#gunshots sirens etc etc

[napsaps-archive]

karl having kissed both george and dream is so funny to me like damn they really went hey me and my partner saw you from across the bar-

[ruanais]

。。。 FOUR, NINE, THIRTEEN 。。。

• — { omnipresent. chapter one: }

• — {warnings : mentions of suicide, dark content, no nsfw but things that could be triggering, dazai :P , bad writing, reader curses a lot, maybe some typos, etc. etc.}

• — {special thanks to : silver for helping me write + plan the plot, thank u to red and kat for taking their time to beta read, and thank u to mai for also helping with the plot ! }

• — { tagging the people who expressed interest ! @settingssun | @silverbladexyz @cheriiyaya | @kxttqi | @riiwrites + comment under this post to be tagged ! }

THE FIRST TIME Dazai Osamu met you, it was midnight. he was just walking to a bar and you were on the edge of a bridge railing, dressed in a school uniform. probably from a prestigious high school and not more than 15, he guessed when he took a better look at you. 

it was raining a storm, Rain had soaked through your clothes, and your hair was drenched. Paired with the harsh wind, you must be freezing. 

You were looking down at the river, a rather far away look in your eyes as you were seemingly in a dilemma, weighing two choices and- 

oh. 

dazai had already got the gist of what you were about to do, yet made no motion whatsoever. still and silent as a shadow, even when you took in a sharp breath and stepped off, falling down to the river’s current

a splash and you were gone forever, leaving him alone on the bridge.

now he was blankly staring at where you were mere seconds ago. not caring to even move. rooted at where he was. but several questions ran through his mind at that moment.

did you notice him staring? 

it wasn’t any use thinking about it so he let it go. 

the second time he encountered you, he had heard a series of gunshots then quickly headed to there. you were already dead. shot by someone he couldn’t catch.

Obviously, he was surprised to see your face but quickly collected himself, called the police, and left. finding it suspicious but quickly brushing it off his mind as he had more urgent and important matters to take care of than the measly death of someone he didn’t know. 

the third time he saw you, you were crossing the street. a calico cat in your arms as you talked to it, petting its fur and a warm smile on your face. 

then, you turned your head and caught sight of him, you widened your eyes seemingly in recognition, but you had ran, almost as if you were trying to escape from him.

well, dazai had tried to chase after you. But in your haste, you had failed to look at the road. tires screeched and you got hit by a car. 

he had ran and reached out his hand to try and pull you away despite knowing it was futile. but it was too late. blood splattered on him, staining his hand. Not that he ever cared. 

the cat was unhurt though, somehow miraculously shielded by your body. its large eyes looking into his’s before letting out a small meow then ran away. leaving you on the ground. 

sirens cut through the deathly silence, medics quickly rushing out of an ambulance after a bystander called the police. arriving just a few minutes later.

He tsked, running his hand through his hair, and and slipped away from there, away from that street, never to return.

on the fourth time, he saw you again. now convinced that you were a special case, he had to find you before you were gone. 

but unfortunately, he was too late again. you were a member of an rival organisation, holding important information and so was captured, interrogated, then brutally killed by one of the executive’s ability. crimson red blood pooled around your corpse before he got a chance to talk to you. 

“she already told us what we needed to know already. it’s no use keeping her around.” was what ozaki said when he demanded an explanation. “best to kill them before they cause further trouble. Say, dazai, don’t tell me-?” she frowned, shooting him a small glare. sighing deeply when he shook his head no. 

“I have to say, she was quite pathetic. Immediately telling us everything when we threatened the lives of her subordinates… I overestimated her.” was what she said while walking away slowly disappearing into the darkness, leaving him alone in the dim room. 

it was strange, he had to admit. the fact that you died every time before he got the chance to talk to you was quite eerie. not that he could do anything about it. Then, he left you again, leaving his underlings to clean up the mess. 

it happened nine times more, but instead of seeing you directly, he saw it on the news or heard it from his acquaintances. looking at your picture, you looked different in every universe but you had the same features. just enough to be recognizable. 

…

He was in the agency now, a new member. And amazingly, in record time, he was already doppo kunikida’s worst nightmare. 

today was his third day. how boring was this? 

in short: indescribable.

he felt like a deer caught in a spotlight. Far too out of place. Dazai knew how to put on an act, one to cover his true intentions quite nicely. Not enough to fool edogawa, of course. But enough to fool everyone else. 

he had listened to what odasaku had told him, be someone who saves people. he did or tried, or it would be something that he would do later. Depends, really.

…maybe one of the reasons he decided to follow through with his friend’s words was to make himself feel better. From what though? 

the guilt of not being able to save you? Maybe not stopping you from dying on the first time you met? 

Impossible. he was known as the demon prodigy after all when he was back in the port mafia, famous for being someone who had no remorse for murdering hundreds or committing endless heinous crimes. 

How troublesome. Such emotions were an obstacle to his goals. 

He tried to get rid of it. ignoring the guilt that was eating his heart away helped only a bit. But distractions helped. A few bottles of sake and his guilt would leave him for a while. 

But maybe paired with the fact that he couldn’t help nor save sakunosuke oda only made it worse. 

guilt was annoying. Troublesome, a nuisance. just about anything that was negative, he thinks, leaning back in his seat and ignoring the reports he has to write. 

actually, all emotions were useless. Was what he thought, turning around and around. 

…come to think of it, he never saw you in this universe before. nor even heard of you. 

maybe you don’t even exist right now. 

which is weird. since you seem to pop up randomly in every universe he’s in. 

really, really, reallyyyyyyy suspicious- 

“Ow!” 

A book hit his head, snapping him out of his thoughts. 

“Get to work dazai!” 

ah yes, classic kunikida. Always and forever strict and doesn’t like fun. Why were all math teachers like that? oh. even former ones. all they do is yell, scream, scold, yep math is definitely ruining the minds of everyone.

“Fineeee…these are boring though… I’ll do it later….” he whines, laying his head on his desk, drawing random shapes with his finger on the light brown wooden table. 

“Just do your work already!” Kunikida yelled, clearly at his breaking point.

“Come onnnn kunikidaaaaa just let me have some funn~” 

“You can have fun after work is over-“ 

“Aaah! sorry I'm late!” 

The agency’s door bangs open, and a disheveled young woman appears.

you?

he automatically freezes, eyes widening as he feels a chill run down his spine, dazai did just a quick double check to see if his vision is finally failing him.

the same eye colour? check.

the same hair colour? check.

the same height? check.

check, check, check.

fuck

Was what Dazai thinks after mentally checking off everything. His eyebrows furrowing. it was getting even more suspicious. Normally, you would die before he got to interact with you, so isn't this practically giving him a chance to know about you? What the hell does it- does it even fucking make sense? 

obviously not. 

which…didn’t make things any easier. 

kunikida mutters something under his breath before marching towards you, ready to give out yet another lecture. “Now why were you late?!” 

“uhm…I had to work a longer shift?” you said, shifting from one foot to the other. “Uh…it also didn’t help that there were more customers than usual..?” you added, awkwardly smiling as you sweatdropped nervously. 

“how many times do I have to tell you to fix your schedule?!” kunikida practically screams at you. “This has been the 5th time this month!” he stomps his foot before sighing, walking back to his seat and sitting down before checking his watch; “see? Now you’ve made me 3 minutes behind!” he groans, but promptly pushes back up his eyeglasses and opens back his computer to work.

“It wasn’t my fault- oh! new member huh? hi. want meat buns anyone?” you raise up a paper bag of warm buns, waiting for their response. instantly, almost everyone in that room raises their hand up. Except for kunikida and dazai.

“…we need to save some for president and haruno though.” Yosano reminded you as she reached into the bag for one. “i bought another bag of them, it’s fine!” you reassured her, then walked towards dazai.

 “hey, you. Do you like meat buns?” you ask, before letting him having a chance to answer, you stuffed the whole bun into his mouth when you got the chance, “it’s good right?” ignoring the fact that he may be choking right now. But who cares when you have dr. yosano? 

“Yep!” he replies after a while when he finished the bun, putting on a charming smile, pausing for a few moments before adding something utterly ridiculous; “would you be interested in committing a double suici-?” 

“no.” you interrupted, cutting him off. hitting his head with a folder you took from kunikida’s desk. Not noticing the slight ouch he let out. “I’m far too young to die yet.” You declare, taking out a bun and apparently practically inhaling it in less than a minute.

“What’s your name by the way?” “Dazai Osamu.” “That’s a weird name.” You remark, placing back the folder. “Anyways, I’m [name].“

“no last name?” “[name]’s surname is a mystery to everyone. only the president and ranpo know it, but apparently they wont even give a hint.” Yosano yawned stretching her arms.

“But, if you successfully guess what is her last name, you get half the money in her purse!” A random staff member chimed in.

“shut up!” you huff, “and my last name isn’t that important anyways! Besides, I’m not paying anyone for guessing my last name correctly-“

“all of you shut up! We won’t ever get any work done at this rate! Dazai, focus on your damned reports! [name]! Help organise these folders!”

kunikida hollered, now practically spitting fire. Well, to avoid trouble, everyone got to work. Expect for dazai that is. Unfortunately, he was still lazing around until you threatened to tell the president of his tardiness.

“Who knew [name] could be so strict? you really wouldn’t know her from just 3 years ago.” yosano teases as you glare at her. “Let’s not talk about that time.” You cringe, tensing up at the memory.

“ehh? but you were so cute back then! now you’re just a boring adult…” the doctor sighs, “at least I can go out to drink with you now.” she added, browsing through grotesque pictures of victims’ deaths. “oooo now this looks good…” she mumbled, absorbed in choosing the next picture to hang in her room. 

“Well im glad that I changed.” you say as you pour some coffee into your cup. How the coffee machine got placed on your desk was a wonder but no one asked why, already used to your rather unusual actions.

“Mmm…pretty sure you’re the only one that feels like that.” 

…

“I swear to God I’m gonna dieeee…” you slump in your chair, frowning after a few hours passed. evening had arrived and it was just about 6:00PM. The sun was in the process of setting, a warm orange-reddish glow settled around the agency.

everyone was occupied with something; dazai with his beloved a guide to suicide book, you with your day dreaming, kunikida with his work, yosano with her pictures, the staff with their own things, and ranpo who finally arrived after buying his snacks and is now feasting on them.

“there’s more work for today. Good job everyone. Feel free to home and rest.” the president suddenly appears from from his office, a black cat and haruno following him close behind.

Fukuzawa Yukichi: the man responsible for creating the Armed Detective Agency. the cat sat down the floor, then stared up at the president, letting out a small ‘meow!’ earning a few “awwws” from the agency staff and members.

“goodness…that cat is cute…” you murmur, playing with a pen. “I’ll bet I’ll scare the shit outta them the second i try to go near there though. what a shame.” You sigh before picking up your phone, after hearing numerous pings, you quickly scrolled through them, then got up, took your bag and started out.

“well then, thank you all for the hard work and please excuse me for leaving before you. I’ll see you all tomorrow then. Also! president! There’s a bag of meat buns for you and haruno! enjoy!” You waved, opened the door, and left. stretching your arms when you felt like you finally tasted the freedom of after finishing work.

you soon arrived at the train station, buying a ticket then entered the train. Suprisingly, there weren’t too much people. That’s good. after all, being stuffed in a train with loads of people like sardines in a can was never fun.

sitting down, you glanced out the window, admiring how pretty the sky looked when the sun was setting. Maybe you should wake up earlier tomorrow to see the sunrise…which would probably never happen since waking up in the mornings were hell.

nothing was really new. you followed the same routine everyday. wake up, brush your teeth, eat something, dress, then head to uzumaki cafe to work.

Which usually lasted until the afternoons. Then, you walked up to the agency’s office and helped with almost anything until your roommate spammed your messages to buy groceries or beer or whatever.

you’d head back, make dinner, do chores, shower, mess around then practically pass out in your bed until 7:00am and repeat.

you followed the same routine today as well, get back, made dinner, which today consisted of rice, vegetables, and soup. after that, you headed to bed a bit later than usual. due to innasomia from caffeine.

you really shouldn’t have drunk that much coffee at night.

either way, you were content with how things were. And you had thought that tomorrow would be the same as before until you woke up due to your phone ringing.

squinting at your clock, you wince. It was quite early: 8:00am and you only got 4 hours of sleep. just the day when you got the rare chance to head to work late.

groaning, you reached for your phone blindly, knocking down a few things until you could finally get a hold of it.

“…hello?” You groggily ask when you answer the phone, immediately snapping awake from your half asleep state after realising what the other person on the line just said.

“what the actual living fuck?”

rua’s notes : and that concludes the first chapter! whoaaaa it sure took a while huh :0 since it’s only the 1st, I wont immediately write abt the reader and osamu’s relationship :3 also, the reader has a ability ! (just wait a few more chapters) also chapter two will be focusing back on dazai !

thank u for reading this cringy ass fic that I stayed up all night writing !

[snootlestheangel]

Just A Dude!Ghost Monster AU

Side note before this post gets rolling, I love that my post with the highest notes starts with "I don't know who else" and I think that's very reflective of what Tumblr is like XD

Anyways

We're doing it! We are writing a Monster AU featuring Ghost as the only human despite what everyone else thinks! As far as I am concerned, mostly gonna post it here on Tumblr, since I don't really have much right now for it, mostly just little blurbs but if needed for readability, I'll put it on AO3 (under my profile FeelzMaster)

I'm gonna go ahead and give y'all the rundown of what species are featured, kinda what this world's like, the stuffs, ya know? TW: talks of death (just how they can die, relax)

Soap

To be 100% honest, I really wanted to do the whole werewolf!Soap thing cause it's just so perfect for him, but I thought back to a post I made about him being lightning and thought HUH WHAT IF?

So, partially inspired by @tactax-art and their depiction of Soap dealing with fire 'n shit, I have made Soap a unique type of "nymph". Technically, nymph isn't the right word, but neither is elemental, and the true name of these things is so old it's real translation has kinda lost meaning so they stick to describing themselves as "nymphs" or "elementals".

He is a Lightning Nymph, which is rare but that's apparently what happens when you cross an "atmospheric" air nymph (his mum) and a less traditional water nymph (his dad). He's often seeing consuming/messing with things that have electrical charge in order to keep up his own energy (Gaz once had to watch him literally lick an exposed outlet and maintain a straight face). Every time it storms, he's outside somewhere as high as he can get so he can soak up the natural static energy that comes with storms. He can and will shock people for the fun of it.

As for abilities, he's obviously highly conductive, can manipulate electrical energy but it's pretty exhausting so it's more of a life or death thing, he can glow in the dark if he wants to, and he's hyper aware of changes (due to ~energy~). His diet is batteries... Jk, but seriously he does not eat like a human would, he straight up eats things that will help with energy. Like I said earlier, he's licked an exposed outlet like it was an espresso shot. Downside is he can't see for shit in the dark so he's reliant on sensing energies, nightvision, or having one of his buddies that can see in the dark guide him. Can be killed if his brain stem is destroyed, but is also very weakened by the typical stuff (gunshots, stab wounds, severe bodily trauama, etc). but can be severely weakened by being trapped in insulated rooms/wrapped in insulators. If exposed to these things and not able to find a sustainable source of electrical energy, he will die. (rubber, steel, copper are some good insulators)

Gaz

I don't know why but I'm gonna make him a Siren. For some reason Siren!Gaz just melts my heart and I wanna hold him. I don't care if he can lure me to my death with his voice, I wanna hear him sing :'(

He's typically pretty human appearing, it's a natural instinct for Sirens, but when he's tired or distracted (like working out/doing paperwork), you can start to see some very fish-like qualities. Mostly very gorgeous iridescent scales around his ears, eyes, neck, shoulders, knees, top of his feet, and back of his hands.

Can breathe underwater, has the best vision in the dark, eats like a typical person but with more sea food cravings or cravings for fatty foods (like human), when in full Siren form he doesn't have a "mermaid's" tail, it's much more shark-like so he can accelerate really fast. Generally just more shark-like, except his scales are fish-like. His nose, like sharks, is super sensitive to certain changes, so booping his nose always throws him off if it's surprise, but he will also bump his nose into people/things without realizing it to get a better sense of it. Can be killed by things humans can, susceptible to parasites.

Price

Honestly, his has been the hardest but I'm gonna do changeling. I honestly don't know a lot about them, and quite frankly I've already got one homebrewed monster here, so why not another?

He's definitely the one everyone mistakes for being human cause he's so good at keeping up appearances. But there are always times where Price manipulates his appearance/body just enough that it's a little startling for those that believed him to be human to suddenly realize he's very much not.

