#he isn't used to someone this powerful just having an honest normal conversation with someone so low in comparisson

[ancha-aus]

Gifted Drabble - NewAgeAu - Q&A

As I said! I totally wasn't scheming :3 @spotaus

But i had to wait until you uploaded your drabble about very sneaky Cross to make sure I got more references and a better idea about his character :D

So... here we are :3 Also yes the name of the drabble is a very bad joke but i thought of it and it was too funny.

*------------------------------------------*

Cross just sits there... He is such an idiot!

Getting caught?! As quickly as he did? that must be a record on how incapable he was.

It wasn't as if Cross had an excuse. Dream and Blue warned him! Warned him that the Knights were very skilled and watchful. That he had to leave as soon as he got the information and plans. Do not linger!

That had been the mission!

Instead he was a coward and just. Took too long. He spend too much time trying to form a plan instead of just acting. And then He tried to solve mysteries himself instead of just grabbing and leaving as soon as he could!

But he just... Cross groans.

He hadn't found anything fitting the brief. He hadn't been able to find anything that spoke about hurting people or raising taxes to hurt the poor or anything!

In matter of fact.

All he found was plans to improve the infra structure. To tax the nobels more and lower the taxes on people who earned less. He found information on how the king had contact with farmers to work on more structures and installations to help farmers recover from the change in weather and to fully utilise the land without exhausting it.

Projects on testing mixed crop planting and stricts rotation schedules to make sure the soil itself wasn't exhausted from nutrients or risks infections or fungi growing which would hurt the soil and specific crops.

There was even this whole program about apprentices!! something about orphans and children and teens on the straights and a way to offer them schooling and housing and even training with the people helping them! That the crown would pay these people for helping those who don't have family to count on!

It is still in draft clearly as it had been covered with sidenotes in this very elegant and curve handwriting. notes about how to pay for it. where to start it. which people to ask for posibilities. but also notes about how to check the children. how to make sure the children and teens weren't use or abused or even worse!

And... well... not too shortly after that one of the Knights just... Sat in the chair and spoke casually... Scared the shit out of him at the time.

How was that dude so quiet?! or so strong for that matter?

How could his magic had backfired so badly?

Cross sighs as he turns to his side. He is an IDIOT. How could he have gotten so reckless?

Drema and Blue would have already been happy with him getting anything back from the king's plans... maybe he just couldnt see the danger in them clearly? Hell if he knows what the state in the country is. He knows nothing about this place.

Maybe the things he saw was a bad thing? Maybe there was some... weird way to make them look bad?

Like.

Maybe there was already little nature? Sure Cross saw a lot of it on his way here but hell if he knows? maybe there is little in the cities or soemthing?

Maybe the nobels are already being taxed a lot? maybe this will make the nobels all poor? and euh.... Cross isn't sure how taxing the poor less could be bad but maybe there is some way?

the farming thing... Well... Cross isn't sure... maybe the farmers don't want him to micro manage or soemthing? maybe the king is being too controlling about it? that works...

The children are obvious. those are vulnerable kids and teens! Who are being used and exploited!! Well... he would have to ignore all the sidenotes about the kids wellbeing... and the notes about banning child labor...

Cross groans. Why is it so hard to see the things he is doing as bad?! Dream told him that Nightmare is corrupted and the thing ruling now is evil and terrible and needs to be removed to save his twin!!

Then why are the plans good? Maybe he is faking it? But why? XGaster never bothered to fake anything... He was just rightfully the king and people should respect him.

Cross frowns as he turns on his side. Ignoring the guard standing well guard outside of his cell. He tugs on the magical blocker on his arm. Making him unable to use his magic to summon any weapon or try to take control over someone elses magic again.

Well... Not like he can try that with the guard guarding him again anyway. Seeing as it is Dust guarding him...

Cross tugs on it again and Dust speaks "Don't bother. Those things can't be removed by the wearer."

Cross freezes and looks over. He thought he had been sneaky enough. The one with the panther mask stares back.

Cross frowns as he turns back to the wall.

The Knight goes quiet again.

Cross tugs on the band one more time. Just to be spiteful. Before laying back and staring at the wall.

Fuck... He is going to die here? Isn't he?

Maybe they will just starve him...

Or maybe they will first torture him to figure out who he works for.

Cross is going to have to withstand it until he dies. He can't give up Dream and the fact he is planning a revolution.

He can't ruin another revolution that could save and help so many people.

He will have to be strong. Not give in. Not even an inch.

"I apologise I took so long Dust. Thank you for keeping watch."

Cross freezes at the new but familiar voice. Cross had heard the voice before. He had seen the owner walk around and had been getting information on him.

The king.

The fucking king.

Nightmare himself!

Why was the king here?!

Sure Cross had been spying and stealing information. But was that really such a big deal to get the king himself to interrogate him?!

Then again... Shed's tail had aparently been removed and used for cat toys...

He is so dead.

A click and the door to his cell slowly creaks open.

Cross's pulse is beating so fast.

Footsteps walking closer. before the door creaks closed. and is relocked.

He is so dead.

A few more steps and then silence for a moment as Cross tries to keep his panic at bay. He regrets staring at the wall.

"I know you are awake. Speaking will be a lot easier if we face each other."

Cross keeps laying there. What does he do?! He can't ignore him. Come on Cross. Be brave. You faced down scarier threats!

'But you had magic back then.' his mind whispers 'You had a way to defend yourself.'

Still. Cross sits up and turns around. Making sure he is glaring. He is not going to give in. "What is there to tell?" His voice holds the challange. He isn't afraid. He will not give in. He is not going to give this so-called king anything!

Nightmare tilts his skull slightly. intrigue clearly. Cross doesn't like the fact that he seems just so... unbothered by Cross. Cross is the enemy! He is sitting in the cell after Nightmare's forces found him snooping around, trying to steal information.

So why is this king staring at him with just intrigued! No rage? No disgust?!

Nightmare speaks again. Seemingly taking his time to think about his answers. trying to be actually truthful? or trying to think of an answer that Cross wants to hear? Wait... Is the king already in cross's head and mind? is Cross already being tricked?

Nightmare's voice breaks him out of his spiralled thinking "I think I disagree. there is a lot to talk about."

Cross tilts his skull upwards. stubborn energy in his soul "I won't tell you anything about who send me or why. No matter what!"

Nightmare looks slightly amused "I don't exactly care about who send you or why."

... what?

Nightmare continues, at his aparently obvious confusion, as he explains "I know there are people who wish to know what I am doing. I know people are scheming against me. It is nothing new. Even a spy as yourself is nothing new." he looks amused "The fact they even send you implies they know close to nothign about me, my land or my home. Or, that they don't care about you at all."

That.. that doesn't make any sense?!

Ngihtmare nods "I do apologise you swore your loyalty to those who know nothing of the target they send you to spy on. Otherwise they would have known that I am aware of what goes on in my castle and land." he smiles "they would have known that my Knights are everywhere and good at their jobs." he shoots Cross a look "They would know that i am aware of who is suposed to work where at which moment."

Cross feels his mind lock up as the information filters in... How... how hadn't Dream known this?

Ngihtmare waves a hand casually "You are a rather inexperienced spy. Not that it matters. As there is very little any type of skill could have done against me and those of mine. Either your employers know nothing of me which means they aren't much of a threat quite yet. Or they were willing to throw you away as some sort of test against me or you. Which just makes me unimpressed with them overall."

Cross just stares at the ground.

The Knight speaks softly "Way to ruin his worldview my king."

a moment of silence before "I apologise. I shouldn't have said those things. You did not deserve to hear those or have to worry about which case is true."

Cross snaps "Why am i not dead yet?!" He had heard about the terrible punishment this parasite of a king does. How he hurts people for jsut the hell of it... From Dream... form the guards working here... It makes no sense that Cross is still alive. Unless he wants to torture him of course...

A moment of silence.

Ngihtmare speaks a bit softer but still sure and confident "You meant no harm. You were here for a few days and no one was attacked. Neither myself, my knights, my servants or my people in the city. I do not see why i would punish you with death if you did not do a crime earning such a thing."

Cross glares up "And if i had hurt someone?" So he was just doing this own test?! this is just a test. That Cross can deal with. Cross can deal with someone trying to trick and test him!

The king chuckles and shakes his skull "It is very bold of you to assume you would have been able to hurt anyone. Just because we aren't obvious you were not walking around unnoticed or unwatched. If you had made a single move to hurt someone you would have been stopped and caught right away. I must admit however if you had tried that this conversation would be going very differently."

Cross frowns, wait... "If i moved to hurt someone? Anyone?"

Nightmare nods "Of course. The people who work for me are people who's safety i take very seriously. They are willing to work for me. in trade for their servitude i make sure they have what they need and want and more importantly. That they are safe to live their lifes." He sounds so certain and the answer is instantly.

He didn't even need to think about it.

Cross's mind is swimming as he tries to focus. This makes no sense... Why is he implying that he only punishes those who deserve it? That isn't waht others said. This... this is weird. This is the weirdest interrogation he has ever been part of. But he manages to find his voice again "What do you then even want to know?" It isn't like he knows anything.

Nightmare watches him "I am curious about the Lost Kingdom."

Cross flinches as he looks away. "It isn't called lost..." it isn't lost... it isn't! His... his brother- Nine is trying so hard to fix the mess Cross left behind. the mess Cross helped cause. It may be broken and a bit of a mess but it isn't lost. Lost implies there is nothing that can be saved from it.

A soft hum before he speaks again "I apologise. It is a name i took over from others." a moment of silence "I supose I am just curious what made the most loyal of knights of that land leave the country he was working on protecting."

Cross freezes. huh?

Nightmare waits for a moment but when Cross doens't answer he continues "It doesn't make sense to me. Your every move and motivation was from trying to protect the country you served. Yet here you are. Instead of there."

Cross looks to the side. He... he had tried to protect but he failed everyone. He always failed... He made the most terrible mistake of mistakes... How could he stay? they didn't want him to stay. He didn't deserve to stay after that.

Cross looks to the side and speaks "No one wanted the loyal dog of the tyrant to stay. so i left." there.

a moment of silence. "Seems a bit of a harsh name for someone who was loyal to the country."

Cross glares "I wasn't! I just did what the old tyrant wanted!" Like an idiot who can't think for himself. He just did whatever his father told him. Too blind and too stupid to see that XGaster was hurting others.

Nightmare continues to look at him "And you believed in him to make the right choices for the country. That is the job of a king. Make sure that what is done is done to improve the land. improve the country. improve life for the people. It is not your fault that XGaster didn't honour his rule. That he did not do what he was suposed to. What he was sworn into."

Cross can't hear this. Not form sometone who is suposed to be eveil but seems to know so much. Who seems to know what it means to be king yet who isn't suposed to care. Why is this thing who is possessing an innocent acting as it he cares? How would this thing know what makes a good king?!

Cross asks him as much. "Why do you care!?" it is more of a snap than a question.

Is it... Is it Nightmare? Influencing the thing brainwashing him and controlling him? Fighting back?

Dream would be happy to hear that.

Nightmare still thinks about the question. He looks ahead of himself with a tiny frown. Seemingly thinking.

Cross however can't help that notice how blue the cyan eye is. Clearly unnatural. Toxic even... Yet calm. There is no rage hidden that Dream warned him about. No edge of insanity or madness. Just calm and insightful thoughts. Control over his mind? but that makes no sense if he is brainwashed...

The body is not at all what Cross even expected to once see. Ngihtmare had this imposing presence. The fact his form was covered with a goop that had melted over one of his sockets didn't help. The way those tentacles on his back moved and idled. Seemingly without a single thought- wait... didn't octopusses have like... brains in each tentacle. Did that mean that Nightmare had five brains working and thinking for him?

Still... The corruption is so clearly... strange. Dream had told him that the powers given by the ritual was suposed to make a king and warrior of light. Of good. This form is proof that Nightmare wasn't suposed to gain this power. It is dark and moving and changing... But Cross can't help but think it doesn't look that bad, that the name corruption doesn't quite fit. It doesn't radiate any harm in anyway. Not like that time in the hall... Is... Nightmare able to control the presence it gives off? Why wouldn't he use it now? The slight magic he can still feel is potent and strong and unlike anything Cross ever felt before... But it isn't like other poisonous magics Cross had learned about. That he had trained to recognise. It is strange...

Cross decides to focus on the clothes he is wearing. It is clearly high quality stuff. not to forget the golden accents and actual bands around the tentacles. the clips with apple motifs. the detailing of branches like swirls in the same cyan colour as that eye, just less obvious because the fabric is slightly see through.

It makes for one intimidating image. One that the king carries with confidence and familiarity.

Nightmare speaks "I care because i wish to understand. We learn by understanding others. Even if i don't agree with someone doesn't mean i don't have to understand them. In matter of fact. the only way to truly disagree and be against something is to understand or at least know about the concept. When it is about why people do certain actions it is important to learn their motives and reasons. to understand why they did what they did before casting out judgement."

Cross can't deal with him... how is this suposed evil tyrant so understanding?

He is nothing like XGaster.

Nothing at all.

Cross can see that so clearly and so easily. This is someone who knows what he is talking about and who doesn't just say what you want to hear. Cross thought he knew what he was going into. He thought he would meet a man simular to XGaster.

Someone who manipulates. Someone who lies. Someone who turns every answer into a small insult. Someone who tells you how to think and why you are an idiot for not thinkinf like that from the start. Someone who believes himself to be perfect and not capable of fault.

Cross believed his father to be rightful in being this way and thinking that way for so long. It wasn't until after the revolution Cross finally noticed the cracks in the facade.

Cross thought... he figured he would be able to see through whatever mask Ngihtmare is wearing. Metaphorical of course. But he can't... he is failing. He can't figure this out.

Is... is cross being an idiot again? is Nightmare lying to him and is Cross still just unable to see it?

Or is there no mask to see through? no mask to spot the cracks in?

What does he do?

Nightmare waits and remains quiet until Cross actually focusses on him. When he does Nightmare speaks again "I wish to know what happened there. In your home."

His home...

"It isn't my home..." not anymore...

Nightmare nods and speaks again "Then what happened to the country that you used to serve and protect. What caused the downfall?"

Cross looks to the side "A revolution obviously..."

Ngihtmare nods and waits.

Cross glares "I was an idiot and could not pick a side. I couldn't fight my brother who lead the revolution but i could also not betray my lord. I ended up trying to help both yet messed everything up." he glares at the king "I made everything worse." all because he just couldn't pick.

Ngihtmare tilts his skull "Rather extreme. Thinking just one person can make or break a revolution."

Cross blinks.

Nightmare nods calmly "I am not saying that you couldn't have made it go better. That is always an option. However. A revolution... a rebellion. It is the same thing, and it is messy. it is dangerous. One person can not make things go perfect. that is impossible."

Dust coughs lightly into his hand. The king shoots him a look but nothing else happens.

The king turns back to him "You are not responsible for everything that happened. could you have helped? Yes. But... the choice that you made also enabled you to do the few things you could. the little bits you did to help your brother. If you had picked to defend the old tyrant. You would have had to hurt others."

Cross glares down "I know i should have helped."

Ngihtmare shakes his skull "That isn't what i am saying. the point i am trying to make is. You never know what you would have done in the other two situations. You could have joined your brother. but then you would have had to fight the very people you trained and fought beside before. The same people who know you through and through. who know how you fight and move." and he looks at him. "You helping them. either side of the conflict. would have meant you would have been at a different position at any given point. The things that happened wouldn't and couldn't have happened because your actions in this... neutral choice also had consequences and effect. It meant that XGaster stationed you as a guard. if you hadn't been available he would maybe have used two others to gain the same protection you gave him. You didn't stop the revolution when they got to you. instead there would have been two guards guarding the door." And nightmare give shim a moment to let that information sink in.

Cross stops... he... hadn't thought about... all he could think about is how he could have made things different. Thinking about how his skills could have helped specific moments... he hadn't considered that... him helping them from the start would have chanced everything...

and the moment where he could have helped... may never have even happened.

Cross shakes his skull "Things would have been better if i had picked a side."

The king considers it "Maybe it would have. Maybe it wouldn't. Maybe by not picking a side you were able to do enough damage control for both sides that enabled it to even be successful. Maybe not picking a side made it last longer. You can not know which choice would ahve been better as you never saw the options."

