#chapter covers of characters that aren't involved

[epickiya722]

Ah, yes, the infamous clash between Geto and Yuta and Rika!!

[shsl-analyzer-guy]

So recently I made a post about why I think Chihiro makes the most sense within the context of her own story as a transfem. It was a post made right after an all nighter, so I'm honestly surprised how coherent I was able to make it lol, but anyways, I wanted to keep talking about it. I think I covered pretty well about why Chihiro being trans is more impactful for her, but not so much why transfem specifically, and not transmasc. Basically, the goal of this post is to explain why I think a lot of people are weirded out by the transmasc headcanon in a way that hopefully doesn't feel like an attack

I'm well aware that a lot of people that enjoy transmasc Chihiro are transmasc themselves, and see themselves in said interpretation. This is generally true of a lot of trans interpretations of characters, but especially here, as the canon explanation of Chihiro's character is "he feels immensely uncomfortable pretending to be a girl so people won't make fun of him." I myself used to adore the transmasc headcanon. I hc'd Chihiro as wearing a packer, that Kyoko could tell it was an artificial dick, and everything that followed was the class being Super Cool about trans people because it just seemed like the easiest out for all the transphobia within her story. Besides, I quite liked Chihiro, and 'boy who feels like he must dress like a girl for people to assume his identity' was something I related to a lot.

The thing is, the more I looked into that interpretation, the less sense it starts to make. Again, as a GNC trans man, I like to wear skirts and things like that. Clothes don't have gender, after all, and they can be way more comfortable than pants, especially when you don't shave. But Chihiro isn't GNC. Her story as it's meant to be interpreted expressly says feminine clothing makes her feel lesser than. She's described (by Monokuma ofc) as hating said femininity. It makes her feel weaker, like those skirts and female identity is an inherent weakness. And that's what I think the main problem is; even when under the guide of being a trans man, Chihiro's story still falls as one rooted in misogyny as most logically presented.

The story presented in chapter 2 is inherently male-centric, to the point where its title is "Boys' Life of Despair". It's a story about men, questioning the identity of men, and focused wholly on men. The one (canonically) fem character that's important to the chapter's plot is Toko, and only to perpetuate an ableist trope as a red herring. Even then, when Syo reveals herself, all her dialogue is explaining why men are so important to her. I don't think having a subplot that focuses on male characters or the concept of masculinity is a bad idea on paper, especially not when within the confines of an overarching plot that very much does utilize women as leading characters, but in practice, the plotline about toxic masculinity is used *at the expense of* women, rather than existing in tandem with them.

Throughout the entire chapter, it's established that women are weaker via Chihiro. When Mondo says that women are naturally weaker, Chihiro starts crying, and Mondo is made to apologize. HOWEVER, the reason he apologizes is not because of the blatant misogyny of the statement, but rather, because he yelled too loud. Even when Hina and Sakura are involved in the conversation, neither of them seem to care about the sexism. Even in the stage play, when Sakura DOES take offense to it, it's shrugged off as a gag, with Mondo saying she's 'special.' Sakura is held as an exception to the rule. AT NO POINT IN THIS CHAPTER IS THE ASSERTION THAT WOMEN ARE INHERENTLY WEAKER THAN MEN EVER CONTESTED. Later in the same chapter, Makoto (the player character whom we're supposed to be projecting onto) says that Mondo was right, and that girls aren't strong.

Chihiro's backstory and the way she views herself *as presented by others* only reinforces this idea. The parallels between Chihiro and Mondo are a story about strength and weakness. Chihiro is physically weak but mentally strong, and Mondo is physically strong but mentally weak. This is the point of them being paired together, and the foundation upon which everything else found in the chapter is built on. So when you have Chihiro, a canonical man who wears skirts, and give her an inferiority complex about her weakness that's inherently tied to how similar she is to women, you end up with an inherently misogynistic narrative. According to Danganronpa, Chihiro is weak BECAUSE of her similarities to women, as is enforced by the language used and the presentation of Chihiro's identity. Similarly, the assertion that Chihiro makes to Mondo defining her 'mental strength' is the assertion to no longer be fem-presenting, to destroy everything feminine about her and to become a 'real man' like how she perceives Mondo. This part by itself could be interpreted as transmasc, but when paired with the rest of the chapter's insistence of the weakness of women? It's not transphobic anymore, sure, but it still has that inherent core of misogyny, without any real acknowledgement or deconstruction of it in the way that the transfem headcanon does.

Ultimately, fiction is meant to be interpreted by those who consume it, and you can fanonize as much as you want. Just don't be too surprised when women, especially trans women, don't like the way you're interpreting it. It is always worth deconstructing your own biases and the way you consume media

[joltai-showa]

just been swamped with stuff irl + whenever I get a free day, i end up sleeping through half of it lmao, but anyway, chapter 7 FQTP is proceeding as planned

i've been thinking what I wanted to post about and decided on Deidara's kinjutsu because why not

i've seen some certain misconceptions about it, so let's do something of a master post regarding it, Deidara and Deidara's abilities that aren't actually connected with the kinjustu

before diving deeper - kinjutsu translates to forbidden jutsu, and is not to be mistaken with kenjutsu - which is everything connected with shinobi doing stuff with swords. to put it simply, Kisame is a master in kenjutsu and he is in no capacity involved with kinjutsus (as I far as remember canon stating lol). and kinjutsus are pretty widely spread throughout Naruto world, it's not just Deidara utilizing it for his art, Edo Tensei is also a kinjutsu, Shadow Clones are also classified as a kinjutsu (don't mind how much Naruto spams it lol), and so on and so forth. Kinjutsu is a classification category and is arbitrarily assigned to certain jutsus that pose too much of a threat. And said threat is not just about people around the user of a kinjutsu, it is also a threat posed to the user of the jutsu (again, Shadow Clones is not forbidden because infinitely more people can be killed using it, no, this is actually a perk of the jutsu, it's dangerous because it's incredibly chakra taxing, so if someone with low chakra reserves tries to do it - bam - they are dead). As we can see from Deidara's life, his kinjutsu is dangerous because it poses a threat to him and to other ls around him.

now, I guess it would be fairer to say this is Iwagakure's kinjutsu - it doesn't have its own name, so that should give you an idea about how much info there is about it (and how much Kishi worries about Iwa lore in general). but back to the matter, here's exactly what it does: it allows the user to mix their chakra with physical substances via the special mouths appearing on the body of the user.

exhibit one as an example. I know a lot of people don't read the manga and only know Naruto through anime, so yes, this is indeed an actual page from the manga (in fact, it is the cover of chapter 362, the very same one where Deidara dies. i gotta respect Kishimoto for creating a character that creates a plethora of questions regarding whether or not he... "plays" with himself with his mouths and answering with a resounding YES literally as he dies in the plot. also of course there's gonna be toes, name a more iconic duo than Kishimoto and his foot fetish).

but back to the definition above: it actually helps to clear certain misconceptions that I've seen people have regarding how Deidara's "artistic process" goes. first and obvious - kinjutsu is not responsible for the matter mixed with chakra exploding.

this is never mentioned in the canon and is something from the databooks, but there is this thing called Bakuton which is a kekkei genkai that allows the owner of it to give their chakra explosive properties. Deidara happens to have this kekkei genkai and this is what responsible for Deidara's explosions. canon only mentions two people possesing this kekkei genkai - one being obviously Deidara and another being Gari, an Iwa guy ressurected during Shinobi World War 4 - so not much is known about it, whether it is spread beyond Iwa, whether it can be created manually by mixing basic chakra natures or, as it happens a lot in Naruto world, this is something genetic, meaning that Gari and Deidara are somehow connected by blood, we don't know any of that, just that Bakuton exists.

another important thing stated by the definition - kinjutsu is not responsible for the form that the resulting mixture of chakra and physical matter. Deidara is explicitly stated to be a genius sculptor, and he was already famous for his abilities when it came to working with clay in the village prior to him becoming a nukenin and a terrorist (again, directly stated in the databooks). kinjutsu doesn't make all those different birds, mouths don't automatically produce owls and micro-Deidaras, Deidara does. This is a separate skill that he has and has been seemingly developing from a very young age (I made a whole separate rant about Deidara's career, but basically Deidara would have been like 12 when Akatsuki came to recruit him, so the entire "genius of Iwagakure" thing would have taken place like when he literally was in single digits)

now onto, I think, one of the biggest misconceptions I've seen about Deidara when it comes to fanfictions, at least, because on numerous occasions I've seen people write about Deidara being mistreated and abused by people of Iwagakure for being born with these disfigurements in form of too many mouths. and while I am a sucker for a tragic childhood backstory, this directly contradicts what has officially been stated (and the fact that what little is known about Deidara's life in Iwagakure is already concerning as fuck). again, Deidara was born an absolutely normal kid when it comes to the number of mouths on his person, and while living in Iwa it continued to stay so until he decided to steal the kinjutsu which would allow him to combine his sculpturing skills and his kekkei genkai. one boy four mouths DOES NOT happen until after he leaves Iwagakure (as stated by databooks).

now a little bit of a side rant, but I think judging from the info available, there are certain reasonable speculations that can be made about Iwagakure's kinjutsu. it's pretty obvious that it was developed by Iwagakure - as we never see anyone else in the world besides Deidara running around with twenty mouths on their body - but was banned for some reason. think about it, giving your shinobi an ability to shove their chakra into physical objects and literally allowing them to yeet that shit in the enemies' faces? hell yeah, give us some of that. and i believe the issue lies within the jutsu itself and it's something that can not be physically removed from the user. what I am alluding to is that one gigantic mouth on Deidara's chest.

because there is no clear explanation as to how exactly the jutsu works (besides a vague statement that Deidara "used it on himself"/"sealed it within himself"), I'm gonna go ahead and say that I think that this gigantic mouth on the chest IS the sealed kinjutsu, meaning if one wants to get it, they must end up with this toothy thing too. the smaller mouths on palms is simply the result of activating an already sealed kinjutsu and spreading it to certain area the user wishes to have it in (in Deidara's case, his palms). now, why I believe that? because, if you remember at the end of Kazekage capture arc, Deidara loses both arms, however by the time of him and Tobi face Isobu he already has them back, which raises a pretty big fucking question: how the hell Deidara has mouths on both of hands? again, remember the circumstances in which Deidara became two arms short: his left one was fully crushed by Gaara, while his right elbow ended up being caught in Kakashi's Kamui, so his right upper arm and right hand got separated from each other. the mouth on the right arm is easy to explain - his original hand remained, so by the time of Isobu capture Deidara has his own right upper arm -> Kakuzu's stitches -> whatever the hell the used as a replacement of Deidara's elbow -> more stitches -> Deidara's original right hand with the mouth. but Deidara's left arm would look like Deidara's upper arm -> Kakuzu's stitches -> a replacement for Deidara's elbow and everything below it. and what a fucking replacement that is, because not only it a) perfectly fits with Deidara's complexity (and I mean his proportions, his new left arm doesn't look weird or causes him any comfort) b) whoever they took it from happened to have the same blood type as Deidara, and most importantly c) has a FUCKING mouth on the palm (which is not commonplace in the shinobi world, as we know). and the third requirement being fulfilled either makes Kakuzu the single most resourceful motherfucker in the entire shinobi world (because he'd quickly found a mouthy arm) or Akatsuki leadership for some reason dropped everything and started looking everywhere for someone who would have a left arm with a mouth on it, blood type AB and has the same complexity as 166 cm 50 something kg Deidara (which is surprsingly caring of said leadership considering they ditched Sasori's corpse instantly + Deidara is not that important in the grand scheme of things for both Nagato's and Obito's plan). so, as you can see, a lot of questions arise if we assume hand mouths to be some sort of intristic feature of Iwagakure's kinjutsu, however, if we presume that the kinjutsu is just the mouth on the chest, then Deidara could simply grow it on the new limb attatched to him after his chakra system connected with the new arm (and, considering that Kakuzu's own thingies work on the chakra system, this isn't that wild of an assumption to make).

okay, yapping session is somewhat over, I've established what I believe is the way Iwa's kinjutsu works. back to the reason why it is a forbidden jutsu: the user ends up with a mouth on their chest that poses an EXTREME danger to everyone including the user, and this is what Deidara himself named C0

let's talk a bit about the differences between the way Deidara's mouths are shown to operate, because he is the only indication that we have regarding how it works, what it does and why did Iwa ban it.

here's a side by side comparison to see what I mean. obviously, the size difference is quite considerable, but this might be explained by the fact that hand mouths don't have as much space as the chest one, but one thing can certainly be established: the chest mouth is much stronger and, I'll say, violent compared to its smaller siblings - the one and only time we see it, it opens up in such a way that makes me worry a lot about Deidara's spine and ribs + Deidara himself doesn't look really comfortable in the moment (however later as the activation of C0 starts he begins cackling in Sasuke's face, suggesting that the chest mouth opening must have been pretty uncomfortable for him, a guy who shrugged off two severed arms). another difference can be seen in the shape of the teeth on his chest and his palms: the handmouths look pretty tame and have human looking teeth, while the chest one... well, you certainly wouldn't want to have your hand bitten by that. but the most obvious and concerning difference between the two is how the hand mouths are just there, while Deidara has a seal AND an actual wire sewn into his chest mouth just to keep it shut, which makes it obvious that...

Deidara has no control over the chest mouth, unlike the hand ones.

Which is the first red flag to Iwa as people who developed and researched this thing. However, user not being able to control the jutsu is half of the problem, the REAL issue comes when you realize WHAT this mouth does. We see plenty of times how hand mouths operate: Deidara takes his clay, puts it in the mouths, the mouths inject it with a certain concentration of chakra (and I'm pretty sure that C1/C2/C3/C4 thing refers to the concentration of chakra within Deidara's creations, not their form, so C2 dragon doesn't have to look like a giant dragon, but it's cooler this way innit) and then Deidara shapes the clay into whatever form he needs before sending his creation to go kaboom.

However, this is not what happens with the chest mouth

Clearly, for its activation Deidara still has to feed it something, but then things get completely and utterly messed up in that regard that this mouth, seemingly, has no defined limit to the concentration of chakra it will inject into whatever ends up within it.

The first page immediately follows the panel above, so we can see that the mouths starts to suck up energy of the user immediately. And I say energy specifically, because it's not just chakra - which is the spiritual energy - but life energy as well. This is harder to see in the manga, but is kind of confirmed by how little shape Deidara has as C0 is getting closer to completion and is directly confirmed by the anime (and I don't like referring to anime as source for anything, but alas) that Deidara's body starts to lose color and almost dissolve? within seconds after he feeds the clay to the chest mouth. Oh, and those black lines being sucked up towards Deidara's heart area? Likely his chakra system being consumed too😊that mouth literally sucks in anything that has even the tiniest drop of energy in the user before concentrating it all in whatever ended up within that mouth. obviously, eventually such concentration becomes impossible to contain, so it all simply bursts out. in Deidara's case the entire situation only gets worse because, once again, he's got Bakuton, so not only this shit ton of energy is contained within a relatively tiny space, but this energy also happens to be highly explosive, so shit goes kaboom and I mean KABOOM - Viz's translation claims that 10 kilometers is just the radius of the resulting explosion, but I call bullshit on that and believe that this is a translator not comprehending the difference between radius and diameter (diameter is 2 * radius, so if we go off Viz's translation, then the total size of the territory that Deidara deleted with his death would be 20 kilometers from one side to the other) and American tendency to not quite understand what the fuck is a kilometer🦅🦅🦅🦅(to put into perspective, the baseline urban area speed limit in Europe is around 50 to 60 km/h, so it would take about 20 minutes to cross a distance of 20 kilometers which is the supposed size of the crater that Deidara left behind).

okay, let's sum up what is known about Iwagakure's kinjutsu: if it is sealed within someone, the user ends up with a giant toothy mouth right near their heart (and the center of chakra system, obviously). Said mouth can not be controlled, so the only option is to literally slap another seal right on top of it + sew it shut. If something ends up within this mouth, it instantly starts to literally consume the user, and judging by the speed of the process, it can not be reversed. Finally, after a dozen of seconds, the concentration of energy reaches a critical point, and it all bursts out, wiping out everything in its vicinity.

