#emma shouts into the void

[farfarawaygirl]

[farfarawaygirl]

I have executive dysfunction so I have done a secret third thing. It’s nothing. I’ve done nothing.

“how’s the writing going?” i’m glad you asked! my room has never been cleaner and i’ve decided to take up baking

[friendly-jester]

emma roberts being outed as a shitty person lowkey bums me out because she was one of my childhood crushes :(

but damn fuck her. we do not support shitty transphobic people on this blog.

i didn't know any of the stuff that happened with evan either. jeez. hope he's managed to move on and heal <3

[percvjackson]

Me listening to but daddy I love him for the first time

[mvkushiin]

𝗜 𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗛

𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺: 𝘁𝗼𝗸𝘆𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀

𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝘅 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

𝗺𝘅𝗺 — 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗻𝗶 .ᐟ.ᐟ

__ ★₊˚﹟ 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝘂 ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 ⊹ ࣪ '

𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 ::

𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁

𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝘁.

⚠︎ 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 :

𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘁

:: 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸..,

The rain fell in heavy sheets, drenching the city in a somber gloom. (Name) stood outside the old café where they used to meet, its once warm and inviting glow now dimmed by the passage of time. He clutched his phone tightly, the lyrics of "Sana" by I Belong to the Zoo playing softly through his earbuds, each word piercing his heart like a dagger.

Draken arrived, his motorcycle splashing through the puddles. He removed his helmet, revealing the familiar lines of his face, now shadowed with regret. He approached (Name), his footsteps heavy with the weight of unspoken words.

"You called," he said, his voice barely audible over the rain.

(Name) looked up, his eyes meeting him with a mixture of pain and longing. "We need to talk," (name) replied, his voice trembling.

They found shelter under the awning of the café, the rain creating a melancholic symphony around them. Draken looked at (name), his heart aching at the sight of his tear-streaked face. "I'm here," his voice was soft, as if he was talking with a sleeping baby by their side, afraid to wake it up. "Tell me what's on your mind."

(Name) took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. "Why didn't you tell me about Emma?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Why did you let me believe that we had a future together?"

Draken was shocked to hear (name)’s statement. Closing his eyes, the memories of Emma flooded his mind, overlapping him and (name)’s memories together.

"I thought I could move on," Draken admitted. "I wanted to be with you, to find happiness again. But a part of me was always with her."

"Did you ever love me?" (Name) whispered, his voice filled with anguish. "Or was I just a way to fill the void she left behind?"

Draken's eyes opened, filled with a sorrow that mirrored (Name)'s own. "I did love you," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "But it was different. Emma...she was my past. I tried to let her go, believe me I tried my hardest (name)...but I failed."

(Name) wanted to scream, to shout out his pain to the world. No, not just to the world, but to Draken as well. (Name) wanted to release the overwhelming emotions building up inside him, yet instead, he kept it all inside. Clenching his fists, (name) bit his lip, and swallowed the lump in his throat. He put on a brave face, a mask to hide the turmoil within him.

(Name) shook his head, despite trying his hardest to stop it, his tears fell and mingled with the rain. "You should have been honest with me. You should have told me that your heart was still with her."

He knew it, deep down, but he never wanted to face it. Every time he spoke, every time he did something that felt natural to him, Draken's eyes would shift, his smile would falter. It was subtle, but (Name) noticed. At first, he thought he was imagining things, that maybe he was just being paranoid. It wasn't just Draken, either. Mikey had noticed it too. 

One day, in a rare moment of frankness, Mikey had pulled (Name) aside and told him, "You know, sometimes you act just like Emma. That's probably why Draken is so attached to you."

He remembered the way those words hit him like a punch to the gut. He tried to laugh it off, tried to tell himself that it was just a coincidence. But it was hard to ignore the truth. Every time he did something that reminded Draken of Emma, his expression would change. It was as if he was seeing a ghost, reliving memories that were too painful to bear. 

(Name) wondered if Draken saw him as a rebound, a way to fill the void that Emma had left behind. It hurt, knowing that no matter how much he tried, he would always be compared to her.

There was the time they had gone to the amusement park, the same one Draken and Emma had visited. Draken had seemed happy, but (name) could see the shadow of Emma in his eyes. Every laugh, every smile, was tinged with a bittersweet memory.

(Name) remembered the night they had watched the stars together, lying on the grass and talking about their dreams. Draken had been quieter than usual, and (name) had known he was thinking about Emma. It was in those moments that (name) felt the most invisible, like a ghost trying to touch the living.

It felt like (Name) was the dead one instead of Emma. 

It wasn't that Draken didn't care about him. (Name) knew that Draken did, in his own way. But it was clear that Emma's presence was always there, lingering between them. It made (name) feel like he was constantly competing with a memory, and it was a battle he could never win.

It hurt, realizing that maybe he was just a rebound, a replacement for someone who could never truly be replaced. He wanted to be more than that, wanted Draken to see him for who he was, not just as a reminder of Emma. But how could he compete with a memory? How could he ever be enough when he was always compared to her?

He wanted to be angry, to shout at Draken and Mikey, to tell them that he was his own person, that he wasn't just Emma's shadow. But he couldn't. Because deep down, he understood. Emma was irreplaceable, and no matter how much he tried, he could never be her.

(Name) could never fill the space she left behind.

So he stayed silent, swallowing his pain, his jealousy, his frustration. He stayed by Draken's side, even if it meant being his reminder of Emma. Because even if he was just a rebound, a replacement, it was still better than nothing. It was still something.

"I was afraid," Draken admitted. "Afraid of losing you, afraid of facing my own feelings. I thought I could bury my pain and move forward, but it only hurt you more."

Draken never talked about Emma much, but (name) knew she was always there, a lingering presence in his heart. He could see it in the way Draken looked at him, not really seeing him but seeing someone else. Every time he said something Emma used to say, every time he did something Emma used to do, it was like he was a shadow of her, a poor imitation trying to fill a void that could never be filled. 

(Name) wiped his tears, his eyes held anger and sadness warring within them. "You did hurt me, Draken. Every time you looked at me and I saw her reflection in your eyes, it shattered me."

‘Please don’t look at me like that…’ (Name) said to himself, staring at Draken’s eye. He didn’t see a reflection of his own, but a blonde haired girl with the warmest golden orbs there is, and his boring eye color could never compete.

The blond tried to reach out, but (name) stepped back, the distance between them growing. "I never meant to hurt you," Draken stated, his voice breaking. "I thought I could make it work, but I was wrong. Emma…just make me so happy like no one else"

(Name) looked at Draken with eyes full of pain, his words to Emma cutting deep, making him bleed, not by blood but tears. 

"But you said I was the one who made you happy like no one else," (name) said, his voice barely a whisper. His tears falling down one by one, filled with a whirling angst of emotions. 'It's a lie huh'

Draken's heart ached at the pain in (name)’s voice. "You did," he said. "But it was different. Emma was my first love, and I thought I fully let her go, I’m sorry (name)..."

The heartache gripped him like a vise, a physical sensation that threatened to overwhelm his senses. It began as a dull ache in his chest, a heaviness that made it hard to breathe. When he heard those devastating words, the pain intensified. 

Draken’s words made (name)’s mind raced, the sentence replaying on his mind over and over again like a broken record. Each repetition drives the pain deeper, like a knife twisting in an open wound. It's a dull ache that radiates through his entire body, leaving him feeling numb and hollow.

His throat tightened, constricting with unshed tears and an ache that seemed to radiate through every fiber of his being. The weight in his chest grew heavier, a burden that he struggled to bear alone.

(Name) shook his head, tears falling freely. "I can't compete with a ghost, Draken." 

The tall man’s shoulders sagged, the weight of his mistakes pressing down on him. "I'm sorry," he apologized again, his voice filled with regret. "I never meant to hurt you."

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. "We had plans, Draken. We talked about a future, about growing old together. But all along, you were still living in the past."

Draken didn’t say anything, too ashamed to even make eye contact with the latter. (Name) looked away, his heart heavy with the weight of lost dreams. It hurts so much. It's the kind of pain that makes him want to curl up into a ball and cry until there are no tears left to shed.

The blond tried to reached out, his hand trembling. "I want to be with you," he said, his voice filled with desperation. "I want to make it work." But (name) shook his head, stepping back. "I can't," he replied, his face showing no emotion, but his breaking voice betrayed him.

"I can't be with someone who's not fully with me, Draken. Let’s end this whatever we have."

Draken's heart shattered at his words, the reality of his mistakes hitting him like a ton of bricks. "Please," he pleaded. "Give me another chance."

(Name) knew Draken would kneel to keep his loved one, to make them stay by his side by all means, but (name) wasn’t Emma and he will never be Emma. 

(Name) looked at him, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I need time," he said softly. "Time to heal, time to find myself again. I can't be with you, Draken. Not like this."

The man nodded, his own heart breaking at the finality of (name)’s words. "I'll wait," 

"I'll wait for as long as it takes. And if you never come back to me, I'll understand."

(Name) turned away, the weight of his own decision pressing down on him. He walked into the rain, leaving Draken behind, his figure a shadow in the storm. 

(Name) loved Draken so much, but Draken loved Emma too much.

As the song played on, each note a painful reminder of what they had lost, both (Name) and Draken knew that some wounds could never fully heal. The love they once shared had been consumed by the ghosts of yesterday, leaving behind only memories and the bittersweet hope of what might have been.

Maybe in a different life where (Name) is himself, and not a shadow of Emma, they could make it work. But there's only this life, and that's the one they have to navigate.

˙ . ꒷ 𝗲𝗻𝗱 . 𖦹˙—

[farfarawaygirl]

I don’t know why I didn’t realize this sooner. I am unwell. This is my actual kryptonite.

When we get Tim in a thigh holster, I will self combust

And you know Lucy would love it

[lumbersiren]

hope i’m not just shouting into the void here, but I need help finding a specific SwanQueen fic I read years ago, and i’ve tried everything i can think of to no avail.

Best i can remember it’s pretty long, canon divergent, with an element of time travel. Weird, lots of twists, and I just can’t get it out of my head.