Cross isn't sure what is even going on anymore. He had believed... He had been sure that him not making a choice just made everythign worse. Everyone agreed. Everyone must have agreed or else they wouldn't have made sure to remind him about his mistake each moment they could...

right?

Nightmare nods before getting up. Cross only now notices that Nightmare had been using his own tentacles as a chair "But I think I have pushed you too far already with my questions. You need rest and time to process and calm down. Food will be brought to you later." he turns towards the cell door and exits.

The king nods to the guard and starts to walk away.

Wait...

Wait!

Cross jumps up and rushes to the bars "Wait!"

The king stops and turns back to him "yes?" and he waits.

Cross pants "You said... Way before... at the start... There had been others like me. other spies. Where are they now?" Dream said others had been send before right? Or maybe even other forces. That Nightmare killed them?

Nightmare tilts his skull "My knights or I myself spoke to them. Much like I am doing wiht you. Those who meant no harm and held no wish to hurt those here... They were offered a change of scenery. They mentioned they couldn't and didn't want to return a failure to their old leaders. There is always room and a need for people willing to work and help."

Cross frowns "And those who did wish to return home?"

Nightmare looks unbothered "After making sure they were no threat they were released at the border. With a warning to not return. Once is an happening after all, one people can learn from. However if it turns out they lied or wished to return to do harm after all they were punished for their crimes."

Cross looks down as his mind spins "Oh..."

Nightmare waits for a moment longer before nodding "Rest up. I will come back either tomorrow or the day after to continue our conversation." he turns and leaves.

Cross slowly lets go of the bars and goes back to the bed in the cell... He can't help but notice that it is actually rather comfortable here.

Sure there are bars and he is locked in and unable to use magic...

But there is fresh air. Some natural sunlight comes in through the barred windows. It isn't cold or wet. There are warm blankets and soft places to sit...

Even if it is a jailcell. It is comfortable at least.

Cross rolls back up on the bed and thinks.

His mind going over the past conversation and thinking about what he learned. For it having been suposed to be a way for the king to learn about Cross it was just Cross learning about Nightmare.

What had the king even wanted to learn? All Cross told him was how he thought about things and experienced it. Not even how the revolution happened or what events took place.

If Nightmare had wished to know those it would make sense. Then it would gain Nightmare insight to how the revolution managed to be successfull and what to defend against.

And yet...

and yet...

He didn't. All Nightmare wished to know was what Cross did.

It doesn't make sense.

None of it does.

It doesn't take long but eventually a maid comes along. a human and she bows in respect to the Knight before turning towards Cross with a smile "Hello there. I brought you some food. It are roasted potatoes and a salad." she puts it on the little opening to push it into his cell "Once you are done please place it back in this same area. Makes us able to clean it up which will leave your area a bit cleaner!" she smiles happily before nodding once she sees Cross paying her attention.

After that she turns away, bows to the Knight again,before leaving.

Cross makes his way to the food slowly but the Knight standing guard doesn't make a single move to take or mess with it.

Cross grabs his food and takes a seat on his bed again. He eats it slowly and feels his hand shake once he realises it is actually good.

It is taste and warm and filled with nutrients.

Why are they treating him so nicely?

Cross just... doesn't get it...

Maybe he can ask the next time Nightmare comes to him to talk?

Maybe he can get some answers after all...

*------------------------*

In case you guys don't get the title name. It is a joke. Because Cross is being interrogated but it is more a mutual Q&A...

I will leave now.

[the20thcenturykid]

I was thinking about something... We know that both Lilith and Alastor were missing for the last 7 years and we have confirmation that Lilith is now in heaven and from Alastor breakdown in finale that his powers are somewhat compromised, limited (what could also add to the reason why he lost to Adam, since as prideful as Al is he couldn't fathom loosing to him even when not on his full power) and that his deal is part of it, probably even cause.

Soooo, long post theory ehead.

Leading theory is that Alastor made not so good a deal with Lilith but! When? If it happened during those 7 years would Husk know about it at all since it looks like Alastor might not even be able to talk about it? (Again, his pride and hubris but it also looks like he isn't allowed to say much about those 7 years) I highly doubt Alastor had some heartfelt conversation about that somewhere during those 6 months of show, especially if he really cannot say much about it so... Husk shouldn't know much.

What if the deal itself is old news and recent development was just part of it? Since he played with some voodoo during his lifetime it's not out of question he made it even before his death or right after since from the beginning he was able to take down overlords one after another. Also - did Al actually sold his soul or someone pulled on him "power for tiny favour in future" ploy? Or both?

The question of why he's engaging with the Hotel's plot is also on, because as honestly compelling is the idea he was just bored we can be sure it's just an excuse and he has way bigger plans.

Alastor was and is the hunter.

He also can probably destroy souls. He threatened Husk to do so, since overlords he killed disappeared completely they could get this fate. Normally when the human soul gets killed in hell they come back sooner or later but not when killed by angels and apparently Alastor if he decides to do so.

Now to the point - I have weird feelings that his deal isn't with Lilith but rather this "future favour" is somehow connected to her and probably she's its target. What if she messed with the one who owns Alastor's soul and he was sent to silence her? From the start - I don't know if Alastor is/was strong enough to kill an ancient demon queen even with extra power from his "benefactor" but if so it would be wise to hide from demon who's hunting her in only place he would never be able to go - in heaven.

Now, why is Alastor supposedly weaker if he's to take down Lilith? BECAUSE HE FAILED and this is his punishment for that. Why was he missing for the whole 7 years? Was he searching for Lilith? Yeah, for that I have no fucking idea to be honest. Idk, he tried to break into heaven by force and accidentally fell into limbo between heaven and hell and just got out after 7 years and Lilith not sure where he is didn't want to leave her safe haven for which she probably paid quite a big price (probably part of the deal which Lute mentioned at the end of season). Idk, that would be funny.

This all could quite well fit the reason why Alastor is so interested not only in the Hotel but most importantly in Charlie. As redemption might be a way to enter heaven I doubt Al would even consider going through it, but just knowledge if it's possible for demon souls to go there would be some hint how to exploit this possibility to get to Lilith. But the most important part here is Charlie. She's still young and finding her footing and how's the best way to get her trust? Help her grow and achieve her goals. Alastor went for some lengths to gather some trust and by how everyone reacted for his comeback at the end it looks like aside from Lucifer and Husk he bought some of it from them. And there's also a question of Charlie's deal. "Favour where she doesn't have to harm her friends"? Maybe some footing for the way to lure Lilith out of heaven or find his way there to get her by himself.

So why doesn't Alastor just use Charlie now to lure Lilith out? If he threatened to harm Charlie who's still discovering her own power her mother should come running to help her child? Well judging from outside sources about Al and his personality he isn't as cold blooded as one might think and even when he was alive he had his code. Afterall using hostages is quite low blow, so he's trying to avoid it by manipulating Charlie into trusting her. This is also the reason why he hated Lucifer's involvement so much - he's another obstacle and actually quite problematic. One thing is to manipulate the young one to get to the ancient demon queen, the other to try to manipulate the young one in front of their father to get to the ancient demon queen who happens to be said fathers wife (ex?).

And now for the finale and his breakdown. One thing is his pride was just completely slaughtered by Adam, he's losing control, he's not only weaker than someone, but even weaker than he himself thought (and just a few hours earlier he was making fun of Adam for his hubris and just got the biggest UNO reverse card in his afterlife). Also, he realised that he almost died in an attempt of protecting Hotel and its residents. No matter if they are just means to the end, if he's accidentally creating himself a new obstacle on the way to his prey by getting attached to them and most importantly Charlie using them will be way more difficult. He's scared of showing any weaknesses, and here he showed not only that he isn't as powerful in fight as he seemed but now feels emotionally vulnerable. And he hates it so much.

SOOOOOOOOOO

One last thing. Who's the person with whom Alastor made a deal? Since he gained the skill of destroying souls one might think it's some angel, but then heaven wouldn't be so safe for Lilith. So probably Roo, the Root of whole evil that was teased here and there by Viv for some time. If so

[your-phantomfield]

CARL = CLOVER

i .. ii .. iii circa 2198 for @tokufan400

An older-sibling-esque relationship...

I.

What Carl Clover has had to live through would change anyone. The things he’s seen are the kinds of things one usually can’t find outside of a war zone. In many ways, his experiences have made it impossible for him to relate to others his age.

And considering who was behind the horrors he’s faced, it’s even worse with those older than him.

He knows adults are smarter than him. They know things he doesn’t, they’re able to hide things and lie to your face in ways he never would have imagined two years ago. They can hurt you in ways he couldn’t have made up in his worst nightmares.

So Carl doesn’t take any risks with those older than him. He can’t afford to. Not now- not with Ada depending on him.

II.

Because of this, it isn't easy to get through to Carl. His trust is hard to earn. The walls he puts up get higher in proportion to the age difference between you, and the power difference that creates.

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t need someone looking out for him. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be able to trust again. But to build that relationship with him, you have to be patient.

He keeps his distance by presenting as unfalteringly polite. This chilling formality is how he’s learned to protect himself, how he keeps himself from being tricked or used- so don’t try to push past it. Let him set the pace if you want to get close to him.

Try to treat him like an equal early on. That kind of respect will do more to prove your good intent than anything else could.

III.

He’s had plenty of people start off expressing concern for him, only to turn around and treat Ada like a monster. You have to avoid that if you want to be in his life. Try to be compassionate toward Ada. She may not look it, anymore, but she’s just as much of a traumatized child as he is. She’s worse off, in his opinion- at least he still has his body.

Be honest with him, of course. You’re not going to be able to understand her. Don’t try to pretend to be able to- you’ll do just as much damage by ignoring her ‘condition’ as you would by ignoring her humanity. But do respect what she was, at least, and what she still is to him.

He says she speaks to him. So trust him on that. Ask him to translate for her so that she isn’t left entirely out of conversations, just like you would for a ‘normal’ child with a disabled or speech-impaired sibling.

IV.

Meet him on his own interests. Even before his life was torn apart, Carl was always a little different. Sheltered, shy, oddly mature- being born into aristocracy made him a little… stuffy.

If you want to foster a surrogate sibling relationship with him, keep that in mind. Even in a good mood with his walls down, he might not look like a stereotypical fourteen year old boy. He’s not up to date with memes and doesn’t ‘get’ a lot of them. There may be some video games he’s open to trying, but he is prone to regurgitating that “I was told they rot your mind, we should play a more stimulating game instead” rhetoric. He thinks music with cuss words is pedestrian. (Yeah, this is the kind of kid that calls things “pedestrian.”)

V.

He loves chess, and he’s had no one to play with for a long time. He used to play with Ada, but she’s lost the dexterity to move the pieces; when they’ve tried to play, she ends up knocking the chess board over on accident, drawing attention to just how much they’ve both lost and unfortunately ruining the mood. So play with him. Even if you don’t know how or aren’t very good at it, he likes to teach, and it’s nice to see him have a chance to be all smug about his win streak- a chance to be a normal, bratty kid about something inconsequential.

If you humor him enough, he might be willing to try out some of your ‘more simple’ interests. He’s no good at sports, but as long as you encourage him, he can have fun with things like basketball or volleyball, where movement speed and quick thinking is more important than brute strength.

As for games those ‘brain rotting’ video games, he might never really ‘get’ first person shooters, but story driven games might be up his alley. Get him hooked on some good visual novels or JRPGs, he’ll like them more than he expects to.

VI.

There are actually a lot of hobbies he used to have that he was forced to abandoned after what happened to Ada. He and his sister both played violin, once upon a time. The incident stopped them, each for their own reasons- Ada can’t hold an instrument properly anymore, and Carl doesn’t have the space to be carrying around anything superfluous while living on the road. He used to read a lot, too, but his books had to be abandoned for the same reason as his music; he can’t be carting around a library from city to city.

It would be great if you could help get him back into the things he used to love. Buy or rent a violin for him; he can play it all he wants while he’s in town, and leave it at your place while he’s gone. Keep some books for him, and on occasion, offer to read to him. His sister used to read to him all the time, and he loved it. It’s one of the million things he misses about his old life.

VII.

On that note, invite him into your home, if you can. Whether you’re able to offer him a whole room or only a couch, that stability represents the end of his loneliness. Give him a place to keep his things, a place to return to when he’s about to fall apart, a place where he knows someone is waiting for him.

He’ll never be able to stay; his work is not yet done. So don’t insist. Don’t try to be his parent, don’t try to set curfews or bed times- just be there for him. He’ll come and go as at his as he needs to, but as long as he can trust you to see him off with a smile, he’ll keep coming back.

Whether he’s staying for days and waking up to share breakfast, or showing up at your door unannounced in the middle of a rainy night; give him a place where he’s welcome.

A ‘home base,’ at least, if he’s not yet ready for to accept a ‘home.’

VIII.

Speaking of breakfast. Could you cook for him? Even early in your friendship, before he’s willing to trust you, he’s always open to food. No matter how much he insists on his independence he still needs to eat.

He’s a horrible cook himself, so he hasn’t done the best job keeping himself fed while on the road. When he has money, he can buy himself a meal, but there aren’t a lot of restaurants that will allow him to go in with Ada without making a scene. He’s gone hungry often, and he knows it’s a problem; it weakens him and slows him down as a vigilante, and it worries his sister.

A home-cooked will melt his heart. He’s missed his sister’s cooking so much- this may not be able to make up for that, but it still means the world to him.

[mainstoryarchive]

Kingdom - 85: Life

Hokuto: … …

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Location: Outdoor Stage

Hokuto: … …

Subaru: Ah, the outdoor stage really has been prepared! So the president really is going to participate in a stray match~

Makoto: The vice president would absolutely never participate in one. Isn't this the first time the student council has participated in a B1 themselves?

Hokuto: To us normal students, the unofficial B1 matches are what we are most familiar with.

He must be planning to seize our hearts by showing us their strength here, at our stage.

You could say that AKATSUKI, by treating these unofficial matches as if they aren't even real matches, are tolerating these activities, our expression of freedom.

Although, when we went too far, he did make sure to stop it. In order to stand up against that pressure, we roused ourselves, polished our skills and kept on training to become better.

However, the president will participate in our stray matches; he breaks into our paradise, subjugates it, and with that steals the only place we had left to run to.

I guess he means to make clear that in order to win, in order to expand his influence, he won't be picky about his means.

He truly is an emperor. He doesn't only wish to oppress us, he plans to have all of Yumenosaki Academy in the palm of his hand.

He is one with the ability to do so, he has the power to do so, and the wits to change his plans accordingly. He will use politics and he will wage war. And like that he makes sure to grab a hold of certain victory.

The president is a terrifying opponent to have. It's worse than I thought.

It might very well be futile to try to strike back at him straightforwardly. That's what he makes me think. with just the conversation we had just before I feel as if my heart has frozen over.

To be honest, I am terrified of the president.

Mao: This might be the time for us to close the curtains.

We really did well, we defeated the vice president and won the S1… But that might be our limit, it couldn't become any more than nice memories.

A revolution, we believed that we could change this Yumenosaki Academy. But in reality, just what did we do, what did we change?

It might not be such a bad idea, you know. The president's proposal also makes sure that each one of us will be able to improve as well.

Trickstar will disappear, but keeping our future in mind, we won't lose anything by going along with what the president wants.

Confronting someone from the front isn't the only way to fight.

There's also the method to try and change things from the inside, while obeying the authorities.

You could even say that that method is more constructive and I'm not just saying that because I'm also a student council member.

Hokuto: Are you raising a white flag and surrendering? Isn't it upsetting to do that, Isara?

Mao: I'm just saying that there's no point in being stubborn.

If we fight straightforwardly, one will be defeated and the winning ones will be exhausted. Worst case scenario, everything will just turn back to the way it was before and nothing we did will have any lasting effects.

The president and the others will graduate next year. We can just grab a hold of this school by climbing up to a high position in the unit we transfer to until that moment.

It isn't too late to try and change the school after that, don't you think?

If you keep our future, everyone's future in mind, then I'm sure you can also see that that is much more efficient. No one will benefit from it if we rush things- we'll just slowly disappear after getting tired and wearing ourselves down too much.

