through the hut as the Mandalorian studied her – the Mandalorian armor, now painted a familiar blue, her fighting style….her eyes.

She was alive.

[late-to-the-sexy-party]

Half a Pint of Sex

A little AU that takes place during S2 E1. What if Rae didn’t leave after she saw Finn in the shower?

Also posted on AO3.

Thank you as ever to Lil, my beta reader from another mother: you are exacting and wise and very exciting to work with. 

@madfatty @burnnmyhearttout @thatfunnygirllauren @hellothisismebye

Rae was in a tizzy as she walked back from the lingerie shop. It was all well and good to bare everything in front of Chloe and Izzy and the baps-expert bra lady, but…ugh…who was she kidding? Even that was horribly uncomfortable. How could she ever do this with Finn? She closed her eyes and counted to ten. “He likes me,” she reminded herself. “He’s already touched my lady bits and he wants to go camping and he knows we’re getting three tents. Relax, idiot! He likes you. He really likes you.” She repeated the affirmation, though suspected this could all change once Finn really saw all of her. But the pep talk and the teal underwear in her shopping bag gave her a surge of confidence or maybe it was just hope. Whatever propelled her, she found herself heading to Finn’s house. Maybe to show him. Maybe not. 

Meanwhile, Finn was in his attic, waist-high in boxes and sorting fairy lights from Christmases past. Most of his thoughts were preoccupied by the camping trip and how not to let on that he was preoccupied. Being attentive to Rae was work but the best kind. It felt good to be in this deep, to care this much. Anyway, their first time would not be in a tent, that was not how he’d pictured it, hence ten calls to arrange the surprise caravan and a whole morning in the attic. He was glad she’d been busy earlier because he was crap at making excuses. He was covered in dust from his efforts, but now he just wanted to see her. Fuck it, he was going to go over to hers even if he had to wait around until she got home. He headed to the shower to wash up.

Rae’s feet automatically slowed as she approached Finn’s house; much had changed since the first time she’d walked up to his door. When she was with Finn their chemistry was obvious and magnetic, but when they were apart the whole thing still seemed impossible. If she could get back in the same room with him, the rest should take care of itself. She needed to trust in the strange magic of them. She pushed herself forward with the memory of Finn’s reassuring smile, his promise of “to be continued.” Gary welcomed her inside amidst a haze of Dire Straits. Rae prayed her own straits were not so dire.

Finn’s thoughts were racing in the shower. Was he putting too much pressure on her? He was pretty sure the whole thing had been Rae’s idea. It was a sleepover and she’d asked for three tents. And she had let him touch her the other day in her room, but then Linda had barged in and it just didn’t feel right to continue. He’d run off to footy practice even though he’d planned to skip it. But now it was all he could think about, how ready she’d been for his fingers. The hot water across his shoulders was starting to remind him of that warmth and how it had spread to her wickedly soft inner thighs. He rubbed at his stiffening cock but glanced up to find the door open, and his dad didn’t need to see that. He turned the water a little colder–he would wait until he was in his room to finish that thought.

Rae climbed the stairs with a distracted smirk on her face and heard the water running as she reached the top. Was Finn in the shower? Was he showering with the door open? Who showered with the door open? “Oh,” she thought, as she saw his wet and flawless frame turning away, “people with perfect bodies.” And there it was, the arse she coveted, bare as the day he was born, as peachy as she’d ever imagined.

Suddenly, she was struck with a huge choice: run out of this house straight to the airport and jump on a plane to the North Pole to live in a cave and raise polar bears and never again see a human arse that would remind her of what she couldn’t have OR literally put on her big girl pants and meet her own life head on. Seeing as she’d spent her last pound on the pants, air travel was out of the question. She walked halfway down the stairs and back up three times before finding herself in Finn’s room. The next set of events was a blur, as she ran to the window and yanked the curtain over to block out as much light as possible, raced into her new underwear while holding the door closed and finally dove under his duvet and slid herself all the way to the wall.