It’s been years so my details are spotty, but I specifically remember that Regina is in danger and this mysterious figure keeps popping up to save her. They wear a hoodie and have a flaming sword? and maybe ride a motorcycle?? Emma is staying with Regina for some reason, maybe to protect her, and i think the hood person breaks in, and steals her clothes. Just in general they’re doing some stalkery things.

Fast forward, these strange series of events lead to some sort of final showdown, and the hooded figure disappears after saving the day, but at the end there’s a big reveal where the person pulls the hood back and reveals that it was emma all along thanks to some time travel shenanigans, and she has to go back in time and do everything the hooded figure did in order to save regina, and then she has to like.. wait in a trailer in the woods for a couple months?

I think she’s in bad shape at the end, and Regina is looking for her for a while. Some angst, some hurt/comfort.

I don’t know, it’s very fuzzy but this is killing me, i need to find it. Last ditch effort, SwanQueen fans i need your help

(edit: it’s been found, fic is The Secret’s in the Telling by Pyrophoric - on AO3)

[presidenthades]

Thoughts on HOtD s2 ep 1 🎤?

Oh boy do I! Thanks for asking, I love having an opportunity to shout into the void on the internet.

I might do a rewatch later this week to try to pick up on additional details, but I’ll start with my initial reactions from last night.

Spoilers for S2E1, obviously.

Love the new intro. The bloodline intro was important in S1 which was setting up the different claims/factions, but there won’t be much more of that in S2. The tapestry is very medieval, and I’m here for it. I suspect they’ll change the intro every episode to reflect events as they occur. Makes me wonder if the E2 intro will have Blood and Cheese. 😬

The scenes at Winterfell/the Wall not only introduce Cregan, but also offer some fan-service for OG Stark fans. It also reminds us of the prophecy aspect that the show is taking. Cregan and Jace had a great dynamic, but I wonder if they’ll have any opportunity to get together again. In F&B, Jace never returns North again, and Cregan doesn’t come south until the fighting is over. But the show might have Cregan participate in battles earlier so they don’t waste his actor.

Speaking of Jace: I’m really impressed with Harry so far! His scene with Rhaenyra made me want to cry, because you can sense how hard Jace was trying to hold it together. 😢 On a more lighthearted note, I like that Harry listened to the feedback about his bad posture in S1. 😅 He was holding himself really tall and regally this episode.

Omigod, Rhaenyra. Emma only had four words of dialogue this episode and they KILLED all their scenes. The scene where Rhaenyra finds the wing and cloak made me want to cry too. And that look she gave Jace when he returned to Dragonstone, like she wanted to comfort him while she’s trying not to break down… 😭

The Daemon and Rhaenys argument foreshadows how Daemon chafes against 100% listening to Rhaenyra as his queen. Spoilers, leaks, and trailers indicate that he and Rhaenyra are going to have a lot of friction, and soon. As a fic writer, I appreciate this scene for validating my headcanon that Rhaenys is the older cousin who does not let Daemon brattily boss her around.

Corlys and Alyn. I’m not entirely sure what the show is doing with the Hull boys. Their interaction was ambiguous: is Corlys their father or not? Or is Alyn just a random sailor who saved Corlys? He’s definitely too old to pass for Laenor’s supposed son.

I was very touched by how deeply Corlys cared for Luke. It contrasts with Rhaenys, who didn’t treat the boys as her grandkids; Corlys seems to have actually adopted them in his heart. I wonder if Corlys will turn his attention toward Joffrey, or if his affection was for Luke specifically. In the book, Corlys passes over Joffrey as heir in favor of the Hull boys, but show!Corlys is very different from book!Corlys.

Speaking of Joffrey, I miss S1 Joffrey’s adorable curls. But S2 Joffrey is also very cute, and he might actually get speaking lines this season. But the moment when he threw the toy (which might have been Luke’s) into the pyre… 😭

Alicole is…interesting. There was setup in S1 implying they had underlying feelings, and I don’t think it’s crazy they eventually acted on those feelings. But I question the writing/directing decision to insert the Alicole scenes for what seems to be comedic effect. The second scene, during B&C, is the more egregious one. The first scene felt very sudden.

I’m also side-eyeing the director’s commentary in the “House that Dragons Built” documentary where he described Alicent’s marriage as “loving but not romantic or physical for a long time.”

LOVING? 🤨 Really not the best word. Sure, there was some kind of affection between Alicent and Viserys, and she took her caretaking duties seriously. But “loving”? Nah.

Aegon got a huge character/writing upgrade from S1. “Good dad Aegon” girlies win (so far). I loved TGC’s BTS commentary about how Aegon enables his kids and competes with them to cause mischief. Again, the fic writer in me feels validated. I just wish we actually got to see Tyland give Jaehaerys a pony ride. 🤭

The brief glimpse of Aegon and Helaena’s marriage is interesting. He cares about her (tries to reassure her about the dragons) but there’s no romantic spark at all. And like everyone else, Aegon doesn’t really know what to do about Helaena’s prophecies, which sound like insane mutterings to people in-universe. We the audience are shouting for him to listen to her, but TBH most of us wouldn’t listen to an IRL Helaena either.

Aegon on the throne was a surprisingly comedic scene with more character development. He’s not very good at politicking (I would’ve told him to give the blacksmiths partial payment upfront, not the whole thing), but he’s trying, and he is willing to stand up to Otto. Again, I feel validated with my depiction of Lavender!Aegon.

Also…HUGH? 👀👀👀 Sympathetic Hugh Hammer will be interesting.

Oh boy, Larys is going to be fun this season. He’s already starting to try digging his claws into Aegon, but based on cast interviews, he might not be as successful as he hopes. And even though people are joking about it, I don’t think he’s going the feet route with Aegon.

Mysaria is getting much less culpability in B&C than in the book, but I’m fine with it. It’s consistent with her S1 character. She’s fed up with the royals (mostly Daemon, now Otto too) and just wants to do her own thing with social justice while making some money.

Alright, now for the B&C analysis.

They don’t have Daemon explicitly say it, but it’s strongly implied he wants B&C to kill “a son” even if they can’t get Aemond. It’s a departure from the book where B&C explicitly target Helaena’s kids and have a more methodical plan where they watch her routine for several days so they can set a trap. In the show, I think B&C repeat the phrase “a son for a son,” so that was probably part of Daemon’s orders. But the only sons that are possible targets are Aemond, Aegon, and Jaehaerys. Aemond is explicitly the primary target. B&C walk past Aegon without even discussing or trying anything, though to be fair he has friends and guards. So by process of elimination, it seems B&C’s backup plan/directive was always to kill Jaehaerys if they can’t kill Aemond.

(Speaking of Aemond, he didn’t leave a huge impression on me this episode. 🙁 He just didn’t get that much screentime, I guess. But I did like that Aegon advocated for Aemond having a seat at Small Council. #Targbros)

B&C have a comedic bit going on while they sneak through the castle, which seems not entirely appropriate. I also think they could’ve cut down a lot of their sneaking sequence in favor of more Helaena & kids screentime, which would’ve made the scene more impactful.

The bit with the dog was totally unnecessary. Someone who kicks a dog is automatically evil, but we would’ve gotten that message anyway when B&C kill Jaehaerys. Again, the dog seems to have been inserted for a sort of comedic effect, which doesn’t really belong here.

I read an article where Ryan Condal said they cut Maelor (for now?) because all the little kids have to be younger in this timeline. TBH they could’ve made it work with an infant Maelor who was offscreen in S1 because, you know, he’s a baby busy napping and stuff. They could’ve adapted B&C much closer to the book with a baby Maelor.

The choice Helaena makes in the show just doesn’t feel high stakes like in the book. I think Phia did a great job acting with what she was given—my quibble is what she was given. I think she was given direction to make Helaena dissociate and suppress her reaction, which contributes to the scene not feeling as impactful as it could have been. Helaena has been characterized as “spacey” and “not there” so far, so I think they were continuing that route. But having her suddenly erupt with emotion in B&C, to contrast with her previous seeming lack of emotion, would have elevated the scene to another level.

The ending Alicole scene really deflates a lot of the emotional heft that did build up during B&C. Again, it feels like it was inserted for comedy. It reminded me of when Jaime’s hand was cut off in GOT, and it immediately cut to the end credits with a heavy metal song that felt inappropriate next to the scene that just happened.

Helaena’s final line, “They killed the boy,” was odd wording. It feels very distant and passive. Even if they insisted on having Helaena dissociate during B&C, this moment when she escaped with Jaehaera and was “safe” could’ve been an opportunity for her to break down and show what she’s really feeling inside.

Overall, 90% of the episode was great. B&C, gruesome as it was, was kind of disappointing. But the teasers and leaks tell us Aegon will at least have a very strong reaction next episode, which should be wondrous to watch.

[farfarawaygirl]

I’m going to make this show your problem. 

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - October 8th

Hey all! I’m back from my vacation and omg it was so relaxing and lovely and I read SO SO MUCH! I finished a book series I started in August (GAY. WEREWOLVES!) and then read about a million words of fic. If you read anything--give them a comment/kudo! 

~*~ 

No Greater Punishment by KandiSheek

Tony asks Steve out on a date, and Steve – thinking it's just one of Tony's flings – refuses. Then Tony gets a boyfriend. The relationship lasts a week, a month, two months, and Steve slowly realizes... that could've been him.

When Emma Falls in Love by iam93percentstardust 

She waits and takes her time

'Cause Little Miss Sunshine always thinks it's gonna rain

When Emma falls in love, I know

That boy will never be the same

~

“Nice?” Kamala exclaims. “It’s way past nice! It’s the cutest thing ever because his bracelet had his phone number on it! He was hoping to ask you out!”

Tony blinks. Steve Rogers, All-American good boy and quarterback extraordinaire, wants to throw his hat in the ring? He wouldn’t be the first person to toss his name out there, but most of them have just tried to DM him or tag him in their posts. No one’s shown the kind of thought and effort that Steve apparently put into his declaration. It’s a level of understanding and appreciation of who Tony is and everything he’s cultivated in his career that no one else has put in.

It is, to use Kamala’s word, cute.

Restless Gravity by AvengersNewB 

Omega Tony Stark gets bonded to a human-hating space warlord, to get his people a new home after the destruction of their planet.