Keeping what happens after graduation in mind, it can't be that bad to become the president's ally, to adhere to the president's authority.

Our life doesn't end with graduating from Yumenosaki Academy.

If we are planning to keep on being an idol after that… We should be trying to have connections with important people, with strong people.

Transferring to different units and being able to fight against you guys… Doesn't that also look like it could be fun?

… A lot more than my double spy life between the student council and Trickstar, at least.

Hokuto: When you say that, Isara, we can't talk back at you.

We made you carry the heavy burden of having to have a hand on both sides. If you say that you no longer want to be in that position, I can't force you to.

Subaru: Are you planning to go along with the president's plan, Sari?

Mao: I can't give you an immediate answer, I also have my obligations and sympathy towards both sides. It isn't something I should decide on with only logic, but to be honest, I'm quite shaken by all this.

I think you guys should also calmly take the time to think it over at night, when you go to sleep.

About the president's proposal… No, about our life.

[ ☆ ]

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[cxndlequeen]

He needed time away from everything. All of them. Oven and Perospero and the others who looked down on him as a runt. Sure, he was short by normal standards and Lola towered over him by a foot... But bringing it up caused his own rage issues. "It's given some of us confidence... You really shook things up, in a good way. Showed us that she isn't invincible." He nodded, having also grown to hate their mother. "Oh, that's what is frightening. Her power is quite real, but it's being wielded by someone with the mindset of an unstable toddler. Nobody dares tell her no." Craquelin agreed, taking the cup in his hands and blowing on it, using the hot crockery to warm his cold hands, sipping on it. Leaning back in the chair, his yukata revealed a bony collarbone and protuding ribs. Craquelin had always been slender, but this just looked unhealthy. "Thank you, Lola." He offered quietly, blinking softly. "What have you been up to then? Still singing?" It was nice having an honest conversation, not having to moderate his words to avoid being killed.

For @marriageproposallola

New starter for the new mutual, thanks so much for following Craquelin!

"You really, really made her mad." Craquelin laughed, clapping a little since he wasn't under observation. "I'm quite impressed, Lola. I didn't think it was possible to leave Mother alive, or to ruin her plans quite that well... Congratulations are in order." He shrugged. He looked pale and drawn, his pink hair wispy and broken at the ends as he exhaled, seeming tired.

[niconebula]

The Collector's main issue in empathy is caused by a very unfortunate cycle of himself being treated as an object, or 'other' due to their powerscale, and then inflicting that back onto others because he has never known anything else.

The Titan Trappers worship them as an intouchable God. Belos used them as a pawn and powersource for his own agenda. King only freed him as a means to stop the draining spell.

I seriously doubt that this kid has had a real honest conversation / connection with someone in thousands of years. King is too afraid of the consequence of not going along with his actions or possibly critisizing him and starting a tantrum - but this then feeds into the idea that King isn't really a real person with wants and needs and feelings and more like the Collector's personal doll.

I think it likely that Dana and the writing team took inspiration from the Twilight Zone's "It's a Good Life" about a kid with incredible power who, because everyone is scared of him can't be disciplined / is not used to it, literally turns naysayers into toys (I don't think King will actually be plushified though).

I do believe the Collector holds genuine respect and care for King, actually. He does not intentionally want to hurt him. This is just incredibly normal to them and it doesn't cross his mind how uncomfortable King is. There will probably be an incident where King tries to break free and leave, maybe after the Collector does something that crosses the line too far, which erupts an actual arguement where King finally vocalizes his fear and the Collector becomes upset beyond the spoiled child act. Like, laments on the very real and intense trauma of being left alone for thousands of years. And they start to reach an understanding that both of them have emotions, and don't like being treated as objects.

[sagau-fruit-bowl]

Enjoy these headcanons on ways the starting four characters worship [Name] while I debate posting the next chapter tonight or tomorrow night.

For a bit of context for this AU, click here.

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Aether

To be honest, Aether has a bit of a superiority complex.

He's your first vessel, the only vessel you've never left behind, your favorite vessel to talk through, any important conversations are done through him, and he takes all of those details to heart with the idea that even though he's lost his twin, he's gained a god who will assist him in every step along the way while he's looking.

His favorite way to worship and thank you for your help is to place himself at the forefront of every conversation about you.

He's gained respect from the other vessels as your first vessel and many respect him as your voice piece, speaking on your behalf with everything, from what foods you would favor based off of what you cook most often to what your temples should be designed as based off of which buildings you ooh and aah at the most.

He views himself as an extension of you and your will, and nothing in Teyvat could convince him that he is not the manifestation of what you believe.

Amber

Amber has always felt most at home in the sky, gliding being one of her best and most respected skills.

As the gliding champion on Mondstadt, there really was no one better than her to teach Aether how to glide, and by extension, you.

Amber feels most connected to you when she's gliding through the air, remembering the feeling of your voice surrounding the world around her rather than emanating from the Traveler.

Gilding reminds her of that slight gasp and noise of joy she hears when enjoying the sky.

Reminds her of your concern in that treasure thief's hideout when she jumped across that expanse, she knew there was some way to make it across but your concern simply enforced that she had to try.

Honestly, Amber feels a bit guilty for not recognizing you when you first met, the whispers in the wind weren't her biggest priority until she focused on teaching the Traveler everything she knew about gliding and words in the air weren't exactly normal, however now that she knows, she's thankful you trusted her to teach your vessel.

She's also thankful that because of you allowing her to teach you, she's getting requests from citizens of Mondstadt to help them with their gliding license. You've given her the chance to do more of something she loves and has put the life of your vessels in her hands, she can never thank you enough.

Kaeya

His methods of appreciation might be a bit outlandish compared to the others.

He's seen first hand the response that using The Guide's title garners and he's rather proud of the fact that as a vessel, he can use it freely.

He feels a little bit of shame for the amount of things he's put the Traveler and therefore, The Guide, through, but he doesn't feel too bad about it. He was only doing his job after all.

Mondstadt as a country isn't very religious and Kaeya is no exception. His worship for [Name] is directly tied to how much amusement and strength they give him and each adventure, travel and battle causes him to respect this being just a bit more. 

Kaeya also knows better than to blame The Guide for his mistakes in life and finds it rather refreshing how willing The Guide is to admit when something going wrong is their fault. 

Whispers of 'sorry' and 'that must have hurt' or even 'I promise I'll make it up to you' always soothes any injuries better than food or proper healing and Kaeya takes it as a bit of a compliment how much a god apologizes to him.

Kaeya almost doesn't see The Guide as being a god, but no one else could have that kind of power. The Guide is kinder than any god he could think of and he only hopes they never change.

Lisa

As someone with a much more in place job than most other Knights of Favonius, she can't exactly go out to gather gifts or offerings unless you personally pull her outside but either way is fine with her.

Lisa builds up her own reputation by writing stories and religious texts of you, occasionally interviewing other vessels and especially Aether when he's in town, honestly he never gets a break with how many people ask him about [Name].

Her writings are often for the eyes of the Knights of Favonius only, worrying that if she leans them, people will never give them back and goodness knows how much Lisa cares for her books.

Speaking of which, any chance she has to have you and Aether in the Library, she'll take. Showcasing how nicely she takes care of the Library and showing off her favorite books.

Any books that you show any appreciation for will promptly be taken off the shelves and kept for your eyes only, she would rather be fired from her position than let you down by not having your favorite book and Jean knows better than to fire a vessel from her ranks. 

One day, Lisa will show all Mondstadt what she's written for you but only once she's certain they understand how well it must be taken care of.

AYYY! PAIMON BECAUSE NO ONE WRITES PAIMON! Okay, okay, actual writing, let's do this.

Bonus, Paimon!

Paimon often gets glossed over in regards to you, by everyone honestly, but they seem to forget a key detail, Paimon never leaves.

She's always travelling with your vessels and while she boasts quite a lot, she'll keep the knowledge she has of you private.

She's there every time you pause the game, listening to everything from speaking to other people to when you leave the device online while sleeping.

She knows your name, she knows your favorite foods, she knows your favorite songs. 

Aether might consider himself your mouth piece but Paimon knows more about you than any vessel could dream of, and she has no problem making others aware of that if they threaten her.

Aether might speak for you, but Paimon knows you, even if she doesn't tell your followers everything.

She'll make sure she's heard by you one day, one day you'll realize that if any of your followers truly care, it's the devoted and hard working Paimon.

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Next chapter of The Guide will be out soon!

Hello! Have some headcanons I wrote because inspiration is being an indecisive little worm.

Feel free to like, comment, reblog, send in an ask, send in a request, or even scroll on past if you feel more comfortable. I just hope you had fun reading!

[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

Newsflash: Dazai cares for Chuuya

Before reading any further, I will be talking about stormbringer, so spoilers ahead!! Translation credits go out to: @popopretty on tumblr, make sure to give this kind human some love and appreciation<3

Also if you want to read the first few chapters of stormbringer: @buraihatranslations is currently translating it, give them much love and appreciation as well, they deserve it!!

Honestly, I have been so obsessed with Soukoku lately and I think the reason behind this is because when it comes to Soukoku, their feelings for each other are not as easy to grasp as love or hate, it is much more profound than that. There is care, hurt, trust, resentment, companionship, bitterness, and consideration...And ironically enough, thats just the tip of the iceberg.

If we break down their individual feelings towards each other, it will be easier to understand their bond.

On Chuuya's end, his feelings are much more clear due to his expressive personality. He wears his emotions on his sleeves, he can try and hide what he feels towards Dazai but his true feelings tend to unravel easily.

He sometimes tries to mask his feelings towards Dazai by throwing insults, but his facial expressions are enough to contradict what he is saying.

Chuuya's feelings towards Dazai can be easier to comprehend. He obviously feels this certain betrayal due to the fact Dazai left the Port Mafia. Not to mention, he and Dazai have always had a rivalry relationship.

In the Soukoku wiki page, it is stated that Chuuya is aware of Dazai not experiencing a proper childhood, therefore allows him to act as childish as he can and lets him tease him relentlessly. I don't know how reliable this source is, but either way I think its worthy enough to add.

In the Dragon head conflict when Dazai was out of sight, Chuuya told Mori to forget about Dazai. That was until Hirotsu mentioned a microscope, Chuuya quickly realizes it was code language because he remembered a previous conversation where Dazai says he needs a microscope to be able to see Chuuya properly.

The moment he figured out it was a tracker, Chuuya did not hesitate to jump in and rescue Dazai. But here is the catch: No one but Chuuya knew about the microscope, if Chuuya really didn't care for Dazai he wouldn't have mentioned the microscope and kept all this under wraps, leaving Dazai in a mess.

Chuuya trusts Dazai with his life. He never hesitates to leave his life on Dazai's hands when it has to come to it. Chuuya and Dazai have known each other for years, for Chuuya to be able to trust Dazai that much is because Dazai also cares for him too, right?

The answer here is yes, Dazai cares for Chuuya. In a superficial level, it doesn't seem like Dazai truly cares, but I can assure you that he does care for him. Weather you like to think of his care in a platonic or romantic manner, the care Dazai has for Chuuya is undeniable and extremely significant for Dazai's character.

I think that stormbringer establishes this idea even further. There is one specific moment in this light novel that shows his genuine concern towards Chuuya's well being:

"There is one problem." Dazai cut off his sentence hesitantly. "It has nothing to do with the sucess rate of the plan. It is a matter we have to overcome in the end but... It may require some time to decide."

"What's with you?" Chuuya raised his eyebrows at Dazai. "Stop dramatizing it. Just hurry up and say it."

"I said earlier about this control spell to open the 'gate' that is used to reset the command inside Chuuya, right?" Dazai spoke with a strangely restrained voice. "If we use that, the logs of the command formula that were written in the past will be erased. That means...even if the memory erasure was used on Chuuya in the past, the traces of that will be erased as well."

"What?"

"I told you before right, the memory erasure command. The only way we can confirm if Chuuya is human or not is to check the history to see if the memory erasure command was ever used. It means..." Dazai looked at Chuuya with eyes that he had never looked at him before. Those eyes were serious. "If we use that control spell, the method to confirm if Chuuya is an artificial personality created by a string of code, or just a normal human being, will be lost. For good."

The time had stopped.

Chuuya opened his eyes and looked towards Dazai but his eyes were not seeing anything. The wind blew between the two of them. Even so, Chuuya did not blink.

"Verlaine became like that because he was tormented by the curse that he was not human. That only is enough of a big problem. The matter of being human or not." Dazai looked at his pocket watch, gave it a glance and continued. "I can delay the time until the plan starts for about two minutes. I will send an order for my men to wait... You can think about it alone for a while. Cuz I guess its hard for you to collect your thoughts with me around."

Having said so, Dazai turned away and walked down the stairs, leaving Chuuya alone.

Dazai fixated in his pocket watch. Two more minutes. Too short for a life decision. But he couldn't afford more than that.

Inside Dazai's head, he was planning a procedure to swith to an alternative plan in case Chuuya refused, at a tremendous speed.

This section in stormbringer is personally one of my favorites, this is a very rare moment between both of them, but especially for Dazai. Like I stated earlier Chuuya wears his emotions on his sleeves, therefore even if he tries to mask his care with insults, its still painfully noticable that he genuienly looks after Dazai. Chuuya also sometimes show a vulnerable side of himself to Dazai, especially after using corruption.

Dazai on the other hand is extremely unreadable. Its hard to understand his true intentions and if he really cares for people or only sees them as a pawn. In this moment though, Dazai was being painfully genuine. Dazai literally prioritized Chuuya over the mission. He was already thinking of coming up with an alternative plan just in case Chuuya refused, obviously the sucess rate of the alternative plan would be lesser than the actual plan Dazai had in mind, he choose Chuuya's wellbeing over a mission.

In this section, Dazai wasn't throwing jokes or witty remarks, he was being serious. Because Dazai knows how desperately Chuuya wants to be human. He knows how important being human is to Chuuya.

Dazai wasn't manipulating Chuuya by giving him the chance to decide, we can see that Dazai was literally showing a lot of hesitation when mentioning this to him, we also get to see what Dazai was thinking, and we can tell he wasn't thinking about manipulative his movements in any way. All of this wasn't coming out of manipulation, it was coming out of pure care.

After six steps, Dazai reached the stair. He stepped on the stair and started walking down. Three steps down the stair, he heard a *clang*, a cool sound of metal echoing behind him. It sounded like the metal was kicked by the sole of someones shoes. The moment Dazai realized what the sound was, Dazai turned around in surprise.

There was already no one at the top.

Dazai was dazed for a moment, then he loosened his lips and laughed.

"Trying to act cool, huh?" Dazai smiled, both annoyed and relieved. Then he turned on his radio and sent out his order. "Chuuya has sallied, everyone get ready for battle."

I personally love this part so much, relief washed over Dazai the moment he noticed that Chuuya was going to go through with the first plan, which proves my point that he wasn't manipulating him and how Dazai was under a lot of stress because he wasn't sure if the alternative plan would be as effective as his original one.

Yet he still was willing to go through the alternative plan if Chuuya refused, because Dazai values him and regards his wellbeing.

Dazai was being surprisingly gentle in this section, he was being honest. There was no ulterior motive behind his actions here, just a boy looking after his partner.

"So i'm going to send an order to my men to prepare for action... Is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay." Chuuya turned to Dazai. "Why are you asking me such a thing?"

Dazai didn't answer right away.

That was an unusual expression. It's like he was trying to say something, but he had to arrange the words in his head to decide where he should start. An expression he rarely shows.

This was right before Dazai drops the bomb to Chuuya about the memory erasure command. He was even asking for Chuuya's opinion on sending his men to get ready, this was the first time Dazai ever showed actual concern without masking it with witty remarks. You can tell that Chuuya isn't used to this.

And when you think about it, when Dazai and Chuuya have missions together, Dazai always uses corruption as a last resort and he always allows Chuuya to make the decision if they will be using it or not.

I personally belive that the main reason Chuuya trusts Dazai with using corruption is because The Sheep used to exploit his powers too much, but Dazai leaves the decision to use corruption up to Chuuya. Dazai understands the physical and mental toll corruption takes on Chuuya and therefore leaves the choice up to him.