Should it even be stated why Iwagakure would classify this thing as a kinjutsu?

Anyway, there is another thing that I find absolutely fascinating: Deidara knows the exact size of the explosion that will happen after C0 is completed. Now why is that? Deidara, obviously, couldn't learn that from simply experimenting on himself (C0 is a one time thing, after all). We are never told that he's got some sort of PhD in kinjutsu and chakra concentration calculation (which would be really fucking funny if he would just sit down after the missions, get his reading glasses and start calculating how much shit he could destroy given this or that level of chakra within himself + what is the rate at which his life energy can be converted into explosion energy. i can just imagine that looks that Sasori and Obito would give him respectively). So another logical conclusion that we can come to is - Iwagakure actually tested this kinjutsu on people, saw what it did, recorded their findings and banned it all from being used because no one wants the village to fly up directly into the Pure Lands. It's not conclusive if one of the subjects had Bakuton to give the exact size of the resulting implosion (because again, 10 fucking kilometers is a lot and whoever is doing the tests would probably be killed too) or Deidara has some sort of general idea how his kekkei genkai would affect the results of the chest mouth doing its thing.

And the fact of human experimentation commited by Iwa is kind of confirmed by the circumstances in which Deidara has abandoned the village - Deidara stole the kinjutsu, used it on himself and proceeded to kill the squad that Iwa sent after him for stealing the jutsu, developing his philosophy of art of a single moment (again, this all happened when the kid was like 11. like, dude, chill for 5 seconds, Naruto was still sitting his ass on that swing at the same age, do you really need to speedrun your life that fast). Again, Deidara stole the kinjutsu to further his abilities, meaning he KNEW beforehand what it does and how it's supposed to work (he was also aware of what that chest mouth does and. Iwagakure? Why is your 11 year old this happy and ready to put himself under the danger of killing himself in a very horrifying way??). And him knowning what kinjutsu is all about means that there must have certainly been some records regarding the experiments with it😊

(and if you're wondering how Deidara could have gained access to a literally banned justu, remember, before becoming a nukenin he already was a member of Bakuha Butai which seems to be a special squad in Iwagakure hierarchy focused exclusively on explosions + Deidara was Onoki's student, so everything suggest that he was a high-ranking officer and would have access to the secret info such as the forbidden jutsus of the village. yes, all of that took place even before he hit puberty. it's the same story as Itachi's and Kakashi's, where old men look at a kid, decide to promote them to a very high position and then everyone makes a pikachu face when things start to go terribly wrong)

anyway, i think that's pretty much it for what I wanted to say about Deidara's kinjutsu and its body and not-body horror? thanks for coming to my Tobitalk

p.s. a personal headcanon of mine is that similarly how Tobirama developed all of these kinjutsus for Konoha, Mu the Second Tsuchikage is the one who developed and tested kinjutsu that Deidara would proceed to steal + Mu himself has got, like, a dozen of mouths beneath all of those bandages, cuz why the fuck not + he seems freaky like that lol

[malarkgirlypop]

MEDIC! Part 29 (Donald Malarkey x Fem!OC)

Listen when I say these characters have a mind of their own, I mean it. I was just chilling writing the start of the last episode and then all of a sudden boom, we kissing and shit. Like ah excuse me, this wasn't in my plan, what are we doing? But hey they deserved a we treat and I mean so do we. So this chapter is definitely rated, if you aren't over 18, back! Back, I say! 🤺

TW: sexy time lmao, long chapter

Based on the HBO show and the actors who portray the characters, not hate to anyone involved.

Tag list: @imusicaddict, anyone else please let me know.

We entered Bavaria in early May, and we had been tasked in capturing Berchtesgaden. It was a town high in the Alps, and was the symbolic home of the Nazi party. Apparently all of the important men of the party had houses there. Even though the man was dead, Hitler had ordered the SS to make it their last stand to keep the enemy out of their “sacred” town. 

I sighed, staring at the mass of boulders that blocked our way up the mountain, the hot sun beating down on my back. We had been stuck here for hours, waiting for someone with more artillery than we did, so we could blast our way through. 

I hummed a tune twirling a curl around my finger, trying to remember all of the words to the song I had stuck in my head. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the lyrics, only the melody played on and on in my mind.     

Lieb leaned against the wheel next to me smoking. “How long does it take for engineers to arrive?” I asked while shielding the sun from my eyes as I looked over to Lieb. 

“Who knows?” He said while taking a deep drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke in my face. 

“Lieb!” I whined pushing him away as he chuckled. 

“Stop humming, you’re driving me insane.” He retorted, shoving me back. “You just keep repeating the same part over and over again. You’re just as bad as Web and his stupid quotes from his literature.” I gawked offended by his comment, no way I was as annoying as Web.  

“Ugh, rude!” I got up from my position, dusting the dirt off the back of my pants. Lieb grinned at me, knowing he had wound me up. 

“Stop smirking!” I nudged his leg with my boot. “Take it back!” I crossed my arms over my chest, giving him my best pissed off face. 

“You’re not as annoying as Web.” Joe held his hands up in surrender. I laughed, smiling down at Lieb, who grinned back at me. 

“What about me?” Web startled me as he snuck up from behind. My eyes grew wide, plastering a smile on my face. 

“Web you need to stop sneaking up on me, seriously.” I burst out laughing, fortunately he hadn’t heard what we were talking about. 

I loved Web, he was so sweet, but his endless love for literature got very tiring. Somehow the conversation with him always ended in his love of books and all things written. Half the time I had no clue what he was talking about, I would nod and smile adding in, “Oh that’s so interesting.” But I wasn’t listening by that point anymore. 

“We were just talking about how long it would take the engineers to arrive.” I skipped over the most recent conversation we had, I didn’t want to hurt the poor man's feelings.  

“I think they are going to try something right now. Everyone is getting tired of waiting.” Web pointed to the pile of rocks that blocked the road. 

I peaked my head over the truck to catch a glimpse of two soldiers standing in the middle of the road with one of the bazooka's we had with us. I covered my ears just in time to muffle the explosion that blasted into the debris.

“I don’t think that will work.” I huffed, it had hardly made a dent in the huge pile. 

“No, but that does look fun.” Web grinned admiring the massive explosion. 

“Yeah!” Lieb launched to his feet. “Web, we should go help.” Web and Joe excitedly nodded at each other racing off to the front of the road.

“Ok, bye.” I said to the pair's back as they enthusiastically scurried away.  

I slumped down again, the same song still stuck in my head. 

“Aw, Em.” A large hand reached down and ruffled my hair. I looked up to find Bull standing over me. 

“They ditched me, for explosives. Can you believe that?” I asked in astonishment. 

A wry grin formed on Bull’s lips, he tilted his head to the side with a hearty chuckle. “I can’t say I am, little lady.” He said in his thick country accent. 

“No you’re right. I’m not shocked.” I laughed, shaking my head. 

I looked over to find Web and Lieb stacking grenades on the landslide of rocks. They sprinted back to where the two other soldiers stood still with the bazooka. Their grin’s were child-like as they ran back. 

Bull and I watched them, laughing at how excited they all seemed to be. Was it really that much fun blowing things up? 

They didn’t wait long, firing the rocket right into the pile of explosives the pair had set. The ground shook, as the booming echoed around the mountains. But still the pile of rocks seemed to remain the same, at least they were having fun. It was nice to see genuine smiles on their faces. 

“Easy!” Speirs yelled from the front of the trucks. “Let’s move out!” Spiers grinned widely with a skip in his step as he made his way back through the parked vehicles. 

“Are we not waiting for the engineers anymore?” I leaned over to Bull. 

“Guess not.” Bull smiled. “We better get moving, come on.” He took me by the crook of my arm, leading the way behind Speirs who was getting together all of Easy so that we could leave. 

*****************************

“It’s so quiet.” I whispered to Don as we walked. He nodded in agreement before turning back to the task at hand. 

Easy Company tiptoed silently down the empty streets, the group had found an alternative route up the mountain. We had been told to be on guard, and to expect the unexpected. 

So the soldiers walked through the streets with their weapons drawn, readying themselves for whatever was waiting for us.   

The town was eerily still, white flags hung from the windows of the houses we passed. The town appeared empty, there was no one present. The deserted village sent shivers up my back. Something that should be so busy and bustling with life now sat forlorn and abandoned.

Still I couldn’t deny that the place was beautiful even in its abandonment. The houses looked cosy and quaint as the tall mountains loomed over the small village. 

My eyes darted from one place to another, taking in all the sights that laid before me. A large red banner caught my attention. 

“Jesus.” I muttered to myself, eyes practically bulging out of my head as I took in the large swastika that covered the building in front of us. 

It was strange to see a symbol that meant peace and well-being have such a sinister feeling now attached to it. 

“Well, they really weren’t hiding it were they.” Grant said from beside me as we both gawked at banner’s. 

“Nope.” I agreed with the man. 

We made our way inside the big building that had ‘​​Berchtesgadener hof’ proudly displayed over the entrance. 

“Was it a hotel?” I leaned over to whisper to Don as we walked inside what appeared to be the foyer. 

“I think so.” Don confirmed. 

Like the town the hotel was just as quiet, no guests seemed to be staying or staff either.

I shied away from the brass sculpture of Hitler, that was prominently displayed in the middle of one of the rooms we walked through as we continued to search the building.  

A clanging made me jump from my skin, we rounded the corner to find a lone clerk being held at gunpoint by Lew. His eyes darted from Nixon to the rather large book that sat on the desk. 

“Looks like a guest book.” I said loudly, glancing over to Lew who nodded his head. 

“Everyone who was anyone signed into this hotel. And now we have all the dates and names of anyone who ever supported Hitler in his plans.” Lew said as he flicked through the book. 

“Guess there are staff after all.” I mused, watching the clerk scamper away.

************************************ 

Don and I walked around together forgetting the mission at hand, being too caught up in the lavish hotel. 

“Should we sneak into one of the rooms? See if the bath works?” Don asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows at me. 

“Donald!” I giggled at the man giving him a whack. “No, well. No, we couldn’t. Well.” I debated the very enticing idea. 

“Oh come on! Speirs is probably out there now stealing all the silverware.” Don grinned at me, his fingers finding the nook of my arm to bring me along in his mischief. 

“Fine! We will look, quickly.” I added but not putting up much of a fight as Don dragged me down one of the halls.      

We pried open one of the doors, standing in the entrance way admiring the room. In the middle of the room sat a giant four poster bed. The duvet looked elegant, satin and lace coverings, with large fluffy pillows adorning the head. Across the room a tall window opened up, looking over the alps that surrounded the town. 

Don and I moved further into the room, finding our way into the bathroom, which seemed to be even bigger than the master suite. A white clawfoot bathtub stood proudly in the middle of the space. 

The far side of the room was taken up by a vanity that covered the width of the wall, with large basins that you could bathe in, if you so wished. 

“Fucking hell.” I uttered, completely in awe of it all. 

“Yup!” Don nodded as we looked over all of the interior. Even the ceilings were beautiful, fluffy white clouds and the bluest sky had been painted onto the roof of the bathroom. Gold accents of branches and leaves vined out into the sky. Everywhere my eyes could see the room was filled with exquisite details. 

“It’s stunning.” I couldn’t pick my jaw off the floor. 

“Eh, it’s alright. I’ve seen better.” Don shrugged, not seeming impressed with the glamour. 

“What?! When?” I asked in disbelief. 

“I have, truly.” I shook my head scoffing at him. 

“When?” I eyed him suspiciously. 

“Well.” Don started slowly making his way over to me. His stride was confident, freezing me in place. I sucked in a breath as he drew near, suddenly it wasn’t funny anymore. The look in his eyes sent the butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. 

“There’s you.” Don had moved closer to me, my back pressed into the cold marble basin. My breath hitched in my throat as he leaned even further into me. 

We weren’t even touching yet, but the way Don took up the space had me stunned into silence. 

“You’ve gone all quiet on me.” He teased, deliberately placing his hands either side of my body, caging me into him.   

Goosebumps rose on my skin, I felt my cheeks flush. How had he turned this around so quickly?

“Emily?” My full name dripped off his tongue, as he smirked at me tilting his head ever so slightly. He knew what he was doing to me. 

I swallowed, trying to find my voice again. 

“What are you doing?” I asked softly, scared if I raised my voice too much it would disturb whatever was happening. 

“Nothing.” Don breathed, leaning further forward. “Is there something you want me to do?” His whispers tickled my neck. I hid away the sensitive skin, turning to meet his gaze. 

My heart pounded in my ears as our eyes locked. His stare was full of want, I almost melted into a puddle right then. 

“Stop teasing me.” I pleaded. The tension was overwhelming but exhilarating at the same time. It felt as if I was a raw nerve, the slightest of touch would set me on fire. 

“Oh my love, I’m not teasing.” Don smiled, but it wasn’t his normal smile. There was another intention behind it. I gasped as his hand cupped my cheek gently tracing over my jawline, it was only a slight brush but I found myself leaning into his palm. He didn’t give me the satisfaction, stealing away the brief contact. 

I glared at the man. Don was clearly teasing me. 

“Don.” I protested, trying to find his hand to bring back up to my face. But instead he found me first, holding my wrist still. 

I tried again with my free hand but it was no use Don had me pinned. 

I groaned in frustration. 

“You’re teasing me.” I whined, huffing. 

My annoyance didn’t seem to deter Don from his antics. He moved forward his mouth inches away from my ear. 

“You have to ask nicely.” Don’s lips brushed over the sensitive skin of my jaw. I suppressed a moan by trapping my lip between my teeth. 

“Please. Donald Malarkey, you have me. Now do something about it.” I challenged him. 

A smile formed on his lips but I only saw it for a split second before his lips crashed into mine. I sighed into the kiss as his hands cupped my face pulling me closer to him. My hands roamed around his body, tracing anything I could get my hands on. I didn’t realise how much tension had built from our last kiss, but I needed him so badly it hurt. 

Don swiftly lifted me up, sitting me on the edge of the basin as we continued to kiss. I opened my mouth as our tongues swirled together. It was an addiction, I couldn’t get enough. I needed him closer. I grabbed at the fabric that impeded me from Don. 

I tugged off his jacket, too busy kissing him to see where I threw it. Don’s hand’s did the same pulling the material from my arms tossing the item to the side. I gasped as he pulled me forward, sliding me to the very edge of the bench. Don pressed himself to me, even with pants on I could feel everything. 