He's got better eyesight in the dark than a human, but nowhere near close to what Gaz has. He's good at picking up on scents though, as his nose is a bit more attune to sniffing out humans than anything. He's not a bloodsucker, but changelings typically feed on weakened/ill/very old/very young humans, so he's able to tell when something is wrong with someone. Stifles the more violent urges of his species by eating a primarily meat heavy diet with a lot of raw veggies for the crunch. Most susceptible to things with iron or salt (obvi) but can still be fatally wounded by stab wounds/gunshots. Most other stuff won't kill him but it'll certainly hurt and he'll complain the entire time.

Alejandro and Rudy

These two are werewolves and Los Vaqueros is their pack :'). Most Vaqueros are also werewolves, but they do have a variety of other creatures commonly found in North America.

And finally, the whole point of this: we got our boy Ghost as a literal human being. Nothing more, just a dude. A dude with so much fucked up shit happening to him constantly it's just assumed he must be inhuman. NOPE! He's just a dude, a very very unlucky, and probably cursed, dude.

So yeah, that's what I have so far! Working title is "Cheers to the Unknown"

Taglist (if you want added let me know in the replies/reblogs): @tacticaltaxonomist @cthulhusstepmom

[rose-and-thorn-fanfics]

The Dark Knight (Batman Fanfic) Joker x OC: Part 16 TW: Death, Strangulation, etc.

Lottie got back in bed, pulling the covers over her head. She started to drift off to sleep again when she heard the door handle rattling. She shot up, crawling out of bed. ‘J would have the key… who could this be, Bruce? Huh. That was fast.’ Rubbing her eyes, she grabbed the gun on the nightstand. More rattling, and the door swung open. Lottie turned around and cocked the gun and pointed it towards the opening. “Maya?!” Lottie yelped, realizing who the intruder was. She lowered her gun.

“You’re here…. Because of him, right?” Maya growled, her hair disheveled and torn clothes clinging to her tall frame.

“Yeah. Uhhh. Are you…ok?” Lottie said, clutching her gun tightly and lifting it a bit.

“Should I be? I mean, it’s not like you care.” Maya’s voice shook with ragged emotion.

“I uh. I think maybe we should just talk things—“

Maya charged at Lottie, tackling her. A gunshot rang out as Lottie fired and missed, shattering the motel window.

"--urhg--MAYA-- what the hell?" Lottie screamed, as Maya clawed at her neck, trying to get a good chokehold. She clawed her way up, kicking Maya Gardener in the shin with all her might, but as she was barefoot, Lottie recoiled in pain while Maya howled in anger.

"YOU THINK ILL JUST WAIT AROUND --FOREVER? THIRD WHEEL?! SECOND OPTION?!!!" Maya hissed, taking the desk chair of the motel room by the back and swinging it so it knocked the wind out of Lottie Wayne.

Lottie felt the sharp pain in her ribs from the chair like fire in her chest. 'I cant stay down for too long...' she thought weakly. Lottie knew Maya was stronger than her physically, so the gun she had been holding that had clattered to the other side of the small room was her only hope of escaping this situation on her own.

Maya approached Lottie slowly, tossing the chair aside and crying tears of betrayal. "You said you loved me."

"I--- I.. don't really remember that, Maya." Lottie said carefully. "I love you as a friend if thats what you mean." She backed against the wall, inching on her knees closer to the window that shone light on the discarded gun. She could NOT let Maya get that gun. That would be the end of everything.

"You LIE. You said it... said it said it, SAID IT!" Maya screamed the words as if repeating it would make it fact. "You must be crazy to think the sex we had was purely a part of a platonic friendship."

Lottie just had a few more feet to go and she'd reach the---

BAM. Maya threw her body at Lottie with all her might, knocking her ex-friend's head against the wall so Lottie's view became temporarily pixelated. Lottie felt Maya take the course curtain fabric and wrap it around her neck. She felt herself losing air and struggling against the strangling force of the thick curtain noose Maya had made. This was the end. Lottie kicked, face flushing and eyes darting wildly. She heard the police cars and ambulance sirens wailing from outside. She saw a dark figure... was that Batman? He was grabbing Maya and pulling her away from Lottie. Lottie started going limp. Her vision was clouding.

Then, darkness. Everything around batman faded to black, and Lottie stopped breathing.

'Why is everyone looking at me? Who are these people?!' Lottie thought, deliriously. 'Is the afterlife a museum for people like me? Everyone is staring. It’s annoying. Where’s J? Is he going to join me someday? What’s that sound. Almost like… coughing. Struggling to breathe. A raspy inhale. Wait….. that’s me. this is my breathing. Shit shit shit! I’m in so much pain! My neck….'

She wheezed, the brightest lights she could've imagined piercing her sight. She heard voices. She tried talking, but nothing came out. Still, she could see Batman standing over her right side. Realizing she was alive, tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Please…. Don’t let anyone see me like this….” Lottie said to the medics on the ambulance. “I have a cousin and a boyfriend who I can’t let see me like this. And I love them so much. Please… just don’t let Bruce and J see me like this…"

"You're going to live, miss. Just stop talking and rest. Nina? Get the oxygen mask on her!"

——————————————————————————

Thanks for reading! Like and reblog to support me :) I promise there will be more Joker content in the next chapter. 🃏🃏🃏

TUMBLR FANFIC TAG-LIST!

@sflame15-blog

@rottent33th

@armyangxls

@darkangel4405

@promiseokza

@6lostgirl6

@vamp-doll-diva

@queen-dk

@richardamboramylove55

[mochiimiiki]

| Vanderwood Route |

Summary: The sirens echoed around you, drowning out the now muffled screams of pain, fear and anger. A part of you was unsure if any of the sounds were coming from you as you dragged yourself across the floor, inexplicably burning up. Everything around you was fiery hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Just how did you get yourself into this predicament? 

A/N: Okay! Hi guys, so sorry for not posting but here have the first chapter for this Vanderwood fic, that will have 11 Chapters (maybe a bonus too) in total! Enjoy my crappy fic :)

Spoilers for Another Story etc.

Warnings: innuendos, trigger warnings of blood, death, violence, gunshots scenes, Vandy swears

If any of these make you uncomfortable then feel free to skip said scenes or to ignore this! 

{Day One}

Your eyes narrowed at the phone. It wasn’t overly old, definitely an iphone of sorts but certainly was one of the older bands. You double checked the address that flared up at you. Practically demanding you to open the door. A gut wrenching feeling of uncertainty settled in your stomach as you stared at the apartment before you. So far the only off putting thing about the scenario was the slightly creepy vibes that you got off of the ‘unknown’ guy. Having one last final debate with yourself you typed in the password and stepped inside.

The apartment was as clean as a crisp, it had the appearance of one of those set-up walk in homes that were trying to make a sell on the real estate market. For a moment you feared this might be a set up to some show. “Hello?” You called meekly, sheepishly peaking your head inside. “Uh, I have your phone?” No answer.

Suddenly, the phone in question buzzed incessantly.

You had just entered a new chat, with people (or so you presumed it was people) who were unaware of your presence. That was until the one labelled 707 started spamming the chat with a string of ‘AAAAH’s. 

707: HOWD ZOU GRT HERE!!!!!!!

yoosung ☆: typos lolol

yoosung ☆: seven wht u on- OMG STRANGER DANGER?!

Jumin Han: ?

Jaehee: ? seconded

ZEN: Seven did you let... someone in?

707: NO IDNT

ZEN: typos... again.

You watched the chaos unfold in the chat, utterly bewildered. Just who were these... people? Why did it matter you entered their chatroom, it was just a chatroom? Besides it was clear that this phone had the app on it before, so you were just using their phone surely it wasn’t such a surprise... It was the same name after all, right?

MC: Uh... hi?

yoosung ☆: EEP! It talks!!!!!!!

Jumin Han: How did you gain access to our messenger? Luciel?

707: HOLD ON CHECKING CAMERS!!!!

Cameras? You gasped and spun around to the door, searching for the cameras, surely they weren’t spying on you? That’s when your face dropped. There placed perfectly above the door was a small black camera, hidden in the corner of the hallway, unnoticeable if not pointed out. You gave the camera a sheepish wave and held up the phone before typing in the chat.

MC: Sorry to barge in! I was given the address and code to return this phone I found um... who owns this phone?

707: No way... guys she accessed Rika’s apartment. She’s standing there right now in the hallway. 

yoosung ☆: SHEWHAYT!?

*V has entered the chatroom*

Jumin Han: V? Do you know this girl?

Your mind, to say the least, was fried. You hadn’t intended on causing such a ruckus today. In fact, all you wanted to do today was search for a new apartment while you tried to escape the clutches of your crazed, lunatic of a roommate. However, looking at the situation here made you double back on your decisions and debate on retreating to the psycho you deemed your roommate.

MC: UM... look i really mean no bother I really was trying to return this, the guy on the phone told me to come here... does Rika own the phone can I give it to her?

V: MC... is it? Listen there is a cafe down the street from you, would you mind meeting me there? I’ll be there in about ten minutes.

V: Luciel.

707: ...ye?

V: Call me.

*V has left the chatroom*

You stood there dazed. What... just happened? You didn’t even get a chance to interject. The members each seemed just as dazed as you were, still debating with themselves whilst you had an internal argument on the plan to go see this mysterious guy you just met on the internet or bail this crazy scheme entirely. 

Feeling no less unnerved than you had when you arrived you decided your best bet would be to put up with this crazy half thought out plan. Nothing terrible could truly happen. You were meeting him in a public place after all. After bidding these new members a strange farewell you grabbed your bag that lay halfheartedly against the too painfully white walls and headed out in pursuit of this cafe the mysterious V had mentioned. 

You checked the address that V had forwarded to you, making sure once again that this was the place you had arranged. You sat down apprehensively, jumping in the swivel stool as each person entered. You had no idea what he looked like, and until now just realised you had been in fact guessing he was a he, the little icon from your previous chat provided little leeway for your guesses. Your thoughts disturbed when a quiet voice snapped your spiralling queries.

“Hello, I hope you’re MC?” 

Your eyes lifted from your phone taking in the person before you. Your guesses were right; he was a man, and certainly not just any man… he had the face of a model! You could’ve sworn an inaudible ‘wow’ escaped your lips as you took in his dishevelled turquoise locks that curled perfectly into his face and framed his defined cheekbones. And the way in which his eyes slanted ever so slightly, provided him a look belonging to the wise. Oh and his eyes, he had such gentle, kind eyes. Immediately you felt a tension lift from your shoulders (one you hadn’t realise had settled there), as he took away your worries with a soft hum and warm eyes. 

“May I take a seat?”

“Please.”

V ran through a bunch of things, things that left you sitting there utterly bewildered once more. The day just gradually became more and more confusing.

“I would like something to ask of you, MC?”

“Hm?” You hummed politely glancing up to meet his soft gaze from your steaming coffee. “I hope...” He began, voice akin to his kind eyes. “That you would join the R.F.A.”

At that you choked on your sip, dismissing V’s worried hands as he tried to comfort your coughing fit. You? Join them? You didn’t even know these people! It comforted you even less when he insisted you stay in the apartment. Especially after learning that it belonged to his ex-fiancee. You didn’t know how to process this information, much less relay your reluctance about the whole idea to the head of the organisation, no less. However long you took to answer V sat back with a gentle smile, patience evident through his body language. He really did appear like an angel to you. 

“Um... while I appreciate your offer... sir, I really did just want to return the phone.”

“I completely understand.” He returned, same level of confidence and patience unwavering in his words. “I just feel that because of such... unusual circumstances in which you came to find our little app it may prove to be an issue for you.”

“Issue?” You echoed, confusion written in bold letters across your furrowed brows.

“Only a hunch.” He smiled back, once again his warmth evaporating any worries that may have previously infested your mind. Your fingers itched and your knee bounced anxiously beneath the table. “Alright...” You began slowly, swallowing your coffee as you allowed his words to truly sink in. “May I at least think on it, like have a nights sleep and... uhm tell you tomorrow? Or something?” 

“I wouldn’t ask anything more of you.” He nodded contemplating your request. For a moment you feared that he wouldn’t let you go and would kidnap you to be apart of this charity organisation, as though it were a kind of cult. But you were quickly reminded that this was not in fact a movie or soap opera, or drama thing of any kind and in reality things such as cults and kidnappings didn’t happen to ordinary people such as yourself. 

V pushed the little rickety french chair away from the table, the cafe he had chosen seemed to fit him so well. It was petite and had a frenchesque style, something that seemed very befitting to a man so beautiful. “Reach out to me tomorrow, I’ll tell Luciel to grant you access. And for now I welcome you temporarily to the R.F.A, until you’ve made your decision.”

And with that the two of you departed, shaking hands like old friends do.

You slumped back in the chair allowing your brain to catch up with the speed of events. In just three hours you found yourself with a new phone, an apartment to rest in and a job of sorts.

You debated whether or not pinching yourself would bring you any kind of consolation or just a little bruise. Sipping the rest of your coffee you decided to make your way back to the pristine apartment, which to V’s request you would sleep in until you came to your decision. Maybe it was naive of you to trust his kind smile and warm-hearted words. But suddenly you felt a perk to your walk and thought that maybe life could get more sunny afterall.

- - - Vanderwood - - -

Kicking the gravel from under his foot Vanderwood stalked up the driveway with a scowl etched onto his handsome features. He was furious. How was it his job to be involved with the stupid red headed brat? It wasn’t like he was the lazy one mucking about. But alas, ever since they’d assigned him to the weird red head kid Vanderwood’s life had been utter chaos. More so than the usual.

Vanderwood banged on the door. “Yo Seven, open this damn thing.” Briefly the air went still and time froze. Raising a fist to continue pounding the gate finally clicked and slowly opened. Vanderwood scoffed. “Trust him to only let me in when he thinks I’m gonna wreck his precious creation.”

Seven spun around to face Vanderwood with a wicked grin. “Oh Mary have you come to look little ol’ me?” He blinked, feigning innocence. Vanderwood folded his arms - thoroughly unimpressed.

“No, I’ve come to tase some sense into that thick skull of yours.” Seven mumbles something unintelligible as her turned back to his screens. Vanderwood momentarily cringed. He truly thought that staring at those screens all day might one day give Seven square eyes. “Jesus, would you look at the state of this place?”

“Mary!” Seven gasped. “That is utter blasphemy.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“To think you’d use such language.” Seven tutted, shaking his red locks to and fro as his fingers stilled. Vanderwood scowled, glaring daggers into the backs of his head. “It’s shameful, Mary.”

“Not my name.” Vanderwood’s eyes lazily drawled over his screens, observing with little interest just what Seven was up to. With an audible sigh Vanderwood realised just why the red had been slacking off. “Are you shitting me? The charity shit? Seven - fuck - I told you before, I’m only letting it slide if you actually do your work.”

Seven remained quiet, his body tensed. Vanderwood knew immediately that Seven was guilty. It didn’t take a genius to read body language. Vanderwood toed a packet of filthy crisps away, he felt a headache coming on. Slipping out his cigarette packet he was determined to let off some steam, figuratively and literally.

“Oh no you don’t.” Seven cut in, spinning in his chair to face Vanderwood with a rare scowl. “If you’re going to do that, smoke it outside.”

“It’s cold.” He retorted.

“Don’t care. My house, my rules.” He waved Vanderwood off, making the latter grumble out in protest. Before the two could begin arguing Seven’s computer bleeped.

“Is that the work for your man? Is it done?” Vanderwood stuffed the cigs back into his pocket, determined to sneak one later.

Seven shook his head. “No, I’m running a background test on someone.” He rubbed his neck sheepishly, mouse clicking across the screen.

“MC…” Vanderwood read her full name aloud, eyes scanning over the rest of her features. Age details, family, job, hobbies. At first glance she appeared to be any other girl, simple and ordinary. He frowned. What did she have to do with anything? Unless she worked for a rivalry agency?

“She’s just regular.” Seven tutted, as though reading Vanderwood’s thoughts. “As suspected… but how’d she even manage to get in then?”

“In?”

“The chatroom.”

“Damn it! You’re doing personal shit? Seven-”. The screen flashed and was replaced with a black reflection. The two exchanged glances before suddenly green code sprung up with a message - I’ll Hack It All. Vanderwood stared blankly, before scoffing. “Did you go and get yourself an arch nemesis? Congrats you can be that Dames Bond you rave about.”