Lying in Finn’s bed, Rae was shocked by her own actions, completely out of breath and utterly grateful that Chloe had explained what she meant about preparing for “naked time” with Finn. That morning, Rae had shaved her legs, continuing above her knees which she hadn’t even realized was a thing, and she’d smoothed out her underarms and even tidied up her unruly thatch of pubic hair. As she awaited the inevitable, she tried to make herself as small as possible, but her flesh refused to cooperate and kept falling around her in the most hideous of ways. Every time she angled herself to smooth one area, another rolled up and out, and she was quickly getting itchy and hot in all the places where her skin was rubbing against itself, and this was all a very bad idea, and her head was pounding and she thought she might throw up. Her fevered train of thought came to an abrupt halt as the freshly-bathed scent of Finn Nelson burst across her senses and then he was there in the room, in his boxers and running a towel over his head. He didn’t see her at first, as he was taking in the closed window curtain with mild confusion.

“Don’t be scared it’s just me!” Rae blurted out as she pulled the duvet up to her nose. “Hiya.”

Tracking Rae’s voice, Finn found her wedged in the corner of his bed. Her position was almost comical as if she were trying to disappear into the wall, but this did not diminish the salient fact: Rae was in his bed. She was under his duvet. She was hiding something, possibly nakedness. His body was reacting faster than his mind and he quickly moved the towel down to hide his excitement. He was turned on; he was touched, and he was stunned by the boldness of her gesture. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he could see that she was terrified.

“What are ya doing under there, girl?” He asked in a tone he hoped was both non-threatening and affectionate.

“Oh nothin’,” Rae responded. “Just thought I’d make sure you had sheets under here.”

“Oh, and do I?” Finn couldn’t help but flirt as he moved slowly towards the bed. He was still having trouble processing what was happening, but whatever it was, was very good.

“Yes, comfy sheets.”

“They’re comfy, eh?” Finn was fully loving the dynamic now. He felt a little bad for torturing her like this, but he knew this would all work out even if she didn’t seem to. “Can you feel them especially, ‘cause maybe you’re not wearin’ anything?”

“Oh, I’m wearin’ something…some…things…” Rae was biting her lip, rolling her eyes and blushing to her toes.

Finn was standing right up against the bed now. His curiosity was beyond piqued, but he knew Rae was regretting her actions and he needed to get her back on board. He was always most confident expressing himself from his arsenal of smiles, and he carefully chose one for her that conveyed sympathy, encouragement and understated joy. When he saw the muscles around her eyes relax, he spoke, “I’m really glad you’re here.” Then even more gently, he added, “Would it be okay if I joined you under there?”

Rae nodded, and Finn slipped cautiously onto the bed, keeping a respectful distance and his eyes on her face.

“So, what are these… things…you’re wearing?”

Rae huffed and rolled her eyes, “Chloe took us to a lingerie shop and I wound up buyin’ this stuff. But they’re totally impractical and I don’t think they look good on me. And I mean, I’m not even sure if you like my boobs, because they’re too large and they’re not made for lacy-”

“Rae…Rae!” Finn was struggling to get Rae’s attention and she finally stopped babbling long enough to look at him. “Do you not know how I feel about your boobs? Guess you hadn’t noticed me looking at them all the time when we first met? Archie and Chop had to tell me to stop!”

“Nah… I hadn’t…” Rae attempted a nanosecond of mental acrobatics, trying to immediately recall all the times this could have happened. It was new information and she couldn’t help but smile and then laugh, “Chop had to stop you?! But Chop looks at them all the time!”

“Yeah…” Finn winced “Now he says if I get to touch’em, then he should at least be able to look at’em.” He scrunched his face and waited for her to punch him.

“What?! Oh thanks for that! Really defending my honor, eh?” The banter was so normal, that for a minute, Rae forgot they were in a bed and half naked. “You know Chop needs to watch himself or Izzy’s going to get seriously insecure. I know she already feels—"

Suddenly Finn was kissing her–his version of oral sparring was not really fair, because he always won.

Finn was glad she was back to form, because he was addicted to transforming loud opinionated Rae into quiet, yielding Rae. Kissing her was like unlocking so much sweetness, and it was all for him.