“Off, I need this off!” I said breathlessly, pulling at his collar. I helped him tug off the t-shirt, admiring his body lovingly. I raked my fingers down his chest, sliding my hand below his belt. Don shuddered seemingly immobilised as I palmed his front. 

Don snatched my wrist, a wry grin forming on his features, “We have plenty of time for that later.” 

A pout formed on my lips. He moved forward kissing me gently. Unlike before he savoured the kiss. Don’s lips moved over my face, gently placing kisses at the corners of my lips, by the creases of my eyes, my temples and cheeks. His touch was so soft but everytime he moved to a different spot I could still feel the last caress. 

I captured his face in my hands, my thumbs tracing over his features. With each movement I kissed him gently. 

I sighed in pleasure as Don’s hands found the small of my back pulling me even closer. 

“Take it off.” I begged, needing the fabric that separated us to be removed. Don’s finger’s found the hem of my shirt, slowly dragging it up my body. I arched into him, enjoying the feeling of his fingertips brushing on my skin. 

Don threw my top to the side, I didn’t have the patience to be admired just yet, still sporting a bra. I brought his hands around my back to the clasp. 

He made quick work of the fastening. I felt it loosen from my back as he pulled the straps over my shoulders and down my arms.  

I sat half naked watching Don take me in. He blew out a breath, shaking his head slightly. 

“Fucking hell. And you’re all mine.” Don said to himself, I giggled at him. 

“Donald, stop gawking and kiss me.” I said my tone was playful. But I didn’t need to tell him twice. He moved forward pressing us together, his fingers dragged down my exposed back sending shivers up my spine. 

Don’s head dipped down to my neck slowly trailing his lips down my skin. I leaned back enjoying the feeling of his tongue swirling down my body. I gasped when his mouth latched onto the soft flesh of my chest. 

Don’s lips nipped and sucked, finding his way down to my erect nipple. His other hand massaging my other breast as he assaulted my nipple with his mouth. I leaned my head back, mouth open in pleasure, moans and gasps fell from my lips in hasty succession. 

He moved to my other breast giving it the same treatment as the previous. I panted and bucked against him, the feeling of his kisses and hands sending me spiralling. 

“Fuck! Holy fuck.” I groaned watching him enjoy me. The wetness between my legs somehow grew more. I pulled his face back up to mine, needing his lips on my own again. 

My hands snaked down to his pants, trying my best to undo his belt while not being able to see. It was harder than I thought, after a while of fumbling around I finally pulled away to glance down at what I was doing. 

“Desperate?” Donald asked, smirking. I didn’t even deny it, breathlessly nodding my head while still trying to yank the belt from his pants. 

“I have waited far too long for a belt to put a stop to it.” I groaned, still failing at the simple job. 

“You’ve waited, oh my love, you don’t know the half of it.” Donald’s hands found mine, taking over the task. I watched him easily pull the belt free and remove it from his trousers. Don undid the button, loosening them around his hips. I greedily licked my lips moving my hands to his waistband tugging them down. I bit my lip, a shy smile formed on my mouth. 

I couldn’t wait any longer, my own hands unbuttoning my pants and trying my best to shimmy them down while still being perched on the counter. 

“So impatient!” Don tutted, his arms lifting me so I could successfully pull down my clothing. 

I kicked off the green cargo pants, leaving us both in just our underwear. I giggled, somehow the innocent looking in the rooms had gotten out of hand. 

Don kissed me again, his fingers lazily dragging around my body and into my hair. I did the same, tangling my fingers in his and pulling gently. A low moan left his lips as he moved his mouth over mine. The electricity between us was almost palpable, with every touch and sound I could feel the lustful energy flowing through my body. 

I yelped in surprise as Don lifted me so easily from the basin. I didn’t look where he was taking us too busy assaulting his face and neck with kisses. 

We landed gently on the decadent bed, but Don and I were too enraptured in each other to truly appreciate the comfort of the soft mattress and the silk sheets against our skin. 

Don ran his fingers down my side, teasingly stopping around the hem of my underwear. He pulled it back, snapping the waistband against my skin. In the same movement Don dipped his head down, trailing soft kisses down my skin and stopping near my collarbone to nip at the sensitive skin.  

His hand slipped down between my thighs, caressing around my hips. I rocked back, eyes closed in pleasure. I couldn’t stifle the loud moans that fell from my lips. 

I could feel his smirk as he placed more feverish kisses around my navel, his hands roaming around my thighs never quite landing where I needed them too. Don was making me beg for it. 

Don’s touch continued down towards my hips, his lips finding the right spots to make me squirm and bite my lip in desperation. 

“Don.” I pleaded through my pants.  

“Yes my love?” He said with a smirk, as his kisses wandered down, his touch still tantalising and teasing. I could feel Don’s breath against my core, as he continued to run his fingers along my inner thighs.

“Stop teasing me!” I whined. 

Don chuckled at my pleading, looking up at me with a devilish smile. I watched as he bit my inner thigh gently in response. 

“Beg for it.” He said in a low husky voice that was filled with desire. 

“Please Donald, make me feel alive!” I begged, feeling so vulnerable in his arms. 

“I love you.” Don said before he pulled my underwear from my body, taking his time admiring me placing sweet kisses to the soft skin between my legs. I groaned as his mouth found my core, his hot tongue swirling over my bud of nerves. 

I cried out in pleasure as he feasted on me, I gripped onto his hair hanging on for dear life as he shook me to my core. I trembled in ecstasy as Don’s tongue dipped inside of me.   

Don seemed to enjoy seeing me come undone, moaning against my core. His fingers slipped inside of me pulling in and out with force. 

I threw my head back screaming into my free hand that covered my mouth. I arched and bucked against his every move. Don’s free hand pinned me to the bed to stop me from escaping the overwhelming feeling that rippled throughout my body. 

He sucked and nipped at my sensitive core as he worked his fingers in and out of my entrance. 

Bright colours swarmed my vision as I shook, I had reached my climax. I held onto Don, the only thing that seemed to be grounding me to reality. It felt as if I had left my body, floating above the scene that was playing before me. Don did not stop his movements, riding out the orgasm as long as he could. 

My breath left me as I writhed under his touch, I didn’t think that it could last long, but I was still overcome by my euphoric satisfaction.    

Finally he let me come down, pulling away from my core. I caught my breath, eyes still closed trying to come back to the real world, rather than the cloud I was floating on. 

“I think you were trying to kill me.” I panted as Don moved back up to kiss me gently on my lips. 

“What’s more alive than being nearly half dead?” Don chuckled as he lay against me, his fingers tangling into my hair and pulling me towards him. He rested his forehead against mine, our breaths mixing together as we enjoyed the quiet moment. 

I closed my eyes enjoying the simple sounds, his soft breaths fanning on my face, and the quiet heartbeat that pulsed against my own chest. I kissed him again, I kissed him like I would never see him again. 

My hands travelled down his torso, it was my turn to show him how much I loved him. I palmed his hard cock through his underwear. Don groaned into my mouth, keeping his eyes squeezed shut. 

I trailed my kisses down his neck, chest and stomach. Don sighed in pleasure, lying his head back against the bed. Every touch under his hands and the feeling of his skin on mine, I felt the love and desire he had for me, I wanted him to feel the same as I kissed him. I wanted to make him want me more than ever.  

I let my tongue drag down his hips, swirling over the sensitive skin. I needed to drive him insane with desire, like he had me only moments before. 

Tugging down his briefs his hard cock sprung free. I tossed the item of clothing to the side. I bit my lip taking in his size, how he had hidden that from me I had no idea. I wrapped my hand around the base stroking my thumb gently up the shaft. Don shuddered under my grip, groaning huskily. 

Don propped himself up on his elbows and I started slowly moving my hand up and down his length. I licked my lips desperately wanting to taste him. 

“Jesus christ Emily, you’re going to be the death of me.” Don muttered a mix of shock and pleasure on his face. 

I grinned. I continued to stare at him as I moved forward, my tongue darting out to swirl around his tip. His cock twitched in my hand, Don looked as if he was going to pass out. 

“Now who’s teasing?” He leaned forward brushing a curl out of my face. I wrapped my lips around him sucking. Donald inhaled sharply tensing under my touch. I moved further down, bringing more of him into my mouth. Don’s breaths grew uneven as I continued. 

I bobbed my head up and down, taking as much of him as I could into my throat. My hand still gripped the base of his cock moving as I sucked and licked. 

“Oh god!” Donald moaned watching me with lust filled eyes. 

I pulled back sucking in air as I continued to massage his cock with my hand. Don gripped onto the bed sheets panting heavily. His fingers weaved into my hair, gripping just as tightly as he was the fabric under him. I continued my assault, my pace becoming faster. 

“Don’t stop my love.” He begged, he was almost to his limit. I did as he asked, continuing my rhythm. 

“I’m going to cum!” Don whined pulling back from me, but I held his hips steady, looking up at him through my lashes. I wanted to taste him like he tasted me. I didn’t stop, bobbing my head and sucking. I felt his body jolt under me, hot liquid filled my mouth as I watched Don’s eyes roll back in his head.      

“Em.” Don breathed, sitting up from his position and moving down to where I knelt between his legs. His hands cupped my face peppering my skin with light kisses. Don pulled me up to him, as we laid back down against the bed, limbs tangled and bodies entwined. A moment of pure serenity as we embraced each other, basking in the warmth of one another. 

“I love you.” I whispered as we gazed into each other’s eyes. 

“I love you.” Don lips brushed against my skin. 

“Guys we’re leaving!” The door burst open as Babe and George sauntered into the room. Both Don and I screamed in surprise, scrambling to hide ourselves. Don dove over me, covering my body with his. His ass out in the wind for all to see. George and Babe’s eyes bulged seeing their friends bare butt pointing right in their direction. 

“Get out!!” Don screeched, as I hid beneath him trying to contain my fit of giggles.

“Oh my god!” George gasped covering his mouth as Babe stared wide eyed at us. 

“Guys get the fuck out, right now!!” Don demanded the men leave. But it still didn’t work, the pair didn’t budge. 

“What is going on here?” George asked through bouts of laughter he shared with Babe. 

Don grabbed the nearest pillow chucking at the heads of the two men who were crying with laughter. 

“OUT!” Don yelled, but he was trying not to laugh as well. I wrapped my arms around his waist keeping him close to me. Don was the only thing keeping my naked body out of sight of the pair of idiots who howled with laughter in the still wide open door. 

“Fine, we will go. But it’s going to cost you.” George waggled his finger at us as he hauled the still hysterical Babe out of the room. The door clicked shut, as it did so both Don and I sighed in relief. 

“You didn’t lock the door!” I playfully smacked his chest as he grinned down at me. 

“Neither did you!” But we couldn’t stop our own giggles from escaping our lips.

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

Chapter 30

[hellfire--cult]

Cover of Story done by me.

Summary: Bitch. That was her definition. Y/N was the most popular girl in school, and now with Steve gone, she became the queen bee for her last year at Hawkins High. People either loved her or hated her to their core, but noone did a thing about her attitude. Spoiled, bitchy, brat, but hidden secrets lie inside of her that could shatter her image completely. A project, a stupid bet, and feelings will get her involved with the freak of the school.

And that changes her life forever.

Warnings: +18 MDNI, sex, drugs, alcohol usage, drug usage, bullying, physical abuse, abandonment issues, trust issues, partying, teenage shenanigans, cursing, and smut. So much smut. That includes, p in v, oral sex both ways, unprotected sex, intoxicated sex, rough sex, bondage, spanking, etc.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Love Triangle, Angst and Fluff.

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Reader, mainly and focused. Billy Hargrove x Reader later on and Billy is OOC (out of character, he is not a mean son of a cunt)

This book is written in POVs. Sometimes third person.

The reason why this story is not posted on here, is because I started Tumblr just recently, and I have been writing this story since last year.

It has 95 chapters guys.

95.

I won't take the time to post all of that here, it's impossible.

BUT, it's COMPLETED. So there is no waiting, just pure reading. Keep in mind that it is my second fanfiction and in the first few chapters it might be a bit chonky, but then I promise the writing gets better.

So if you want to go and read it here are the links:

WATTPAD / AO3

I assume all the new followers and readers I got in those platforms are from here, but welp, here you go again in case you missed this story!

and let me tell you that in my story people aren't just evil because that's just who they are. People have backstories, and plot twists that we solve through the story, which is full of angst

And when I say it's slow burn, I literally MEAN, slow burn.

[incorrect-jojolands-quotes]

unexpected theory that i stumbled upon

I am in a JOJOLands discord server and a member of the server had this theory that I think should be shared. They plan on posting the full scope of it on Reddit (so I'll add the link to it here when it gets posted). In the meantime, I'm gonna summarize what I've found based on their discussions so far and add my own theories to it.

(This will be a long one :P)

The theory in particular involves the star emblem Jodio poses in that has numbers at each arrow.

On one hand, those numbers could simply be counting each point or is in reference to how there has been 9 parts for JoJo so far. But... what if the numbers are in refrence to this instead:

This is the Enneagram of Personality, a personality assessment that consists of nine personality traits. It's a system that focuses on a person's emotions regarding motivations and fears. Each of the nine personality types is defined by a particular core belief about how the individual thinks the world works. It's believed no one really changes from their numbers but one can relate to more than one number and each number has levels ranging from "healthy" to "unhealthy" that a person can resonate with over time. What's interesting is that the Ennegram is made to resemble a star, with the number 3, 6, and 9 working as a triad that symbolizes wholeness.

There are other details regarding the arrows such as sub-types, wings, and arrows, but we're going to focus more on the surface stuff in this post (the Reddit post can dive deeper). But, how does this relate to The JOJOLands?

Well, what if you place the numbers with the arrows? Not just literally but let's also have it match more with the Ennegram as well. Let's also try to put the numbers aligned in two different ways (images created by the person on the server).

With the numbers aligned vs with the empty arrow pointing upwards:

We can call the first one the original placement and the second one the "inverted" placement to differentiate the two.

But, there's more. Do you remember what the cover art for "Chapter 8: Let's Look at Luxury Watches" is? Remember how it shows the same emblem but with the 5 known characters at the moment?

It looks like each character is associated with a particular point of that emblem. Let's put the Ennegram numbers on them and see what they look like with the original placement and the "inverted" placement. The original OP also made these images.

Original Numbers vs Inverted Numbers:

Why does this all matter?

It obviously looks like the characters aren't just decorated around the star emblem but each one is associated with a number on the Ennegram. With the inverted, it also appears as if most of them change numbers.

Now, if you look at the numbers they're associated with in the "before" photo, you realize their personalities align with the numbers in the Ennegram.

Jodio has the ambitious goal of becoming obscenely rich. He prides himself for being reliable, getting the job done with no questions asked and mentioned how being this way gained him praise and money among other things. His recent diagnosis makes him speculate he could be a psychopath. 3s are are goal-oriented, viewing success as being praised for their achievements, and they act with efficiency. Their ambition can cause them to be relentless, even psychopathic.

Rohan is looked up to by Jodio among others and is considered a creative, inspiring individual due to his success as a mangaka and the perfection he strives to have in his works. Despite his actions towards the team, he continously warned them of danger during their interaction and even advises Jodio before they part ways. 1s are known to be perfectionists due to their creativity and their self-awareness, which inspires many. This belief makes them think they're different from others, which can translate to being critical of others and an air of self-righteousness due to their moral compass believing they are better than others.