“Vanderwood.” Seven cut in, incredibly serious for a change of pace. Vanderwood raised a brow, debating how likely it would be the younger agent might actually kill him if he smoked in his place.

“I need a favour.”

[marinawolf]

Can we hop on the angst train again? Another quarterly assassin attempt, but Lex has Lena in checkmate and succeeds. Supergirl was diverted far away and doesn’t get to Lena in time. (Lena has some sort of Ironman moment? Idk, injuries obviously but please don’t kill Lena off. No pressure at all, but depending if/how you wrote this, you could really break our hearts with 2 parts/split the one shot - write both of their POVs)

Okay, it's not in two parts but it's a long one. I hope you like it:

(Kara didn't get there in time, and Lena gets hurt. Lex Luthor up to his shenanigans once again. Lena gets hurt and Kara loses it. She goes after Lex. Confessions of love etc. Very angsty, very sweet. Protective Kara.)

Please Don't Let Go (Supercorp)

by marinawolf

Kara's heart pounded in her chest as she soared through the sky, her red cape billowing behind her. The city was engulfed in chaos, the air thick with smoke and the sounds of sirens blaring. A building had exploded, and trapped inside were a group of innocent school children who had been visiting on a field trip. It was Supergirl's duty to save them, to be their hero.

But as she reached the scene, her eyes widened in horror. Lex Luthor had left a chilling message for her, in flaming letters burned into the ground, taunting her with a cruel ultimatum.

"Innocents or your love? You choose, Supergirl."

The weight of his words bore down on her, and a surge of panic coursed through her veins. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Lena, not now, not ever. Lex was somehow aware of her feelings for Lena, even if Kara tried to hide it from herself, and was using the lives of innocent children as leverage. Kara's panic escalated, but she couldn't abandon the children in need. Using her freeze breath, Supergirl extinguished the raging flames, creating a path to reach the trapped children.

J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, materialized beside her. The building creaked, but she turned to J'onn and desperately uttered one word, her voice laced with fear and urgency, "Lena."

Understanding the gravity of the situation, J'onn assured her, "I've got this, Supergirl. Go find her."

Without wasting another moment, Kara soared through the sky, her mind filled with panic. She headed straight for Lena's office, hoping against hope that she would find her there. But as she burst through the doors, Lena was nowhere to be seen. Kara's panic intensified, her control slipping away.

Just when she thought all hope was lost, she heard Lena's piercing scream. Kara's heart nearly stopped, but she didn't hesitate. She followed the sound, smashing through the window of a high-rise building. Her arrival was met with a barrage of guards, but she fought with an unrelenting fury, unable to hold back her strength.

Kara knew she had to reach Lena, for she sensed the danger that surrounded her. Her fists flew with the force of a thousand suns, but her mind was focused on one thing—saving Lena. As she finally reached the room where Lena was held captive, her eyes widened in horror.

There stood Lex, one hand pointing a gun at Lena while gripping a lethal Kryptonite blaster in the other. Before Kara could reach them, a searing pain shot through her body as Lex blasted her with the deadly substance. She heard Lena scream her name in anguish as she fell to the ground, her powers dwindling and her strength slipping away.

Kara reached out, her fingers straining to touch Lena, to protect her. But before she could make contact, the sound of the gunshot echoed through the room. Pain seared through Kara's chest as Lex's bullet found its mark in Lena's abdomen. Time seemed to slow as everything blurred into a nightmarish haze. Lex's chilling laughter filled the air, "Sorry, sis. It had to happen at some point," he taunted, before making his escape.

With the last of her energy, Kara cradled Lena in her arms, desperately trying to stop the bleeding with her hands. tears streaming down her face. She whispered desperate pleas for her to stay, to fight, and to know that she was loved. Her voice choked with grief. "I love you, Lena," she whispered over and over, finally confessing, the words a desperate plea. "Please, please don't leave me. Please don't let go."

Summoning her strength, Kara lifted Lena's fragile body and took to the skies, racing against time to reach the DEO. She burst through the doors, her voice filled with desperation, "Help her! Please, save her!"

The medical team sprang into action, rushing Lena into surgery. As soon as Lena was lifted from Kara's arms, Kara collapsed, her body weakened from the Kryptonite exposure. The world went blank, and the only image in her mind was Lena, covered in blood all because Kara couldn't save her.

-

As Kara drifted into consciousness, she immediately sat up, ignoring her weakened state and the screech of the machines attached to her. "Lena?" she asked, desperately.

Alex approached her with a mixture of relief and concern. "Relax, Kara. You're still weak, but Lena is fine. We managed to stop the bleeding and remove the bullet. She's stable."

Overwhelmed with relief, Kara's body sagged and she let go of the tears she had been holding back. She felt a tremendous weight lifted from her shoulders, knowing that Lena was alive and would have a chance at recovery. But guilt gnawed at her, and she sobbed, confessing to Alex, "I couldn't protect her."

Alex's voice was filled with empathy as she reassured her sister, "You did everything you could, Kara. You are an amazing friend. You saved her life, and we'll make sure she pulls through. It's going to be okay."

In that moment, Kara clung to Alex's words, finding solace in the hope that Lena would recover.

Days turned into nights as Lena lay motionless in her hospital bed, battling the darkness that enveloped her unconscious form. Kara spent every waking moment by her side, her heart heavy with worry and longing. She yearned to see those beautiful blue-green eyes open once more, to witness the spark of life returning to Lena's gaze.

Then, on a quiet evening, as the soft glow of the moon spilled into the room, Lena stirred. Her lashes fluttered and Kara's breath caught in her throat, anticipation mingling with trepidation as she watched Lena's eyes slowly open.

Her eyes were luminous and shining, the color shining through the haze of pain. Kara's heart soared at the sight, a mix of relief and guilt flooding her entire being. She had almost lost Lena, and the fear of a future without her had been unbearable.

Before Kara could utter a word, Lena's voice, weak but filled with hope, filled the room. "You love me?" she whispered, her gaze searching Kara's face for confirmation.

Tears welled up in Kara's eyes as she nodded, unable to form words. It was a declaration that had been long overdue, a confession she had kept hidden for far too long.

Lena's trembling lips curled into a smile, a mix of joy and relief washing over her features. Tears streamed down her face as she held onto Kara's hands, her grip weak.

But even as the emotions washed over them, Lena's strength waned. The toll of her injuries and the lingering weakness overtook her fragile body. With a soft sob, she clung to Kara's hands, her grip slipping as she faded back into unconsciousness.

Kara's heart ached as she watched Lena slip away once more, her love and concern mingling with hope for a swift recovery. She leaned closer, pressing a gentle kiss to Lena's forehead.

--

Kara sat there, unmoving for hours, waiting for Lena to wake up again, but Alex had warned her that Lena needed to rest. She had lost too much blood and her injuries were severe. She would need to rest.

"Kara," Alex whispered, trying not to startle Kara.

She turned around to see her sister looking concerned, a tablet in her hands.

"We have a situation," Alex said, gesturing at the tablet, "It's Lex again. I'll meet you in the front."

With a determined nod, Kara rose from Lena's side, preparing to follow Alex out of the room.

"Kara, no. Please." A soft whisper came from the bed behind her. Kara turned to see Lena, her eyes desperate. Her heart broke to see Lena look so shattered, so weakened. Lena had always been a force, and to see what Lex had done to her only fuelled Kara's rage.

Her heart had leapt at the sound of Lena's voice and she wanted to stay but she had to end this.

"I have to end this, Lena. He won't stop trying to hurt you. I can't let him do that again."

Lena closed her eyes, tears slipping out.

"He has Kryptonite, Kara."

"I know, but I'll be careful. I have to do this."

Lena nodded and Kara turned to leave, her focus now on destroying Lex, once and for all.

"I love you, too, Kara," Lena whispered as Kara reached the door.

With those words echoing in her ears, Kara soared into the sky, her heart brimming with a newfound sense of purpose. She would confront Lex head-on, for Lena's sake and for the love they shared. Nothing would stand in her way.

As Supergirl, Kara pursued Lex across the city, her powers at the forefront of the battle. Finally, she cornered Lex on the roof of the L Corp building, her eyes burning with a mix of anger and defiance. "This ends now, Lex. You will never hurt Lena again."

Lex sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "Oh, Supergirl, you're always so predictable."

Before Kara could respond, Lex activated a concealed device, releasing a wave of Kryptonite gas. She gasped as the debilitating effects washed over her, her strength waning. But even in her weakened state, she refused to surrender.

Summoning the last vestiges of her powers, Kara managed stumble into him, causing the device to fall and clatter across the floor.

As Kara stood face to face with Lex, her body trembled with a mix of fury and anguish. The sight of him, the man responsible for causing harm to the woman she loved, ignited a fire within her that threatened to consume everything in its path.

Without a moment's hesitation, Kara unleashed her pent-up rage, her fists flying with a ferocity that shook the very ground beneath them. Each punch she landed on Lex's face carried the weight of her love for Lena and the pain he had inflicted upon her.

Her vision blurred with an overwhelming surge of emotions, the red haze of anger clouding her judgment. The sounds of her knuckles connecting with Lex's flesh reverberated in the air, echoing her wrath.

But amidst the chaos, a weak gasp escaped Lex's bloodied lips. "She won't forgive you if you kill me," he managed to choke out, his voice laced with malicious satisfaction.

Those words pierced through Kara's rage, grounding her momentarily. She froze, her fists still raised, realizing the truth in Lex's twisted statement. Killing him wouldn't bring justice or healing—it would only deepen the wounds Lena had suffered.

In that moment, Kara's love for Lena overpowered her rage. She took a step back, her breathing ragged as she fought to regain control. The full weight of the consequences loomed over her, and she knew she had to be the beacon of strength Lena needed.

Summoning every ounce of her willpower, Kara restrained herself, her fists slowly unclenching. She couldn't let her emotions cloud her judgment, not when Lena's life and love were at stake.

With a newfound determination, Kara approached the battered and broken Lex. Her eyes blazed with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine. Swiftly, she bound him with unyielding strength, rendering him immobile.

Without a word, Kara grabbed Lex and took flight, soaring through the night sky. The weight of her actions and the consequences of her anger lingered in her mind, but she knew she had made the right choice—for Lena, for their love.

Arriving at the DEO, Kara handed Lex over to the agents, her grip on him unyielding. Her voice resonated with a quiet danger, causing the agents to tremble slightly. "Make sure he never escapes again."

As the agents secured Lex in a containment cell, Kara turned away, her gaze fixed on the path ahead. The rage that had consumed her now transformed into something else.

With Lex defeated and in custody, Kara returned to Lena's side, her breath labored and her body still trembling from the Kryptonite's effects. Lena's eyes widened in concern as she took in Kara's weakened state.

"You're hurt," Lena whispered, her voice laced with worry.

Kara managed a weak smile, her love for Lena radiating from her gaze. "It's over, Lena. I got him."

Finally feeling the extent of her exposure to the Kryptonite, Kara let herself collapse. Lena was safe. Lex was in custody. She could rest.

[chayscribbles]

space heist intro but it's a comic sans powerpoint i put together in like 15 minutes five months ago

get the pretty, more coherent intro here

text transcript below

slide 1:

THE GEMINI HEIST

a wip by chay luna

working titles include “space heist” and “be gay do crime… in space”

slide 2:

A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR FAR A— *micky mouse sniper gunshots*

we find ourselves in the Wild West of space, where outlaws and criminals can do whatever the hell they want while those supposedly in charge look the other way to protect their own interests

Captain Leonore “Leo” Callisto of the Siren leads a small crew doing various gigs and odd jobs for people all around the sector. yknow, smuggling shit, stealing shit, selling stolen or rare shit, etc

but after the team’s spy, Zeya (who Leo was showing favoritism to for No Particular Reason) takes off with a shitton of money after a spat with Leo, the rest of the crew, no longer trusting Leo’s judgement, decides to ditch her as well, save 2 loyal but very inexperienced members: engineer Gabriola “Gabi” Franco and the crew’s muscle Euna Li

slide 3:

okay so that’s the context, now let’s get to the plot

while searching for work on Space Kijiji, Leo comes upon an offer from a rich, eccentric art collector calling themself the Curator, offering a large money reward to steal a statuette from the House of Dyonas, a powerful and wealthy family on the planet Vihelda that passes along wispy purple telekinesis powers from generation to generation

the statuette is one of the two Gemini Statuettes, which are believed to depict a pair of twins in the Dyonas family from a few generations ago, but the House Head, Andlyn Dyonas, refuses to sell, so the most logical thing to do is to pay someone to steal it, as one does

strapped for cash, Leo accepts, even tho the House of Dyonas is notoriously hard to get into (she has a few tricks up her sleeve ofc, including getting one of the Dyonas House Heirs, the runaway Illiana, to help her)

BUT as she and her tiny ragtag crew embark on this quest, they quickly learn that they’re not the only ones with their eyes on this prize, and ~someone~ on a quest to sabotage them always seems to be a step ahead 👀

slide 4:

okay CHARACTER TIMEEE

[ID: a tall, dark-skinned woman with brown eyes. she has a long, dark braid with ends gradually lightened to blonde. she wears a long, deep red coat with gold accents, a white shirt, tight black pants, black fingerless gloves, and high black boots. there is a weapon with a golden hilt strapped to her leg. her expression is serious. she holds up a black blaster pistol with glowing red accents. end ID.]

CAPTAIN LEONORE “LEO” CALLISTO, the Mastermind

28 years old, she/her, from Tharrekan

is actually a Capricorn, not a Leo

picked up business and finance skills from her relatively successful business people parents

but then one day disaster struck, and Leo had to turn to a life of thieving and smuggling to get by, eventually saving up to get her own ship and crew

she’s really good at making connections and manipulating negotiating with people with her jacked up charisma stat. not so great at forming genuine relationships tho

claims to be an “honest criminal” but yeah that’s a lie, along with pretty much everything else that comes out of her mouth

gaslight gatekeep girlboss <3

is completely normal about Zeya Kade

yeah i really made a wip called “Gemini Heist” and then named my main character LEO kjdfkjs

slide 5:

[ID: a short, chubby light-skinned young woman. she has short brown curls, hazel eyes, and a nervous expression. she wears a white shirt, a green bomber jacket with orange accents, brown arm guards on her forearms, black fingerless gloves, baggy dark blue pants, silver knee pads, brown boots, and a brown tool pouch around her waist. silver tools are tucked into the front pockets of her jacket. a pair of orange-tinted goggles rests on her head. end ID.]

GABRIOLA “GABI” FRANCO, the Engineer

21 years old (the baby of the crew), she/her, from Plana D’Ezza

was studying mechanomedicine (which is, as the name suggests, a mix of mechanics and medicine, specifically to work w cyborgs) in university

secretly did unauthorized repairs on cyborg parts for people who couldn’t afford it, but got caught and got in Big Trouble

anyways now she has a criminal record hanging over her head and massive student debt lmao

idealistic, arguably naive, trying to toughen up (but isn’t very good at it)

has a MASSIVE gay crush on Euna. she thinks she’s being subtle about it but like EVERYONE has noticed. (except for Euna herself, of course.)

slide 6:

[ID: a tall, light-skinned, muscular, east asian-coded woman. she grins as she runs towards the viewer. her peach-coloured hair with dark roots is straight and is half loose just below her shoulders, with two buns at the top of her head. she wears a white tank top with pink straps, an orange jumpsuit tied at the waist, and black boots. a simple silver blaster is tucked into a black holster at her hip. her right arm is a cybernetic prosthesis, attached right above the elbow, and is white with pink accents. end ID.]

EUNA LI, the Brawns

24 years old, she/her, from Siung-Katsa

used to be a moderately successful competitive athlete but preferred performing to competing and impulsively joined a space circus only to find herself trapped in a shitty contract with bad working conditions

and then the Accident™ happened in which she lost her arm, and she was swindled into buying a super expensive cybernetic prosthesis bc she thought it would enhance her performance with the circus

but since it took “too long” for her to recover, the circus managers replaced her without even telling her :( so she pretty much joined the Sirens to pay off her medical bills rip

big arms to give big hugs

doesn’t have the highest intelligence stat tho but she’s trying her best!!!!!

completely oblivious to the fact that Gabi is in love with her lmao (she’s convinced Gabi is only interested in her fancy prosthesis)

slide 7:

[ID: a light-skinned woman with purple curly hair. her eyes glow purple, and she is floating with her arms outstretched, holding two glowing purple wisps in her hands. her expression is serious. she wears a long, white coat, a black sparkly top with purple edging, a purple crystal pendant, black leggings, silver wristbands, and tall white boots. end ID.]