Theres another section in stormbringer that I really enjoy, it doesn't necessairly show solicitude but I still think this should still be taken into consideration:

"You seem pretty confident that Chuuya is human, don't you?"

"I am," Dazai laughed with a sigh. "There is no way a man-made code could create such a personality that I detest so much."

Throughout the whole story, Dazai is more than determined that Chuuya is human. The main reason Dazai finds Chuuya so intresting is because of how frighteningly human Chuuya can be, because of the fact that he always wears his emotions on his sleeves, something Dazai rarely does himself. Thats personally a nice sentiment from Dazai's end, even when Chuuya struggles completely when it comes to believing in his own humanity, Dazai still can't help but see him as a human being.

Also I am aware that Dazai literally said he detests Chuuya here but he also sighed and laughed while stating this, showing us that he isn't being serious about hating him.

And its not only in stormbringer were he shows his concern towards Chuuya. In fact, in this following manga pannel Dazai is telling Chuuya that if he is willing to listen him, he will stage his own escape so that Chuuya doesn't get punnished.

Honestly, if Dazai didn't care enough for Chuuya, he wouldn't have mentioned this to him. Chuuya didn't care enough to realize that he literally unwillingly freed Dazai which would get the pm mad at him, so the fact that Dazai is literally helping him out is no doubt out of care for him. If Dazai didn't have any regard for Chuuya he would've not staged his escape or mentioned anything to Chuuya, eventually incriminating him.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to Dazai's feelings towards Chuuya, people think that he doesn't care for him due to the fact that he left the Port Mafia, leaving Chuuya behind. But heres the thing: Dazai's intentions had nothing to do with Chuuya. He left the organization for his own good, he left it to fullfill Oda's wish.

"If Dazai cared for Chuuya then why didn't he take Chuuya with him?" the reason is simple, he knows how much the PM means to Chuuya. In stormbringer it is shown that Chuuya feels as if his humanity is attached to the people he is loyal to, in this case its the port mafia. Verlaine wanted to get rid of the pm because he believed that the pm is what kept Chuuya's humanity, eventually making Chuuya believe that he is only human if he stays loyal to the pm. Dazai knows this. Thats exactly why he didn't take Chuuya with him or even explains to Chuuya why he left, he knows it would be selfish to basically rip Chuuya's sense of humanity apart.

I have a feeling that if Dazai told Chuuya about the real reason he left the Port Mafia, Chuuya will not only feel conflicted about being in the pm, but he would also have an inner conflict with himself as a human.

People also think Dazai may not really care for him because of the fact that after the fight against Lovecraft he actualy deserted him, maybe that part was truly just supposed to be seen as simple humor, but either way I want to talk about it. Chuuya's only request to Dazai was to take him back to base safe, so why did Dazai leave Chuuya behind?

I mean he has carried Chuuya back to saftey before with no problem, for example in stormbringer when Chuuya uses corruption for the first time Dazai carries him back to the billiards bar and not to the mafia’s base so that he could say goodbye to his passing friends.

The reson behind this is because Mori needs to know that unlike Dazai, Chuuya is absolutely loyal to him. Leaving Chuuya the way he did will make Mori believe that these two really are at each others throats and that Dazai is insignificant to Chuuya. Making it seem that for Chuuya, the mafia comes first before anything else.

Therefore Dazai established Chuuya's saftey within the mafia since not only does Mori want these two to be hostile with each other, he doesn't want Chuuya to eventually turn against him if he truly found out more about Dazai's true reason of departure. Then again, this isn't canon but it is a logical assumption.

Not to mention that although Dazai did leave him behind, he folded Chuuya's coat and hat before taking his leave. There is also an an extra chapter where Ozaki Kouyou was talking with Chuuya but when he left he forgot his coat, which made Kouyou came across the coat; where she noticed a badge sewed inside saying "Name: Hatrack", she smiled fondly thinking to herself that some things just never change, in this case, Dazai and Chuuya's bond.

Dazai literally took his time to sew this into his coat just to tease him, it was a simple gesture but it shows us how their dynamic will never change. No matter what these two go through, they will always share a bond that consists on teasing, trust and underlying care.

All of this actually makes that theory of Dazai planting a bomb under Chuuya's car for the sole reason that the PM doesn't find Chuuya as an acomplice who aided Dazai on his escape much more feasable.

For Dazai to just plant a bomb under Chuuya's car with no motive makes no sense because if Dazai's true intentions were to simply mess with Chuuya, he would've most likely made it clear at that time. Dazai always has an underlying motive behind his actions, and in this case it is very likely that he did that for Chuuya's sake.

Don't get me wrong, I am aware that the bomb incident could've just been a comedic moment and I shouldn't look too much into it, but there is still a posibility, right?

These two hold so much trust and care for one another, yet they also hold a lot of bitterness and resentment. In the end the good aspects of their dynamic outweighs the bad.

Either you see these two in a platonic or romantic way, you can't tell me that their bond isn't significant.

Thank you so much for reading!! I wanted to talk about this for a while because I feel like people misinterpret Dazai's feelings towards Chuuya a lot so I hope this clears up things a bit<3

[foxgloveblue]

pale in a liminal moon 🌙 chapter one

Pairing: Grian/Scar

Tags: selkie AU, steampunk AU, enemies to lovers, slow burn

Summary: Scar is a businessman, first and foremost. He's an expert in the games he has to play to maintain his power and wealth, and isn't afraid to use methods that most would abhor. However, things begin to change when he's approached with an unusual offer. He's gifted the skin of a selkie to study, opening an entire array of potential scientific advancements. It's the kind of opportunity any good businessman would dream of. There's just one problem - what to do with the captive selkie that comes with it?

Words: 3,065

next chapter

ao3 link || masterpost

The hardest thing about being a businessman was the loneliness. Rather – the hardest thing for Scar was the loneliness. Most of his associates seemed just fine. He had certainly heard enough about their families through many, many boring conversations. No, the issue of loneliness clearly had something to do with him.

The obvious solution was to settle down. Find a wife. There were plenty of people who pressured him to do so. The socialite circles he ran through whispered, his drinking buddies always joked about setting him up. Even Cub had once wryly commented that Scar wasn’t getting any younger.

The thing was, even if he did find someone he liked, he wasn’t sure that would solve the issue. It didn’t stem from lack of connection. He had plenty of people in his life – part of what had got him his empire was his ability to connect with someone, see what made them tick. No, he struggled with something… else. Something he couldn’t quite articulate.

When Scar looked in the mirror, his eyes met a stranger’s. He knew that he was Scar, of course. He just… wasn’t sure who exactly Scar was. All the different sides of him – his amicability, his silver tongue, his ruthlessness – they didn’t fit together quite right. He could see the cracks in the mirror even when there were none.

So that was the problem – an unspeakable question with an unknowable answer. But that was alright with Scar. Most things worked out for him eventually. He would just have to be patient.

_-🌙-_

The night that Scar first met his answer was a miserable one. The sky had been blotted out with heavy clouds, pregnant with their promise of a coming storm. The wind was already whipping through the tall buildings, strong enough to rattle the windows and cause debris to dance through the streets.

Scar sighed, shifting in his carriage seat. He hated weather like this. Wind always caused the sockets of the metal exoskeleton around his legs to sink, making it harder to move around. Also, he just didn’t like being cold.

He wouldn’t have agreed to come at all if this meeting weren’t so important.

The light from the gas streetlamps flickered across his hands as the carriage moved quickly through the empty streets. If Scar were being honest, he was actually somewhat nervous.

Doc had an…  unusual reputation. Virtually unknown to the general public, he was a mogul in the manufacturing industry. He was constantly spearheading new technology, achieving feats previously thought to be impossible.

But there was another side to him. Scar had heard rumors about some of his “hobbies”. Mad experiments, world-destroying machines, tears in the fabric of the universe itself – anything dreamed of in science fiction, Doc had probably tried.

Normally this kind of person had “liability” written all over them, but when he had received a telegram from Doc calling him here, there was no way he could refuse. After all, if he had learned anything from having Cub as a partner, it helped to have a mad scientist on the payroll.

The carriage slowed to a stop. Scar peered out the window – it had taken him to what looked to be an abandoned apartment complex. It was only a few stories tall, with a crumbling brick façade. Most of the windows were boarded up, and those that weren’t looked dark and dusty.

Almost more concerning was the fact that he hadn’t seen a single pedestrian in the past ten minutes or so. If their meeting went very, very sideways, he wasn’t sure there would be anyone around to help.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” He asked his carriage. It jingled in response. He let out a dramatic sigh. Leave it to the hermit to pick a location like this, he supposed. “Alright carriage, open up.”

At his words, the door slid open, a small metal staircase unfurling to the street below. As soon as he stepped outside, the cold winds buffeted his form, cutting right through his silk suit. He grimaced – if he had known the meeting was going to be in a broken-down building, he would have worn something warmer.

As he approached the front doors, the carriage once again jingled as it peeled off to find somewhere safe to park. Scar almost wished he had asked it to stay, but he supposed if he was in a position where he needed to make a quick getaway, it was already too late.

Not that he would ever be caught unprepared. He gripped his cane a little bit tighter.

The doors before him were surprisingly solid considering the state of the building. Hesitating for just a moment, Scar steeled himself and rapped his knuckles against the dark wood.

He jumped at the sound of whirring metal, nearly stumbling backwards. Flicking his eyes around frantically for a sign of a trap, his gaze finally settled back on the door. A small panel had slid open, revealing what appeared to be a glass hand scanner. Ah. So this place wasn’t as abandoned as it looked.

Scar reached out, tentatively placing his palm against the cool glass. He had barely touched it when a low chime resounded, and the door swung open.

Scar resolved to think about how Doc had gotten his handprint later.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, the door shut behind him. Scar barely had a chance to contemplate how ominous that was before the room lit up in a blaze of electric glory.

He let out a low whistle, ambling into the room to get a better look at the architecture. It certainly was beautiful. The floor was made of deepslate, patterns etched into the stone at regular intervals. Chandeliers above him illuminated the room in a blue-tinted glow, casting dancing lights through the room. A soft cyan carpet cut through the center of the room, leading to the back wall, where a glass elevator sat with its doors open. An invitation to enter, he presumed.

Best of all, it was very warm. Scar was glad he went with the silk suit after all.

He entered the elevator, and after another low chime, it began to descend. Strangely, the elevator didn’t have any lights, so when it passed beyond the threshold of the floor, the tiny space was completely enshrouded with darkness.

Just as his eyes started to adjust, Scar was once again blinded, but this time with the sudden appearance of light. After blinking the stars out of his eyes, Scar let out a gasp. Beyond the doors, he could see something spectacular – a gigantic machine was laid out before him, the complexity of its design leaving him baffled as to what its purpose could possibly be. It had no casing, so Scar could see the byzantine twining of wires and cogs, gleaming sharply in the electric light.

If Cub was here, he might’ve been able to identify it, but Doc had asked for him specifically. All Scar could do was marvel.

After passing by it, the elevator seemed to speed up, descending further into the earth. Soon another floor passed, and another; as far as Scar could tell, each floor was like the first. Giant machines stored in underground warehouses, their purpose and design a mystery to Scar. If Doc wanted to show off, Scar supposed he had succeeded.

After a concerningly long period, the elevator finally began to slow once again, coming to a stop with the same low chime. The glass doors slid open, and after a pause, yet another set of doors opened as well, letting the same electric blue light spill into the hall. Scar took a deep breath, put on his best smile, and strode in.

The first thing he noticed was that there were two people in the room.

One he immediately recognized as Doc. He had never met the man before or even seen pictures, but he had heard enough – the cybernetic eye and arm glinting sharply in the low light was a dead giveaway. He was wearing a fine suit and lounging resplendently on a soft-looking couch, appraising Scar with a wide grin.

The other person? Scar wasn’t sure. He had figured Doc was more of a lone-wolf type of guy, so seeing someone else here was disconcerting. Scar supposed he could be a servant or assistant, but… he didn’t look like one.

He was perched awkwardly in a chair at the far end of the room, like he didn’t know how to sit. He was dressed in finery, dark blue suit tailored nicely to his form. And yet, Scar could see he had carelessly kicked off his dress shoes. His hair, too, was wild – so wild that it seemed someone had tried to slick it down but had been thwarted, leaving the dusty blond fringe to stick up in comical spikes.

Despite his disheveled appearance, what Scar found most entrancing was his gaze. Even from across the room, Scar could see how dark his eyes were. It was the kind of dark that pulled you in. The kind of dark that made you feel like you were drowning if you looked too long.

“Scar!” Doc called, snapping him out of his contemplation. “I’m glad you made it. Please, have a seat.”

Doc gestured grandly to a loveseat in front of him. The room was laid out in a lounge style, comfortable-looking chairs surrounding a low coffee table. An interesting choice.

Scar smiled, graciously settling into the offered seat. He kept a hand resting on his cane.

“Doc, I presume?”

“Of course!” He chuckled, mostly to himself. “I’m glad to have met you. But oh, before business – coffee, tea?”

“I think I’ll have to pass. Too much caffeine this late… I’ll be up for hours.”

Doc nodded serendipitously. He leaned over to pour himself a cup of coffee, not bothering to add any cream or sugar before taking a deep swig.

Scar cleared his throat. “Y’know Doc, if you had wanted to meet with me, I do have a secretary. I’m sure I could’ve made accommodations in my schedule for someone of your… reputation.”

“Ah, Scar, but I felt like our meeting was special!” Doc set down the cup, and Scar could see a glimmer of excitement in his face that hadn’t been there before. “You see, I’m not the only one with a reputation.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. If you don’t mind me getting right to it, I’d be happy to explain. See, ConCorp is very… ah, what’s the saying – has many pies?” Doc waved his hand dismissively. “It’s involved in many things. Lots of influence. Lots of money. And that is due in large part to Cub’s genius. But Scar… you’ve always been someone who can see the big picture. You’re willing to do what needs to be done. And I feel as though you, personally, are willing to invest in projects that most might see as too… strange.”

“Strange how?”

Doc’s smile grew even wider. “Tell me Scar, do you believe in fairy tales?”

The room was silent for a long moment. The figure in the back shifted, the slight rustle of fabric almost deafening.

Scar finally broke the quiet with a chuckle. “Fairy tales? Like… nursery rhymes? Did you find the goose that laid the golden egg?”

“Not quite.” Doc took a sip of his coffee, and Scar began to wonder if this whole thing was some kind of elaborate prank. “I have a vested interest in collecting… unusual things. Things that might change how we see the world. See reality.

“Conspiracy theories, legends, fairy tales – I’ve investigated a great deal of them. Most seem completely fake, and people have even tried to scam me before.” Doc flashed him a sharp grin. “Tried. But sometimes, these stories will have a grain of truth to them. And Scar, I have found things that you would not believe.”

Doc leaned forward, and Scar found himself mirroring the movement. “I’ve seen things that indicate the existence of other dimensions. Of creatures that were thought impossible, but have simply been lost to time. Or even creatures that are just… good at hiding.”

Scar sat back in his seat, eyes once again turning to the mysterious figure in the corner. His dark eyes glittered in the low light, and Scar was reminded of the night sky reflected on the ocean waves.

For the first time, Doc followed his gaze, turning to look back at the figure. “Very perceptive. Grian, would you like to introduce yourself?”

The figure – Grian – didn’t react at all. Doc seemed unfazed, just letting out a low chuckle.

“Grian is one of my… assets. Quite a valuable one, I might add. It’s not every day that I manage to find an anomaly alive.”

“Anomaly?” Scar parroted, unable to tear his eyes away from Grian. He wondered if he could understand them.

“It’s what I call anything that doesn’t fit our current understanding of the world. They’re quite varied in nature, you see. Most are just things – objects that defy physics, broken pieces of ancient contraptions. But sometimes I get a live one. And luckily for us, Grian is not only alive, he’s young and healthy. There’s a lot we could learn from him.”

At that, Scar finally looked away from Grian. The excited gleam in Doc’s eyes had turned to something almost mad. “We?”

“Yes, Scar, we. This is why I called you here. This is why I wanted you!” Doc gestured wildly, knocking over his cup of coffee. The dark liquid splattered across the glass table, some of it spilling onto the cyan carpet. Doc didn’t seem to notice. “I know this kind of thing is… unpleasant business. Live experiments are not, ah, popular. But I know that you are willing to do whatever it takes to turn a profit.