Warlord - Arranged marriage AU, with a bit of a twist.

we'll live in spaces between walls by soliloquent

"Steve looks furious and defeated, and he's breathing like he just ran a marathon. He glances at the door over Tony's shoulder, slightly shivering, looking for an escape like he's on a battlefield. Perhaps he is.

This is not about the laundry anymore."

—⎊—

or: In the heat of a tense discussion in a cramped utility room at the Avengers Tower, Steve's deep-seated insecurities come to the surface. Tony witnesses a new and vulnerable side of him and realizes he has more in common with Steve than he thought. 🧺

Do Not Reply by FestiveFerret

When Tony starts replying to a "daily deals" donotreply email address from some random security supply company, he finds shouting into the void soothingly cathartic.

Less so when the void answers back.

ad astra by Areiton

The first time he kissed Tony Stark, the stars danced overhead.

Cardigan by Gayspacesprinkles, iam93percentstardust

When Tony is fourteen, his father announces that he’s going to marry Tiberius Stone, and he stops believing in Prince Charming.

August by Gayspacesprinkles, iam93percentstardust

August goes by slowly and altogether too quickly at the same time. He spends his days at practice in the morning while keeping his afternoons open in case Tony calls. The days smell like salt, despite being far away from the ocean, and the air is sticky in the Texas humidity. Sometimes, it gets too hot to do anything with Tony in the heat of the day, and it feels like a waste of the limited time they have together even though they spend all their nights together as well.

Sharing The Drink They Call Loneliness by KandiSheek

Tony has always thought that the pianist in his local bar, Steve, is way too good for this place. Tony wants to know more about him. And as it turns out, Steve wants the exact same thing.

Tony knows that he's playing with fire. But he's sworn off his old ways long ago. There's no way he will let himself fall for Steve. Right?

honey from your hive by meidui

"Whoa, hey, you okay?" Tony asks, hands flying out to steady him, so warm, the skin contact making him shiver. Steve tries to focus on Tony's face. "Cap?"

"You smell so good," Steve tells him honestly, sinking into Tony's arms because he can't hold himself up anymore. This should be okay because Tony is letting him do it: he presses his face into Tony's neck and sniffs, his tongue darting out just in time to feel Tony's pulse jump against it, and he licks—

"Steve, stop that," Tony says, sounding strangled as his grip tightens and Steve stops, letting Tony grab his face and tilt him up. "You're kind of scaring the crap out of me. What is it? What's going on with you?"

"We blew up the lab," Steve manages, and something dawns on Tony's face. "Everyone had a reaction 'cept me. Think 'm having it now."

Unbroken by justanotherrollingstony (adoctoraday)

Destiny looks a lot like Captain America when it walks through his door, and even at ten, Tony knows that Steve is something wonderful. He's a protector, a friend, someone to turn to when his father is angry and his mother is lost in a haze of pills, someone who loves Tony unconditionally and would do anything for him.

When he's 15 that faith is put to the test by a car crash, and then, something worse.

What begins as a friendship blossoms into something deeper, something nuanced--a bond, unshakeable.

Unbreakable

the body i hold and whisper my darling by deathsweetqueen

Tony Stark is nineteen when he takes a seat at a bar, orders a shot of tequila, and twists his head to look at the man sitting beside him.

He’s older, in his thirties, early to mid-thirties, if he’s guessing correctly, maybe even just slightly less than twice his age, with dark blonde hair and a beard covering half of his face, and his eyes fixed on his beer.

“You look like shit,” he ends up saying, bluntly.

The man looks up, and he has these blue eyes, blue eyes like a summer storm, and Tony finds himself stunned, a little turned on, by how beautiful this man is.

He has the perfect ratio, Tony realises, the eyes and the hair and the jawline and the cheekbones.

His eyes drag lower, and the man is built, like seriously built, with wide, muscled biceps, and a tapered-in waist, and those long, strong legs.

“I feel like shit,” the man says, after a while.

Teenage Dream by shinkonokokoro

This was written for this prompt:

A battle with Loki leaves Tony de-aged physically and mentally to the time he was in college.

young!Tony takes it all in stride. He is duly impressed by his armor, confused and excited by all the superhumans (Thor and Hulk) around and then is smacked by the realization that the boring blond hovering around is actually his MAJOR childhood hero / crush / source of adolescent fantasies Captain America! Cue teen!Tony trying his best (and maybe succeeding?) to get into an increasingly flustered and blushy Captain America.

Bonus if teen!Tony is still way way more experienced than virgin!Steve and is *delighted* to get to top (and deflower) Captain America.

(Um, extra bonus for including a little bit of Rhodey and Pepper interacting with Tony. Also super bonus for Steve unearthing Tony's daddy issues by the dozen.)

touch me gently, like a summer evening breeze by quidhitch 

What is this, Tony’s brain screams. There are alarm bells going off in his head, but also, like, romantic violins. It’s very confusing. He focuses on the freckle beneath Steve’s eye instead.

Two in Fourteen Million by slimandalittlebitfoxy

“You wanna hear something stupid?” He took Steve’s silence as a confirmation, but didn’t think he could stop if he tried. “I carried around that phone the whole damn time. Since the day you sent it to me, I carried it. Just in case the world needed you.”

“I didn’t give it to you to let me know if the world needed me.” Steve looked up. Tony was frightened to see how much older he looked—maybe not in body, but in spirit. His jaw was set. He was angry too, though Tony would have bet money it was directed more at himself than anyone. “I gave it to you so you could call me if you needed me.”

“That’s the thing, Cap,” Tony said. “I always needed you.”

(The one where everyone lives.)

The Dotted Line by purpleicedteas 

Film trailblazer Steve Rogers was in need of a relationship to cover up his embarrassingly non-existent love life.

Tony Stark needed a relationship to slow down the playboy rumors.

Enter a PR relationship contract.

the long and short of it (stevetony games 2022 fills) by starvels (dinosaur) 

The challenge of whipping a nice pattern into Steve’s back, is that his healing rate really only gives about a 15 minute window in which to finish all of the strokes before the earliest lines begin to disappear.

The thought accosts Tony in the middle of team poker, the night before him and Steve are set to have a heavy session.

- latest fill: 616+established relationship+whipping kink negotiation

The Long Road Home by ladyshadowdrake 

Maria Stark told her son that the Mark on his wrist meant there was a special someone out there just for him. Sarah Rogers told her son that his soulmate was waiting for him, and he needed to be strong for them.

Neither of them ever mentioned what to do if that soulmate just doesn’t want them.

this is how you fall in love by complicationstoo 

Steve wants to have sex at least once before he graduates from college. He’s twenty one, never really dated anyone, and doesn’t see the point in waiting any longer.

He plans for just a simple one night stand with no strings attached, but his plan doesn't account for falling in love with Tony Stark.

It's Only Half Past (The Point of Oblivion) by LadyHabren (equalopportunityobsessor)

"I think it's generally agreed that all of Steve's senses are powered up by the serum? He can hear people whispering on the other side of the room, probably sees a hell of a lot further, etc.

But there are definite downsides. How does Steve control this side effect of the serum?"

Captain America is more than a man - he is a hero, he is an ideal, he is pure muscle held together by patriotism and moral fibre... And not even Captain America can fight it when his own brain turns against him.

I'm gonna be honest, by the time I got to the end of this story and went back to look at the prompt, I realized my fill was so different that I intitially thought I was looking at the wrong prompt... But I hope it's enjoyable nonetheless.

seven years in heaven by meidui

Tony gave Steve everything in the divorce. Their beautiful Brooklyn brownstone and everything in it, Tony's beloved Audi, their private garden upstate. Tony even offered him the lakehouse, but Steve had looked up at him with red eyes and begged softly for him to stop.

Tony gave Steve everything, every last piece of himself. He didn't take much with him when he flew out to his mansion in Malibu, but he took every last piece of Steve, too.

love me naked by meidui

What kind of man wears makeup? Steve thinks to himself.

Love Calls You By Your Name by laireshi for MassiveSpaceWren 

Steve's boyfriend, Tony Stark, doesn't come home after Iron Man gets hurt when protecting Steve.

Look at my eyes, Don't even know who I am. by Perlmutt 

Deciding to take a break from the bustling city life, Tony found himself on a deserted island somewhere near the South American coast. Only JARVIS and DUM-E accompanied him here. This was the perfect place for him to clear his head and focus on his studies. The sun was warm, the sea beautiful and the animals peaceful. But in the jungle around him waited an adventure for him that he couldn't have dreamt of.

Because he was not alone. Blue eyes watched him.

A man as wild and untamed as the jungle around them...

Wait & Sea by Lenalena

In which Tony and Steve get sent on an undercover mission aboard a cruise ship to make contact with Hydra. In this AU the military has kept the discovery and defrosting of Captain America a secret, so Steve and Tony have never met before. Yet they are to pose as newlyweds....

Devil with an Easy Grin by ladyshadowdrake 

Steve meets a charismatic stranger at a club for a one night stand, and expects to never see him again.

[farfarawaygirl]

Chapter 2, baby.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

OKAY can I ask for the Sdra2 girl cast dating a Fem! S/o who has a twin? But the twin is like Kanade like the whole 3rd trial all over again but switch the twins with said S/o and their twin? Like S/o is like in a puppet state while their twin is bonkers 😵‍💫

Ooooo evil I like it. Also imma include the girls that died before trial 3 & exclude Hibiki/Kanade

........

Emma

Least to say...she's horrified by what your twin sibling has done to you, her girlfriend.

She's convinced this kind of stuff only happens in horror movies, but as they describe exactly how they turned you into their "puppet" over the years, she realized this is reality. Your reality that she never knew about.

Just to drive the point home that you only needed them in your life, your twin orders you to say "I hate you, Emma! [Sibling Name] is the only one I love!"

And you obey them, your voice full of vigor and emotion, before your expression becomes empty and devoid of life once again.

It brings Emma to tears because she knows that's not you actually saying that.

Your twin made you put on an act for their own twisted amusement.

After you get executed alongside them, she's gonna be livid, shouting at Monocrow/Mikado for letting this happen and sobbing that it's not fair to punish you since you weren't even aware that you killed somebody.