ILLIANA VIVIENNE, SECOND HEIR TO THE HOUSE OF DYONAS, the Informant

23 years old, she/her

daughter of Lord Andlyn of the House of Dyonas, House Head

has an identical twin sister, Kalenora Ismerie, First Heir to the House of Dyonas (yes all their names are like this), who is a few minutes older

Illiana has always been better than Kalen at mastering their inherited powers, which has caused ~tension~ between the sisters over who gets to be the next House Head when their father dies

so Kalen did *stuff* to secure her position and forced Illiana to go on the run and hide out in what is essentially Space Las Vegas under an alias

she gets roped into the heist to help them get into the House of Dyonas, although she is very reluctant to go back there (but is very tired of washing dishes in some dingy Space Vegas bar)

she will get her loyalties tested in more ways than one <3

slide 8:

[ID: a short woman with medium-brown skin. she has straight black hair that reaches just above her shoulders, the left side shaved in an undercut. she is smirking and has a piercing over her left eyebrow, two piercings on her right ear helix, and a navel piercing. she is wearing a black crop top, a blue bomber jacket with purple and pink accents, black leggings, black boots, black fingerless gloves, and two black belts with silver buckles. she is holding two glowing plasma wands (like lightsaber daggers), one pink and one blue. end ID.]

ZEYA KADE, the Rogue

27 years old, she/her

5’1” (this is important i swear)

known as Shadowblade for being sneaky and elusive (and stabby)

so sneaky and elusive, in fact, that even i don’t know much about her

???????????????????????

that’s a lie i know a lot about her i’m just being sneaky and elusive <3

slide 9:

IN CONCLUSION:

[ID: two memes. the first is a picture of Leo with the phrase "I am so normal about Zeya Kade", with the words "I am obsessed with" hidden by the first part of the sentence. the second is a picutre of Zeya with the same text, but the name has been changed to "Leo Callisto".]

that's it that's the wip

[kpodcast]

When the three of us did our Stray Kids bracket "God's Menu" was the winner. Combine that with "God's Menu" being one of the most prolific Stray Kids song, it only makes sense for this to be the first song for our weekly Song Breakdown.

On the surface, "God's Menu" is loud. There are sirens, gunshots, percussion, shouting. But in digging deeper, the song is traditionally constructed with tight harmonies and the instrumentation helps to reinforce the message of the lyrics.

So let's break it down.

First, the basics.

Your average pop song follows a pretty standard format. Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus. "God's Menu" is no exception to this build, but it's a little trickier to catch. These verses don't line up in terms of vocal lines, but in terms of the underlying instrumentals.

Obviously, we start with Changbin's intro which leads directly into Han's rap. That's Verse 1. It's important to note that Han's rap has 2 different backings: the sirens and quick percussion until 0:24, then the bass hits afterwards. (0:00 - 0:29)

Rolling into 0:30 we have the Pre Chorus with Bang Chan and Seungmin which slowly builds into the chorus. (0:30 - 0:53)

The chorus is split into two parts; the iconic "DU DU DU DU DU DU" (0:54) with an incredible dance break followed by the melodic chorus (1:08) "I just wanna taste it make it hot".

That "DU DU DU DU" also makes way for Verse 2.

"Cooking like a chef" is that second verse. It introduces the verse the same way Changbin did back at the beginning. This verse is easier to break into the instrumentals. It starts with Felix (which has the same backing as the Bintro, but muted and without the percussion), then the sirens and quick percussion for Chan's rap ("Idea Bank") and finally switches to the bass hits for Hyunjin. (1:20 -- 1:43)

By 1:44 we're back at the Pre Chorus and the build up, which is expected to lead into the chorus once again, but instead, 2:09, we're faked into a lower-energy bridge before culminating for one final chorus and the outro, which is the exact same as Changbin's intro! (2:33).

Second, traditional vs non-traditional elements in music.

For our breakdown, traditional musical elements include: melody, harmony, bassline, percussion, strings, horns, etc. and how they work together to create music. Non traditional elements are just noises (ex. gunshots).

For being "noise music", the only noise in this song are the gunshots and the sirens. The rest of the sound comes from traditional instruments - bass, percussion, synths and strings. It's loud, to be sure, but not simply noise. Go ahead and listen to the instrumental of "God's Menu" as well, which will help make sense of this section of the post!

Let's start with the verses. The music starts with low brass and percussion, which is heard through the rest of the song. Then it all cuts out and we're left with sirens and quick snare lines backing the lyrics (Han and Bang Chan's raps, respectively) before the brass and heavier instrumentals come back, leading us into the pre-chorus.

The continuous siren during the middle part of the verse is pushing us forward. The sound itself is like an alarm - designed to give a feeling of urgency. It's coupled with a really tight drum line, the snare punctuating off beats with a consistent hi-hat line behind it. It's short, like 14 seconds total in the entire song, but without the bass or brass layered underneath, the sirens really stand out. The two parts are very different, but pair really well.

The pre-chorus is melodic and harmonious and, after such a heavy verse, it's light and feels acoustic. The only music in the backing is this synth-y piano which slowly builds, adding the a snare drum that slowly starts speeding up, from quarter notes to eighth notes and ending on sixteenths before cutting out. This builds momentum and prepares us for the drop into the chorus.

The chorus has the gunshots under the second trio of "DU DU DU" as an emphasis. It doesn't occur out of rhythm, it's there to hammer in that specific lyric. (like, DU DU DU DU DU DU). The only other gunshots hit after the drop, with Hyunjin's "Ne Sonim" to usher in the final chorus and Changbin's outro. It's a very deliberate choice when those gunshots are placed.

When we come to the fake out drop, after the 2nd pre-chorus, it's the same backing as the last time Felix sang. The quiet, understated bass and horns allow for Felix's voice to shine through. The percussion layers in, quietly building to the final chorus to take us home.

Third, lyrics/meanings

Anyone can recognize that this song is about Stray Kids unapologetically being themselves in their music. This was their answer to being labeled as 'noise music'.

So let's talk about some lyrics that popped out to us especially.

"We just keep on making new things Because we're one of a kind" "No one can copy us, our own game" "Idea bank, empty your head" "What's our secret ingredient, we don't use such a thing"

All of these convey the same message. "We did it on our own. Our heads are a bank of ideas and no one can copy it. We're unique. We're iconic. We'll keep on creating in our own way."

This can almost come across conceited, but instead it comes off confident. This isn't "we're better than you" but "we know what we're worth".

Just to emphasize that confidence, the song is literally called "God's Menu" as if the menu of Stray Kids music is worthy of godhood. And even magpies, the National Bird of Korea, will come to enjoy SKZ music.

[flyers-deactivated]

somehow missing playoffs makes me so scared that during the off season- [gunshots, sirens, etc]

[thelocaldetective]

Mitsu “Makka” Yagami

VO (English): Constance Wu

Meanings:

<> Mitsu’s first name means “light” in Japanese but she was also named after her late (✝️) second adoptive grandfather Mitsugu

<> Mitsu’s middle name is Ryuko (which is close enough to “Ryuzo” her first adoptive grandfather, translates to “dragon child” in Japanese

<> Makka is a combination of “Sakura” and “Mini Tak”, which is what her “uncle” Kaito calls her affectionately (familial), due to have dominating majority of her father’s personality

Theme song:

Favourite Quote(s):

“It only takes is a spark.”

— Young Mitsu repeating Yagami’s words in awe

Basics:

Species: Human being

Helluva Boss: Sinner (kitsune)

Sex: Female

Nationality (determinant):

• Japanese 🇯🇵

<> Kyoko (full)

<> Nanami (full)

• English 🇬🇧

<> Emily (half)

<> Yoko (AU) (fluent)

<> Yagami (fluent, implied)

• American 🇺🇸

Ages:

7 years old (fanfiction)

15 years old (standard)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Residency:

Tokyo, Kamurocho

HB/HH:

Happy Hotel (resident)

Occupation:

• High school student

<> Foreign exchange student (Emily)

<> Seiryo High (Kyoko)

<> Uni + scholarship (Nanami)

• Hostess (part time)

Dislikes:

• Being chastised

• Japan’s culture

• Dad jokes

• Her father’s interrogative nature

• Losing (Kyuki)

• Wearing uniforms (especially for school)

• Criticism

• Being told what to do

• Sexual remarks about her father

• Feeling like a suspect

• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day

• The nickname “Makka” due to be associated with her father’s personality and mannerisms etc

• The sound of gunshots (despite being a criminal 😂)

• Amasawa (herself)

• Not being able to travel

• The idea of having siblings

Likes:

• Skateboarding

• Listening to music whilst fighting

• Gambling

• Starting and finishing fights

• Food

• Tattoo & piercings

• Karaoke 😏

• Criminal activity

• Pranking people

<> Specifically speaking in full Japanese 🤣

• Drone racing

• Escape rooms

• Showing off her fighting abilities

• Travelling overseas

• Foreigners

• Sitting under the cherry blossom tree

<> Either meditating or playing a pan flute

• Using her father’s former occupation (lawyer) as an excuse to get her out of trouble

• Defying her father

• Dancing with the Rabbits 🐰

• Model work (Kyoko)

<> Specifically with drone parts 🤭

• Mystery (as a child)

Status: Special interest

• Being an only child 🤣

Romantic interests:

• Axel/Akuseru (Helluva Boss)

<> T.J. Buckzo

<> Wally Wackford

• Peter (Your Boyfriend)

• ??? (OC)

Family:

(bio) Mother: ???

• Kyoko (determinant)

• Emily (determinant)

• Nanami (determinant)

(bio) Father: Takayuki Yagami

(surrogate, paternal 1#) Grandfather: Ryuzo Genda

(surrogate) Uncle: Issei Hoshino

(surrogate) Aunt: Saori Shirosaki

(surrogate, paternal 2#) Grandfather: Mitsugu Matsugane (✝️)

(surrogate) Uncle: Toru Higashi

(surrogate) Uncle: Masaharu Kaito Matsugane

(surrogate) Aunt: Mikiko Sadamoto

(surrogate) Cousin: Jun Sadamoto

(oath / surrogate) Uncle: Tesso

AU/RP:

Fiancé(e): Axel/Anderson (OC, Helluva Boss)

(surrogate) Sister: Kyoko Ansawa (🤭)

(adoptive) Mother: Ellie

(half) Sister: Kozakura

Family name:

• Yagami (standard)

• Matsuoka (determinant)

• Matsugane

• Fuji

• Hakase (determinant)

• Mochizuki (determinant)

Aliases:

• Inari Ōkami 🦊

• The Dragon (vilgilante name)

• The Sinful Siren (stage name)

• Tigress (by a child)

<> Because Mitsu is both stoic and can do kung fu

• Queen Himiko

• Eve

• Angel of Death

• Blackjack

<> Her nickname comes from her expertise in playing blackjack

• MIT-Sue (by tormentors)

• Mini Tak (by Kaito)

Short version: Makka

<> Due to how much Mitsu acts like her father 🤣

• Moriarty 😈

• Matriarch Matsugane

• The Mole (referred to herself)

Flaws:

• Abandonment issues

• Tormentor (formerly 😈)

<> Which soon stopped when Kuwana let her off with a warning if she continued bullying people

• Alcoholic

• Oppositional defiance

<> Literally will do the opposite of what her father says

• Autistic (via her father 😂)

• Bloodlust

<> Due to uncontrollable bar fights which just gives her dad more work to deal with

• Smoker

• Astraphobia (fear of thunder and lightning)

<> Which is ironic because the thunderclaps she’s scared of a sound that like gunshots 🤣

• Daddy issues

<> Due to Mitsu and her father being on complete opposite sides of the law; her a criminal and him a detective

• Biker gang leader

<> Stage name: Anarchy

<> Faction: Switchback Drifters

• Victim of rape (secret)

• Selfish

Strengths:

• Transportation

<> Mitsu has some experience with travelling between Tokyo and Yokohama to get to Seiryro High School

• Robotics ~ programming

• Dancing

<> Breakdancing

Affiliations:

Yagami Detective Agency

<> Yokohama 99

Queen Rogue

Girl’s Bite (Emily)

Seiryo High School (Kyoko)

<> Robotics Club

<> Dancing Club

<> Boxing Gym

MIT university (overseas)

Abilities:

• Self defence (Kung Fu)

• Pathological liar

• Puns 🤭

• Evading evidence

• Fluent in foreign language (English)

• Lock-picking

• Skateboarding skills

Appearance & Personality:

Imaginary:

Mitsu has black hair that comes down to her shoulders and has brown eyes. She also has a nice little beauty spot, like her mother, at the corner of her eye

Attire:

Normally when Mitsu is not working; her attire is usually a little dark and screams out “moody teenager” (much to her father’s concern — for both his daughter and his hard-earned reputation)

As a hostess:

Mitsu wears a muse maxi dress with a split down both sides (so she can still defend herself if needed without being restricted by her outfit)

Standard outfit:

• Similar to her father, Mitsu, wears casual clothing if not a little more edgier and “punk rock” with a black shirt, plaid shirt with fishnet stockings, doc marten boots, and of course, a leather black jacket to go with it

• She wears a hair pin so she can use it to pick locks (🤭) , at her own convenience, when breaking into places she’s not supposed to be in — rather than use it for her appearance.

• She also wears leather black gloves to avoid getting caught by the police (or her father) when committing crimes and would often wear a mask to hide her ID

Distinguishing marks:

🟣 = Tattoos

🟢 = Significance

<> Koi Fishes (2) swimming both sides of her stomach

• Reference to Koi Bride ; her go-to gambling place

(She also has a leaves/reefs to cover her lower stomach area which looks like the fishes are in a pond of sorts)

<> Cherry Tree branch going up her arm/shoulder with open cherry blossoms 🌸

(Since her middle name was “Sakura” before she changed it to “Ryuko” due to her antihero alias)

<> Dragon going down her arm ~ hence her middle name being Ryuko which means “Dragon Child”)

(Henceforth her alternative name being ‘The Dragon’)

How would you describe Mitsu’s personality?

• Interrogative (subconsciously)

• Vulgar

• Cunning

• Realistic (determinant)

• Feisty

• Family oriented (?)

• Dry humour

<> Like father like daughter 🤣

• Seductive

• Defiant

• Authoritative

• Smug

• Manipulative

• Clumsy

• Maternal (selectively)

• Jealous

• Hostile

Relationships:

Yagami:

Standard:

Due to Mitsu's enjoyment of (ironic) criminal activity, she and her father tend to butt heads a LOT which would often leave them at an impasse, frequently.

Because of the strained relationship Yagami often would wonder where he had gone wrong with his parenting and how Mitsu could have preferred delinquency over being a law-abider (especially when one’s father is a detective 😂)

Occupation:

What deteriorates Mitsu and Yagami’s relationship even further is choice of career and had, unintentionally, tried to coax her doing something else as a hostess (of all things) and implied she could put away criminals instead of becoming one.

She would often feel inferior to her father especially when it comes to occupation and always hates when he woyld “coax” her into becoming a criminal lawyer when announced she had no interest of being any kind of law enforcer because she enjoys being a lawbreaker

Hobbies:

Whilst Yagami passionately disapproves of Mitsu’s decision to play a part in criminal activities — he is still somewhat more pleased that she’s doing normal things a kid should be doing; like skateboarding or participating with robotics club

However his disapproval escalates dramatically after finding out that Mitsu had become the leader of biker gang and started a faction called “Swiftback Drifters” — technically undoing his hard work of disbanding death races

Fighting:

Unlike Yagami Mitsu tends to deliberately get into fights for the sake of fighting and would often be the one to start it on purpose and would always let her emotions get the best of her (even so far as to kill someone) to prove to people how “strong” she is

She’d even go as far as to doing cage fights to earn extra cash and would often fight dirty to make it happen which often lead a argument between both father and daughter about what was ethical etc

Kaito:

Mitsu considers Kaito as her "uncle"; and would always look up to him — more than her actual father, if she had something to say about it (but then again that’s because they were opposites sides of the law and not in a prosecutor way 😂)

Despite the tension between father and daughter; Kaito also points out the positive traits of Mitsu and how she's more like Yagami than she actually thinks (both in choice of attire and mannerisms)

And that, of course, her father, as a detective, would be against anything lawless and that it would make sense why they would be at impasse a lot, which would often make her pissed off — before giving Kaito the silent treatment (for like a day or two)

AU:

Jun:

Jun is the closest thing to a "cousin", to Mitsu despite there being 15 years between them — putting him at 30 y/o —. He can both protect her and give her very good advice and never fails to support her specifically when she trashes her father behind his back (so pretty similar to Kaito or at least tries to be 😂)

Amasawa:

Mitsu deeply resents Amasawa — as any sister would — and would often make snarky comments like how she was technically the daughter Yagami would have had because of their common interest in mystery and detective work

However Mitsu would either be ignored or is acknowledged — bluntly — by Ansawa and that the former would have been the “ideal daughter” if she wasn’t into criminal activity and that she should have known better — what with being a daughter of a detective and a law-abider (etc)

Kozakura (OC):

Despite Mitsu’s hostile relationship with Kozakura (most of the time and if there’s an audience) outside of that; she does seem to have a soft spot for her younger sister and isn’t afraid to “teach” her tormentors a lesson and offers to teach her some self defence skills.