Usagi is considered an oddball since the beginning yet proves his potential with how intelligent and inqusitive he is. Even if it got the team out of trouble in some cases, his approach is unconventional and he is still considered a troubled individual to his peers, even rejected from further connections. 5s are known to be inquisitive and would spend hours observing and experimenting every detail and concept to gain more knowledge if given the opportunity. However, going too far with their discoveries makes them very eccentric and their desire to seek knowledge can eventually drive them to insanity.

Paco is a kleptomaniac addicted to stealing due to the rush it gives him and, despite being academically weak, is a very capable fighter and planner of the group. He's rather rash with his decisions but can take control of any situation, especially in a fight. 7s are known for being quick on their feet, able to plan and act on instincts when the situation calls for it, and make up their lack of studiousness with their street smarts. But, this impulsiveness and desire to act on energy means their addictions can lead to self-destruction much faster due to how much energy they go through and they could be associated with BPD.

Dragona goes out of the way to avoid further fallout or conflict deemed unnecessary or cause further trouble. They engage in peaceful things like yoga and is the voice of calmness and trust that contrast Jodio's more violent nature. 9s are known as peacemakers, valuing harmony and simplicity above all, which makes others trust them due to how stable they seem. This stubborness to keep peace can put them in a state of disorientation and reclusiveness that can manifest into multiple personalities.

While some believe Ennegram numbers don't change over time, seeing the inverted numvers show different numbers seem to indicate that the characters we see will evolve into their new numbers as the story progresses. This may foreshadow what will happen to each character or what they will become in the end.

2s are known to be empathetic, putting others first as givers, and desire to be loved above everything, yet it can be seen as manipulative and lead to self-victimization.

4s are known to be authentic, finding creativity and deep connections with others, but can fall into despair when dreams and hope are lost.

See 5, 7, and 9 above.

Jodio as a 2 means he could become more loving to others and take on the typical Joestar personality of pursuing justice and determination due to empathy. It doesn't necessarily mean he's "cured" of his inability to feel guilt or have no affection to others beyond his family, but it may indicate him learning to find connections and going on some sort of self-discovery as a result. At the same time, the happiness he desired could be interpeted as love he yearns to feel for, and he could be changing his purpose of pursuing riches to fit more of a 2.

Rohan as a 4 is harder to speculate what will become of him besides a possible return. We know little of Rohan's full personality in The JOJOLands but we know Rohan as an arrogant, discourteous perfectionist from previous iterations. This does seem to imply Rohan will be a more present mentor who embraces more of his imperfections and increasing an appreciation towards those around him. He's sort of started doing that already with Jodio at the end of chapter 5.

Dragona as a 5 means they may start becoming less avoidant and more assertive and proactive in taking control of the situation. I speculate they have some sort of block that discourages them from doing this currently, maybe due to lack of confidence or having a not-so strong Stand compared to Jodio or Paco. Or, maybe being in Jodio's shadow has made them comfortable with doing minimal work. Regardless, they are finally able to show themselves as their own Joestar and fighter in their own right. As a possible 5, this also means Dragona may discover something ground-breaking and it could lead to some major sacrifice; possibly, Dragona's life may end as a result.

Paco remains a 7, which I find interesting but understandable if there needs to be a balance between characters that dramatically change and characters that remain constant; Paco in this case is the latter. Still, Paco could become either a better or a worser version of a 7 to show how much he's changed as the plot continues. I could be possible that Paco becomes more valued for his quick mind despite his lack of intelligence or his addiction to stealing and being impuslive causes issues with the team and ultimately his downfall instead.

Usagi becoming a 9 points two scenarios. On one hand, his transformation points him to be an ultimate traitor. Maybe the reactions to his eccentricities results in him feeling like he needs to hide more of himself and pushes him to villainy because of rejection. On the other hand, Usagi may come to realize he doesn't need to be complex and go beyond to try making friends, so he starts feeling more at ease. Either way, it seems like Usagi still has a wall of sorts hiding who he really is and becoming a 9 might reveal it soon.

We don't know too much about Knife Guy so far, but I'm guessing he's either going to be a 7 like Paco or a 2 who eventually becomes a 3. In the case of the latter, it could be due to Knife Guy pursuing the gang out of orders and following them to gain validation while lacking his own agency. Becoming a 3, especially under Paco's mentorship, may lead him to think about his own goals and ambitions instead of aiding the goals and ambitions of others.

The Enneagram also explains how the Stands work too. The Reddit post can go more into how these personalities relate to not just the characters but their Stand abilities and what the Stands might evolve into.

With that out of the way, I now want to talk about my two cents: the main villain.

What number would the main villain be? After all, there are 9 numbers total and only 5 (6 including Knife guy as I'm writing this) characters identified.

If we look at the chart and the inverted chart, there are only two numbers that remain untouched: 6 and 8. Coincidentally, they are the "inverses" of each other.

Between the 2 numbers, the main villain most likely will start as a 6 before turning into an 8. If you look at the Ennegram, the most obvious triad shown is the 369. I mentioned earlier how these three numbers hold significance in the Ennegram.

If Jodio and Dragona already took the positions of 3 and 9 respectively and no other character is a 6 so far, the main villain would most likely be the one to hold the 6 position. As a 6, this also implies they start out very close to Dragona and Jodio prior to becoming the main villain going against them. In terms of how close, a mutual friend or a relative is most likely since the two Joestars are siblings and the closest to each other in their gang. The main villain can also be someone completely unrelated but due to their role in society they are a major, unknown influence in Jodio and Dragona's life. Regardless, whoever it is will still fit being a 6 who becomes an 8.

If we look at the 6 and 8 traits on the Ennegram, something interesting comes up:

6s are seen as reliable. They are dedicated and ride-or-die with what they believe in, find security in having these loyalties. However, they can be driven to hysteria and dependency on what they believe in, being in deep denial when the beliefs starts failing, and then being lost when it crosses a point of no return.

8s are seen as assertive. They are the epitome of the ideal hero, confident in what they do and they end up becoming the voice to those who are saved or supported by them. Their actions, if left unchecked, can be seen as delusional and domineering, and some 8s are known to have ASPD and be sociopaths.

It seems like the main villain starts off as someone very loyal to some sort of system they support and are a part of. Something then happens (such as corruption, betrayal, and/or realization) changes them from a 6 into an 8. As an 8, they start doing things as a means of addressing the issue they found with this system that caused their change. They could be trying to save, improve, reform, or destroy it, and their actions cause more harm than good despite believing they are doing otherwise. Whatever the case, it clashes with what Jodio wants and thus making them a main antagonist preventing Jodio from his goals and harming his loved ones in the process.

What is the system, then? We don't exactly know but we have some possibilities.

The system could be something tangible and visible. The American legal system could be an example; we end up with a main villain who is a police officer, judge, lawyer, or social worker. Another example is American capitalism; someone as low as a migrant worker or as high as a CEO could become a main villain. Both could be individuals who feel mistreated by the system or has an epiphany on how to optimize it and both ways lead to them wanting to heavily alter said system at the cost of many lives.

Alternatievly, the system could be a more philosophical and invisible. A great example of this is the mechanisms. We end up with a main villain who either failed to achieve their goals because of it or succeeded yet remained unsatisfied. We can even have someone who started out with a similar life and goals as Jodio. In that case, the main villain could be some sort of warning of what would have happened to Jodio if he didn't change his ways.

In both cases, the main villain becomes someone who is a "hero" or "a voice to the people" because their change leads them to find followers that feel like they are being heard as a result of the main villain taking action for it. There are many careers that can allow someone to become such a voice, such as cult or religious leaders, social media influencers, celebrities, politicians, and more. Especially with how social media has made parasocial relationships prevalent, this could bring a new concept of betrayal that is seen today; think of modern influencer stardom or Asian idol culture. Similar to how DIO would have loyal minions sent to deter and defeat the gang in part 3, the followers of the main villain may become minor villains trying to stop the gang in part 9.

It seems to make sense that a villain would be an 8 because the last three villains we had could be described as 8s. Pucci wanted everyone to understand their destined fate, Funny Valentine wanted America to be a great nation, and Tooru wanted to change society for the sake of Rock Humans. All three were people of influence like mentioned above relative to where they worked (GDSP's Chaplain, president of the United States, Head Doctor of T.G. University Hospital respectively) and all 3 thought they were doing something good for a group of people. So, I speculate the main villain is in a similar boat and his attempts of doing something good may end up clashing Jodio's plans.

Something you might notice is that all the numbers have an associated personalty or mental disorder/symptom associated with them. This happens if the individual falls into the "unhealthy" levels of the number they are associated with. Note: they don't mean you will end up with such symptoms but rather they can explain why you have developed them. Most of the things listed repeat itself in some way and are rather generic (acts of self-destruction, having some sort of dependency or addiction, and becoming reclusive) but there are some that have specific diagnosis like BPD and multiple personalities listed.

What's interesting is ASPD and sociopathy is associated with the 8 personality. As someone who was diagnosed with ASPD by his school psychotherapist, you would think Jodio should have been an 8 for this reason and maybe start out as an 8 before becoming a 6. Instead, he starts as a 3, which does mention psychopathy, but that's about it, and he's expected to become a 2. Could this hint that Jodio's diagnosis is wrong (since the test itself is sketchy and diagnosing somone with that tends to be difficult to quantify in practice)? Or, is this going to end up being a battle between two individuals with ASPD and this could be some weird story about nature vs nurture (Jodio as nature and the main villain as nurture)?

I do wonder what this would all mean for Jodio and the rest of his gang. Even though Rohan mentions someone from the 3 of the gang members being potential traitors, the main villain is set up to be the ultimate betrayer of sorts. This is especially because of the potential that the main villain is very close to Jodio and Dragona, and it makes me speculate the main villain being someone like their estranged father, Meryl Mei, or maybe even Barbara Ann. When someone once mentioned the possibility of Josuke/Gappy becoming a villain, this theory puts him on the table too.

What do you guys think?

[cerinelle-stellarium]

Differences between Acro Trip's Manga & Anime

All details are taken from the series' TV Tropes page for reference.

EDIT: Shout out to fellow Acro Trip fan, @bluefoolskyes for providing additional info regarding Jun and Shizuru!

Manga-exclusive characters

There were 3 characters who aren't present in the anime adaptation:

Hiro Akebi

Kaju's cousin and a local police officer in Naniga City.

He was taken out for the "The police and I don't exactly get along" line from Kaju to have more impact in the world's current state of affairs.

He's a decent driver when going on straight roads but his skills tend to fly off the rails when it comes to turning.

Jun Nanashimo

A self proclaimed 'hero of Justice' and apparently Chrome's junior. Has the appearance of a standard 'swords and sorcery’ media's main protagonist.

He’s not in the anime as he only appears in the manga for a single chapter that’s late into the series run (Chaprer 50 out of the 70 that make up the manga).

Shizuru Zakuroishi

The teaching aide of Chizuko's father who's secretly a magical girl of the villainous sort. Her magical girl nom de guerre takes after the 'zakuro' in her family name.

She doesn’t appear in the anime as the adaptation was greenlit a couple of years prior to her being introduced into the story/the show getting officially announced.

Like Chizuko, she bucks the trend of dark magical girl attire by being one of the very few examples to wear a frilly and girly outfit after transforming in her case. Like Kaju, she has on glasses as a civillain which she takes off prior to starting her henshin.

She gets turned into a goat mascot in the manga.

General

Both Kaju and Chizuko's transformation sequences are done differently in the manga.

Chizuko

Her favorite food is chicken which she’s shown regularly eating though it's only really alluded to in the anime by her wanting to make karage.

Kaju

Her hair color in the manga was strawberry blonde which would dye to pink when she transformed.

The slapstick she goes through in the anime's opening sequence are taken from various chapters in the manga.

Chrome

He occasionaly dons a cape in the manga and when he became an evil mastermind, he commissioned one for his signature outfit

He helps Chizuko train for a sports festival at her school as her honorary uncle.

He's shown to have had a few ideas for Chizuko's General outfit with the final design being among them within the manga continuity He also at one point, imagines her as a cherry themed magical girl during the same chapter that he goes into costume as 'Magical Girl No. 2' (episode 6 of the anime adaptation).

During a fight with Baryuu Ohmizo in the manga, he changes into a mascot form (in accordance with his animal theming, a bear that retains his signature scar above his nose) as a fade-out against the Supreme General.

He has a transformation sequence in the manga that he uses for an entirely normal purpose (Drying himself after getting soaked by downpours). The transformation aspect is parodied with only the top half of his body being without clothes (which Chizuko comments on) and his hair covering the front of his chest.

He has a fixation for toffee apples according to his manga profile

Mashirou

He's associated with pigeons in the manga owing to how jumpy in and out of cat form; the kanji for 'island' in his surname is written to the character for 'pigeon' and he gets swarmed by the birds during his original self's debut chapter

He is able to change back to his original human form under certain circumstances twice in the manga.

Two jokes that're manga-exclusive involve him convincing Chizuko to use her magic to make him taller and Tsuki taking Mashirou to a pet show to prove he's not really a cat (Mashirou doesn't set off folks' cat fur allergies for starters).

Baryuu Ohmizo

He pays a visit to Chrome's base for an assessment in chapter 16 of the manga.

He's shown to have been the one to make Kokoa's kittyage plushie when the latter was younger in the source material.

He gets turned into a lion mascot on one occasion in the manga.

[spreadyovrwings]

64 Oslo Square

"Companion' Middle English. From Old French ‘compaignon', literally 'one who breaks bread with another.

Strapped for cash, John gets a job at a bakery as their new delivery boy. Juggling school and Queen and work is exhausting, but it’s more than worth it. It's worth it because of you.

Warnings for this chapter: obscene flirting... characters realising their life has more to it than their job? other characters learning other people aren't quite so scary and can be trusted? those two characters fancying each other like crazy? yeah.

//

Chapter Nine

Steam billowed from the kettle’s spout. You watched it swell and curl through the air, until it hit the low kitchen ceiling and dispersed. On the mantelpiece, your grandmother’s carriage clock chimed ten.

It was the longest you’d been able to sleep in in years. Though you’d been trying to cast your mind back all morning as you set about making breakfast, you couldn’t recall the last time you’d been able to go to bed without setting an alarm.

Though the days were growing steadily warmer as summer rolled in, mornings were still cold in your little flat. You tucked your chin under the collar of your thick woollen jumper and puffed out a breath to warm your body.

It had not been a good week.

It’s difficult to anticipate how one might react in a situation like yours. You thought if someone had asked you a few months ago what you might say if given life-altering news like the kind Gladys had given you, you probably would’ve said you’d rage and eff and blind until the problem righted itself. You’d go out fighting, at least. But when Gladys set off her grenade, you didn’t say a word. You just stared at her. You stared and stared, and stared some more.

It didn’t take long for you to find your voice, though. Not after Gladys started to describe the whole ordeal. She couldn’t seem to get the words out fast enough, it was like watching someone in confession. Her open mouth was like a gutter, gushing words and apologies and useless explanations until finally, you couldn’t take anymore.

“You selfish cow!”

John came into the room when the shouting started. Mickey was close behind. One of them put a hand on your shoulder, it must have been Mickey because the hand was heavy and solid like a slab of concrete.