When she stilled, he spoke quietly, “Anyway, I told Chop, that was bullshit and he had to stop.” Finn continued with a playful pout, “But can we not talk about Chop anymore? Besides…I haven’t really touched them… not really…”

Rae was pleasantly transfixed by the recent kiss and his current gaze. This back and forth between humor and seriousness, teasing and affection, of her knowing him and his knowing her was the alchemy she needed. She bit her bottom lip as she slowly lowered the duvet to her waist, revealing all the cream and teal she’d been hiding. Finn gasped and stared, and Rae felt like she was on fire. His hand instinctively reached out to touch her, but he stopped himself.

“Can I?” His breath hitched on the words and Rae felt a sense of control that she had never known. She could feel how truly sexy she was in that moment with her hair flowing around her face and her lips parted. She looked at him from beneath her lashes and knew how completely she had him. All of time seemed to slow down in that astonishing moment.

When Rae finally spoke, “Yeah,” was all she said. He reached towards her hesitantly and ran his finger along the top of her shallow bra cup, tracing the entire seam where it met the soft flesh of her right breast. Finn’s eyes were on hers, as he slid his finger below the edge, lowering it inch by inch until her whole breast spilled out. They held each other’s eyes with half shock and open mouths. Gradually his eyes lowered to take her in, the fullness, the large dark areola, the perfectly protruding nipple; the sight drew his tongue forward. Then, just as slowly, Finn freed her from the left cup and felt woozy with the vision that lay before him.  

Rae smiled as she watched Finn’s reaction and relaxed into this new sensation of feeling like the best thing he’d ever seen.

“They look so good, Rae…” Finn was nearly stuttering, “better than I imagined.”

Finn was consumed with looking, just feeling her with his eyes for a full minute before finally sweeping his fingers around the outside curves of her and his thumbs against her nipples. He kissed her then, pressing his whole body into her, knowing she could feel him hard against her leg.

It all turned hot and heavy quickly as they licked and sucked at each other’s lips and tongues. They were grinding against each other’s thighs and her hands were grasping at his hair and his hands were full of her breasts. Things were escalating and their hearts were racing, when Rae put her hand between them and pushed him back.

“Are you okay?” he panted, concern registering in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m good,” she panted back. “So, so good… I just don’t think I’m… ready…”

“Oh, Rae,” Finn smiled. “We don’t have to…there’s so many other things we can do… I mean…if you want to…”

“Yeah…I want to…” Rae smiled, and Finn remembered she had her own arsenal, and this was the one–so wide and genuine and beautiful–that lit up his heart.

“Honestly,” he added, “I’m just chuffed to see you in your underwear.”

“You really like it?” She asked, pretending the question was not rhetorical.

“Yeah, I really like it,” he answered, as if she didn’t know what an understatement that was.

“Do you think your dad might…?

“Nah.. not if my door’s closed.”

“So he’s not makin’ hot pot or anything? Maybe needs some ingredients?”

“He won’t bother us,” Finn grinned as he spoke. “He knows you’re up here. And he totally loves you.”

Rae smiled to herself wondering how many Nelsons might love her. Finn shifted out of the bed to put on some music.

Rae teased him, “Oh, let me guess…”

“Oi!” Finn shot back, “I’ve been waiting for this. You can’t deny me it.” He pulled out his album of decidedly not crap reggae and lowered the needle. “Plus now my dad will really know to stay away.”

As she watched him return to bed, bopping his head suggestively to the music, Rae giggled and felt her whole body melt and tingle in anticipation. “So, where were we, girl?” Finn asked as he crawled in next to her. He looked into her eyes and ran his fingers through her hair, and Rae was very happy to remind him. 

[artificialqueens]

What’s going on with you two? (Vahli) Chapter 1 - Delia555

So, I wrote this because I rewatched Dragula s2 for the billionth time, and my brain refused to let me ignore how Victoria and Dahli had such a cute connection on the show, so this this was something totally different for me to write. Please tell me if you like it, and I’ll gladly continue with this story. ღ ღ

Trigger warnings include: Mentions of death, very mild mention of a suicidal mentality ((not really worth saying, but I’d rather ensure you’re all aware! ღ ))  

A/N: This is set during Dragula and to clear up any confusion you could have later, on a whim I decided that the exterminations were legitimate and the contestants sign up for the show, taking the risk of possibly dying. It’s dark! But the next drag Supermonster surely has to be able to risk it all for the crown?