[lilnasxvevo]

i

kinda think i just heard like 9 gunshots but i live in minneapolis so if i call the cops and they actually show up they'll just murder the first person they see when they get here and call it a day so i legitimately do not want to do that

sound carries really easily in this neighborhood so it could have been a couple of blocks away and i did look out my windows to see if i could see like, you know, someone bleeding out on the sidewalk etc and i didn't see anything/anyone

i haven't heard any sirens yet, ambulance or police. it's been several minutes.

...i can usually hear conversations on the street below my window even if people are talking at normal volumes because my window is just like ridiculously not soundproof so that's probably evidence that it didn't happen super nearby to me, because if there was an argument or yelling before or after i would have heard it

even if it was just like, some kids setting off firecrackers at midnight for whatever reason i would have heard them talking unless they did it in complete silence

i don't, uh. i don't know what to do!

[alullinchaos]

if a song has a sound effect in the background that makes you think a crime happened (ex. a gunshot, a police siren, etc.) it's a guaranteed banger

[sunnnfish]

Hi kiri. I can’t contain my thoughts and actions in the tags anymore so here we are.

KKKIIIIIIIIIIIRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIII AAAAAAAUAUUUUUUUUUUHHHGGGGGG started screenshotting this like it was the real goddamn book. We’re going through this piece by piece so help me god. Realized I can’t put that many screenshots so we’re just quoting This is gonna take a while huh.

“It fits with their preconceived notions, huh?”

THEMATIC preconceived notions late combined with the sentiments of concealment and controlling those preconceived notions. Etc etc

“So, they’re kind of fragile,” I observed, “even if they’re made to look nicer.”

“Well, they certainly look pretty—the bright colors can enhance how distinct the banding is, so you could argue the dye only enhances the best features of agat and other types of chalcedony, but…”

“…But?”

“Dying stones is really common for selling fakes,”

Whooole conversation about dyed agate. It was at this point I made the connection of dyed agate=dyed hair. And again combined with later discussions of beauty and concealment and enhancement. Kind of fragile, even if they look nicer. The dye enhances the best features. Dying commonly used for selling fakes. Very metaphorical. To me

dying stones felt more like concealment that enhancement. And then I remembered what I likely wasn’t meant to hear—surely that dyed agate is prettier—and reached up to my forehead.

DIDNT EVEN REALIZE THIS. THE CONCEALMENT-ENHANCEMENT MENTION BEFORE HANZAWA SHOWED UP. Surely the dyed agate is prettier. augh.

Now that we were face to face again, though, the Riga arose of university had all but disappeared from my mind, and I watched his face contort into an expression halfway between awkwardness and concert. The awkwardness was a given—I hadn’t expected to run into him either. Half the reason for his concern was a girl from my university who I’d just learned was called Kaede. And the other half of his concern—a quarter of his total expression—was in response to seeing me, who’d just been shoved into the side of a building.

…

I felt a little ill-at-ease seeing the sheer expressiveness on his face. Of course, it made sense that he’d be so frazzled, considering what had just happened to his friend, but it was uncomfortable to see his lack of composure. Like this, he looked like an ordinary, unremarkable teenager.

PUT HIM IN THE PIT god hes so just. Teenager here. He’s awkward and concerned and like. Doesnt know what to do. ALSO PUTTING IN KAEDE KIRI YOU MAD GENIUS… back to hanzawa though. So out of his depth and ill-composed. BUT THEN

Amidst the commotion, Hanzawa stayed level-headed, guiding Kaede through the motions of making a report. Even though he wasn’t a student at my university—a fact that was strangely relieving to confirm—it was like he’d gone through this process before.

IT WAS LIKE HED GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS BEFOOOOORRREEEEE…… also seigi being relieved they dont go to the same school. Seigi being so disconcerted by hanzawas. Everything. Maybe has to do with the way seigi and tashiro are so similar and have such reactions to hanzawa. Confused and disconcerted but also very concerned. Im normal.

“Richard is—he’s almost too incredible, I think. I’m lucky to work there.”

Hanzawa considered by statement carefully, and then asked, “Is it—and I could be overstepping, here, but—is it kind of a… scary feeling?”

“No, you’re right,” I said, feeling a euphoric rush of shared understanding. “It’s—I’m happy, of course. It’s impossible not to be. But it almost makes everything else pale in comparison—“

“And you being to wonder where you’d be without it,” Hanzawa concluded, perfectly reading my mind.

I sighed. “I mean… it’s not like this will be my job forever, you know? But still, compared to going to university, whenever it’s the weekend, I feel like I’m ten times as real. Like I exist as… I don’t know, more than I am.”

“As in… you’re able to express yourself more?” Hanzawa asked.

[EXPLOSIONS AND SIRENS AND GUNSHOTS AND CAR CRASHES] AAAAAUUUUUUUGHUGYFTYDRTUIPPIOIUHGGGGGHHUUUBHBUBUUU A SCARY FEELING….. seigi who wears all that on his sleeve all his admiration and fear and well. Love. And hanzawa who does feel the same things who doesnt know what he’d do without. [redacted]. Being around this other person makes them feel more. More expressive and open and like themselves and not under layers of masks and performance. Im normal.

“I see what you mean,” he finally replied as he sipped his coffee. “In a way, Richard-san’s store feels like… a place that’s too good to be true, it could be said?”

“That’s exactly it!” I exclaimed. “And then once you meet Richard, it’s like… he’s a fairy prince or something that’s descended on the mortal world…”

Hanzawa fell into a sudden coughing fit.

…

“How nice…” It was impossible not to hear the wistful edge in Hanzawa’s voice. He seemed to hear it too, because he added, “Well, I do wish you two the best,” with a knowing smile.

Hanzawa taking so much psychic damage from seigi. Boys we got another one who thinks Richard and seigi are for real dating and/or married and/or deeply in love. Also the way he lets that wistful edge out and quickly keeps going to like. Cover it up.

But I’d always thought of it as… having something to hide, I guess.” I felt like a fool as soon as the words left my mouth.

“Well,” Hanzawa said, still low and quiet, “I suppose we are aiming to hide that bruise of yours. But there is value even in concealment, I think.” A wry smile graced his mouth.

Their entire conversations about makeup and concealment and enhancement im for real going crazy does anybody want anything. There’s value in concealment. Covering up bruises and cuts and scars. Something that’s not supposed to be there.

“…Don’t people also value the truth, though?” I asked.

The shade Hanzawa had tested was far darker than it had looked in the tube. He paused over my hand, and without lifting his head, said, “Perhaps I’m being cynical… but I think most people only value the truth when it is beautiful.” He paused to dab a different concealer on my hand. “I don’t think you’re wrong—people do value authenticity. That’s exactly why so many makeup advertisements discuss how to achieve a natural look, or how to enhance your natural features by smoothing out ‘imperfections’… we’ve defined a kind of beauty that is meant to emulate reality but that doesn’t mean it is reality.”

It’s so over for me. Even down to the shade looked far darker than it looked in the tube. The way things are presented to the world hiding a darker shade inside. Who knows if that part was on purpose but it WORKS. People only value truth when its beautiful. Striving for fake authenticity. The “natural look.” Im very disjointed right now i just keep rereading and like. ITS ALL CONNECTED YKNOW. AND METAPHORICAL. AND SO SO SO GOOD. Smooth out imperfections. Look natural in a way thats too good to be true. It’s so OVER for ME

“A few things, I think,” Hanzawa said. “You’re both… open to many new experiences,” Though the fondness in his voice was palpable, it was deeply careful, like he was letting me know the shades of some terrible secret.

“You don’t find them exciting?”

“And equally likely to be hurtful,” he rebutted, though not aggressively.

[SIRENS AND EXPLOSIONS AND CAR CRASHES AND GUNSHOTS] hey kiri did you know you’ve somehow created the perfect blend of the jeweler Richard and ssmy light novel writing styles. Like. Kghr light novel “It’s not like i was going to say anything terrible.” And then like. I could not pinpoint or describe what makes this also feel like jeweler Richard but just trust me. The fondness in his voice was palpable[EXPLODES]

“The kind of people that do are amazing to me,” Hanzawa said. “Whether it’s simply a matter of liking it or wanting to be deviant from the norm—I think there’s a great strength in accepting oneself as anomalous.”

TITLE NAME DROP !!!! And the way hes dancing around queer themes like ooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh[explodes]

…Was it really because of his older sister that he’d learned how to do makeup? Or was that just the easiest explanation?

The way this line kinda shifted my entire worldview just a bit. Messed with my molecules. Was that just the easiest explanation……. Thats so so real

Okay im out of direct quotes now just general thoughts. 1) REALLY REALLY GOOD as i said before it’s just a perfect blend of ssmy and jeweler Richard writing styles and like your own like its unreal. 2) everything else. The beginning section with tanimoto and her entire personality and explanations are sooo good. Also the metamorphism explanation was like. Not like. funny but just like enjoyable due to the poll you did. Like yeah ive heard the word and remember learning it was about rocks but i did not know the specifics. Thank you tanimoto. And kiri.

And again fitting in Kaede so naturally like oh my god. And the everything with hanzawa. His discomfort and concern at his friend being harassed and his curiosity about seigi and inviting him out and like the general way you describe him is sooooooo. Like. The way he curls his fingers around his cups looking so loose that the cup should just slip right out. Long fingers and trimmed nails. The way he cant hide the emotion in his voice. The way he speaks so metaphorically about everything. And SEIGIS whole reactions and thoughts about everything. The way he picks up on things and internalizes them but doesn’t really point them out. Just. Really really good. My god. And youre telling me theres gonna be MORE…… kiri this series is going to kill me dead i swear. Peace and love on planet earth i love you.

the anomalous agate (part two)

now: here's what some of you actually wanted to see yesterday.

a quick rundown for anyone who has no idea what this is: here's ch 1 on tumblr and ao3. I posted an updated version of ch 1 yesterday that flows a bit nicer, and recommend checking that out if you haven't already.

and, while it's even less necessary to do, consider checking this post out, too. the context in which it was written is kind of... irrelevant to this fic, honestly, but it provides a bit of background that I think enhances some of what's going on in this chapter and the next one (that I haven't written yet).

with that out of the way, this chapter is over 7k, so here's the ao3 link if you prefer. (there's also a bit of a longer author's note there at the end) if you'd like to stick to tumblr, follow me under the cut.

case 2-x: the anomalous agate (part two)

Even the usually oblivious Tanimoto-san noticed my listless mood in the following days. It wasn’t unusual for me to worry or speculate about my clients—everyone who stepped into Richard’s store certainly had some kind of interesting quality, but something about Hanzawa tugged oddly at my chest.

To complicate matters, I was pretty sure I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. Richard had spent Sunday carrying on as usual, but every once in a while, he’d drift into his thoughts and his brows would furrow like something was bothering him. This wasn’t a trait unique to Hanzawa’s presence, but this was possibly the first time I’d seen Richard look genuinely unsettled instead of troubled.

It wasn’t an expression I liked seeing on his face.

“Seigi-kun, you seem deep in thought,” Tanimoto-san said. “Something on your mind?” 

Class had ended. I flipped aimlessly through the pages of the book on gemstones I’d borrowed from Richard before tucking it into my bag. Somehow, I didn’t quite feel as if I could meet her eyes. “You mentioned there were many gems that did heat treatment, right?” I asked as we began to shuffle out of the classroom. 

She responded with less cheer than usual, and I felt dejected to be the cause. “Oh, yes… not just corundum,” she said. “Beryl and quartz, too. That encompasses a large quantity of jewels which are just named as different forms of these materials, really… heat treatment is used often to change their color. Apart from deepening the red of a ruby, there’s aquamarine—a type of beryl—which is most commonly green-blue. Heat treatment tends to enhance the blue color and really give it that expected ‘aqua’ color. One of the most dramatic transformations, to me, is amethyst—it can turn a deep orange when it’s treated with heat.” 

“Ah—I saw that last weekend,” I said. “It’s meant to mimic citrines, right?”

“Citrines tend to be a paler yellow, actually,” Tanimoto-san said. “But they’re rare—especially ones with a deep orange color. That’s why heat-treatment of amethysts is so common.” She sighed, gaze drifting off in space as we headed to her next class. “When we think of the term ‘citrus,’ the first thing that comes to mind is often an orange, despite the variety of citrus fruits in other colors. Sometimes I wonder if that’s the reason people mistake amethysts for citrine so easily.” 

“It fits with their preconceived notions, huh?” I said, earning an approving nod from Tanimoto-san. “I still remember what you said before—about wanting to appreciate the stones as they were without heat treatment. I thought that was a really beautiful idea.”

She smiled. “I’m glad you think so, Seigi-kun,” she said. We came to a halt in front of her next classroom, but she didn’t go inside just yet. “But we’d talked about this already… is there something else you wanted to ask me?” 

I swallowed around an uncomfortable bit of air. We were early for her class—it wasn’t a particularly long walk from classroom to classroom, but I liked spending time with her—but she usually went directly inside. It’s so nice of her to take time out of her day to worry about me, I thought. But again, I knew that I must have been really out of sorts for her to notice. 

“It was just mentioned in passing,” I said at her prompting, “But… well, a client was discussing agate, and I heard that some of them were dyed. Is that a common process?” 

Her expression immediately soured. For a minute I thought I’d stepped on some kind of conversational landmine, but though she looked unhappy, she spoke without malice. “It’s—not uncommon, no. Agate is porous, so it absorbs dye well, as do any stones like it.” I could see her turning over her words with care. “But… while heat treatment is an irreversible process, dyeing tends to be less effective. The color can fade over time, especially under sunlight, and it may not stain evenly. And depending on what dye is used, it can be removed with solvents like acetone… so it’s a process that’s much less certain.” 

“So, they’re kind of fragile,” I observed, “even if they’re made to look nicer.” 

“Well, they certainly look pretty—the bright colors can enhance how distinct the banding is, so you could argue the dye only enhances the best features of agate and other types of chalcedony, but…” 

“…But?” 

“Dyeing stones is really common for selling fakes,” she said. “And well—I just think that’s inexcusable, to conceal the truth like that. Even though dyed stones can be detected, that’s usually only after they’re sold, right? And this often happens with online purchases, so… I can’t help but feel resentful.” She frowned. “And every time I’ve traveled to see something related to rocks, the gift shop always carried those tumbled and dyed stones! It’s hard to find anything else…” 

“That must be tough,” I said, though it was hard to suppress a smile at the thought of Tanimoto-san scowling in the middle of a gift shop. She usually seemed so magnanimous, and it was nice to see that she had her weak points, too. 

She pouted. “I know it’s a petty reason, okay!” she said. A touch more melancholy, she added, “But every time I see them, I want to stand up and yell at everyone that rocks and minerals are more interesting than that, because it feels like these polished stones and other kinds of jewels are the only kind of beauty that people care about. For all kinds of rocks and minerals… I don’t think they possess a beauty that is just skin-deep. But when you limit the conversation to just rocks, because they look so different, the interests just don’t overlap…” She glanced up at me, seemed to realize that the type of person she was talking about was right next to her, and hurried to clarify. “Ah—I didn’t mean that as a strike against you though, Seigi-kun.” 

“No, I totally understand,” I quickly reassured her. “I mean, in an ideal world, that’s how we want to think of other people, too, right? Without judging based on the outside alone. And I think anyone would want to share their interest with more people. So, if what you like is rarer, or unappreciated, it feels sad, right?” 

“Right,” Tanimoto-san said. She smiled. “…I really am glad we get to talk about gemstones. I always feel like I end up hearing something interesting.” 

Not for the first time, I thought that Tanimoto-san was some kind of angel. I truly didn’t have any questions about rocks to reciprocate with, except— “There’s a few rocks that do count as gemstones, right?” I asked. “Like lapis lazuli.” 