“I will not pretend that money is my main motive. But I truly believe that with your backing, Scar, we will be able to discover great things, things that are eons ahead of the competition.” Doc grinned. “Perhaps even things that you can use in that little war of yours. I’m sure both ‘clients’ would pay royally to get a piece of what we could create.”

Scar held up his hand, and Doc quieted. “That’s a lot of big promises,” he said coolly, “but you still haven’t even told me what you’ve found. Not really.”

Doc nodded almost absently, and Scar could tell his mind was still racing with possibilities. “I’ve found many things, Scar, and I will tell you about all of them in due time. But if you’re wondering about Grian…” he chuckled. “Scar, do you know what selkies are?”

Scar cocked his head. “Sockies?”

“No, no, sel-kies. They are…” he paused for a moment, considering. “They are shapeshifters, from the water. Seal folk, they are sometimes called.”

“Seals?” Scar asked, amused. “Aw, those little fluffy guys?” He glanced over at Grian, who met his stare unwaveringly. He didn’t seem very seal-like.

“Ah, yes, I suppose. Selkies can transform into seals by donning a sealskin, and transform back by taking it off. They have some sort of… innate connection to the skin. They can’t be too far from it for long, or it begins to get uncomfortable. I’m assuming that’s why Grian here is in such a disagreeable mood.”

Now that Doc had brought it up, Scar could see sweat beading at Grian’s forehead, and the cloth of the chair was pulled taut under his fingers. His expression, though, remained steely.

Doc steepled his fingers. “I’m hoping to find out what makes him tick, but I’m not sure I have the kind of… facility that I would need. Which is where you would come in.”

Scar exhaled slowly. “So, you want money.” Despite the strangeness of the proposition, this is where most of his business meetings led in the end.

“Well, yes.” Doc coughed awkwardly. “And believe me, I know how this must sound. So I wanted to give you something in return.”

“Oh?” Scar asked, curiosity piqued. “And what would that be?”

“Besides a split of whatever profits we make – and we can negotiate the exact percentages later, I am very open – I wanted you to have a… personal investment in this project. To let you know that I am serious, and that my evidence is legitimate.” Doc leaned in. “I want to give you Grian.”

“What?” Scar exclaimed, reeling back. Doc’s expression didn’t waver.

“I want to give you my best asset. I know you usually want collateral with major deals like this, so I think it’s a perfect arrangement. You take Grian, you run whatever tests you want so that you see this project is real, and then we can begin construction on the facility. I would ask you to please keep him alive and as uninjured as you can – I am serious about him being my best asset, and I would hate to lose him before I got a chance to study him properly.”

Scar looked over at Grian. He didn’t seem frightened, though it was hard to read his unmoving expression. If Scar had to guess, he would’ve said Grian looked resigned, as though his life being bartered away was something he had already given in to.

He bit his lip. It was true that Scar was no stranger to live experiments. ConCorp had to work very hard to keep their live weapons testing under wraps so they wouldn’t come under public scrutiny. Hosting experiments on humans, however, was not something that Scar had considered before. Well… not seriously considered, anyway.

Although… if what Doc was saying was true, Grian wasn’t actually a human, was he? He was a creature, some kind of mystical being. This could truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“I will wait as long as it takes, Scar.” Doc said slowly. “You can answer a day or a year from now. But I feel that you already know what you want. You just need to take that first step.”

Scar stared into Grian’s dark eyes. For once, he was barely even thinking about the money. He could be looking at a legitimately magical creature. His heart was thundering in a way he hadn’t felt for a long time.

In defiance of all logic and misgivings, Scar was pretty sure he knew his answer too.

[norangeyyy]

Late Night HCs

Bucci Gang Edition

TW: nothing too extreme, just a little bit of hurt/comfort stuff sprinkled right here and there.

Bruno Bucciarati

► Bucciarati typically doesn't stay up late at night, he has work and would squeeze all the amount of sleep he can get on his free time.

► Unless he has a lot of things in mind.

► It doesn't matter whether it's a work-related problem, his past, a random thought, or just generally his worries about his future. It will keep him up.

► He'll definitely need someone to be an outlet but if no one's available, he'll just stare at the night sky and distract himself with the moving clouds or finish some of his work until he's too tired to think of anything.

► If you happen to be in the same situation and same place that night though, then make sure that you take care of the trust he has for you when he was at most vulnerable and he will do same with you.

► I personally headcannon Bucciarati to be the type to like those kind of conversations since i highly doubt that he has been so vulnerable in front of anyone besides Abbachio ever since he joined the mafia.

► And even then, he's mostly the one who lifts the spirits up and not the other way around since he's the leader.

► So expect to hear things and words you wouldn't expect to come from the Bucciarati you see everyday come spilling out of his mouth, it'll be a lot.

► Pat his back or better yet, give him a hug and brush his hair while doing so. He needs it a lot since he hasn't really got one after his family fell apart.

► "I feel so much better now, thank you. I'll make sure not to forget about this night. "

Leone Abbachio

► The night owl of the gang.

► Staying up until 3AM is nothing new to this man, hell, he could even go on a whole day without sleep if he has a lot of things that's bothering him.

► He's the opposite of Bucciarati, he prefers to shoulder his intrusive thoughts alone. It'd take some great amount of effort and trust to make him talk and let it out.

► What he does during those times is either using his stand to replay certain memories that could either worsen his guilt or put him at ease, or just drink until he passes out but most of the time, he does both.

► He could also be listening to some music while he does so but if he's feeling guilty for making Bucciarati concerned about his frequent drinking, then he'll just listen to music and hope that he'll fall asleep and not just keep his eyes closed until the sun rises.

► It works, kind of, but even without alcohol driving him to sleep, he'll always be tired. His sleeping schedule is seriously messed up because he never really cared about it in the first place.

► Would sometimes go out for a walk. Leone is fond of the city's peacefulness when everyone is asleep, with the only thing keeping him accompany is the cold air and the dim light of the lampposts.

► Secretly still has his police uniform and would occasionally take it out just to stare at it or talk to it in a not-so-kind of way as he sees his younger self in it.

► Gets dragged in whatever shit Narancia and the others are up to if he gets spotted. Mostly it's just for a movie night behind Bucciarati's back but Abbachio knows better and expects the unexpected when it comes to the gang.

► Knows what everyone does in late night if they're still up and has seen a lot of ungodly sights.

► Whether it be seeing a sleepy Mista and the pistols chanting a weird prayer to a bowl of cereals or Fugo being dragged out of his room by Narancia, Leone knows it.

Pannacotta Fugo

► Just like Bucciarati, Fugo rarely stays up late at night and if he does, it's usually just because he's busy.

► Fugo has hobbies like painting and reading, everyone in the gang knows that. It's just that he gets carried way too far sometimes and loses track of time.

► Who could blame him though when the book he's reading is just too interesting or the painting he's currently working on is almost done, right?

► On extremely rare occasions where something unpleasant enough to keep Fugo up at night happens, he'll bundle himself in his fluffy blanket like a butterfly in its cocoon.

► He always does this back when he's still living with his parents, it makes him feel safe from anything that's haunting him.

► And if it's neither his hobbies or problems that's keeping him up, he'll just hear Narancia whispering outside his door or Mista throwing pebbles at his window.

► For the first few times the duo did this, Fugo was still able to resist until he just can't anymore knowing that they wouldn't leave him alone all night.

► "Well, this isn't so bad. "

► He says as he enthusiastically tosses a popcorn into his mouth with his eyes glued all over the lit screen of the TV.

► Movie nights, along with sneaking out to go the nearest convenience store, became a common thing between the Torture Dance Trio™ ever since then.

Narancia Ghirga

► The type to wake up in the middle of the night and think "Hmm... Everyone's asleep, let's commit robbery tonight!"

► Fugo's sleep paralysis demon.

► Would literally not hesitate to steal chocolate bars with Mista and probably does 3AM challenges with him too.

► Never runs out of ideas to keep himself up at night and is the one who comes up with everything but what he does still depends on his mood.

► If Narancia's feeling a little too lazy then he'll just sleep and most of the time, with music keeping him accompany. But unlike Abbachio, he purposely doesn't wear headphones just to annoy Fugo whose room is right next to his.

► If he's feeling like it, he'll straight up just invite the others to watch a movie or play videogames even though Bruno has already made it clear not to use the TV after 11PM.

► But just as he likes staying up at night doing crazy things with the boys, he also uses his energy left and free time to self-study, as surprising that may sound.

► He may hate reading but he takes advantage of the fact that his brain is much active at night and he doesn't want to depend on Fugo too much. After all, he dreams on going back to school and he's more than willing to be capable enough to do so alone and pass without the other teen's help.

► Will cuddle anything that's near him while he studies but if you give him a plushie, it'll be instantly his favorite and he would definitely use it as a study buddy.

Guido Mista

► Alright, let's be honest here, this dude wouldn't even stay up if it weren't for his bros.

► 5 seconds lying on the bed and he's already knocked out for a good 10 hours if there's no work he has to do for the day. Make it 8 at weekdays thanks to his mafia-related responsibilities.

► He sleeps like a log so only a combination of shaking him up awake with Fugo and Narancia can make him rise from what seems like a two year coma but is really just a normal tuesday night.

► Will pretty much join Narancia at anything he does but since his last three brain cells are obviously still as half asleep as him, he won't be able to remember that much the next day.

► And once he's out of the room and is already sitting on the couch with the guys, Mista's the type to fall asleep halfway through the movie.

► You can't blame him though, it's 12AM and it seems that Fugo got to choose what movie they'll watch since Narancia already got to choose the other night.

► Unless they're playing videogames or are going out then he won't be acting like a slow ass PVZ zombie with a fried brain. Actually, he'll be hella active if that's the case.

► Active at grabbing every snack each second, that is.

► Actually, it's the pistols who does that but oh well, it's not like Mista's innocent too.

► "I swear it's not me who ate all of our groceries for this month! Right, guys?! It's the pistols! "

► And that, everyone, is how Guido blew their little rendezvous without even trying.

Giorno Giovanna

► There's not much to be said about this boy since just like Mista, Giorno goes to bed early as he makes sure he still gets the proper amount of sleep.

► He already has a lot of things to deal with at day so of course, by the end of it, he'll be exhausted.

► Nights before exams are excluded because although he may seem like he skips class sometimes, Giorno still knows his priorities.

► Only when he became the head of the mafia did he really started to lose sleep as great power comes with great responsibilities.

► It took a LONG time for Giorno to adjust to a lot of things cause come on, he maybe resilient but he's still a 15 year old teen.

► Not only does he have towers after towers of work but i like to imagine that he still continued his education and used some of the things he learns in class in the mafia, specifically in classes like history or geography class since as a boss, he has to know every nook and cranny of Italy.

► Not to mention that emergencies happen and he always has to be ready to give out orders, even if it means being woken up at 1AM.

► God, help this child because all the things mentioned above are just an understatement of what happens on the first few months of being in charge of Passione.

► "So this is why Diavolo looks like he's about to explode whenever something goes wrong huh. "

[londonalozzy]

Stop Pretending (TFATWS)

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Genre: Romance, Angst

Summary: The reader thinks she's doing a stellar job of keeping her feelings for a certain soldier buried deep inside. Turns out, all it takes is an observant new friend to begin the unraveling of her most precious secret (Spoilers for TFATWS)

Masterlist

Word: Pretence

Definition: A way of acting that is intended to deceive people.

Example: Saying that he's just a friend when he's really the love of your life.

Your POV

Being caught in the midst of war is something that I, (Y/N) (Y/L/N)  know all too well. As a war vet, former shield agent, and now Avenger I'm used to being centered amongst conflict. When the fight begins within me though, a battle between what I want and what I think is right, how will I react? Will I listen to my heart, my head, or will the winner be chosen for me?

Delacroix, Louisiana.....

I love my sleep, always have, always will. It's not necessarily the comfort of the bed, the quiet or even the rest. It's the fact that I'm at peace when I sleep. My life has a tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, so anything that will put that off for as long as possible I savor.

I wish it were the same for a certain super soldier in my life. I look forward to going to bed, everything calms down then, and for most people it's the same. For Bucky however, it's when everything starts, the nightmares, the terrors, the seemingly unending darkness. If only I could take his pain away like he has with mine.

For the last few weeks, my life had, for want of a better word, been hectic. Hectic to say the least.

After the eventual defeat of Thanos and the loses we endured as a result, I thought naively that life might calm down a bit, that I'd have time to breathe, to live. How wrong I was.

It all began with John Walker being announced to the world as the new Captain America.

I was baking cookies with Morgan in the Stark family kitchen when it came over the radio. As that latest turn of events sunk in, my first thoughts were of Bucky, what that would do to him. Not even an hour later I had said my goodbyes and was on my way to help him get the shield back.

Since then even more had happened. We'd regrouped with Sam, busted Zemo out of prison which in turn ruffled the feathers of Ayo and the Dora Milaje. We came face to face with Morgenthou and the Flag Smashers, and finally witnessed the man who thought he could even compete with Steve, make himself judge, jury and most significantly executioner.

After that went around the world we knew we had to end it sooner rather than later. It couldn't get much worse than Captain America becoming a murderer. We got the shield back, which was a fight all in itself. Handed Zemo over to Ayo, to try and recompense for the distrust we'd instilled in the people who'd helped us so much. Then we travelled to stay with Sam and his family in Louisiana whilst we waited for Karli's next move.

This is where we found ourselves now, in the eye of it, the calm before the storm.

Waking up in the Wilson households guest room, I was greeted to the golden hue of the rising sun penetrating through the single glaze windows, and the melodic sounds of gulls on the hunt for their morning meal down by the docks.

Actually, no that's not right. What I could hear was most certainly not birds, and it was definitely not melodic. What were those boys doing?

Quickly and quietly I threw on the first clothes I could get my hands on and made my way downstairs towards the noise. What caught my attention when I discovered the source, was not the two youngest Wilson boys playing with our newly reacquired shield in the living room, but the super solider who was blissfully ignorant to it all, sleeping peacefully on the couch in front of them. I don't think I'd ever been so happy.

"Right you two, if you're determined to play Avengers all morning then I suggest you re-assemble in the back yard. You're gonna wake Bucky up," I whispered out in one breath, stepping between the boys, then placing my hands on their backs and tip toeing them towards the door.

"So what if we wake him up? It's gone 10am," Cass questioned in protest, pulling on his sneakers and jacket.

"Exactly! Which is why if you do as I say, I will make you the biggest plate of waffles for breakfast that you've ever seen."

The boys eyes lit up. "Can we have ice cream with it? Mum never lets us have ice cream for breakfast, and I'm sure there's a tub of Stark raving hazelnuts in the freezer," AJ clapped in muted excitement. "Oh, for God's sake.....Yes. You can have whatever you want if you get out of this house now and keep the noise down."

Once the boys were outside, I made my way over to the kitchen, stopping on the way to lean over my favourite senior citizen and make sure that he was still peaceful in his slumber. He'd never looked so relaxed, so at ease. It was a brand new Bucky I'd never seen before, a Bucky that had my heart pounding for him even more than it normally did. Not that he knew any of that.

Half an hour later and up to my elbows in waffle mix, I failed to notice my new friend and host Sarah making her way to my side at the counter, the huge smile on my face not going unnoticed. "What's got you grinning like the Cheshire cat, like I need to ask?"

"Bucky's sleeping. Isn't it amazing?" I spoke softly, bouncing up and down on my feet as I did so.

"And why is that?" She couldn't looked more confused if she tried.

"In all the years I've known him, I don't think I've ever woken up before he has. If his nightmares don't keep him awake all night, they normally have him up before the crack of dawn. I don't think I've ever seen him so still."

"Good answer," Sarah nodded in a hush, understanding why this meant so much to me, but not done yet with her morning interrogations, "Now on to my next question......"

"I'm already not liking the sound of this."

"Sleeping Beauty over there follows you around like a little puppy dog. He hangs on your every word, looks at you like you hung the stars or something. It's pretty obvious how crazy he is about you, so when are you gonna stop pretending that you're not head over heels in love with him?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Wilson," I smiled forcefully, making out like the waffle maker deserved my attention way more than the conversation I was being made to have.