Kokoro

Thanks to her talent, she probably already knows about your twin's true nature before it's revealed to everyone.

She'll pull you off to the side, and warn you the best she can not to hang out with them anymore.

But since you don't remember anything they've done (or the fact they can puppet you around), you try to reassure her they're perfectly sane.

"That's what they want you to believe. But they've hurt you in the past, broken you beyond repair. And now they can flip your autonomy like a lightswitch if they wish."

Whether you believe her or not won't matter in the end...as your twin manipulated you into carrying out a murder plot alongside them without you remembering a thing.

To their shock, Kokoro was able to coax you out of your puppet-like state just in time for the "grand finale".

Your last moments of despair did manage to rattle her a bit, but she took comfort in that you died knowing the truth.

Sora

She never suspected anything was wrong.

If anything, she was quite impressed by how much your twin was able to contribute to the trial, with you joking that they've taken all the "smarts" when you were both born.

But when your sibling reveals their true nature and shows how they can easily put you in a puppet-like state...Sora's beyond horrified.

Especially when they claim they intended to kill her for being so close to you, though they changed their mind after somebody else walked in on them planning a murder.

She hates how the vote was correct--especially for both twins. And not because you were both in Void. That wasn't the case this time.

It feel so unfair. Why should you die for a murder you didn't agree to commit?

Could she have seen this coming if her memories came back? Maybe you told her something was off with your twin in the past...if only she could remember...

Regardless, she hopes you're in a better place and they're stuck in the deepest part of hell.

Iroha

Like Sora, she's very impressed by how smart your twin is, even complimenting them for helping everybody survive!

She thinks you're smart, too, though, and will always say you're the "better" twin.

But then their true vile nature is unveiled post-trial and it takes a minute or so for Iroha to finally understand why and how you're an accomplice in the murder.

"But...th-that's not right!! If [y/n] was being hypnotized then...how can she be guilty?? She didn't want to do it!!"

When Monocrow insists it's time for the execution, she breaks down, unable to stand it anymore as she cries, begging him not to kill you.

But while you're terrified of being executed for something you didn't remember doing, you comfort the painter before being taken away.

Iroha's dead silent as Mikado remarks how your twin could've been an excellent Void member if they had lived longer, unable to say anything positive in such a solemn situation.

Setsuka

When you and your twin become prime suspects in the third murder, she tries her best to stay calm and rational.

But as you continue to claim that you don't remember hurting anybody, her patience begins to wear thin and she asks your twin what was going on with you.

Though after a slip of the tongue, they get accused of the crime alongside you.

Sora lays out everything that happened, and only when you and them are voted guilty--that's when your twin reveals how you were able to go along with their murder plot: by conditioning you to become a puppet who sings and dances to whatever tune they play.

Despite you being used as an unwilling accomplice, you're also executed, and that ultimately crushes Setsuka's spirits.

She's been trying so hard to cheer everybody up and to figure out Void's plans.....that she must've neglected the warnings signs from you.

Even though you reassure her it's not her fault prior to your death, she feels guilty the rest of the trip for failing to help you.

Yoruko

The second your name is brought up, she's on the defensive--claiming you'd never do something as stupid as murder.

Though the fact that you're insisting that you don't remember a single detail has her confused.

Did your twin disguise as you and try to frame you for it?

Her head hurts trying to wrap her brain around this entire trial.

She starts increasingly getting frustrated with Sora and Syobai until your twin slips up and says something that condemns both them and you.

After the verdict shows you two are guilty, they finally reveal their true nature and demonstrate how easily you can be "hypnotized" by them.

It's here Yoruko realizes neither of you are members of Void.

Your twin is just a sick and evil monster who deserved to go to hell.

She's in tears the entire time she watches your execution, thinking you were going to escape when you grabbed the key---

Only to be devastated as you're killed anyways, albeit in less pain than your twin sibling, who dies laughing.

[3ris-d1st0rtionnn]

StoLE tHiS fILe FroM THe aRcHivES… dON’t TeLL @speyeralling-down-thy-majesty , bUt i JuST WantEd a LittLE MemENtO oF ThEsE EvENtS… eVEn ThouGh tHeY’Re StiLL iN My HaLLwaYs SomeWhErE :)

Statement of Jade Connor, regarding a strange theme park attraction. Recorded by [REDACTED], head Archivist of the Magnus Institute.

I don’t even know why I decided to send this your way. I know you won’t believe me, nobody does, I just… I need to feel sane for once after last week.

It was last Saturday, if I’m remembering right. I had taken my friend Emma out for a day at this small theme park at the edge of town. Emma Davis… That was her full name. I have to keep reminding myself.

The park was really nothing special, just a small place with a few standard carnival rides and food stands. In all honesty, we were just coming up on finals at university and needed to relieve the pressure with some mindless entertainment, but I had a sort of nostalgia for that park. I had been going there since I was around 8 years old, so I know the place like the back of my hand… It’s no wonder that I picked the new building out so easily.

It looked a bit like one of those old “ghost train” rides, but none of it was visible from the outside. The building was just a small, weathered black box with faded murals painted on the front that I couldn’t make out at all; if I looked closely, I could have sworn I saw the remnants of painted faces, but the paint had streaked and bled too badly to see any details. The only legible text was the word “FUN” in pink and green block letters above the singular entrance door. No information, no name, just “fun.” That should have been my cue to stay away, paired with the sense of paranoia I felt just seeing that damn building, but Emma was already heading in by the time I noticed, shouting her usual lighthearted mockery of me being “too scared.”

I can’t explain how, but I knew I couldn’t let her go in there alone.

The interior of the building was… strange. It definitely wasn’t a dark ride like I expected, more like some kind of funhouse. The entrance led us into a dimly-lit hallway; the walls, ceiling, and floor were all painted black, but it looked… unnaturally dark, as if we were standing in an endless void. A series of doors were painted on the walls, each one skewed oddly in perspective and painted in neon colors so bright, they hurt my eyes to look at too long. I could have sworn there were ultraviolet bulbs set up somewhere, but I couldn’t see any visible light fixtures… or anything, for that matter. No fire sprinklers, no exit signs, no electrical panels… Nothing.

I don’t know how long I was lost in my thoughts. My mind was screaming at me to turn around and leave, that something just wasn’t right here, but I was forced back to my senses by a low creaking sound. One of those doors, the ones that couldn’t possibly be real… somehow opened. It had been replaced by an opening in the wall that looked like it had always been there, with no trace of the door itself to be seen. I could hear Emma’s voice laughing in the distance, calling for me to “find her” and “catch up” before blending in with a cacophony of indistinct background music.

All I could do was run after her.

The hallway opened up into… I can’t even say if it was a room, a hall, or something completely different. It looked like the interior of a dark ride with no track, just a winding path surrounded by these strange props and cutouts, each one painted in those same, blinding neon shades. None of them looked like they were supposed to be animated, but I could have sworn I saw them moving from my peripheral vision. Everything around me was just… constantly shifting and changing, even the path itself was winding off into oblivion. And the music… That damn music. It sounded like 5 tracks of frantic cartoon music looping over each other. I couldn’t make out any words, any instruments, whether there were actual voices or if it was all an instrumental, but I felt like there was something in there, like a message I was supposed to understand. Did I hear Emma’s voice up ahead, or was it part of the audio? There was no way I could tell, but I could have sworn I heard her laughing.

I had to have been walking for hours, maybe even days. My ears were ringing, panic building up in my chest as I broke into a run, screaming out Emma’s name, struggling to navigate this deteriorating maze of lights and colors. The walls had faces. The props were pointing at me and laughing. The path was narrowing, trailing off into oblivion and herding me in one direction until… Until I reached the room. Until I saw it.

It was a small room, completely filled with doors. They were all stacked on top of each other, defying logic and space, the walls extending upward infinitely like some twisted rabbit hole I was at the bottom of. I somehow knew not to touch them, that they wouldn’t let me leave yet. And in the center of it all… God, I can’t describe the thing.

It was twice my height, this… complete mockery of a person. Its arms were far too long, allowing its clawed, twisted hands to scrape the floor as if they’d been dislocated from their sockets. The thing smiled, the corners of its mouth extending past its face, exposing what had to be around 7 rows of teeth. Its eyes constantly shifted in color, spiraling voids that pierced right through me. It said nothing at first, but I could hear the audible snap of its neck as it tilted at a painful angle, motioning toward one of the doors nearby.

Just past that door, I could hear Emma’s voice. I couldn’t tell if she was laughing hysterically or screaming, but the sound was… completely unnatural, a noise that came from the very depths of insanity.

“Don’t worry, she’s having fun.”

The thing’s voice felt like broken glass scraping my brain, like a voicebox that was nearly out of battery. My head pulsed with pain, a primal instinct of panic overwhelming my body.

The next thing I knew, I was sprinting down another hallway. My vision was fading in and out, the ear-bleeding soundtrack returning to laugh at me as that figure blinked in and out of my peripheral vision, always behind me as if it knew I wouldn’t get anywhere. The last thing I remember was dropping to my knees, my nails sinking into my arms as I screamed, and…

..and then I was back outside. The second my eyes snapped open, I was lying on the pavement, surrounded by concerned onlookers and emergency personnel. I can barely remember what they claimed had happened, something about a “spontaneous breakdown” leading to me collapsing.

It had only been two minutes since I apparently “broke down.” The building was nowhere to be seen.

Asking about Emma led to the same response of concern… There were no records of her ever entering the park. There were no records of her anywhere; trust me, I checked. Not in the contacts on my phone, not online, nowhere. It’s like she was just… erased as soon as that thing took her.

I haven’t left my home since then. I can still hear that damn music looping in my ears, I can see that thing in the corner of my eye… It’s only a matter of time before it comes for me next, and I know it won’t let me go this time.

Statement ends. A follow-up has been requested, but we can find no records of a “Jade Connor” or their contact information in our databases, except for this transcript.

[newidentity]

Hai^3

I’m Rayni, mostly prefer They/Them but I’m fine with She/Her. Here to write fanfiction, meet new people, and ask questions, and explore thoughts!