“You remembered!” Tanimoto-san exclaimed. “Lapis lazuli’s a particularly special rock, you know,” she said, a gleam in her eyes. “Historically, it was used to make this very expensive blue paint…” 

“Ah—ultramarine, right?” 

“Exactly!” Tanimoto-san said, clapping her hands in excitement. “Seems like you’re already an expert on it, Seigi-kun.” 

“I just heard it in passing,” I explained sheepishly. “That customer from before—he and my boss talked about ultramarine for a bit.” I paused to recollect the various times I’d spotted the stone in Jewelry Étranger. “Though, the stone looks so unbelievable to me on its own that it feels strange to think it would ever be used for paint…”  

“It is one of the beauties of metamorphism,” Tanimoto-san agreed. Or at least, I was assuming she was. 

“Sorry, but… what exactly is metamorphism again?” I asked. “I feel like I’ve heard the term before, and I just don’t remember.” 

Despite the various expressions I’d put on her face today and in all the other conversations we’d had, this was the first time I’d ever seen Tanimoto-san look truly dumbfounded. It took me a while to even realize that was the expression on her face, until she cleared her throat and said, “I guess you said yourself you didn’t know much about rocks, but… well, I thought this was common knowledge, and maybe it… isn’t?” Worriedly, like she’d just learned she was privy to a secret for which she hadn’t voluntarily been made a confidant, she asked, “I mean, everyone knows that the three common classifications of rocks are sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic, right?”  

“…That rings a bell?” I said unconvincingly. 

Her eyes flickered towards the classroom—she had only a few minutes before her next class started, so I imagined she would head inside, but instead she squared her shoulders, formed a distinctly “Golgo” look on her face, and said, “Well—metamorphic rocks are basically a type of rock that’s actually a combination of other rocks and minerals. So that’s how lapis lazuli has that beautiful gold coloring—it comes from the pyrite that’s part of the rock. The main blue comes from lazurite, but there’s many more mineral components that are mixed in with an average lapis lazuli.” 

“And metamorphism is how these rocks form?” 

“Right,” Tanimoto-san said. “Basically, they’re put under a lot of heat and pressure, and because of that, the composition of the rock ends up changing—so, for lapis lazuli, all these separate things fuse—or the crystal structure shifts, which is a kind of complicated thing to explain… But by the end, the new rock is distinct when compared to the simple sum of its parts. Something like marble or slate… you wouldn’t call simply a combination of other things, right?” 

“I would never have known unless you told me… that’s amazing,” I marveled. “In a way… it’s kind of nature’s own heat treatment, huh?” 

“That’s true,” Tanimoto-san said. “Just one without any motivation.”

This was something that had always fascinated me regarding jewels. Of course, it was untrue that they existed without human involvement. But before any human had laid eyes upon it, lapis lazuli had always been that brilliant combination of blue and gold. That, to me, was something like a miracle.

“You must have had an interesting customer this week, right?” Tanimoto-san guessed.

I shook myself out of my thoughts. “What?” 

“Well, Seigi-kun, you’re always curious,” she said, “So maybe it’s nothing. But this time you look like you really want to say something to someone.” She tapped the space between her brows. “Don’t let it give you wrinkles, though!” 

With that, she hurried into class, taking her seat just a few seconds before the professor began her lecture. I was left standing dumbly in the hallway, stuck with my swirling thoughts. Though I’d glossed over it at first, I supposed I was of the same mind as Tanimoto-san; dyeing stones felt more like concealment than enhancement. And then I remembered what I likely wasn’t meant to hear—surely that dyed agate is prettier—and reached up to my forehead.

Sure enough, I was frowning. I wanted to pull out my phone and text Richard something along the lines of This is your fault, but that would be truly nonsensical, and really, what I wanted wasn’t to assign something like blame. But since I couldn’t just run to him, I decided to follow Tanimoto-san’s advice and smooth out my expression. 

———

“Ah… Nakata-san?”

Richard had said that most serendipitous encounters were just a natural consequence of learning more about the world, but I was pretty sure this situation was the exclusive work of strange fortune. Though I doubted this surprise encounter would go as badly as the last one had, the sharp sense of déjà vu kept me wary.

Still, I inhaled a breath of crisp morning air, and replied, “It’s alright to call me Seigi.”

I was looking up at the face of Hanzawa Masato, who truthfully had been the furthest thing from my mind in the past few days. That space in my brain had been usurped and summarily overwhelmed by the tedium of classes and assignments. If I had to learn how to draw another kind of economic model using another set of conditions and parameters, my head was going to burst. In fact, my head ached at the thought alone.

Now that we were face to face again, though, the rigamarole of university had all but disappeared from my mind, and I watched his face contort into an expression halfway between awkwardness and concern. The awkwardness was a given—I hadn’t expected to run into him either. Half the reason for his concern was a girl from my university who I’d just learned was called Kaede. And the other half of his concern—a quarter of his total expression—was in response to seeing me, who’d just been shoved into the side of a building.

Maybe that was the reason my head ached. It was certainly the reason I was sitting down and staring up at him.

“Are you okay?” Kaede fretted. She had sunk into a worried crouch in front of me, hands hovering around my head like she could divine the nature of my injuries. 

I pressed a hand to my cheek, which was stinging, but didn’t feel scraped, and hauled myself upright. Any dizziness I’d felt had faded, and though one of my arms felt numb, I’d gotten worse injuries doing karate. “I’m fine,” I said. “It’s just a surface-level injury. Probably looks worse than it is. Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine—not a scratch!” she reported, standing up to demonstrate her lack of injury. “I had no idea he would do that, though. I’m so sorry—” 

“Don’t be,” I cut in before she could self-flagellate. “It’s not your fault at all.” 

Were I feeling charitable, I’d point out that I didn’t think the guy in question had even meant to push me into a wall—he’d just meant to push me and bolt. But he was also the kind of asshole that cornered people against the side of a building, so I wasn’t going to defend him in the slightest. 

“What happened?” Hanzawa asked.

I felt a little ill-at-ease seeing the sheer expressiveness on his face. Of course, it made sense that he’d be so frazzled, considering what had just happened to his friend, but it was uncomfortable to see his lack of composure. Like this, he looked like an ordinary, unremarkable teenager.

Kaede wrung her hands, stumbling through her words. “I—you know that senior who was bothering me? Well, he cornered me, and we started arguing, and then”—she gestured in my direction—“he hit him and ran away.” 

“I heard shouting, so I came over here,” I added when Hanzawa looked to me for further explanation.

It was really as simple as that. After exiting a horrendously early class, I’d heard arguing near the shadowed side of the building. And once I’d seen Kaede telling the other guy to leave her alone, I’d intervened without hesitation. He’d started aggressively posturing at me before shoving me to the side and running away.

The sharp spike of adrenaline I’d felt at the time was now wearing off, and my injuries began to twinge. I took a deep breath, and in an effort not to dash after the guy, I suggested, “We should make a report or something.” 

“Oh, right,” Kaede said, fishing out her phone. “There’s like… campus administration or something, right? Let me find out wherever it’s located.” She paused in thought. “Wait… do you two know each other?” 

“We just met by coincidence once,” I said, figuring that Hanzawa would value his privacy.

It was enough of an answer for Kaede, who just laughed and said, “Masato-kun knows, like, everyone, so it’s not really a surprise!” 

I was relieved to see that she didn’t seem too shaken by everything.

Soon enough, we were pointed the way of campus authorities, and I learned the full story while Kaede made her report. Apparently, this guy had been bothering her for a while after they’d met at a mixer—he’d seen her waiting to meet up with Hanzawa, and then blown up at her when she declined to spend time with him. Since he already had quite a few conduct violations on his record, the administration assured us that they’d act quickly. 

Their urgency might have also been prompted by the blatant injury on my face. Every time someone turned to face me, they would reflexively wince at the circle of reddened skin on my cheek. I’d seen it in a mirror while getting my injuries checked out—I was officially deemed concussion-free, which was a relief—and had flinched at my own reflection in surprise.

Amidst the commotion, Hanzawa stayed level-headed, guiding Kaede through the motions of making a report. Even though he wasn’t a student at my university—a fact which was strangely relieving to confirm—it was like he’d gone through this process before. I thought he’d escort Kaede home, too, but once everything had been squared away, she called some of her university friends to pick her up. They arrived with a slew of inventive insults that seemed to cheer Kaede up in an instant. She thanked me again as we swapped numbers, and then she waved us goodbye as she was whisked away by her friends. 

“You’re not going with her?” I asked. 

“Her other friends will be much better at taking her mind off things,” he said. “Besides, they all go to your university, so they can accompany her during classes.” He turned to face me as he spoke, and though he didn’t wince, his gaze lingered on my cheek.

“I’m alright,” I said. “I even got an ice pack when we were making the report.”  

“Still…” Hanzawa said. Hesitantly, he asked, “Could I treat you to lunch? Or a coffee?” 

The sun was high in the sky. On one hand, I wasn’t particularly hungry, but coffee sounded nice, and I didn’t have classes until later this evening. On the other hand, Hanzawa looked like he was already regretting the offer.

But Tanimoto-san was right; I had a few things I wanted to say to him. And despite his hesitation, it looked like Hanzawa felt the same. 

“Sure,” I said. “You can pick the place.” 

———

Hanzawa’s coffee order was a little more complicated than mine. Hearing him rattle off his order made me realize that Richard was right to only offer tea at his shop. The café he’d picked out was like many of the other cafés I’d been to—peaceful, atmospheric, and a neutral ground for conversations. Once we’d taken our seats, we each waited in a brittle kind of silence.

Hanzawa began to fiddle with his phone, and I took it as a clear indication he wasn’t ready to talk. My coffee arrived first, so I savored it while gazing through one of the café windows. Outside, the weather had snapped into a bitter frost, as it seemed wont to do whenever I wasn’t looking. I shivered a little—even inside the temperature-regulated café, I’d dressed a little lightly for the cold—and let the coffee’s steam curl against my skin. Though I couldn’t call myself a connoisseur, I’d begun to appreciate coffee for more than its caffeine. 

It was just one more thing I’d learned how to treasure since I’d met Richard. Thinking of him, I reflexively touched my face. We weren’t anywhere near Ginza, but I could imagine the shop’s entrance in front of me as I stared out the window.

“Is there something you’re worried about?” 

I started, noting that Hanzawa’s coffee had appeared between his hands. He held the cup strangely, his fingers curled around the sides without any pressure; I worried that it might slip from his fingers if he tried to lift it. Still, the pose seemed so natural for him that I wondered if he’d held the tea at Jewelry Étranger the same way, and I just hadn’t noticed. Like that time, any initial hesitation of his had melted away into a self-assured grace.

“I was just thinking…” I replied, tapping my reddened skin, “it’s going to bruise.” 

“Ah,” Hanzawa said. His eyes darted around the room—he could probably sense the curious looks I’d gotten, too, but that wasn’t my main concern. “You’re worried about your weekend work, I assume?” 

“No, it’s—actually, yeah, I am,” I said, cutting off my instinctive denial. First Tanimoto-san, and now Hanzawa… I wondered if my face was just becoming easier to read. 

“I doubt a bruised face is good for customer service,” he added, clarifying exactly where my thoughts had headed.

I explained, “I’d rather not scare the customers, and it’s something I’ve done even without my face like this, so…”

“That would be troubling,” Hanzawa said. “I’d apologize for the situation, but…”

“There’s no need for apologies,” I stressed. “You and Kaede already thanked me, and there’s no need to apologize for someone else’s mistakes.”

Still holding the cup as if it were air, Hanzawa slowly sipped his coffee. My attention was drawn to his fingers, which were exceptionally long, and neatly trimmed at the nails. “I’m glad you think so, Seigi—it’s alright to call you that, yes?” When I nodded, he set his cup down and made a confession: “I’m not entirely without ulterior motives, though—it’s not every day you meet someone with your job, you know? I like hearing from interesting people, so this is just me indulging in my curiosity, really. What was the application process like?”

“Ah… I didn’t quite apply,” I answered. Maybe I’d just developed a streak of cynicism, but I didn’t believe that he had invited me to coffee out of pure curiosity. I briefly imagined someone taking my place—making tea, talking with Richard, and learning about our clients—and felt a wave a jealousy so strong that I added, “I don’t really think he’s looking to hire anyone new…” 

Hanzawa laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m just asking out of curiosity. I’m not looking for a job right now.”  

“Ah,” I said, and drank some of my coffee to cover my embarrassment. “Anyways, even when we first met, I don’t think he was looking to hire anyone.”

“Is that so?” Hanzawa asked, a clear prompt for me elaborate.

I had no desire to do so. Instead, I was distracted by the thought of Hanzawa as an employee of Jewelry Étranger. He seemed like he would excel at any job related to customer service, particularly when it came to making conversation. Even now, though I was conscious of the fact that he was leading the conversation, it didn’t bother me. But he wouldn’t know what sweets Richard liked best, or how to watch his expressions to figure out if he was enjoying them. And he wouldn’t know how to brew royal milk tea—not that I’d known that, either…

“I approached him about a family heirloom of mine, and he offered me a job afterwards,” I finally summed up.

Thankfully, Hanzawa didn’t pry any further. “I can see why,” he said. “Something about you must have been unique enough to convince him, right?” 

“…You think so?” I asked, ducking my head. It was amazing how one word—unique—was enough to dispel my worries. Saying I had a talent for recognizing beauty—that already made me feel like the most special person in the world. The implication that Richard recognizing that had been a testament to my uniqueness was unbelievably flustering. Rather than think about it for too long, I downed my coffee. 

“I just thought that if he wasn’t looking to hire someone,” Hanzawa said, “it means that you must have been important enough to ask for, anyways. The atmosphere at your store would make one think you two had been friends for years.” 

I felt warmer than usual. “I just… guess we aligned somehow,” I murmured, feeling a need to deflect the compliment. As much as I privately liked to think of our meeting as “fate,” hearing it from a veritable stranger was something else. “Richard is—he’s almost too incredible, I think. I’m lucky to work there.” 

Hanzawa considered my statement carefully, and then asked, “Is it—and I could be overstepping, here, but—is it kind of a… scary feeling?” 

“No, you’re right,” I said, feeling a euphoric rush of shared understanding. “It’s—I’m happy, of course. It’s impossible not to be. But it almost makes everything else pale in comparison—” 

“And you begin to wonder where you’d be without it,” Hanzawa concluded, perfectly reading my mind.

I sighed. “I mean… it’s not like this will be my job forever, you know? But still, compared to going to university, whenever it’s the weekend, I feel like I’m ten times as real. Like I exist as… I don’t know, more than I am.” 

“As in… you’re able to express yourself more?” Hanzawa asked. 

I shook my head. “No, it’s like… I’m a more impressive person, even though nothing about me changes,” I said. “It feels like my actions have more meaning. And my world keeps expanding, each time.” When he didn’t respond, still wrapping his head around my words, I added, “…It might be a bit strange to blabber on and on about my job satisfaction. But I really think that being able to work where I do is a miracle of some kind.” 

“I see what you mean,” he finally replied as he sipped his coffee. “In a way, Richard-san’s store feels like… a place that’s too good to be true, it could be said?” 

“That’s exactly it!” I exclaimed. “And then once you meet Richard, it’s like… he’s a fairy prince or something that’s descended on the mortal world…” 

Hanzawa fell into a sudden coughing fit. 

I scrambled out of my seat, but he weakly waved me off, and so I stood over the table, watching him regain control of his throat. “Are you alright?” 

He took a few deep breaths. “I’m fine,” he said, though he looked obviously embarrassed as he met my eyes. “I was just—taken off guard, I guess. You must really respect Richard-san. Have you… told him this?” 

With a new understanding as to why Kaede had so uselessly hovered around me, I slipped back into my own seat. “Well, of course,” I said slowly, wondering what I wasn’t getting. “I needed to express my gratitude to him.” 

Hanzawa stared up at the ceiling like he’d received some kind of divine revelation. “And he reacted… well?” he ventured. 

I suddenly remembered the many, many times Richard had scolded me for speaking without considering the implications, and I grimaced. “I’m not great with words, so I’ve definitely put my foot in my mouth a few times, but… sincerity is worth the embarrassment, I think,” I said, refraining from adding that I liked to think it was at least part of the reason he’d hired me. “And, though he’s annoyingly mysterious sometimes, he’s sincere to me, too.” 

“How nice…” It was impossible not to hear the wistful edge in Hanzawa’s voice. He seemed to hear it too, because he added, “Well, I do wish you two the best,” with a knowing smile. 