“Skip…”

John slipped his fingers between yours, trying to bring you back down to Earth, but you barely felt him.

“How could you do this to us? To Mickey? To me?”

Gladys covered her face with her hands, her chunky rings glinting in the low lights.

“I’m sorry!”

“He’s just had a baby!”

“I know, I know-”

“This is my home!”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’m- I’m so sorry, love. I didn’t think in a million years he would-”

You stopped listening. John was murmuring close to your ear, telling you to stop now. His long fingers were wrapped tight around yours, keeping you grounded but only just.

“Sweetheart, leave her,” he murmured. “You should get some air. Just come with me and breathe for a second. Please.”

But that didn’t sound like a reasonable option either. You didn’t want to go outside. You didn’t want to keep having this conversation either. Standing here, shouting at Gladys, that was the only thing that made sense.

“How could you be so stupid.”

The words barely made it out from between your gritted teeth.

You felt John’s hand leave yours. Mickey too took a step back. They both seemed to realise this wasn’t their fight, this wasn’t something they had a right to be involved in, even though they were grieving too.

Gladys was the brightest, most joyous person you knew. She flitted from person to person like a hummingbird. With her brightly coloured hair and her clattering jewellery, she was as dazzling on the outside as she was on the inside. But right now, she seemed to have shrunk a few inches. Her colour had dulled. Her light had gone out.

“I just thought he was interested in me,” Gladys looked down at the floor, ashamed. “No one’s ever been interested in me. And he seemed so eager to learn about the bakery and I thought- I thought maybe he was just proud of me. For building this place. For doing something so amazing on my own. But I was wrong.”

You could still feel your pulse pounding in your neck and the base of your skull. You couldn’t recall ever feeling so angry and let down in all your life. Time seemed to be rushing by you, and all you wanted was for John to hold your hand again.

Gladys still couldn’t look at you. In a way, you were relieved. You didn’t think you’d be able to meet her gaze either.

It was difficult to order the feelings surging through you. You loved Gladys. You owed her so much. You’d do anything for her and until today, you would have sworn she’d always put you, or at least Oslo Square, above all else. Despite everything, she was a good person. You knew that. She was enticing and gregarious and too trusting and a fool. And she had let you down for the last time.

“I will never forgive you for this,” you said, then turned and walked into the kitchen, through the back door and out into the alley.

But you didn’t get far. You never would.

Sinking down on the bakery’s back step, you folded your knees up to your body and prayed the pressure would take the ache away. It didn’t. You bit your lip, trying to hold back the sob that lay in wait in the back of your throat.

Sun filtered through into the alleyway, falling on the ground in puddles of light. Above you, the sky was so clear, there wasn’t a cloud in sight. And you just wanted to cry and cry and cry.

There was a sound behind you, the scuff of a boot against the cement steps. You pushed your face into your crossed arms, not ready to face anyone just yet.

“Skip?”

It was John. Of course it was. Who else would they send after you?

He called you by your nickname again, then as he came to sit beside you, your real name, softer, more intimate.

Finally, you raised your head.

He was looking at you closely, his clever eyes switching across your face. He was trying to work out how upset you were, how carefully he needed to tread around you. That was just his way, John was just being a good friend, but right now, you didn't want kindness and gentleness, you just wanted to be left alone.

“John, I think maybe…”

“It’s going to be alright.”

It wasn’t like him to interrupt. Usually, John weighed every word with care, as if each syllable would cost him a great deal, or he had a finite number at his disposal. You had always admired that about him; everyone else in your life spoke so carelessly, like it didn't matter at all.

“John…”

“C’mon,” he said, nodding now, like he’d made up his mind about something. “Let’s go upstairs. We’ll have a cuppa and we’ll-”

You wrapped a hand around his arm and squeezed gently, asking him to stop without a word. John looked so crestfallen, you couldn’t bear it.

You stood up, crossing your arms over your chest, as if it would help to keep the sickness sitting in your throat at bay.

“I think maybe you should go home,” you said as gently as you could. “I’ll call you later. Okay?”

John looked surprised, then a little hurt. It shouldn’t have annoyed you but it did a little. He had no idea what you were going through, he should just listen and know that when you said you needed some time, you meant it.

But the small part of your brain that could still think clearly knew that wasn’t fair. If the roles were reversed, as they had been before, you knew you would badger John relentlessly until he was forced to talk about whatever was bothering him. But this wasn’t about an exam or a tiff with his band, this was your whole life, your whole future, and it had wrenched from your grasp without you even knowing it

“Okay.” John slowly rose to his feet, his hands awkwardly moving from his pockets to his hips, behind his back and then to his pockets again. “I’ll come see you. Later.”

You nodded, your lips pulled back in a grim smile.

“I’ll call you,” you said again firmly.

For a moment, John didn’t move, he didn’t even blink. Then finally, he seemed to get the message.

“Okay,” he said quietly. “Just… Be careful with yourself, darling.”

Then he was gone and you were alone again.

That was two days ago. You hadn’t left your lonely flat since.

You poured boiling water into your favourite mug, waited a few minutes, then added the milk. Your movements were robotic, rehearsed, the habit of a lifetime that required no thought at all, and thank God, as you didn’t have the energy to think or feel much of anything.

The phone rang again but you didn’t even spare it a glance as you padded back to your bedroom and closed the door.

/

Life went on like this for a few more days before finally, you decided to pull yourself together. You got dressed, headed downstairs, and debated whether or not to turn on the ovens.

Mickey hadn’t come into work since the news. You couldn’t blame him, he had a baby at home and a wife to reassure. You had no one. Just an empty flat and a cold, silent bakery. But even that wasn’t yours anymore. Mickey phoned often enough though, asking if there were any updates and if he could do anything to help. You wished you had something to tell him.

You looked around at the old kitchen. The multicoloured tiles from renovation after renovation, the cookers and the ovens, all older than half the buildings on the road, the pots and pans, bowls and utensils, all lying unused. They seemed to stare at you, waiting for answers, just like Mickey, just like the customers you watched from your window, who passed by every day and soon left again, looking disappointed and confused.

Yeah, you thought, me too.

You grabbed some paper from behind the till, scribble a quick note, then sellotaped it to the door.

Closed until further notice.

You stared at the sign, letting the words truly sink in, then turned and went to go hide yourself away upstairs.

Then the door chimed.

“Skip?”

You looked up, heart pounding. It had only been a few days, but it was the longest you’d gone without seeing John for the best part of a year.

You’d somehow forgotten how tall he was, how lanky and gangly he looked standing in the bakery doorway, his perfect, long hair a striking contrast to his shabby clothes.

He smiled at you, shy and unsure, and you wished you could do more than stare back.

“Hi,” John said as he carefully pushed open the door all the way and finally stepped inside.

As the door rang shut again, you gritted your teeth. You thought if he’d asked, if he’d given you the choice, you probably would’ve said that now wasn’t a good time and he should come back later.

“Hi,” you said instead, and watched him pocket the key Gladys had given him on his first day.

John looked at you like he was waiting for you to say more. You couldn’t blame him for that. You’d led every conversation you’d ever shared, guiding him and teasing him, wheedling information out of him with a fine hook. Now, you couldn’t for the life of you think of anything to say.

“You haven’t been answering the phone,” John said eventually. “I was worried.”

He cautiously approached the desk. Perhaps he’d only just noticed the thick tension in the air, or maybe he was just having trouble pushing through it, but he seemed to take careful steps, his eyes fixed on you.

“Well,” You tried not to sound huffy but it came out all wrong. “I’m kind of dealing with something right now. I don’t have time for…”

“What?”

He was challenging you, daring you to say more. You clammed up, feeling chastised.

“Did you talk to Gladys?”

You nodded.

You’d spent the last few days in meetings with your boss, discussing what had happened, trying to figure a way out of this mess, going over the details and again and again until you were both exhausted and resigned to the idea that this place was no longer yours. Everything that Gladys had built, everything you’d worked for, was gone.

“What did she say? What’s going on?”

John came closer until he could rest his hands on the counter. You stared at them, following the outline of each of his long fingers.

He really did have such lovely hands. The round onyx ring he wore on his little finger, the silver one he always took off and pocketed when he was helping out, because it was Freddie’s and he didn’t want to ruin it. The little scars from his childhood and faded burns from mucking about with machines. You’d missed them.

“Did you fix it?”

You pressed your lips together and shook your head.

“No.”

At home, you blankly stared at the ceiling, at the television screen, into the mirror. It had slowly begun to dawn on you that outside of 64 Oslo Square, you had nothing. Friends you saw once in a blue moon, no hobbies, no interests, no idea of what the future would hold. Everything, you’d put everything into the bakery, your whole life. In just a few weeks, you’d even have to find a new flat. Everything was falling apart.

“There has to be something we can do. She’s made a mistake.”

“I know.”

“C’mon, love. We can sort this out.”

It was too much. It was just all too much. You didn’t want to hear positivity and hopefulness, you didn’t want anyone to be kind to you, especially John, not after the way you’d pushed him away. You didn’t want gentleness and softness, because it meant he thought something had happened to warrant that care, and you didn’t want to be someone who needed looking after. You didn’t want to be someone that had had something so awful happen to them.

“I can’t do this.”

You pushed away from the counter and moved into the kitchen, heading for the door to your flat. All you wanted was to crawl back into bed and shut out the world. Compartmentalism had got you nowhere, not when one of the best things about your job had turned up out of the blue asking you a million questions and caring about you far more than you deserved.

You didn’t expect John to follow you, but you heard his boots clunking against the kitchen floor, his voice soft and low as he called out again,

“Skip?”

You bit back a sob. You weren’t Skip anymore. You weren’t the captain of anything. You had no bakery, no business, no prospects, you were just- You were nothing.

“Leave me alone.”

You tried to sound forceful but the words got caught in your throat.

“Love, please-”

John was right behind you as you wrenched open the door up to your flat. You could hear his stupid boots on the stairs.

“John, I can’t-”

“Just talk to me.”

“You don’t understand!”

You stopped in the middle of the stairs and span around. It must have taken John by surprise because he staggered to a halt, one foot hanging in midair, as if he’d been in the middle of a step.

“In a month, I won’t have a home or a job, and this place will be packed up and turned into luxury flats or some half-arsed storefront selling overpriced street food to bastards like him, and I won’t have anything.”

It was as if someone else was doing the talking. You could almost believe you were standing beside yourself, watching as you shouted at John, your eyes shining and your jaw tight. You wanted to tell yourself to stop, that he didn’t deserve to be talked to like that, but you couldn’t close the floodgates.

“And you, you’ll swan off with your band or pack it in and become an engineer, and you’ll forget all about us and this place, and I’ll never see you again.”

John’s eyes flashed but his expression was as neutral and measured as ever.

“That’s not going to happen,” he said evenly. “You really think that little of me?”

“Oh, shut up, I was only-”

“Don’t tell me to shut up. You don’t get to decide how much I care about something. Alright?”

“Why would you care? You’re just the delivery boy. Some student Gladys took pity on cos she can’t resist strays.”

“I love this place too, you know I do. Things aren’t as easy for me as you think.”

You scoffed. It annoyed you that he could be so rational and calm at a time like this, when all you wanted to do was shout and accuse and lash out.

“Oh, poor John. It must be so hard for you, being a genius and having to choose between being rich and famous and being a bloody rocket scientist, or whatever the fuck it is you do. Life must be so difficult.”

Finally, John scowled. He moved closer, so now he was on the step just below yours, your faces level for the first time.

“You don’t know anything about my life.”

“Not for lack of trying!”

“You’re so- I’ve given you more of myself than I’ve ever given anyone!”

“Oh, well lucky me.”

“God, you’re-”

“What?”

“You’re…”

John trailed off. He seemed to realise, at the same time as you, just how close you were to each other.

You waited, hardly daring to breathe. John was maybe a few inches away, his chin tilted up ever so slightly so that he could meet your gaze. His pretty, silvery green eyes were fixed on yours, as if to make a point. You were fighting the same urge, to not look down at his lips, angled so perfectly up towards you, it was enough to make your chest lurch.

Slowly, so slowly it was almost painful, you watched as John’s gaze finally slipped and he glanced down at your mouth. Surrender. You followed immediately, and felt time speed up again. You caught your breath. Your heart was hammering so hard, you were sure John must’ve been able to hear it, feel it.

John’s gaze dropped again and stayed for longer this time, very obviously debating something that terrified and excited you all at once. It was just a matter of who would give in first.

“We’re not going to kiss,” you whispered, not trusting your voice. “Not like…”

You made the mistake of letting your eyes fall to his lips again, one last time. They parted ever so slightly, an invitation, like he was asking you to give in and take what you’d been wanting for so long. You pressed your lips together and immediately regretted it. You’d given yourself away.

The corner of John’s mouth twitched up into a little smile.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he murmured. “You said some horrible things to me.”

You pulled in a lungful of air and closed your eyes. The moment was gone, but it still took you a second or two to get your feet back on the ground.

“I’m sorry,” You rubbed your tired eyes, feeling guilty and ashamed and dizzy all at once. “I was being stupid.”

John shrugged.

“Just because it was hurtful doesn’t mean it wasn’t accurate.”

“Still, I’m being an idiot. I’m sorry, John. It’s been a fucking awful week.”

He smiled to let you know he understood. Then his eyes dropped to your mouth again, just for a second, but you couldn’t have missed it.

“Not like what?” he asked softly.

“What?”

“You said ‘We’re not going to kiss. Not like…’. Not like what?” John raised his eyebrows. “Not like this, you mean?”

It hadn’t occurred to you that you’d spoken those words out loud. It was jarring to hear John repeat them back to you, and even more surprising to realise that’s exactly what you meant.

You nodded.

“Not like this.”

This wasn’t the right time, as much as it pained you. He was so close, looking up at you so sweetly, telling you how much he cared about you and that he just wanted to help. But John was right, you’d been horrible to him, and you were so sad you could barely breathe. When you did kiss him, you wanted it to be right, you wanted it to be good, you wanted to make the world stop turning.

John nodded, looking down at his ridiculous shoes. When he looked up again, his gaze still lingered antagonistically around your mouth. You wondered if he was doing it on purpose.

“When then?”

“What?”

“When can I kiss you?”

You couldn’t help it, you laughed.

“When you get me my bakery back.”

John grinned. He had such a lovely smile, so bright and honest.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.”

“Promise?”

John crossed his index finger over his heart.

“Promise.”

You beamed at each other. For a moment, it was as if nothing had changed, like nothing was wrong, or could ever be wrong. Because John was here and he was smiling at you, and he wanted to kiss you and knew you wanted to kiss him. But then reality slowly seeped in, harsh and so cold, it made you shiver.

“It’s hopeless, John,” you murmured, and pressed your face into your palms.

John wrapped his long fingers around your forearms and squeezed gently. When he carefully pulled your hands away from your face, you saw he was smiling sweetly.

“Shall I stick the kettle on?” he asked.

You’d never heard anything more romantic in your life.

You led him up the stairs to your flat and let him make you a cup of tea, while you sat on the sofa and watched him move around in the kitchen.

It was only tiny. Even ‘kitchen’ was a generous word, it was just the two sideboards, the hob and some cupboards set into the wall, but John moved around them as if he’d lived there all his life, and you were, once again, assured that he was fated to be 64 Oslo Square’s delivery boy.