This was all Sam's doing, without a shadow of a doubt. He'd tried to have this conversation with me on multiple occasions and I shut him down every time. He obviously hadn't given up like I thought he did, and decided to draft in his sister. He is seriously gonna regret it when I find him.

"Sure you know what I'm talking about. Sam sees it, I don't even know you that well and I see it. The only reason Bucky doesn't, is because he doesn't believe he could ever be that lucky. You're a smitten kitten." These Wilson's are all as annoying as each other.

Knowing I wasn't getting out of this one, I grabbed Sarah by the arm and pulled her right into the corner of the room, trying my best to keep this convo as private as possible. "Look, I'm not pretending.....I'm ignoring. There's a difference."

"Care to explain what that difference is?" Sarah spoke softly, but with a sarcastic air.

Turning to look over my shoulder at the subject of our conversation, making sure he was still safely in the land of nod, I decided to just be honest. Sarah was much like her brother. Once she wanted to get to the bottom of something she wasn't about to give up.

"I love Bucky, more than I've ever loved anyone...and that terrifies me," the rawness of finally being honest making my voice shake, and tears come to my eyes. "Nat was like my sister, and she's dead. Tony was the closest I've ever gotten to having a Dad...and he's dead too. Then there's Steve, Vision, God knows where Wanda is....Everyone I love, either leaves or dies. If I admit my feelings for Buck then I face the risk of losing him too."

"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now? He's not going to die because you love him (Y/N)."

Silent tears were falling now. I was revealing my deepest fears to a woman I'd only known a few days, and I'm not underplaying it when I say it was like a colossal weight off my chest, a release I didn't know I needed. "Believe me...I know, but I can't take that risk. I can't lose anyone else, especially not him."

"Let's just say for a second that you're right, that there is some higher power somewhere, set on destroying everyone you love. Do you really think ignoring your feelings is going to make them disappear?" I didn't know what to say to that. "Natasha and Stark died so that everyone could continue living, and (Y/N) you're not living as long as you keep this to yourself. They wouldn't want that for you."

"But what if I lose him?" I whispered with a choked sigh.

"Then at least he'll die knowing how you felt about him. After everything he's been through don't you think he deserves to know there's someone out there who loves him like you do?"

"Of course..."

Sarah's lips pulled upwards in a satisfied smirk, wrapping her arm around my shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, "then you owe it to yourself, and to him, to tell him the truth."

"Why do all you Wilson's have to be so clever?" I voiced in mock irritation, pushing her away from me and acting like I was annoyed she had gotten one up on me.

"I don't know," she thought aloud and with a cheeky grin, grabbing a plate to start piling on the long forgotten waffles, "I think it might be the sea air or something."

"Nah, it's in the genes," I chuckled quietly, grabbing my jacket and deciding it was time to get this conversation wrapped up. "I'll go find Sam and the boys for breakfast. Clear my head a little bit."

"You promise you're gonna tell him?" Sarah stopped me as I went to push the door open.

"I'll think about it."

3rd person POV

Once (Y/N) was out of ear shot, Sarah couldn't help but start jumping up and down in excitement, clapping her hands loudly as she did so. That went even better than she thought it would, and she was so proud of herself. Sarah Wilson could now add matchmaker to her resume.

"Coast is clear Barnes. You can open your eyes now."

(Y/N) had no idea what she had metaphorically walked into just minutes earlier, entering that very revealing conversation with her overly inquisitive host.

What drew Sarah to come down that morning was the sounds of both the front porch door opening and the smell of homemade waffles wafting up the stairs. As she entered the kitchen she was met with two sights. One being (Y/N), facing the counter and looking very smiley, the other being a wide awake super soldier who was just laying on the couch and staring at her, the sole object of his affection. Sarah could work with this.

Every time (Y/N) turned back in his direction, Bucky would close his eyes and pretend to be asleep again. He had never slept so soundly, so peacefully, thoughts of (Y/N) and his new friends filling his nightmare free dreams.

He'd initially woken to (Y/N) ushering the boys outside because she was afraid they would wake him up. He didn't want to disappoint her by proving her right. Besides, he liked just watching her move around the kitchen, completely unaware he was observing her the whole time. He had no idea about the conversation that was just about to happen.

After (Y/N) had left and Sarah had confirmed so, Bucky sat himself up, his body shaking with adrenaline and a look of complete shock fixed on his face. Had he definitely woken up, or had the whole thing been a part of his dream? Did (Y/N) seriously just admit that she was in love with him?

Bucky didn't know how to react, didn't know what to say as he looked up at a smug Sarah from his spot. All he'd ever wanted was for (Y/N) to feel the same way about him as he did about her. Now he knew that she did.

"You're welcome by the way."

[siriuslyblackblog]

can i request a draco x reader (fem) angst fic? where the reader and draco are dating and he thinks she is the love of his life, but his friends from draco encourage him to have sex with another girl without compromise and does, then finds out that he cheated on her and feels betrayed by him, draco sees that the reader moves on (maybe with another guy) and just tries to get her back, the end is your decision :) only if you feel comfortable writing this, thank you<3

Peer Pressure 》 D. Malfoy

𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: Draco Malfoy x Reader

𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: cheating, alcohol

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: angst

𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔: 2258

𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: Draco loves his girlfriend, but his friends were there first. They have more power over him. Draco only has one problem: he puts his toxic friends in front of his girlfriend. After all, his image is much more important than someone's feelings. Once his feelings are the ones being ignored, his friends aren't there to save him.

⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅

It felt oddly satisfying to watch the new Slytherin student dance. Her body moved with such ease, her moves were flirty and confident. A big contrast to Draco's shy girlfriend who refused to join the party that night. He felt lonely without her. He missed a pair of hands around his arm, holding onto him as she looked at his friends with big eyes and listened to them. She was never a part of the conversation. She was still afraid to say her opinion, even when it came to simple things, such as the lunch or the exam. She mostly agreed with Draco. But that's how he loved her. She was relaxed around him, and he was smiley and happy around her. They filled each other's empty spots perfectly.

The music went from energetic to romantic, making the boy roll his eyes. If she was here, he would grab her and go dance with her.

"Malfoy, Mary is available. Jump in."

It took the boy a few moments to realise what Gregory Goyle was talking about. Then, he noticed the girl with the red lipstick and red hair on the other side of the table. She poured herself a drink, then, without breaking eyecontact with Draco, drank it all under a second. His friends stopped breathing, as if someone drinking alcohol was a sight they had never witnessed before. Mary set the glass down, licked her lips, then winked at the boys. A few sighs were heard, each more embarrassing than the previous one.

"You guys have no self control," Draco scoffed.

The girl then started dancing again, her moves now more sensual and slow. She got closer to Draco, taking a sip of her firewhiskey every now and then. The boy put his own glass down, then looked around while panicking. His eyes searched for his girl, even though he knew she wasn't there. He needed her by his side.

"Malfoy, isn't it?" Mary spoke, then rested a hand on his shoulder.

His body froze. He looked over at his friends, back at her, then back at his friends. He just wanted to leave. "No, it's not."

Everyone stood with a surprised look on their faces. They watched Draco move her hand off his shoulder, then push her aside so he could leave. Two boys followed him, yelling at him and telling him that he's crazy for what he did. They disliked the girlfriend very much. She was always quiet, never appeared to any parties, only spent time with Draco and her two friends. There was nothing normal about her. Not even her clothes. She loved colours so much, her friends gave her their House scarves as a little present. Seeing a Slytherin walk around with a yellow scarf was embarrassing.

"Where are you even going?" Goyle asked.

"To my girl," Draco spat.

"You seriously need to relax. Nobody will tell her."

"Honestly? Nobody likes her. Half of these people have a bet that you'll break up with her by the end of this school year. Or until Mary decides to take you." Zabini said, alcohol in his body allowing him to be honest to his friend.

"I'm not an object. There's nothing to take."

"At least come back and drink with us. It's not even midnight yet." Goyle offered, handing his friend a new drink.

He was right. It wasn't midnight yet. Parties like these were very rare, but he promised himself to leave after thirty minutes. He will go to his girl, sit next to her and watch her study. He could do that for hours. The sight of her loose hair strands in front of her face and glasses on her cute nose was much more appealing than people getting so drunk that they kiss anyone they touch, whether they're single or taken.

Draco sighed, then went back to the table where his friends were talking and drinking. He kept his distance from the red trouble, trying his best to not even look her way. He was doing quite well.

⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅

Something was different the next morning. Something was extremely odd. No, something was wrong. Draco woke up to the smell of alcohol he didn't like. Why would his room smell like that? He didn't even go near that liquid that makes his insides twitch. He once made a mistake with it and never again; he lost Slytherin fifty points the very next day, lost a friend and got a beating from a girl.

The boy opened his eyes, then thanked his roommates for leaving the curtains closed. Then, he felt something tickling his cheek. He slowly turned his head, expecting his pet to be asleep near his head. Instead, he found red locks. It took him a few moments and a few blinks to realise that he wasn't dreaming. A girl was in his bed, her head resting on his shoulder and a leg over his torso. Mary Campbell laid on him, peacefully sleeping. Nothing about Draco was peaceful. Especially not his mind. His heart pounded like crazy, regret and anger were slowly swallowing him. The girl found herself on the floor with a loud thud, making his roommates wake up and groan. After finally realising what happened, their eyes widened.

How can someone treat Mary like that? Draco should be proud of himself for sleeping with her, they thought.

But Draco wasn't proud. Draco was disgusted with himself. He was sure that he would never cheat, not even drunk. Alcohol was an issue for him just once and never again. How could this happen?

"Get out," he spat at the girl.

She tried to protest, but seeing Draco's wand pointed towards her made her stand up and keep her mouth shut. She exited the room, leaving the door open. Draco's heart skipped a beat. Right there stood his favorite person in the world, her hand still up in the air, ready to knock. Her face dropped and the sight dug a hole into Draco's heart.

"Draco?" She asked as her eyes skimmed over the room, trying to keep that tiny hope in her heart alive.

"My love-"

"Tell me you didn't." She begged.

Draco ran over towards her, wearing nothing but his underwear and unbuttoned shirt from last night. His hands reached to hold hers, but she backed away. Teares formed in the corners of her eyes and her throat tightened. Red marks were covering his neck and the collar of his shirt. It looked like he had a better time with the new Slytherin last night than he ever did with his own girlfriend.

"I swear I don't know how-"

"You don't know how?! Do you expect me to help you find out?"

Sadness and anger mixed inside of her, one overpowering the other every few minutes. It made her head dizzy.

"No, no! I'm just confused!"

Draco wanted to throw himself in front of a centaur just so he would stop talking. The worst sentences a person could possibly form were coming out of his mouth. Her face told him everything. She despised him. After two years of love, energy and effort, he let her down. He broke his promise. He gave it to her one rainy morning when he found her crying behind a book in the hallway. She was upset because a Gryffindor who was in love with Draco convinced her that she wasn't enough for him. He sat behind her on the wall with his back resting on the window, then pulled her close so that she rested her back on his chest. He hugged her the enitre morning, whispering into her ear and convincing her that he would never do anything to hurt her.

Moments passed, not a word was spoken. Draco expected everything, from a slap to screaming, but he didn't expect one thing; her leaving peacefully without a single word. Somehow it hurt more than receiving a hit. A cheek can heal, but a heart needs a very long time. Sometimes even that isn't enough.

⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅

This weekend was the last time they could go to Hogsmeade. Draco wished the school year lasted longer. He wanted to look at her just a bit more. At first it was hard to catch her anywhere, but after a while, she started appearing in the rooms where he was as if they were good friends. She didn't allow the friend group to fall out just because of a problem that the two of them had. It just showed his friends how kind she is and how wrong they are for not liking her and making Draco sleep with another girl. Draco knew he couldn't blame his friends for what happened, but they were a part of it. It didn't even matter anymore. As if that will bring her back to him.

The boy fixed his tie, then put his backpack on his shoulder and exited his room. The sound of steps was heard from the other hallway, then silence. If they hadn't stopped, Draco wouldn't even bother to see who it is. He glanced over at the person, the stood still as if the Dark Lord himself stood there. The girl he cried about just last night had stopped, in hopes that he would go out before he noticed her. He tried calling her name, but nothing came out. Instead of trying again, he focused on her face. This was the first time he saw her close since that morning. Her hair grew longer than it ever was before. It never looked so soft and shiny. Her once plain lips now had a thin layer of gloss, and her eyelashes seemed thicker and longer. Even her cheeks stayed pink. Could it be that she started using makeup?

"Malfoy," she spoke.

The girl started panicking. She was already late and it seemed that the grey eyed boy didn't have any intentions of moving any time soon. Instead, he watched her. It made her uncomfortable. His eyes stopped on her lips. At that point, she wanted to cry. She was always uncomfortable with people staring, but when it came to Draco, it made her feel helpless. What if he started walking towards her? What if he doesn't let her go? She can't fight him. She won't be able to escape.

Seeing the girl almost shake in front of him made him question himself. Was he really that scary and creepy? He thought twice, then stepped towards her. Almost immediately, she took a step back. She pressed her favorite book to her chest, as if using it as a shield from him.

"I won't hurt you-"

"You're going to be late."

"So are you."

More minutes passed in silence. The two of them looked at each other, taking in each face expression and body movement. Draco was scared of losing her, and she was scared of Draco. She was finally near him and he has a chance to speak to her. But his mouth didn't cooperate. It opened one more time, but a different voice was heard. It called out her name.

"Harry!" She yelled. She sounded so relieved that it made Draco's heart ache.

The boy came down the stairs. The girl he called rushed over to him in a second, then gave him a firm hug. The green eyed boy looked over her shoulder, speaking with a voice full of hatred, "your minions are waiting for you, Malfoy."

Draco was embarrased. He couldn't mutter a single word in front of his enemy. His girl was now in the embrace of another boy. A boy who seemed to treat her much better than he ever did. She even gained some weight because he convinced her that studying so much isn't very important. He showed her how to enjoy life, unlike Draco who only asked her something once then gave up.

"Let's go, love."

They left the boy alone in the dungeons. Draco didn't want to go anymore. He just wished to lay in his bed, with a pillow on his head and his face pressed into the mattress. He lost a true gem. How could he let his friends control him? How could he let alcohol ruin his life one more time?

But Draco never moved away from his friends. He wasn't sure if it was because they were the only ones who accepted him and the others couldn't even look at him, or because he actually enjoyed their company. He continued to watch her from a safe distance. He didn't want to witness the sight of her shaking and her eyes full of fear again. He made her feel unsafe. What kind of a man do you have to be to make a woman react like that? Everyone noticed the change of roles. He was the one who avoided her now. He didn't want to be inside a room she was in. He let her move on, even stopped bickering with Harry for her. He still loved her, but he wanted her to move on. If she could move on, so could he. Or so he tried to convince himself.

Hopefully there is another girl who had enough patience for him. A girl who is waiting for someone to show her love just like Harry shows love to his girl.

[daughter-of-the-red-land]

Hey, I was wondering if I could get your viewpoint on something? Apparently I am a daughter of sekhmet and I can lucid dream so I’ve been calling her into my dreams and my other guides to hopefully see them and hang out with them? I’ve been dealing with ptsd and trauma, along with abandonment and trust issues. It’s very disheartening when my guides don’t show up in my dreams or when I really need them. I would like to hopefully feel their presence more and be reminded that I am supported by them, I feel like that would help a lot and I’m not asking for too much. It feels like I’m doing something wrong? My guides must know how I feel right? And this must be for a reason? Idk I’m curious your take on this! Thank you and I hope you are doing well

Hey there!

PTSD adds a complex layer on top of normal spirituality I think. I totally get feeling disheartened when They don't show up, but remember, there are a lot of reasons why They might not. And PTSD makes it verrrrry hard not to second-guess things. Usually when I'm really bad, I, too have a hard time feeling Them, but that doesn't mean They aren't there. Godphones and the like are fallible, we are fallible, and it's entirely possible that the connection is a little "staticky."