****I’m fairly certain I’ll be only providing Dragula content, and am always up for any requests****

——

The floor show had ended a few hours ago, and it was announced that 6 of the contestants were officially up for extermination. They’d have to face off in a paintball battle, where two girls at a time would have a one vs one fight to the death. The girl with the most hits, or ones in the more critical of places, would therefore lose and risk extermination. 

This week, Victoria and her Fortune-telling character has scored her, her very first win so far. She was ecstatic, and calmed at the knowledge of Dahli and Abhora being safe from extermination alongside herself. The three girls got a perfect view of all the action to come, a decent distance away but close enough to feel entirely engaged. 

For the final face off, Biqtch Puddin and Monikkie Shame has been paired up against each other; a splendid yet typical gag thanks to their recent arguments. Biqtch had waited for Monikkie to run out of shots before she even fired her first, and managed to shoot her in the mouth while the splats on herself remained exclusively on her back and in no particularly critical spots. 

Abhora began to laugh maniacally at the drama unfolding before her very eyes. Victoria and Dahli could barely contain themselves at the sight of everyone, it was hilarious. Abhora seemed to be losing her shit, and Monikkie seemed to just be…losing. Victoria grabbed onto Dahli’s arm for support during her own uncontrollable fit of laughter, and she felt Dahli half-heartedly ease her back with her hand through giggles; resulting in an overwhelming chill rushing all the way down her back at a rapid rate. 

The sensation distracted her from whatever had been so funny to her before, and she simply brought her head up to look into Dahli’s eyes that were now disguised by white contacts. Dahli paused the movements with her hand on Victoria’s back, to see the girl beneath her stiffen at the loss of contact, and doubt flooding her mind. 

All Dahli responded with was another one of her smirks of pride, and she took Victoria’s hand, guiding Victoria’s body back up from its awkward position where she’d been half-bent over. Victoria felt her heart thumping aggressively against her chest, and she struggled to maintain self-control despite the cameras surrounding them and knowing better. 

——

When the cameras cut and filming had been declared wrapped up, Victoria and Dahli hadn’t exchanged many words, neither of them quite certain whether to mention earlier. 

Today had genuinely been great, Victoria had achieved her first win, laughed more than she had in months, and seen a different side to Dahli than previously. Victoria found Dahli easiest to relate to out of all the other contestants, she always maintained her chill and today proved she could somehow manage to keep Victoria on her toes - regardless of how much of a control freak Victoria was. 

Victoria couldn’t tell you what she was doing when she accepted Dahli’s invitation to crash in her hotel room that night. It was no big fuss, and it didn’t need to become one. Victoria had a budding friendship with Dahli and she assured herself she had no justifiable reason to turn down the casual offer. 

The time had just passed 10 pm, and it’d been dark out for hours at this point. Sometimes Victoria got lost in the night’s sky, it sounded cliche and poetic but it proved true from since she was only a young girl. Street lamps and occasional store-lights were the only thing illuminating the space surrounding the two as they stepped out from the Uber. Dahli tipped the driver and walked round the car over to Victoria, acknowledging how at ease she seemed in comparison to earlier. Dimmed orange lights bounced off her soft bare skin, and her grey curls were now distressed as they hang loosely after being securely hidden for the majority of the day. She took in the beautiful sight of Victoria, leaning back against the street lamp and pressing another cigarette to her lips, wasting no time in lighting it. 

“That didn’t take as long as earlier.” Victoria pointed out, giving a pressing look and taking a few steps closer to Dahli. 

“What are you trying to say?” She hummed, tilting her head back and exhaling the smoke from her cigarette into the chilled air, watching briefly as it slowly rose above her head, diffusing into the nights sky. 

“I’m trying to sayyy…” Victoria drawled, her eyes following the smoke momentarily, before returning back to Dahli and tilting her head in favour to one side. “Maybe you just wanted your mouth close to mine.” Her voice was now merely a whisper. 

Dahli’s face broke into one of uncertainty, and for the shortest moment her guard threatened to drop. 