“I was thinking about finding a flat. For after uni.” John handed you a mug and sat down beside you. “You could, um… Maybe I could start looking now and… You know, obviously we don’t know when things will… But I could look and…”

You blinked at him.

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”

John’s cheeks were tinged pink.

“I just want you to know you have options. I know you’re going to figure this out, but I want you to know you have somewhere safe to stay.”

Your chest squeezed as a wave of affection washed over you. How did you ever get so lucky? It was a small relief, in a way, to know that no matter what happened, you had a friend in John. The idea of moving into a flat together felt unreal right now. The more you pondered on it, the more the severity of your situation seemed to settle in.

“There’s nothing to figure out, John.” You sighed. “Gladys signed the paperwork. You know, she didn’t even really understand what she was signing? He got her drunk then pushed the papers across the table and told her he wanted to invest in the bakery, she just had to sign. Daft cow.”

“How’s Mickey taking it?”

“He’s alright. He’s a fantastic baker, he could find a job anywhere.”

“So could you.”

“I couldn’t.”

“You’re joking. Everything you make is incredible! And you’re passionate and you’re dedicated… You could find somewhere else. Maybe start your own place someday.”

You laughed softly, embarrassed by the compliment. His faith in you was flattering. No one had ever said anything like that to you before.

You reached out and took John’s hand, folding your fingers between his and interlocking them, as if you’d done it a million times before.

“You’re so sweet. But I can’t.” You squeezed his hand gently. “I started working here when I was sixteen. Have I told you that?”

John shook his head.

“I used to pass by on my way to school. Me and my friends would come in every Friday. And every day, Gladys was there, behind the counter. And she was mad and funny and she let us stay all afternoon, even though we only had enough money for a cuppa and a cake. And when I left school, there was one place I wanted to work.”

You looked up at the photo of you, Gladys and Mickey on your mantelpiece. Your tiny, ridiculous, mismatched family.

“I was just behind the counter at first, like you. But it was fun, it was a living. Then Shaz, the head baker back then, she started letting me help out. I loved it so much. The time things took. The attention to detail. The warmth of the kitchen. And it’s stressful but it’s full of love. You know? Everything we make is…”

You squeezed John’s hand again.

“When you see people smiling because of the things you make… It’s the best feeling in the world. I asked if I could start working as a baker and Gladys agreed, and even knocked a bit off the price of this place.”

Together, you looked around at your tiny flat. It wasn’t much but it was home, it was yours. You’d never had anything that was just yours before, and you couldn’t stress it enough, the importance of having space, having ownership, a room of one’s own, especially for a working class woman in 1973, especially for someone making it on their own.

“This is my home, John. And these people, they’re my family. I had nothing and the bakery gave me a purpose. I can’t just find somewhere else. I can’t. I can’t. It’s Oslo Square or nothing.”

John watched you for a moment, and you wondered if maybe you’d bored him with your outpouring. You wouldn’t be shocked. But then he raised your interlocked hands and held them to his chest.

“I’ll get it back for you. I promise.”

You laughed softly. He’d surprised you yet again.

“Where did you come from, New Boy? You really are an angel, aren’t you.”

“I don’t know about that.” John shyly glanced away. “The bakery means a lot to me too now. I want to help. If I can.”

Was it too early to revise your ‘no kissing’ policy? You really wanted to kiss him. Actually, kissing John would probably fix most of your problems. Or, at the very least, make them much easier to deal with. God, you could probably make him moan with just a kiss, you could tell from looking at him that he’d be a noisy one. Or maybe he’d lay you back on the couch and run those stupidly big hands all over you, playing you like one of his instruments. You wouldn’t mind that at all.

“Skip?”

You blinked. John was looking at you expectantly.

“Oh, sorry,” You gave him a wonky sort of a grin. “Just a bit tired, I think.”

John didn’t look like he believed you but he let you off the hook.

“I think you need to get out of the house.”

You had to agree. Aside from nipping to the shops for the essentials, you hadn’t left your flat since Gladys’ news.

“Where do you wanna go?”

“Well, actually,” John said guiltily. “I have to meet the lads at three. I wondered if you wanted to come.”

“To watch you rehearse?”

“It’ll probably be really boring for you, but you’ll get to see a few arguments. And we can get lunch first or dinner after or… I don’t mind, I just want you with me.” John blushed. “But you can say no, I didn’t mean to-”

You laughed softly. He really was the sweetest boy alive.

“I’d love to, John.”

/

That afternoon, Queen were rehearsing in a studio space in South London. John was tempted to grab the tube but you convinced him onto the bus, remembering, as you handed over your change to the driver, that he’d once admitted he was nervous about travelling that way. If he was going to be a proper Londoner, you thought, he had to learn how to use the buses, and the 49 seemed as good a place to start as any.

You watched John watch the world go by. He really was so beautiful and he had no clue. He had some semblance of an idea that he was alright, you knew that. The way John preened in front of every passing mirror told you so. But he didn’t see the lovely slope of his strong nose, or the way his grey eyes shone every time he saw something that piqued his interest, or the way his lovely, funny mouth twitched at the corners just before he was about to murmur something to you in that lovely, funny voice.

You’d tell him, you decided. Soon. You’d tell him just how beautiful you thought he was.

It was only when you followed John through the quiet, carpeted corridors of the recording studios that you began to feel nervous. You’d never been anywhere like that before, it was a foreign land.

As you passed, you peered through the porthole windows of every door to catch glimpses of steely grey microphones and mixing desks in big glass boxes. It was like something out of a film, something you’d only ever seen in magazines and photographs.

John seemed totally at ease. You supposed you were seeing him in his world for the first time. He would protest, he was a scientist, an engineer, he wasn’t a rockstar, but he was a musician, through and through. This world of dials and crossfades and endless electric cables suited him very well.

Eventually, he pushed open a door and held it open for you, gesturing for you to go in first.

The room was only small, probably all he and his friends could afford to hire by the hour. In the corner sat a shiny, black grand piano. Freddie tapped on the keys, humming under his breath as if building a tune just from a few plaintive notes. Next to that, there was a row of guitars all standing to attention, and a drum kit, steadily being put together to just the right requirements by Roger.

He looked up when the door opened.

“Hi, John. We were just saying-” Roger stopped in his tracks and immediately brightened when he saw you come in. “Bakery girl!”

“Hiya, Rog.”

You laughed as he came over to give you a big hug. It had been a while since you’d seen John, so it had been even longer since you saw his friends. You were sure Roger was only sweet to you because he knew it annoyed John but you were more than happy to play along.

John waited until Roger had gone back to his drum kit to stop frowning.

“Brian not here yet?” he asked, a little gruffly.

Freddie scoffed.

“He’s late. Again. He’s teaching somewhere in Balham. He’ll probably be hours, you know how he likes to bang on. You don’t play guitar, do you, love?”

You smiled shyly as Freddie also came over to greet you.

“No, sorry. Just the recorder in Year 3.”

“Ah, you’ll fit right in.”

Freddie beamed.

You didn’t know him as well as Roger but every time you saw Freddie, you practically tripped over yourself to befriend him. He was just so cool, so beautiful, his voice soft and his mannerisms so enchanting. He drew you in, just as he did the crowds when he was on stage, like a siren beckoning in beguiled ships.

“How are you doing?” Freddie held you by the shoulders as his soft dark eyes searched yours. “We’ve heard about this awful business with that twat. Andrew, was it?”

“Alastair.”

“That’s the bastard.” Freddie shook his head. “I’m so sorry, love.”

You wondered how much John had told them. By all accounts, he wasn’t the most talkative of people. In fact, you were still getting used to how much he spoke now. If you compared the boy standing beside you to the boy who first anxiously walked into the bakery that cold January night, you would almost say they were completely different people.

“Thanks, Freddie.”

“Are you staying?” asked Roger.

You glanced at John and he shot you an encouraging smile.

“If it’s okay with you lot?”

“Make yourself at home!”

You found a seat off to the side, just behind John’s amp.

You couldn’t help staring, transfixed, as he got himself set up. You could watch his hands forever, the way his fingers slipped over the strings, how the instrument fit perfectly against his body. Even watching him plug in his bass was mesmerising. It all just seemed to come so naturally to John, as most things did. He really was wonderful.

Queen warmed up slowly, giving Brian more time to turn up, and as they did, they passed ideas back and forth to each other. It was like a foreign language. Musical terms, notes, lyrics, pacing, you didn’t understand any of it, though you loved to listen to the boys figure it all out together.

For the most part, Freddie and Roger talked back and forth, while John watched, thumbing pensively at the thickest string of his bass as he waited to play. But you noticed how they never decided anything without consulting John for the final say, and his word seemed to be gospel.

John looked back at you over his shoulder and shot you a rare confident smile. You just had time to blush before the door opened and Brian fell in, apologising and shaking his head so that his wild, dark curls danced.

Brian waved to you but didn’t waste any time chatting. He grabbed his guitar and struck up a chord that filled the room with that familiar, quintessentially them sound.

They were magic to watch. You couldn’t wait to see what they became.

Soon, Freddie started to complain that he needed a drink to soothe his raw voice, and Roger and Brian went with him. They asked if you and John wanted anything but you both declined quickly, eager to be alone together again.

As soon as the door shut behind them, John turned to you properly and smiled. He nodded down at his bass, asking wordlessly if you’d like to try.

Grinning, you nodded too, and tried not to look too pleased as he ducked out of the strap. John gently lifted it over your head, and you tried to keep still as he settled the bass against you. You’d never held a bass guitar before. You hadn’t expected it to be so heavy.

“Oof, wow.”

You rolled your shoulders back, adjusting your posture so that you could balance its weight better.

“I know,” John’s hands skirted over your shoulders, making sure the strap was sitting comfortably first before he came round to stand in front of you. “I’ll have a terrible back when I’m an old man, I’m sure of it.”

Trying to remember how his hands moved when you watched him play, you lifted your left hand and pressed the tip of your index finger against the first metal string. It was thick and strong, and indented your skin as you pressed down. You couldn’t imagine how he managed to play so quickly, so deftly. The instrument seemed ungainly and oversensitive to you.

“You make it look so easy.”

John just smiled.

It was nice to see him in his element, to see him confident and sure of himself. He’d had once told you that he only picked up the bass because his first band needed it. You found it hard to believe, John and the bass, they seemed made for each other.

“You’ve almost got it. Here.”

You held your breath as John moved to stand behind you again. His left hand came up to cover yours, gently twisting your wrist around so that it was positioned nicely under the neck. With his other hand, he plucked a few notes on the lowest string, then took your index finger between his and showed you how to curl it just right. You swallowed thickly, and hoped he wouldn’t be able to hear your shaky breaths.

“Feels funny,” John said as he watched you pluck out a few tentative notes. “Me teaching you something for once.”

Face hot, you just tried to concentrate on playing right.

“You’re a much better baker than I am a bassist.”

John moved closer to correct your left hand, and now his chest was pressed up against your back. You tensed, trying to keep as still as possible but it was difficult to concentrate with him so close. All questions about whether he was doing it on purpose left your head when he spoke softly by your ear, his breath tickling your skin.

“I don’t know,” John let his hand slip down your forearm, just as it did the neck of his bass, and tentatively let it rest just above your waist. “Looks pretty good from where I’m standing.”

You stopped attempting to play, it was pointless. You couldn’t so much as hold a thought in your head, let alone carry a tune. You turned your head to the side until you could just see John out of the corner of your eye.

“You’ve taught me a lot, you know,” John went on. “Not just the baking. You’ve made me much braver.”

His big hand felt heavy against your side. You were suddenly hyper aware of the slightest movement of each of his fingers. While his other arm was slung across the body of the bass, his fingers tucked underneath it to support its weight, the fingers of his left hand pressed into your soft waist ever so slightly and you had to hold back a gasp. You were touching so much, it was insane, you could barely remember your own name.

“I think I just bullied you into talking more.”

Your voice was shaky and low. You knew John would catch it but you didn’t care. You were too busy thinking about how warm his chest felt against your back, and how if you angled your hips just right, you could sink back into him until his hips were fitted against your arse. Then John spoke again, so close now that it felt like his lips were close to brushing your neck

“I’m glad you did.”

You could practically feel him smile against your skin as he added,

“You’re good for me, I think.”

Slowly, carefully, you turned your head a little further, and John shifted around so that you could meet each other’s gaze properly.

His confidence seemed to slip the moment he knew you could see him, but the hand that rested heavily on your waist slipped down to your hip and squeezed.

“I think you’re good for me too,” you said, and smiled when John blushed under your gaze.

There was no space between you at all. Just one move, one inclination of your head, one press of John’s hand, and you’d be in his arms, your fingers in his lovely hair, your mouth pressed against his with only the bass between you, and suddenly the worst week of your life would be over.

You had just the wherewithal to realise how wrong you’d been. You thought you were alone, you thought you had no life outside of the bakery, but here you were, in the arms of the sweetest boy you’d ever known, listening to his band create some of the best music you’d ever heard, and John truly believed everything would be okay. Maybe you ought to trust him.

John let out a short breath, the corners of his mouth turning upwards, as if he too was nervous and excited and uncertain all at once. How sweet it was to know he felt exactly what you were feeling.

“What you said about, erm, no kissing till I’ve got your bakery back,” John murmured, his pretty eyes fixed unashamedly on your mouth. “Is that a… Is that a hard and fast rule? Or more like a suggestion?”

You smiled, and watched John’s adam’s apple bob in his lovely throat.

“What do you think, pretty boy?”

It was very clear from the look in John’s eyes what he thought about that. He bent his head, slowly and with great consideration, just like with everything he did, until the tip of his nose brushed yours. You felt your eyes close without you needing to think about it, your lips parting as you heard John say,

“You’ve no idea how long I’ve been waiting t-”

“Oh, have we got a new bassist? Lovely.”

Your eyes snapped open in time to see Freddie swoop into the room with a drink in his hand. He was smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

“I can’t tell you how pleased I am, love. You’ll look much better in the costumes.”

John begrudgingly moved away but he was smiling to himself. Caught. When his hands left you, it felt like all the air had come rushing back into the room.

The boys chatted as they filed back in, passing around ideas and thoughts on the next show, but you could barely hear them over the sound of your own heart thumping in your ears.

John stayed close. You couldn’t be more relieved. After today, after this week, you never wanted him to move out of arm’s reach again.

“Thanks for today,” you whispered to him, when you were sure the others wouldn’t hear you. “I needed this.”

John shrugged, then carefully helped you out from under his bass. He slipped it over his head, then swung the guitar round so that it wouldn’t bump against you as he took your hand in his.

“You’ve saved me enough times. It’s about time I returned the favour, Captain.”

“I’m still Captain, am I?”

“Of course! You’ll always be my captain.”

“I was worried… I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to see me anymore, now you don’t have to.”

John smiled.

“It wasn’t the bakery I was coming to see, love. I haven’t been getting up at the crack of dawn and peddling across half of London for the bakery. I didn’t suffer scraped knees and a daft helmet for Gladys and her bloody ancient coffee machine.”

You marvelled at this for a second, then you smiled.

“It’s Mickey, isn’t it.”

John laughed.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah. Can’t get enough of the bloke.”

“I knew it, I knew it.”

”It’s the arms.”

“Who can blame you.”