What fandoms I am in: Harry Potter, Keeper of the Lost Cities, These Violent Delights

You can call me: Rayn/Ray/Rayni

Books: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Giver, Romeo and Juliet

Feel free to dm me or send a fanfiction or short story request! I accept almost everything!

Interests and hobbies: Reading, writing, acting (I used to do this), drawing, meet new people, gardening, anime (I used to binge watch amine and draw them afterwards)

Other accounts I have: Wattpad (ThoughtsOfPast, display name is Ryni), Quotev (CyrahSkyleneRay, display name is Ryni Harper)

These are my main accounts I use.

Well, I only have one friend on Tumblr. Her blog is @the-purple-void .

Please check it out! It is so awesome.

Sometimes I might be posting some stories that I am inspired by a TikTok short or video. For example, What is trending is “Do you remember the rain” Harry Potter videos. Especially actress Emma Watson and Tom Felton posing together!

I might do some Slytherin boys oneshots as well, let’s see how it goes.

Fake friends - Have never seen you cry

Real friends - Cry with you

Fake friends - Borrow your stuff for a few days then give it back

Real friends - Keep your stuff for so long they forget it's yours

Fake friends - Know few things about you

Real friends - Could write a book about you

Fake friends - Would knock on your front door

Real friends- Walk right in and say, "I'M HOME!"

Fake friends - Will help you when you fall over

Real friends - Will jump on top of you and shout "Doggy pile"

Fake friends - Are for a while

Real friends - Are for life

Fake friends -Will read this

Real friends - Will copy and paste this, just like I did

Fake friends - Say, “love ya” jokingly

Real Friends - Say, "I love you" and mean it

Fake Friends - Will sit with you after a breakup and say, "I'm sorry."

Real Friends - Will call them and ask what their problem is before devising a plan to destroy them

Fake Friends - Will read this

Real Friends - Will steal this. There are some people who are getting too fake here on Quotev. They only want posts, comments, or see how many friends they can get. So let's see who actually reposts this. This is a test to see who's paying attention. This is a test to see how many people in my friends list actually pay attention. Copy and repost this in your bulletin, just like I did. It occurs to me that for each and every one of you on my followers list, I catch myself looking at your pictures, sharing jokes and news, as well as giving support during good and bad times. I am also happy to have you among my friends. We will see who will take the time to read this message until the end. If you appreciate your friends from all over the world, go ahead and copy this into your status too, even if it's just for a minute. I'm going to be watching to see who takes care of the friendship, just like me. Thank you all for being a part of my life. Copy and paste, please. Tag as many people that you think would repost this because they are good friends. Well, truth be told, I don't know if these people can say the same for me but we'll see. At times we can be angry, but anger is normal. If no one was ever angry, mad, or sad, we wouldn't be human, so swear this oath...

I swear,

We will be kind,

We will be friendly,

We will be friends,

We will be us,

We will be humans,

We will be friends.

REPOSTED (Please repost this)

We found courage with Neville, we laughed with Fred and George,

we were unique with Luna, we fought our demons with Remus,

we learned from Hermione, we found confidence with Ron, and we stuck until the end with Harry. Together we saved the world.

Spread the word. We are the Harry Potter Generation.

I promise to remember Harry

When someone grows up with no love.

I promise to remember Ron

When I feel overshadowed.

I promise to remember Hermione

When I meet someone with wisdom beyond their years.

I promise to remember James and Lily

When someone dies before their time.

I promise to remember Dumbledore

At the thought of the greater good.

I promise to "Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good"

for Gred, Forge, and Padfoot, of course.

I promise to remember Moony

And fight for human rights.

I promise to remember Narcissa

When I'd do anything for family.

I promise to remember Tonks

When I feel hyper and cheery.

I promise to remember Hedwig

Who lived and died soaring.

I promise to remember Ginny

When I must face my fears.

I promise to remember Percy

When ambition gets the best of me.

I promise to have constant vigilance

For Mad-Eye's sake, of course.

I promise to remember Hagrid

When one is wrongly accused.

I promise to remember Neville

When I stand up for what is right.

I promise to remember the Marauders

When a friend says, "Call me, and I'll be there."

I promise to remember Dobby

When asked the price of freedom.

I promise to remember Luna

When I don't care what other people think of me.

I promise to remember Seamus

When things go wrong, I still persevere.

I promise to remember Oliver

When I soar to great heights.

I promise to remember the Dursleys

When my parents still keep denying that they hid my Hogwarts acceptance letter.

I promise to remember Gilderoy Lockhart

Whenever I chance upon narcissistic people.

I promise to remember Snape

When asked the true meaning of love, and not given in return.

I promise to remember Draco

When I have to make hard choices between good and evil.

I promise to remember Grindelwald

When I think someone is redeemable.

I promise to remember Tom Riddle

When I am tempted by what I know is wrong.

I promise to remember J.K. Rowling

When I value the power of imagination.

And when they ask "After all this time?" I'll say, "Always."

Yes, I promise that I will Remember Harry Potter.

If you're a Harry Potter Fan copy and paste this to your profile.

You Know You're a Book Nerd If

You can randomly open a page and know exactly what's going on.

Just about everything you do revolves around reading.

If you're not reading, you're probably on wattpad, fanfiction.net or quotev, drawing fan art, etc.

You try to get all of your friends to read your favorite books. (Make deals that you'll read their favorite if they read yours)

Everything reminds you of the book.

You quote random lines all the time.

You try to do things that the characters do, even though you know you can't.

You've gotten incredibly bored in class, and debated on doing something your favorite character can do to escape the class.

You have pictures of your favorite characters on your computer.

You've got a book memorized.

You've read a specific book more than five times.

You've read a book with 400 pages in less than two days.

You've planned and prepared a siege on a writer's house because he/she killed a character you like.

You blatantly deny it when someone calls a character fictional.

IF YOU ARE A BOOK NERD AND PROUD OF IT, COPY AND PASTE THIS INTO YOUR PROFILE!

Now, I’m done with my intro!

Please feel free to drop by and say hi!

-Rayni

[t-lane-writes]

Five Lines Tag

I wasn't tagged, but @blind-the-winds said "and you!" and I thought they meant me.

It's fot The Specters (my current WIP)

A Line About A Weapon

Nersan shook his head, took a step back and raised his hands, so the woman would back off. Emma realized her palms were curled into fists. She made a conscious effort to release them but curled them right back a moment later. The strange woman put her weapon down and tilted her head to the side.  “Nersan Ziya,” she drawled. “Long time no see.” 

A Passionate Line

She blinked, like she understood something, but not exactly the message he had for her. Something else.  He was still holding her face, a light touch, barely there. His thumb near her lips. And she watched his face with sharp intensity. The tip of her tongue slid out, as her eyes wandered to his lips and then back up. His thumb traced the drop of moisture, instinctively. She held her breath. 

A Line With Touch

Neve took a step closer to him and carefully reached out to touch his shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked.  He put his hand over hers and nodded. Closed his eyes, drawing comfort from the contact. At least she could do this little. After a few seconds he opened his eyes, then touched his lips with an open palm and extended it toward her. “Thank you.”  “Okay.” Neve muttered, flustered. He was her mentor, he was the strong one, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do now.  Anaher touched her hand to make her look at him again, then pointed at the heap of soil and leaves and pebbles and broken ceramics under the window, then at the kitchen cabinet. When she turned to look there, he pulled at her hand again and, when she looked, made a sign she didn’t know.  “Careful,” he whispered when she didn’t understand.  “With the plants?” Neve made sure. He had quite a lot of them, must have wanted to save whatever could still be saved. “Of course, I will be careful,” she promised. 

A Line That Is Shouted

Anaher [...] signed to his brother, “We’re leaving. Come.”  “No!” Troy screamed. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”  “Hey, easy.” Even Jan-Rei was surprised, but Troy didn’t pay him any attention. He charged at Anaher and pushed him with both his hands.  Anaher took a step back, air escaping his lungs from the impact of both, his brother’s hands and the wall he hit with his back. He gasped, but Troy wasn’t aware of that either.  “Do you think I wanted you here? Do you think I need you? That I ever needed you? You ruined my life! Go away! You hear me? Go away!”   He was right in Anaher’s face, his spit landing on his cheeks and eyelids. Anaher tried to push him away [...]

A Sad Line

How was he supposed to-- He looked at Emma. He loved her. She was the greatest thing that happened to him. He believed in her. The last thing he wanted was to cause her pain.  She glanced up, not reaching his face really, and then looked down at her lap again. “They followed Zane Lee’s manifesto,” she guessed, with unconcealed bitterness.  “I started to hate him then,” Nersan admitted in a whisper. “Now I know I was wrong. They are wrong--”  “Please stop.” Emma put a hand over his. “I know,” she uttered. “Tell the story.”  “Of course.” Nersan swallowed through a lump in his throat. “This is where it all started,” he said, because there wasn’t much to add. “At the very least it is one of the places where the Extremists movement was initiated. And-- I had my part in it.”  He could add how he hadn’t been here long. How, when Wendi and Willem’s true allegiance had been revealed, how when he heard about Steinn’s plans, he couldn’t be a part of this any longer. How he didn’t intend to look for Emma. He had known her before leaving Majid, they had met through Anaher. After leaving this place and going back to Majid he-- Truth be told he had been curious. Truth be told he had initiated their first meeting, his and Emma’s. 

Tagging, no pressure: @echo-bleu , @drippingmoon , @hithelleth , @daisywords , @void-botanist , @memento-morri-writes , @ryns-ramblings , @did-i-do-this-write , @aohendo and.. yeah, you!

When tackling this, replace "A Passionate Line" with "A Line About Frienship".

[ninjagirlstar5]

Protag Teruya AU - Prologue Part 2 - The Fake Trial

TWs: Discussions of a Murder Case

Body Discovery & Investigation | Post-Fake Trial

Prologue Part 1 Beginning

Disclaimer: While Sannotori is problematic, it’s a thing in this AU/fic and the dynamic is not the same as it is in canon.

The Protag Teruya AU was inspired by @/anotherprofessional’s post! Beware of Void spoilers though!

“Since you are merely solving how the murder took place in the past, there will be no voting involved in this class trial.”