It wasn’t hard to pick up on the distance in his voice. Despite talking about Richard and the shop, Hanzawa hadn’t once mentioned his own visit or his upcoming appointment.

Before I could prod him about it, Hanzawa cleared his throat and asked, “You’ve finished your coffee?”

I looked down at my cup, which had been empty for quite a while. “Yeah,” I said, bracing for a quick goodbye.

A strange look passed over Hanzawa’s face as he drained his cup, and he set it down on the table with a soft clink. His gaze moved sideways—I followed his line of sight, but it led nowhere. “If—if the bruising is a problem,” Hanzawa haltingly began, “I could… I might have a solution.” 

The words looked painful for him to say. “You’re already treating me to coffee,” I assured. “There’s no need to do me another favor.” 

He shook his head, firmer. “This… as I said, this was kind of a selfish request, anyways. If you’re willing, I’d be happy to help.” 

I wasn’t about to turn down the chance to hear him talk. Maybe, if I gathered enough courage, I’d even be able to ask him about dyed stones. “Well… what did you have in mind?” 

———

Much like the first time I’d visited the jewelry section of a department store, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed. This time, it wasn’t at the sight of diamonds as far as the eye could see, but of the bright lights, glossy photos, and shelves upon shelves of products I wasn’t sure how to name. I half-recognized some of the brand names scattered around the store, but otherwise felt wholly out of my depth. 

Were it not for the presence of a guide, I’d have never come here. But Hanzawa was shifting his feet next to me, a skittish look in his eyes like he was convinced I’d back out at any moment. That was the same way he’d broached the subject, too, saying, “Well… you could probably cover that bruise with makeup,” in a tone so soft I’d barely heard him.

“How?” I’d asked, pouncing on the option a little too eagerly. 

Hanzawa drummed his fingers against his empty cup. “It’s pretty easy,” he said. “I could teach you, but we’d have to buy some products, because we don’t have the same skin tone.” He mulled over his next words.

“There’s a department store near here,” I offered. 

At that, he seemed to relax. “My older sister is really into makeup and costuming,” he said with a light laugh, “so I ended up being forced into knowing a few things myself.”

Things moved quickly after that. He paid for my coffee, and I followed him to the nearest department store before he could have too many second thoughts. It wasn’t like I didn’t understand his hesitation—we were still practically strangers, and this was an offer that required considerable involvement on his part. Still, more than anything, I didn’t want to skip work. And as little as I knew Hanzawa, he seemed like the kind of person who would never suggest something that wasn’t an actual solution. 

“You’ll have to lead the way,” I finally prompted.

Hanzawa paused and corrected his posture. “Right,” he said, picked up a basket near the entrance, and then struck a path through the various displays, waving off staff with a polite, inscrutable smile. 

For all he’d been hesitant, Hanzawa navigated the store with a brilliant kind of confidence. Apart from the two of us, there were barely any men in the store, but Hanzawa didn’t look out of place in the slightest. Soon enough we were left to wander around unapproached. 

Finally, we came to a stop in front of a display that carried a variety of tubes in a variety of skin tones. Hanzawa leaned forward to inspect them, and I caught sight of the barely visible piercing holes in his ears.

“You’re not wearing earrings,” I observed. 

He answered me without turning his head. “I suppose it’s a leftover habit from high school,” he said thoughtfully. “I didn’t wear them in class, because—well, it’s a bit of a delinquent look, and I was the president of the disciplinary club.”

That explained why he’d been so composed when helping Kaede earlier. I wonder if he’d acquired that sense of reliability from his time in the club, or if had been the reason he’d joined. “What… am I supposed to get, here?” I asked, pointing at the display.

“To cover your bruise, we’ll need concealer, foundation, and a setting spray, probably? So right now, we’re looking for foundations that match your skin tone. What color do you usually bruise?” 

“…Purple, I guess?” 

“Then we’ll get a yellow color corrector to offset it,” Hanzawa said, plucking a foundation from the shelf. He held it up to the light—the color was kind of close to my skin, I supposed, but there were a lot that looked just like it. 

“How are you supposed to figure out the right color?” I asked. 

“Oh—you can sample it,” Hanzawa said, and he motioned for me to hold my hand out. We swatched various foundations on the back of my hand as Hanzawa explained to me the basic methodology for covering a bruise. The color corrector would negate the purple hues of my bruise, concealer would properly cover it up with my actual skin tone, and foundation would provide a smooth cover that blended with the rest of my face. The setting spray was just to make sure everything held for the entire time I was working. “You’ll probably want makeup brushes, too,” Hanzawa said as he explained how to apply everything. “We can buy some, or I could maybe lend you mine…” 

I could see him trying to work out how to lend me makeup brushes in a way that wouldn’t require an additional meeting. “No, I’ll get one of my own,” I said. 

“You sure?” he asked. 

I nodded. “It’s kind of weird to say this, but… somehow, I feel like this may not be the last time I need something like this?” 

Satisfied with the last foundation we’d tried, Hanzawa showed me how to remove all the makeup on my hand before leading me to another display. There he found a standard set of makeup brushes and gingerly placed it into his basket. “Well, I suppose you do lead quite an exciting life,” he commented. 

“This is the first time I’ve gotten injured,” I said. “But there are a lot of interesting people at Richard’s shop, so I guess I do end up having interesting experiences.” I paused. Like this, actually, I didn’t say, and instead asked, “You mentioned your older sister taught you this?” 

“It’s not really that I was taught,” Hanzawa clarified. “It was more like… a natural consequence of existing around her? I ended up knowing a lot of the terminology, and I’d get dragged to places like these, too. At that point, you have to at least learn the basics.” 

I’d never had a sibling before, so I wondered if it was natural for everyone to pick up skills from their family like this. With my mother, we’d always maintained a certain sense of distance, and with my stepfather overseas, the only one who could maybe qualify as family was Richard. Who I had, indeed, learned a lot from. “And you learned more on your own, afterwards?” 

“Well, at my high school, our cultural festival holds a cross-dressing competition each year—it was an all-boys school, hence the tradition—and I ended up learning a bit more because of that. One of my classmates actually attends cosmetology school, now, which is where I learned how to do this.” He gestured in the direction of my reddened cheek. 

I reached up on instinct, suddenly conscious of the fact that I was walking around with such an obvious injury. I’d attributed the stares of passerby to the fact that I looked out of place in a makeup store, but this was probably the real reason.

Hanzawa studied my face, and his tone gentled. “It’s been a valuable skill to me,” he murmured. “Makeup gives us the ability to beautify.” 

Hand still pressed against my cheek, I confessed, “I’d never really thought of it that way, before. Though I don’t really know anything, really. But I’d always thought of it as… having something to hide, I guess.” I felt like a fool as soon as the words left my mouth.

“Well,” Hanzawa said, still low and quiet, “I suppose we are aiming to hide that bruise of yours. But there is value even in concealment, I think.” A wry smile graced his mouth. “Speaking of.” 

We’d lingered for too long in one place, and so we moved to collect a bottle of setting spray and a pale-yellow color corrector before stopping to search through a row of concealers. As we compared various shades on my hand, I recalled the conversation I’d had with Richard about tiramisu.

“…Don’t people also value the truth, though?” I asked. 

The shade Hanzawa had tested was far darker than it had looked in the tube. He paused over my hand, and without lifting his head, said, “Perhaps I’m being cynical… but I think most people only value the truth when it is beautiful.” He paused to dab a different concealer on my hand. “I don’t think you’re wrong—people do value authenticity. That’s exactly why so many makeup advertisements discuss how to achieve a natural look, or how to enhance your natural features by smoothing out ‘imperfections’… we’ve defined a kind of beauty that is meant to emulate reality, but that doesn’t mean it is reality.”

Though I couldn’t see his expression, I could hear the raw sincerity in his voice. Something clicked into place, and I realized that for Hanzawa, enhancement was the same as concealment.

“The kinds of beauty we recognize are usually just skin-deep, huh…” I said, echoing the conversation I’d had with Tanimoto-san.

“And everyone prefers to be beautiful,” Hanzawa said.

Yamamoto-san, too, had thought that beauty was a great advantage. “Doesn’t beauty come with its own disadvantages, though?” I asked. At Hanzawa’s curious look, I paraphrased how Richard had described his own experiences. “Like, if you’re so beautiful that people think you’re unapproachable, isn’t that hard?”

“I suppose so,” Hanzawa said. “You’re talking about a kind of… unreal beauty, right? Like your boss.”

“Ah… was it obvious?”

Hanzawa smiled. “A little.” He hummed for a bit in thought, and then said, “In either direction, I think there’s a fear of… standing out, or looking odd. That’s why we’re here. Though I suppose there might be some people who have enough pride to eschew standards.”

The shade he’d just tried was a perfect match. “When you put it that way… there’s definitely times I don’t want to say everything about myself,” I conceded, remembering how I’d felt when confronted by Mami-san’s deep, uncomfortable sense of shame. “Having that kind of pride is… an ideal, but just that.” As much as Richard liked to ask if I had ever decided to think before I spoke, I, too, had things I found hard to say. 

“That’s everything, I think,” Hanzawa said, adding the concealer to the basket. “I’ve got makeup wipes with me, so you can just have them. Since we’re here, though, do you mind if I make a quick detour?” 

“Go ahead,” I said, and Hanzawa drifted through the store at a leisurely pace, inspecting different products. I took the time to observe the various advertisements pasted around the store, noting that Hanzawa’s description hadn’t been incorrect. Then I observed the array of colors scattered around the store as Hanzawa inspected different kinds of eyeshadow. “I guess blue is rare here, too.” 

“Hm?” 

“I was just reminded of ultramarine,” I said, pointing towards the overwhelming set of pinks and reds in a collection of lipsticks. “It was prized not just because the stone was precious, but because blue was a rare pigment color, right?”

“…Lapis lazuli sure was a precious stone,” Hanzawa replied. “In addition to blue’s rarity, I’d think it would be hard to collect pieces without significant gold spots. When ground into pigment, those colors would muddy the blue. If one needed to source pure blue lapis lazuli for ultramarine, that would only further increase its rarity and value.” 

 “Wait, are you majoring in economics?” I blurted out, a little bewildered by the clarity of his explanation.

Distracted from his inspection of an eyeshadow palette, Hanzawa turned to squint at me, bemused. “No, I’m not,” he said. “Are you?”

“I am, yeah.” I floundered, wondering how to explain that for just a moment, Hanzawa had reminded me of Richard. Maybe he was training to be a diplomat—that would explain why even when he spoke casually, every word felt measured. He was certainly better at speaking than me, who couldn’t figure out how to casually ask him what he was actually majoring in.

At my lost expression, Hanzawa laughed and went back to searching through eyeshadows. “…You actually remind me of someone I know.”

“How so?” 

“A few things, I think,” Hanzawa said. “You’re both… open to many new experiences.” Though the fondness in his voice was palpable, it was deeply careful, like he was letting me know the shades of some terrible secret.

“You don’t find them exciting?” 

“And equally likely to be hurtful,” he rebutted, though not aggressively. 

Hanzawa took my answering silence as agreement—which it partially was—and continued looking around the store. Conscious of the time we’d spent wandering, he explained, “The color I’m looking for is uncommon. Eyeshadows have more variety than lipsticks do, but the majority stay within the range of pinks to browns.”

“Even though it’s not a problem to make blue pigment anymore, it’s still a matter of supply and demand, isn’t it?” I surmised. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone wear blue lipstick.”

“The kind of people that do are amazing to me,” Hanzawa said. “Whether it’s simply a matter of liking it or wanting to be deviant from the norm—I think there’s a great strength in accepting oneself as anomalous.”

Finally, he picked out a sparkly lime green eyeshadow, and after holding the color up to the light, tucked it into his basket. It was no wonder he’d spent so much time searching—while accompanying him, I hadn’t seen a single product that looked like it.

“You really are fond of that color,” I noted. 

Hanzawa froze for a moment. “It’s for—the cultural festival, actually,” he explained. “I’m helping them out.” 

“Oh, I do something like that too—it’s with the karate class I used to attend back in middle school, though,” I shared. “You must be close with your juniors?” 

As we entered the checkout line, Hanzawa said, “I think it’s something like a leftover sense of responsibility. That guy… we used to be in the same club.” 

Before I could ask him what that guy meant, our attention was redirected to the cashier in front of us. She looked surprised to see two men in front of her, but quickly began scanning the items before her. “Picking up products for your girlfriends?” she asked with a smile, clearly hoping to ease our nerves. 

Hanzawa stepped forward, partially obscuring my view. “It’s for my older sister, actually,” he replied, the same smile mirrored on his face. “I just hope I’ve gotten it right!” 

Caught up in his mild, inconsequential lie, I stood there, hands hung limply at my side, as I realized that apart from her initial shock, she hadn’t once glanced at my cheek. To be accurate, Hanzawa hadn’t let her. This was probably what he’d meant by the value of concealment. It was like when Richard had pretended not to speak Japanese at that department store. While it wasn’t the truth, it was the option that limited any unwanted misunderstandings.

…Was it really because of his older sister that he’d learned how to do makeup? Or was that just the easiest explanation?

We exited the store with our purchases, and I handed over the eyeshadow to Hanzawa. He slipped it into his messenger bag, and in return, produced a pack of makeup wipes for me to take. “If you forget what to do, there’s a bunch of tutorials online,” Hanzawa reassured, gesturing to my bag of makeup.

“Thanks for the help,” I said. “I had a nice time, too—I feel like I got to hear from an interesting person, as well.”

“Don’t think too much of it—I was really just rambling,” he said dismissively before offering me a tight smile. “I do hope work goes well for you this weekend.” 

“…You’ll know, won’t you?” I asked, summoning a bit of courage. “Since you’ll be there.” 

“Ah,” Hanzawa said, and stilled before giving his confirmation. “…Yes, I will.” 

With that promise exacted from him, we naturally said our goodbyes and parted at a nearby street. The early morning chill had faded somewhat under the sun, and as I made my way back to campus, I thought about the many ways Richard’s face might change upon seeing Hanzawa arrive at his appointment. He wouldn’t give me a raise, but I’d get something out of it, nonetheless.

[anarchopuppy]

I’ve already reblogged a link to this entire article by @crimethinc, but I wanted to highlight the excellent ‘resources’ section on its own as we approach the election. For an anarchist take on the current climate, a list of upcoming actions, and a dope-ass poster to print and distribute, please do check out the full article as well

Trump’s term is ending as it began, with a likelihood of street conflict. The following guides offer a great deal of information about how to participate in effective protests while protecting yourself and your community.

Getting Connected

How to Form an Affinity Group

Find a Local Mutual Aid Network

Where to Find Your Local Medic Collective—This is not comprehensive, but offers a good starting point.

Security Culture

What Is Security Culture?

Bounty Hunters and Child Predators: Inside the FBI Entrapment Strategy

When the Police Knock on Your Door—Your rights and options: a legal guide

If the FBI Approaches You to Become an Informant—An FAQ

You can find a lot of important information about general security in protest situations here.

Digital Communications and Security

Your Phone Is a Cop—An OpSec/InfoSec primer for the dystopian present.

Communications Equipment for Rebels

Burner Phone Best Practices—A user’s guide

Doxcare—Prevention and aftercare for those targeted by doxxing and political harassment

This thread spells out how to protect your privacy via proper phone safety at demonstrations—before, during, and after the protest.

Dressing for Success and Security

Fashion Tips for the Brave

The Femme’s Guide to Riot Fashion—This season’s hottest looks for the discerning femme.

Staying Safe in the Streets

Blocs, Black and Otherwise

Safety Gear

A Demonstrator’s Guide to Helmets

A Demonstrator’s Guide to Gas Masks and Goggles—Everything you need to know to protect your eyes and lungs from gas and projectiles.

You can read some more tips about protest gear from protesters in Hong Kong here.

Strategy, Planning, and Tactics

A Step-by-Step Guide to Direct Action—What It Is, What It’s Good for, How It Works

Tools and Tactics in the Portland Protests—This text offers an overview of a wide range of options from leaf blowers and umbrellas to shields and lasers.

Creative Direct Action Visuals—Making banners and more.

Blockade Tactics—courtesy of the Ruckus Society

Tips about Blockading—from Beautiful Trouble

Lock Boxes—How to blockade with

Jail Support

Jail Support

Jail Support form from Rosehip Collective—Fill this out in advance of any event at which you might be arrested and leave it with your attorney or a support contact.