//

Master List

[roseaesynstylae]

Star Wars: Republic Commando: Hard Contact, Chapter 7

"It was the fields. There was too much open ground between areas of cover. Niner had been sitting in the fork of a tree for so long that one buttock was numb and the other was catching up."

Any time there's a funny (or mildly funny) moment in these books, I feel obliged to record it. It's less because I feel bad about criticizing them (I don't, at all) and more due to the fact that I like to note anything I actually enjoy in these books.

"Yes, she could use the Force. When she felt confident and controlled, she could master everything Fulier had taught her; but those days were few and far between She wrestled with a temper unbefitting a Jedi. She watched those with serene acceptance of the Force and envied their certainty. She wondered why Jedi blood had bothered to manifest in someone who was so fallible."

I get Etain's low self-esteem. In fact, most of that paragraph is pretty relatable. BUT. "Jedi blood?" It has never been called that. Yes, Force-sensitivity tends to run in families (see, the Skywalkers, the Horns, etc), but, and considering how much certain characters rant about it, I'd think Traviss would pay attention to this, the Jedi Order is not about bloodlines. It's the furthest thing from. What exactly prompted--

OH. Oh, I have a sneaking suspicion as to why it's referred to as "Jedi blood" here.

What's the connotation most people have when they hear the word blood in the context of abilities or families or whatnot? For me, it carries this hint of elitism. There's just a sense of "Me and the rest of my family are so superior to you that even our bodily fluids are Better Than You." Why do I have this feeling that KT is trying to make the Jedi Order look elitist?

THE JEDI ARE NOT ELITIST. They are, again, the furthest thing from. They help everyone, especially people who are at the bottom of the pecking order, and they don't care where their members come from. Nothing about the Jedi Order is elitist.

But Karen Traviss is ignoring that "little" fact. She wants to make the Jedi look bad and unsympathetic and "Why would anyone stay a member," and she is ignoring facts in order to do that. It's one thing to have an interpretation that uses canon facts. It's another thing entirely to ignore facts.

To sum up:

Jedi-Bashing: 14 (one for the elitist subtext, one for the blatant ignorance of the facts)

"Then she became aware of something she wasn't expecting to encounter in the Imbraani woods.

A child.

[...]

'Sorry, ma'am,' a man's voice said. 'I didn't recognize you.'

And still she detected only a child, so close it had to be next to the man. For some reason she couldn't sense him in the Force at all."

This is how I want two people who are going to fall in love to meet! By one thinking the other is a child! That isn't creepy at all!

Also, why is Etain sensing Darman as a child? In all Star Wars media involving the clones, including this very series, portray all clone troopers as adults. I don't get why she senses Darman's chronological age in this scene.

Oh, wait. Yes, I do. Traviss wants to reinforce how bad the Jedi Order is. "Oh, look! They're using child soldiers! Aren't they just awful?!" In response, I say "Hey, remember how Kal Skirata wanted to start training his sons to kill people when they were eight? And remember how his wife was treated as a bitch for not being comfortable with that?" Am I deliberately misinterpreting canon facts? Maybe. Is someone else definitely doing the exact same? Yes. Shut up.

Jedi-Bashing: 15

"Sergeant Kal was especially eager for his Wet Droids to read stuff about a culture called Mandalorian. He admired Jango Fett."

These facts about Kal Skirata aren't bad in this book, but they're going to make him very punchable in future material. God, this fucking guy...

Jedi-Bashing: 15

Di'kut Count: 6

Main Post

[chromatic-lamina]

Hi! You seem quite knowledgeable in this, so I though you might be the right person to ask: I'm trying to find some nice heart pirates fics with them as family doing shenanigans/general stuff. Most of the fics I've found in the Heart Pirates tag in ao3 revolve around a ship involving law and the hearts are just background characters who barely do anything, which isn't what I'm looking for. Do you have any recommendations? (I've already read some of your works, but if you want to recommend those that's good too!)

Platonic Heart Pirates Fics Rec List

Wow! huge compliment.

Yeah, I wouldn't classify myself as a Hearts Pirates writer, but I do write them. I think my best characterisations of them are in my multi-chaptered works, but they're super dark, and the Hearts aren't the focus (but boy do they shine when they get the chance!).

You've probably come across my Bepo's one shots and drabble collection. There's a few shippy pieces in there, but they're clearly marked. Most are just the crew, although focus on the main four. This was also done for the Hearts' Pirates Week, so covers all named crew members (up to that point). This one shot is surprisingly popular: Dark like the North Blue Sea (aka The Sea-Hill you Die On), and you might have come across the Straw Hat and Heart Pirates crews intermingling in this fic featuring Bepo and Chopper. I'm also guessing that you probably saw the piece I wrote for the op summer festival zine: Sun Path Ozoni. An earlier version of that is in Bepo's collection! There's also Bepo's Beptober, which features everyone, but I wouldn't really say explores them in depth!

Okay, RECS!

Any of the fics with the Hearts Pirate tag by @op-sheepy Here's a link to their AO3 dash. There are quite a few Heart Pirate drabbles on their tumblr page too.

@itsxandy 's work, stormy weather, is criminally under-read. That's 22,2221 amazing words on Law's dynamic with the crew in the polar tang in close quarters. Not necessarily happy families, but, oof, it's good. Even a very plausible theory put forward for the recruitment of Clione, I think! Or maybe Uni.

Dragon_in_a_Cypress_swamp has 6 amazing Hearts & Trafalgar Law fics too. Really good (I haven't read all, but what I have read just blows me away).

This is not a place of honor by Hyperbolic Reverie (I'm not guaranteeing that all the fics are sweet). And you've probably come across

the devil knows how to row by fab_ia, is set in Law Novel land, but with flashbacks to Law's time with the Donquixote Family. It's a work in progress. But very good. The author is keats on twitter, and I think one of the guest writers for the up coming Hearts zine. Their AO3 actually has a few Hearts' fics I want to pick through.

Dunno if this counts, but the Scrubs AU with Penguin and Shachi as Law's interns, and Bepo as a trusty nurse is both hilarious and poignant. @thegrimshapeofyoursmile

Cal14's recently been uploading some of their tumblr pieces.

@slashseeker (not getting their blog come up) has some platonic stuff on their AO3 page (their slash is pretty good too though!).

And that's about all I know for now. I'm sure you've read / been pointed towards the big collection: Tales from the Heart.

Almost forgot! If you go through @purplehairedwonder 's page, towards the start of beginning to write OP (so second page), there are about 5 fics that I'd classify as Heart centric, or the Hearts seen through Law's eyes. Not necessarily shenanigans though.

It is a ship fic, and it started before a lot of the Heart Pirates were named, but razbliuto's Methyl Nitrate Pirates really builds character and crew (and it's funny). @fablecore

Hope it helps! Sorry to anyone I've forgotten. Thanks for the ask! Let me know how they go.

Remember all, drop a kudos and comment if the fics strike your fancy❤️ Makes a Heart Pirates Heart loving Heart beat heartier.

[tokiro07]

Undead Unluck ch.189 thoughts

[I Dream of Juiz-y]

(Contents: Character analysis - Julia and Anna, thematic analysis - nature/justice, predictions)

I talked a lot last week about how Julia's nature should be mostly retained from Juiz's soul, and that seems to have been pretty spot on. Julia is just as earnest, dedicated, moral and courageous as Juiz was, but as one might expect, she doesn't have the same air of confidence and elegance that Juiz had as a result of living for eons on end. Some things can only be gained through experience and aren't inherent to one's personality, so while Julia could become a perfect recreation of Juiz, at the moment she doesn't necessarily know that she has those traits in her at all

For example, Juiz was heavily motivated by her desire to make Victor happy; if Julia can't see herself in a relationship currently and by extension doesn't have a partner, she can't possibly know how far she'd be willing to go for the sake of someone that she loves. We see in this chapter that she's willing to face down a monster that far outclasses her for the sake of a friend, but it's not like she had ever been in a similar situation before. She probably never could have guessed that she'd act like that here, but that was how she was always going to act in that scenario

This is also why it's unavoidable that she's going to become intertwined with the battle against God. Whether she was Unjustice or not, the personality that Julia inherited from Juiz was always going to spur her to action in the face of injustice. The only difference between her being Unjustice and not being is that she'll learn about the world of Negators, and even then she might have found out somehow anyway, and she'd definitely have made an effort to get involved once she knew. She may be happy with her current life, but she never could be the type to learn an unjust truth and leave it be

I would also venture a guess that it's not simply that she "can't see herself in a relationship," but to some extent also that literally no one in that line was ever going to be anywhere near her type. I'm not going to say that she's still loyal to Victor, but I'm confident that meeting Victor would definitely trigger something in her. Sean sure as hell was never going to, though

Side note: very cute that Sean goes crying to Chikara after Julia rejects him. Another branch to the polycule for sure

Tozuka also clearly went out of his way to illustrate the similarities between Julia and Fuuko, as if to remind us that one of the core tenets of Juiz's character thus far has been how similar she is to Fuuko. Not only did the cover page show how their roles have reversed (which I believe I mentioned last week or the week before), but Fuuko and Julia both made the same stereotypical determined shonen pose in this chapter. Not only did this indicate that they behave similarly, but it also showed that Fuuko wouldn't have been as out of place as Nico suggested, as she likely would have been able to forge a connection with Julia almost instantly

Speaking of friends, I'm surprisingly endeared to Julia and Anna's friendship right off the bat. UMA Gold's ability seems to be a take on Unjustice, forcing people with greed in their hearts to act in particular ways in exchange for money - while Unjustice negates one's sense of justice, Gold pushes its limits, tempting one to betray their justice with an increasing amount of riches. However, unlike Unjustice which automatically flips the target's actions to go against their justice and therefore cannot be resisted without completely changing one's values, Gold seems to be resistible based on the value of one's convictions

Case in point, Anna clearly values money, as she specifically helps Julia train in secret in exchange for payment, but while this allows her to be ensnared by Gold and give some information to him against her will, it does not completely rob her of her will, as she is able to clasp her hand over her mouth and refuse to offer any further information. She undoubtedly would have broken eventually, but the fact that she was able to resist at all suggests that for however much she values money, she values Julia more. This definitively makes Anna a great friend for Julia, and makes Julia's decision to step up for her sake that much more relatable

I don't know how much more we'll see of Anna, she'll probably be like Ryo and we'll only see her on rare occasions, but her presence gives a good sense of what's at stake for Julia's personal life if she doesn't fight on the Union's side

I'm also glad that we're seeing little glimpses of Juiz's life through Julia's eyes, as that implies we'll have an avenue to directly have new parts of Juiz's story relayed to us directly, much like Apocalypse dreaming about his conversations with her. Seeing Julia's take on Juiz's experiences, possibly even seeing her remember Juiz's initial tragedy, would be a great way to develop both of them simultaneously, and would definitely make it feel like we didn't just trade Juiz for Julia. I don't know if that's how it's going to happen, but I don't think that Fuuko can explain Juiz's tragedy to Julia, I think she needs to experience it firsthand, and having Juiz's memories embedded in her soul seems like the perfect way to do so

I'm expecting that next week's chapter will be a deep dive into what justice means to Julia, and could possibly compare and contrast her vision with Juiz's, though I guess that could take a few chapters. Either way, I think there's a good chance that they'll be fighting UMA Silver next chapter, as not only did Gold mention a brother, he also wields an axe, a clear reference to the fable of the Honest Woodcutter

In the story, a woodcutter drops his axe in the river and is then asked by the god Hermes (or a river spirit in the Japanese version) if he dropped a gold or silver axe - when the woodcutter is honest and says he dropped a normal axe rather than jumping at the opportunity for riches, he is given all three as a reward. Just like in the story, Gold wields an axe and represents temptation, while Julia represents the moral backbone to resist temptation and do what she believes is right regardless. She didn't seem influenced by Gold at all, so now she needs to be tempted by Silver as well to prove definitively that she has the strength of spirit to always be honest and just no matter what

The real question is what will her first usage of Unjustice look like? Will she accidentally force Anna to give into Silver's temptation? Will she make Anna attack her? Will Gold and Silver be forced to fight each other? Will Fuuko be targeted? This could go a lot of ways, so it's hard to speculate. Regardless, I think we'll get Unjustice next chapter, and I'm extremely excited to see how that affects Julia as a person

Until next time, let's enjoy life

[coraniaid]

I loved Coexist! The whole story felt very complete by the end and I understand there's no plans for an immediate sequel or anything. But I'm a curious bitch and I love the world you created so I have to ask: did you ever have specific ideas for how some of the major events of season 4 or 5 (or beyond) would go down in that universe? I'm curious about how Faith and Co would deal with The Initiative with no Spike, how the Key/Glory/Joyce stuff would go down with Buffy at Northwestern, or just literally anything you might have thought about for the future of these characters. I'll take literally anything you feel like sharing.

Thanks very much! I'm glad you liked it.

Yeah, as you say, no immediate sequel plans (the big thing I want to make progress on next is my extensive Season 7 rewrite; after that though, maybe ...).

I have thought a bit about what might happen to the characters after the events of the story, though I'm not sure I have any ideas I'm 100% committed to. I have a few fairly vague plans for fics that would take place during S4 -- not necessarily following the plot of S4 as closely as Coexist followed the plot of S3, as I think the world is probably too different now for a lot of that season to happen and in any case I'm not really emotionally invested in Season 4 the same way I am Season 3 -- but certainly happening in a setting where The Initative still exist.

Spoilers for my fanfiction Coexist below the cut I guess?

The most developed idea I have is for a Willow centric fic covering her first year in Oxford: alternating between Willow POV chapters as she explores the university and runs into some familiar faces from canon and shorter chapters made up of emails or IRC messages she gets from her friends back in the US (both commenting directly on the plot and giving Willow advice/encouragement and letting us know a bit about what's happening back in Sunnydale). We know that the Watcher's Council have some sort of link to Oxford (it's where Giles went to train to be a Watcher; "where they make Gileses", as Buffy says later) and, well, I'm aware I never managed to find a role for Gwendolyn Post in Coexist and I think she'd work pretty well as a shady evil mentor for a young practicing witch.

That one has, I think, a non-zero chance of actually happening at some point (a real enough chance that I'm trying to be slightly vague about it, anyway).

As I think you know I am not the biggest fan of the Initiative storyline (and I think it has fewer narrative hooks in a world where none of the main characters are students at Sunndayle U and so none of them have met Maggie Walsh or Riley Finn).

But of course, no Spike doesn't mean the Initative aren't still putting chips in vampires' heads and we know that in this universe, with Buffy away at Northwestern, the events of The Freshman won't happen, so … there's still room in the story for a vampire whose name starts with an 'S' to get a chip in her head and then break out of confinement and reluctantly join forces with the Slayer, right? I'm not really sure why Sunday wouldn't just get staked as soon as she starts being annoying or obviously still evil, but then I'm never sure why that doesn't happen in Season 4 either, so.,,

But really, I want Buffy to have at least a year of things being relatively normal? In a way that would never have worked on the show, I want Buffy to get to occasionally show up and cameo in other people's stories while having a mostly uncomplicated time in college the rest of the year (I imagine she can still patrol without having to find a new Hellmouth; the show is a bit inconsistent about this but I figure there must be some vampires in the Chicago metropolitan area).