“Uhh…voting?” Kanade spoke up, her voice a bit more firmer than before. “Why would there be voting?”

“Using evidence you gathered during the investigation, you will argue what you believe happened to the victim. If you all manage to come to an agreement on the explanation, then you’ve succeeded in solving this murder. But if none of you are able to solve this murder…well, I’ll leave that as a surprise. That’s all there is to it. Good luck.”

“...Sounds like our kidnapper isn’t interested in answering any of our questions, Kanna.” Setsuka said, crossing her arms in displeasure. Kanade frowns in response but says nothing else. Kokoro taps away on her tablet before speaking up.

“Well, we should at least start somewhere. I have a good topic we can discuss if no one else has any ideas.” The psychologist props her tablet up on her podium, presumably for easier access.

“If leaving this damn courtyard was an option, I’d be turning on my heel and walking on out of here in a heartbeat!” Nikei yelled out, being only a few spots away from Kokoro. His shouting probably would’ve been an issue for anyone that was standing between them, but the podium was empty. Afterall, a sixteenth student was pretty much nonexistent in this class. “But no, as if getting kidnapped wasn’t bad enough, we’re all stuck on an island with a cruise ship we’re completely locked out of!”

“It’s not like any of us would know how to steer the ship anyways.” Mikado buds in. Nikei brings his glare towards the wizard, who was completely unperturbed by it. “But that’s besides the point. Back to what you were saying, Ms. Mitsume?”

“Thank you, Mikado.” Kokoro said, grateful that the topic was being shifted back on course. Her head faces straight ahead but her gaze shifts towards Nikei as she speaks. “Since the culprit of the case is…irrelevant to this trial, we should be figuring out how the victim was murdered.”

“Didn’t the tablet explain that already? Why should we spend time on something we already know?” Hibiki was quick to reply, her rash and irritable voice adding to the tense atmosphere. Mikado blinks his eyes. Or rather, his mask blinked.

“What tablet?” He asked and it was only then that the amnesiac remembered that Mikado never got the final clue. Feeling a little bit embarrassed for forgetting, he speaks.

“Oh, uh…there was a box of tablets called the…’Monocrow File’ that explained the…state of the victim. But it vanished along with the fountain. So, um, here. You can borrow mine.” He takes his backpack off and pulls out the tablet. Mikado thanks him and takes it from his hand, turning it on to read.

“While the tablet listed her wounds, it didn’t explain how she got them. It may be best if we start there before we can discuss anything else.” Kokoro moves the conversation along, even though Mikado probably still needs a few minutes to read the Monocrow File.

“If you ask me, it seems kinda obvious.” Emma said with a hand on her hip, her eyes to the floor as if she had figured something out. Kokoro actually raises an eyebrow at her before nodding her head. A silent ‘go on’ if he ever saw one.

“Oh y-yeah? Was there something we missed?” Shinji asked, stuttering through his words while facing the actress but genuinely curious as he had been guarding the crime scene the entire time.

“Well, there’s a knife, isn’t there?” Emma crosses her arms as she faces everyone’s gaze.

“There was an actual knife at the scene?!” Yoruko flinches at the information, genuinely scared of the thought of a weapon. Of course it would make sense that a weapon was found at the crime scene. But he can feel confusion settle into his brain with those words as something didn’t make sense in his head.

“I-If there was a knife, it’d make sense that it’d be the weapon, right?” Iroha stutters out, lifting her sketchbook up as she tilts her head. His eyebrows scrunches up tightly as he frowns.

“Uhh…I don’t think that’s right.” He said, hoping to catch their attention. He does, but Emma was frowning in his direction now.

“And why is that?” Emma calls out, putting her hands on her hips. “You can’t just say that without explaining.”

“That’s, uh, I mean…” He stumbles over his words, trying to find a way to explain himself. However, the fog in his brain refuses to lift like he was unable to connect the dots together. He knows something isn’t right but he struggles to find the reason why.

He scrambles his brain to say something, anything.

But everyone’s gazes were on him now, pressurizing like a tank that was being overwhelmed with too much air.

His throat tightens as sounds that are barely strung together like words escape his mouth. He knew he couldn’t leave everyone hanging like this so he forced himself to say anything that came to mind. No matter if it was an excuse or not.

And then someone steps in before he could.

“Because the knife was clean of blood.”

It was Mikado who spoke up, his voice clear and strong with confidence.

The amnesiac turns his gaze towards the wizard beside him. He had lifted his gaze from the tablet, facing his classmates’ stares head on. Emma blinks her eyes.

“What…?” She said, as it was apparently her turn to be confused now. Mikado goes on.

“If it was the murder weapon, it would’ve had the victim’s blood all over it.” He raises his hand as he shrugs. “Can you explain why that would be, Ms. Ma - I’m sorry, Ms. Emma.”

“That’s, uh…” Emma’s eyes shrink a little as she holds her hand against the collar of her school uniform. “Perhaps the culprit just cleaned it off?”

“Except there was dirt and debris on it. If the culprit cleaned it off, it would’ve been spotless. But it’s not.” Mikado lifts his finger up to his mouth, his mask shifting into one that was both smug and self-assured.

He couldn’t help but admire him for his intelligence.

And yet, he also felt a bit of shame for being unable to reason out his answer on his own. Especially with how obvious it was now that Mikado spelled it out.

“To add to that, if the culprit had the time and energy to clean the knife, why didn’t they just take it with them? They’d have to be a dumbass to leave it at the crime scene.” Nikei buds in with a tsk. Emma cringes but doesn’t refute him.

“I-I see…” Emma closes her eyes, dropping her hand. “When you put it like that, it’d make sense that it wasn’t the knife.”

“...It’s not?” Iroha says, almost a bit dumbly admittedly. But he didn’t have the heart to criticize her for it. He couldn’t even figure out how to explain himself when he tried to oppose Emma’s words.

“No, Iroha. It isn’t.” Kokoro said with a flat stare in her direction. Iroha yelps before hiding behind her sketchbook. The psychologist relaxes her eyebrows and curls her hand over her chest. “Why did you assume it was the knife, Emma?”

“Well, uh…When we found the body and you told me to go find the others, I think I kicked the knife while I was running. But even when I took a glimpse at it, I guess I was in too much of a shock to realize the details on the knife. Or lack thereof.” She laughs a little, albeit awkwardly as she rubs her cheek. “This is a bit embarrassing, not gonna lie.”

“I-It’s okay, Emma!” Yuki starts to speak, his voice almost steady enough to calm the tension in the air. “This is a debate, after all. It’s only natural that some of us would get things wrong as we talk through the trial.”

“But, if the knife wasn’t the murder weapon…Why was it there?” Hajime asked, crossing his arms with a raised eyebrow. “And where’s the actual murder weapon?”

“That…is a good question. I didn’t see the crime scene but the…victim wouldn’t have turned out the way she did without something sharp, um, cutting her, right?” Yuki raised his fist to his chin, looking like he was thinking hard about the case. He seems to be a little calmer now. The amnesiac glances at Mikado and the object on the podium. The wizard notices and nods. He took that permission to speak up.

“Actually, Mikado found something by the cliffside. It might be relevant.” He said, gesturing to the object wrapped in his cape. Everyone turns their gaze towards him and Mikado’s mask grins.

“It’s certainly more than relevant. Let me show you.” He then takes his cape and carefully unwraps it from the object. His jaw drops upon seeing it.

It was a weapon, shaped like a sword and its length gave it a long reach. It was still obviously sharp despite its cracks and would explain why Mikado wrapped it up in his cape to protect himself while handling it. And, more importantly, there was still some blood on it, even though some of it seemed to have been washed away.

“...Is that a sword? Where did you get that?” It was Yuri that spoke up, his voice tinged with annoyance. Mikado only nods his head in confirmation, barely acknowledging the astronaut’s presence.

“I found it by the cliffside near the ocean. It was stuck between some rocks but I managed to get it out with my magic.” Mikado carefully traces his fingers along the blade. “I believe a blade like this could easily cut someone-”

“Wait a fucking minute.” Nikei stops him, tilting his hat down as he stares at the floor. Mikado glares at the journalist but he meets it head on. “How is this blade relevant to this case? If it was by the cliff, that would make it so far away from the crime scene.”

“Maybe it’s because the culprit tried to hide it?” Kanade said, lifting her hands up with confidence.

“There were footprints leading towards the cliff.” Kokoro said, backing it up with her own observations. He tried to keep up but the conversation kept moving along without pause. “As long as these pieces of evidence are accurate to the crime scene in the past-”

“And what if it isn’t?” Nikei spat out. Kokoro blinks but doesn't turn him down, allowing him to keep talking. “What if the evidence is fake? What if the announcer is just leaving this shit around to confuse us? Why should we trust that the scene was accurate down to the smallest pieces of dirt?”

“In any other circumstance, I do think you’d have the right to be suspicious, Nik.” Setsuka said, curling her eyebrows as she crossed her arms. “But with how things are right now, all we can do is have faith that the announcer wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Except we don’t have evidence to back that up!” Nikei scowled. “If we get this wrong, something is going to happen to us and I’d rather not find out!”

“Well, according to this Monocrow File, the wounds seem to be pretty accurate.” Mikado rebutted, calm if a bit wary of the journalist’s temper.

“Keywords seem to be. Anyone can see that the girl died due to being almost cut in half, in Utsuroshima Park. But did anyone even check that she had bruises underneath her clothes? Is there even a way to verify that she died at 11:45PM-”

“Wait, wait, wait!” The moment those words left Nikei’s mouth, he immediately knew he had to speak up. “I-I think I have the answer to that and I, uh, have evidence to prove it!”

“Oh yeah? What is it?” Nikei asked, raising his hand with a flat stare. He clearly didn’t think he’d have anything good to say. He didn’t blame him since he needed Mikado to step in and explain his thoughts for him earlier. But this time, he was certain he could explain himself on his own.

“The victim’s watch. It read 11:45 but-” He starts but Nikei turns his nose up at it.

“Ah, yes. A watch that can keep ticking on and on as long as it has power. Come on, how can a watch prove that the announcer ain’t bullshitting us with that file?” Nikei said, barely even looking his way. The amnesiac flattens his stare.