For as loudly as I "hear" my gods, about 70% of the time, it's not clear, or I don't trust myself, or I take it with a grain of salt because I could be interpreting things incorrectly. What I'm trying to get at is -- be gentle with yourself! It isn't going to be a perfect experience each time. There's plenty of times I don't hear Them, and I have a pretty good godphone.

Also, She's a busy goddess, and also a goddess, so She's gunna show up when She shows up. They have their own reasons for things, and the vast distance between a mortal mind and the divine is not easy to interpret. Don't assume it's you, though. We just don't always know why They do the things that They do. I find it's best to calmly and respectfully explain why you need a little more attention to Her, and then give Her a little more attention. Make daily offerings, pray, dedicate an action to Her (Sekhmet LOVES good and correct actions; one of Her epithets is Lady of Appropriate Action).

I know that's not an easy pill to swallow for someone with abandonment issues, but often They don't always understand some of the things that are really, really important to us mortals. Explain it to Her, and you might find She's more understanding when you actually formally communicate instead of assuming She knows exactly what to do for you. They may be aware of some things about us, but They aren't omniscient or omnipresent.

When I first "met" Set, I had to have an honest conversation with Him on my boundaries, and He's always respected them, but I had to tell Him, and explain what and why I needed what I did. I had to explain that I was so fragile that I could not deal with the chaos He often brought to His devotees, but that if He would stand by me, and be gentle with His lessons, I would do my very best to learn from Him.

Guides, well, I've never been able to get any guides reliably. Netjeri and akhu (non-human spirits and human ancestors) for me are a lot harder to hear; they're quieter, and far less strong to power through with a message. For that, I suggest divination as a more reliable method.

I hope this helps!

[yzkhr]

Third installment of the Love Language Miniseries

It might be OOC so please bear with me

Dedicated to the one who gave me this wonderful yet painful series idea @meitanteisachi!

-

Words of Affirmation- You get a thrill from receiving compliments and unexpected praise. You like it when others say they care about you or appreciate having you in their lives. You love feeling understood and receiving recognition for a job well done.

Shinichi trusts Ran a lot. But having a recent 'misunderstanding' along with being busy with his detective work and texting an apology yet receiving a slur of misspelled sentences with only the words 'Sonoko' and the name of a specific bar being decipherable, he can't help but worry and overthink.

(The name 'Kazuha' was readable as well and it did lessen his panic, but the reassurance he felt was nothing compared to Sonoko and her constant tricks that worsened when they became adults.)

Reaching the said bar on Rans' text message, he rushes inside and immediately dislikes the smell of mixed alcohols and smoke everywhere. Face indifferent, he passes through the dancing crowd and went straight to where he deduces his girlfriend to be.

Knowing Ran, she's not someone to go wild in such a tight place, nor does she appreciate the smell of cigarettes all over the dance floor. She would be somewhere comfortable and quiet enough to converse with Sonoko and Kazuha. Shinichi can't think of a better spot than the bartenders' counter.

And he was right.

There she was, in the middle of a familiar drinking blonde on her left and a brown haired woman on her right, reclined in her stool and mouthing words to her left side. Despite her back being the only thing he can see from where he's standing, he recognized it in an instant, having been familiar from the sight since childhood (her iconic hairstyle also helped).

Walking a little closer to be heard and putting his hands into his pockets, he calls out. "Ran."

The girls, save from the gulping heiress who ignores him, turns around and express the same visage upon seeing him. Rans' expression instantly change however, as her wide eyes and agape mouth closes and curls up into a smile.

"Shinichi!"

She stands up from her seat and walks over to him in an odd unbalanced manner. On a closer inspection, Shinichi noticed how her cheeks flushed a rather more healthy red than normal.

Raising an eyebrow, he opens his mouth to scold but his prepared reprimands die on his throat as Ran hugs him instead of just standing in front of him, her slender hands wrapped around his neck slowly, her feet tiptoeing as she concluded she wasn't tall enough to reach Shinichis' height.

He instinctively backs away from the unexpected warmth and weight, flustered and confused. Ran didn't even gave him the time to recover, leaning her head into the crook of his neck and sniffing it as he felt her sigh, successfully making his mind blank.

"You smell nice." she whispers, letting out a giggle as if entertained at her out of nowhere compliment while he stands there, frozen and left with no words to respond. Even after five years of being together, her effect on him stays consistent and powerful, similar to their first meeting.

Fortunately, he was brought out of his reverie by a familiar—not in a good way— smell of rum mixed into her natural sweet odor. From that, everything clicked. Her red face, wobbly walking and unexpected behavior finally made sense to him.

"You're drunk." he deduces as he looks down at his girlfriend who avoided eye contact by looking sideways and pouting, confirming her guilty.

"Sorry Kudo-kun," he redirects his gaze at the source of the voice, finding an apologetic Tooyama Kazuha. " We're the ones that invited her here and as you can see," her eyes went to Ran briefly before going back to him and continues sheepishly, "We kinda got carried away."

He expected the answer. After all, Ran rarely drinks, much less get drunk. She'd only really go all out when there's an important celebration or a really big problem, like a certain misunderstanding that may or may have not happened between the two of them.

"It's fine." he acquits as his eyes looks at anywhere but Kazuhas' green ones, unsure of how to ask. "Umm, did Ran told you anything concerning? Like if there's a huge problem or something?"

The Osakan woman's eyes widened and suspiciously travelled to Ran as if asking for permission, who in return tightened her grip around his neck to bring him down a little. Kazuha now seems to have an answer, glancing back at him.

"Nope, Ran-chan said nothing like that at all." with the way she puts up a tight lipped smile, it was obvious she was lying. "Besides, if there is an issue like that, why don't you ask her? I'm sure she'd tell you."

He wants to disagree, being aware of Rans' nature to he very considerate that she might dismiss the topic. But Shinichi really isn't fond of the idea of pressuring his bestfriends' girlfriend, so he didn't say anything. Besides, Kazuha was right, if there was anyone to ask about what is wrong, it would be his girlfriend.

"Yeah, you're right." he laughs and attempts to change the topic, not wanting to make the atmosphere awkward. "Anyways, it's pretty late. Want me to take you guys home?"

The brunette shakes her head and looks from behind. Shinichi follows her gaze, only to find Sonoko still on the counter and talking to someone on the phone. Her voice is so loud that it can mildly be heard from where they're standing.

"No thanks, it seems Sonoko-chan is already calling Makoto-kun to pick her up."

"It seems so," he now looks back to her. "How about you?"

"No need," she pulls out her phone, showing him her private chat with Hattori. "The ahou already texted he's on his way."

"And besides," Kazuha sends him a teasing look and an amused smile. "Even if we didn't have our boyfriends picking us up, you'll still get your hands full."

As if on cue, Shinichi was reminded of his girlfriend who's still clinging on to him, her constant breathing on his ear enough to make him go red, as if he's the one intoxicated.

He silently agrees to Kazuhas' statement.

-

Ran insists on walking home instead of getting a taxi. He protested but after being presented with the same adorable pleading look she always used on him back when he was Conan;wide eyes, pouty lips, and blushing cheeks, he was really left with no choice.

Now, they tread across the empty streets of Beika with the moon illuminating the area, Shinichi makes sure that his girlfriend doesn't trip from her quivering steps, choosing to carry her on his back, her arms hanging loosely around his neck while his hand secured on her thighs, assuring of no fall. The night serves peaceful, accompanied by a comfortable silence.

Until he decided to break it.

"Hey Ran--" he starts, wanting to ask her about the 'problem' he wasn't sure they're having, but was cut off by her instead.

"Ne, Shinichi?" her voice is a bit slurred but with his proximity, he heard it just fine. She seemed to have timed it when he decided to speak, deliberately avoid the questioning from him, concluding that something is wrong. He wanted to ignore her distraction and push further, but with Rans' current condition, he gives up and lets her get away.

"Hmm?"

"Did it hurt?" he stops walking in confusion at such a sudden question, prompting him to face her as she wears an innocent smile.

"What hurt?" he asks, not getting the point. It took him a few seconds to catch on to what her 'innocent smile' and question means, and he isn't exactly happy at the conclusion he got.

"Please no," he exclaims as she looks at him expectantly, really wanting to continue. he complains. "Isn't this supposed to be the other way around?"

A glare is all it took for him to know she's not giving up. However, Shinichi isn't going to comply so easily either.

"Let me guess, when I fell from heaven?" he teases her, ahead of the supposed pick up line she's about to say.

Instead of being angry however, Rans' smile widens more than before, not looking as innocent. "No."

Eyebrows furrowing in confusion he asks, "What?"

"When you fell for me."

He stares in disbelief. He had never expected such a cheesy pick up line to be even more cheesier than it already is and it honestly impresses him(in a bad way). Meanwhile, Ran looks way too proud of herself, a huge grin plastered on her face.

"Okay, you win." he states rather dejectedly and continues walking, wishing his surrender to be the end of her drunk flirting.

If he were to be completely honest, Shinichi somewhat expected Ran to do something crazy and uncharacteristic, since it isn't the first time for her to be this intoxicated. The last time, she sang random songs with the most intangible lyrics he had ever heard, her drunk singing voice comparable to his normal one. This time it's the same, only now it's sappy pick up lines instead of crappy lyrics( he isn't sure which one is worse).

"Shinichi," she starts again, and it was cue for Shinichi to pick up his pace to get home faster, and he did. But Ran is stubborn. She calls his name on repeat way too many times, that he has to stop and finally decides to listen.

"Alright, let's hear it and quickly take you home to your apartment because I'm already tired of this." he yields, defeated and weary. On the other hand, Rans' expression is the complete opposite, too cheerful and energetic like neon lights on a dark room.

"You know why you're tired?"

"Yeah because of your pick up--"

"Because you've been running through my mind all day long." she breaks into a laugh as he stops functioning, wondering how his girlfriend can be so witty and stupid at the same time whenever she drinks a lot more than usual.

He ponders if Kaito has something to do it. After all, there is no one better and worse at flirting with words than he is. Rans' are tolerable but maybe it's because he loves her so much that he does appreciate them, but they're still pretty bad.

He deadpans at her still cackling form just to express his emotions. "You know, other people will call you an idiot if they know you're doing this."

She pauses, her turn to be confused. "Just other people? What will you call me then?"

"My idiot who's doing this."

Her reaction is instantaneous. Her face blossomed a shade of crimson as she coughs, too taken aback while he tilts inwards, smirking at having to get back at her antics.

"That's not fair!" she whines, throwing daggers at him as she cough a little more.

"You started it." he yawns, the night catching on to him.

He really thought it was the end of it, but Ran always proves him wrong as she started once again. "Yeah, being good looking must be sooo tiring."

He really is impressed at how her mind can processed a mundane action and turn into a bad and cheesy pick up line. But he didn't become friends with the worst flirt in the world for nothing. Clearly not accepting defeat, he decides to play along. "Then you must be exhausted."

Her face turns into a blushing mess either from embarrassment or frustration or maybe even from both.

"Shinichi!"

And that's what they did until they got home. He truly was worried that there was something bothering Ran, but from the way she conversed and flirted with him(even though he's sure it's the alcohol talking), he was confident that if there was a problem, it isn't as bad as he expects it to be.

-

After an hour of throwing trashy jokes at each other, they finally made it to her apartment. He grabs the key he got from her earlier and opens the door, going straight to the sofa to put down his girlfriend.

Ran looks tired, eyes constantly blinking as she takes off her shoes, slower than it's supposed to be. She flops down on the couch, ready to doze off. Making sure she won't fall off, he strides into the kitchen to get some water.

Going back in the living room with a glass, he now finds her sitting instead of her laid down position a minute ago. She's dazed, eyes dead set on the table across as her brows intensely furrow as if trying to figure something out.

"Here you go," he sits down beside her, offering the water. He watches her drink it languidly, attentive to her every move. After finishing and putting it back on the table with a thud, Ran stands up, a hand on her throat.

"What's wrong?" he asks as the panic becomes visible on her visage, eyes roaming everywhere.

"I think I'm gonna throw up," as if on signal, she makes a strained sound while Shinichi rushes her inside the bathroom, certain that Ran won't appreciate walking into her living room with vomit all around it.

Upon reaching the toilet, Shinichi lets her bend over it and finally lets out everything she ate and drank that day as he soothes her back, stroking it back and forth. He also holds her hair up just make sure it doesn't get in the way.

"Are you okay?" he tilts his head in confusion as she turns around now done with her task, eyes watering slightly.

"I'm hungry." he sighs, having predicted it. He isn't the best at cooking, but letting his girl cook for herself while still being a bit visually impaired and losing her self balance every now and then sounds like the worst decision he can make in this situation.

"Fine. I'll make you something." hearing such words, Ran wipes her tears and beams at him. He leads her out of the restroom, leaving her on the couch and heading to the kitchen to cook at least a soup just to quench her hunger.

A few minutes passed and he comes back to a yawning Ran, with a hot and steamy soup laying in his hands. She offers him a drowsy smile, and he gives a knowing one in return.

"Here," he places the bowl on the table in front her and Ran takes it leisurely. She takes a chunk of food and blows at it, in the hopes of lessening the heat. Satisfied, she puts it on her mouth and makes a noise, glancing at him.

"It tastes good!" he chuckles and shakes his head in disapproval. "Thanks but, I'm pretty sure it only taste like that because you're drunk."

He leans in the wall as he watches her consume the soup with gusto, making his heart swell. When Ran finally eats half of it, he speaks out.

"Seriously, what made you drink so much like that?" despite the high chance that she won't answer, he still gives it a try.

After hearing no response, the detective sighs and looks away, deciding to let it slide and thinks that he'll just try again tomorrow.

But it looks like that he doesn't have to.

"It's Shinichi's fault." she said it so casually and quietly, but it didn't get pass his ears. Shock at the fact that she replied and at the specific retort, he looks back and stares at her.

"Eh?"

"It was Sonoko's little dare," she finishes the rest of the food without care and continues, "She told me how you're always so indifferent and said to make you blush or whatever. But, you you were so busy with the case that I didn't even had the chance and just gave up."

He was left dumbfounded. The events three days ago went back to him in a flash. All of Ran's little glances, her stuttering words, and even her hold on him before he left after taking her home finally made sense.

'That Sonoko!' he twitches his eyebrow in annoyance. He really should've seen that coming. If there was anyone this world who could think such an idea, it would be none other than their childhood friend.

He attempts to talk, but she beats him to it.

"But, now that I think about it, I really dont mind Shinichi being busy like that," she's now looking at him, a smile plastered on her blushing face, sign of still being under the influence of the alcohol. "After all, I really love Shinichi's face whenever he solves a case. Shinichi's eyes always lights up, like it's alive and burning. As if seeing a world no one else knows."

"Whenever Shinichi solves a case, he helps a lot of people. And it's amazing to know, that tons of people are alive right now—because of Shinichi." she rambles on, calling his name too many times as if she's only talking to herself, like he isn't standing right there at all to listen.

Her voice, despite being slurred holds honesty in them that didn't make the current condition of his heart any better as he's hearing her compliment him.

"I guess that just means, that I really love Shinichi." she laughs at her own words, finding such a revelation amusing.

Meanwhile, Shinichi stands there having only two things in his mind; that Ran is really drunk, and that he's just glad the dare is over. Because if it wasn't, with the way he feels his face burning right now, he was sure Ran would've absolutely won it.

[justanotherlifeff]

This is a kinda angst kinda fluff request but bakugo x a reader who apologies a lot even when it isn't their fault

Sorry

Warnings: Domestic violence, angst but eventual fluff, mentions of addiction

The way you were always apologising pissed Bakugou off ever since you stepped into class 1A. At the begining, he saw you as yet another pushover extra who didn't deserve his attention. However, when he got to see your immensely powerful quirk and your amazing control over it, he had to notice you and he found you to be almost as irritating as Deku if not worse. Why were you always apologising to everyone? Why did you always mutter a 'sunimasen' every time you hit someone with your quirk during training? Did you feel like no one was at your level and you would have to baby them? Who the fuck did you think you are? These were the thoughts that played into Bakugou's mind about you. At first, he tried to shout at you to intimidate you, which utterly failed as you kept profusely apologising to him for upsetting him. After that, Bakugou just ignored your existance, or atleast he pretended to. If he was being honest to himself, he found you weird. The fact that you were always apologising wasn’t normal. Sure, Bakugou almost never apologised, but, even if he were to compare you to someone normal like Kirishima, your rate of apologising was unnatural.