Other characters:

I tend to assume that Cordelia will still end up involved in fighting demons when she gets to LA (with Harmony, this time, but still originally looking to put the supernatural behind her). No Angel Investigations, obviously, but she can still meet Doyle and Gunn and Dennis the Ghost, right? I sort of like the idea of Lily/Anne Steele being a bit more actively involved in protecting people from supernatural threats in this world too: she never had the "can I be Anne?" moment here, but I'd like to imagine that her encounter with Faith still had a big impact on her. (I assume she picks a different minor Jane Austen character to name herself after if not Anne Steele.)

Oz and Willow will have to break up eventually because I still want Willow to realize she's into women (just not into Amy). But because I don't have a weird behind-the-scenes feud with Seth Green to inspire me to write his character out entirely, I'd like that to happen in a way where Oz doesn't leave Sunnydale, and gets to develop into a bit more of a person in his own right. (Maybe he gets captured by the Initative sooner, and that's something that can draw Faith and the others into getting involved with that plot?)

I have absolutely no idea how Tara ends up joining the gang in this setting, but I know she will somehow. I think she would fit pretty well into the group dynamics here, even without Willow around. No Buffy or Willow to stick up for her when her family show up on her birthday, but Faith and Jenny aren't exactly going to be thrilled by that either.

Oh, also Marcie is involved in whatever is going on with the Initiative in some capacity. I'm not exactly committed to how, but my current leading theory is that Professor Walsh's superiors send Marcie to (covertly/invisibly) keep an eye on their project, she sees how out of control things are going, and ends up taking Riley's place as the person the gang (well, Xander) knows on the inside who can warn them about Adam. (Possibly without them realizing exactly what Marcie's own agenda is.)

Season 5 … well, I know Dawn will exist and that Joyce will get sick (I think that's pretty close to confirmed in Coexist itself if you assume that Faith's dream about Dawn was prophetic). What that means for Buffy, and whether I can bring myself to have Joyce be more than just sick, I don't really know. Maybe rather than Buffy moving back home, Joyce will move to Illinois to be closer to her daughter and sister? She probably wouldn't do it while Dawn existed, not if Dawn had to move school again, but perhaps she would pre-Dawn and then the memory of Dawn has to get retconned in? Especially if she doesn't get the art gallery back up and running?

Maybe Faith heads up that way too after graduating high school? (I don't think even this Faith is likely to want to go to college, but Diana might have left her enough money she can try to get a place to live in Chicago while she looks for a Slayer-compatible job?) I don't think the Hellmouth itself is really that important for the Glory plot. (The Hellmouth is pretty quiet in Season 5 actually, I think.) Maybe things are stable enough for Jenny and Tara and Amy keep an eye on things and call the Slayers if there's trouble?

As I said in a post a while ago, I kind of like the idea of a Season 5 AU where the Key becomes Faith's sister, rather than Buffy's, but I don't think that's how things go in this setting. I think the twist I'd be more likely to go for here is having Faith be the first person to learn that Dawn isn't "real", and have to grapple with whether or not she tells Buffy that (especially because, in this setting, I think Dawn would still really look up to Faith, and I don't know how Faith would feel about that. How does a Faith who's friends with Anya feel about Dawn 'really' being, in some sense, hundreds of years old?).

The other idea I've had about Dawn here is just to play the game of: how exactly does Coexist play out in a setting with Dawn in it? When did she found out Buffy was a Slayer, did she ever meet Kendra? What happens with the First, or with Wesley, or Allan Finch? How does she feel about Buffy and Willow moving away? How does she feel about Anya or Amy? How does she feel about having to move again, if that's what Joyce ends up deciding to do? That feels like something I'd want to nail down a bit before I started any sort of Coexist sequel with Dawn in it.

Really no plans for beyond Season 5 at all -- or, rather, I have lots of plans and rough ideas for post-Season 5 fics, but none that I think really work so well in the Coexist universe. (I guess I hinted at things like the Beast blocking out the sun and Jasmine showing up somehow and LA being sent to Hell a bit in that story with some of the Mayor's dialogue, but I'm not exactly a fan of Angel Season 4 so I don't know whether I'd ever want to explore that any further. Certainly not the way it happens on Angel.)

As I said, I'm slowly working on plotting out a S7 fic, but that's in a setting much closer to canon and I don't know if I want to make plans for two similar fics at once. It feels right to me that Drusilla will be back to cause problems again at some point in the Coexist world (she's relegated to a dream sequence in Coexist itself, but in my very early plans she'd have turned up in Sunnydale in person and I think she still might later -- or maybe she'll be causing problems for Cordelia in LA? Trying to resurrect Spike the way Wolfram & Hart resurrect Darla in canon, maybe?), but equally I want Drusilla to be the Big Bad in my non-Coexist S7 fic, so I think I'd want to get that nailed down before I started thinking about any other story with Drusilla in and confusing myself.

But as I said on Ao3 a couple of days ago, it's important to me that Coexst feels like it ends in a good place for the characters and I think it does now; one thing I'm a bit wary of is starting a new ambitiously long fic in the same setting, introducing problems for them and shaking up that status quo and then not being able to complete it. I'd rather not do that, so I think any sequels -- if and when I ever write them -- will probably tend to be on the shorter side. At least unless I get a really good idea for S5, or learn the self-discipline needed to write a whole story before I start posting chapters.

[hottpinkpenguin]

Shadow and Bone Masterlist

Shadow & Bone Characters I write for: Darkling, Matthias, Nikolai Lantsov, Kaz Brekker

DARKLING

Seafoam (series - complete)

Female reader insert Summary: Aleksander is thrust into a war he can't win against Fjerda. It isn't until you get involved that he realizes he has more to lose than an army. Chapters: 6 Rating: R Content Warnings for: canon-typical violence, depictions of gore, reader as hostage, depictions of torture and captivity, major character death, canon divergence, angst

The Sun Blade (complete, Book 1 of the ongoing Blade and Blood series) *crossposted on AO3

Original female character Summary: Cresana is training to become a Blade, a group of highly trained assassins who protect the Grisha on the battlefield, until she attracts the attention of a particular Grisha with a special plan for her unique talents. Chapters: 15 Rating: PG-13 Content Warnings for: canon-typical violence, canon divergence

Darkling X Reader Request (oneshot)

Female reader insert Summary: Aleksander finds you after a battle, and his guilt gets the best of him. Word Count: 1656 Content Warnings for: not proofread, brief mentions of battle, hints at past abuse if you squint, super angst turns to tooth-rotting fluff

The Most Beautiful Thing (oneshot)

Female reader insert Summary: You're certain that attending a Ravkan royal ball is a mistake. It takes a certain General to convince you otherwise... Word Count: 2368 Content Warnings for: none

Eager (oneshot)

Female reader insert Summary: You're madly in love with Aleksander, but after years of having your virginity protected and prized above all else, you struggle to find a way to give him what you both want and let go of your past completely. Word Count: 2524 Content Warnings for: fluff/spice (no smut), misogyny vibes (but not from Darkling!)

MATTHIAS

Matthias X Reader Request (oneshot)

Female Grisha reader insert Summary: You cannot stand the cocky Fjerdan. But even hate doesn't last forever. Word Count: 2,490 Content Warnings for: mentions of disfigurement, burning, cursing, not proofread

Fire and Ice (oneshot)

Female reader insert Summary: You aren't used to letting people in, and you don't plan to start any time soon, even with your new husband Matthias. He, on the other hand, might make that difficult... Word Count: 1246 Content Warnings for: cursing, implied past abuse, mentions of reader scars, not proofread

NIKOLAI LANTSOV

Nikolai Lantsov X Reader Request (oneshot)

Female reader insert Summary: Even though Nikolai is proposing to Alina Starkov, his heart still lies with you. Word count: 1622 Content Warnings for: steam, angst

"Don't cover your face. Let me see you." (oneshot - 18+ only!)

Female reader insert Summary: After a long time apart, Nikolai and you have your long awaited reunion. Word Count: 2,342 Content Warnings for: smut, absolutely no plot, unprotected sex, P in V, fingering, sprinkles of praise kink, creampie

Hurt Me (oneshot - 18+ only!)

Female reader insert Summary: Some pleasure is worth the pain. You and Nikolai are no exception. Word Count: 3,658 Content warnings for: unprotected sex; anal sex; praise kink; fingering; no lube (don't do that); sprinkles of Dom/Sub vibes but super minor

KAZ BREKKER

Nightmares (oneshot)

Gender neutral reader insert Summary: Kaz struggles to cope with nightmares from his past and turns to you for comfort. Word Count: 2,031 Rating: PG Content Warnings for: depictions of violence, dead bodies, gore; probably some non-canon details

Kaz Brekker X Reader Request (oneshot - 18+ only!)

Gender neutral asexual reader insert Summary: You and Kaz have different ideas of closeness, but a shared desire to make it work. Word Count: 2452 Content Warnings for: masturbation, hints at past trauma, not proofread

dividers by @saradika | banner by @editcrows

[primeofprimes115]

So.... Been a while...

So... Where've I been? Well, on Wattpad and stuff, been cooking over there with my Y/N-Verse project and vice versa but... There's been at least a controversial thing going on with the new guidelines releasing April 15th.

And it could, and I mean, could delete my stories because some of it has sexual content between the MC and the LI, despite them being 18 and above, the new guidelines have stated that the characters that are in smut scenes cannot be under the age of 18 anymore, but there is a majority that have panicked and spreaded word it can also happen to stories, imagines, etc to characters who have sex and shit, are the age of 18 and above.

So... In response? I've safely placed my stories, chapter by chapter, into a Word Doc, to keep them safe and to put out on other websites.

Which means... I might add stories here on Tumblr, for y'all who aren't fans of Wattpad, to see!

Starting with...

This is a story that I'm sure y'all might like, whether you're fans of Destiny or not, it don't matter, it's a story! They're meant to be enjoying to read!

I've at least released 23 chapters as of this moment and still releasing more, it's gonna be the longest story I've ever written and it's all apart of my Y/N-Verse, which the verse ends with my own version of Crisis on Infinite Earths, involving the biggest crossover...

Crisis on Infinite Earths will cover; Lightfall, the events that transpire in the Tomorrowverse Crisis on Infinite Earths, before concluding with The Final Shape!

See y'all soon!!

[spectrechosts]

while i'm whining about stuff getting lost in the transition from cohost to here, may as well move some auxiliary better off alone stuff over.

this is mainly going to cover what our two leads look like, because the eternal struggle of the Cohost Writer's Salon is not giving enough physical description of characters in the text.

First up, we have this lovely chart which I made shortly after starting the series. I had written down numbers for their heights, and then I remembered I knew a website that would show relative heights, and:

our giant knight is, in fact, quite big.

author's note from the time:

genuinely might need to up how horny lunaeris is in light of this new information. girl look at the size of her HANDS oughhh

oughhh indeed.

next up, the struggle of the written medium

the thing about describing characters is that I can't just put "lunaeris looks like that picture of patchouli holding a modello and soaking her feet, if patchouli was a goth elf" into the story

you know, this image

it's not necessarily that she looks like patchy, it's just the vibe of this specific image, you know? Imagine a gothy, pear-shaped elf with this exact pose and facial expression and you've got Lunaeris being asked to do something she doesn't want to do but can't outright decline.

and yes, the thighs are fat and slappable. obviously.

she is a wizard (does not exercise) and a princess (eats well) she HAS tummy and ass

finally, we have screenshots of the two of them made in dragon's dogma 2.

They're not perfect (let me make bigger elf ears capcom), but the faces are pretty much right.

here's the compilation of physical traits that I mention either in the story or in other posts that i used when making them:

Lunaeris is fat, primarily bottom heavy Lunaeris has long white hair Lunaeris has goth makeup, specified to at least consist of a lot of eyeliner/shadow Lunaeris looks "dreary", "kind of off-putting", and "like she's probably some kind of witch" Kallie is broad Kallie has a squarish jawline Kallie has short hair of an unspecified color Kallie has wings (Unattainable. Pretend they are inside her armor I guess.) Kallie is described multiple times as being "doe-eyed" Kallie has big muscles but does not have visibly defined abs (regardless of what lunaeris fantasized)

so here's how it turned out, first Kallixenia:

look at herrrrrr

what a fucking sweetie! look at how cute she is!

she should be bigger, both in terms of height and muscle. Making a body look right in a character creator is harder than a face, I couldn't get her how I liked. she's meant to be buff but not like, hollywood buff, you get me? very big and strong but she isn't out there cutting calories for muscle definition. she needs to eat her big monster hunter meals so she can go do quests.

face is great though. big softie.

and then the princess:

oh, she's rather pretty. what was all that about her looking off-putting for-

ah. okay. there's definitely a certain creepy little gremlin vibe.

again body is less accurate than face, it felt like whenever i tried to make her have a tummy she just looked... inflated. like it didn't have a proper weight or squish to it.

My favorite part of making these is by far the comparison of Lunaeris' face with and without makeup. She looks completely normal and then she's like, bordering on a kubrick stare.

Maybe when she's out there enjoying her life instead of moping and purposefully trying to drive people away from her she'll tweak it a bit.

only a bit.

Also probably less sickly pale when she's spending a lot of time outside. A lot of how I picture her is still kinda stuck in chapter 1, I should write an update on how she looks in the later stories involving the two of them.

ALSO THE EARS AREN'T BIG ENOUGH CAPCOM I'M TALKING LIKE 6-8 INCH ELF EARS

[super-luna-fic]

Camp Justice, Marvel Series, and others Q/A

Hey ya'll! I decided to answer a few questions I came up with just to pass the time while my AC gets fixed and just in case you were curious about what's to come!

What to expect from the rest of Camp Justice?

You can expect more drama between Artemis and Cal over a certain someone. Romance is obviously in the making but I won't say who just yet ;). Also, expect an unexpected turn of events.

How will the Young Justice storyline fit in with the Camp Justice storyline?

Since Camp Justice is something I added to the storyline some of the stuff that happens in Young Justice would be changed just a bit. And I'm specifically talking about seasons 1 and 2. I will NOT be including seasons 3 and 4 because I HATE it. I hate all the changes they made and so much more. As a matter of fact, seasons 3 and 4 don't exist, they never happened. And I know some aren't going to like what I just said but that's my take on it and I know I'm not the only one who thinks that. Therefore I will be making my own storyline after the events of season 2.

Will there be any more series related to Camp Justice after it finishes?

Yes! I plan on creating more series showing how life is for Cal and the team after it finishes. I also plan on creating a series about Brucie boy younger days before he became Batman and his relation to Cal.

When will the Marvel content be released?

I'll start writing the material once I'm halfway through Camp Justice then release it either during Camp Justice or right after it finishes. I'm excited to show ya'll what I have planned for that one because while it's similar to Camp Justice it covers a lot of topics I've never written.

Sneak peek of the Marvel series?

The main character is the child of a well-known hero and ends up going against that parents wishes which leads to tons of conflict between multiple parties. What that conflict is and who it involves will all be revealed very soon :).

What does the weekly new chapter release look like?

I try to release a chapter a week but quite literally since the beginning of July my house has been without AC. And ya'll know how brutal this summer has been and the high humidity doesn't make it any better. So my brain has been in a bit of a fog lately. I will say I will start releasing a chapter a day again and this time stay as consistent as possible. But I will be away for 15 days in October so I'll release little things here and there through the app!

If you have any other questions feel free to ask!