“Because it’s broken.” He said, flat and straight to the point.

“...What?” Nikei drops his hand with wide eyes, completely taken off guard.

“Once a watch is broken, it won’t be able to move its hand.” He explains pretty matter of factly. He was pretty confident in his words too and it showed with how strong his voice was. “And while it was an old fashioned watch that doesn’t tell you if it’s AM or PM, if we, uh…what’s the word…cross-reference, that’s it. If we cross-reference that with the Monocrow File, I think it’d line up pretty well, don’t you think?”

“That, uh…makes sense. But the wounds-” Nikei tries to fight back, only for someone else to step in.

“Sorry, Nik. But I can at least tell you in this case, the file is telling the truth.” Setsuka said, awkwardly smiling as she shrugs her shoulders. “I saw a pretty deep cut on the girl’s left leg and had our big buddy here verify that with Shin. Right?”

“...Wait, are you talking to me?” He points to himself. Setsuka snorts.

“Who else could I be talking to?” She seems to be winking at him but with her right eye constantly closed, it looks like she’s blinking instead. Yoruko frowns as she leans over the podium with her hands on her hips.

“Wait, wouldn’t your podium have given you your name? The screen had mine typed in it so it must’ve had yours, right?” The hostess asked and he immediately winced at her question. She notices his response and pulls back with her mouth agape. “Unless it didn’t have it?!”

His silence was enough of an answer.

“Are you…saying that the kidnapper doesn’t even know your name??” Hibiki was shocked at the news, raising her hands but unsure of what to do with that. Almost everyone was staring at him with sympathy and he couldn't help but feel like he was being put on the spot.

“That’s…a sad revelation.” Yuki said, gripping his tie. The amnesiac could only hang his head in disappointment, Mikado reaching over to pat his shoulder to comfort him.

“Maybe we should put the topic of our friend’s name to the side for now.” Shinji was the one to speak up, shooting a concerned glance his way. He seems to have noticed his discomfort and he appreciated the change in subject. “Back to what S-Setsuka said, I did find the cut on her leg. In fact, it’s so deep that she might not have been able to walk. And even if she forced herself to by using the trees as support, I…don’t think she was able to escape.” The amnesiac nods his head as he was there to witness his examination. Nikei stares at them, processing their reasoning and probably trying to come up with a comeback.

Evidently, he couldn’t, as he backs down as soon as he lowers his hat over his eyes.

“...Oh.” Nikei’s voice was smaller than usual, like all the yelling he did earlier has become nothing more than an embarrassment for him. He can even see the blush on his cheeks from where he was standing. “I…guess that means the file is reliable then.”

“It’s okay, Nikei. Some of us are bound to get things wrong.” Emma said with a light tease, tossing Yuki’s words back his way. The student gaped at her but it was already too late to stop Nikei’s sputtering.

“Y-You don’t have to rub it in, okay?!” He let’s go of his hat, putting his fists against his chest. “I just…I had to make sure our source was accurate, so cut me some slack.”

“Fufufufu, and yet, for an Ultimate Journalist, you tend to jump the gun, don’t you?” Mikado took the opportunity to take a jab at him. Nikei immediately sends a glare the wizard’s way.

“Don’t make me leave my podium just to hit you.” He warns. Mikado just shrugs but the mask’s expression only gets cheerier.

“Back to the blade, I believe it’s safe to assume that this is the murder weapon. Are we all in agreement on that?” Mikado looked around the trial and he did the same. Most of them looked convinced but some weren’t. Yuki, especially, was tugging on his tie and furrowing his brow.

“...I know it’s probably redundant to ask this since it seems to be the only weapon that makes sense. But, are we sure it’s sharp enough to cut someone like…like how the Monocrow File described?” Yuki asked, swallowing his words.

“Are you asking if it’s possible for the culprit to wield the sword in a way that would cut someone nearly in half?” Mikado clarified the question and Yuki grimaces but nods. The wizard hums. “While the results are clear as day, I don’t think there’s anything wrong in double checking our work. In that case, I believe a demonstration would answer this question best.”

“A demonstration?” The amnesiac raised his eyebrows. Mikado’s mask smiles at him and with a wave of his glowing hand, something flies out of the forest in a bright red light before he catches it with ease. The moment the glow fades, the object reveals itself to be a small log that can be carried with one hand. Albeit awkwardly. “Imagine that this is the victim. It’s not the perfect substitution as it’s not the same size as a human, however it’s thick enough but not by too much like most of the trees that surround us. So it’ll make due for a human’s fragile but sometimes durable body, yes?”

“Make sense to me.” Hajime nods his head. Shinji just shrugs. Yuri frowns alongside Kokoro, but neither of them object. Probably because due to their limited resources, this may as well be the best object to use an example of a human.

“Good. Then, the people beside me, please take a few steps back. This will be a bit dangerous.” The moment Mikado puts the log on top of his podium, he understands what he had meant and immediately starts taking a few steps back. Setsuka and Iroha does the same, although the painter goes much further than she needs to. Syobai barely moves. Mikado picks up the handle with both hands and huffs. “As you can see…I am not well-versed with a sword. In fact, it is quite heavy for me and I am probably not holding it correctly. However…”

Mikado raises the sword, swings as hard as he can in an arc…

…and the log splits nearly in half upon being cut, falling off of the podium.

They all gape at the sight while Mikado puffs his chest with what seems to be pride.

“...it doesn’t take much to do it’s deed.” The smile on his mask turns sharp and pointy.

“Holy shit, that’s one hell of a sword!” Nikei raises his fists and starts backing away from his podium. There was no need as Mikado was already putting the sword back down on his cape but it didn’t convince him to come back to his spot.

“Yeah…yeah, that’s definitely the murder weapon.” Emma looks pale.

“You don’t even need to be an Ultimate Swordsman. Just one good swing and that’s all it’ll take.” Hajime’s sunglasses slid down his nose slightly, making it more obvious that his eyes had gone wide.

“Auuugh…I guess that solidifies our answer then.” Yuki curls his hands over his stomach. He seemed ready to hurl.

“Just in case, does anyone else have any more questions to verify this?” Mikado asked. No one had any more rebuttals and the demonstration alongside the blood on the blade was enough to convince them. Once they all settled back into their podiums, Mikado finished speaking. “Then I believe it’s time to move on.”

“Alright, how about this one: why are there two weapons at the scene? It wouldn’t make sense for the culprit to carry two, right?” Yoruko asked, shifting onto the next topic. Almost immediately, his brain goes blank. Why would there be two weapons? If the culprit already had the blade, that would definitely be the superior weapon compared to the knife thanks to its reach.

“...Oh.” Hajime suddenly speaks up. He seems to be sweating a little bit. “I think I have an idea of why there’s two weapons. But it’s mostly just a shot in the dark.”

“W-Well…speak up. Whether or not it’s a good deduction depends on our debate, after all.” Kanade encouraged, gently smiling Hajime’s way.

“Yeah! Tell us, Hajime!” Iroha jumps in, urging him to continue. He can’t tell if she was excited or desperate. Honestly, it’d make more sense if it was the latter. The boxer sighs.

“Well…I’ll admit, it’ll paint the victim in a bad light.” Hajime said, rubbing his head. “But, uh, maybe the victim had some bad blood with the culprit…and tried to kill them?”

“K-Kill them?” He said it without thinking, gaping at his fellow classmate. “Why would they do that?”

“Don’t ask questions we wouldn’t be able to answer without evidence.” Yuri, who had been mostly quiet, finally started to participate more. Although he clearly wasn’t happy to be responding to him. “We don't know why the victim would bring it and we wouldn’t be able to figure that out with what we have right now. All we know is the facts: the knife was at the crime scene, which means someone had to carry it there. Right now, it makes sense that the victim was the one with the knife, not the culprit.”

“...I’m surprised you actually agreed with me.” Hajime said, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t misunderstand, you despicable male! I agree with your reasoning but not the motive, for it paints the poor lady in a horrid light!” Yuri scowls at him with a dark glare. “For all we know, Lady Kasumi was fighting in self-defense!”

“With a kitchen knife that she couldn’t hide on her person?” Yoruko questioned with a frown, playing with her scarf. “It’d be one thing if it was a pocket knife, but a knife that big would be difficult to hide. If anything, I think the girl made it pretty clear of her ill intentions.”

“And you’d be right, Lady Yoruko!” At the drop of a dime, Yuri changed his tune once a girl started speaking to him. The hostess narrowed her eyes at him while Hajime looked like he was going to pop a vein.

“Oh, you little-”

“Enough.”

Kokoro, for as soft as her voice was, was still strong in her tone. With just one word, the class goes quiet. Yuri was pleased to have Kokoro’s attention while Hajime stepped down with a huff and crossed his arms. Once everyone’s attention was on her, she continued.

“Let’s not get distracted by arguing. We must focus on the trial and if everything calms down, we can sort out our issues afterwards.” Kokoro said, managing to put the trial back on track with just a few words. Already he can feel himself admiring her for her calmness and ability to unite the group with just a few words. “Besides, we do have evidence that a fight broke out. A tree has two cuts from a sharp object, there are footprints that made skid marks all over each other, and there were threads in a bush. If we put this all together, we get this: someone was already crouching down in the bushes, preparing for an attack. While we don’t know the details of how the fight went down, we can assume that they tried to ambush their target but it didn’t go well, which resulted in two cuts in the tree. Most likely from both the knife and the blade. The footprints represent them trying to get the upper hand on each other. But eventually, the victim, Kasumi Hayashi, decides that she wouldn’t be able to win and must have tried to run away.”

“And, um, that was probably when she got cut on her leg.” Shinji speaks up, almost nervous in the way he tried to take part without rudely interrupting Kokoro. The psychologist nods her head at him and he continues. “S-Since the cut was probably deep enough to damage her ability to walk, she wouldn’t have been able to escape the culprit.”

“And that’s when she got killed.” Nikei finished, holding onto his hat again. They all grow quiet, processing the information that’s been laid out for them. He looks around the trial, taking in everyone’s despondent expressions…

Only to stop and do a double take.

“Is he…?” He couldn’t help but point. Yuri furrows his brows and actually turns his head to see where he was pointing at.