With time, he came to notice more subtle details about you. He noticed how you flinched before starting to apologise to random people for no reason. He also noticed the fact that you always had a slight glint of fear in your eyes every time you apologised to someone. While initially Bakugou thought that you were doing this because you felt like you were superior to everyone, now he saw that you were genuinely scared of something. "She has a strong fucking quirk... What the hell is she so afraid of?" was one of the questions that plagued Bakugou's mind now. The other question would be, "Why do I even give a fuck?". Yes, ever since he found that you didn't apologise because you felt like you are superior, he found himself getting more drawn to you. Your quirk was very compatible with him when it came to sparring and he found himself asking you to train with him. Ofcourse, he was still annoyed by the fact that you apologised about every little thing but he had a feeling that something wasn’t right. Unlike Deku, you weren’t being nice just for the sake of being nice.

You on the other hand, grew closer to Bakugou with time. Ofcourse, he didn't know anything about your life and you knew that he would throw you away like garbage if he did but then again, you were always good at keeping secrets. Ever since you started training together, you found yourself getting drawn to him. You never talked much at class and tried to keep a low profile but you found yourself having lunch with him on UA's roof. Ofcourse he still shouted at you about apologising way too much but you just couldn’t take the risk of not doing so. You knew the consequences of mistakes like that too well. Yes, you thought that he would never find out, however, Bakugou was more perceptive than the average person. He noticed every single move you made unbeknownst to you and you never imagined the fact that he would follow you home.

Bakugou was confused by the way you made him feel lately. At class, you almost never talked. However, during lunch breaks, when you and Bakugou hung out together, he saw a different side to you. Yes, you still apologised about literally everything even when it wasn’t your fault or even if the issue itself had nothing to do with you. However, you cracked jokes that made him laugh and in rare occasions, you made sassy comebacks with a completely straight face that made him howl with laughter (though you started apologising for being rude after that). Bakugou was confused by the giddy feeling that you brought within him because he clearly enjoyed your company. After reluctantly taking advice from Kirishima about it, (Kirishima noticed Bakugou's behaviour towards you and figured out that Bakugou had a thing for you and hence, he gave Bakugou advice without Bakugou asking for his help because Bakugou would never ask for advice by himself) Bakugou figured out that he had a crush on you. Bakugou was never good at emotions but he wasn’t the one to be coward enough to run away from it (Because Kirishima pretty much dared him to ask you out). Hence, Bakugou made plans to ask you out.

After class was over and you were on your way home, Bakugou stopped you. You were confused by that since you and Bakugou didn't usually talk except for when you were training together or during lunch. "Oi, (L/N)!" he called out before you stopped. You were also surprised by the fact that he used your last name instead of one of his weird nicknames. "Oh hey Bakugou. What's up? Did I do something wrong? I'm so sorry..." you answered. "Nah you didn't do anything wrong dumbass. What I wanted to say was that do you want to have lunch with me on this weekend? We already have lunch together everyday so this shouldn’t be a problem for you." Bakugou told you, looking away from you, trying to hide an obvious blush. "Uh... Are you sure about it? I really don't want to bother you even more..." you muttered in answer. "Hah? Do you have shit for brains (L/N)? Why the fuck will I ask you out on a damn date if you fucking bothered me?" Bakugou barked at you. "Huh? Date? I... I can't... I'm sorry..." your eyes widened at the begining but then your eyes were watering as you choked out the last part of your sentence before running away, leaving Bakugou confused. With that, Bakugou had enough. He was going to uncover your secret at this very day because it was clear to him from your expression that you didn't want to reject him.

At first, Bakugou felt weird about following you. He maintained a good amount of distance so that you wouldn’t notice him as you got on a train. He knew where you lived at since you mentioned your train trip slightly during a conversation with him, enabling him to buy the ticket. The train trip didn't last too long and Bakugou was on your trail yet again. However, when he found you entering an area that could be recognised as a slum, Bakugou was unpleasantly surprised. You entered UA on recommendations as your quirk was very strong and you saved a citizen once, gathering the attention of a few pro heroes. Bakugou also knew that you were studying in UA under a scholarship since you had potential but bad financial conditions. However, he didn't expect your financial conditions to be that bad. Bakugou was hiding nearby as he saw you stop infront of a shabby house as if you were contemplating whether to enter or not. After a while of just standing there, you entered the house, closing the door behind you. "Did she reject me because her dumb ass thought I'll reject her cause she's poor?" Bakugou wondered angrily as he didn't like the fact that you thought so low of him. However, all his doubts were cleared just when he decided to go back home and the door to your house was roughly opened and you were thrown out of the house.

Bakugou's eyes widened at your condition. You were still in your school uniform but your hair was messed up and you were clutching your stomach in obvious pain. Bakugou decided not to hide anymore and ran towards you. "Shit! (L/N)! Are you okay?! What the fuck was that?!" Bakugou asked you loudly, his voice showing concern as his face twitched into an angry but concerned expression. You on the other hand was surprised, embarrassed, scared and in pain. "Bakugou... What are you doing here?" you asked him, croaking in pain. "I'll explain that later. Firstly, did someone hit you? Is this your home? Where are your parents? You have a shit tonne of explaining to do dammit! I'm taking you to a fucking hospital and don't fucking argue." Bakugou barked at you, picking you up from the street. "I'm sorry about this mess..." you croaked out only to get an incredulous look from Bakugou.

You were kicked in your stomach. The doctor in the nearby hospital gave you medicines to relieve the pain. After checking you, they found many bruises, results of domestic violence. Bakugou wasn’t allowed to be there with you since he wasn’t family when the police were called to interview you. After all the procedures were completed, you were moved to a ward room where you were to be kept for the day as the kick was quite strong. That was when Bakugou was finally allowed to see you. He had been waiting in the waiting room for hours. He needed to have a chat with you about everything. When he entered the room, he found you sitting on the bed, looking out of the window beside the bed. Hearing him come in, you looked at him and suddenly, Bakugou could see a glint of guilt in your eyes. "I'm so sorry about all that mess..." you muttered, looking down at the floor. "It's not your fault, dumbass. Do you wanna talk about it?" Bakugou asked you, trying to keep his rough voice soothing. "I... Okay... You deserve to know..." you muttered in answer before telling him everything.

Your mother was a drug addict. Your father left you when you were in elementary school and never came back. Your mother was a drug dealer and that's where the money to support the family came from. You were ashamed of your background because how can the daughter of a criminal be a hero? You've wanted to be a hero since you were a kid and getting into UA was the best thing that happened to you. While you were in class, you could reject your family for a little amount of time. When you were with Bakugou, you could be yourself. However, your life never left you alone. Your mother was abusive. She found it fun to hit you even if you made the slightest of mistakes, sometimes even when you did absolutely nothing. Apologizing became your self defence mechanism as there was no other way to stop your mother from hitting you. Yes, you had a strong quirk but your mother had the quirk to erase quirks almost like Aizawa which made you helpless against her. The effect of your life at home creeped it's way into the life you made for yourself at school as you were constantly terrified. When Bakugou asked you out, you couldn’t express how much you wanted to say yes, how much you wanted to hug him. However, you knew better. Why would someone who is so driven to be the number 1 hero, someone who wants to save everyone, like someone who can't even stop her own mother from doing crimes? You felt as if you didn't deserve him.

At the end, you were crying. Bakugou was completely quiet as you explained everything. Suddenly, you felt Bakugou's hand on your head as he pulled you into a hug. He was standing infront of the bed as you were sitting, with your forehead pressed to his stomach. "You really are a dumbass aren’t you? You didn’t have a choice back there. It's not your damn fault idiot." Bakugou muttered as he patted your head. "I-I'm sorry..." you sobbed as your arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer. "Don't apologise idiot. I swear I'll break the arms of anyone who tries to lay a damned finger on you. You won't apologise without a fucking reason anymore. Promise me that." Bakugou barked at you, still petting your head. "I promise." you muttered between your sobs as a smile kept forming on your face. "We are having that date too." Bakugou muttered, making sure that you didn't catch the way he blushed. "Yeah. We are." you answered with a full blown smile on your face.

[Author's note: I'm not too good at writing angst but I hope this was okayish?]

[aros001]

Going in blind: Watching season 1 for the first time. Random thoughts.

This show is kind of nice because I have no memories of the original She-Ra show, or even any of He-Man, honestly. I'm not sure if I ever watched the original, so I have no frame of reference for how the series is "supposed" to be. I can just take it and judge it as is.

Of the bat, all I know is that supposedly She-Ra and Catra get together as a romantic couple later, but I'm also a huge My Hero Academia fan and the fandom around me ships every character with every other character, so for all I know that might just be shipper wishful thinking I've been seeing and hearing. Given fandoms for Gravity Falls, Thor, and Supernatural ship even siblings together, I've learned not to trust anything except for what I see in the series for myself.

By the way, this isn't a review, just random thoughts and comments I'm having as I'm going through season 1 for the first time.

Episodes 1 and 2: Right off, I really like Catra's "No duh" response to Adora about the truth of the horde. She knows they've been lying to them and have been doing terrible things, she just doesn't care. If she and Adora play their cards right they could end up being the ones in charge and then they'd have all that power. Not necessarily to make things better but enough to where they could do whatever and live however they want. That's a good build for an antagonist. Not ignorant to the fact what they're doing is wrong, just simply so selfish that they don't care.

Episode 3: It really feels like there was no good reason why Glimmer didn't just outright introduce Adora to her mother and every reason she should have known it was a bad idea to try and hide her for a surprise. Being a former horde soldier she'd probably get treated with hostility if Glimmer brought her to the front gate but you'd almost guarantee Adora would get arrested or outright killed if she got caught while no one else knew she was there.

On the other side, we have Hordak being pretty intelligent in promoting Catra. He probably knows Shadow Weaver already doesn't like him, so it's not like he's losing anything making her upset with him, and it's clear she favors Adora way more than Catra, so that little bit of advancement towards Catra probably goes a long way in earning her loyalty to him and a person on the inside with Shadow Weaver.

Also, I'm not the only one who saw Madam Razz and immediately thought Adora had found her Yoda, right?

Episode 4: I don't know how it was in the original She-Ra and He-Man series but I kind of like She-Ra being this title from legend. Adora is not the first She-Ra, given what Razz was talking about with a Mara, so instead of being something new, impressing everyone with abilities they've never seen before, and creating the legend, Adora is placed in a position WAY over her head where she's having to live up to what came before her.

Episode 5: Calling it now, as long as her personality is genuine I think Scorpia is going to be one of my favorite characters in this show. She's...endearing, I think is the best word. She's like a mix of Kronk and a nicer Shego.

For a little bit I thought Mermista was voiced by the same actress who played Poison Ivy in the Harley Quinn animated series. She's not but they do have the same kind of Daria-ish inflections, thus by confusion. Given the prom episode, Sea Hawk feels kind of like her Kite Man.

Episode 6: Okay, now it's between Scorpia and Entrapta who are likely to be my favorites by the end of this. She's fun and quirky.

Episode 7: Quite the lore drop. Shadow Weaver was once a Mystacor sorceress known as Light Spinner. I like to imagine we'll get more on that later. Her haunting Adora reminded me of the Teen Titans' episode where Robin was similarly haunted by Slade. This didn't go as far as that but that's probably for the best, since TT had two and a half seasons to build that dynamic up with Robin and Slade while we're only now halfway through the first season.

Episode 8: Well dang. Again, I don't know for sure if Adora and Catra do end up together but boy do I buy why they're shipped together after that dance. Also, good on Bow for standing up for himself. It's clear that he'll always be Glimmer's friend and this won't change that but that doesn't mean he has to just accommodate her. I understand where her issues stem from but I am still glad he gave her a reality check. It helps him feel a little more like his own character.

Also, another nice little bit of lore and worldbuilding. Scorpia's a princess, the horde landed where her people lived, and they seemed to join them willingly.

Episode 9: Surprisingly don't have a lot to say about this other than I don't buy for a second that Entrapta is dead (EDIT: She's not). This was mostly action.

Episode 10: Not going to lie, this one kind of annoyed me a little, at least the first half. The conversation between Glimmer and her mother saved it a bit. It was a bit of a trifecta. You have the alliance breaking apart, saying that the loss of Entrapta only happened because they were all together...even though Entrapta only "died" because of her own machine obsession that caused her to deliberately walk back into the purging chamber. You have Entrapta who might be turning to the horde's side because she feels abandoned by the other princesses...even though they thought she was dead, and again it was her fault they got separated. And you have Glimmer refusing to tell her mother that Shadow Weaver's dark magic has caused her powers to go on the fritz and is causing her great pain. It just feels like none of this would be an issue if most of these people would stop being self-absorbed for three seconds and talk like any normal person would. It feels very CW drama, like something I'd see in a bad season of Arrow or The Flash. The only person whose issues I buy is Adora, who is basically a soldier who was never properly raised to deal with emotion or loss and is already struggling with the burden of being She-Ra, the legendary savior. I get why she's beating down on herself for not being able to do more even if nothing that happened was her fault.

Episode 11: JEEEEEEEEEZZZZ, that was such a good episode! Focused entirely on Adora and Catra and their past together. Like, just showing someone this episode alone could probably get them to want to watch the series. That was everything you needed to know about their dynamic and history together.

Also, that moment when Catra and her past self are looking at each other, while obviously Catra takes the opposite lesson, it reminded me of this fanart I'd once seen of Jason Todd, the Red Hood, looking at his past self as Robin. The past says to the future "You ruined everything". Catra could be happy but, ironically for someone who hates Shadow Weaver, she's probably going to be a lot like her, sacrificing everything for power and ambition.

Given the way she looked, I'm guessing Shadow Weaver is either addicted to the power of the Black Garnet or she suffered some kind of past injury and its power is the only thing keeping her going. Or both.

Episode 12: I'll be honest, Swiftwind being able to talk kind of gobsmacked and I needed a moment to recover. What a great voice they chose for that character.

So She-Ra is kind of like the legendary heroes from Rising of the Shield Hero, coming from a long line of people chosen to wield the sword. I tend to dislike chosen one types of stories because I think prophecy takes a lot of weight out of the character's actions, so this and Avatar are more what I like. The MC is special but not the only one who's ever been special and they can still easily fail. Their destiny was only to be able to use the weapon, not that they would succeed in any specific purpose.

And dang, Catra's turn against Shadow Weaver happened faster than I thought it would but I'm not complaining. That great "This is what you've really been preparing me for" speech and Hordak, again, being an intelligent villain. "Oh, this experiment could net me a MASSIVE gain and all it could potentially cost me is this rock I already gave away to someone who lately hasn't been producing any results and has been consistently disobeying me. Yeah, I'm going to let this play out."

Episode 13: That was kind of a brutal fight between Adora and Catra. Not the worst I've ever seen even in other shows for this age range (Samurai Jack, for example) but those punches are connecting and those claws are leaving marks.

Also, maybe I'm just misunderstanding the exact situation but shouldn't the good guys' side be called the Resistance instead of the Rebellion? Being a rebellion would imply they are rebelling against an established power or rule over them, but the actual conflict we are shown is the established power and rule that is the kingdoms of Eternia resisting an outside force that wishes to establish a new order over them.

Season 1 verdict: I'm into it. I'm definitely more invested in the villains' side of things but that's not a fault of the series, that stuff is just way more geared towards me than the current princess stuff. I actively am at attention whenever the horde main characters are on screen. For the good guys it's mostly Adora and the She-Ra stuff I'm invested it. That isn't to say I have any real dislikes for that side. Bow especially I'm liking much more than I thought I might. He has kind of this gravitational pull around him. You will be his friend regardless of how much you might want to resist. He's definitely the rock for everyone else to hold onto.

Minor side note, kind of like Korra in Legend of Korra, I love how even when her powers aren't active Adora is shown to still be pretty strong physically with how easily she was lifting people up at the prom.

And I was right, Scorpia is my favorite side character.

On to season 2!

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/nyll2e/going_in_blind_watching_season_1_for_the_first/