NLG National Support Hotlines and Other Resources

When Things Go Badly

Making the Best of Mass Arrests

How to Survive a Felony Trial—Keeping your head up through the worst of it

I Was a J20 Street Medic and Defendant—How we survived the first J20 trial and what we learned along the way.

Basic First Aid in the Streets

First Aid for Protestors

Eye safety at protests—You can read more on how to do an eye flush here

How to Protect Yourself from Audio Attacks—LRAD, sirens, etc.

COVID-19 Safety at Protests

You can obtain more graphics on this subject here.

For Experienced Medics

Protocols for Common Injuries from Police Weapons—For street medics and medical professionals treating demonstrators.

A Demonstrator’s Guide to Responding to Gunshot Wounds—It can also be useful to read these accounts from people who have experienced gunfire at demonstrations.

These four zines from the Rosehip Medic Collective include a range of useful information.

This collection of resources that appeared shortly before Trump took office includes more topical material, addressing non-violence, solidarity, white supremacy, colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism, and more.

[llamagoddessofficial]

Okay so I live (all things said and done) not far from the arctic circle, and long story short got to thinking about the various snow/ice safety things that are drilled into you up here and what to be wary of- like Snow Blindness 👀 what if MC,all alone, ended up out in the icy fields, her goggles broken/etc from a fall, and she ends up with it? In pain, blinded, she can’t tell what is where and Sans sees all of this unfolding, the growing panic, her probably eventually going still as she realizes trying to fumble around would make her more lost…. Would he lead her to safety, perhaps tapping on the ice in front of her to lead her way back to her warm tent, or would he take advantage and perhaps bring her to safety in some sort of icy cave only he has access to, to “nurse” her while her eyes recover~?

“stop.”

The voice was so distinct that if you’d heard it before, you would’ve recognised it immediately. You didn’t. The soft, dark, sonorous tone didn’t belong to anyone on the research team- it didn’t belong to anyone you’d spoken to before.

But you knew who it was.

Your eyes hurt. They hurt so much, the aching worming back into your head and spreading through in a headache that felt like it was going to split your skull in half. You had snow blindness- your goggles had broken hours ago, and your attempts at keeping your eyes shielded had done nothing to aid your worsening condition. You couldn’t see anymore, eyes squeezed shut in your last attempt at defending them from the glare... a gritty sensation under your eyelids was making irritated tears drip down your cheeks no matter how many times you tried to wipe them away. The sun was setting, you didn’t know where you were, you couldn’t see... at this point, the fear of freezing to death in the arctic was nagging at the back of your head.

You didn’t know where you were. 

... 

You’d obeyed the voice instinctively, stopping dead. Yes... despite not recognising it, you knew exactly who it was. 

That was what frightened you.

“Wh-what do you want?” You blurted, heart beginning to pound even faster than before.

How was he there? How far had you moved? You weren’t wearing your ear protection... stumbling home blind and deaf just wasn’t an option. Part of you wanted to force your eyes open to see him, to see the giant orca siren who had been stalking you in both the waking world and your nightmares. But at this point it wasn’t possible anymore- your eyes were so painful, trying to open them felt like trying to drag your hands over broken glass.

So you had to just stand there, blinded. Even more vulnerable than before.

“just listen to me.” Despite the musicality and silkiness to his deep voice there was an underlying urgency that couldn’t be faked. It was coming from just a distance ahead of you... only a few paces, if your hearing was correct. “you’ve walked onto thin sea ice.”

“... H-huh?” 

“there’s cracks everywhere. all around you. if you go forward anymore you’ll fall through and drown.”

... Your heart very nearly stopped. You thought the swaying you’d felt through your feet had just been from the confusion and splitting headache- not from walking so far out you’d managed to make your way onto the treacherous thin ice that’d give way under you any second.

“i’m going to lead you back to safety, okay? just follow the sound of my clicks.”

...

... You didn't really have the grounds to question him. I mean... what were your options? You'd blindly wandered onto deadly and fragile ice, an inky and icy death waiting just a few inches of frozen water below you. You desperately needed help, there was no way you were getting away safely on your own... if you take his help there's a chance he's lying, so you die, but if you reject him...

... You die either way. Might as well take the route with a sliver of hope. Maybe he’s... had a sudden change of heart? Randomly decided not to eat you?

Besides... You thought, shuddering. There's gotta be a little truth to it. Why would he try to trick me if I’m that close to gaps in the ice? Why bother leading me if I’m within range?

... You just... tried not to think about the fact that orca siren were well known for toying with prey for hours.

You heard his clicking, easily penetrating through the ice just ahead of you. That familiar echolocative sound... tapping like water droplets hitting a stone floor interspersed between louder clicks that you felt in your feet.

... You took a shaking deep breath, wiped away more tears... and started stumbling after the monster’s beckon.

He was right about there being cracks everywhere. The ground continually rocked beneath you; as he led you across the ice, you occasionally heard him surface, breath and rippling water... then the clicks would begin again somewhere else- further ahead or a little to the left or right. All around you there were places for him to come up for air... holes that you could’ve staggered straight into.

He led you across the shaking and unstable ice, weaving your stumbling blind form out of a maze of cracks and imminent danger. He could probably sense, with his echolocation, what sections of ice were thick enough for you to safely walk across.

Eventually, the ground evened out, and stopped rocking back and forth when you trod on it. His breaks for air became fewer, and further between... it must’ve been safer territory now...

...

... You turned your face.

... You didn’t have to see the setting sun to be able to see it. Everything under your eyelids got brighter when you turned toward it, you felt a modicum of warmth on your cheeks and still-burning eyelids.

So...

...

“W-we’re... going the wrong way.”

... You heard him pause, his clicking stopping short as he surfaced a short distance away. You couldn’t tell if he’d turned to face you or not, you desperately wanted to see.

“The... the st-station is... east, from the m-melting ice. We’re... g-going south right now...?”

...

His voice changed. You could hear the smile- in your minds eye you could see the dark grin spread across his face.

“i said i’d take you to safety. didn’t i?”

... 

You clapped your gloved hands over your ears and, just like you’d been trained to do, began shouting out the lyrics to the first song that came to mind as loud as you possibly could. Just underneath the words you were yelling you could hear something beginning to resonate... something sweet and beautiful, soothing and otherworldly and terrifying, but you couldn’t linger on it, not even for a second, you couldn’t think about it at all because as soon as you concentrated on the sirensong instead of your song you wouldn’t be able to pull yourself back again. As soon as you thought about him instead of the stupid lyrics, instead of the burning in your eyes and head, instead of the hoarseness in your throat, it’d all be over.

...

A gunshot.

The bullet landed in the water only a few feet away from where Sans was floating, sending up spray that dotted the ice around it. It caught you and the siren off guard- both of you stopped, your panicked yelling broke and the beautiful melody cut short jarringly like an entire orchestra freezing mid performance.

You took your hands away from your ears just in time to hear Sans mutter “stupid researchers...” before the unmistakable splash of him diving back under the surface again; under the ice, back into the depths.

For a second, you literally couldn’t help it- you forced your eyes open the barest fraction, the glare immediately shooting pain through your skull. And... it was Hit, in his signature black and red coat, the sunset-coloured world behind him completely fuzzy. Boots crunching on the ice as he moved toward you, rifle raised and pointed at the water; goggles pulled up to his forehead... 

Even as you shut your eyes again, just a second already too long, his expression was burned into your mind. Glaring at where Sans had been with a look you could only describe as... furious.

And possessive.

You heard him swear softly, anger dropping away- you heard him hastily put his rifle over his shoulder, rushing over to you and dropping heavily to his knees, saying your name like he was nervous you weren’t going to answer. You felt coarse gloves against your icy face, turning it up to him, warm breath on your painful face... you never thought you’d feel so much relief at the touch of somebody you’d never trusted before, but you let out a tiny shuddering exhausted sob and leant into him until your forehead touched his chest.

“hey. hey, it’s okay.” His voice was gentle, but still clearly panting- how far had he gone to look for you? “it’s okay, i gotcha.”

When he hoisted you into his solid arms, you just leant against him completely... tucking into the hold as much as you could. You were emotionally and physically spent and all you wanted to do was sink into his jacket and sleep.

"... c’mon, doll. let’s get you home.”

[celestialspecial]

The Sin of Desire (Pt. 4)

Werewolf!Billy Russo x Reader

Warnings: Violence, Graphic Descriptions, 18+ spicy content etc.

You swore for the umpteenth time as Billy’s phone rang and went to voicemail a second time. This was dumb, you didn’t have time for this. The skillet and knife were all you had and it would need to last until help arrived. You dialed 911, unsure if you were leading lambs to the slaughter and felt a pang of regret as soon as the voice on the other line assured you help was on the way. You’d lied of course and said there had been an attempted break in, because who would believe a werewolf had broken into your pantry and gnashed its blood covered teeth at you?

You rushed to look out the back porch to see if you had eyes on the beast and there it stood, no longer on two legs but down on all fours, panting, staring at you, and began pacing back and forth, whining. It almost sounded pathetic, but you didn’t buy it. Taking a few steps backwards so you could keep you eyes on it and look out for the responders. A knot twisted in your stomach, praying, hoping that bullets would work on this thing. Then you heard him.

“Sweetheart?” Billy. Your heart seized. Where was it coming from?

“Billy?!” You hated how frantic you sounded but if he was here he needed in the house immediately. No response. The animal was still pacing. “Billy?” You ventured again. The sound of sirens echoed in the distance. You had to find him. Turning your eyes from the werewolf you charged to the front door and flung it open, hoping to let Billy in as quickly as possible. Except he wasn’t there. But sure enough, something else was. You saw a flash of it. Creeping around to the front yard and licking its chops, as if whatever it had consumed earlier in the night was wearing off and it was ready for its next meal.

Red and blue lights started glowing at the end of your street but by the time they got here you’d be dead. “RUN” you heard Billy’s voice again, or was it your own mimicking his in a panic? The wolf lunged and you slammed the door closed just as sickening claw scratches formed on the other side, the sound of wood splintering, the full force hitting your front door sent a cascade of paint flying off and cracks at the site of impact. The sirens were deafening now and sounds of screeching as a cop car jumped the pavement and skidded to a stop in your front yard.

“Jesus Christ!” A shout came from a male voice, two rounds of gunshots and then hurried sounds of boots running up your porch. Followed by a furious flurry of knocking. “Ma’am?! Are you in there? Are you alright?” Police officers. You peaked out the window and saw only two officers, no sign of the creature.

“Get in!” You shouted, opening the door the smallest amount for them to dash inside. They were both panting. The younger of the two had a sheen of sweat over his dark skin and the other, an older officer who looked like he had seen years of action, but never anything like this. Both had wide eyes and were attempting to catch their breaths, ragged gasping leaning against the walls of your hallway.

The younger one spoke up first, “What the FUCK was that?”

Well shit, there went your attempted burglary story.

“I-is it…still out there?” You ventured, eyes darting between the two of them.

“Hit it in the shoulder with one shot but the other missed. Looks like it took off into the woods.” The older cop said. “What the hell do we even call this in as…”

“You don’t.” you said. “No one will believe you.” The younger more attractive man nodded and looked to his partner, they both took a moment before gathering courage, something you admired and resigned themselves to ‘search the grounds’.

After half an hour and you following them, room to room to look out the windows as they made their way around your property, no sign of the werewolf. Shocked but unsurprised they didn’t call for backup, at least not yet. You wish you could say relief was what hit you, but the night wasn’t over yet.

“Do you have anyone you can call and stay with them until sun up?” The younger man asked when they came back inside after the somewhat thorough search. Your first thought was Billy but he wasn’t answering his phone. Your friend Emily was a few blocks away and answered when you called, explaining the whole situation. You spun a thrilling yarn of a robber assuming your house was empty and staging an elaborate break in attempt only to find you there, and now you were scared shitless and needed a place to stay. She ate it up.  Within minutes you’d stuffed some clothes and a toothbrush into your bag and were ready to go.

In the back of the cop car you rested your head against the window, watching the passing houses and thick bundles of trees that made up the forest that circled the town like an emerald necklace. The woods used to feel like a second home to you but now looking at them, they seemed to look back and it made the churning in your stomach roil to an all new level.

“I thought show-off CEO’s don’t slum it in the wilderness. They only go glamping.” You had laughed, teasing Billy on one of your first dates. He’d suggested hiking and your nature loving heart had skipped a beautiful beat. He laughed and his eyes crinkled at the sides, the sun beginning to set had let a golden hour glow settle over the part of the forest you were hiking in.

“Please don’t ever mention me and glamping in the same sentence.” He’d said leaning against a pine tree and scratching at a bit of sap that had caked onto the side of his boots. You dropped your pack down next to him and had a deep swig of your water bottle. The weather was warm with a cool breeze up this high but the steep incline was starting to wear on you. Wiping a bead of sweat from your brow you offered your water bottle to him. He smiled and you couldn’t help but notice how it seemed to light up his whole face, he seemed so right here, in his element and yet it felt so juxtaposed to how he was in work. Clean cut, three pieces suits, hair perfectly coiffed, and he somehow always smelled amazing.

Now he stood before you in a T-shirt and thick flannel, cargo pants and hiking boots that look like they were well loved. His scruff was a little more grown in and while he didn’t look like a mountain man, there was no denying the air of comfort and peace that seemed to radiate off him in waves ever since you both set foot into the wild. Sitting down to pluck a rock from your shoe you watched him wander off a little ways to get your bearings and see how many markers until the lookout area you were both searching for. A few moments passed and he was back, moving stealthily quiet and motioning for you to follow, a finger pressed to his lips.

Confused but curious you hoisted yourself up and took a few hesitant steps towards him, taking his hand as he led you around a few boulders and a dense thicket. The trees were so close together you had to let go of his hand to squeeze through behind him. Your eyes wandered over the steep forested hills in front of you unsure what you were looking at. You let out a squeal when you felt his hands grab your waist and pull you to the side by a large evergreen. “Shhh, look.” He whispered pointing up the hills a little ways. Squinting but seeing nothing you paused, furiously scanning the greenery in the fading light of the afternoon. Allowing your eyes to flick up to his face for a moment you were suddenly very aware of his large hands holding you in place, back to his chest, feeling the slow rising and falling of his breath, the warmth seeping into your back from him and feeling an urge to close your eyes and relax into this moment forever, but before you could do that, “See? Right there.” Following the point of his finger your gaze landed about 250 feet away, well hidden a small grouping of wolves. You’d barely seen them from how well they blended into the landscape around them.

There must’ve been 7 or 8, they moved so silently and effortlessly. A few darted around, but most laid in the ebbing sunlight. As sunset approached a few strong rays of light fell upon the pack, probably basking them in warmth. A large wolf was off to the side, laying down, eyes in slits as the sun poured over it, but you could tell it watched the others with just as much alertness. A second wolf appeared next to it and nuzzled the thick charcoal colored fur along its massive neck. The large gray wolf’s eyes closed as its companion continued sniffing and then placed a few choice licks around its one ear. You couldn’t believe they hadn’t seen you both yet, or maybe they did and just didn’t care.

“That must be his mate.” Billy breathed into your ear, his eyes still focused on the two animals off in the distance. 

“They almost look like they can’t tear you to pieces from here.” You responded. “Don’t they mate for life?”

“Some do I believe. Or at least that’s what animal planet told me.” He chuckled behind you.  You let out a short laugh and the two wolves paused their grooming, looking in your direction.

“Oh shit.” You said, but felt Billy’s hands tighten on your hips.

“It’s fine. They’re uninterested in us.” He was right, the smaller apparent mate continued licking around it’s partners ears and neck. The male’s eyes were completely closed and almost seemed to lean back, fully relaxed and content.

“She’s buttering him up for something else.” You joked back at Billy, attempting to alleviate how aware you were of his body pressed close to yours, you felt like you could just melt into him. Maybe this was how that wolf felt.

“Lucky bastard.” Billy smiled and tugged your ear, “Come on, if we want to see the sunset from the lookout point we gotta get moving.”

“Unhuh” You responded, turning to follow him. Venturing another glance back at the couple, they’d both laid down and the female was resting her head on top of her partners, eyes closed, probably resting before hunting that night. Billy had made a good amount of headway but you moved slowly and still seemed to stir up more noise than he did moving fast. You jumped a tiny creek and now being up higher you looked back once more, either out of curiosity or caution, but the male still rested perfectly happy, the female was awake, looking at you, head slightly cocked to the side, almost like a dog. She seemed to acknowledge you temporarily, blinked once and laid her head back down, watching you as you made your way out of the brush and back onto the defined path.