And from what he can tell, the astronaut proceeded to swear in Russian.

“ARE YOU ASLEEP?!” Yuri yelled out, raising his hands as a dark expression fell over his face. The guy, Syobai, was taking a goddamn nap in the middle of the trial. His head was heavily leaning downward with drool dripping down to his chin and even has a snot bubble forming from his nose. The astronaut slams his fists on his podium but the noise didn’t wake him. It wasn’t until he tried to hit Syobai that he reacted and fast, his eyes opening in a flash as the bubble pops and he dodges the attack.

“Don’t hit me.” He said, glaring down at Yuri. Syobai then yawns and wipes the drool from his mouth. “It’s not like I’m interrupting anything special.”

“Excuse me, but this is a trial to find out how this poor maiden died!” Yuri scoffs, crossing his arms. “But who am I kidding, it’s not like a despicable male like you would try and solve this case. I bet you don’t even have any clues, do you?”

“...Clues like the broken lamp that caused a fire?” Syobai deadpanned.

The amnesiac does a double take. And so does Yuri, who stares at him with shock.

Shock that quickly morphs into anger.

“Did you just steal my thunder?! How dare you!” Yuri hisses but the guy merely cleans out his ear with a roll of his eyes.

“Oh please. If you were waiting to reveal those clues just to impress the women here, you’re only going to be met with disappointment.” Syobai said, pulling his finger out and flicking off any earwax he had picked from his ear. Naturally, all the girls were displeased by this news. And the guys, but he doubts Yuri would care about their opinions at all. Syobai then shrugs. “Back to the lamp, if the victim and the culprit were fighting each other, then it’s likely that the lamp broke during the struggle. Even if it didn’t, the culprit might’ve thought that a fire would get rid of any evidence left behind and chose to break it on purpose.”

“Wow, you put that together pretty fast.” Iroha said, impressed by Syobai’s intelligence. A sentiment he shared pretty well. The guy, however, merely scoffed at the praise.

“Please. As if a case like this can be considered complex at all. In fact, it’s child’s play.” He snorts and the amnesiac feels himself bristle at his words. But he couldn’t think of a rebuttal to say as he pressed his finger against his head, almost like it was a gun. “Now, are we done here? There’s nothing else to discuss and everything should be explained now.”

“Wait, really?” Iroha blinks her wide eyes. She scrunches up her eyebrows like she was in deep thought before her eyes start to swirl. “Uhhhhh, I mean, it all makes sense but I, um, don't know.” Syobai groans, facepalming the minute those words left the painter’s mouth.

“Hey, don’t act like that!” He instinctively called out on him, even as Syobai’s eyes glazed over in disinterest. He feels himself falter a little but he still stands his ground to defend Iroha. “She’s just confused! And besides, we should all make sure we’re in agreement on how the events played out before finishing the trial.”

“I agree.” It was Yuki who spoke, still holding onto his tie. He seemed to have recovered from his distress. Syobai simply shrugs in response before stepping back, like he was physically saying that he won’t be taking part in the trial any more. Despite everyone’s annoyed glares his way, no one bothers to call him out on this. Yuki continues. “There’s still some unanswered questions but…if we put everything in order when it all happened, I think we can answer them as we go along.” He pauses before lifting his fist up to his mouth. “I think it’d make sense to start at the beginning, before the fight broke out. The victim, Kasumi Hayashi, the Ultimate Personal Trainer, was in the forest, probably searching for the culprit…with a knife. We don’t know which one of them was holding the lantern…but I don’t think it was whoever was setting up the ambush. They wouldn’t risk having a light source with them in case they were spotted by their target.”

“I agree.” Kanade jumps in before he could process the information. “Whoever was planning for the ambush would want to minimize any chance of getting seen. They even crouched low in the bushes to hide. H-However, it seems their ambush didn’t go well, since their target still saw them and attacked first. Probably because the glow of their lantern revealed where they were hiding.”

“As a result, a fight broke out. The cuts on the trees and the footprints skidding across each other all points to a struggle.” Kokoro pulls her gaze away from her tablet. “Until, eventually, Kasumi Hayashi decided it was best to run away.”

“And if she were the one to bring the knife, it would make sense why she would.” Hajime crossed his arms. He was catching on to how things had played out, much sooner than he could keep up. “The blade has a far longer reach than the knife, putting her at a disadvantage. So she turned to run.”

“But unfortunately, Lady Kasumi’s luck didn’t pan out so well.” Yuri interjected with a sigh. Hajime just lets him speak. “Due to the length of the blade, the despicable culprit managed to make a cut on her leg, forcing her to fall over, or at least stumble into a tree, as it was so deep that it affected her ability to even walk.”

“Can confirm. It’s-” Shinji starts, only for Yuri to glare at him.

“Did I ask you to interrupt me, you putrid scum?” He said with a harsh tone. Shinji, who was usually friendly if a bit loud, started narrowing his eyes like he was losing his patience with him. But thankfully, someone stepped in before it could escalate.

“Don’t fight. We’re nearly to the end here.” Setsuka called out, and the both of them backed off instantly. Shinji blushing in embarrassment while Yuri…just smiles her way. “Back on topic, while she did get cut, she still tried to keep running. However, that was when the killer delivered the final blow.”

“Cutting her almost in half and then breaking the lamp to start a fire. All to get rid of the evidence.” Emma closes her eyes and hunches over. “At least, that’s what we’re assuming here.”

“Don’t forget the watch. It broke during her fall, which is what allowed us to verify the Monocrow file’s information.” Nikei said, beating him to the punch even though he was the one that brought it up in the first place. Against the journalist himself, no less. “She died at 11:45PM, which is why one of them brought the lantern with them in the first place. It would be way too dark to see without it.”

“And yet, they chose to destroy it instead of taking it with them. Just for a fire that didn’t even do its job, apparently.” Hibiki points out, crossing her arms with a huff.

“I suppose they decided that the potential of a fire getting rid of all the evidence in one go was more appealing than simply escaping the crime scene. And that’s not all.” Mikado picks up from where the vocalist left off. “The fire would’ve created a decent amount of light, so the culprit would’ve at least had something to go back to. Especially with the final thing they must do.”

“Final thing…?” Iroha spoke up, paying close attention to everyone’s explanation. He was similarly confused as he stared at Mikado. But it wasn’t him that clarified.

“Was it…to get rid of it? It is the murder weapon…” Yoruko asked, her eyebrows scrunching together. Mikado snaps his fingers in the hostess’s direction.

“Correct!” He cheerfully says. Yoruko grimaces at the inappropriate glee. His mask quickly goes back to normal. “There would be no other reason why the blade can be found so close to the ocean, after all.”

“So the culprit tried to get rid of the murder weapon. Makes sense, since even a blade wouldn’t have been destroyed in a fire. Damaged, definitely, but otherwise intact.” Kokoro said, and everyone went quiet. There was nothing else to add, after all. “...Currently, we aren't given information on who the past culprit was or the motives for why the culprit and the victim went out of their ways to attack each other. But I believe this is as close to the truth as we can get.”

“...Unless anyone else has any last minute evidence to add?” Yuki asked, which caused the shy and sweet Kanade to actually scoff.

“If they did, then we’d have to start this all over again.” She then sniffles, wiping a tear away from her eye. “Please don’t make us go through all that again.”

“Yeah!! As much as I hate agreeing with my sister, it’d be downright stupid if anyone was hiding anything at this point!” Hibiki jumps in with a hiss, leaning forward with tightly grasped fists. Frankly, he would be more willing to agree with her if she hadn’t tack on the bit about her sister.

“Yes…It seems we’re all in agreement with the explanation then.” Mikado carefully takes the blade off of his cape and sets it aside so he can clasp it back around his shoulders. No one denies his statement.

“Great! Now can we leave these damn podiums?! The trial is over, announcer!” Nikei yelled out, pointing to the sky. There wasn’t even a second to spare when the speakers came on.

“So I see! And your explanation is quite sound, with a few unknowns. But I suppose it’s only natural with the lack of equipment you can use…Not that any of you would know how to use it anyways. But nevermind that. You’re allowed to leave your podiums now. You won’t be using this trial set anymore now that it’s over.”

And just like that, the trial was over.

They don’t have to do this anymore. They’re still in this scary situation, but it is over. They can put this exhausting day behind them.

So why?

Why was he still anxious?

Why was he holding his breath?

Why did he…feel so damn useless?

“Ah, but before you go…There is another announcement I must make.”

The announcer’s voice pulls him from his despair and he absently stares up into the sky. Nikei swore under breath but he went completely ignored.

“This entire time, I’ve been talking to you all through these speakers hidden throughout the island. And such, I’ve hidden my face from you all…Please forgive me for that, my comrades. But I can assure you, I’ve been here this whole time. Watching you become acquainted with everyone, frolicking about on the beach, investigating the crime…Everything. And I think it’s about time…that we properly meet.”

Meet…?

They were going to meet the announcer?

Right now?

Dread seeped into his bones and it was heavy like lead. He barely recognized the podiums shaking and going down if it weren’t for Mikado and Kokoro grabbing him. Shaken out of his daze, he steps away as the podiums sink underground again, being sealed up but the fountain doesn’t come back up. Instead, he hears something flap in the wind.

“Wh-What was that?” Yoruko said, sticking close to Kanade. The guitarist frowns as her sister clings to her tightly.

“I don’t see anything – huh?!” Nikei starts but quickly gets interrupted by something passing by.

No, not passing by. Flying by.

Just the sight alone made everything and anything in his heart and brain grind to a halt. He processes the black and white feathers falling from the sky, that person – no, that thing circling around the group once before disappearing behind the clock tower. And then, it flies above the top and curls its wings as it lands on the roof.

It…was a bird.

A weird, black and white bird with a strange red symbol for an eye on its darker half was standing on top of the tower.

In any other circumstances, the sight could’ve been funny.

It could’ve destroyed the tension that has risen in the group.

It could’ve made him laugh, whether it’s out of disbelief or because it was hysterical.

And yet, seeing that bird, that design, made every alarm in his brain go off and his body freezing.

All he knew was that if there were any doubts left of a normal scenario, they were completely crushed with this thing’s appearance.