“Shut up, you’re so full of shit.” Dahli teased, prodding at Victoria’s stomach playfully with her fingers. 

Time appeared to have frozen, and earlier seemed to repeat itself when Dahli had suddenly stopped her movements again, Victoria’s mind involuntarily wandering to places like before. One thing was different though, and that was that Victoria didn’t have a single camera to worry about. She’d made it known that she had a boyfriend before, and Dahli had made a harmless joke about how she could be added, however it didn’t come across so harmless when she looked into Dahli’s contact-less eyes. 

They were lit up, sparkling almost, and Victoria swore to herself this shit only happened in movies. This was dumb, and would undoubtedly provide Vic with a tonne of problems to deal with later on. 

Victoria pushed Dahli’s hand off her stomach, and moved in even closer to Dahli, pressing her head into her torso at the harsh reality of all the feelings she was experiencing. It took a while for a response from Dahli, and Victoria questioned if she’d been too inappropriate, ready to step back and somehow magically erase her actions. 

That was until, she felt two slender arms wrapping round her back and holding a firm grip against the exposed skin at the cutout of her dress. She audibly sighed of relief, and cuddled in closer to Dahli’s chest, taking in some of her smoke as she breathed, relaxed for what felt like the first time today. 

They stayed there in silence for a few minutes, Dahli eventually loosening her grip to put her cigarette out, deciding to grab onto Victoria’s hand and lead her into the hotel lobby to finally escape the cold. 

The place was nothing of luxury, it was simplistic and minimal; the walls were burgundy and there were a couple benches dotted around the room for visitors to sit nearby rows of fake plants or small coffee tables. If you looked close enough, you could pick out how the seats were worn and old, and the wooden coffee tables had splinters in their edges. 

Victoria trailed behind Dahli as they headed for the elevator. There was a blatant lack of space even from the outside, and it caused the rest of the lobby to appear truly stunning in comparison. Regardless, today had been beyond tiring and there was no possible way that either girl would make the conscious decision to climb the stairs over this option. Dahli pushed the button for the elevator, and thankfully there was nobody else occupying it nor wishing to. She gladly pulled Victoria in after her, and pressed the button for her floor. The walls felt even more confined from the inside, and Dahli stared down at her feet for a brief moment. 

Victoria was done with this shit, though. If she was really honest with herself, she’d known she was a goner since Dahli had came over to admire her preparation for the floor show earlier. 

Her grip on Dahli’s hand consciously tightened, and without taking any further time to plan out her actions, she backed Dahli into the hard elevator walls, their fingers now interlocking with one another while she slammed their hands against the space beside Dahli’s head. Their lips smacked against each other’s in a lustful and heated kiss, Dahli closing her eyes in response to the desperately awaited taste of Victoria’s soft lips. She bit down on Victoria’s bottom lip, sucking at it unforgivingly before grazing her tongue over the same spot. 

“Mhmmn.” Victoria groaned at the sensation, clearly accepting of Dahli’s intentions. Dahli was about to slip her tongue between Victoria’s parted lips, but found herself being cut off by the sound of the elevator doors opening a few floors too soon. 

The both of them instinctively broke apart, fearful of whoever may see them together - and thank God they did. Before they even had the opportunity to step out of the elevator and run for their lives, they were met with a smug James Majesty. 

“Hey ghouls.” She grinned with a cheeky wink, flipping her teal hair behind her shoulder and stepping into the elevator to join the stunned girls. 

James blatantly looked Dahli up and down, caring not enough to try and disguise her look of disgust. “Where’s the shirt from, my grandma’s closet?” She audibly laughed to herself, barely even getting the sentence out before doing so. 

Dahli rolled her eyes in response to the usual snarky comment, bringing her finger up to her own neck and pretending to slice her throat. 

Victoria felt the danger in this whole scenario build up in her mind, the close call putting things truly into perspective and allowing her to realise how she really felt alright in still going through with them - in spite of all the reasons not to. 

Everything got too overwhelming, and she pushed another button for the elevator, hurrying out and abandoning James and Dahli. 

For a split second, Dahli considered chasing after her, but it didn’t feel right in front of James…maybe part of Victoria wished she would’ve.